geophile | cerealia

[ SORRY???!?!?! ]

I'd appreciate that. We can talk over lunch?

[ bought, of course. his treat. ]

[ UGHHHH go fade into a tree ]

Pick a spot and I'm there.

[ kya, lunch with steven that isn't a rich person disaster while talking about the weirdness that is cerealia.

... #thedream. ]

[ MAYBE HE WILL!!! FOREVER!!!!! ]

Meet me at the entrance to the Pleasure District. I know a nice place.

[ it's not overly-fancy, don't worry. they'll need something light-hearted to balance out the conversations they've been having lately. ]

[ FINE!!! GOOD RIDDANCE!!! ]

Okay.
I'll see you then!

[ when will their shojo senpai days return with less murder....... hopefully soon before adrien gets himself murdered too.

i mean what, let's go, adrien will be at the entrance to the pleasure district as directed. ]

[ DON'T???? GET MURDERED????? please adrien you can see him as a role model all you want but that is not a behaviour to follow

but okay. while adrien will indeed be at the gate "first", it's only a few moments after he arrives that steven will be swooping down from the air on skarmory's back. always one to make an entrance, he'll dismount off of the flying-type's back like a seasoned pro, without needing to land completely.

once he's adjusted his cuffs and lapels from being blown about by the wind, he'll raise a hand in greeting. skarmory keeps an eye on them from above, wanting to appear nonchalant (despite being glad to see adrien's looking better). ]

Sorry to keep you waiting.

[ what the hell steven you damn show-off. of course what's going through adrien's head is basically "oh good, steven looks okay, and skarmory looks okay, and ... that was so cool." there's a hint of relief in his expression before he settles into a friendly smile, offering a wave for steven...

and then, of course, one for skarmory. once that's done: ]

I just got here. Not as... awesomely, but I wasn't waiting long at all.

[ he is a pleb without a flying pokémon, you see. ]

[ he doesn't mean to be a show-off... okay, maybe he does. but it's almost routine for him at this point, and it shows off just how incredibly cool and strong his pokémon are! if he can do that, he'll gladly be a show-off. ]

Ah, good. Then if you're ready, let's head out.

[ follow along, young one! ]

[ what a nerd. but the nerd has a duckling now as adrien, with a nod, is moving to walk in step with steven as he looks around a little bit. don't mind him, he actually quite likes how the pleasure district looks. ]

Where are we going?

[ this is where steven reveals he's an axe murderer

isn't it ]

[ so both ic and ooc you think i'm going to murder you when i take you somewhere cool?? great. awesome. so glad we have this kind of relationship

but steven just smiles, continuing to lead. they'll be staying in the higher-end part of the district - this is his treat, after all. ]

A cafe that I managed to come across a little while ago. It's quite cozy.

[ it's only a short walk, and the interior is quite ambient - good for quiet conversation. once they're seated and comfortable, steven's attention will be focused on him. ]

[ no i love you i really do i swear YOU'RE THE BEST

ahah. adrien's response to steven's explanation had been a simple interested hum. when they do reach the cafe, his thoughts come out after a small little moment of observation. lightly: ]

I can definitely see the cozy.

[ but, time to get settled. when they sit down, adrien's taking out a notebook from his bag. he should certainly not have any reason to believe that steven could understand what he's got written down there, but he'd previously made some notes to try and remember things that seemed less Concerning, and if it was there anyway... might as well show them to steven. it's in french, of course—if he's going to write things down, he's going to write things down in something not everyone might understand, implants or not. even if it might not really make a difference.

or, er, what was it... kalosian? ]

I don't know what kind of conversations you had out there... But I met someone. [ "how the hell did you get to the terminal without dying adrien," some might ask. "i'm really good at running," he'd respond. ] Here... Can you understand this?

[ he knows u can u nerd

or at least somewhat. the notes themselves, written rather quickly and frazzled (yet still legible), just detail that the masks might be a important culture thing with meaning for someone vague. they symbolized their contracts, beliefs, histories, and a smile meant victory. emphasized is the fact that they should never, ever be broken. ]

[ he looks at the notebook carefully, a hand on his chin as he reads and processes the words. he nods at adrien's question - yes, he can definitely read it (though how he knew he'd be able to is a question that goes unasked).

a lot of specifics go unasked, actually, for the sake of keeping this conversation where it's supposed to be. when he's finished looking over the notes, he sets the book down on the table. ]

If we spoke with the same person, you certainly got more information from them than I did.

[ hm? a hint of surprise runs through adrien's expression at that. the flamine had been... incredibly cooperative, almost unsettlingly so. the only thing it wasn't responsive to seemed to be jokes, but it wasn't as if he really expected them to be the humorous type anyway...

( it's good that steven didn't ask some of the harder questions to answer, honestly, so at least there's that off the table. )

he tilts his head. steven would ask questions, adrien knows that, so he's aware it's at least not a case of "he didn't try to get information". ]

They answered pretty much everything I asked. [ ... ] Weren't they like that with you?

[ he shakes his head. once he had donned his mask, the flamine barely gave him the time of day. it was frustrating at the time, but at least it wasn't the same for everyone else. that way, everyone has a small piece of the puzzle. ]

Quite the opposite, actually. They were adamant about keeping things hidden from me.

[ he'll reach into his suit's inner jacket pocket to take out a pen, clicking it open and turning to a fresh page in adrien's notebook. in their same shared language, he'll write as well - bullet points that summarize his own experiences. the flamines saw those who hadn't killed as "children" and "unfledged", that taking lives constituted as a victory, and that "masks tell no lies".

there isn't much besides those, but it's something. ]

[ oh. adrien watches attentively as the words are written down, his brow furrowing at what steven's telling him. ]

I didn't think anyone'd ever call you that. [ ... first off. because he's about the farthest thing from a child. adrien's lips are pressed together as he looks over what's been written. ] But, I haven't...

[ killed anyone. he's a pure child who has never engaged in any kind of combat (okay, no).

though maybe his mask didn't show that? honestly, he didn't even know what his mask showed the flamine, it was just black, over his eyes, unlike what... other people used, probably. ]

It was a surprise to hear, believe me.

[ he twirls the pen idly in his fingers as he reads his notes over in combination with adrien's, trying to see if there are any connections. there doesn't seem to be, and that's... frustrating. ]

I know you haven't. By all accounts, it doesn't make sense... at least not with the information we have.

[ there has to be more to this puzzle that they're missing. ]

cerealia » ic inbox

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