Winter is no place for a butterfly...

[papillion_de_resistance]

Who: Gabriel Agreste (and potentially Nooroo) and you
When: The early morning hours of the day of his arrival, then more reasonable morning hours
Where: Various locations in the school
What: A very confused superhero arrives
Warnings: Gabriel's world is kind of terrible, but other than that, shouldn't be any.

In hindsight, Gabriel would be glad there was no one present to witness his rather undignified arrival for more reasons than simply the preservation of his secret identity. He'd been in the middle of patrolling the city, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, when abruptly, there was a flash of light and the entire scene changed. Gone were the rooftops of Paris and the mild air of a late spring night. In their place, the snow covered roof of what looked like a castle and the biting chill of midwinter darkness.

Unfortunately, this transition happened in mid-leap, and due to a combination of shock and the unexpectedly slippery surface, he landed badly, his feet sliding out from under him and momentum sending him sliding over two meters across the frosty stonework. After a moment of just laying there in complete confusion, he sat up, not for the first time extremely glad for how durable his transformed state was. Spotting his cane next to him, he picked it up from where it had fallen, careful to blur its outline in the snow with a brush of his hand before he stood up.

A quick scan of his surroundings revealed nothing at all familiar, and no lights of a town or city visible anywhere. In fact, the only light in the immediate area came from the stars and the moon, which while not quite full was on its way to becoming so. As his eyes adjusted, he was able to make out the dim shapes of buildings in the near distance, though all of them were eerily dark. He frowned; something about this wasn't right, far beyond his sudden change of surroundings.

Standing around on a rooftop likely wasn't going to get him any information, however, and since he could feel the chill of the air even with the protection of his costume, he decided that any investigation would likely best be done indoors. And in less conspicuous attire. Thankfully it didn't take long to find the entrance to the stairwell, and almost shockingly, the door proved to be unlocked. Once it had closed behind him and he'd quickly glanced around to make certain he was alone, he said, "Light wings, fall."

His costume vanished, replaced by his normal clothing, and Nooroo reappeared. He pulled a honey caramel out of his pocket and gave it to the kwami. "What happened, Gabriel?", Nooroo asked before taking a bite. "And where are we?"

"Both very good questions," he said. "And ones we need to find the answers to. In any case, you should likely stay hidden until we have a better idea of what's going on; as helpful as you can be in scouting and observation, we can't afford to potentially be separated in an unknown location."

Nooroo nodded, and once he'd finished the caramel, ducked into Gabriel's pocket, safely out of sight as Gabriel headed down the stairs and into the building proper. The building, as it turned out was a school of some sort, and Gabriel poked his head into several classrooms. he didn't expect there to be any students or teachers about at this time of night, of course- since a clock he'd spotted had shown that it was well past midnight, just as it had been in Paris-, but there might still be a custodian or a night guard about. He did keep an eye out for any rooms that seemed to have lights on, however, just in case.

If he didn't find anyone during his nighttime explorations, however, the next morning the current residents of Auradon Prep would find an unusually tall man asleep in one of the comfortable armchairs in the library, his round glasses slightly askew due to how his head was resting, reading lamp still on. Several reference books sat on the table next to him, and another lay fallen open across his lap. Someone should likely wake him, if only so he didn't miss breakfast.

Comments

[papillion_de_resistance]

Gabriel showed no signs whatever of planning to bolt. Not only did he follow along quite willingly, but he also adjusted his walking speed so he wouldn't outpace her with his longer stride. "Gabriel Agreste," he replied to her introduction, frowning thoughtfully at the information she'd just provided. "Under normal circumstances, I'd say that what you've just told me sounded somewhat far-fetched, but these are decidedly not normal circumstances. And since it seems that I'm hardly the first one this has happened to, you've likely been asked this before, but still how do I get home? Not that I wouldn't like to get to know this place better, but I have both a son and some very pressing business arrangements waiting for me back in Paris, and I can't afford to neglect either of them." At least no more than his secret double life already forced him to, anyway.

[mal_contented]

"That would be part of what we're still working on. We need to untangle the spells that clashed. Which is hard to do with one of the casters in a coma and the other wandering around wherever he pleases," she said, bluntly. "We have been working on it, and we'll get back to working on it once the more pressing issues are taken care of. Like feeding everyone and getting everyone through the Winter. Though I suppose the part you care about is that time isn't passing in your world. Or some such. There are some people more used to this than I am that can give you the deets. All I know is I was drawn into two other worlds before this and returned home the moment I left with no memories of those other worlds at all till someone I knew in both stuck his big nose back into my life," she said with a huff.

Not that she was upset that Sylvando was here. Of everyone she knew from off world, he was perhaps her favorite person. Not that she'd puff up his ego by ever saying as much. His ego got any bigger and he'd be floating away. But still.

No what bothered her was the fluctuations in people arriving and vanishing. It seemed to be getting faster. In both directions. And she wasn't sure what that meant. Which bothered and worried her. A lot.

[papillion_de_resistance]

Well the references to 'his world' confirmed his suspicions. He'd have to talk to Nooroo in private later to ask whether or not this had anything to do with the strange signals they'd picked up recently, but for now it was enough to know that Adrien and the rest of his world wouldn't suffer for his absence.

Far more pressing were the concerns she'd mentioned. And since he was apparently he was no longer in a world where he had to worry about the Supreme... "I'm afraid I can't help much with food," he said. "Even if it were still part of the growing season, I'm not a farmer, and my abilities in the kitchen don't extend much beyond making a pot of tea or coffee. However, if it's warm clothes that are needed, I may be able to be of help on that front. I'm a fashion designer back home, you see, so as long as there are suitable fabric and thread available, putting together things like simple coats and sweaters shouldn't be especially difficult."

[mal_contented]

"If you're any good I might let you use one of E's spare sewing machines. She wouldn't mind if you're a professional, but if you break it... we might just have an issue," she said warningly. "Also if you're any good, maybe you should be wrangling Kyoko. Not sure anyone else has the strength to deal with her right now."

[papillion_de_resistance]

Gabriel adjusted his glasses slightly, his smile becoming confident. "I haven't broken a sewing machine since my college days," he said. "And even then, I repaired it myself." Out of necessity, as he hadn't been able to afford to replace it or take it to a professional, and he'd had a project due. But Mal didn't need to know that particular detail.

"In any case, I know better than to disrespect another artist's tools. That is your friend E's work you're wearing currently, correct? The darting on the jacket is quite clever. Did she make the rest from scratch, or simply tailor it for you?"

[mal_contented]

"Yeah, E's pretty amazing. The jacket is scratch, the rest is tailored and adapted. She started out with scraps when she was first learning, and the aesthetic still suits me. Of course the painting is all mine," she said turning so he could see the design on the back. A purple dragon coiled around a beast's head that was a gold tinged with a green light.

[papillion_de_resistance]

Gabriel nodded. "That is a good way to learn, especially when it comes to getting basic stitches down," he said. "Which takes far more work than most people expect, even if one does have a natural aptitude for it, though that only makes seeing the finished product that much more satisfying. Not that I expect I need to tell you about the satisfaction of a completed project; you're clearly quite an artist yourself, albeit in a different medium."

[mal_contented]

She gave a small shrug. "I do what I do," she said, walking again, heels clacking sharply. "Let's get you settled in." She was still uncomfortable with complements sometimes.

[papillion_de_resistance]

Gabriel nodded and followed along. Which resulted an a somewhat awkward silence save for the sound of heir footsteps. Eventually he cleared his throat slightly before attempting to make conversation "So, Mal," he said, "are you a student here?" It seemed a reasonable assumption, as she looked a bit too young to be an employee. Perhaps she'd been studying late?

[mal_contented]

"Among other things. Well. It was right around graduation when everything happened, so not sure I qualify anymore," she said, amused.

[papillion_de_resistance]

"So still one on paper then, if not exactly in practice," he confirmed. "I imagine things have been rather hectic since, what with so many... shall we say, unexpected visitors popping up."

[mal_contented]

"No kidding," she said, dryly. "I'm looking forward to when everyone is back where they're supposed to be."

[papillion_de_resistance]

"As am I," he said. "Meaning no offense to you or your world of course, but I expect that most people here would rather be where they're meant to be rather than the alternative."

Please excuse the lack of icons, paid ran oput again, lol

[mal_contented]

"Meaning just as much or little offense to you, I'd rather have the people who are supposed to be here back than have you."

[papillion_de_resistance]

He nodded understandingly. "As would I, I imagine, if the situation were reversed," he said. "I'm afraid a talent for sewing doesn't really offer much insight into the world of metaphysics, but if there's anything you believe I can do to help accomplish that, please don't hesitate to ask."

[mal_contented]

"Actually, a talent for sewing is just what we need right now."

[papillion_de_resistance]

"I'm glad to oblige, then," he said. "Actually getting down to proper work will likely have to wait until morning at this point, but if you could give me an overview of what was needed I could at least get a bit of planning done."

[mal_contented]

"Warm clothing that can be made out of what we have access to," she said, wryly. "Without leaving so little over that we have nothing for when it gets warm again."