December Catchall [ OPEN ]

[de_evilise]

who: Marinette (or Ladybug) and YOU - yes you, even YOU way back there!
what: December catchall
when: Dec 14 through 16
where: Wherever the winds take us!

(A)Coffeeshop Chilling
It wasn't often that Marinette did personal shopping - most of the time, her shopping was done to work on new outfits, some commissioned, some not. Nine times out of ten she tended to make her own outifts. She'd picked up a few things - mainly a warmer hat, some supplies and a pair of gloves. A once in a lifetime day off she gave herself, she was currently passing by a few cafes in contemplation. She hasn't emerged from her room in the past little while, busy working on things, but now that she was free she wanted to spoil herself. And any friends that passed by. Eventually she actually went into a coffee shop, taking a window seat, though she kept her attention on the walkway outside so she could flag down a friend if she saw one. Free snacks, .. or well, not -free- but it'll be her treat!

(B)Le Park
The park was quickly becoming her favorite place to go, especially when she wanted to clear her head, or just get a break from working. Doing pretty much anything bother than making clothes was right on the agenda for today. Thus, she has picked a spot at the base of a tree near the lake, a drawing pad braced against her legs as she idly sketched a picture of a little squirrel digging in the ground to find some food. At her side she had a small bag of peanuts, which after a moment of drawing, she dipped into to toss some nuts to the little critter. It's so cute~. Come feed snacks to little animals with her!

(C)Perimeter Guard Building
Shopping, Clothing making, Cafe chilling and Squirrel feeding aside, when she'd exhausted everything she could think of doing, she decided to swing by the Perimeter Guard -- as Ladybug, of course; the gal in red and black spotted wandered in amongst the others already there, waving to familiar and unfamiliar faces alike. She wasn't here to spar though, it was more likely she intended to go out past the wall today. Just a nice casual, harmless walk. By herself. TAKE THAT FRANK CASTLE >:D wait don't pls don't ground me

(D) Wildcard! Anything you want! Hit me up yo~ - Marinette or Ladybug :D

Comments

[de_evilise]

"No no nono!" Marinette coughed a bit, giving himi a sheepish smile, "Erm...maybe a little..." She hadn't expected to see him just THERE. But she does reclaim her spot, tilting the pad to show him, "Sorry, I didn't think you'd be interested in that kind of thing." Ahahah. "I don't mind though. You seeing, I mean."

[tempredmental]

He managed a small smile and then nodded.

"Okay."

He looked back at the outfits again.

"They'd be funny costumes," he offered.

[de_evilise]

Marinette looked at the designs again, then chuckled lightly, "You're right. Maybe it's something I should keep in mind for Halloween back home." or the Halloween equivalent here.

Catching herself doodling her name in a corner of the page, she gave Keith her full attention again, "So what have you been up to recently?" Tell her all the clean gossip in the Life and Times of Keith and Red Lion!

[tempredmental]

FUNNY SHE SHOULD ASK THAT.

"Oh... well..." He shrugged a little and looked away back at the animals around them. "I uh... Things are fine." He was a terrible liar. "I got one of those memory canister things... and yeah. It's... different."

[de_evilise]

Oh dear. Part of her feels like she shouldn't have just asked that, but from Keith's response.. she wants to ask, but she wants to give him his space too. Not being able to really help beyond just listening sometimes sucks.

She studied him for a moment with a clearly 'That is an obvious lie and I am concerned' expression, "'Fine'?" She reached over to gently touch his shoulder, "Is that the same kind of 'Fine' I used when I talked to you after that time I got caught in that attack..?" She brought her hand away again, leaning against the tree and hugging her knees as she watched him, ".. so...different good..?" She asked hopefully, even though she suspected it probably wasn't.

[tempredmental]

Keith took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. It was a lot, and he wasn't sure how much detail he should get into or how much she really needed or wanted to know. But there were some definitely important points he probably should make so she didn't get confused by how things were going to be with him and the Lions for a while. Still, he didn't want her to feel bad, so how to phrase this so it didn't sound as horrible as it felt.

"I um... I left Team Voltron," he said. "Some stuff happened back home with Shiro missing and we had to change who piloted and was bonded which which Lion, and it got all switched around. And, when Shiro came back..." He shook his head. "It's just better this way."

Okay, so that sounded terrible, and he knew it, but he hoped she wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

[de_evilise]

OH. Well. Shit. She didn't..really expect him to say that. After all, wasn't Voltron like his family? Was that why Red Lion wasn't with Keith? Once again, she seemed to have stumbled into a Heavy Conversation Topic(tm) without even meaning to.

She has a dozen questions that she's pRETTY sure would cross the line into personal territory. It was difficult to figure why Keith would have done what he did - she didn't really know his friends, save Shiro, and she didn't think he was the type to shut someone out. Not as highly as Keith has spoken of him.

She doesn't -- tries not to -- make a big deal out of it, but.. she does ask the question before she can stop herself. "...better for who?"

[tempredmental]

Keith sighed quietly, holding back a potentially angry response. She was just asking, likely out of concern, and he really didn't blame her for asking. He'd probably ask the same of someone else in his situation.

That didn't make it sting less.

But, he pushed past it.

"For the team," he said. "We had to change who was in which Lion when Shiro went missing back home. Black chose me, Red chose Lance, and Blue chose Allura. But, we found Shiro again. And, after a while, the Black Lion took him back. I didn't want to push around Lance and Allura, and the Lions..." He frowned. "It's not like we can just swap easily. It takes time and work and there's the whole bonding thing and each Lion handles differently in flight and during battle, and has different weapons, and..." He was rambling. He stopped himself.

"It was just easier to let the team stay as it was. I don't have any other real skills to offer to help out with the Castle or the rest of the Coaltion that they'd need me on the team. So, I went with a different group."

Which also meant he technically no longer was Paladin... and he wasn't paired with a Lion anymore. And it hurt more than he wanted to admit. Because, admitting it meant that he might be doing the wrong thing, and he was pretty sure he wasn't. He was trying to do what was best for Voltron, and the Coalition, and the resistance against the Galra Empire, and that meant making sure Voltron had the best leader. That should be Shiro, not Keith.

[de_evilise]

She certainly wouldn't be able to say she knew anything about the bonds between the lions and their pilots - but she felt like she could understand a little how Keith might feel being separated from his lion. She's been withoug Tikki for as long as she's been here, and it was like she felt a void where her little kwami was supposed to be. She couldn't even begin to think of how she'd feel if she and Chat Noir had to swap kwami's for any reason.

"Sorry.." It was a topic she hadn't meant to approach - it had to be something he was still struggling with. He was rambling the way she did, at times. "I keep stumbling into these kinds of topics with you, don't I?" she grinned a little weakly. "... it must be pretty hard for you, but..." she shook her head, "I mean.. it's obvious - you've been working with Red for a long time, so suddenly being without her is..wouldn't be easy. But I wouldn't want to say that it's admirable you're moving on or something." Especially when he might not have. "It feels too much like I'm pitying you and that's the last thing I would want to imply." Sooooooo maybe she should stop talking about that before she steps in it(tm) again.

"Ah...s-so... um... what's... what the other group that you joined like?" Safer topic, maybe? God she hopes she didn't just step on another mine.

[tempredmental]

Keith wasn't really sure if it was a safer topic at all. At least, in so much as how he would have to get into it. He bit his lip in thought, considering his response for a moment.

"They're a group of Galra resistance fighters," he said. "They're working with us to bring down the Empire. I uh... I was accepted into their group a while ago after I passed their Trials." And here was the hard part. He reached behind him and pulled the large knife he almost always was carrying from its sheath.

The most notable feature was the glowing emblem near the handle. He held it out for a bit.

"This is why I can be a member," he said. "I had to prove it was mine. When I did, I was accepted. But, it also means that I'm part-Galra. Because only Galra can get the luxite to activate."

[de_evilise]

Did Chat Noir somehow send her some of his bad luck, that she had the fortune of getting into this kind of conversation? No no, it was fine. Right? "So they don't work with the Paladins?" She caught herself, and waved a hand, "Um - I don't think I have to tell you, but stop me if I ask something too personal okay? Sometimes I can't help myself." She'll get too curious and ask too many questions!

Like when he draws the knife - it's the first time she'd seen it properly, after all. She leaned over curiously to get a better look at the emblem's design, then up at his face, "Luxite? Is that the metal that this is made from?" Space metal - maybe thats's why it was so glowy. Though wait, what was that he said a moment ago? Part Galra? She hesitated a moment, "Oh -- I.. I'm sorry, I just.. I always assumed -" that he was fully human. Did she offend him at some point? "Gah, I mean, we're on the freaking moon, you'd think I'd know better- of course there was bound to be someone who wasn't.. well...!"

[tempredmental]

Keith shook his head, letting her get it all out before responding to any of it.

"They sort of do? I'm just the only one who's actually a member because I was able to pass their trials," he explained. "But we're still allies, and we work on missions and stuff together." He tilted the blade a little, studying it. "Yes... Luxite is what it's made from. It's pretty rare, apparently. The only planet known to have it as a resource was destroyed a long time ago. So, these blades are hard to come by."

He shrugged a little then at the next part. "I um... I'm actually okay with it now. It's not a bad thing, really. I've been able to work with a new group because of how weird things got with the Lions and all that. And I can access Galra technology because it only works for someone who is Galra. So that helps us work against them. But it's okay. I don't expect anyone to just know. I didn't even know until a little while ago myself... just before I first got here. So, it's not like it's easy to tell that I'm anything except human."

[de_evilise]

She appreciated that he let her get her rambling questions out, Most people would probably have told her to hush up by now! "Then they're a big group?" She glanced at the luxite dagger again, humming lightly, "It looks pretty impressive. And that's coming from someone who doesn't even know weapons and stuff."

She rocked a bit on her heels, studying him thoughtfully, "It.. must have been a shock then. Finding out about your heritage like that." Poor Keith had it pretty rough - at least he has Shiro to support him though~! At least.. here. She's not sure how much support he's getting back home if he left the group. "Do you think you'll ever go back?"

[tempredmental]

He nodded a little. "Yeah... there are a lot of them, actually. I don't know exactly how many, but it's kind of meant to be that way because their infiltrated into Zarkon's army, some at really high ranks, so they need to be really careful about potential exposure."

He slid the blade back into the sheath. He decided not to tell her about how he can make it transform... since, well, he hadn't been able to since the Lion switch, and he wasn't sure why. He just nodded. "Yeah... it is."

He crossed his arms and shrugged a little, looking back across the park again. "I don't know," he said. "I mean... I'd like to. I guess. It depends on what happens." He knew that, deep down, he'd likely always be a Paladin on some level, but it really depended on a lot of things... like something happening to one of the others, and that wasn't something Keith would ever wish for.

[de_evilise]

"I guess.. that makes sense. It'd be too risky for a lot of people to be gathered in one place." She mused. Then a bit more quietly, she added, "So you've been thinking about all of this for a while, huh..?"

Yeeesh. WELL, the topic was kiiiiiiiinda gloomy, and considering he's had all this in his head for who knows how long, maybe it'd be nice to think about something else for a change? What though? She kind of wanted to cheer him up even if it was a little while.

"Hey, not to change the subject," except kinda, "You're free for the day right?" She had an idea, but she wasn't going to kidnap him if he had Things To Do (tm).

[tempredmental]

That depended on a few things. He shrugged a bit. "It feels like it? Like, I think I got almost a year's worth of memories with that canister, and... well, the whole finding out about my mom was even longer ago than that, but I don't know. Relative to here, I only left Voltron a few days ago."

It was weird to think about and confusing, so he let that particular question go with that.

He looked over at her as she asked about his plans, and then nodded.

"Yeah, I am. What's up?"

[de_evilise]

She narrowed her eyes a bit at that, "That's definitely weird.. but I've heard a few people mention that time works differently between home and here.. still getting a whole year's worth of memories. Talk about an infodump."

Eesh. She got to her feet, putting her drawing pad away and giving Keith a grin, reaching out to nab his arm, "What do you say to being kidnapped for the day then? There's place that opened up that's supposed to have a bunch of retro games and stuff I've been meaning to check out. It'll be fun!" HOrrors, making Keith have FUN. Whatever will he do.

[tempredmental]

"Yeah... really." Infodump indeed. It had been a lot to absorb and deal with all at once like that. He blinked as she grabbed his arm and got him to stand up. He smiled a little weakly, and then nodded. "Alright. We can do that." It would be a good distraction. Keith could appreciate fun! Sometimes... He let Marinette lead him along to this arcade place.

[de_evilise]

GOOD! Because Marinette was going to make it her goal to at least TRY to get him to relax and have fun for a little. Just to get him out of his head, so to speak, and not deal with the stress he might be bearing up under with that infodump. "Great! Then we're off~" She's also glad she doesn't have to drag him or anything. Even if she does mock tug his arm at first, settling into cheerfully chatting about assorted random topics and bad jokes she's heard.

"Okay, stop me if you've heard this one." Stop her if you haven't too. "What do you call a deer with no eyes?"

[tempredmental]

Keith just... looked amused. Really. It was nice to think about something other than switching Lions, and resistance movements, and evil alien empires, and massive bombs, and almost sacrificing himself to save the team...

...

Even bad jokes were welcome, really. So, Keith wasn't going to stop Mari... even if this joke was a terrible pun.

"I have no idea," he said. He didn't realize he just gave the punch line. This kind of stuff wasn't something he had a lot of exposure to.

[de_evilise]

Amused was an excellent start! Encouraging her bad puns and jokes on the other hand... well Keith brought it on himself, really. And when he unintentionally gives the punchline - Marinette gives him a surprised look before laughing, "Hey, you DO know the joke! Awww, and I thought I'd be able to get you with one you hadn't heard before."

Booo. Well she'll just have to try another one! She has a whole PLETHORA. Fortunately the way to the arcade isn't too far.

[tempredmental]

"Wait, what?" Keith looked confused. He didn't get it. "No, I haven't." He shook his head. "I mean, maybe I have, but I don't remember? I don't know. What is it?"

[de_evilise]

Marinette matched his confusion with a confused expression of his own, "Wait.. Really? You.." She laughed, "That was completely by accident?" Okay it wasn't exactly the most clever pun-joke in the world, but still, she was amused, "It's a 'No Eye Deer', and you said 'no idea'. It's a play on words. Like.." She hummed a little, "'What's the only room without walls?' and the answer being 'Mushroom'."

Well now she felt embarrassed for giggling at the joke. It was /awful/ and bad and she should be ashamed of herself, but goddamnit it was her guilty pleasure. Not to the extent Chat Noir liked them though, thank goodness.

[tempredmental]

Ding!

The realization clicked, and it was obvious by the way his face changed for a second once he got it. Keith then smirked a little.

"Really?"

And then... mushroom. He snorted.

"Wow... those are like... dad puns."

[de_evilise]

"Hey..!" .. "Actually yeah, they are." She laughed, "But it still made -you- laugh." And so, mission #1 accomplished successfully. "Come on, this is the place."

Which he could probably easily tell since the pings and beeps and bings from the machines could be heard muffled from the street, and she pushed the door open to step in, glancing around with obvious curiosity. There were a few modern-ish game systems around the room - racing and flight simulators, zombie shooters, dance games, fighters were arranged so that they were noticed first, but towards the back of the room there were a few UFO Catcher games, pinball machines, and even an air hockey table, while there was a door to the furthest back of the room with indicating it was a Laser Tag room, currently in use.