Video (and optional Action)| UN: Ladybug

[de_evilise]

[ Here's an unfamiliar face to probably many. A girl in a red and black spotted leotard with matching mask is grinning into the video. From her surroundings, it looks like she's somewhere outside the city. ]

Hey everyone, Ladybug here. Got a question for you. I was out patrolling the area outside the city and came across some nasty creatures chasing after - [ She turns the feed around to show an injured Korok, sitting a short distance away with a bandage she had tied around its leg. ]

One of these little guys. I personally haven't ever seen one before, but I thought it'd be a good idea to ask around in case someone else has come across the - [ She's distracted by a growl from out of view of the camera, and she scowls. ]

Persistent things aren't you.. [ Mutter. She pulls her yoyo out and turns to prepare to go on the defense, though she tosses one last comment. ]

Gotta run - but if anyone's seen these guys around or knows anything about them, drop a message here, I'll get right back to you!

[ OOC: unless someone happens to be outside the perimeter as well and comes across them, that's a thing also. ]

Comments

[de_evilise]

[ She'd be surprised by that, honestly. ]

Anything you need in particular? I can keep an eye out while I'm out here, either now or in future trips.

[franciscoramon]

Wait, for real? Are you serious?

[ Cisco is never one to pass up an offer like that: he has a few folks on the perimeter guard who keep their eyes out for him, but they have other duties that come first, obviously, and there is just so much STUFF in the abandoned sections of the city that he would never be able to discover all on his own. ]

Honestly, any machinery you find that looks advanced and even partly intact... if you come across anything promising you could always text a pic and I can tell you if it's worthwhile or not. I can pay you back. Somehow...

[de_evilise]

Of course. I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't serious. [ Any machinery was pretty broad though - she'd just have to make sure to remember to text from her burner phone and not her real phone or THAT would be embarrassing. ]

Don't worry about paying me back, I don't expect anything in return.

[franciscoramon]

sweet!

cool mask, by the way.
i'm guessing you're some kinda superhero, back home?

[ Not hard to put the pieces together - a mask, a name that's quite possibly an alias, a compulsive need to help, a certain distrust of relying on groups... plus she'd said she had a partner. ]

[de_evilise]

Haha, thanks.

Yeah, good guess. Not many of us around back home, that's why I was surprised when you said there were a lot here.

[franciscoramon]

Well, there's a hell of a lot higher a density of them here than where I'm from, too.

[ Cisco has his own theories for why that is. Heroes know other heroes, and the portal has a statistical tendency to pull in people who have connections with those who are already here. There's also the fact that the people who come here tend to do so right as they are feeling lost or out of place in their own worlds - something that unfortunately happens to superheroes quite a lot, because of the dangers of what they do. And then, of course, perhaps the portal has some way of knowing who will be the most useful in rebuilding this place, and choosing accordingly. ]

how many is not many? four? five?

[de_evilise]

[ She laughed a little at the question. ]

Try 'two'.

[ And fortunately only one supervillain (right now), but it still was a problem. ]

[franciscoramon]

two's not so bad. i remember when we only had two, too. they were in different cities,
tho.

sometimes one or two is all it takes, depending on the hero.

so. big question: you got superpowers?

[ He can't assume one way or another, after all. ]

[de_evilise]

I do, yeah. Although it's not probably anything all that impressive compoared to what you've seen from other superheroes.

[ Her purifying only works on Akuma, as far as she knew, though Lucky Charm came in pretty handy. And of course, her enchanced physical abilities have saved her life more than once. ]

[franciscoramon]

hey, you never know. i've seen some pretty useless superpowers in my day. like a guy who couldn't do anything but turn his body into poison gas. a bad guy, obviously, but i feel like that one would suck even more if you weren't a villain. and there's one dude who can pretty much only make people angry by having eye contact with them. the worst, right?

so... what can you do?

[ Those couple of examples will hopefully make her feel a little less self-conscious, if her powers really are somewhat underwhelming. ]

[de_evilise]

I'm not so sure turning your body into poison gas is useless for a supervillain. [ You could do some pretty massive damage with that kind of a power. ]

Well... I can purify akuma, for one. Although thankfully, there haven't been any akuma showing up here. Which makes sense since Papillion isn't here either. [ As far as she knows. ]

[ She's a little wary about blurting out all of her abilities, for what might be obvious reasons. ]

And when I'm facing off against an enemy, my power will create an item that I can use to get the upper hand. Though it's pretty random.. but my Miraculous can always restore any damage or injuries that are sustained during the course of a battle, which is pretty handy when there's a lot of property damage.

[franciscoramon]

not entirely useless. more like... very limited use. he managed to kill a couple of people before we worked out how to capture him.

[ He has no idea who Papillion is (though the name makes him chuckle), but he sets that aside to ask about later. ]

akuma? what're those?

[ Cisco knows that there might be more she isn't telling him - he's an unseen stranger, after all, and the network is a public forum that anyone can access, without even a tiny amount of hacking needed. When she answers despite that, he is very pleased. ]

damn!!! i don't know what you're talking about, that's SUPER impressive! healing AND a way to deal with the cleanup? that's like the definition of impressive.

so... is 'miraculous' the name for the items you made?

[ He's not sure he's following along entirely, but he wants to. ]

[de_evilise]

I'm sorry to hear that.

[ He hasn't asked anything TOO incriminating, so it was safe to answer at least. ]

Akuma... they resemble black butterflies. They're corrupted creatures under Papillion's influence, so when he finds a target, he has one of his akuma possess them to do his bidding.

[ Usually to try and steal her and Cat Noir's Miraculous. She's momentarily surprised by that reaction though, and grins, blushing a bit. ]

Ahaha, well..it is pretty useful, but it's better to not have to use it at all.

[ A little more guarded here, she shakes her head. ]

No no, the Miraculous is... it's my power. The items I make through the Miraculous are called Lucky Charms.

[franciscoramon]

ok yikes, way WAY creepier than i was expecting

[ Cisco is not about that whole possession thing. Maybe it's because of the whole thing with Grodd mind-controlling people into his puppets, maybe it's just traces of his Catholic upbringing, maybe it's a fun mix of the two. Either way... suddenly he's glad this Papillion person isn't here. ]

and are they magically delicious?
(bet no one's made that joke before. sorry. low-hanging fruit.)

[de_evilise]

You said it.

[ She was just as glad that Papillion wasn't here. And ... that joke is just.. it only makes her -GROAN-. And gets The Face(tm). ]

... that's as bad as something my partner would say.

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco is still only communicating by text but suffice to say he is delighted and laughing his head off at that resentful expression. ]

i would hope that ANYBODY who great up in a world with marshmallowy breakfast cereals would make that joke.

that's cool tho
we should talk sometime about salvaging and powers and stuff
i'm gonna text you the address of my workshop and if you ever wanna come by, i'm there a lot of the time
like actually a kind of absurd amount of the time.

[ True to his word, Cisco texts the address. ]

[de_evilise]

[ She grins at the offer, and makes note of the address. ]

I'd like that. I'll make sure to stop by sometime then. [ She pauses. ]

Let me guess, you sleep where you work?

[franciscoramon]

haha, no, i mean, sometimes i'll accidentally fall asleep on my desk waiting for some data to compile, and i nap on the couch sometimes, but i've got an actual home and stuff, and i do go there to sleep most nights.

i just meant an absurd amount of time during the day...
i don't have much of a social life.
or really just a life.

[de_evilise]

[ Aaha, social lives were overrated. ...*cough* ]

A desk isn't very comfortable to sleep at. [ She knew that one for a fact! ]

Your work keeps you that busy?

[franciscoramon]

no they are not

work, and other projects too.
i just like making stuff.
i'm used to keeping pretty busy.

[de_evilise]

Interesting.. [ She was going to have to swing by his place and see for herself though. ]

Well, try not to fall asleep at the desk TOO much. [ She ohs though. ]

Speaking of busy, I should get this little guy back.