theshipyard | ✨ .//. Piper McLean » Percy Jackson: Heroes of Olympus

[ But on the other, if you're being sarcastic she might punch your shoulder.

HARD.

Thankfully Adrien will be spared from answering that, and Piper from explaining that she'd only meant to tease him a little, because THAT right there, just as she was opening her mouth to do so? That was a human scream coming their way. Absolutely, followed by a disgustingly suave voice calling out- ]

"Oh Piper? Where are you, ma petite oeuvre d'art? I've come to collect you!"

... [ Reluctantly she turns her head to look back over her shoulder, her stomach dropping to the pit of her stomach. ]

Oh, I do NOT like the sound of that.

[ IT'S JUST LUNCH???? jESUS CHRIST he doesn't see the big deal and he definitely wouldn't have given it a second thought if she hadn't...phrased it like that......

As if he has the time to be worrying about asking girls out when fending off Chloe is close to a full time job as it is.

But the shrill voice pierces him and goes straight down his spine. He visibly cringes despite not even being the object of this dude's affections. ]

I guess he wasn't as lost as we hoped.

[ .........He's already looking for a place to transform. He grabs Piper's hand, pulling her forward as his eyes scan the hallway. His voice is hushed. ]

Come on! We need a plan.

[ AND IT WAS JUST A TEASE. It wasn't a big deal until she thought he might be serious!!! Like, LOOK a first date is kind of a big deal it's not what she signed on for today she's not even remotely mentally prepared for the implications of ACTUALLY calling it a date. The problem being she doesn't know how to say she'd only been joking around without POSSIBLY hurting his pride??? or feelings????? And look he's the one guy she actually doesn't want to upset by being an insensitive jerk.

But then again there's really no time to mull on that before a gaudily dressed villain decided to announce his intentions. Now Adrien is leading her by the hand, the sudden contact jolting Piper back into action like nobody's business. She startles out of her surprise and nods at Adrien, following his lead. Her heart is pounding and yet she feels strangely calm for someone who has a currently-unhinged individual looking for her.

As they're making their way through the hall Piper spots the locker room door and hisses softly- ] There! [ Pointing out the doorway. There'd be plenty of places to hide in there, and plenty of windows to get out through, for that matter, so her "suitor" would have to try and figure out which escape route they took and had at LEAST a fifty percent chance of being wrong. ]

[ The locker room is perfect, though Adrien's approval is a silent one. He figures no one would be around without a P.E. class in session, so he doesn't hesitate to slip in first before beckoning Piper in after him.

Within, they have a little more freedom to speak, though how long that will last remains to be seen. He's looking around, hoping something brilliant will jump out at him, like "here I am!!!" ]

We need Ladybug and Cat Noir.

[ Once inside Piper ducks away from the door, but she feels uneasy. This is unreal. Piper isn't for sure that she even heard what she thought she heard, but for Adrien to mention Ladybug and Cat Noir so casually- like oh hey these are totally people who actually exist and NOT cartoon characters, what's even up with that?

Well, whatever, it's obviously real, Adrien doesn't seem like the kind of guy who'd fake this kind of thing so it's clearly a regularly occuring thing, and it's her fault that this happened in the first place. It must be if that guy is looking for her by name. ]

Yeah.

[ She sounds a bit distant as she says it, still coming to grips with the fact that this is now her reality, a world where superheroes and super villains exist. Even so, when she looks at Adrien again she doesn't look afraid. She looks surprisingly calm. ]

You should be the one to go for help. If I'm the one he's after then I can lead him away. If he's seriously after me it'd probably be a pretty bad idea for him to catch us together.

[ ...SHE IS MAKING THIS SO EASY he could literally?? cry tears of joy??? right now. but he won't, because he is stoic Adrien Agreste. For the next few minutes, at least.

A bit of Cat Noir seeps into his grin prematurely. It doesn't even occur to him that, being new, she might not really be used to his and Ladybug's special brand of heroing, buuut since she insists, he will definitely accept.

Oh, but not the whole Piper-being-bait thing. Yeah, that's not happening. ]

Better yet, I'll lead him away. You just wait here. They'll wrap this up in no time.

[ A wink, annnnd he leaves the locker room with a pointer finger over his lips ("shhh") before she can protest.

BYE, PIPER. ]

[ That's right, she'll- ]

Wait, what?

[ Pretty little eyebrows immediately furrow, her expression clearly saying "THAT IS THE STUPIDEST IDEA I HAVE EVER HEARD.". If this guy is after HER why would he even take an interest in Adrien, for one? And if Adrien is planning on MAKING him pay attention, how the hell does he know this guy won't kill or seriously hurt him for getting in the way?! She wants to throttle you, Agreste, but before she even has a chance to strangle out the first syllable of her protest he's on his way out the door shushing her.

She actually feels her mouth settle into a disapproving line, not only because she ~~still~~ hates playing the damsel, but because she has to stop herself from yelling after him about being an idiot- a brave idiot, but an idiot none the less.

Instead, with a frustrated exhale under her breath (not that she's ungrateful! SUCH NOBLE MUCH CHIVALRY) Piper turns her attention to the room in search of a weapon. A baseball bat, a fencing sword, dodge balls, ANYTHING she could use as defense or diversion.

She gives it a bit of time, a minute tops, settles on a bat from the supplies on hand, and goes out the window to find a good vantage point... or ambush point. There's no way she's leaving him to deal with that guy on his own. ]

[ It's not a stupid idea if Adrien lies and tells him he saw her go the complete opposite direction!

Of course, this only works for so long, but it's enough.

The next time Piper sees him (or hears him?), it will be as Cat Noir, using his plucky wiles to stall as the approached the room where he'd left her. Ladybug is his back up. ]

What's the matter, tough guy? "No," too big of a word for you to understand?

[ THAT... is actually a fair point. ALRIGHT she apologizes.

Well, she would if she were there and they'd had this actual discussion. Instead she's ducked down behind an open door, just below the window and safely out of sight (for now). Imagine her surprise to hear Adrien not only still engaged with the "Akuma" guy (Casanova, Piper), but sounding as if he's actually FIGHTING him??

She dares to peer around the corner, spotting the two in the distance nearing the locker room on the other side of the hall. She's limited on where she can actually hide and stay out of sight. The school's layout is too open, even the stairs have large gaps that one can easily see through even when encased in shadow. The open courtyard style interior sees to that. That means it's just a matter of time before she's spotted if she doesn't move, so there's little other choice but to do just that.

But seriously, Adrien

is Cat Noir?!

??????????????????????????????????????????????? ]

[ Alright, so it's less that Ladybug is his backup and more than he is hers. Still, if there's one thing he's good at, it's stalling, so he keeps it up hoping to buy time for Piper, wherever she is.

By the time they make it into the locker room, it's with a very loud and flashy bang. Cat looks around and doesn't see Piper immediately.

He can only hope this is a good thing, because they're a little cornered now.

Well!! Sort of.

The closed off nature of the locker room complicates things, but he can tell Ladybug is already looking for their escape route. ]

[ Luck seems to actually be on her side for a change, something Piper is grateful for as she edges towards the locker room with bat in hand following their explosive entrance. She can hear the currently psychopathic student on the other side of the door demanding to know what Cat Noir has done with his... eugh... beautiful little Piper... ]

"First, I'm taking yours and Ladybug's Miraculous, then once YOU two are out of the way I'll be free to convince my beautiful little songbird that we are meant to be! I will NOT let you stand in my way, Cat Noir!"

[ "Oh, that's it." She mutters, then steps inside and swings with all of her anger. The force of the blow to the back of the head is more than enough to take the man by surprise, and as he drops face first to the ground Piper tosses the bat to the floor. ]

Sorry, pal, but I'm not anyone's little anything.

[ ... And with that she looks up, at Cat Noir.

... SERIOUSLY. The hell is Adrien doing looking like such a good fit in black leather? It's weird! ]

Edited 2018-05-27 03:32 (UTC)

[ Cat is far too distracted to be concerned about being recognized. He visibly winces at the loud metallic clang that rings out when the bat connects to the guy's head, and when the guy drops to the floor, Cat can't help laughing. ]

Damn.

Well, that should give you some time to find the akuma, Milady. In the meantime, maybe I should put some distance between him and his little songbird.

[ He doesn't do the air quotes, but it's pretty obvious. He approaches Piper, keeping an eye on their akuma victim all the while, in case there are any surprises. ]

[ .... So they don't think they're recognizable. Huh. Well then. Piper isn't gonna be the one to burst that bubble with a villain on the floor, in a public place. She's not dumb enough to take that risk, even if the odds of others being around are slim. Some kid could be hiding in a locker.

... Then again, maybe she's wrong. Maybe she should test i-

"... put some distance between him and his little songbird."

She IS going to groan at the nickname, though, rolling her eyes for a second before shifting gears. ] Anyway, thanks... Wait, did you guys see my friend? Another blond kid being chased by this guy?

[ She looks between the two, feigning worry- okay not COMPLETELY, on the off chance she's absolutely BONKERS for seeing a resemblance, but she's about 99.9% sure this is Adrien and Marinette. ] About my age, green eyes, about this tall? [ Pantomiming his height here- ] He took off trying to lead this guy away.

[ She looks at Cat Noir, and he might see something glinting in her eyes while Ladybug is distracted. ]

Would you help me look for him?

Edited 2018-05-27 16:25 (UTC)

[ God damnit.

Well, it's not the first time he's run into a situation like this, so of course he's smiling it off like it's no big deal. ]

Of course we can. He probably just got cold paws. Poor lost, little kitten.

[ Cat shakes his head, like ah, what a shame, before turning to Ladybug. ]

Milady, would you—?

[ It's a good thing Ladybug hadn't put it together that they were talking about Adrien. Maybe they didn't really give her a chance to? Maybe she was putting Piper's safety ahead of all that anyway, since that's just the kind of hero she was.

Either way, they agree to split up, with Cat escorting Piper away from the scene.

He is already looking for an excuse to split up again of course, some place where he can detransform and get himself out of this mess.

At least he knows Ladybug can pretty much take care of the akuma from here. ]

Wait.

[ Cat stops as they pass the bathrooms.

...Crude, obvious, but he doesn't really have a whole lot of options. ]

I think I heard a mouse.

[ It probably helps she didn't identify him by name, because then she'd have absolutely been zeroed in on the conversation. As it is the two are able to leave in relative peace, with relative ease. Piper expected him to try to split off at the first opportunity, but... a mouse? THERE GOES THAT EYEBROW AGAIN...

She makes sure to look at Cat Noir pointedly. She debates calling him out on the spot...

...

... But... no. That wouldn't be right. He clearly doesn't realize she recognizes him, and given how absolutely head over heels Marinette OBVIOUSLY is over Adrien, Piper is going to guess she doesn't realize it either, or she's a damned good actress if she does.

... How DOES Marinette not see it? ]

Okay, Tom Cat. Promise not to leave it on my bed in the morning. I don't need anymore reason to stay vegetarian.

[ HE DIDN'T MEAN AN ACTUAL MOUSE but.......yes, okay, point taken. Cat maintains his cheeky grin as he disappears into the bathroom, but then lets out a sigh of relief that he's finally out of view of prying eyes.

After a moment in front of the mirror, he whispers quietly: ]

...Plagg, claws in.

[ —and watches as his costume disappears in a swirl of black and green.

He's not really sure how this will go, but it's too late to change his mind now, so he walks right back out to meet Piper as Adrien Agreste. ]

[ She is so calling Adrien kitten the next time she sees him.

Which, as she stands there waiting for Cat Noir to "investigate", she suspects will be in less than a minute.

SURE ENOUGH. HE IS MAKING THIS SO EASY SHE CAN'T EVEN. It's actually a genuine struggle not to give herself away and ask him right there, turning towards him and instead pretending to be surprised. ]

There you are! Agreste, I swear, the next time you ditch me to play hero like a reckless nut I'm shoving you into a locker.

[ She punches his shoulder for emphasis, but it's only just a LITTLE harder than a love tap, if she's honest, not meant to actually hurt or bruise, but make a point. ]

... And thanks. That was dangerous, but brave. He might've... I don't know, but I was worried.

[ She exhales, bringing a hand up to run through her hair, pushing it back from her face, braid and all. ]

Edited 2018-05-28 02:44 (UTC)

[ Alright, so he was maybe expecting like, a slap to the face? His shoulder was unprepared. He leans away from the punch, laughing playfully—

But mainly he's just relieved. ]

It's okay. Ladybug and Cat Noir did most of the work... but I heard that you didn't do so badly yourself.

[ Ladybug's probably found the akuma and purified it by now... right? He wonders how long a hit like that would put a guy out for, but decides he does not want to find out for himself.

...Also does not want to be shoved in a locker, thank you. He adds: ]

Cat Noir was very impressed.

[ He's well informed for someone who "didn't do much", but this too she shall let pass. Is it strange that she's... oddly nervous? Excited? She's carrying around a potentially enormous secret now, but she has a thousand questions, not least of which being how Adrien will take it when or if she confronts him with the truth...

For now she'll just enjoy the reprieve, unable to help grinning at his laughter. His comment about Cat Noir and her contribution to the fight have her feeling a little self conscious, but not uncomfortable like before their talk on the tower. It helps that it's just Adrien and not the entire class. If her suspicion is correct it also isn't lost on her that ADRIEN was very impressed. ]

Yeah, well, I started this mess. I couldn't just sit around letting someone else clean it up after me. And Besides, it's like you said: They did all the heavy lifting.

Edited (Dang man, HTML errors and typos galore tonight....) 2018-05-28 03:22 (UTC)

[ Adrien is still totally oblivious to the fact that he's being let off the hook way too easily. Maybe it's because of Piper's good acting, but he's more than happy to go along with it and not talk about it.

.......His stomach decides to growl just then, as if trying to do the talking for him.

Whoops. ]

Sorry. We never did make it to lunch.

[ Hey. Hey! That's exactly what was needed to break the tension! Piper gives it a solid effort for about three seconds, not to laugh, but finally she can't help it, relief hitting her hard. The situation had resolved itself, though... maybe she should worry a bit about the guy who was akumatized. In fact she does cast a glance back the way they'd come from.

Cat Noir- Adrien -hadn't seemed too worried, so maybe she was overthinking it. Besides, seeing her right now, she's sure THAT won't help the guy out at all.

After a moment of short silence she turns back to Adrien again and nods. ]

Yeah. There's still time before we have to get back to class. Why don't we check out that new cafe the others were talking about?

Works for me.

[ Adrien shrugs, finding her laughter contagious.

With a grin on his face, he pulls out his phone, juuust to make sure they have as much time as they think they do. Then he'll lead the way, tucking the thing back into his pocket.

Right where they left off, huh? At least she did the honors this time, and didn't make him ask her out again.

But next time—next time will be easier. Next time won't be so awkward.

He'll make sure of it. ]

✨ .//. Piper McLean » Percy Jackson: Heroes of Olympus

3/3

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject