565/A Slightly Cluttered Dinner

A Slightly Cluttered Dinner
Date of Scene:	22 May 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	In which Tommy meets Adrien's roommate Marinette, because Gabriel Agreste is a twisted sonuva
Cast of Characters:	143, 142, 87

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Marinette DuPain (143) has posed:
The 'food' that was in the apartment was... disappointing to say the very least. Certainly nothing Mari could do anything with and she was a pretty imaginative girl! That meant a trip to the grocery store which had been an expierence. She managed to make it home in one piece though! And get dinner started!

The scent of roast and fresh bread has filled the penthouse. Pop music comes from the kitchen. Once closer to that particular room, it's clear coffee is being made as well.

The young woman in the kitchen seems to have forgotten she has a roommate given then way she's dancing around the kitchen as she cooks. Hair pulled up into a bun and books from school sprawled over the counters, she seems oblivious to the world around her.

Adrien Agreste (142) has posed:
Adrien passed! That class was killer. Media something or other. He was a bit lost from the begining, and then Chat things and his father tryingt o murder him with redoing the summer swimsuit line AGAIN while prepping for the start of Fall... Adrien had never been more thankful for random friends who quickly become good friends who then become study partners, and the phone call was elated... and doing something Adrien never thought he'd be able to a mere year ago: Adrien invites a friend over to his place for dinner and video games. Because what better way to celebrate having a two week break before classes start again!?

"...just released and I thought we cou...could...?" As the elevator doors open and Adrien walks into his apartment he stops at the smell... What is that smell? His eyes are wide and his lips part. He was planning to ...see what his dietician would let him order for delivery... but someone's cooking? WHo could be...?

"Marinette," he murmurs to himself, eyes going to the kitchen. She has to be cooking. ...she can COOK?!

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Adrien invited him over! And there was no studying to be done, so clearly... clearly this was the moment of truth.

He actually dresses, this time. It's not that he goes around naked, for crying out loud, but when you're covered with fur? Wearing regular clothes is hot torture. Usually, when 'in civilian', he just puts on a very light jacket and a pair of pants, to avoid brushing anyone with his fur (the reason he always wears those fingerless gloves), and then whatever illusion he feels like casting when he assumes his human persona.

This time, though, it's different. This time it should -count- for real-real. He squeezed himself into a pair of diesel close fit jeans, and got himself something unusual: a button-up shirt that looked as if someone had taken a Polo shirt, split it down the middle and put buttons on it, and gave it long sleeves. It had horizontal stripes of the muted colors you found in Polo shirts. It was kind of ridiculous, like him. It matched.

Before he leaves, he looks at himslef in the mirror and slings his bag over his shoulder.He smirks at the human illusion looking back at him. "You're such a plain ginger root, aren't you?" he mutters, and heads out to step through the Rabbit Hole he conjures up.

He lands on the door just outside Adrien's apartment. If he had been less excited, he might have thought about the possibility of someone being there and watching him arrive. But... right now? He doesn't really think about it. All he can think about is ringing the door.

And that maybe he may have used a little too much cologne. It was hard to tell, though. His feline sense of smell was much more sensitive than his human one had been...

Marinette DuPain (143) has posed:
Of -course- she can cook! You remember where she grew up, right? Just because baked goods was all they sold didn't mean it's all her parents knew how to cook well!

It wasn't Adrien coming home that caught her attention, for obvious reasons, but the sound of the bell. Sitting aside the bowl she had been stirring, she heads into the living room. She, clearly, hasn't learned Adrien's schesule yet.

Dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a white tank top, she's looking down at her hands and focusing on cleaning the cookie dough from them as she pads barefoot across the room towards the door.

Which is probably why she didn't immediately notice Adrien.

Adrien Agreste (142) has posed:
He'd been on the phone with Nathalie to clear it as he was walking in from his bedroom. Hearing her ask about the music, Adrien mutters an excuse and hangs up, stepping back as Marinette comes padding in from the kitchen. She hasn't been here long at all, and while he's seen her a few times this casually dressed as Chat, he's never seen her this way as Adrien.

It's a little mind-numbing.

Wait, was that a bell? This place has a door bell? Adrien leans over the railing of the split level to look.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
And as the door open, Tommy grins. "Adrien! He- oh!"

Awkward silence as he is face to face with a young girl with distractingly blue eyes. "Oh, I-" he looks. Well. This IS the penthouse, he has the right place. The redhead looks confused for a moment before he realizes that he's being rude. "I'm so sorry, I thought Adrien was here. I'm Tommy... I'm afraid I didn't catch your name?"

Did Adrien forget? Oh god. Did he misread the text and go to the wrong place? Maybe Adrien rented out a pizzeria? Or a bowling alley? Crap. He can't just dig out his phone and run through the texts without looking rude.

Marinette DuPain (143) has posed:
"Marinette," is the automatic response to the prompt for her name, french accent heavy.

She steps back. "I... don't know where Adrien is but he might be here? I was in the kitchen. Please come in." Because if he's a friend of Adrien's...

"I'll go check his room? Or you could call him? Do you have his number?" Because she doesn't.

Turning to glance up the stairs she pauses, blue eyes landing on Adrien and quickly slippibg away. "He's home... Excuse me. I need to check dinner."

Because the kitchen is safe.

Adrien Agreste (142) has posed:
Green eyes - instantly troubled - follow Marinette as she retreats to the kitchen. They linger a moment before turning back to Tommy, with that false model's smile that fools the world.

"Hi! You're here sooner than I thought. I was just about to let Marinette know and see about ordering but... I didn't think she was going to be cooking anything...." The trobuled look creeps in again slightly.

"...Come in. Let me go talk to her, okay?" Adrien asks as he reaches the bottom level of hte penthouse and starts for the kitchen.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"... Mari- that's Marinette?" Tommy blinks. He's a little disappointed, he was counting on a hug greeting. But he picks up on the distress from both parties, and he feels uncomfortable. There was some serious awkward Juju going on, and if he was going to have a great date with Adrien (... and a third wheel?) he needed to pour out the Cheshire Charm.

He actually prances in a slightly cat-like way, past Adrien and into the kitchen.

"So you are the extremely talented Marinette!" The ginger says, erupting into the kitchen like Ella Fitzgerald would have irrupted onstage. He slides his bag onto a free counter and he goes up to Marinette, cheshire-like grin and twinkling eyes.

He begins, in decent french, "<It's a pleasure to meet a friend of my friend, and a countrywoman! I am Thomas>" and then, he slips into English, "It's very nice to meet you!"

And roll for charm.

Marinette DuPain (143) has posed:
"Well... I'm Marinette. I wouldn't go so far as to say extremely talented but... Relay my thanks?"

She watches him drop the bag onto the counter and then blinks as he approaches and grins at her like that cat that got the cream. It's a look she's familiar with and it makes her smirk.

"A pleasure to meet you, Thomas. Will you be staying for dinner then? There's plenty. Which reminds me... Excuse me."

Because she needs to put the tray of cookies in the oven.

Adrien Agreste (142) has posed:
Adrien watches Tommy just breeze right on by him, into the kitchen and just smoothly engage Marinette in conversation. A few quiet steps are taken to watch, his eyes settling on them just as Marientte smirks. And talks. Just like she always does with everyone except him. At least he knows WHY now, and so it's confusion and not out right jealousy. Adrien shoves his hands into his pockets, Plagg safely hidden in the inside pocket of his over shirt as he makes his way into the kitchen.

"If you don't mind having us, Mari," he says, smiling though there is a bit of hesitation in the sound of his voice as he hangs back slightly.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Why does Adrien sound like he's talking on eggshells? Weird. After what he's said, he knows he likes Marinette as a friend, so what's the deal?

Unless... unless Adrian was counting on the two of them being alone?

That had to be it! And that proves...

But it wouldn't be cool to exclude Marinette. Not in the least, no matter how much he wanted to speak to Adrien alone.

"I dare say you are extremely talented. Fashion designer and also cook? It's like I'm back in Paris already."

And then he turns to Adrien and puts an arm around his shoulders to pull him into the conversation with Marinette. Clearly hanging back is not an option. "And I've never even *been* there! One day, though. Adrien and I were going to have a bit of a party to celebrate us not dying on our finals. You probably have some celebrating to do- why don't you join us? We can have dinner out there while playing games, I even brought a few movies to choose from. What do you say?"

Marinette DuPain (143) has posed:
Mari looks over at Adrien and frowns slightly at the fact that he had to ask. And then she smiles. "You live here too, Adrien. I wouldn't make an entire roast just for me." Which means she had been intending to share with him all along

The oven is closed and she straightens to start clearing various books and designs off of the counters she has sprawled them all over. "Sorry about the mess." A glance goes to both in turn and she blushes.

A brow arches at the way Tommy pulls Adrien in. The other joins it at thw mention of a party. Her eyes flick to Adrien and then back. "I wasn't aware of that. You guys go ahead."

She straightens and makes her way out the kitchen to put her things away with a call over her shoulder of, "I'll handle dinner."

Adrien Agreste (142) has posed:
Pulled in, Adrien stumbles only once before just standing there in Tommy's half-embrace.

"Ah! I was actually coming down to find you and tell you that... I.. really should have talked to you first? Is that how that works?" Adrien started so confidently and then things just slipped right out of his grasp to go ker-splat on the floor.

"Never had... roommate before..." he says, finding that no matter whichway he rolls that over in his head he still can't find a way that it doesn't sound pathetic.

"It'd be great if you did join us. Because you got your scholarship and everything... and that's... a reason.. to-" Oh god, it's Paris all over again. He was going to take her out to a nice dinner, some 5star place, but then she wanted to walk home, and they were up on her balcony, and he was afraid she was going to fall, and there were paparazzi and all he could think of was whatever budding career she had going being destroyed by American Tablois style 'Sleeping Her Way to Top! Designer Hooks Model-Heir to Take Over Empire' stories and it made him so upset he couldn't think and he ran out to go fix it so the story wouldn't leak and then he got shoved into an airplane and flown half way across the globe and....

Must. Not. Hyper, ventilate.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The redhead notices Adrien failing hard, and he gives him a little pinch behind the back-nothing Marinette would see, but it's his attempt at bringing the model out of whatever mental mire he's gotten himself into. Dear god, the boy was a mess. Some serious repression, and he suspected some daddy issues concerning how he avoids sharing much about The Great Man himself...

But he was a nice mess. A sweet mess. He wasn't the kind of mess that exploded at other people and then blamed it all on them.

He needed more people to speak truth to him, he suspected. "You'll have to forgive Adrien. He's spent so long cooped up in his cave, he's forgotten how human interaction works. Don't follow his example and lock yourself up in the kitchen. Come outside. There are people there. Well... it's just us, but still. How can you say no to this puss?"

He reaches up and grabs Adrien's jaw and uses his fingers to stretch the corner of his lips into what he hopes is a humorous, if slightly grotesque, grin. "See? He's even forgotten how to smile. Yours could be that fate as well. It is imperative that the two of you participate in regenerative sociopositive stimulus." He lets go of Adrien's jaw and pats the blond boy on the shoulder. "Don't let her say no."

He marches out of the kitchen, grabbing his bag and heading for the location where they're going to set up, in order to... set up.

Marinette DuPain (143) has posed:
Marinettw stifdens at the mention of celebrating her scholarship. It stops her dead in her tracks. "Yes. You should have talked to me first. Not the first decision you've made without considering how I'd feel though, is it?" She never wven once turns back to look at Adrien. She doesn't dare.

And then she spins on Tommy, eyes burning. "I'm well aware of Adrien's past thank you. I've known him far longer than you have."

She watches the boy go, turns to look at Adrien and shales her head. "Funny. Youbtwo male a great pair since you both seem to think ypu have the right to ignore my feelings on things. Have fun."

She doesn't meed to be here while Adrien and his boyfriend celebrate, thank you. She'll just head to the library now.

Adrien Agreste (142) has posed:
It's a good thing she doesn't turn to look, because all she'd see is a wide-eyed horrified look on Adrien's face. His whole body goes rigid at the soft but stinging words. The emotional backhand of it overrides anything he was feeling or thinking about Tommy manhandling his FACE or the pinch to his back - His back, right? Not his back side!? - or how Tommy just goes. Adrien starts to glance after his friend before Marinette's looking at him finally and...

GGreen eyes have to blink more than once to keep them dry, though the effort of it makes his brows and nose twitch.

"Mari..." he starts to say, but the words falter. What can he say? She's absolutely right. Adrien hadn't thought about Marinette's feelings. He got too worried about trying to protect her from imagined dangers to think about how she would feel... but he couldn't NOT protect her. She was his Princess.

Adrien's shoulders slump and he takes a step back.

No. Dammit. She's Chat's Princess. He can't be the same person to her, not if he's going to keep her safe.... but she'll get mad again won't she? For making a decision without...

It's worse than chasing your own too-short tail, and Adrien's chin dips as he takes another step back. Tile floor is blurry. Maybe he shouldn't go out tonight. Maybe he should sleep...

WHo's he kidding? He's totally going to go, run off this twist in his insides before slipping back in, hopefully managing both left taking and return without Marinette spotting him...

A part of him wants her to spot him. Another part refuses to let her be a part of that risk.

He'll sleep in tomorrow. It's a light day. Mostly. Nothing until the afternoon.

And Adrien turns away to make his way quietly to the living room, walking slow enough so he'll have the time he needs to force all of that back into its teeny tiny box where it can't be gotten to.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The bad thing about having those ears is that you sometimes pick up more than you should. More than you might want to know. He couldn't hear the words, muffled as they were behind closed doors, but he knows tone. And, right now, that tone is playing to the tune of Alannis Morrisette's "You Oughta Know." You could cut the irony with the tension in the room.

The redhead turns around slowly. He had stopped for a moment in the living room and stared at the glorious monstrosity that is Adrien's entertainment system. People marry for less than this.

But the bitterness in the voices brings him out of it. He stands there, uncertain for a moment and looking towards Adrien. He can't really pretend he didn't know something was up. It's plain as the illusion covering the nose on his face.

Adrien Agreste (142) has posed:
Adrien knows when eyes are on him. And the moment they are, he lifts his chin, schools his face into that false smile that barely pulls the corners of his mouth up and does nothing to warm the flat void of his eyes until he settles his gaze on Tommy and blinks once.

It doesn't matter how exhausted you are, Adrien, you have to get these pictures out, and we've only got ten frames; so dig deep, focus, and push out through your eyes. You can die when it's done.

There's the warmth, one hand in his pocket in an easy looking casualness that's right off the cover of French Vogue. One corner of his mouth is a little higher than the other - it reads unconcerned but is really a slight frown.

"Find everything ok?" even his TONE is light, airy, confident.

Inside, his heart is slamming harshly.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Tommy returns the smile, but it dosn't quite reach his eyes. Tommy isn't the actor Adrien is. You'd THINK he'd be more crafty, since he can conjure up illusions, but when it comes to the illusion of his 'self' that he projects, it matches his real person too much in gesture and emotion.

But he knows that the direct approach with Adrien doesn't work, from when he was injured on his bed. "You've got a beautiful setup. You know your equipment best, why don't you start setting up and I start unpacking the games?"

He sits cross-legged on the floor and reaches for his bag.

Adrien Agreste (142) has posed:
"Sure," Adrien agrees easily with a faint shrug of his shoulders. He moves to the set up and busies himself with the task of putting everything just so. It's nice, it's mindless but needs just enough of his attention that he doesnt' have the processes to dwell on ...

Adrien pushes up and turns to face the sofa and spies Tommy on the floor.

The.. floor? Is that what you're supposed to do?

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Tommy smiles up at Adrien. Doesn't seem to be judging him. He's just piling games, separating them by genre. Its implied that sitting on the floor is a thing.

Or maybe it's a cat thing. Because he has to refrain from clawing at a couch any time he sits on it, which can lead to an embarrassing situation.

"She's got pretty eyes, doesn't she?" Tommy asks, nonchalantly. Not addressing the negativity of what happened, but dwelling on something neutral that could be a positive. If he wants Adrien to open up, he can't walk in through the front door. He has to take him by surprise by the back door.

Adrien Agreste (142) has posed:
Sitting on the floor is a thing. Adrien can do this thing, so he lowers himself and looks over the collection. Two different games in hand, on looking at the front cover, then other the back, Adrien nods.

"She really does," he says, unguarded for the moment as he's distracted by video games so a hint of wistful drifts by.

"Vicious at Mecha Strike. Any of them."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Oh yeah? Let's see how vicious you are at Mecha Strike. Put it in, buddy!" Tommy hands the game to Adrien, resting back on his hands to stretch before the system's on.

"She reminds me of a friend I once had. Antonia was her name. Same blue eyes, only they weren't blue. But they were. They sort of changed a bit depending on the light. Crazy things, eyes." He waves his right foot to one side and the other, pivoting on the heel against the carpet. "Been a long time since I saw her."

Adrien Agreste (142) has posed:
"Yeah. She beat out the school's raining champion for a competition," Adrien says, warming up for real this time as he taps through the lodaing menu options. He won't even let himself think on how that lead to an akuma.

"Blue but not blue? How does that work?" he asks, relaxing as much as he's going to as the two play video games for a couple of hours before Adrien plays the 'work tomorrow' card, and moves to show Tommy out with a thanks for coming by, sorry for anything uncomfortable, and a warm enough hug should Tommy seek one out. The penthouse empty, Adrien sighs faintly, turns to clean up the video game playing mess, and then retreats to his bedroom.

"Plagg... Claws out."