mothwithglasses reblogged
Birds of a Feather previous / next
mothwithglasses reblogged
Birds of a Feather previous / next
mothwithglasses reblogged
Old Scars and New Beginnings Pt102
Bruce walked into the Batcave to find Tim passed out at the computer. He should have been a good day and a half from being tired enough for that.
“We decided to take matters into our own hands.” Kagami’s words sounded far more ominous than they should have, likely because she was sharpening a sword. Adrien offered a smile to soften the mood.
“We’ve had experience with Mari pulling the same thing, so Chloe and I found a blend of herbs and melatonin that isn’t detectable by taste when put in coffee. Takes effect in about fifteen minutes, and Babs said she could keep searching without him for the moment.” Bruce was torn between being worried that they had no problem drugging his children, and glad that they cared enough to. “Where’s Mari?"
"We sent her with Gina and Rolland so she could spend time with them. She has a burner phone for the moment if you want the number.” Adrien and Kagami both looked slightly panicked. “Gustave went with them."
"That is acceptable.” Bruce had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at Kagami’s words. Did they really think he was going to leave her with no protection? Yes, the Joker was still in Arkham, but there were plenty of other threats, not even counting the cult. Not to mention, as much as she loved them, Mari still wasn’t comfortable being alone with her grandparents.
“Where are we with everything here?” Barbara let out an annoyed huff.
“Lawsuits and cease and desist orders are being served as we speak. We made sure Mari’s parents and the Cesaire girl were the first ones served. At least that way we can sue them immediately.” She trailed off muttering and Bruce thought it was probably good he couldn’t hear her.
“And Rossi?”
“As far as I can tell, she just vanished. When the French Government told her mother that Lila would be deported, she put her daughter on a train. The Grandparents were supposed to pick her up, but Lila never arrived. Since then, there’s been nothing.” Her frustration was evident in her voice. “Are we certain that the old Guardian didn’t do something to her? Magic would make this disappearing act make a lot more sense.”
“Please, Fu was too scared to leave his shop for anything other than using the Fox Miraculous to impersonate Ladybug for the trial.” Plagg sounded somewhere between dismissive and pissed.
“I thought Chloe said Mari was Ladybug at the trial?” Plagg shook his head at Babs’ question.
“I’m sure she thinks so, but Fu took her Miraculous before he even took Adrien’s. Tikki was furious, and the only thing that kept them from getting rid of him then was the fact that he renounced them back into the box. They had to find a way around that before we could do what needed to be done. As much as I would have liked to get rid of that lying piece of garbage, I wasn’t given the opportunity.” Adrien was eyeing the Kwami warily. Bruce didn’t want to know what they would have done to the girl before making her disappear.
“Then I have nothing.” That was not good.
“Broaden the search to any organization that could make the girl disappear. She was known to be connected to the Miraculous in Paris, so it’s possible one of them took her for questioning. We know the League of Assassins knew about the Miraculous, so it’s possible others did as well.” Bruce knew he was asking a lot, but the look Babs gave him said she thought he was insane.
“You want me to monitor every group capable of this and hope one of them says something about this particular missing girl?"
"We already monitor them. I’m just asking you to make new filters for anything you can think of that may indicate they took the girl. I’m not expecting it to work necessarily, but we might get lucky. Without anymore information to go on, it’s the best we can do. It’s also possible that someone knows the Miraculous are being used here, so I’d add filters for that too.” Babs grumbled, but she went to work.
“And what are we going to do in the meantime? Speculation is going to run rampant, and we can’t just hope that Lila or her body turn up.” Unfortunately, Kagami had a point.
“We’ll have to prove that Marinette was nowhere near that train station and didn’t leave Paris during the time that Ms. Rossi disappeared. We’ll need as much surveillance footage of the time in question as possible.” He sighed at the droll look Babs shot him. “Proving Marinette is innocent is more important than finding Rossi, so apply the filters and then concentrate on a timeline for Mari.” Babs was mumbling, probably insults or torture ideas aimed at him, while she went to work.
“Adrien, since we’re already going after everyone for Mari, is there anyone or any extra charges you want us to try for? Given what happened after your father went to jail, we can at least do what we need to publicly clear your name.” Adrien just blinked at him, but Kagami wore a small smile.
“That’s really not necessary. I don’t plan on going back anytime soon, anyway.” Adrien wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“I disagree. Not to mention if Mari has to go back for trials, it would be nice for her to at least have the option for you to be there. Either way, though, those people need to know that their actions were unacceptable. I think having the Justice League declare you innocent of all charges is a good first step.” Adrien winced. “What?”
“You might want to talk to your European branch before you do, since they refused to help when I asked.” Bruce wasn’t certain what his face looked like, but Adrien held his hands up. “I just asked if they could talk to Wonder Woman about using her lasso on me so I could prove I was telling the truth, and they said they had more important things to worry about.”
“She is going to eat them alive.” Not only had they dismissed a Miraculous holder, they’d withheld any information about the situation in Paris. “How much did they know about what was going on at the time?” Adrien shrugged.
“Chloe would probably have a better idea, but I know the Mayor contacted them at least three times to ask for help. I don’t know if they just thought it was a stunt, or if they felt it was better to not interfere."
"You and Marinette never tried?”
“Fu said it was too dangerous. We didn’t have a reason not to trust him. At least, not that we knew about.” The last part came out in an annoyed grumble.
“At least that’s one problem that’s been dealt with.” Not the way he would have liked it, but that was beside the point. This day had been far too stressful for Mari.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Babs said it under her breath.
“What?” Bruce was next to her immediately. Given everything that had happened, he was assuming more bad news.
“The programs Tim and Mari have been running to try and trace the cult’s cash flow finally came up with something, even though the backers hid their tracks pretty well.”
“And?”
“It’s the League of Assassins.” Of course it was.
“Well, that certainly explains Damian’s connection to the whole thing. Have you heard anything about any of them being in Gotham?”
“Not yet, but I’m about to be looking a whole lot harder. How long is Tim going to be out?” Adrien and Kagami shared a look before he answered.
“At least four hours without intervention."
"So you can wake him if I need him for something?”
“Yes, though I’d prefer not to.”
“Trust me, I have no intention of doing it if it’s not necessary, but he tends to password protect shit that I need and I don’t want to spend hours trying to get into files because he gets more paranoid the longer he’s awake.” Adrien looked like he was going to argue but Kagami answered first.
“That’s fair. We don’t want to do anything that could put someone in danger.” The last part was obviously aimed at Adrien, given the pout she got for it. Bruce sent an update to everyone, so they’d be on guard and got some colorful replies. Selina stalked into the cave ten minutes later.
“You need to have them bring Mari back now.” He only managed a sigh of frustration before she kept going. “Rogues are one thing, Bruce, but the League of Assassins is different. It would be one thing if she had Kaalki with her to get out if things go bad, but they’re still with Damian, and she left the Miraculous here. She’s not anywhere near well protected enough where she is."
"First, we have no real reason to think they’ll go after her, considering she said the threat was towards Damian. Second, do you honestly think I haven’t added security to that house, knowing Mari would be spending time there?” Selina just frowned at him. “There are no trees within a hundred meters of the house and I have the entire outside covered by security cameras, not to mention actual defensive protocols. No one is getting near that house if they’re not supposed to be there.” It was one of the many reasons he’d insisted it be outside of Gotham proper and so close to the manor.
“Fine, for now, but you had better be right.”
“They’ll have her back by eleven so we can all have lunch, and I’m sure Gustave is watching the cameras. Everything will be fine."
"Gustave better not be the only one watching the cameras.” Bruce could only roll his eyes at that.
“Babs, could you show Selina the security camera from the media room, please?” She pulled it up and they could clearly she the security footage from the Mari’s grandparents’ house on the screen. Damian was watching it intently while cleaning and sharpening various weapons. Cass, Steph, Jason, and Dick were playing cards, but at least one of them was looking at the screen at all times. Chloe and Luka were sitting in the back, talking, but also watching the screen. “They’re planning on taking shifts all night, though I doubt Damian or Cass will sleep when they’re supposed to."
"Sorry.”
“I get it. Mari hasn’t been out of the house overnight since she got here, and there’s a lot going on. She has at least Gustave, Tikki, and Wayzz with her. Even if something happens, they’ll keep her safe long enough for us to get there.” Selina knew he was right, but Bruce could tell from her face she still didn’t like it. “If you’re so worried, why don’t you ask Gina if it would be okay for you to come over? It might help Mari relax as well.”
Bruce had been getting texts ever since they got to the house, asking what they could do to get Mari more comfortable. He didn’t have a good answer, unfortunately. It seemed like there wasn’t much from her past that Mari wasn’t tense about. Even with Adrien and Chloe, there were times she seemed to panic about whatever thoughts went through her head. Anyone who she’d known when everything went wrong seemed to be a possible trigger. It was just going to be a matter of time before she could heal.
“Maybe.” He could tell she wanted to, but she also didn’t want to overstep with Gina and Rolland. Bruce ended up sending them a text instead and got an immediate reply, inviting Selina over. Bruce would swear she made it out of the cave before he fully turned his phone to show her. He texted the others so they wouldn’t freak out when Selina’s car showed up at the house. It was going to be a very long night.
mothwithglasses reblogged
Misconceptions, Miscommunication, and Misinformation Pt104
The entire way back to the bakery, Jon was shooting not so subtle looks at Marinette. She wasn’t certain what it meant, but it was getting Chloe worked up.
“Eyes front and off my girlfriend, superdork.” The words came out in a growl and Marinette could only roll her eyes. Jon went red while Damian just had an amused smirk on his face.
“I didn’t… I’m not… it’s not what you’re implying!” Chloe just sneered at him.
“I’m not implying anything. I’m telling you to keep your distance. It doesn’t matter what your intentions are.” Well, this was going swimmingly. She stopped and motioned for the boys to keep walking. Jon hesitated, but Damian grabbed his arm to keep him moving. Chloe just continued to glare at them.
“Chloe, you need to calm down. Jon really doesn’t seem like a threat to me. He doesn’t have a clue what’s been going on either, so apparently Superman’s hubris extends to not warning his family when he pisses off beings that can unmake the universe.” She spoke as softly as possible to try and stay out of Jon’s hearing, but Chloe was far too irate to think of that.
“After what has happened, I’m not about to let my guard down, and not just because of who his father is either. Your entire life has been changed so many times in the last year, it’s insane. I’m not just going to sit back and watch it happen again because I didn’t see the right threat.”
“Oh, Chloe.” Mari pulled her down into a hug. “You should have said something. Nothing that happened to me is your fault and you shouldn’t stress yourself out being hypervigilant all the time. Not to mention, not all change is bad. I got you, didn’t I?” That got a tiny laugh before Chloe pulled back enough to look at her.
“Pretty sure I’m the one who got the better end of that deal. I can’t just stop worrying, though. It’s not altruistic either. You’re all I have. I can’t lose you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Chloe tried to pull away, but Mari hung onto her shoulders. “Hey, I’m not just saying that as some insincere platitude. You have no idea what kind of protections Tikki and the other Kwami have put on me. At this point I’m pretty sure you’re not getting rid of me short of a world ending event. If then.” Chloe’s posture relaxed slightly, and she leaned in to kiss her. There was an urgency to it though, like she was still afraid Mari would just suddenly be gone.
“What the hell?” Chloe stood up to glare at the interruption and Mari just groaned and buried her head in the girl’s stomach. This was not going to go well.
“Any chance it’s just going to go away?” She spoke softly so only Chloe would hear her and got an amused snort in return.
“Given the slack jaw and stunned expression, probably not.” One more thing she had hoped to put off coming back to bite her in the ass. She lifted her head to look at the boy.
“Hi Nino. How have you been?” She tried to keep her voice upbeat. The last thing she needed was a lecture on her attitude, or rather Chloe beating the shit out of him for trying. He didn’t seem to hear her at first, but finally blinked.
“What happened?” She just frowned at him for a moment before she realized what she meant.
“Oh, I was attacked and my legs ended up paralyzed. I suppose you can all celebrate that I’m not walking the streets anymore.” He flinched, but she ignored it. One of their favorite things to do in her last few weeks was accuse her of being a prostitute because Lila said she’d seen her in a bad part of town while she was doing charity work with the homeless. “Now, if you don’t mind, my parents are waiting.”
They turned to go and actually made it half a block before she heard sobbing. She looked back to see Nino on his knees, crying into his hat. Um… Chloe looked as dumbfounded as she felt. The smart thing to do would be to keep going, so of course she turned around and went back.
“Nino? Are you okay?” The boy just cried harder and Mari was at a loss. “Just try to breathe. Whatever it is, it’ll be okay.”
“No, it won’t.” He was still sobbing and talking caused him to start hiccuping as well. “I want to apologize, but I can’t. Luka said we needed to know why we were so willing to believe Lila first, but I don’t know! Every time I try to figure it out, I can’t. I was just so upset and angry all the time. I don’t know why I believed it. I don’t know why I was so angry at you. None of it makes sense.” Well, that was an unexpected development.
“When did you stop being angry at me, exactly?” Nino looked confused for a moment.
“After the school closed, I think? I was… I talked to Kim and Alix, and they said they stopped being angry at you after the class was separated. They seemed just as confused as I was.” That made absolutely no sense. The people who were the worst to her regretted it faster? Why would… oh. She looked at Chloe.
“Well, that throws a wrench in things.” Chloe blinked at her. “Think about it. Who was pissed off at me and stayed with the less violent ones? Who wouldn’t have as much influence over you due to exposure?”
“You think Adrien did this?” The pure rage in her tone made Mari grab onto her so she would try to go kill him.
“His mother is an empath. It’s not a leap to think he might be able to project his feelings on others. At the same time, it’s entirely possible he doesn’t know that he’s doing it.” She’d have to talk to Plagg and see if it was possible that it was something they missed. It really was the only thing that made sense, though.
“What about Sabrina?” Mari blinked at her before frowning. That was a good point.
“You two stayed separate from the class a lot, and she did keep acting the same towards me even when you stopped bullying me, so it’s possible she was effected just not as much. Or your influence over her was just stronger. There’s a lot to look into.” One more headache she didn’t need.
“So, it might not have been my fault?” Nino’s soft question got a glare from Chloe. “I’m still sorry.” He sounded a bit panicked.
“It’s possible that you all let Adrien influence you. It makes a lot more sense than Lila doing it, since he already had a good connection with you all. But nothing is ever that simple. In order for it to work, you had to trust his judgement more than your own, or just be willing to let someone else think for you. It doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t have done the same on your own, just that you were willing to be nudged in that direction. I wonder if Mme. Agreste knows. It would explain why they wanted to keep him homeschooled so badly.”
“I really am sorry.” She blinked at Nino. Honestly, she couldn’t bring herself to care right now. “I know that it doesn’t mean anything. Words don’t fix anything, but I wanted to say it. I’ll try not to be so suggestible.” He frowned as he said it, obviously having no clue how to accomplish that.
“Maybe try verifying things. Try looking at past behavior to figure out the likelihood of things. Don’t take people’s words at face value if they haven’t earned your trust.” He flinched, and she realized how annoyed she sounded. She knew she should just forgive him, all of them, and move on. But… they wouldn’t have been influenced if some part of them didn’t want to be, and that hurt. “Just always think about why you’re doing something. If you can’t find a good answer, that’s a big reason not to do it.”
He looked like he was going to say something else, but thought better of it. Instead, he got up and fiddled with his hat before slinking away. Mari couldn’t believe how stupid she’d been. She’d been so focused on Lila that it had never occurred to her to look for a different source.
“I’m proud of you.” Mari could only give Chloe a confused frown. “You didn’t just forgive him and tell him everything was fine. You didn’t let him off the hook just because someone might have been messing with his head.” Well, didn’t that make her sound like an asshole?
“I don’t know that it’s something to be proud of.”
“Given the way you used to just roll over and take the blame for everything, it is. You don’t have to forgive the people who hurt you. You can just walk away. Even if you do forgive them, you can just walk away. It’s not your job to make them feel better.” No, it wasn’t, but she didn’t think she should feel so apathetic about it either. She was so tired.
“We should go. Who knows what my parents are doing to Jon.” The poor boy was probably getting stuffed with pastries, that or being interrogated. Chloe just hummed, but was giving her a concerned look as they went. When they got to the bakery, they found Jon and Damian in a corner. Jon looked extremely shellshocked. “What happened?”
“Sabine.” Mari blinked and look over at her mother. She was having what looked like an animated phone conversation. “I don’t know how much you told her about the Justice League meetings, but Selina must have filled in the blanks because she’s on the phone with Kent’s mother telling her all about his father’s behavior.” Jon wasn’t even paying attention to them, just kept flinching every once in a while, she assumed from something one of their mothers said. This was a shitty time to have superpowered hearing. “What took you two so long?”
“We ran into Nino.” She didn’t elaborate, and Damian didn’t ask. She was grateful for that, since she still didn’t know what to make of what happened. He at least sounded like he was going to try and do better, and before that would have been enough. Now though… she just couldn’t work up the energy to forgive or help him, or the others, for that matter. She didn’t know if she liked it or not. Maybe it was just because Nino was right. Words didn’t mean shit. If she saw him or the other actively trying to change, it might be different. She hoped so, anyway.
“So, Jon, will you be staying in Paris long?” Her Maman’s too cheerful voice pulled her out of her head, and she could see Jon starting to panic.
“Um, no ma'am. It doesn’t seem like I’m wanted, but I wanted to talk to Damian. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“Nonsense. It’s always good to meet new people. Your mother said she gave you permission to stay for a week.” Jon was eyeing the front doors.
“Well, yes ma'am, she did, but Damian doesn’t want me to stay unless I’m willing to keep secrets, and Bruce just told me to go home so-”
“Damian’s right, and you should be getting a message from your mother about that. As for Bruce, you can ignore him. He doesn’t get to ban people from Paris. And enough with the ‘ma'am’. Call me Sabine.” Mari wasn’t certain what to make of the fact that her Maman wanted the boy to stay. Yes, it would annoy Bruce and that seemed to be her main source of entertainment at the moment, but he was also a liability if he couldn’t or wouldn’t keep his mouth shut. Something in her talk with his mother must have made her think he would. “You should stay and get to know everyone. That way, when rumors start flying, you’ll know what to believe.”
Well that was an interesting strategy. Get the younger heroes on their side so at least the next generation wouldn’t be a headache. It wasn’t an immediate solution, but it was something. Mari still felt the urge to run away, though. Just go somewhere and start a new life where none of these problems could find her. Even knowing it wasn’t possible doesn’t lessen the desire. She was really, really tired.
mothwithglasses reblogged
What Comes After Pt4
Chloe knocked on the door and heard a quiet ‘come in’. When she walked into the room, she found Mari sitting on the floor with an ornate box in her lap. The patterns on it were familiar enough to make her gasp.
“Close the door, please.” Chloe did as she asked on auto pilot. She couldn’t stop staring at the box, and she couldn’t manage any coherent thoughts. At least not until Mari’s broken tone snapped her out of it. “I can’t do this by myself.”
“Oh Mari.” Chloe rushed over to sit next to her and pull her into a hug. Mari burrowed into her side, but didn’t say anything. She didn’t cry either. As far as Chloe knew, she hadn’t since her parents died. It worried her that she wouldn’t grieve properly. “I’ll do whatever you need me to, but… is that what I think it is?”
“Yes.” There was a long pause and Chloe could feel Mari trying to control her breathing. “I’m the Guardian and… I was Ladybug.” She started out strong but ended in almost a whisper. Chloe could swear that a wall in her mind just collapsed. All the similarities and coincidences melded together, making her wonder how she didn’t know. How anyone didn’t know.
“I’m so sorry.” She hugged the girl tighter and held back tears. “How can you even stand to be near me after everything I’ve put you through?” She was bad enough to Mari, but to Ladybug… she’d been nothing but a nightmare until that Akuma forced her to open her eyes.
“You aren’t the only one that regrets their decisions. I made a lot of mistakes with you I’d like to take back. Not to mention you actually learned from the things you went through. Not like most of the others.” Chloe winced at that. Watching the class turn on Lila would have been amusing if it hadn’t shown even more of their true colors. The lengths some of them were willing to go to was disturbing. Honestly, Lila was lucky the police came to get her when they did.
“Still… I don’t see how you can trust me at all after all that.” Mari just leaned into her more.
“People change. You changed for the better, and when I needed you the most, you were there. And trust needs to be fluid. I trusted Ad- Chat in the beginning, and I was right to then, but my trust didn’t falter when it should have and look at what it cost.”
“It is not your fault that the spineless wonder decided to put his wants above the wellbeing of everyone else. You see the good in people, and that’s not a bad thing.”
“Until it is.” She wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. Partly because she couldn’t find the words, but mostly because she wouldn’t mitigate Mari’s pain that way. The way she saw it, everyone she loved died because she saw the best in her worthless partner. Chloe didn’t know how to make her realize that was skewed logic. “I need to talk to some of the Kwami to see if Batman is right. You’ll stay with me, right?”
“Of course.” Mari didn’t move right away, and Chloe just waited. She couldn’t even imagine how hard this must be for her. Eventually, Mari opened the box, but that was it. They just stared at the innocuous looking pieces of jewelry. Even knowing the power they held, Chloe felt underwhelmed. She had to wonder if it was a way they protected themselves. Mari reached out a hand, hovering over various ones, but not touching. She actually flinched as she passed over the Ladybug earrings. In the end, she picked three. The Butterfly, the Turtle, and the Cat.
Chloe wanted badly to question her choice, but kept her mouth shut. As soon as the Kwami appeared, they rushed Mari to hug her. Plagg’s purring was strong enough that Chloe could feel the vibrations. She didn’t know how long they stayed like that before Mari spoke.
“I’m sorry.” The purring stopped. Plagg flew up to make sure they were in Mari’s sight line.
“What do you think you have to apologize for?” The Kwami sounded mostly curious, but to Chloe, there seemed to be an undercurrent of rage.
“For not stopping what happened.”
“What happened wasn’t your fault. If you want to place blame anywhere other than Gabriel and Adrien,” Mari flinched at the names. “then you should place it on me.” Mari immediately reached for the Kwami.
“Oh, Plagg, no. You couldn’t have known what was going on.” The creature just gave her a droll look.
“If I had bothered to pay attention, at all, I would have seen him slipping. If I’d ever once bothered to search that house, I would have found all the proof you needed. My apathy was far more at fault for what happened than you were. And I’m sorry for not stepping in when Tikki complained about the way he was treating you. I thought she was overreacting because of how fond she is of you.” Plagg refused to meet Mari’s gaze and the girl finally grabbed them to pull them into her chest for a hug. “You really should talk to Tikki. They’re worried about you.”
Mari didn’t respond, and Plagg went back to purring. Chloe just tried to be as steady a presence as she could, given she really had no idea what had happened between Mari and the Kwami. Eventually, Wayzz spoke.
“You must have had a reason to summon us, Guardian. How may we help you?” Mari took a deep breath before answering.
“Magic users in the Justice League seem to be under the impression that a balanced Ladybug and Cat pair need to be active to combat whatever imbalance Chat and I caused. Is that true?” Plagg growled.
“He caused it, not you. Why are you talking to the Justice League in the first place after the crap they pulled?” Mari curled in on herself, so Chloe answered.
“We’re in Gotham for school and Batman seems to feel it’s necessary to stalk us. His girlfriend is on our side though, so that’s a plus.” The Kwami gave an amused snort. Wayzz ended up being the one to actually answer Mari’s question.
“They are right that the imbalance should be fixed, and that is one way to do it. Though it seems like they’re making it far more urgent than it is.”
“What are the other ways?” Mari sounded relieved, and all the Kwami were eyeing her oddly.
“The simplest would be going back to Paris yourself and using your powers as Guardian to realign the proper energies.” Yeah, that wasn’t happening. Mari tensed up and seemed close to a panic attack just from the idea. “A balanced pair wielding Creation and Destruction would be next. Lastly, a unified group wielding the Fox, Turtle, Bee, Butterfly, and Peafowl Miraculous. It would have to be five separate holders, so you couldn’t do it yourself.” Chloe wasn’t certain what the warning in his tone meant, but Mari looked sheepish. That was a story for later.
“I don’t know if I can trust four or five people, and you all told me that there wasn’t anyone who could properly balance me as Ladybug.” The three Kwami exchanged looks, but it was Nooroo who spoke.
“That is still true. You’d need to find other holders. Though it feels like you have a suitable candidate on the grounds that could wield the Ladybug if you became Plagg’s holder.” Mari blinked at them, and Nooroo flew over to the window. Mari slowly followed, Chloe right behind her. They looked out to see the Sirens still talking in the gazebo. “The green one creates things to destroy with the same energy you destroy things to create. It is a good balance.”
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea.” Chloe agreed, but had to wonder if Mari was more worried about the Sirens, or having the Miraculous active again.
“She could surprise you, and as you said, there’s not enough people to give the other’s to unless you want to involve the Sirens in that plan.” All the Kwami frowned at her and Chloe had the distinct impression they would prefer she keep her mouth shut.
“It might be safer to do that than risk the Ladybug holder turning on the Cat this time. I don’t even want to think of the damage that would do.” Mari was frowning down at the women. “You would take the Bee, and I can take the Butterfly. Selina would suit the Fox, Harley the Peafowl, and Ivy the Turtle.” Plagg and Wayzz floated over to the window as well.
“Well, you’re right about the pairings. But will they be willing to work with you? This entire thing hinges on a unified team.” Wayzz seemed to be trying to push Mari away from the idea, but Chloe wasn’t certain why.
“Honestly, as long as they have fun doing it, they’ll probably be on board. If we agree to mess with the Bats and maybe being a bit more aggressive with some of the more violent rogues they’ll probably agree to whatever you want.” And the Kwami were glaring at her again. What the hell? Mari caught it this time.
“Why do you want the Ladybug and Black Cat active so badly? You said it wasn’t necessary.” Nooroo looked guilty, but Plagg and Wayzz shared a look.
“It’s not for the balance, but it is for you. Avoiding what happened won’t change the past and you need to be able to do what’s necessary in the future.” Plagg seemed to be going for reassuring, but it came off more than a little condescending. Mari bristled.
“You think I don’t know that? You think that I’m in denial over what happened? Do you think I would have pulled you out at all if I wasn’t willing to move past my own pain to fix this problem? I’m not avoiding the Ladybug Miraculous over some misguided fear. I just don’t think it’s the best option and none of you have done anything to prove me wrong. Either do so, or stop trying to force my hand for no reason other than your less than stellar mental diagnostic abilities.” Mari was yelling by the end and the Kwami just looked stunned. As much as Chloe agreed with her, she wasn’t certain screaming at a group of tiny gods was the best way to get out her frustration. Mari let out a sigh before dropping back to the floor.
“So you’re not going to talk to Tikki.” Plagg sounded annoyed and disappointed. Mari renounced them and put the ring back in the box. Wayzz didn’t seem to know what to do, but Nooroo flew over to perch on one of Mari’s knees.
“We should not have behaved so disrespectfully. You have the right to make your own choices and we should just give you the information you need to do so. We’re worried about you.”
“I understand that, but pushing me into things that aren’t necessary and I’m not ready for isn’t going to help me. I’ll do what’s necessary, but I’m not ready to relive what happened, and this is the best option right now.” Nooroo just nodded.
“I would think going back to Paris would be the best option.” Chloe winced at Wayzz’s observation. Technically, he was right. However, it wasn’t worth the mental breakdown Mari would have if she went back.
“It would be if there was anyway I could go back there, with the Miraculous, and be sure I wouldn’t break and do exactly what Gabriel planned to do.” She said it so matter-of-factly that Chloe could only stare at her. The Kwami weren’t much better. She shook herself out of her daze to drop down and pull Mari back into a hug.
“You won’t be alone this time. I’m with you no matter what you decide to do. Granted, I’m hoping for finding the Bat Cave and blowing it up, but I can roll with whatever.” Mari let out a snort before devolving into giggles.
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Guilt and Consequences Pt20
“I’m going to give that woman a piece of my mind.” Sabine sounded ready to do murder, and Lila burrowed further into Izzy’s side.
“No, you’re not. I’ll talk to her.” Sabine opened her mouth to argue, but Izzy kept going. “I’ll use everything you’ve gathered along with what I have, but right now the woman doesn’t know you exist and it’s safer for Riley if it stays that way. This is only a safe place as long as it stays off her radar. I wouldn’t put it past her to grab Riley and run if she can find her.” The two of them just stared at each other for a few minutes, and Lila knew she was missing something. Eventually, Sabine let out an annoyed breath.
“Fine, for now.”
“That does mean that I shouldn’t spend time here until this is sorted out. I don’t want her to find you because I led her to you.” Izzy’s voice was soft, and she sounded worried.
“I understand.” Lila could see her reasoning, and it made sense. She wasn’t certain why her stomach felt funny at the thought.
“I swear I’ll take care of this as fast as I can. Then you can start your new school and I’ll be here whenever you need me.” There was a desperate edge to her voice that Lila didn’t understand. When she looked up, Izzy wore a pained expression.
“I believe you, and I trust you.” She frowned as something occurred to her. “I had to sign Marinette in as a guest when we went to get my stuff for a sleepover. Could Mom use that to find me here?” Izzy was scowling now. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m not mad, just worried. I’ll take care of the sign-in sheet. Just give me your address. Or better yet…” She reached into one of her pockets, she was wearing cargo pants so there were a lot of them, and pulled out a phone. “This is for you. It’s a burner, so she can’t trace it. You can get whatever you need out of your old phone and I’ll take it with me so that if she looks, it’ll seem like you’re with me."
"Do you really think that’s necessary?” Sabine sounded confused more than anything else. Lila would be willing to bet she didn’t even know that she could track Mari’s phone if she wanted.
“We’ll have to erase the GPS history too.” Lila didn’t realize she said that out loud until Izzy smiled and ruffled her hair.
“Yes, we will, and yes, it’s definitely necessary.”
“Mom’s not due back for a couple more days. Can I go back and get the rest of my things? You could come with me, so the staff will tell her about you. Once she hears that, she might not even think to look at the sign-in sheet from before.” She didn’t have much that she cared about, but she wanted to at least get her pictures. Izzy and Sabine both looked less than thrilled with the idea. “I’ll be quick. It should only take a few minutes.” That seemed to make them even more agitated.
“Alright, but I’m going to make sure she’s not back yet first. The last thing we need is her anywhere near you.” Izzy pulled out her phone and began typing. “You’re just going to grab the things that aren’t replaceable, okay? I’ll buy you whatever you need new."
"I can buy what I need.” Everyone else in the room froze for a moment. Lila watched Marinette wince right before Izzy exploded.
“Excuse me?” She sounded beyond insulted and a bit incredulous. “Don’t tell me that woman was making you pay for things.” Lila just looked at her. She didn’t think it was a good idea to answer, given the way Sabine reacted when she’d said she could buy her own food. Izzy started muttering things soft enough that even Lila couldn’t make them out.
“You should try to calm down. You don’t want to get Akumatized.” Izzy just frowned at Sabine for a moment before she grunted an acknowledgement.
“Right. Sorry I forgot.” She pinned Lila with a stern look. “You need or want anything, you text or call me. I’ll either get it or get you the money for it. Once we get this sorted out and we figure out what your name legally is, I’ll get a bank account set up for you and just put money in it every month."
"So I don’t bother you.” Lila thought it made sense, but Izzy rolled her eyes.
“No. It’s so you don’t have to wait for this idiot,” she pointed at herself, “to remember I was supposed to buy you something. My short-term memory is like a sieve. So you should definitely text me if you want something. That way, at least there’s a record of it.” Marinette giggled at that while Sabine rolled her eyes. Izzy seemed serious, though.
“You said your mother threw away your camera. Did you ever get it replaced?” Lila just blinked at Sabine. The question sounded rather pointed, but she didn’t understand why.
“No. I didn’t think it was a good idea to do it so quickly.” She needed to give her mother time to forget what happened. For something like that, it would take at least six months. Izzy started muttering again.
“We’ll go to the apartment to get your stuff, then I’ll find a store to get you a camera, unless you know of one you’d like to go to."
"You don’t have to do that. It can wait.” Izzy gave her a dry look.
“That’s not the point. Until I get your mother to agree to let me have custody of you, the next couple of days are all I’m going to get to spend time with you and I want to do things you like. Not to mention you shouldn’t have to go without things because that woman had a tantrum, and don’t even pretend that’s not what happened.” Lila had opened her mouth to argue, but closed it quickly. She’d always assumed her mother had her reasons for doing things, but it hadn’t occurred to her until recently that those reasons may not be valid. Izzy obviously didn’t think they were and Sabine didn’t like the way she handled things either.
“There’s an electronics store near here that I’ve been wanting to go to.” It seemed like the safest response to get away from the topic. Izzy didn’t need to get more upset and Lila could tell the topic of her mother just added to the fire. She wasn’t certain what Sabine was trying to accomplish by bringing it up in the first place.
“Good, we can hit that after we get your stuff. And after I make a big enough scene to get the front desk people to remember me.”
“Shouldn’t take much if the same people always work in the lobby. There was one woman who seemed very unpleasant when I went.” Marinette mumbled the comment, but it was more than loud enough for everyone to hear. Sabine just rose an eyebrow, but Izzy let out a huff.
“Not surprising in a building like that. They can spot designer clothes and tend to treat everyone not wearing them like dirt. Given the way her mother treats her, they probably don’t think much of Riley either."
"What do you mean?” Sabine’s voice had an edge to it again.
“Those people know where their paycheck comes from. If someone treats their kids like garbage, certain staff members will treat them the same. Whether to stay on the parents’ good side or just because they think all ‘rich’ kids are entitled and need to be taken down a peg is anyone’s guess."
"The man who helped us seemed nice.” She didn’t want Izzy to get the wrong impression.
“I’m not saying everyone acts that way. That type of job just tends to collect people who change their personality based on the people they’re dealing with. Especially if tips are involved.” Izzy was still typing on her phone when there was a knock on the door. Sabine frowned, but Mari got up to answer it.
“I invited Chloe over to talk.” Lila couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Of course she had. Sabine didn’t seem to know what to do with that information. When Mari opened the door, the other girl stormed in like she own the place.
“This had better be good. My time is… Dimakos?” Chloe came to a sudden stop when she saw Izzy. “What are you doing in this rat hole?” Sabine let out an indignant noise and Izzy just gave the girl a bland look.
“You’ve been spending time with your mother again, haven’t you?” Chloe flinched and puffed up like she was about to explode. “I’m here being reunited with my sister.”
“Your what?” Chloe scowled at Lila. “You can’t seriously believe that pathological liar is related to you.” Izzy looked confused and Lila cringed. Sabine must not have mentioned that.
“Mari, take Chloe up to your room and say what you need to. She doesn’t need to make this more difficult.” Sabine’s voice held a warning, but Chloe just sneered at her. There was no way this ended well.
“So you’re in on it too? No wonder she suddenly switched sides. They’re just after your money Dimakos, you should be thankful I’m here to save you."
"You’ve definitely been spending too much time with your mother.” The words were grumbled this time before Izzy stood up to put herself between Chloe and everyone else. “This situation is far more complicated than you know, not to mention, none of your business. She is my sister, and that’s not in question. Now you need to do whatever it is you came here for and stop being so rude to people who invited you into their home. And maybe stop emulating someone who literally wouldn’t notice if you suddenly ceased to exist."
"How dare you-”
“Chloe, you’re old enough to think for yourself. You’re old enough to see the effect your mother has on everyone around her. Do you really want that for yourself?” Chloe looked like she was going to attack Izzy before the fire just seemed to go out of her.
“What else am I supposed to do?” She sounded resigned more than anything else. Mari actually went to hug her, and Chloe didn’t seem to know how to react to it. When Izzy spoke, her voice was softer.
“You stop trying to impress her and figure out what it is you want to do with your life. You will never live up to her expectations because she doesn’t want you to. What you can do is create a life where you don’t need to.”
“How? By becoming a doormat like Dupain-Cheng?” Izzy just raised an annoyed eyebrow at her, but Mari hugged her tighter. Chloe let out a sigh. “I can’t just be a different person."
"Why not?” Chloe just looked at her like she was insane. “What’s stopping you? All you have to do is decide to change one thing, doesn’t even have to be something big, and you change it. And then you pick something else and do it again, and again. Until you’re the person you want to be."
"It’s not that simple.”
“It is that simple, but it won’t be easy.” Izzy put a hand on her shoulder. “People don’t like change, and will stay in horrible situations to avoid it. You have to decide it’s worth it and do it anyway. But that has to come from you.” Chloe just frowned at the floor. “Why don’t you go upstairs like Sabine suggested? That way, you two can talk and you can think about it.”
“Fine.” The sulky tone got an annoyed hum from Sabine, but Mari just pulled the girl up to her room.
“How do you know Chloe?” Lila hadn’t meant to ask, but Izzy let out a huff.
“All rich people know each other. My grandparents also happen to be friends with Audrey. Yet another reason to not have contact with them. That woman is insane.” That finally got a laugh out of Sabine. “Chloe never had a chance with the way her mother bullies and dismisses her. Just like you didn’t.” Lila just blinked at her.
“I’m fine.” Izzy let out a disbelieving snort. “I am.”
“Well, from now on, I’m going to see to it that you’re more than just fine. And what’s all this business about lying?” Lila cringed as Sabine started to explain. Maybe she should go upstairs too.
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The Angel of Death Pt50
Inspired by this Story Starter by @someone-ev
*If you read on AO3, this chapter has already been posted, I just had log in issues here, which is why it’s so late.
The next thing Marinette was conscious of was throwing up while Chloe held her hair and the Kwami hovered anxiously. She was in a bathroom at least, but that’s all she could process through the heaving. It didn’t help that her entire body felt like it was on fire. “What happened?” Her voice came out more as a croak and a cup of water appeared in her hand. She stared at it dubiously, wondering if it was worth the risk. “You used some of our powers without the Miraculous as a buffer. It’s a rare talent and you have to train for years if you don’t want the side effects. It would have been bad enough if you only did it once, but from what everyone said you used mine once, and Kaalki’s twice. Honestly, I’m surprised you’re still alive. Then again, the Kwami of Balance did decide to use you as their voice so you might be partially immune to the feedback.” She just blinked at Plagg. The first part was straightforward enough, but she had no idea what the rest of it meant. “Kwami of Balance?” She was glad Chloe asked because she didn’t think she could open her mouth without something coming out. Tikki settled where Marinette could see her before answering. “Contrary to popular belief, Plagg and I were not the first Kwami. The Kwami of Balance existed long before and essentially created the rest of us. Unlike the rest of us, tying them to a Miraculous would have destroyed the universe itself. The Guardians aren’t even aware of their existence.” “Fu seemed to know what a Keeper of Balance is, though. And I have no idea what the rest of it meant.” Her words came out a little less raw and her stomach didn’t try anything funny so it was progress. “A Keeper of Balance is what the order calls people who have a direct connection to the Kwami of Balance, but they don’t know that. It’s a very rare occurrence, but they’ve learned better than to go against them. They see it almost as the universe speaking through a person, which isn’t completely inaccurate.” Great, one more entity forcing her hand. “As for the other titles, Hand of Fate means your actions bring about other people’s fate. Defender of Gods is referring to you protecting us Kwami. Voice of Strings… that one is unique to you as far as I know, but I believe that once you reach your full potential and understanding, you’ll be able to use the strings that connect everything to predict events and shift things to bring the world more into balance. That ability is likely why the Kwami of Balance chose you to be their voice.” Marinette could only stare at Tikki as she tried to process that. The only thought that would form properly was, ‘why me?’ It just felt like some grand cosmic joke. Let’s take one person, one child, and give them the responsibility to balance out the world and take care of a bunch of miniature gods. Oh, but before that, let’s completely destroy their life and put them through hell, just because. “The universe can go fuck itself.” Tikki gave her a reprimanding look, but Plagg nodded sagely. “Where are we?” She didn’t recognize the bathroom now that she could take it in fully. “One of Gina’s safe houses. She thought it would be the best option, so Batman can’t find you. He’s still extremely pissed about what happened.” She rolled her eyes at Chloe’s words. “He can go fuck himself, too.” She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the tub. With Talia dead, she should have finally been able to have a little peace, but now Bruce Wayne, his vigilante persona, and possibly the Justice League were going to be on her case. Wonderful. A cool washcloth appeared on her forehead. “Thanks Chloe.” “I’m sorry.” Marinette frowned and cracked an eye open. “For what?” “For not listening to you, and not taking this all as seriously as I should have. If I had, maybe we could have actually helped you so that you didn’t have to almost kill yourself.” “Chloe, none of you were going to be prepared for dealing with the League, no matter how seriously you took things. I just wanted to keep you all alive. If anyone had listened to me, none of you would have been there in the first place. If there’s blame to place, it’s on Damian’s father for not leaving Paris as soon as we knew there was a credible threat. Or on Gina for putting her personal vendetta against Talia above all of your wellbeing.” If she wanted so show up and piss off Batman and Talia, great. There was no reason to bring the others with her. “You four didn’t know any better, and the people who should have completely disregarded the consequences.” “I’m still sorry. I promised to be a friend to you this time and I’m still terrible at it.” Marinette felt her face scrunch in confusion. “I don’t see how the two correlate. You not taking something you don’t want to do seriously doesn’t really have anything to do with me. Not to mention you saw me kill Talia and worse, and you’re still here. That seems more relevant.” She might be wrong, but she didn’t think so. As little as she understood the concept, they all seemed to place a premium on being in the same space at the same time. “We all understand why you did that. She was the one who killed your parents.” Chloe’s reasoning just made her roll her eyes. Nothing in her life was that simple. “I killed Talia because she was a rabid dog that needed to be put down before she could do anymore damage. The fact that she’d injured me personally was simply a bonus. This is what I do Chloe.” Everyone tried to separate what she did form who she was, even Gina to a point. It was frustrating. Yes she did what she had to, but they all assumed if she didn’t have to kill, she wouldn’t. It might even be true. The breakdown came because they all assumed ‘had to’ just meant had to for her survival. But it wasn’t really about her, it may never have been given what the Kwami were telling her. “I don’t expect you to understand it, or accept it, but I’m really not up to arguing with you right now.” “Do you still want to be called Tris?” “What?” The question surprised her enough that she lifted her head, dropping the washcloth into her lap and bringing a wave of dizziness. “It just… it seemed like you reclaimed your birth name on that roof, so I was just wondering.” Chloe was giving her a searching look. She didn’t respond right away, partly because of how fuzzy her head was, but mostly because she didn’t know. At least she didn’t until she realized she wasn’t thinking of herself in the third person anymore. For as long as she remembered she’d used her moniker to describe herself. That was going to take some getting used to. “I guess I did.” She wasn’t certain what it meant though. She was going to have to continue going by The Angel of Death professionally, so her name didn’t really matter. “You can call me what you want.” “I’d rather call you what you want.” She couldn’t stop the frustrated sigh that left her. Instead, she just laid her head back on the tub and closed her eyes. “Who else is here?” There was a pause before Chloe answered. “Just the two of us, Gina, Fu, and Cass.” Fewer people were certainly better, but she wasn’t certain Cass being there was a great idea. Cousin or not she had divided loyalties and even if she wasn’t feeding Batman information, he would be even more pissed off that she was here so it was one more reason for him to look for them. Hang on… “Do you know who Cass is?” Another pause. She cracked an eye to see Chloe giving her a concerned look. “I know she’s Black Bat, and I know she knows Gina outside of that.” It was more than she expected. “Does she know about the others? Or you for that matter?” “Me yes, the others, not as far as I know. Given how observant she seems to be, I can’t discount it though. She has been here the whole time, even when Fu went to collect the rest of the Miraculous, so there’s a good chance she doesn’t know about the others.” “How long have we been here?” That brought another concerned look. “Two days… you don’t remember anything?” Oh, that couldn’t be good. “What did I do?” “You were yelling a lot, and Gina and Cass had to hold you down a few times to keep you from… I’m not sure what. They said you were yelling in Arabic so they probably have a better idea of what you wanted to do. They kicked me out of the room once because of how badly you were struggling.” Marinette looked at the Kwami. Tikki and Nooroo wouldn’t look her in the eye. “Plagg, what happened?” “It wasn’t your fault. It was like the pushback from when you fixed Dusuu’s Miraculous multiplied by a thousand.” “What did I do?” “You were reliving your time with the League.” Nooroo’s quiet voice still sounded loud in the silence. “A lot of what you said was just planning… or wishing for death.” Great. She really hadn’t wanted Gina to have a better idea of what she went through. “And when they kicked Chloe out?” “I believe it was from your escape. They were worried they wouldn’t be able to keep you contained.” That certainly made sense. She’d had to work her way through a lot of chaos. Everyone from both sides was trying to kill or capture her. Funnily enough Talia’s orders had been to kill and Deathstroke’s had been to capture. “Well, at least I understand why Cass is still here.” They would have needed to take shifts to make sure she was contained at the very least. “Why did Gina let you stay?” It was beyond dangerous to let Chloe be anywhere near her in such a state. “You calmed down a little sometimes when I talked to you. Otherwise, it was mostly to distract Fu, since he seemed to rile you up more.” Marinette let out a laugh that turned into a coughing fit. By the time it was over, she was curled up on the floor with her head in Chloe’s lap. She hurt, everywhere. “They had to get a little rough with you.” “I’m sure more than a little. It takes a lot to keep me down.” Ever since that first fight with Damian, she knew that her only hope for survival was to always get back up. “I’m tired. You should get the others in case I slip back into a delusional state.” “The Kwami all say you’re safe now, unless you channel their powers again. It’s the only reason they left me alone with you in the first place.” She wanted to argue, but her body felt heavy and she couldn’t remember what she wanted to argue about. “Just sleep. The Kwami can protect me if something happens.”
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[ X ] ✨
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A light misunderstanding
Thanks to @newdog14 for this idea!!
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[ X ] Her best friends~
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[ X ] She holds her son for the first time… 😌
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[ X ] 🐑
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1. Quick draw, reffed from miyuliart’s(on Instagram) dynamic couple poses. :3 [ X ]
2. The boys in modern clothes drawn by my friend @mevrouwrozestudios ~!!! 💖💖💖
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Slight design updates for Natsu and Hinto. ☀️❄️