Owner	Pose
Rory Sakura	There's a new exhibit at the Museum of Natural History -- a piece of Egypt's history that's been circulating around the world. It was in Paris a few years back, and now it's here in Manhattan ... and it doesn't have as much shiny gold as the Tutankhamen exhibit did, so it's not nearly as crowded by gawkers. Rory Sakura, art student, is looming among the very light crowd held back from the hieroglyphic paintings by the impenetrable barrier of a red velvet rope. He's sketching on a large pad, and the thing he's sketching is a small section of the large hieroglyphic: a young woman with what looks like spots, and a young man with what looks like cat ears. The thing is, they're not in the usual places where those kind of features are found. The animal traits are usually markers for gods, not just royalty.
Adrien Agreste	Plagg demanded Adrien go to the museum. For a moment, Adrie. was inclined to refuse, opting to trade places with tje normally lazy kwaniand just doze in some sunlight, his text book open on his chest. Mention that it was the Papyruz from the exhibit in Paris some years ago had Adrien up and moving. g
Adrien Agreste	In thw museum, Adrien walked slowly, green eyes peering aboit fkr... the papyrus! He noted someone drawing it, bit oy gave thw other yiung man a quivk glance. Instead of speaming. Adrien paused before fhe scroll, looking for something, anything. You need a better sacrifice. Take me. Woukdnt that be sweet? After all, I was the kne that stopped you thousands of years ago..
Adrien Agreste	The memory of Ladybugxs words still haunted him, pulling a frown across Adrien's face.
Rory Sakura	The hackles go up on Rory's spine as a strong magical aura moves into the area, and his (nonexistent, shapeshifted away) tail twitches at the presence of an unusally strong magical animal. Not one of the Yokai, definitely not. It seems to be connected somehow to the vestigial magic that drew his attention to those small figures among the mass of story. The oni positively ITCHES to poke at the magic -- but there are people around, and it's a lot of work hunting them down and making them forget. He frowns, and drops down to sit cross-legged and work more at his sketch. Sitting, he's easily as tall as most low-to-average height people. Unusual in an Asian who isn't on a basketball team. "Why is there a tentoomushi no kami and a neko no kami buried in the middle of a story about a priestess and a ... what IS that guy anyway?" Rory says in a low voice. It's clear that what he's saying is neither English, French, or Japanese, but it's comprehensible as if it were. Oops. So much for not drawing out magic. The copy is beginning to fizz around the edges, taking on bits of detail that aren't there in the original.
Adrien Agreste	Standing in front of the papyrus, Adrien frowns again as he studies the scroll, not at all sure what he's looking for. Plagg was vague on details. Because Plagg. And because Adrien had gotten up so quick that he hadn't given Plagg more cheese. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until ...those words. Ladybug kwami.. cat kwami... Green eyes going slightly wide, Adrien takes a moment to school his expression. It's easy after years of modelling. Aiming to look like he's just gotten itred of standing, Adrien moves to sit side by side with the tall Asian. Though his eyes are on the papyrus, his attention is on the artist at his side. Hidden in his pocket is Plagg, whom Adrien can all but feel vibrating with something... fear? anger? excitement? lack of cheese? There are some days, Adrien has NO clue. Is that... fizzing? Adrien forces his expression to remail the perfect mask of quiet contemplation of the scroll before him, while letting his peripherial pick up details about that drawing... the best that it can anyway.
Rory Sakura	The fizzing continues just outside the range of human hearing as the sketch fills in with details ... and then the parchment begins to sharpen up as sympathetic resonance causes the aged, somewhat faded markings on the papyrus to regenerate. Rory appears to be clueless about what's happening, as he's still drawing. The images, drawn and colored larger than on the papyrus, begin to take on dimensionality. "So," Rory says, "Who are you and how did you exist back then, I wonder. I thought the box and the kami-jewelry were made less than three thousand years ago... and Tutankhamun was 330 years before that..." Note: Rory's wrong. It was four thousand or more years ago. But he wasn't always paying attention to o-Sobo Oni because she was so very, very boring when she tried to teach history. SO very boring. Probably the droning tamisen and the high pitched monotonous singing of the history song. It could kill flies and small children. The presence of another person breaks through his focus and Rory twitches comically, though he manages not to make noise. He stares at Adrien. Why is this guy familiar?
Adrien Agreste	Adrien wasn't imagining things. This guy is talking about ...the Miraculous? Self-conscious, Adrien smoothly sets his right hand from his thigh to the bench at his side, hiding his rings from Rory's view for the moment. The comic twitch gives Adrien the excuse he needs to turn the full of his gaze to Rory. A soft, polite smile, which seems to so perfectly reach Adrien's green eyes, is given. "Sorry," he says gently in his native French, while holding that model-perfect smile that truly seems to light his whole face. Even if deep down, Adrien is forcing himself not the freak out. He's noticed that Plagg's gone completely still. "I didn't mean to bother you in your-" A beat of a pause. His green eyes slide down to the drawing. Because now it's polite to do so. "-artwork. Wow. It's pretty. You're very talented."
Rory Sakura	French. Rory recognizes it from anime and culture but doesn't really speak it. But that's ... fixable. It takes a spell, though. Hm. The sketch has some Void charge in it, wait why does it have Void charge? Rory blushes deeply; frustration, embarrassment, or irritation, it's hard to tell with his pale skin. He reaches into his art satchel and "accidentally" sticks himself on something sharp (actually one of his own claws) and then sticks his bleeding finger in his mouth, mumbling something around it. When he takes the finger out of his mouth, looking closely at Adrien and blinking. He says in basic, unsophisticated French, "Thank you. You're very pretty yourself." Wait, that's not how you say it, is it? What are you trying to say? Wait, don't draw attention to your rude behavior. Onis don't apologize, right? "You look familiar. I saw you on a poster on the subway. Agreste? Is that right?"
Adrien Agreste	Adrien took the opportunity to study the drawing, the details and the dimensions. It was ...surreal. When being spoken to, Adrien lifts his head to make eye contact. Doing otherwise is rude. And then he's called pretty. Adrien smiles that perfect model smile of his, one that masks the start of unease. Especially as the oni states how familiar he is. "Yes. That's right. I'm Adrien Agreste," replies the model, right hand coming out for a shake out of habit before Adrien can really pull it back. It would be painfully obvious if he withdrew his hand now, so instead he just tried to tilt his palm up so the blank signit is hidden.
Rory Sakura	"Honored to meet you," Rory says, accepting the handshake. "My name is Roarke Sakura, but I go by Rory. Do you have a special interest in the Papyrus?" He notices something odd ... not the intense magical focus, that's hiding in this Agreste fellow's pocket, but a sort of complicated and very subtle working in the ring on the hand he's shaking. Almost like it could be inhabited to empower the ... WAIT DON'T GO IN THERE. Rory abruptly pulls his hand back with an electrical CRACKLE and smiles weakly at Adrien. "Sorry. Static. It's been so dry." It hasn't really. "I hope I didn't shock you."
Adrien Agreste	"It was shown in Paris a few years ago, and caught my interest. But I was busy and wasn't able to make time to stop by and see it," Adrien explains with complete honesty. He was busy. Busy kicking mummy-butt and not freaking out that Ladybug offered herself up as a sacrifice. After all these years...- zap. Adrien jumps a bit in his seat, pulling his hand back and shaking it. "No. It's fine.I'm alright," he says hastily, bringing his left hand up to rub at the skin near his ring. What what THAT?!
Rory Sakura	"I'm sorry, that was so strange... hey, do you know anything about this papyrus?" Rory tries to distract from the shocking and weird magic because he doesn't KNOW that the guy's wearing one of the guardian-spirit rings, and that intense magical aura with the faint scent of cheese in his pocket might NOT be a guardian-spirit. "This character, looks a bit like a //cochinelle// doesn't she? And the cat-servant is unusual as well."
Adrien Agreste	Adrien just smiles kindly and shakes his head. The accent is noted and so he swtiches into English. "Is this easier? I am sorry for the French. It's easier," Adrien explains on a smile before turning his attention to the drawings. "She does... look a lot like La Cochinelle...Ladybug..." Adrien says, falling back to his french with a tone that's wistful almost. He seems not able to resist reaching out with his right hand to touch the picture. Not able to complete the motion before Rory pulls his attention to.. "Cat servant?" There's a definite note of something like... surprised afront. Almost. "More like protector...BUT Yes. Unusual." Thanks for the claw to the rib, Plagg you little shit.
Rory Sakura	"English is easier, yes," Rory says in that language. He continues in Japanese, "Or Japanese," and in Korean, "Or this language," and in Mandarin, "Or the language of the yellow river," and then in Yokainese -- the language of monsters, which Plagg may speak fluently or at least recognize, "or the language of my father." Meanwhile he peers a bit more closely at the part of the papyrus that he's copied, glancing up and back as he uses a brush to transfer a bit more of the imagery. "Ok, I guess it says... bodyguard?"
Adrien Agreste	The Japanese earns a faint blink and a flick of confused brow for Korean. But the Mandarin has Adrien smiling with sudden brightness. He knows that language. And the... the yokainese. Adrien frowns. It's not complete confusion. Plagg sometimes trails off in that language. Adrien has no idea what the kwami is saying when he talks like that, but Adrien has come to the conclusion that Plagg's saying not nice things and mostly about Adrien when that language gets used that the model's learned to just wait Plagg out... or ply him with cheese if time is of the essence. "It probably does. I don't read hieroglyphics," Adrien says in Mandarin. Becuase it's slightly easier than English and the odds that they'll be understood if over heard goes way down in America. "If the cochinelle, ladybug, figure is the Ladybug from Paris, then the cat might be her loyal protector, Chat Noir." Plagg, will you stop poking me in the ribs with a claw? I'm about to take off my jacket, I swear on my miraculous! Adrien folds his arms over his chest, as if being casual. He's really squishing Plagg a bit to get him to stop.
Rory Sakura	"It could be so," Rory continues in Mandarin. "They were a big deal online a few years ago. They were very popular with some of the costume player girls who would dress up as them. But how did they go back to the time of the Pharoahs?" He pulls out a book that has translations of hieroglyphs. He's been using it for a way to sneak symbolism into murals and tattoos. Mostly tattoos. "See, this is the sequence that means 'Bodyguard' and this one means 'Servant' and this means 'Warrior' ... but the papyrus has a sort of abbreviated form that I don't know very well." From the angle he's sitting, Rory's shirt is slightly open, and a tiger tattoo is visible on his skin. It looks curiously out at Adrien. Almost like the eyes are following him.
Adrien Agreste	"I don't know," Adrien replies in Mandarin to the question about the Pharoahs. "It could be that Ladybug goes back five thousand years," he adds, recalling that moment on the roof. 'I am over five thousand!' 'You don't look a day over three thousand, My Lady.' As the book comes out, not really looking like the book he took from his father's vault and then promptly lost (Read: had stolen by Marinette who took it to Master Fu whom Adrien has not yet been introduced to because player is using only Season One information and then just running with head cannon for hte rest), Adrien leans forward to study it. His arms unfold again, left hand bracing himself on the bench. His right coming up to steady the cover nearest him so he can see better. The movement opens his jacket, the pokcet with Plagg swinging toward Rory. "Hmm... That really is interesting. I've never really had a reason to study Ancient Egyptian..." Adrien comments, voice soft and serious as he looks over the symbols Rory points out. "They're here, you know.. In New York," Adrien offers then, eyes startign toward Rory's face only to halt on the tiger eyes on the other man's skin. Adrien's lips stay parted on the begining of the word he had been about to say. What WAS he going to say?
Rory Sakura	"They are?" Rory is quite sure that the "they" was going to be ... "You can't mean. The two heroes from France? The Ladybug and the Black Cat?" He smiles widely because this is both exciting and amusing. The tiger shifts slightly to look into the jacket where something that smells of cat magic is lurking. It could just be the movement of muscle ... but probably not. The tiger is making "yuck face" -- the grimace that tigers do when trying to smell things better. Why would anyone tattoo a tiger making that face on their skin?
Adrien Agreste	Adrien watches that tatoo, brows pulling together, before he recalls his manners and snaps his gaze back up to Rory's face. The huge smile has Adrien smiling too. Another fan. Maybe of Chat Noir. So, the blonde nods. "The very same. I'm not sure Americans really recognize them, but I heard Chat Noir went into a Mr. Smoothie the other night..." And Adrien was very sad that it was more healthy than diet-breaking ice cream like he had been wanting, but still! The fruit thing he purchased was tasty! "When I said I was busy... about the scroll.. I was busy staying away from the museum. One of the researchers was infected by an akuma and he was turning everyone into mummies. I saw it on the Ladyblog, Chat Noir and Ladybug fought off the Pharoah. Video from the event catches Ladybug talking to the Pharoah... saying she had stopped him a long time ago..." he adds, as if this explains his interest. He's a Ladybug fan.
Rory Sakura	Face IS up here. Tiger is down there, and now is peeking out blatantly from the collar, but night not be noticeable if Adrien isn't looking. "So ... it might be time travel, or being very very old, though she doesn't seem all that old, or it's a role that passes from person to person," Rory says. "Or reincarnation." He quirks an eyebrow and grins at the explanation. "Wait, infected by a what?" Akuma? That's Rory's dad's NAME. OK, so it means monster. Still. Kinda mean.
Adrien Agreste	Adrien is most certainly not looking at said peeping tiger! Rory's musinvs are something Adrien had never even considered pondering before. Even when the Pharoah attacked, he had ended up far too relieved that Ladybug didn't end up sacrificed that Adrien was all too content to let the matter fade away into memory. The exhibit and Plagg's insistence broughy it all back to the fore. "It definitely cant ne time travel, and there's no way either of them are that old..." Adrien muses aloud before Rory asks about the butterflies. "Akuma. That's what they call them. Small black butterflies infected with darkness anf negativity. They grant people powers transforming them.,"replies the blonde model with a tone of i knoe exactly what i am talking about.
Rory Sakura	"That's the Japanese word for 'monster'," Rory says. "And my Dad's given name. His parents were weird. But it's not much stranger than 'Ryo' or 'Taiga' -- dragon and tiger." He thinks about butterflies infected with darkness and how they would work. Hm. Not ... that hard to do really. "But why do that? I can only see that happening if someone can control them afterward, or how would they trust the people not to turn on them?" Of course the Hawkmoth butterflies are //supposed// to empower people with light and positivity, unless the moth-kami fell into entirely the wrong hands. That's why most Yokai who use that kind of an attack are hated. They're not friendly to humans. Or, they were hated and therefore ... anyway, that's philosophy. The oni-in-disguise is satisfied with the copy of the papyrus, and noting that Adrien has been fascinated by it he cuts it off from the pad and lays a thin sheet of paper over it, then rolls it into a tube and ties it with a red and black ribbon from his satchel. He pulls out a mailing tube (how did that FIT in there?) and puts it in the tube. "For you. It's always good karma to give art to someone who truly appreciates it."
Adrien Agreste	"Oh! I didnt.. i didnr know. Im sorry," adrie. says rather quickly. He sits a moment as Rory thinks, and when asked he cant help but answer. "Papillon can, I think. If not out right control then highly influence. I think Hawkmoth offers his victims the abilities to get something they desperstely want... in exchange for the Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculous Charms," Adrien says. He didnt mean to say all of it, nor for the fatigue of the constant battle to be so apparent. A heartbeat later, Adrien starts with a hastly choked on yell. In his pocket, Plagg phased out of rhe pocket to claw cling to his chest. Adrien clears his throat lightly before letting the hinest wonder fill his gaze. "I... i cant take this! it's beautiful," Adrien insists.
Rory Sakura	The yell is a bit unexpected, and the tiger's ears go back and he ducks back inside the shirt, before peeking out when things are calmer. While that goes on, Rory doesn't seem to notice the surprize, instead nods at the exposition of motivation for the unknown enemy that had been attacking Paris. Clearly, Adrien being a citizen of the city and a prominent person there would've seen several attacks, possibly even been victimized by jealous people. It makes sense. "It's a gift. It's done. No argument please," Rory says. "And I assume Papillon, or Hawkmoth, was defeated?"
Adrien Agreste	Glad the yelp wasnt commented on, Adrien accepts rhe gift with a very polite anx heartfelt thanks, and a warm that chills instantly as Rory asks about Hawkmoth. For as goos a model as Adrie. is thiz bothers Chat far too mucb foe it not to settle on hiz face: "No." The guilt and the worthlessness of lifetimes held in that one word. Adrien lowerz his face. "Papillon as begun attackinv in New York... that's why hw's here.Still trying to take the Miraculous...."
Rory Sakura	"I see. Well, New York has a lot more heroes to get in his way. And villains for that matter." Rory puts his drawing supplies away, and frowns a bit at the papyrus. Still a faint enhancement of Void magic on it, bringing out the ink a little better than it was before. Oh well. He can't safely drain that off. Risks fading out the existing pigments. The tiger flows (mostly concealed) over the young oni's skin, and crawls down Rory's arm, not quite fitting, sticking a paw out over his left hand when he's handing over the tube, and tries to bat at the black cat kwami, but Rory notices and thinks a sharp //'STOP THAT'// at the illustration. The paw is unable to detach. "And besides, we have the Ladybug and Chat Noir here in town. We should be able to stop him," Rory says, making that sound more like he expects to be part of that 'stopping' in person somehow.
Adrien Agreste	"Ive noticed, " Adrien comments of all the heroes. His eyes are on the tube so the movement od the tattoo has Adrien pondering what he saw. "Hmm? Oh. yes. yes, we do have them..." Did Rory include himself? Im goibg to ha e to cisit him as Chat...