2018-12-31 - TIMELINE 1: Professor Sourisi's First Lesson! Ice Cream Makes Friendship!
| Title: TIMELINE 1: Professor Sourisi's First Lesson! Ice Cream Makes Friendship! | |
|---|---|
| Summary: Sourisi plans a meeting with the newest Miraculous User in Tokyo, hoping to learn more about Serpentina Ruse. What follows is a question and answer session that reveals there might be trouble on the horizon. | |
| Who: | |
| Where: Shitamachi Low City - Sensouji Temple | |
| OOC - IC Date: 12/31/2018 - 08/08/2014 | |
.**************************** Shitamachi Low City *****************************.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Sensouji Temple +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
The oldest and most famous temple Buddhist temple in Tokyo, Sensouji is
approached through several blocks of paper-lanterned stalls. The scent of
fried foods and the traditional clothing worn by the vendors gives the
market a festive feel, and on pleasant days the market street leading up to
the temple is jammed with people looking at dubiously handmade crafts,
traditional Japanese clothing, and various religious trinkets.
The temple itself is approached through a massive orange-red gate, which
looks as though it was orphaned from a great castle, and sports a pair of
hemp sandals large enough to hold a truck instead of a foot. The color
scheme repeats inside, where a heaped pagoda flanks the main hall, their
heavy pine-blue rooves contrasting with livid orange pillars to give a
stately, otherworldly impression. The grounds are extensive, with wide open
paved areas, and enough nooks and crannies to find some quiet even on busy
days. Multiple smaller halls are devoted to various deities, and many small
shrines and statues rest within a calm garden. There is even a separate
Shinto shrine adjacent to the temple, also named Sensouji.
As with a Shinto shrine, visitors are expected to wash their hands and mouth
from a font before entering, and can purchase charms and fortunes within for
a small donation.
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
The night goes on for Sourisi!
After a meeting with la Sirene that turned out to be more yet less than she had expected, Sourisi hurried back home to drop off her shopping. Thanks to the ice she got from the ice cream salesman when she told her dilemma, those fresh groceries finally were finally stored safely where they belonged. Now her mom won't get mad at her for wasting food and money. Now to meet up with the new Miraculous user!
It seems weird that Sourisi will no longer be the new girl on the block...
Hopefully Serpentina wouldn't have too much trouble finding the spot Sourisi had told her to meet up at, behind a billboard for a new idol group that could be seen clearly from the temple. The sun was just now setting over the horizon now, the deepening purple of the sky contrasting with the neon lights of Tokyo.
Sourisi even brought a little gift offering, a small single serving of chocolate fudge ice cream for both of them each and still covered with frost. Compared to the confident girl that had pounced on a snow lion to attack with her tonfa, Sourisi was pacing back and forth from nervousness. "I hope she's doing okay...I know I was really overwhelmed during my big fight..."
<Pose Tracker> Fumiko Inoue [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
The first non-Akumatized villain fight still weighs on Serpentina's mind. It felt terrible, yet exciting, yet almost sad, yet... so much to figure out. So many conflicting emotions.
It wasn't like she was that used to fighting Akumatized villans either. She was a newbie, a rank novice. That's why when given the opportunity to meet with a more experienced superhero, she jumped at the chance! The snake-themed heroine dashes to the shrine at snake-speed - or something like that.
The last few meters to the billboard meeting spot, Serpentina 'confidently' strides, hiding her nervousness with a smile. "Hey, mouse girl! So good to see you again! Sourichi was it? Sorry, still reeling a bit from the fight, hard to remember names when you were in an adrenaline haze, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
It's been almost a full crazy year of school with evil teachers, magical fights all across Tokyo and the world, and the occasional white lie to family and friends. But in all that time, the only complete newbie that has arrived on the field was a transfer student from America and his family of space aliens. The fact that there's now another person who's new really hammers it in that Sourisi is considered to be an experienced magical girl now!
Is it strange that she doesn't consider herself a seasoned defender of Tokyo yet?
Seeing the snake-themed magical girl striding up, Sourisi mentally sighs in relief before waving at her in greetings! "Hey miss snake! I...was a little worried I chose a bad spot, to be honest, but i'm glad you found your way here!" Hopping on top of the backing of the billboard, Sourisi takes a seat while making sure to be careful with her tail. "And close! It's Sourisi, actually. It's like the French word for mouse."
Serpentina doesn't need to know that Sourisi was just a really bad butchering of French and that she stuck with it afterwards.
Offering the small carton of ice cream to Serpentina Ruse, Sourisi tries to do her best impression of Mami Tomoe. Back straight, elegant and friendly...or so she hopes. "I'm not sure how long you been using your Miraculous, so I just wanted to see if you had any questions I could answer!"
<Pose Tracker> Fumiko Inoue [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Serpentina hops up onto the billboard with Sourisi, opening her parasol to get a slght bit of boost and a gentle hovering down. Could she have jumped up normally? Was that necessary or was she showing off? Only she knew.
She sits down next to Sourisi and examines her closely. "No... this isn't a bad spot at all. I think that... oh, sorry." She averts her eyes for a second, then looks back. I haven't seen any... superheroes of my type. Examining your costume. Not eyeing you up as prey, as much as that self-twin was insinuating. Especially if that ice cream is for me!"
Serpentina takes the frozen treat and continues. "Sorry, Sourisi, about the name mixup, I'll take your word for it on the French as my... French tutor can't really help me at the moment. And thank you for the ice cream."
Serpetina giggles at a couple of random thoughts. "Though... it is kind of funny, a snake hanging out with a mouse. I love your costume, by the way. Even if you don't have cute mousey ears."
She then gives her best blank stare when Sourisi mentions the Miraculous. "Pretend I'm a complete idiot with no knowledge of anything, and explain what a Miraculous is."
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Eyes widen slightly in surprise as Serpentina makes the ascent using her parasol, showing it's much more than blocking sunlight...and piercing right through ice panthers. Yo-yos, staffs and now parasols can be used to traverse the landscape, but tonfas? Maybe if there's a zip line nearby...
Serpentina's curiousity is clear to Sourisi as she is looked over, and it takes a moment for the ninja mouse to realize what the other Miraculous user was talking about. "Oh, you mean the lady with the swan? I think she was just being a little weird about those comments. There's no way you can eat me!"
Sourisi may have missed Cassandra's talk about the mouse being the right type for a snake, it seems. ..
A nod in agreement is given before Sourisi removes the lid from her own ice cream lid and uses a small spoon to scoop the frozen treat. "I...have a friend or two that's been helping me with my French when I realized I might need to say more than my name. They're both patient with me, but... well, it's still better than English!"
Wait, ears? Sourisi quickly feels around her head with a free hand and sighs in relief without seeing those menaces. "Ooh, whew! I did had them for a few weeks, but I was able to convince my... friend that I didn't exactly need fake ears. I did get told I was cute, but...I don't know, it didn't really seemed to fit me. And you're quite stylish yourself, if I may say so!"
A scoop of chocolately perfection greets Sourisi's taste buds finally, humming in delight as she finally gets a little relief from the heat. The question does seem a little strange, but maybe Serpentina Ruse just wants to make sure she was getting the same information? "You're not an idiot, but...uh, right!" Remember, Sourisi, act like Mami...
Straighting up again and squaring her shoulders, Sourisi motions towards the clear sky above with her spoon. "The Miraculous, like my friend told me, is a magical piece of jewelry that has a spirit bound to it, which lets them interact with humans. They're really old...I think something about being around when the Pyramids in Egypt were being made?" Ooooh, less speaking like you're asking a question! "That's besides the point. The spirits are essentially the embodiment of a major concept of our world, like the spirit bonded with my Miraculous is the embodiment of substitution, and when a human uses a Miraculous, they and the spirit work together. Does that make sense so far?"
<Pose Tracker> Fumiko Inoue [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
'That lady with the swan' didn't mean that literally, Serpentina was sure. However, it did make her teasing a little harder that Sourisi didn't hear all of the conversation. She frowns slightly, then shrugs. "Yeah, she was definitely weird. Her over-the-top violent nature, her being-two-people at once, her shipping you with someone..." The frown shifts into a bit of a grin. "She was just strange in general."
She scoops some of the tasty frozen delight from container to spoon to mouth, listening and waiting for a response. However, the conversation must continue. "Yeah, French is a bit tricky, but English.. . all the rules are lies!" More talk about that friend goes on about Sourisi's ears. "Same friend? Perhaps you're friends with a genius. You're cute without them anyways. I'm a little jealous. I do like this costume myself though, so we're good there."
Around when the pyramids are made... Ressi said something about that, didn't she? Confirmation was key. Either both of them are telling the same lies, or - and this is much more likely - there is some truth there. Good to know. "I... think I get it. Spirits are a thing. So are giant monsters that eat cold and wants. And Miraculous have spirits in them that you fuse together with. I bet you hope there's no cat one~"
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Sourisi nods her head in agreement with every part of Serpentina's evaulation of the swan lady, silenced with a mouthful of fudge. "Hmmm, that's right. But she's not the strangest one. There's this-" Wait a minute...what was that last part?
Sourisi's cheeks glow a noticable pink despite the light of the setting sun, and her fragile facade of being a magical girl mentor is shattered. "Wait wait wait, she shipped me with someone? Who, when- " Before she could do a decent impression of a Marinette-brand freakout, Sourisi's brain thankfully catches up with the mouse-eating comment from before, and she giggles from embarrasment. "O-ooooh, so that's what she meant by that! Though why was she shipping us during a fight is bizarre..."
What's really bizarre is the fact that -Sourisi- is the one being shipped for once. Ladybug and Chat Noir usually gets the love boat treatment!
Sticking out her tongue out over all of English's confusing rules, Sourisi can almost feel Takk getting a swollen head from the compliment. For a Kwami that acts like he doesn't have emotions, he use enjoys pride. "Ooh, don't compliment him. I'm sure i'll never heard of it once he hears that one. " But...cute? Sourisi doesn't have the frills and lace that most of the feminine magical defenders tend to have, and she has often wondered if she sticks out like a sore thumb because of that. It's like dressing up as a ninja to a pirate convention! "I'm glad to hear you like it, and it's pretty cute as well! Your friend knows more about fashion than I do."
If only Serpentina only knew on all the crazy monsters that appear almost every day in Tokyo. "There's stranger ones, trust me. My first time I transformed, there was this giant robot panda car that flew using its' steering wheel."
About to take another mouthful of her melting dessert, Sourisi almost sends her spoon flying as she bursts into laugher. "Funny that you should mention that! There's two other Miraculous users around in Tokyo, and they have the strongest Miraculous from what my friend told me. There's Ladybug, you can't miss her polka-dotted uniform and yo-yo, and then there's Chat Noir, or Black Cat in French. He's taught me a lot about making puns, and is one of the few magical boys in Tokyo." It honestly sounds like Chat Noir can be a troublemaker sometime.
And that brings to mind another question. Chomping down on her ice cream before the spoonload tries to escape again, she looks at the snake princess's eyes directly. "Well, there is another one, but... we're all trying to stop him. Have you been told about Hawk Moth?"
<Pose Tracker> Fumiko Inoue [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Serpentina's grin grows as Sourisi catches up to the teasing conversation. "Heheheh, sorry, I just had to tease you, but yeah she shipped us. She thought a mouse and a snake go together or something. I told you she's a bit odd, and I only met her once!"
The rules of English - or lack thereof - seems to bring the Miraculous Users closer together. Serpentina nods at the prideful friend comments. "I can understand. My friend would be quite similar I think." Same goes about the fashion comments. "Well, it was a team effort, so thank you."
Panda car, what? "What is going on? Things... my life has turned upside down sense... whatever this is.. started. But I'm glad I'm not the only one. Superpowered weirdo-fighter, that is." Ladybug and Chat Noir sound like others she should meet, but...
"Hawk Moth? Who is that?"
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Oooh, at least Serpentina is just having fun with the pairing! Besides, they only just met-no, bad thoughts! "It's fine. It makes sense in a funny way, but i'm glad I didn't hear that earlier. I might have been really thrown off guard earlier. There's all sorts of people in Tokyo, and it takes many to help keep others safe."
That look of confusion along with the floundering as the snake Miraculous user tries to get her own balance is answer enough on just how new this is to her. "It's quite a lot to take in, and never act like you seen everything, because there's always going to be that one crazy monster or evil witch who surprises you." Superpowered weirdo-fighter, though?...Sourisi can see the truth in that. "There's strange ones, trust me. There's people like me or Steven-kun, the boy with the pink shield you may have seen, who run in and fight up close, or actual witches riding on brooms or the Pretty Soldier Sailor Senshi. We're all a crazy, mix-matched group here, but I wouldn't have it any other way." There's the occasional fit and argument, but everyone generally gets along well. Tokyo couldn't be in better hands.
...maybe it's a good thing that Sourisi bothered to ask that question. Better she learns now than in the middle of a fight! "Hawk Moth is also a Miraculous User, but he's been using his Miraculous for evil. No one has actually seen him or know where he's hiding, so it's rather annoying...and then there's the way he attacks."
Fishing out the last bits and slush of her ice cream, Sourisi finishes off her just desserts for giving justice in the name of desserts. If only it wasn't gone... "Well, i'm not sure how he does it, but i'm thinking his Miraculous grants him the ability to give super powers to normal people, sort of like what a Miraculous does. He's sort of like a general, if you want to have an idea." Sourisi glances out towards the street, looking at the people on the street. "Thing is, he possesses the people he grants this power to, somehow knowing to find them when they're feeling dispair over bad luck in their life. They become Akumaizied Villains, and not just monsters like the Orphan we fought earlier. They're still a person, and the only way to save them is for us to break the source of their power and for Ladybug to cleanse the Akuma inside it..."
Setting aside her empty cup, Sourisi attempts to make a butterfly motion using her hands. It...does sort of look like one, if you were to squint at it. "Ooh, and an Akuma is a purple butterfly when it's evil, and white when it's been cleansed and no longer going to possess people."
<Pose Tracker> Fumiko Inoue [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Serpentina is just LOVING Sourisi's reactions. Teasing but in a fun way for all parties - now that is great! "I'm glad I'm not bothering you with this," she admits, "I do want to be good friends with you, and I was afraid for a second that you would take this the wrong way and think I'm trying to hurt you. And wow, seeing you a deep crimson and stammering in the middle of a battle would not have been great."
What's left of the snake-girl's ice cream was mostly puddly. She sets it aside. "There were a lot of good people in that fight... with all this new crazy stuff, at least I don't have to face it alone." She listens intently on the description of Hawk Moth, but goes pale at the mention of the purple butterflies. "O-oh... I.... I see.... then..." She sighs and looks down.
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Teasing like this is proof that Serpentina is going to do great with the others. Hopefully poor Ladybug won't be too bothered over the teasing, but at least she wasn't making puns of her own. Ladybug might just go into hiding if that ever happened! "Ooh, no you're fine! It's all just fun and games, and i'll have to get back at you later, don't you worry about that. I was already red in the face from the heat, I didn't need more to be added onto it!"
Serpentina feared that she was going to be alone in this? The thought has Sourisi shuddering at the thought. "Not at all. No one should be alone, and i'm always up for answering any questions. And if I don't have the answers, we can find it together. That's what friends do, right?"
The mention of purple butterflies is a very unique reaction...and Sourisi starts to worry a little for her new friend. "Serpentina-san, did...something happen involving purple butterflies? I don't want to pry, but...if it's something that involves Hawk Moth, I want to help!" Sourisi leans in close, not quite touching Serpentina, but an invasion of privacy. "Even if it's not, I can always listen and offer help if you want..."
<Pose Tracker> Fumiko Inoue [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Something suddenly occurred to her when talking about friends and allies. "Wait... Chat Noir... so you're saying you're a mouse. And one of your friends is a cat, and now you've met a snake? Must be scary for you. Hehe, but seriously. I'm glad to know I have peers in this. Possibly... friends? It... means a lot that you're willing to make the effort."
Friendship is good and all, but... should she really tell her about the purple butterflies? Could she trust Sourisi? In the ends, she doesn't see how it could hurt. "I... messed up. I've defeated two akumatized villains. I say defeated, but... now that you tell me how this works... I only made a mess of things. The... purple butterfly things got away. I... I assume they were stopped properly, all things considered... but I thought I helped and just made things worse, didn't I...?"
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Sourisi gives off a sheepish look and shrugs her shoulders in defeat. Making friends with your 'natural' predators? That works for her pretty well! "What can I say, Serpentina-san? I might just be that charming when it comes to making friends!" Serpentina does look a little tense, but...maybe she just needs to relax. It reminds Sourisi of Wakatsuki and how shy she was when they first met. She has come far in such a short time...
It's a real surprise to learn that there were a few Akuma Villains that didn't cause major trouble, but there were always those smaller fights that never seem to gain that much attention. But if Ladybug wasn't there to cleanse the Akuma...that could be trouble. But not as bad as the new Miraculous user seems to believe. "No, no, not at all. They're fine and all, but if the Akuma were not cleansed...well, uh, they might get possessed again in the future if they fall into despair again. But the good news is you might remember who was possessed and have an idea of what kind of special powers they have, and that's a good thing!"
Giving Serpentina a smile in an attempt to help relax her, Sourisi grabs a notepad and a pen from where she had set it to the side. Since she never could get a pouch for her phone, she'll just have to write her phone number down the long way. "Me and the others understand if you want to keep your secret identity...well, secret, so here's what we can do. I'm going to give you my cell number, so text me later and i'll set up a meeting with the others and we can meet up while transformed. We'll figure out a plan to track down those Akuma and keep those people safe as well."
Ripping the small piece of paper out, she offers it to Serpentina with a smile. "Don't worry, you didn't make things worse and you did help. It's just Ladybug is the only one who can stop the Akuma for good. Without her, Chat Noir and I can only stop them for a little while."
It's a shame that only Ladybug can cleanse the Akuma, but Sourisi still has her part to play.
<Pose Tracker> Fumiko Inoue [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Serpentina giggles at Sourisi's 'that charming' comment. "Maybe you are! I certainly want to be friends with you. Maybe that's a secret power of yours? Super-likeability?" She seems a little less stressed in the more relaxed atmosphere, until the butterfly thing, although Sourisi helps with that too. "Hmm... yes... you could be right."
A... phone number? Serpentina is going to need a new phone! How is she going to convince her mom? 'No mom, that is my civilian phone. I need a cell for my secret super hero identity I never told you about also I am a superhero' does not sound feasible. Then again, she could figure SOMETHING out. "Thank you. I will definitely text you right away."
So... Ladybug is the key to all of this, it seems. Serpentina might have to do some research on her . Or... she could just ask her. Yeah... that would probably be better. Or both. Either way...
"It is getting late, but I look forward to seeing you again." It is a shame they cannot hang out more, but civilian life calls. And now superhero life texts.
