882/Ready Set Decorate!

Ready Set Decorate!
Date of Scene:	13 December 2023
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy
Synopsis:	A decorating rush!
Cast of Characters:	Adrien Agreste, Ahmya Karashima, Naru Osaka, Marinette Dupain-Cheng

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Adrien Agreste has posed:
Christmas! While it was mostly a 'couples holiday' in Japan that didn't mean they didn't enjoy decorating or celebrating. Add that in with the vast number of 'transfers' that weren't Japanese and that led to quite a bit of decorations around the dorm common rooms.

One such decoration was a tree that had been brought in by Adrien (not cut even, it's replantable!) which was a healthy Japanese Fir. It made the room smell fresh and woodsy.

Adrien's currently wearing a festive sweater simply taking the night off to just relax a bit. Some ornaments are held in hand as he stares at the tree debating where to put them. More boxes of decorations were stacked nearly on a table nearby.

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
     People love their decorating for sure! INcluding a face that had not been seen around campus for a while due to a family vacation, a girl by the name of Ahmya Karashima. Known mostly for... liking bugs! Also disappearing for a while and then suddenly coming back wearing an eyepatch at all times but that's just a small detail that DEFINITELY didn't have rumors going around the school at all. Nope.

     Regardless, she was wearing a relatively comfortable 'creepy-cute' outfit at the moment consisting of a simple black pleated dress with a white sweater over top, a punk bunny with an eyepatch on it on the front of the sweater. Something comfortable and easy to wear.

     She'd been in a corner studying some leather-bound book of some sort or another, though the sight of someone working on the christmas tree was enough to bring her over. "Hm hm hm! I see the ritual summoning of the christmas spirit has begun!" She says with a grin. Then pauses. "Want help? It looks like you've got a lot of decorations there."

Naru Osaka has posed:
Coffee in hand, and her satchel in the other, Naru glances into the common room on her way somewhere else.

And then she pauses and has to come back and peer in again before she steps in. "Hi guys.." She looks at the sweater, and the tree, and the ornaments. "Whatcha up to?"

Not a transfer student. Clearly. Christmas is barely on Naru's radar.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng has posed:
The season is amazing no matter where you are from. For one such girl, the season meant cookies and sweets, as is the nature of a Patisserie's girl. Marinette agreed to help out with putting up decorations. For her, this meant showing up with cookies and macarons and all sorts of yummy goodness for everyone who happens to be helping to put up said decorations. She has a a stack of containers all holding the sweets. They are stacked up over her field of view and she is walking into the area.

Walking? More like staggering, tripping and falling sending containers of sweets flying across the room. Marinette, in traditional Marinette form, winds up face down on the floor. "I'm alright. I'm alright!" Marinette scurries to her feet and starts gathering the containers. "I was just bringing Christmas cookies and stuff for everyone." She sets the containers up on a table and opens them so everyone can get them. There are sugar cookies decorated for the holiday. Red and green Macarons. Gingerbread men and women. Not to mention a few small loaves of ginger bread. "Help yourselves." Some are a little broken for the fall.

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Adrien Agreste commits to hanging one little gold bauble on the tree. The first of many. He had some gold, some red, some multiple colors all over. Trying to blend a little bit of the Christmas tradition with what people from Japan might be a little more familiar with he's also got some thin wooden ornaments that can be decorated or have names written on, in the case of couples. Turning to Ahmy he grins broadly. "I'd love some help! It's far more fun with others joining in. I don't think we've met before. I'm Adrien Agreste."

Before he can say more, Naru enters drawing more of a smile from him. "Naru-chan! We're decorating the Christmas tree. Want to join? It's something done a lot in other countries and I thought it would be fun to share. Usually it's done while listening to Christmas music or eating--"

Enter Marinette. He winces a little, and takes a step forward intending to help start gathering up the fallen tupperware. "Eating treats. Thanks for bringing some, Marinette! Have you met Naru-chan yet?"

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
     "Beginning the ritual of summoning in the winter spirit to this building, creating magical circles of tinsel with runic hanging decorations interspersed to complete the spell!" Is the cheery response from Ahmya to Naru's question. And then there was a sound coming from nearby. A sound of impending doom. Unstable steps. The subtle sound of plastic against plastic of containers in arms.

     Ahmya turns, immediately starting to head towards the sound. She was too late to make it to stop the inevitable, but she was immediately there reaching to help her up, and once Marinette had confirmed she was okay, she started to help collect the containers. "While appreciated, I think we could have waited for two trips instead of you falling and potentially being injured." She says, her tone gentle and chiding, but not unkind. Once all the containers were on the table safely, she finally responded to Adrien.

     "Agreste-san, then. I am Ahmya Karashima, the spicy black rain." She says, her tone mildly joking, even if it was basically a literal translation of her name. She intentionally goes out of her way to grab one of the broken gingerbread men to nibble on as she starts to grab tinsel from the box to begin wrapping the tree. She definitely wasn't planning on making a tinsel magical circle on the tree. Nope. Not at all.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Are you alright?" Naru asks Marinette first as she tumbles and she joins Adrien and Ahmya in picking up treats and the girl. She does smile at Adrien's explination. "It.. okay then." She does look at the wee potted tree and then giggles softly. "It's so little! IT's adorable."

Naru grins to Ahmya. "Hi.. I don't think we've met either. I'm Naru.. Usagi's roommate if you've met her."

Marinette Dupain-Cheng has posed:
"Oh umm Hello um Adrien! I um brought stuff for you... I mean everyone. To umm Snack on!" She turns her attention to Ahmya and she winces. Her hand goes to the back of her head as she laughs nervously. "Yeah. I'm a little clumsy." She looks down and shakes it off for now. "Help yourself. There is all sorts of goodies in there." She turns her attention to Naru. "Oh Hey Naru-san. I'm alright. I'm used to falling down and stuff." She winces a little about her clumsiness and turns her attention to the decorations.

She walks up to the tree and smiles, "Awww. The tree is really cute." She goes to grab some ornaments and starts putting a few on the tree. "This is going to look adorable when its done." She then notices that Adrien is doing most of the tree decorating. So she shifts to a different job. She grabs some garland and starts hanging it on the walls. "We could put some lights up around the garland. That would really make this place feel like its got the Christmas Spirit!"

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Adrien Agreste chuckles quietly at the stammered greeting from Marinette. It's all accepted gracefully without pointing out how she always seemed tongue tied around him. She was just one of those people who got nervous around others, right? Right. Clearly. "Glad you're back in Japan now, Marinette. It's nice having a friend from back home around."

His attention turns back toward the tree but not before he's taken a sugar cookie himself. Broken or otherwise he's not picky. It's Naru's remark about the tree being cute that has him beaming, "Isn't it? I'm glad I found someone selling them around here." He glances down to her coffee thermos with a chuckle. "If you need a refill, you know the way to my room, Naru-chan. Feel free to use the espresso machine."

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
     "I was off on a family vacation for a while and then recovering from an accident that happened while I was gone." Ahmya says almost automatically, "I was imbued with magical power in my right eye through a pact with Auntie Rache, but unfortunately it also involved a long healing process." She says nonchalantly, "...So I'm a bit out of the loop on things. It's a pleasure to meet you regardless." She says, dipping into an elegant curtsy towards Naru with one hand, while still working on getting the tinsel juuuust right.

     To Marinette, Ahmya directs a more gentle smile, "Just so long as you're okay. Seriously, even if you're used to it, I'd rather get /no/ sweets than someone get hurt." Once that subject is more or less dropped though, she shifts to a grin, "I know right? It's going to be so cute and the magical circle I'm weaving with the tinsel should protect this building from evil spirits!" It won't actually protect the building from evil spirits. Probably.

Naru Osaka has posed:
"It really will look very colourful!" Naru decides after considering the ornaments and the decorating in progress.

Naru gives a little bow towards Ahmya at her introduction. "Pleased to meet you." She mmms softly at the explimation of where the other girl has been. "I'm glad you head up well."

"Thanks Adrien, do you want me to bring you back one?" Because she totally is going to take him up on that offer. She even snags a cookie on the way. "Thanks for the cookie, Marinette."

Marinette Dupain-Cheng has posed:
Marinette grabs a strand of lights and begins winding them around some garland. She gently wraps them trying to get things to look nice. "Its okay. I am always tripping and falling. I usually have more bruises than skin." She laughs a little before she finally does a proper introduction. "I'm Marinette. I'm just a normal girl with a normal life." She smiles a little, definitely not saying what her magic is. Even now, she has Tikki in her little purse. Thankfully before she was given a macaron before Marinette came here.

She looks over at Adrien for a moment before looking to Ahmya. "That sounds really cool. If I was magical in anyway, I don't think I would talk about it much. I mean wouldn't that attract attention? Like not the good kind, I mean." Marinette does her best to not reveal that she has magic of her own. "I would just be worried about my friends and family." The mention of friends causes her to think back to Paris. She does miss her friends back there. "Its good to umm... have a friend from back home here, Adrien." She smiles.

Adrien Agreste has posed:
The sudden exposition by Ahmya has Adrien pause while he hangs up another decoration on the tree. He just stares straight ahead a long moment, unseeing, as he has flashbacks of the time he first met Chrono. "You would get along well with my roommate," he remarks. Not cruelly just... Yeah.

A bit softer he looks back to flsah a grin at the eye-patch wearing girl. "Glad you're okay though. I'm sure the dorms are fairly safe, but I guess it never hurts to take extra precautions?" A little chuckle comes as he fiddles with one of the ornament hooks to unbend it.

"Oh, I'm sure it would be dangerous to have a secret identity. Doing it all by yourself though? I think it'd be pretty lonely not having anyone you could talk to about things."

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
     "Well you see, the thing is! I am a part of the occult club and honestly most of it's a load of nonsense." Ahmya replies to Marinette, "But it's not like magic isn't interwoven into our culture in general, like the shrines to various kami and youkai." Ahmya gives a helpless shrug. "A normal girl with a normal life though... I had that before. It was kind of painful. I had nothing to talk about, nothing really interesting to share. 'Average Ahmya', that was my nickname." She wrinkles her nose, carefully attaching the last bit of tinsel towards the top of the tree.

     "Besides, it's not like I have any enemies or anything like that. Not really any bullies or anything either." She shifts her one-eyed gaze left. And then right. And then says quieter, once she's sure nobody else is around and paying attention. "It's just, like. ... I got bit by a spider close to my eye so I lost my vision it's not like I ACTUALLY got magical powers it's just more fun to say that then to be like 'yeah no I was dumb and got too close to a spiderweb'. And I live on a shrine to a harvest kami in the middle of a big city like... nothing happens there. I literally had nothing to talk about so I decided to try being chuuni. It's pretty fun to be honest." She nods firmly.

     Yep. Covered her tracks! To these people who seem strangely concerned about her mentioning her powers. Most people just look at her funny, so that was honestly a new one. "...Yeah? Huh. Maybe I'll have to meet your roommate sometime, then!" She crouches down next to the potted plant to gently adjust some of the branches she'd inadvertently pulled the tinsel tight on lower down. "Well, this wouldn't have any actual magic anyway. Even if it were a magical circle you'd have to imbue magic and I'm not planning on doing a full on occult ritual in the dorm rooms, that's just asking to scare someone. Occult magical circles are almost like a form of artwork though, they can get really pretty with all the intricate runes and stuff." She murmurs.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng has posed:
Marinette finishes intertwining the garland and the strand of lights. She begins hanging the lights on the wall. She uses a step stool and almost falls off of it more than once. Still She gets them hung up and looking nice. Then, plugging the lights in, they ignite and help to light up the room. "What do you both think?" She smiles and stands back, considering doing the whole room like that."

She looks at Ahmya and smiles, "Oh That sounds cool then. I would volunteer to join that club too but sadly I don't really do clubs because I am always busy. I run a fashion design blog and design clothing. I like doing art. Have you heard of the rock star, Jagged Stone? I designed his latest album cover. Oh and his Paris glasses." She smiles happily, not really bragging just stating what she'd done while still in Paris.

Adrien Agreste has posed:
"Marinette's quite the talented artist. She once designed a hat that I wore in a fashion show," Adrien adds to the list of things that Marinette has done. He looks her way adding, with a grin, "Thank you for using a fake feather in that by the way. I really am horribly allergic to feathers." Nevermind his roommate currently had a bird as a pet. His attention shifts to the decorating job giving it a once over.

"It looks good! We should leave a bit for others if they want to try. I'm sure most are busy studying right now, but eventually everyone will start to take a break and might want a distraction."

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
     "Hm!" Ahmya crosses her arms as she looks up at the garland and light intertwining. "I think it looks good, though it might be worthwhile to reinforce the hanging points with a secondary pin just because of the added weight of both the lights and the garland intertwined like that. I might be worrying too much though, it's not like someone can't just pin it back up if part of it falls."

     The talk of volunteering to join the club and running a fashion design blog... and designing clothing... art... Ahmya pauses. "That's a lot of skills! I'm ... pretty much being trained to take over the shrine when my parents retire. It's a lot of maintenance and cleaning, ensuring that things are properly taken care of and that donations are properly handled and counted." She says with an awkward chuckle. "It sounds like you had a pretty amazing resume, I'm sure you'll be famous in the future!"

     To Adrien she gives a small nod. "It sounds like you two have known each other for a while. Are you both from other countries?" She makes a quiet note in the back of her head, 'horribly allergic to feathers'. Good to know. "Ooh, maybe a little ornament making kit would be nice to have there for them too, like some blank clear ornaments and some paint and glitter and stuff..."

Marinette Dupain-Cheng has posed:
"I was just thinking of doing the lights around the room but if you think it would be better to just leave it at that wall, that's okay." She walks over to the table and opens a container. Pulling out a bright red macaron, she takes a bite and smiles. "My dad taught me how to make these when I was younger. They are so good." She blushes, "I also know how to make bread too. I just don't make it too often."

Marinette eeps and looks at Adrien, "Oh of course! I would never let you get sneezy!" Oh that was dumb. How could she say something so dumb. "Yes!" She turns to Ahmya again and smiles to her. "We are from Paris." She blushes a little over the kind words given by the other girl. "Oh thank you. I Just have always been really creative. I learned a lot from my parents. My mom teaches art and both my mom and my dad run a patisserie in Paris. They make such good food!"

Adrien Agreste has posed:
Adrien Agreste chuckles softly at the remark, however oddly phrased it may be. "I appreciate that. It's never any fun when that happens. Though thankfully that's far less an issue here than in Paris. There's not as many pigeons around." He hadn't been to the beach yet. Seagulls.

A small gesture is made to the side where he had some of the wooden ornaments already. "I thought of that. I know some of the shrines have you write a wish or prayer on a peice of wood to hang on a tree so I thought maybe... Plus, I think Christmas is mostly for couples in Japan if I'm not mistaken? Maybe some couples can make a little love-ornament that way." The thought of it does cause him to smile wistfully as if he were perhaps a bit of a romantic at heart. Aw.

It's only momentarily though and quickly gone. "I think I've done what I can here for tonight. I should probably get back up to my own room and make sure I'm ready for class tomorrow."

Ahmya Karashima has posed:
     "It's always nice learning how to bake or cook something with your parents, no matter where you grow up, huh." Ahmya muses out loud as she takes a macaron herself, looking it over before taking a bite. "Mm!" She takes a moment to muse on it, but just... leaves it at the 'mm!' because honestly it's a new kind of flavor for her, so she's just kind of ... enjoying it. "Creativity is a wonderful gift!" She streeeetches slightly. "Mm. As is a good family." She smiles quietly, that fond kind of smile that one tends to get when thinking of something they like.

     The motioned to wooden ornaments get Ahmy's eyes to light up as she moves over, almost immediately reaching to grab one and start decorating one... it's a relatively quickly and simply, though precisely done little decoration. A few tiny trees with the kanji for 'warmth' in the center of it, which she then hangs on the tree. "...That's probably a smart idea, Agreste-san. I'm starting to get a bit tired myself. It was nice to meet both of you!" She says, dipping into a curtsy once more, then moving over to gather up the books she'd been studying on and making her way towards the hallway to go her own way, as well.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng has posed:
"I should go to bed too. Not to your bed. To my bed. Alone. I umm... Right!" Marinette goes to gather the the remaining cookies and such. She will be taking what's left to class tomorrow. She begins stacking the stuff. This time she can at least see over them and the stack is a bit better balanced.

Before grabbing her stack of goodies she smiles to Ahmya. "Thank you. I am glad you like them." She picks up her stack of goodies and begins to move toward the exit. "It was a pleasure to meet you Ahmya-san I look forward to seeing you around the school." She then turns to the man of her dreams, "Sweet dreams... I MEAN I hope you have a restful sleep, Adrien." She blushes bright and rushes out the door.