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

[ Piper, for her part, is turning her sandwich a bit in her fingers. The whole thing still feels kind of awkward and she half-wishes she hadn't brought it up, but what's done is done, and they may as well try to salvage the night. His addendum draws out a small chuckle and smile. ]

Yeah, take your time. And your fill. The more you eat the less I have to carry back down later.

[ Hers gets finished in a few bites after that, and she reaches in for one of the sodas after. It opens up with a satisfying pop and hiss, and she watches the fizz escaping from the opened lid for a bit as she goes on. ]

Hey, do you remember how earlier today I said I told that guy to get lost?

[ Adrien obviously plans on helping, so it's more like "we"—the less we have to carry back down.

But he doesn't bother with the correction, looking towards Piper with interest when she continues. ]

Sure. [ That was right before he tried to ask her out to lunch, as he recalls. Not that he's about to bring that up again. He'd much rather tease her. ] What about it, heartbreaker?

Ha ha, very funny, lover boy.

[ Said as she rolls her eyes in his direction with mock exasperation. ]

The thing is, when I ask people to do something... they do it. And I don't mean that in a Chloe way.

[ ...

......As tempting as it is to keep up the teasing and joking, especially at Chloe’s expense, he can tell Piper is being serious. ]

Uh, okay. How do you mean it, then?

[ Should she be more nervous about this? Maybe. PROBABLY. But hey, gift horses, mouths, carrot breath, no thanks.

Take your time processing that, Adrien. She'll just be over here taking a sip of her soda as she waits.

Oh, ready then with the questions? Perfect timing. ]

I know this is gonna sound kinda crazy but hear me out. Okay? [ She looks at him for confirmation before continuing. ] ... Before we moved here to Paris I used to get into trouble a lot. My dad hasn't really had time for me since he became famous, so I'd try to find ways to make him pay attention. [ She shrugs a bit, tracing the rim of her soda can now with one fingertip. ] It was my first private school and I didn't fit in with the rich kids there, so I started wandering around town. I don't really know what made me decide to try it but... I stopped in this bike shop. There was this mountain bike on display and I asked the clerk if I could try it out. At first he said no... but then I asked again, and promised I'd bring it right back. Instead of telling me to beat it they just... said sure. Like... they'd just suddenly done a complete one-eighty, decided they trusted me and they were happy to give me what I wanted.

[ Thinking back on it it was strange, but she was a dumb kid, still was in a lot of ways, but- ]

I assumed they'd recognized me or something... you know, knew my dad? I did bring the bike back, but... I don't know, it kept happening again after that and it just got more and more ridiculous.

[ Her dad didn't pay attention... so she made him?

No matter how crazy her story was, Adrien had to admire that. Maybe if he'd had as much courage and determination as Piper—as Cat Noir—his life would be different. But here he is, having to sneak around just to save the damn city.

He can't help chuckling, not because he didn't believe her, but... because he could believe it. It doesn't take much imagination at all to see her story playing out in his mind. ]

Famous dads, am I right?

[ He shrugs, like, "What are we going to do with them?" ]

If you're about to tell me how you became a wanted criminal, though, I feel like I should warn you: Sabrina's dad is a cop.

[ It certainly sounds more impressive than it actually is, she can tell him that much. And for all the good it had done her in the end. Still, she wasn't giving up yet. The implication that Adrien's father is just as distant is troubling, but then she'd gotten that sense just from the few times home came up in conversation, or hearing how often he missed out on outings because his father forbade him leaving the house, or he had some private lesson or other. It kind of ticks her off. Parents should BE there for their kids, not keep them at a distance...

But it's not her place to judge without knowing all the details, and she doubts it would help Adrien much. ]

Not quite. As much as this might SOUND like a villain's origin story...? [ She trails off with a smirk, shaking her head "no" just so. ]

But... the thing is, it doesn't matter what I ask for, people listen. I'd ask for something, like a lawn mower... or jewerlry... the last time it was an... actual car.

[ She coughs, clearing her throat a bit and trying to downplay it, but really- ]

Whenever the salesmen came to their senses they'd call the cops. Dad would yell at me for a while, his secretary would make the charges drop, and I'd get shipped to a new school. I guess I get it though. Who would believe me, anyway? A normal person doesn't have magical hypnotic powers.

[ He'd been joking, mostly, but the fact that cops actually got involved gives him pause. It was no wonder though, given the story. An actual car...

Gabriel flipped out over far less on a regular basis, so he could only imagine. ]

It was probably easier for him to sweep it under the rug than accept it.

[ ... ]

Not that it excuses uprooting your life. [ Multiple times. Adrien somewhat-angrily stuffs the last bit of sandwich in his mouth. ] I would've hated that.

[ She's quiet for a few long moments before she speaks up, quietly agreeing. ]

Probably... He tries to shield me from the spotlight, and I get that. I've seen what it does to him, it's the reason I don't- [ Like being in the limelight, like Chloe. The reason she doesn't cash in on her dad's name for attention, like Chloe. It's what sets her apart from Lila, too, for however little of the other girl she's heard by now. ] Anyway... it was earlier this year when I think he finally had the last straw. I saw... something, Adrien, and I'm still not sure if I want to believe it myself.

Edited 2018-06-04 04:51 (UTC)

[ Adrien finds himself looking in her direction when she trails off. He isn't quite able to fill in the blanks, though he does know that the difference between Piper and Chloe (and Lila) is quite stark indeed.

He tilts his head, looking even more curious when Piper continues. His attention is fully piqued by the use of his name. ]

What did you see?

[ There's not going to be any taking it back after this once she tells him, so she wanted to be damned sure she was ready, because having him think she needed a straight jacket isn't an option. He's not like that, though, she thinks. He sees crazy things on a near daily basis, right? So this shouldn't be so far off the mark. ]

I saw a monster.

[ WAIT THOUGH LET HER EXPLAIN. ]

Like... from old Greek legends. A harpy, I think. This woman that had just been hired to clean our house, it was just the two of us at home one night, and she attacked me. The only reason I'm even having this conversation with you is she flew off out the window before she could finish the job. My dad, though... he took one look at me, and then the mess, and when I tried to tell him what happened... I think he thought I'd finally gone nuts.

[ Which is painful for her to admit, that her own father thought his daughter had "gone off the reservation". ] He dropped everything to move us here. I had to downplay what happened after that so he wouldn't send me off to some shrink.

[ Greek legends, huh...?

Adrien isn't overly familiar, but he knows what a harpy is well enough. He's having a hard time imagining a real-life one, though. Briefly he wonders if that's what Nathalie would be like, if she were akumatized... but you know, his dad falling victim had been bad enough. ]

That's pretty intense.

But why did she give up on you all of a sudden? I mean... what did she want from you in the first place?

[ Man, she wouldn't even want to think about her own dad becoming akumatized. It's horrible enough just thinking about fighting someone you love.

She shakes her head in answer, no. ]

What did she want? Well, she seemed pretty dead set on gutting me at the time. I don't think she really gave up, though. She had me cornered and all I had to defend myself with was a bat. I yelled at her to go to hell and that's when she took off. Maybe someone called her off. Or maybe she took me literally and went to look for a way back into Tartarus, you know, Greek "Hell". [ She looks at him, wondering what he's making of all this, and hoping she hasn't freaked him out yet. ]

[ His mouth drops in awe. What is someone supposed to say to that? How does he even know hell even exists?

And yet even if it doesn’t, it wouldn’t matter, he supposes. ]

Well, if you haven’t seen her since, maybe she found it.

[ He sounds hopeful, like this would be a really good thing. ]

Either that or she’s still looking. But I’m guessing your powers have to run out at some point.

[ It's weird, hearing someone else framing her "quirky talent" in that wording. "Powers"... that's kind of a weird one to wrap her head around and she's still not really entirely sure that's what it is, but she doesn't have a better explanation, either. ]

Usually after a few hours, yeah. By then I'm usually long gone. I kind of think you're right, though.

[ She takes one of the crepes then and takes a bite, using the break to consider. After a few seconds her lips quirk, a lopsided little smile. ]

Thanks. For believing me, I mean. I've actually never told anyone else about that before, besides my dad. It feels pretty good to get it off my chest, I guess.

[ Part of her wonders if she shouldn't feel a little guilty for it actually, dragging him up here to tell him she knew all about his secret, and then dumping her recent life story on him. The dating thing is new to her, too, okay? She doesn't even have the benefit of having seen a bunch of anime or movies or anything to base this all off of. She's going on her gut. ]

[ Adrien smiles.

It still hasn't quite hit him, the fact that he can talk to Piper about his secret now, but he still feels a huge weight off his shoulders regardless. ]

I think I know the feeling.

[ He absentmindedly scratches at the back of his neck, watching Piper eat out of the corner of his eye. ]

I guess the cat is out of the bag for both of us.

[ Well then, they'd salvaged the night after all. She's glad for it. In between bites of crepes she laughs. That was SUPER cheesy, but it just makes it better. ]

At least it didn't turn into a total catastrophe.

[ A beat, and she shakes her head with a rueful look, as if to say "I can't believe I just said that". ] And here I thought I was the terrible influence. I swear, if I start telling puns I'm blaming you.

[ He lets out a laugh that he tried to hold back out of reflex. Everything he says is super cheesy, he thinks. As long as it makes someone laugh, he thinks it's worth it. ]

Just the cat related ones. Cat I help it if they just come to me?

[ He shrugs his shoulders and spreads his hands in the most Cat Noir-like gesture he's ever done outside of costume. ]

[ That one earns a shoulder shove, and an eye roll. ] Okay, blondie, THAT one was bad.

[ It's accompanied by an amused scoff, though, and a grin. After a few seconds she sets her crepe down and leans back, looking out over the skyline again. Not a bad way to spend the night. ]

So... still glad you came?

[ She smirks in his direction, as if knowing the answer- hoping anyway -would be a resounding yes. ]

[ Pffft.

He leans in the direction he's shoved, barely resisting. He follows her gaze and swings his feet. Even if he is scared at how this'll affect things going forward, there's really no other answer but yes. ]

Yeah. I'm glad.

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

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