Scene #2189: Ketchup des amis

Owner	Pose
Marinette	"Late late late late!" Marinette chants to herself as she approaches the truck. She'd messaged him. He'd answered! Or at least he'd read the message, which is almost the same thing! And then she was caught up by missing the bus to get here and it was a whole thing! Why would a bus be full? So unfair to the people who weren't on yet. The truck is open, showing that it's open for business. Funny little park cafe, built into the back end of a yellow truck in a park. Thus 'truck cafe'. But sliding to a stop, she looks up at the vendor. Not Adrien. She looks around. Also not Adrien. "Oh come on, did I miss him entirely?" That's exactly her luck. Also, this is...the first time. Because this time, he knows. Everything. "Where is he???"
Adrien Agreste	Even as Marinette searches around for Adrien, he approaches from a bench not far away. A baseball cap is pulled down over his head which was odd for him. He reaches up to tug at the brim of the red cap while calling out, "Here, Marinette!" in French. Not that he was wanting to be rude to the locals, but... "Sorry I didn't get to respond to your text," he offers while glancing from beneath the brim of the cap looking honestly a bit apologetic. "I ran into some fans and had to slip away. They're usually pretty good in Japan but once in awhile there's some that are a bit-- Enthusiastic." His eyelids droop a bit as he lets out a tired sigh. "It should be okay now, though."
Marinette	She starts a bit when she hears his voice. Nobody else has spoken French to her since she'd come. So, clearly true Adrien. But it still makes her heart stop for a moment when she hears it, even today. "That makes sense! That you have fans! I mean, of course you have fans, who wouldn't be your fan? I mean, I'm not but I'm ..." You're panicking. Of course I'm panicking. Why is this only a big deal to me? He's there, all...perfect. Sigh. Marinette hangs her head, then says, "Can I start over? Do you have a table?"
Adrien Agreste	Adrien Agreste tilts his head regarding Marinette with a gentle smile as she works her way around to asking about the table. "Not yet, I wanted to wait until you showed up so we could pick one. Plus since it's a small spot I didn't want to hog a table that might go to a customer in more of a hurry than we are," he adds chuckling. A small thing to consider, but he did consider it. "It's okay. It's the life of being a model I guess. At least I'm not an idol. I hear they get some really intense fans!" He gestures toward the seating area with a sweep of his hand. "Where would you like to sit, Milady?" He pauses suddenly and clears his throat. "I mean. Marinette. Sorry. Old habits."
Marinette	That...that gets her attention. Squinching her eyes closed for a moment, Marinette remembers. Milady, I'm here! Let me get that for you, Milady. Are you alright, Milady? That other self, that one that she's not so scared around. Cat Noir. This can work if I think of him as Cat Noir. But...I don't want to. He's Adrien. Still, the thought gives her back strength, and she smiles. "I'll grab a table, then. You get something cooked in grease, okay?" She smiles up to her friend, and then takes a breath. That went better. Maybe this will work after all.
Adrien Agreste	Adrien Agreste reaches up to salute--No, to bump the brim of his hat upward so that it's not so low to cover his eyes. It was easier to see with it just a bit higher. "I can do that," he agrees with an easy grin. Even if he knew how who she was, it didn't change much. She was still his friend. ... That he once had a huge crush on. And maybe still did? He wasn't sure which 'side' of himself to let out right now but being in casual clothes did help a bit. Either way he turns to head for the cart intent on grabbing two orders of Takoyaki, as well as some tea for drinks. It wasn't coffee but it was still tasty and in this case came in bottles so that it was easier to deal with such 'to go' food. Carefully balancing the two orders in hand, and the drinks grasped by the caps in his other, he makes his way to the table Marinette picked out. "And here we are. Tokyo's best takoyaki! Or at least pretty good takoyaki, I'm not sure if this is the 'best'. It smells great though!"
Marinette	Marinette says, "Thanks, kittycat," automatically. She pauses, tensing up for a moment as she twiddles with a straw. Then she looks up, her eyes moving even though her head does not, and says, "This is going to be a thing, isn't it?" She motions to the other chair, breathing a little. "It does smell great. You always knew what I liked. Why can't I just relax and not make a deal out of it?" She doesn't reach for the food yet. Hard to when your tummy is tied up in knots.
Adrien Agreste	Adrien Agreste sets the takoyaki in front of Marinette before placing his own down. His lips twitch with a grin of amusement at her own slip. He does sit though, and slides one of the bottles of tea over to her. "Maybe just a bit. I mean, it's not as if we knew until recently. I still can't believe I never realized-- I mean, we were always bumping into each other while trying to hide our identities." As for the rest he can only shrug a little bit. "You're the big thinker, Marinette. I think," he begins only to catch himself before making any puns. "Ahem. I think that maybe it's just as 'Marinette' it's more of an issue because you don't have a Lucky Charm to help provide a hint to what you should do?"
Marinette	She smiles, but it falters fast enough. "I guess. I mean, that's obviously it, I'm thinking too much and I can't stop worrying over things. I've always been...too much, all at once. In everything I do. Too much Marinette, not enough calm down and breathe." She blinks, her hands resting on the takoyaki, then she pulls the hot one up and ows. Blowing on her wrist, she sighs. Looks up. "This. Not thinking about what I'm doing, always ...every direction at once." She pats her wrist with a napkin thoughtfully. "You know, Lucky Charm is always just that. A hint, and something I probably could have found laying around me. I wonder if I actually need it." Pause, she looks over the table. "I know that I need you. Losing my partner was horrible, when you left Paris." She leaves unsaid, I also lost my friend.
Adrien Agreste	Adrien Agreste reaches across the table to take hold of Marinette's hand to turn giving her wrist a glance. "It's not too bad, but maybe you should hold the bottle of tea to it so it has a chance to cool down," he suggests with sympathy. Burns were never fun. "They cook these in some really hot pans. I always burn my mouth on them," he explains with a chuckle. He does nod as well. "I missed you too. I know we've had our issues but ... You always were my partner. It didn't feel right not having you around." He sighs quietly. "But father had to come here, so..." All he can do is shrug. "You probably don't need Lucky Charm. I think you've always had the ability to do that." He smiles again, and adds, "but it never hurts having a self-esteem boost."
Marinette	He's taking my hand, her mind thinks. Her courage thinks, you're okay. Her panic thinks, should we be panicking? Her heart says, "Impossible. You're the one that burns them." Wait, did I say that out loud? She smiles. It's okay. In fact, it might even be a little bit of Ladybug in me. Where she belongs. "I fully expected to screw this up, you know. Spill the ketchup, ruin my blouse. Be Marinette." She doesn't pull her hand away though. Tikki peeks out from her bag, then waves at Adrien. Tiny smile, tiny thumbs up. "But I think maybe I'm growing up a little bit, without Chloe here to make it all weird. Now if it's weird, I can laugh a little."