Be warned only one of these is completed and depending on my stress level updates can be rather sporadic. Also I have a terrible time ending stories so for all I know these may just keep going forever. :)
Maribat
Broken Harmony - AO3 Beginning
Daminette Soulmate song AU (Complete: Proof that I actually can finish a fic)
First, I am still working on all my stories, however...
Finding full-time employment that can pay all my bills is looking less and less likely. We have a bit of a cushion right now, but it won't last. That being the case I've decided to throw my energy into creating a World of Warcraft Twitch stream. I'll be spending most of my waking hours for the foreseeable future streaming, researching, and learning things like video editing for cross posting content.
So, writing will definitely be on the back burner.
If any of you are into World of Warcraft, or just want to stop by and say hi feel free. Right now I'm streaming at least 6 hours a day (not necessarily all at once) 7 days a week. Still trying to settle into myself on stream and decide what I want everything to look like. I would like to have community participation once I get going to pick what content they'd like to see. For now, it's always fun to watch me die and get distracted by shiny objects.
For anyone who does know the game, I play mostly solo PvE content. I am not in any way a hardcore player. I do a lot of older content for pets, mounts, achievements, etc... Since the new expansion came out I'll be doing some of that, but the focus will be on 'All the Things' completion in older content and events. I have drops enabled on my stream so it will count towards any rewards (right now there's a mount drop).
Constructive criticism is welcome, but as with writing, simply telling me I suck is not. Like anything else there's going to be a steep learning curve and I do appreciate useful feedback.
So, if you want to stop by feel free.
Dessarious - Twitch
All support is welcome. (Having someone to talk to on stream that isn't trying to scam me or sell me art for my channel will be a welcome reprieve)
Thank you all for your continued patience and support of my writing.
"Well, this is it." Marinette didn't know why she was so nervous about this. It was just a school. A school with great access points and camera blind spots. So, wonderful for hero work, but pretty terrible for student safety. Bruce wouldn't try to pull her out because it was less secure than the fortress Cass said her brothers went to, would he? Worse, he could insist on installing updated security and make her life a lot harder. Note to self; do not let Bruce know anything about her school life.
"You need to unclench Dupain-Cheng. You're making me nervous and that doesn't happen." Chloe's dry comment at least let her breathe again. "And I thought I hated this place." The way she muttered it, Marinette was fairly certain Chloe didn't mean to be heard.
"It's not that. I just occurred to me that Mr. Wayne might check security measures if Cass is going here and that could be... inconvenient."
"Yeah, Damocles doesn't say no to powerful people, especially if they're willing to foot the bill. You're going to want to get ahead of that." Great, if Chloe was onboard with her paranoia, she needed to start planning. Wonderful.
"If he does, I'll have Alfred make sure there are holes. The roof for sure." Cass was studying the building with a trained eye.
"You're sure that will work?" Bruce didn't seem the type to allow holes, especially if he wasn't the one using them.
"I'm sure." Cass gave her hand a squeeze and Marinette relaxed slightly. Given Hawkmoth's tendency to attack during school hours, they needed safe ways to leave the building.
"Alright, let's get you familiar with the layout. While I have no intention of being separated while we're here, I'd rather you be comfortable navigating the building on your own." Cass gave her hand another squeeze in response. Marinette wasn't certain why she was so reluctant to have Cass here, but she knew it would only get worse when it was full of people.
Marinette felt even more on edge as they entered the courtyard. The only thing that kept her from noping straight out of there was knowing that Luka, Kagami, and Chloe were watching their backs. The five of them should be able to handle any threat. It didn't stop her from jumping when a voice sounded from above them.
"I can't believe you asked me to meet you in a school." Jason sounded disgusted, and when she looked up, she was met with another surprise. Damian was next to him, scowling down at her. Well, there went her hopes that Bruce wouldn't get involved. As they walked down to meet them, Marinette tried to come up with a Plan B.
"I also asked you to meet me in an hour, so we would be on our way out." She did not want the boys to come along on the tour, given she'd planned on giving Cass a rundown on the best places to disappear and show her the massive gaps in the limited security. "Why don't you two stay here and eat with Luka, Kagami, and Chloe? I'll give Cass a quick tour and we'll be back in fifteen minutes."
"Why did you invite us here if you didn't want to spend time with us?" She wasn't certain what to do with Damian's tone, but his tense stance screamed hurt. She really didn't know what to do with that.
"I do want to spend time with you, which is why I told Jason to be here later so I wouldn't have other things to do."
"And yet you only invited him." There it was. She debated how much she should say.
"I did. He's the only one who seems completely supportive of my boundaries with Mr. Wayne, and he's also the only one who's given me their phone number. I was hoping to get advice from him and Cass about how to approach everyone. I have a feeling that I'm going to have a tense relationship with Mr. Wayne for the foreseeable future, but I would still like to have a chance to get to know the rest of you."
Damian was scowling, but he seemed to be looking through her. Marinette glanced at Cass and her twin offered a comforting smile. Jason, however, seemed to be holding his breath. Eventually, Damian pulled out his phone and handed it to her with a new contact open. She put in her number but left the name blank so he could put in what he wanted. That got a raised eyebrow.
"I do not understand why you're so insistent on shutting Father out. He has a lot of experience that could be valuable to you. You should listen to him." Well, she didn't think they'd get here this quickly.
"Two reasons. First, he's not offering advice. He's trying to control how I live because he thinks he knows better than me. Second, have you ever heard the phrase, take advice from someone who has the life you want?" Damian shook his head. "Well, I don't want M. Wayne's life. Given his romantic history, he's the last person I would want advice from. Yes, he seems to have settled at the moment, but his current relationship with Selina in newer than mine with Luka and Kagami. Given what happened at my parents' house this morning, I certainly don't want his advice on how to have a relationship with the rest of you. My business is exactly where I want it to be, and I can scale it up whenever I'm ready, so I don't need his input on that either. While I wouldn't mind talking to him about it, he seems the type to simply try and take over."
Jason was nodding along to everything she said, but Damian was still scowling at the floor. Cass started signing at him, and his expression turned more neutral.
"Why are you so certain he's wrong?" He at least sounded interested in her answer.
"About my significant others, or in general?"
"Both."
"Well, I know Luka and Kagami, and he doesn't. Not to mention he hasn't given a reason that he distrusts them, so I have no reason to trust his instincts over mine. As for everything else, I'm not certain he's wrong. But until he's willing to have a discussion with me instead of trying to tell me what to do, I'm not going to listen to his opinions on things. Especially things he knows nothing about."
"Good for you. He'll steamroll you if you give him an inch." Jason sounded... proud maybe? "Demon Spawn is still at the stage where he thinks B can do no wrong. He'll learn." Marinette winced.
"Please don't call him that around me. My Maman isn't the only one that doesn't like insulting nicknames. And at his age, his Papa should be infallible. Honestly, I should not have had that discussion in front of any of you, but especially not Damian. And I am sorry about that." Both boys were just staring at her like they couldn't comprehend her words. Given that Cass had laid into Bruce with everyone present, maybe they didn't. Finally, Jason cleared his throat.
"Trust me, you want witnesses. And you don't want other people's opinion of you to be based only on B's grumblings. While most of us know better than to trust outside opinions, you don't want anyone biased against you because he complained."
Marinette managed a distracted hum as she thought of the implications. Not only with Bruce's family. Batman was well respected and a leader of the Justice League. He could cause her an innumerable amount of headaches. She might have to introduce herself to them before he had a chance to claim she was inexperienced, or worse, inept. One more problem to worry about.
"I'm sure it will be fine. I've overcome people thinking badly of me based on other's words before. I can do it again." She could tell her tone was off by the way Jason studied her. It didn't help that Chloe was muttering curses in most modern languages. Cass leaned into her side.
"We should look around. You two stay here." Damian still looked like he wanted to argue with Cass, but Jason grabbed his shoulder and squeezed hard enough that the boy was glaring at him instead.
"You know I'm not going to turn down food. Come on Dem-uh, Damian. They be back before we're finished, and you can keep grilling them then." The Boy let out an annoyed noise, but didn't protest. Chloe herded them back outside, while Cass tugged Marinette further into the building.
"You don't like it here." Marinette could only offer her twin a strained smile.
"It was better when Chloe was still here, but it's my last year."
"We'll make it better." Marinette let out an amused laugh.
"I'm sure you're right. I hope the fact that Alya has figured out Lila's been lying all this time will help, too. Though it could complicate other things as well." Cass hummed in acknowledgement. Given she hadn't met any of the class yet, she had to take Mari's word for everything. "Come on. I need to show you the best places to be able to disappear."
While the school wasn't small, it still only took them ten minutes to do a walk-through. It was honestly a little depressing how little security she had to point out. Between that, roof access, the bathrooms, and that one classroom that for some reason was never in use, she covered all the easy, safe escape points. When they made it outside, Jason was joking around with the others. Damian was studying everyone, but he did look less hostile.
"How's the food?" Marinette could tell how Jason felt by the grin he turned on her.
"It's amazing!"
"It is adequate." Jason looked like he was about to argue with Damian, but Mari waved him off.
"Adequate because you've had better or simply because you don't like this type of food?" Damian blinked at her, and she had to wonder if people ever asked about his preferences. He hesitated before answering.
"The spices are not to my tastes." She started talking with him about foods he did and didn't like. Jason was looking at them like they'd each grown two heads. She had to wonder why a civil conversation caused such a reaction, but that was a later problem. Right now, she just wanted to keep Damian talking to her without hurling threats.
Talking about food led to him being a vegetarian, which led to his pets. Soon she was cooing over pictures of them all while Damian detailed how Alfred the Cat tripped up just about everyone in the family. Pretty soon, they were talking about the logistics of having pets on a boat with Luka. She hadn't really considered it, but she had always wanted pets.
"Cats have a long history of being on board for vermin control. It would probably be good to get them as kittens, so it's easier for them to acclimate. I could be more help if I could see the vessel."
"Sure. I have plenty of pictures." Jason and Damian both frowned at her, but she couldn't completely read the expression.
"Why not just show us?" The way Cass was glaring at Jason, Mari knew she wasn't reading too much into his tone. Before either of them could react, Chloe let out a snort of laughter.
"Because no one wants to drive that far right now, given we have school tomorrow. Their 'not a yacht' is too big to get here from the ocean, so it stays on the coast." The fact that they almost always went there using Kaalki wasn't something she needed her brothers finding out just yet.
"Not to mention it's her choice to invite you to her home." The warning in Cass' tone seemed to surprise the boys. Mari was going to have to be careful coming and going for a while. The Bats were almost certain to break into it at some point in the near future. Probably more than once. It should take them a few days to find it, given it wasn't in any of their names. Of course, that would shoot up a whole different set of red flags. It also meant Bruce would almost certainly tell the rest of them she was Ladybug. She'd have to talk to Cass about outing the Bats to her team, so they were prepared. It wasn't the way she wanted it to happen, but there wasn't much choice. Chloe would probably put it together on her own once she caught up. It was widely known that Batman and Catwoman were an item.
"I'd love to have you guys over, but probably not this visit since you're planning on leaving before the weekend. That and I honestly don't have the energy for whatever lecture Bruce is going to come up with for why it's irresponsible to buy something that expensive so young, let alone with other people."
Damian looked thoughtful, but Jason had a guilty expression. Apparently, she couldn't trust him yet. She really didn't want to have to start lying to people again. Why couldn't anything just be simple?
Marinette walked down the stairs to find Cass scowling at Bruce and signing rapidly. Selina was whispering with her Maman, who looked far too amused, so Cass had to be laying into him pretty hard. Damian was looking on in confusion, but the other boys were nodding along with whatever her twin was saying. She really needed to have Cass teach her to sign. Chloe appeared next to her.
"I'm actually learning new terms. You sister is extremely creative with swearing." Of course, that would be what impressed Chloe. Mari had to wonder how much of it was just not knowing common terms, so she made up her own.
"I don't want to mess up her relationship with him." Chloe scoffed.
"Given the way the others are reacting, this isn't the first, or worst, of his overstepping. I'm thinking this is a long overdue rant."
"You did what when I was with Babs?" Dick's indignant shout startled most of the room. "Yeah, I'm never bringing anyone home ever again. Not unless I've been married for two years." Mari sent Chloe a questioning glance.
"Trust me, you don't want to know." Yeah, if Chloe was saying that... she really didn't want to know.
"You've never known when to butt out, old man. The difference this time is that you don't have any right to butt in in the first place." Jason's tone was downright hostile.
"She's my daughter."
"A biological connection doesn't mean you own me. I'll be eighteen in three months anyway and I'm completely financially independent, so if you want any type of relationship with me, it's going to be on my terms, Mr. Wayne. Those terms will include not interfering in my relationships with others, romantic or otherwise, and not telling me how I'm allowed to live my life." He looked like he was going to argue, but Cass signed at him before standing beside Mari. He looked at the boys for help, but the only one not glaring at him was Damian.
"Marinette, you're young. You have no idea the danger-"
"Do not pretend you know anything about me or my life, let alone what I do and do not know. I assure you, I know what I'm doing, and Luka and Kagami are not a threat or a problem. If you can't accept that, then you can leave." She hadn't wanted to get to this point so soon, especially since it put Cass's ability to stay in question. Unfortunately, she also wasn't willing to set a precedent with him by letting him think he could act this way with her. She'd been around enough powerful people to know that if she didn't set boundaries now, she'd never be able to enforce them. Jagged was proof of that.
"Perhaps we should discuss this privately." No way was that happening. She could almost see the hero lecture waiting to burst out of him.
"After what you just tried to pull, and your apparent history of browbeating your kids into things, we're not about to let that happen." Tom's voice was harder than she'd ever heard it. "If you won't respect my daughter's boundaries, you'll be asked to leave." The emphasis he put on 'my daughter' caused Bruce to flinch. She would feel worse about it if not for the fact that all her siblings, besides Damian, seemed to approve of it.
"I think we should separate for the time being, and try this again later. Tempers are high, so we all need space to calm down." Sabine sounded cheerful enough, but there was a hard edge to her words that everyone caught. As much as Mari thought it was a good idea, they were in a bit of a time crunch.
"Given that they're only going to be here for a week, it might be best to get things settled. But, if Bruce isn't willing to compromise, there's not much point in continuing this discussion." She could hear how tired she sounded and given the concerned looks at her and glares at Bruce, everyone else could, too.
"By compromise you mean letting you decide everything." The sulkiness in Bruce's voice made her roll her eyes. Yes, this had to suck for him, but he couldn't honestly expect her to let him just take over her life.
"No, but there are going to be things that aren't negotiable. I'm not going to tell you how to live your life, and I'd appreciate the same courtesy. We know next to nothing about eachother, and until we do it's not really fair to have an opinion on each other's lives." He didn't seem to know what to do with that. She was sure that, for a man used to being in charge, it wasn't something he had experience with. "I want to get to know you, all of you, but I'm not going to change who I am or how I live my life to do it. If you can't accept that, you can leave."
Cass hugged her from behind, and Mari could feel her twin glaring at Bruce. As much as she had hoped it wouldn't be necessary, it was obvious who Cass would side with in this. Of the boys, Jason seemed firmly entrenched on her side, Dick and Tim were more of a neutral, and Damian just seemed confused, but he'd most likely side with Bruce for the time being. Hopefully, it wouldn't destroy her chance of getting to know him permanently. When it became obvious Bruce either couldn't or wouldn't back down, Selina went over to start whispering in his ear. Alfred had been scarily silent through everything, and Mari really wasn't certain what to make of it.
"You need my help." Selina rolled her eyes, and Alfred just shook his head. The man really needed to learn when to back down.
"I need Cass. That's it." He flinched, and even the boys were trading looks. Bruce was closing off. She could see it. "I need to show Cass her new school. Why don't you take the evening to think things over? We can try this again tomorrow when everyone is calmer." Bruce looked about ready to explode.
"That sounds like a good idea. Master Bruce, we should head back to the hotel." The glare Bruce sent Alfred didn't phase the man at all. The stern look he sent back had the boys looking like they were ready to wet themselves.
"Fine." Bruce signed something at Cass and she felt her twin stiffen up behind her. Chloe looked like she was about to start screaming at him, too.
"Miss Cassandra will be staying with Miss Marinette. Indefinately." Alfred's tone was frigid and just about everyone seemed to be cowering or eyeing the man like he was going to explode. Even Bruce hunched in on himself a tiny bit. "Now we really should be on our way."
Mari had a feeling Alfred was going to be having a long conversation with Bruce. She just hoped it had the desired outcome. The man obviously had control issues, and she couldn't afford to have him try to take over her life. She had a feeling she was already going to have a major issue with Batman trying to step on her toes once he actually went through an Akuma attack. She couldn't count on there not being one before he and the others went home. Not to mention, if she'd heard right, he could just use some tech the Justice League had to teleport back at any time. She'd have to ask Cass about that, too.
Selina practically pushed Bruce out the door, while the boys followed under Alfred's gaze. Before going joining the rest, Jason shoved a piece of paper in her hand with a wink. She had a feeling he was one brother she could count on not to run to Bruce with information.
Once they were all out of the door, Mari felt herself relax. She felt terrible that things had gone downhill so quickly, but there really wasn't another option at this point. She couldn't afford to show weakness. There was far too much at stake, both in her personal life and as a hero. Cass tightened her hold on Mari.
"He needs time. He'll calm down."
"Unfortunately, time isn't something we have right now. If this doesn't get better, I'm going to have to force him to leave Paris before Hawkmoth is back in fighting form." She didn't even want to think about how much that would piss him off. She had a feeling Batman's ego wouldn't take too well to being thrown out of a city by another hero. Alfred and Selina would take her side... at least she thought so.
"Alfred will make things right." She wasn't quite sure what Cass meant by that, but she hoped she was right. She opened the paper that Jason handed her and heard Cass giggle behind her.
If you need someone to help you hassle B, give me a shout. ~Jason
It had five phone numbers on it. If she didn't know his 'occupation', it would seem excessive. It did mean she had at least one of her brothers on her side when it came to Bruce though. Whether that was a good thing or not was yet to be determined.
"Why don't we head over to the school? There are a few clubs meeting, so I know the building is open. That way, you can get a feel for the layout before tomorrow." She knew it would stress Cass out if they didn't scope out the building. It was going to be bad enough being around so many new people.
"You don't want to eat first?" Given the looks her Maman was shooting at the door, she was more worried about them running into Bruce than the actual food, but it was a good idea anyway.
"Of course, Maman. We wouldn't want it to go to waste." Especially since she made enough to feed the whole city again. Maybe she should text Jason and see if he wanted to meet them at the school and they could bring him some. "Maybe we could take some to go as well. I wanted to show Cass the houseboat, and if it's late enough, we might stay there." It wasn't a lie, just not the whole truth.
"Probably a good idea. It'll give your father and I time to talk to Bruce should he decide to come looking for you." She really hoped he didn't. Her Maman might actually kill him. She would text Selina or Alfred to make sure he didn't come over, but she had a feeling that would have the opposite effect she was looking for. After they ate and while her Maman was boxing up food, her Papa motioned her out into the hallway.
"What's wrong?" She heard the panic in her own voice and her Papa winced.
"Nothing's wrong. I didn't mean to worry you. I just wanted to make sure you were handling everything alright. I know things have been tense, and you tend to overthink everything without letting anyone know." She leaned forward slightly, and that's all it took for him to envelop her in a hug. Her Papa gave the best hugs.
"What if he makes her go back?" She knew it was an irrational thought, but it wouldn't go away. Her Papa hugged her tighter.
"That's not going to happen. We won't let it, and more importantly, Cass won't let it. I truly don't believe there's a force strong enough to separate the two of you. And if there is, Plagg will get rid of it." Marinette started giggling and couldn't stop. It was a little disturbing that she found the image of Plagg getting rid or Bruce amusing, but she was willing to chalk it up to stress.
Selina looked around the room in amusement. The sheer number of people rivaled a meeting with most of the Justice League. This group, however, was far more diverse. And far less likely to back down to Batman.
"I don't see why we can't just stay here. We'll go home, so anyone who's watching will see. Then Mari can transport us back here." Gina was exceptionally unhappy about leaving. Her idea wasn't a bad one either. Mari was frowning in thought, but Bruce just looked annoyed.
"If it were any other threat, I'd agree with you. But Talia, or whoever she sends, is as likely to attack us here as anywhere else. I can't risk you being caught in the crossfire."
"I can handle myself, and honestly, I have a few words to say to that woman myself after the last time we crossed paths." Bruce looked like his head was about to explode.
"You know Talia?"
"I do, and seeing the way she raised her son after what her father did to her, I'm more than happy to make sure she doesn't get near him again." Now Damian was studying the woman. His cheeks were a bit flushed and Selina wasn't certain if it was embarrassment that she thought he couldn't handle himself, or just because someone he didn't know at all was willing to protect him.
"Marinette, what do you think?" She couldn't tell if Bruce was stalling to get his thoughts in order, or if he thought Mari would back him up. She'd been whispering with Tikki and Kaalki since the argument started.
"I don't see why everyone thinks it has to be one or the other. If Kaalki has a constant food supply, they can simply keep a portal open between the two houses so everyone can come and go as they please. It would be a good option as an escape route if it's needed as well." Gina and Bruce both just stared at her and Selina had to fight back a laugh. They'd been arguing for over an hour and Mari made the entire thing defunct. "I would still feel better if Syd and Trixx stayed at the house so they can shield it though." Syd just shrugged her acceptance. Selina wasn't certain what was going on with that girl, but she was even more closed off than usual. But Chloe and Mari didn't seem worried about it, so she was willing to overlook it for the moment.
"In that case, we're going to need to add more security. Especially to the rooms where the portal is. The last thing we need is Talia finding and using it." The fact that Bruce didn't argue, or even resist changing directions, showed just how much of an impact Mari had on him. Before, he would have dug in and insisted that his plan was best. Especially since Damian's safety was involved. Her flexibility was wearing off on him. Bruce started hashing out security plans with the others, but Mari immediately went back to whispering with the Kwami. The grave looks on the Kwami and the worry on Mari's face made Selina edgy.
"What's wrong, kitten?" Selina kept her voice soft so the others wouldn't pay attention. She didn't want to take the focus away from the planning if she could avoid it. Mari startled a bit and hesitated.
"It's just... Whatever is after Damian is getting closer and..."
"And?"
"I think whoever it is spent time in Paris within the last few years." Well, that was oddly specific.
"What makes you say that?" She kept her tone calm and soothing.
"I said before that they hate the Miraculous, and they do, but..." Selina just waited. "Most of that hatred is for Ladybug specifically." Selina blinked at her for a moment before pulling the girl into a hug. Mari burrowed into her.
"It's not your fault, Kitten. You did the best you could with what you had. Whatever their reason, and given they are almost certainly part of the League, you are not to blame."
"Maybe." It was the best she could hope for. Mari still seemed to think that her friends were going to leave once they really thought through what her being Ladybug meant. Nothing they could say would help, and this would be no different. Bruce raised an eyebrow at her, and Selina just shook her head. Mari didn't need them to make a big deal of this right now. The only other one who had noticed the interaction was Luka. While Selina could understand why the boy made Bruce uneasy, it was obvious he was completely devoted to Marinette. And where her other friends would push and prod her to do what they thought she needed, Luka just supported her. Even now, he just made sure no one else caught on to Mari's distress.
"It is a clue, though. Can you think of anyone you ran across as Ladybug that might feel that way?" Mari didn't respond and Selina regretted asking. It was entirely possible it was just someone who had something happen while they were there and blamed the heroes for it. The last thing she wanted was Mari going through the list of people who she thought had a reason to hate her. "We'll figure it out."
"A lot of people blamed us for how long everything went on. For everything they had to go through."
"You know that wasn't your fault, right? Gabriel was the one who caused all that, and if you hadn't been there to stop him, it would have been worse." The girl just shrugged. "You didn't have a choice. You were put in a terrible position and you did the best you could. All of you did. You don't blame the others for what happened, do you?" She shook her head.
"Other than Adrien, I picked them. I was the one who made the plans. I was the one who couldn't catch him." Selina pulled back and lifted Mari's chin to force eye contact.
"You were and still are a child. You were forced into a responsibility that no one should have expected you to take. You and Adrien both were put into an impossible situation with zero knowledge and zero training. The others, you gave a choice. Perhaps it wasn't wise of you or them, but you all did what you had to do. And you did it well enough that the Kwami decided to give you even more responsibility. I'll say it again. Nothing that happened was your fault."
Mari wanted to argue, Selina could see it. She wasn't certain if the fact that Mari couldn't come up with anything was proof that they were getting through to her, or just proof of how exhausted she was. She just pulled the girl back into a tighter hug.
"I just wish it didn't feel like my mistakes were coming back to haunt me." She sounded so tired.
"Whatever this is, isn't your fault. And if you weren't here to warn us that someone was after Damian, who knows what would have happened? At least now we can prepare."
"I'm sure you would have been fine without me." Selina couldn't help the annoyed sigh that left her.
"Given that they funded a cult for this opportunity, whatever they have planned is big. It's entirely likely we would have walked straight into an ambush." They probably wouldn't have found out who the cult's money backers were without the information Mari gave them. She shuddered to think what going into that confrontation would have been like if they weren't prepared for Talia's tricks. "You don't give yourself enough credit."
"I still don't understand why Damian's mother would send someone who hates him to retrieve him." Selina rolled her eyes at the subject change and debated on how honest she should be. In the end, Mari and the others needed to know how this was likely to play out, so they didn't let their guard down.
"While Talia wants Damian back in the fold, he's a liability if he stays outside the league. The person she sent likely has orders to kill him if he refuses to return." Mari gave her a skeptical look.
"She'd really have her own son killed?"
"She'd do it herself if she was here." Selina wasn't certain what to do with the thoughtful frown on Marinette's face. She'd expected horror or disbelief.
"So even if we catch this person, Damian will still be in danger." Selina just nodded. "That's not acceptable." She said it in such a matter-of-fact tone that Selina didn't know how to respond. She agreed with Mari, but there wasn't much they could do about it. Mari startled her when she stood abruptly and walked over to Damian. The girl didn't say anything, just held out her hand to him, and when he took it, marched him out of the room. Everyone paused for a moment before resuming planning. All Selina could do was shake her head.
"She's blaming herself for things again." Selina jumped as Luka materialized next to her. She hadn't even seen him move.
"It does seem to be her natural state." The boy's expression settled into the closest thing she'd seen to a scowl on him. "Whatever is coming after Damian hates Ladybug, and she thinks it's her fault."
"If it's a native Parisian, that's a very short list. It shouldn't be too hard to research. It will be harder for anyone who came and went since you'll have to rely on travel records and they can be spotty. It's far more likely to be someone not from Paris originally, in my opinion."
"Really? Marinette seems to think a lot of people were upset with Ladybug for how long things went on."
"She what?" The genuine surprise in his tone was unexpected. Apparently, Marinette still wasn't talking about her fears with her friends. One more thing to worry about. "Yes, right after Hawkmoth was defeated, everyone was letting out all the emotions they'd had to repress, and a lot of that was anger. Some of it was even directed at the Heroes. But in the end, everyone knew who was at fault. Granted, I wasn't in Paris, but I didn't get the impression from anyone I talked to back home that there was real animosity towards the heroes. Adrien and Chloe haven't mentioned it either, and Chloe would have."
"What about the police force? Chloe said they actively worked against them." Luka's expression tightened.
"Maybe while the heroes were active, but I doubt those feelings lasted long without a target. Not to mention, from what I remember, it was resentment more than anything else." Luka hesitated. "Other than Gabriel, I can only think of one person who truly hated Ladybug."
"That's great! It gives us someone to look into."
"You already are." He sounded grim, and Selina just raised an eyebrow at him. "Lila Rossi."
"You're kidding." He shook his head. Selina was getting tired of this girl and they hadn't even met her yet. "I suppose it makes sense with the way she disappeared. We know they want the Miraculous, so taking her for information isn't out of the realm of possibility. At the same time, I don't know that Talia would send someone so knew to the League to take out Damian, of all people. It could be a test, though."
The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like something Talia would do. It could be a test of loyalty, or just of training. She wouldn't be counting on Bruce to kill her, so there would be a backup plan. There would be more than just one assassin. Granted, they were already planning on that. But this brought competing factions into play. One more problem to complicate things.
"If it is Lila, and she finds out Mari is here, there's a very good chance she'll come after her. Especially since Mr. Wayne took her in." She didn't like Luka's tone.
"Because he's Damian's father?"
"Because he's famous. Lila always hated that Mari had better connections than her. I can't even image the rage she'll feel at this development."
"Depending on what Talia's done to her, she might not even remember Mari." Luka was shaking his head before she finished.
"If she remembers Ladybug, she remembers Marinette. I met her when I was Viperion with Ladybug and Mari on separate occasions. She hates Mari more."
Alright, so I know I haven't updated in quite awhile, though I'm hoping to get something up soon. However, life has decided to throw yet another curve ball.
My mother had a stroke in the middle of last month. Long story short I'm going on unpaid FMLA to take care of her, which means I'm in rather desperate need of finding a remote job. So that will be my main focus until it happens. If anyone happens to know of a good place to find remote jobs with zero experience, I'd be grateful for an insights.
But, I am still working on everything, it's just really slow going at the moment.
New Years one shot (please let it stay a one shot)
Marinette could not for the life of her figure out how she'd ended up here. She was supposed to be at home, in her pajamas, asleep before the ball dropped. She had a plan, damn it.
That plan did not include Alya showing up at her apartment in London. Especially since she was supposed to be covering the ball drop in New York. It didn't involve said friend dragging her to an upscale party where Adrien and Felix just happened to be in attendance. And it damn sure didn't involve listening to Alya try to give her a pep talk (read lecture) about asking Adrien to kiss at midnight. No, this was definitely not the plan.
—————————————————-
Cass and Steph were supposed to be on a plane to Gotham. Unfortunately, some asshole (read Scarecrow) gassed the airport, and it was in lockdown until a HazMat team gave the all clear. Instead, they were stuck in an upscale London hotel. Which wouldn't be bad except there was a fancy New Year's party going on and the host had cornered them as they were checking in to invite them. Cass hated having to keep up a public image. But at least she had Steph to make things bearable.
They were standing along one of the walls, Steph making highly inappropriate comments at other people's expense, when Cass noticed two women. One obviously excited to be there and the other... not so much. As they wandered closer, Cass could hear their conversation.
"I feel I've been very clear on this." The one who looked like she'd rather be anywhere else sounded frustrated and annoyed.
"I know you think he's out of your league, but you'll regret it if you don't shoot your shot, girl!" Her tone was exasperated, if fond. Given the reaction from the other woman, this was a recurring debate. Cass didn't think she'd ever seen anyone roll their eyes so hard.
"I don't think he's out of my league. I'm just not interested in him. I really wish you would stop acting like we're still teenagers. It was an adolescent crush, and it wasn't healthy on top of that." Her friend didn't seem to hear her.
"Look! There he is. Now's your chance."
"Alya, you're not listening to me. Besides, that's Felix, not Adrien."
"Oh? You can tell that just by looking, huh?" Her tone seemed to imply that meant something but her friend just gave her a dry look.
"Anyone who's met them should be able to tell that." She gestured to the man Alya had pointed out. "Grumpy cat." Then she scanned the crowd before pointing to another man identical to the first. "Excited puppy."
Cass observed the two and had to admit the other woman was right. It kind of reminded her of the difference in Damian and Jon's personalities. The first man was comfortable in the setting, but was extremely standoffish and full of himself. The other was happy and friendly, talking to anyone who got close to him.
"Quit stalling. It's almost midnight."
"Alya, I'm not-"
"You can't bail on me this time. Do you have any idea what it took for me to get tickets to this party? Give me one good reason why you can't go ask him to kiss you for New Years."
Given how red the other woman's face had gotten during her friend's rant, Cass expected an explosion. What she wasn't expecting was for the woman to turn and pull her down into an angry, almost desperate kiss. She didn't know how to react, so she just let it happen. Honestly, she felt bad for her... it was also kind of nice if she was being honest with herself. When the woman pulled back, Cass was a bit dazed. She turned on her friend.
"That's why!" And promptly stormed out to the balcony. Cass was startled out of watching her when Steph let out a laugh.
"I'd say that's a pretty good reason." Steph's amused tone caused Alya to flush red before storming off in the opposite direction from her friend. "You should go check on her." Cass raised an eyebrow at her and Steph gestured to the balcony with a knowing smirk.
"Do you really think she wants to see me? That had to have been embarrassing." Cass signed at her in confusion, but Steph just turned her and gave her a push towards the balcony. Cass still wasn't certain it was a good idea, but Steph had a better understanding of such emotions, so she went. She found the other woman leaning over the balcony, muttering into her crossed arms. "Are you okay?" She spoke in English even though they'd been talking in French before hoping she understood since they were in London. She could understand French well enough, but speaking it was trickier.
"I'm fine." She said it in English, barely audible. When she looked up Cass watched her go through a variety of emotions. First was exhaustion, then confusion, recognition, embarrassment, and ending with horror. "Oh dear Kwami, I can't believe I sexually assaulted a complete stranger. I am so sorry!"
"It's okay." Cass hadn't thought of it that way, but she supposed it was technically true.
"It's not okay! It's the complete opposite of okay. I can't believe I did that. I'm such a terrible person. I understand if you want to call the authorities. Or I can do something to make it up to you. I'm a fashion designer, not that you need new or better clothes, you look amazing in that dress, but if you wanted something, or I can tailor some things if you need it. Nothing will make up for-" The woman wasn't stopping to breathe and Cass had been trying to get her attention, but ended up latching onto her forearms to get her to stop. The guilt in the woman's eyes was painful to watch.
"I'm Cass." It wasn't what she really wanted to say, but it did stop her, well for a second anyway. Then she looked embarrassed.
"Oh, I'm Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng." She started going through her handbag and pulled out a business card. She wrote on the back before handing it over. "That's my work phone on the front. I put my real name on the back and my personal phone number so you can get a hold of me for whatever you decide. I really am sorry." Cass frowned at the card for a moment. "Is something wrong?"
"You're the designer for Foundational Fashions?" She couldn't help her surprise. It was an innovative brand that Jason had actually introduced her to.
"Oh, um, yes, but I'd appreciate it if you would keep that to yourself. I try to stay below the radar."
"I know." That got a confused blink. "My brother and I have been trying to find a way to commission you for a couple of years."
"Then I can make you something, both of you, to apologize." She sounded almost excited at the idea, and Cass had to force herself not to frown. No way was this worth whatever her prices were.
"I wouldn't feel right not paying you. Just getting a slot for a commission is more than enough." The woman's expression fell and Cass would blame that for what happened next. She really didn't like seeing her unhappy. "There is something else."
"Of course. Anything."
"Let me kiss you at midnight."
"Sure, no problem... wait what?" Cass looked for any sign she'd made Marinette uncomfortable, but all she saw was confusion. "After what I did, why..." She didn't seem to be able to finish the thought. "I mean, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would love to... why would you pick me?"
She seemed genuinely confused, and Cass didn't really know how to respond. The longer she stayed silent, the more Marinette drew in on herself and she had no idea why. She didn't seem to object to the actual kissing part though, so Cass felt a bit less creepy about asking.
"I don't want to kiss anyone else." Marinette's cheeks turned bright red and Cass was worried she'd said the wrong thing. "Earlier I felt... I would like to try it again." It was times like this she wished she was better with words. When she looked back at Marinette, the woman was studying her. She seems less embarrassed and more thoughtful.
"There's still half an hour until midnight. Why don't we sit and talk? Maybe start on you commissions."
————————————————--
Cass looked relieved at the suggestion, and Mari realized she wasn't the only one floundering. She still couldn't believe she'd done something so stupid and could only be glad that Cass didn't want her arrested. Once they were settled at the table that happened to be on the balcony, Mari wasn't certain where to start.
"So, what are your hobbies?" That was a good starting place, right?
"Ballet, and I do martial arts."
"Well, that certainly explains the physique." Yes Mari, let's be even more creepy. She absolutely should not be flirting.
"What explains yours?" She could practically feel Cass' eyes running down her figure. Okay, maybe she should be flirting.
"I grew up in a bakery. When it comes in bulk, everything is heavy. And once I got into design, bolts of fabric aren't light either. Then, Hawkmoth showed up, and I ended up in self-defence and parkour classes with a lot of my friends. Nothing anywhere near as structured as what you've done, though." And the whole superhero thing, but that was definitely not a conversation for a first... whatever this was.
"What happened to him?" Marinette fought not to wince. That was the million dollar question that only she knew the answer to. It was an extremely messy take down, and she'd had to wipe the memories of everyone involved. Including Adrien because of how badly he'd reacted to finding out Gabriel was Hawkmoth.
"All we know is that Ladybug said he'd been taken care of and she and Chat were retiring. Most people were just grateful it was over, to be honest." Granted, that attitude was helped along by the fact that no one could find her to question the official story. "Where are you from? Your accent sounds American."
"I live in Gotham." Cass' tone was odd but Mari couldn't place why.
"Oh, then you're used to worse. At least most of the damage Hawkmoth did could be reversed. The emotional toll was bad enough, but I can't even imagine constantly being afraid that anyone around you could end up dead in the next attack." Cass gave a hum, and Mari was worried she'd offended her.
"It is... difficult." Mari noticed Cass moving her hands as she spoke and realized she'd been doing it since they started talking. "I think most people have developed a sense of apathy, or maybe just put on blinders to the danger until it actually happens, since there's not much they can do if one of the major rogues decides to attack. At the same time, more and more people and organizations are coming together to try and help each other. It is still hopeful, and Gothamites are stubborn."
"Yes, people seem to be able to get used to just about anything if they have to." Humans were extremely adaptable, and that wasn't always a good thing. "Oh! You're signing, aren't you?" Mari hadn't meant to say that out loud and given the embarrassed look on Cass' face, she shouldn't have. "Sorry, I just noticed the movements."
"It's how I first learned to communicate. My childhood was... unorthodox." Given her tone, Mari had a feeling that was an understatement. "I can stop if you-"
"No! I mean it's fine. I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable." Mari really, really wished she could stop making an idiot of herself in front of the woman. She'd like to blame the sleep deprivation from her per Christmas dash to get everything done, but this was just how she was. She always turned into a disaster around pretty people. It's why she was so nervous around Adrien originally, because he had always been extremely pretty. Other people had called him handsome, but his features had always been too delicate for that. It took Mari three years to understand why she thought she liked him. And wasn't that a fun week long mental breakdown?
"It's fine. Some people just seem to think I'm trash talking them instead of going through the motions to help find the right words." Mari could only blink at her for a moment.
"I feel like those are the same people who are constantly trash talking people in their head and projecting that on to you." Cass let out an amused snort.
"Probably." They settled into a comfortable silence. It was nice, if Mari was being honest. Too many people she knew felt like they had to fill the silence, even when they had nothing to say. As the minutes ticked by though, she started to get nervous. Cass obviously noticed.
"We don't have to, if you don't want to." Mari started at her voice. God, she needed to not be so high strung.
"It's not that... honestly, this whole thing is just a bit bizarre. It would have made more sense for you to have slapped me. I'm just... trying to make sense of things." Mainly because, in her personal life, she wasn't this lucky. Then again, Cass was from America, so this probably wouldn't lead anywhere. And that thought made her realize that so far, she did want this to go somewhere. Great.
"I don't think there's a lot of people here that would slap a beautiful woman for kissing them." Mari felt like her face was on fire. This woman, her seriously could be a model, thought she was beautiful? Yep, crush officially formed. Shit.
"That still doesn't excuse my bad behavior. I shouldn't have taken out my frustration with Alya on other people. My being pissed off that she never actually listens to me is no reason to do what I did."
"I don't know. She seemed to get the message." Mari just sighed.
"Maybe. That or I'll be getting an extremely long lecture about embarrassing her tomorrow." Probably the second. Might be a good idea to find somewhere else to crash after the party. And figure out when Alya was set to leave London so she could avoid her until then. She loved her, but she was beyond sick of the whole Adrien thing.
"She should stop talking and start listening." Mari let out a giggle.
"Can't say I disagree, but I don't see it happening. Alya's extremely stubborn about certain things."
"If you're not willing to make excuses for your bad behavior, you shouldn't make them for hers, either." Mari blinked at her before letting out a huff.
"In theory that's true. But I can't control her actions, only mine." Cass let out another hum. Before she could say anything, people inside started counting down.
10
Oh dear Kwami, this was really happening, wasn't it?
9
Maybe it was a trick. Cass' way of getting back at her for what she did.
8
No. The way she was looking at Mari... she was actually going to do this.
7
Come on, Mari. It's just a kiss.
6
A kiss from someone with the softest lips she'd ever felt, but just a kiss.
5
Okay. Her heart felt like it was about to explode. She might actually pass out.
4
No. She is not going to create another scene tonight. She just needed to breath.
3
When did Cass get so close?
2
What if she was disappointed in the kiss? Mari was pretty confident in her abilities, but she had no idea what kind of experience Cass had.
1
What if she wasn't disappointed? What were they going to do then?
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Cass closed the distance, and Mari just closed her eyes. Yep, definitely the softest lips ever. She was going to have to ask how she managed that. When Cass deepened the kiss, Mari's brain completely short-circuited. This. This is what home was supposed to feel like. She was so screwed.
When Cass pulled back, it took her a minute to remember to breathe. When she finally opened her eyes, she was on the receiving end of the softest look she'd ever seen. Suddenly, Gotham was looking like a better idea. Surely she could do some good there. She forgot how to breathe again when Cass cupped her cheek and ran her thumb over Mari's bottom lip.
"Happy New Year." The words were as soft as her look and Mari, for once, thought that for once, it actually was a good start to what was looking to be the best year she'd had in a long time. Even if it hadn't been her plan.
Misconceptions, Miscommunication, and Misinformation Pt105
So I tried to put my tag list on this and it keeps giving me an error about too many characters in the text block (did it even before I pasted the draft in) so I'll try to figure out where the problem is before I post anything else.
Beginning Previous
"Mari, look at me, sweetheart." Her Papa's voice made her blink. When had he come in? She looked over to find him kneeling next to her, worry written on his face.
"I'm sorry, I was thinking, what were you saying?" Everyone around her was exchanging looks. That couldn't be good.
"Mari, you were completely nonresponsive for close to fifteen minutes. Why don't we go upstairs and talk?" That explained the looks, at least.
"It's okay, I'm fine." She couldn't really place the look on his face.
"Maybe so, but it's been a long time since we've spent any one on one time together. I thought we could talk, or even just play UMS."
"Feel like being taken down by a little girl, do you?" That got a shocked snort, before he laughed. Really laughed. It felt like it had been a long time since he'd done that.
"Only by you, sweetheart. But, I might surprise you. I've been practicing." He whispered the last part with a conspiratorial wink, and she giggled.
"You're going down, old man." He laughed again, and she realized how much she'd missed it.
"That's my girl. Let's go make sure you live up to that confidence." He picked her up, and she caught the worried frowns from everyone else before he carried her upstairs.
"I didn't mean to upset you Papa. I really was just lost in my thoughts." The smile he gave her was understanding, though a bit strained.
"I know, sweetheart. I just wish you would share more of those thoughts with us. You've always taken after me with the way you internalize everything. I want you to know that you can talk to us about anything. We understand why you had to keep certain things secret, and may still need to sometimes, but we'll listen to everything you're willing to say."
"I don't want to worry you. I've already put you both through so much." All the things that happened since she took down Hawkmoth were bad enough, but she'd been causing them problems far longer. Her Papa set her on the couch before kneeling down in front of her again.
"Mari, we're your parents. Worrying is part of our job. Being there when you need us is part of our job. Your job isn't to make us feel better or tiptoe around our feelings. Hawkmoth is gone. There's no chance of me overeating and locking you in a tower of thorns." She couldn't help but giggle at his dry tone. "We want you to be happy, and we want to help you. Not to mention, what hurts the most is feeling like you're pulling away from us." His voice cracked and tears were threatening to fall from his eyes.
"Oh, Papa. I'm so sorry." She tried to pull him into a hug, but he grabbed her hands instead.
"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, and I know that children grow up and leave the nest. Of course, we weren't prepared for it to be this soon, but that's beside the point. We just want to support you, but we can't do that if you don't let us back in."
"I just... I didn't want to make things worse for you. All of this happened so fast and I know you haven't had a chance to process it all yet. I didn't want to make things harder for you." Her Papa just rolled his eyes.
"I'll say it again. We are the parents. Honestly, the less information we have, the more we worry. Not to mention, we know you too well to believe that everything is fine just because you're smiling. I know we haven't been as present as we should have been in the past, but we wanted to give you space. If I had any idea what you were actually going through, I would have done something."
Mari felt herself wince. She knew that both her parents would have helped, but it wasn't a chance she was willing to take after the Weredad incident. She honestly was afraid to even think about what her mother would have been like to fight.
"I thought I could handle it on my own. I didn't mean to seem so distant." He was rubbing his thumbs along her knuckles. "Do you think I should forgive everyone?"
"Define everyone." His words had a hard edge, and it took her a moment to realize he was probably thinking about Gabriel.
"Did Chloe tell you about our run in with Nino?" Her Papa nodded. She figured she had more than enough time to tell them when she was trapped in her head. "Is it fair of me to blame them for being weak-willed enough to let others make their decisions for them? Isn't that the same as blaming Hawkmoth's victims for what they did?"
"It's not the same, Mari, you know that. Hawkmoth's victims were completely taken over. Once he was in, they were no longer themselves, and they didn't remember anything after. Your classmates let themselves be led. They let someone else make decisions for them despite everything you've done for them. You don't owe anyone forgiveness. At the same time, it's not healthy for you to hold a grudge. If you want to cut them out of your life entirely, I wouldn't blame you, and we'll support whatever decision you make. Be more cautions in the future, but don't let what happened fester inside you and turn you into a different person."
That made sense. It wasn't about forgiving, or even forgetting. It was about learning from the past, but not letting it determine your future. She should be able to do that. Right? She finally managed to lean in and hug him.
"Thank you Papa. I promise I'll be more open."
"We love you sweetie, and we'll be here for you, no matter what happens." They stayed that way for a few minutes before he pulled back. "Now, are you ready to take on your old man?"
————————————-
"I warned you." Mari's voice was smug as she looked at her father's confused expression.
"I know you haven't had time to practice. How are you beating me this easily?"
"Ladybug reflexes." The dry look he sent her said that was bullshit, but she just shrugged.
"In that case, I need to teach Chloe how to play and see if she can beat you." Mari giggled.
"You just want to teach her so you can win again." He rolled his eyes but she could see the smile trying to form. "You should offer, though. Chloe's parents never really taught her anything. I think she'd like having you or Maman teach her something, even something small. But maybe you could suggest teaching her how to cook or bake. I think she'd be happy you trust her enough to offer." Her father started muttering, but the only words she caught were mayor and catacombs. Probably for the best.
"You think she'd enjoy cooking?" He sounded a bit skeptical, and she could understand why.
"I think she'd enjoy learning to be more self sufficient. But once she has the basics down, I think she'd actually like cooking itself. It's a part of life that's fairly easy to control. What?" She wasn't certain what to make of her Papa's frown.
"We need to find a way to get you both into therapy, and keep Chloe away from her parents as much as possible." Well, she could agree to the second.
"Papa, you know that therapy isn't a good idea. What's the point if we constantly have to lie or tell half-truths? But I think Selina plans on running interference with Chloe's parents. She really doesn't like them."
"Well, I'm glad someone's on her side that actually has the power behind them to do something." He muttered for another minute. "But there has to be something we can do about therapy. You both need it, and I'm not just going to ignore that. There has to be a way. Have you talked to the Kwami about some sort of magic that would make it so the person couldn't talk about what you told them?" It was her turn to frown at him.
"I don't like the idea of taking away someone's freewill, even if it's just a little bit. It's not something I want to get comfortable doing." Tikki popped up in front of her.
"What about a memory spell? If they go to talk to someone about anything you and Chloe have told them, they'll lose all memory of talking to either of you." That was better... sort of.
"That might work, but how do we find someone that can deal with both sides of things? I mean, it's not like anyone specializes in secret identities."
"Technically, the Justice League does have someone for that, but I doubt they'd agree to take you on as a patient, given the current climate there. I know someone who could do it though, if you'd be okay talking with a former rogue." Mari jumped. When had Selina and the others made it upstairs?
"You mean Quinn?" Damian sounded skeptical, at best.
"I do. Even you have to admit that she and Ivy have gotten better. The only time they did anything big in the past two years was that factory that was completely destroying the habitat for some endangered plants, and Ivy did try to go through proper channels first. She only escalated when it was obvious people were being paid off to look the other way." Damian grumbled at her, but otherwise didn't disagree.
"Quinn? As in Harleen Quinzel?" She'd studied other heroes and their villains extensively in the beginning, trying to find someone she could ask for help. Fu had nixed the idea as soon as she told him, but she'd gotten a lot of information. Damian nodded at her. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. She's made a lot of progress and I don't want to be responsible for making her regress."
"Well, you see, that's the thing. If she and Ivy were to come here, we could keep an eye on them. Not to mention it would take them out of that toxic environment. So really, you'd actually be helping them heal as well." Mari wasn't certain what to make of the look Damian gave Selina when she finished. It did make sense though.
"Are they even allowed to leave the US? Or be in France for that matter?" Damian didn't sound like he was protesting, just confused more than anything else.
"Neither one of them has any active warrants out, and surprisingly enough, they've never been charged with anything in France either." That got looks from just about everyone.
"Can they be trusted?" Mari looked to Damian for the answer.
"You can always do a failsafe so they can't talk to other people about you, or wipe their memory if they try. But I know they are in possession of information that could be disastrous if it were to get out and have kept their word to keep it to themselves."
"I suppose we could try."
"Great! They'll be flying over with Barbara." Damian raised an eyebrow at Selina.
"My father agreed to this?"
"Not yet, but he will."
"Is this one of those 'better to ask forgiveness than permission' things?"
"No, this is more of a 'get him to think it was his idea' thing. Don't worry, I've got this." Mari was certain Selina's confidence was well founded, despite Damian's dubious look. She just wasn't certain how to feel about therapy now that it wasn't an impossibility. When she looked at Chloe though, her partner just looked relieved. She'd quit her other therapy when she found out Mari was Ladybug, for fear she might say the wrong thing. Given everything that happened since, especially with her parents, Mari was glad she'd get that outlet again.
So this is going to be the last chapter of this, at least for now. I may add onto it later, or do a sequel. But this feels like a decent stopping point for the moment.
Prologue Beginning Previous
As the Angel of Death worked her way across the rooftops, her rage was getting worse. Just thinking of the audacity of that stupid clown was enough to make her blood boil. Cass appeared beside her as Black Bat and they continued in silence. She'd dumped all the Miraculous into her pocket before she left to make sure Chloe didn't follow herself, or even go get the others. Gina would likely follow eventually, but that was a problem for when it happened. They stopped when they had a visual of Damian dangling from a rope.
"Are you ready to let me do what needs to be done?" She waited for Cass to nod. She didn't think it would be an issue, but she was one of Batman's people, and she didn't know exactly what she'd end up doing to the freak-show on the next roof. Logic said to just kill him and be done with it, but... something was making her pause, so there was no telling what would happen when she confronted him. "Don't free the others until I've dealt with him." That got a much more hesitant nod. Whether it was worry that she couldn't handle the idiot herself, or worry over Batman's reaction was a toss up.
As she watched him strutting around the roof, calling for Batman, Marinette felt a pull to the Miraculous in her pocket. As she palmed each one in turn, the Peafowl almost felt like it was burning her. Duusu appeared in front of her with a determined look. Well, she could take a hint. The transformation didn't seem to change her outer appearance the way she'd seen with other holders. It was a question for later though. Duusu's energy was radiating through her and it seemed like the Kwami was even more pissed off at the Joker than she was. This should be interesting.
Black Bat had disappeared and Marinette assumed she was putting herself into position to protect her team. So, as she snuck up behind the Joker, she knew she could focus solely on him.
"If you wanted Batman, you should have stayed in Gotham." Watching the man jump and almost fall over as he turned to face her should have been amusing.
"Isn't it past your bedtime?" She could help but roll her eyes.
"No wonder you turned to crime. You'd never make it as a real clown with shitty jokes like that." The flash of anger in his eyes gave her more satisfaction than it should.
"You should be careful. A mouth like that is going to get you in trouble one day." Bit late with that advice.
"I guess it's a good thing the rest of me is capable of getting out of trouble then. Shame I can't say the same for you." The clown was just frowning at her now. He didn't seem to know how to react to the fact that he didn't scare her. "Batman isn't showing up. I'm going to give you one chance to pack up and go back to Gotham to aggravate him there. If you stay, the consequences will be on you."
"Are you threatening me?" He sounded somewhere between amused and insulted. Bruce was behind him trying his best to glare at her. She ignored it.
"I assure you, if I threaten you, you'll know it. Make your choice." He walked towards her with a hand outstretched to grab her.
"Listen here you little- Ahh!" The second he made contact she grabbed his hand a bent all the fingers backwards. At least three were broken.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to touch people without their permission?" The clown was just cursing up a storm and she waited. When he finally focused on her again the rage in his eyes was actually rather impressive.
"Girly, you just made the biggest mistake of your life." She just let out a snort.
"Please, if that was a mistake, and it wasn't, it wouldn't even make the top hundred." He reached for the flower on his chest and she let him. Poor guy went from gloating to confused in a few seconds when he realized his little acid bath had no effect on her. "Are you ready to leave now, or do I need to take drastic measures? I can even help you on your way if you wish." Granted she'd just use Kaalki to put him in a cell in Arkham but he didn't need to know that. Mari could feel Duusu's anger that he might be left unpunished, and had to wonder what exactly the Kwami planned to do.
While the Joker seemed to be trying to figure out what she was, Mari took a moment to look at his strings. All but one of them were black leading to him, but gray coming from his body. So, everyone in his life hated him with a passion, but he had no care for them at all. Not overly surprising. The other string was the weird one. It led to Bruce and was black coming from the billionaire, but from Joker... it was purple. But a warped version of the familial bond. There were odd patterns in the same kind of sickly green that pulsed between her and Damian. That was... interesting.
"I guess I'll just have to start offing hostages until Batman shows up then." She couldn't help the eye roll.
"I'm not going to let you do that."
"I'd like to see you try to stop me." He turned away from her and she had to wonder at his arrogance. Before he made it two steps, she tackled and pinned him to the roof. Bruce was yelling at her, but all she could concentrate on was the insistent thrumming in her head from Duusu. The string between her and the Joker, now gray from end to end, began vibrating, and she pushed. What exactly, she wasn't sure, but it seemed the right thing to do. The clown stopped struggling for a moment and everything was deathly quiet. Then he started screaming.
Mari got up and watched as he writhed in apparent pain, as Duusu filled her in on what had happened. The Kwami seemed to get great pleasure as the man went from screams to whimpers and sobs as he curled into the fetal position. Black Bat was watching her from the shadows, and she gave the other girl a nod. The man wasn't a threat anymore.
"What did you do?" Bruce's tone caused her to let out an aggravated breath.
"I didn't kill him. Isn't that what you wanted.?" As Black Bat untied them, it seemed that only Bruce was concerned with the man's suffering. He thought it was a good idea to loom over her.
"Torture is no better."
"No, but it's exactly what you do to the citizens of Gotham by refusing to remove threats like him." She hadn't meant those words to come out, but honestly, seeing the stunned look on his face was worth it.
"That is ridiculous. I do not torture people."
"Oh? So what do you call forcing them to live in constant fear? Knowing that the next moment could bring another villain attack from people you know are dangerous but can't properly contain? Praying that the next phone call isn't to tell them a loved one died because Batman cares more about keeping murders alive than them." The man stormed off, but the rest of them were trading looks before one of them, Red hood she was pretty sure, walked up to her.
"So, what did you do exactly?" It wasn't an accusation, and he seemed to be studying the clown with interest more than anything else.
"He's being forced to go through all the emotional pain and torment he caused others. Given the sheer amount of victims he had, I doubt it will ever stop. If he's lucky, his brain will eventually shut down and he'll go into a vegetative coma. But that won't happen for at least ten years."
"Good." That was it. He just walked back over to the others. Damian was the next to approach her, but didn't seem to know what to say. He kept rubbing his chest where his string to Talia had been.
"No after effects from being stabbed?" He blinked at her for a moment.
"No. Either the blade wasn't poisoned or whatever healed me got rid of it as well. I'd bet on the second." She nodded. "Do you truly believe killing is necessary?" Not the question she expected.
"You don't?" He hesitated.
"In the League, it was expected. With Batman it is strictly forbidden. While I believe my father's way of living is better overall, I am uncertain about the nuances." She still didn't know how to react to him when he admitted things like that. It was so strange compared to how he'd always acted when she was trapped in the League.
"I suppose it depends on the outcome you want. For my purpose it is necessary. For Gotham to regain balance and heal, I would say it is necessary. I do not know what your father's intentions are, so I can not say if they are necessary to achieve them."
"But you didn't kill him." His confusion was clear as he glanced at the Joker, still whimpering on the roof.
"I'm learning that death is an easy way out. Far too easy for some. Talia's death was necessary to rid everyone connected to her of the corruption she caused. Had she remained alive, even if she was neutralized, that corruption would have remained and possibly taken on a life of its own. The Joker, while insidious in his own way, does not have that effect on others. He will remain in the hell he created until he does die. It seems fitting, does it not?"
"The corruption you speak of, is that why I feel..." He didn't seem to know what he wanted to say. "Free?"
"Most likely, yes." He continued to rub his chest for a few minutes before he spoke again.
"I regret that you suffered because of me." The words were soft, almost like he didn't mean to say them out loud.
"You are not the one that decided my fate. If I have learned nothing else from this experience, I've learned that I was always destined to suffer. For all I know, it is actually my fault you were born into the league in the first place. But placing blame is a rather useless endeavor."
"Will you remain in Paris?" She frowned at him, but he was looking away from her. Was he trying to get information for his father?
"It is unlikely. I need to travel to serve my purpose." He hummed and fiddled with something in his jacket.
"I have something I wish to return to you." Mari's face scrunched up in confusion. When she caught sight of what he pulled out of his jacket, she stopped breathing. Her hands were trembling as she reached for the little photo album he held out to her.
"Maman carried this everywhere. She hated showing people pictures on a phone for some reason. I can't believe you have this." She couldn't bring herself to open it. The thought of looking at those pictures made her chest ache, knowing she'd never experience anything like it again.
"It fell out of her purse when... It never seemed right to get rid of it." He sounded embarrassed and wouldn't look at her. Before she realized what she was doing, her arms were around his neck.
"Thank you." She let go and stepped back quickly. Both because of her aversion to touch and because she was fairly certain he had the same issue. "I should leave before your father comes back." He nodded, still refusing to look at her. Before she left the roof, she noticed that the string between them had stopped pulsing and was starting to turn from gray, to a pale green. She supposed she could be okay with that.
I've had a number of people ask to be taken off of a tag list recently, which is perfectly understandable.
However, I've got 11 or 12 different fics ongoing at the moment so it would really be helpful if people could tell me which tag lists they need to be taken off of. It'll also mean better success on my part in actually making sure you do get removed.
When they surfaced from her room at lunch, everyone was there. Mari honestly didn't know how they all fit at this point. Bruce and the boys were glaring at Luka for some reason, but Damian turned his on her once they were noticed.
"Melody, can we talk?" Luka wouldn't meet her eyes. Yeah, her Maman must have had an interesting talk with him. Before she could answer, Damian spoke up.
"What is Cain wearing?" She had no idea why he sounded insulted. They'd put together an outfit for her since all her clothes were at the hotel, and Mari looked it over again to try and figure out his issue with it.
"It's a dress and leggings." He looked like he was about to explode, but Cass signed something at him and he just sneered at them instead. The dress itself looked black at the top and faded to light blue at the bottom. It was offset to be mid-thigh on the right, flowing down to just below the knee on the left, and paired with midnight blue leggings. It's not like it was super girly or anything. "No concept of fashion, I take it. We'll have to fix that." Damian's glare intensified, but the other boys were snickering in the background. Even Tim, so he must have gotten some sleep finally.
"You look very nice, Cass." Bruce's tone was a bit pointed, but she could tell he meant it.
"Of course she does. Mari doesn't make trash." Mari had to cough to cover a laugh at Chloe's haughty tone. At least until Dick, Jason, and Tim started yelling about not being the first to get something from her. At least that's what she thought they were yelling about. Mari rolled her eyes before gesturing Luka up to her room. Once she closed the door, he didn't seem to know what to say.
"Maman really scared you didn't she?" He winced.
"She called the Captain and told her about it. She explained what I was doing in... colorful terms. I didn't realize... I'm sorry." Oh. She couldn't even imagine that conversation.
"Um... how did she take us all being in a relationship?" They hadn't told the Captain about it simply because Luka was worried she'd slip and tell Juleka. Honestly, of all their parents, she was the one Mari was least concerned about.
"At the moment, she thinks both of you are too good for me. And I'd have to agree." She sighed and put a hand on his chest.
"You have a good heart, and you feel too much from other people. I get that. But sometimes you need to let people hurt. You need to let them work through things in their own time. Just because you think you see the answer, doesn't mean it's the right time, or even always the right answer. I need you to let me do things at my pace. Please."
"I'll do my best, but you're probably going to have to point out when I'm crossing a line. I'm not always sure when it's helping or interfering." She had to roll her eyes at that.
"You talk to the person you're trying to help instead of running off and fixing it the way you think it should be fixed. If you're going around the person, then you can assume it's interference." She could actually see the concept click in his mind.
"Oh." He frowned and seemed to retreat into his thoughts. After a few minutes, she moved a hand up to his cheek to get him to focus back on her.
"I know you just want to help. It's part of the reason I love you. You just need to be more careful with how you go about it." She leaned in to kiss his other cheek when a cough sounded from the trapdoor. They turned to see Bruce frowning at them.
"I really don't think you two should be up here alone." Fantastic. She was really hoping to not have this conversation, but apparently her luck was off.
"That's really none of your business. Maman and Papa are fine with it, and that's all that matters, since this is their house. However, if it bothers you that much, feel free to send Kagami up as well." The glare he sent her had probably backed down some of his villains, but she just raised an eyebrow at him. She wasn't about to let him think it was okay to treat her like a child or boss her around. "Not to mention, if we were going to be doing anything 'inappropriate', the door would have been locked."
Bruce sputtered for a moment and turned a shade of purple she hadn't seen before. Served him right. Eventually, he went back down the stairs, but left the door open. Because that was obviously going to keep anything from happening. Luka laughed quietly.
"Do you really think that was a good idea?" She just shrugged at him.
"I'm not about to let someone that barely knows me try to change how I live my life." Luka wrapped his arms around her and she leaned into him. Then Kagami poked her head up, looking confused.
"Bruce said you wanted to see me?" Mari let out a groan, but Luka just chuckled.
"Come in and lock the door, please." Kagami gave her an odd look, but did as asked. If Bruce wanted to play this game, he was going to have to deal with the consequences.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to antagonize him? You don't want him getting Akumatized." She blinked at Luka in confusion for a moment before she realized they had no idea what happened last night.
"Hawkmoth won't be an issue for a couple of days, and he needs to figure out that he's not the parent."
"Why won't he be a problem?" Kagami's voice was mostly anger, but she could tell it was hiding worry.
"Plagg got rid of a few Akumas and said the backlash should knock him out. Maybe he'll let up on the constant stream of stupidity, since he likely has no idea what happened." It would be nice to have breaks in between battles again.
"Do you want to talk about it?" While expected, Luka's question just made her sigh. No, she really didn't.
"I was upset." A massive understatement, but they knew better than to push it. Luka hugged her tighter and Kagami moved closer to start rubbing her lower back. It was nice, until there was a pounding on the door, followed by Sabine's exasperated voice.
"You already went up there once without knocking. What did you expect her to do?" Mari felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out to find a text from Cass:
I think B is going to have a stroke ;)
At least someone saw how funny this was. Granted, she should probably go back down there before Bruce said or did something to really piss off her parents. She could see him trying to lecture them on parenting, and that was a sure way to get kicked out of the house. That or they'd somehow start up the argument about killing again.
"We could just leave from the roof and go to our houseboat. Let nature take its course." Kagami sounded serious, and Mari would admit it was tempting. "You can text Cass and tell her to meet us by the school." So very tempting.
"Better not. I would rather my Maman not kill anyone today. But if things don't get better, we can bail after lunch and say I want to show Cass the school before tomorrow."
"She's going to school with you? That should be interesting." Luka sounded less than enthused.
"The real question is which one is going to go after Lila for insulting the other one?" Kagami was joking, but the thought of Lila going after Cass made her blood boil. She tried anything and her little house of cards was going to get set on fire.
"Hopefully, if she sees that look on Mari's face, she'll be too scared to do anything." She just gave Luka an annoyed glare.
"Given why Alya was Akumatized, I have a feeling she'll have bigger issues than trying anything with us. If she decides to try anyway, it's her funeral." Luka winced.
"You do realize that means you're going to have to deal with Alya right? Are you prepared for that?"
"I'm not sure it's possible to be prepared for something like that. I'll have Cass there, so it will make certain things easier. As for the rest... I'll just have to deal with it as it comes." Nothing about this was going to be easy. More pounding came from the trapdoor. "I'm so tempted to just stay up here longer every time he does that."
"You said you didn't want Sabine killing anyone today, remember?" Luka sounded far too amused.
"I suppose." She trudged over to the door before unlocking it and flinging it open. Bruce was there, ready to knock again. "You are a guest in this house and you're being extremely rude." Her tone was colder than she'd intended and he looked a bit stunned by it. She closed the door again, taking a deep breath. The stress must be getting to her more than she thought. Kagami came over to wrap her in a hug. You wouldn't know it by her attitude most of the time, but Kagami gave the best hugs.
"Everything will be alright, Daarin." The endearment calmed her down more than anything. Given how strict her mother was, Kagami didn't use them, especially not ones that weren't traditional, except with the two of them. She still wasn't comfortable using them when anyone else was around to hear. They'd told her it wasn't necessary, but she seemed determined for some reason. "You know I'm ready to impale anyone who upsets you." She huffed out a laugh.
"Love you too." Kagami tensed for a moment before relaxing. She still wasn't used to hearing that, and hadn't said it to Mari or Luka yet, but they knew. Kagami preferred actions to words, and she showed them constantly how she felt. "Alright, I suppose I'm ready to face the music." Luka rolled his eyes. He really didn't like that saying.
"You are not letting my granddaughter run off into danger!" Gina's voice kept getting louder and Rolland honestly looked like he was about to explode. This was going about as well as Bruce thought, but at least no one had thrown anything at him yet.
"You're right, I'm not. I'm making sure she's protected when she does." They didn't seem to know how to respond to that. "Marinette has been given an extremely heavy burden to bear and there's nothing you or I can do about that. All I can do is train her to the best of my ability and make sure she doesn't have to face anything alone."
"Who was hurt in that altercation with the Joker?" Not the question he expected, and he blinked at Gina for a moment while trying to decide how to answer. It really was Mari's information to share, but he didn't want her to have to go through it again. He pulled out his phone. "It's a simple question."
"It is, but I want to ask Marinette if she's comfortable with me sharing the answer. The Miraculous are her responsibility, and I know there are some things she'd rather share herself, or possibly not share at all." That got a small hum of approval.
~They're asking about some things related to the Miraculous. How much are you comfortable with me sharing?
Mari~Whatever you think is best, but if you don't want to answer, I can answer them later.
The answer he got back from Mari made him frown. She was going back to relying on other people's judgment again, and it was worrisome. In this case though, it was probably best that Gina and Rolland get most of it out of their systems.
"Syd is the fox holder. It was her first time out and she didn't have a solid grasp on her powers. It's one of the reasons I haven't had any of them out on patrol since. Mari has already been beating herself up non stop for the incident, so I'd appreciate you not asking her about it specifically."
"That girl takes too much on herself." Rolland's voice was softer than he'd heard it, and Gina just seemed to wilt.
"She does, and that's something we're trying to work on. It will honestly be a great help for her to not have to lie or be careful around you, which is why we're having this conversation. She's convinced that her lies about her hero work in Paris are what led to her parents abandoning her."
"Them not having faith in the child they raised caused that. There was nothing she could have done to prevent it. I lost my son because of my own stubborn pride. I won't lose my granddaughter." Having had his own issues with his children, Bruce felt for the man.
"What exactly are you asking of us?" Gina sounded so drained. He knew she blamed herself for not being present while everything was happening in Paris. He held up his hands.
"Marinette needs a loving and supportive environment. All I ask is that you try to keep any negative comments to a minimum. I'm trying to build her confidence back up and she takes criticism far too much to heart. I don't mean that you can't express concerns, just try to be gentle about it." They were both nodding along as he spoke, which was a relief. "That's why I wanted to introduce all of this to you first, so that you can get some of the immediate reactions out of the way before you speak to Mari."
"That was probably wise. My brashness has caused enough problems for my Fairy. Is this why you decided to get custody of her?" The question was surprisingly mild. He would have expected suspicion.
"No, though it did make me even more grateful that I did. When I found out her parents were planning on sending her to an institution for criminals the next time she stepped outside the rules they'd put in place, I could not let that happen."
"Excuse me?!" Well, they must not have mentioned that. Gina took to muttering under her breath, but Rolland just looked defeated.
"I should have pushed them more when they said she was too busy to visit. I just didn't want to force her if she didn't want to see me."
"They lied to you?" Mari's voice startled all of them. She was standing in the doorway, looking like her world had just crumbled. Again. When they all just stared at her, she shrunk in on herself. "I didn't mean to interrupt, I just heard yelling and..."
"It's fine Mari, we just weren't expecting you so soon." Bruce kept his voice soft and waved her into the room. She hesitated for a moment, but Rolland looked so heartbroken she ended up moving to hug him. Gina moved to run her fingers through Mari's hair.
"You'll find as you go through life that everyone is a hypocrite at some point, my Fairy. It may only be little things, or it can be almost everything they say and do. Sometimes, it hurts other people, and sometimes themselves. I've yet to meet anyone who escapes from it entirely." Bruce could only wince at Gina's observation.
"I'm sorry. I should have tried harder so they-"
"You did nothing wrong." Rolland pulled back to give Mari a stern look. "Those two tried to mold you into what they wanted instead of letting you become who you are. The second they decided you were bad for their image, they tried to force you back into the box they've been trying to get you in your whole life. The fact that they didn't question the things people were saying about you shows how little they know or care about you as the person you are."
Bruce had to cringe at the bluntness and sent up a prayer that it wouldn't cause Mari to regress again. Did he agree with Rolland? Yes, absolutely. He just didn't think Mari was ready to hear it. For her part, Marinette just frowned at the floor. He had no idea what was going through her mind, but she seemed to be thinking rather than panicking. Gina looked like she wanted to throttle Rolland.
"Who was I supposed to be?" She sounded so small and confused. Gina pulled Mari into a hug.
"You are who you're supposed to be. Parents have a tendency to put all their own wants and fears directly on their children. Think about Adrien. They way Gabriel always tried to mold him into the perfect image for his brand. Tom and Sabine were more subtle about it, certainly, but they did the same to you. You were supposed to be their achievement, but that's not how things work. They were bound to be disappointed because there was no way you would turn out exactly how they wanted. No child would. That's not your fault either. Especially since I'm pretty sure they weren't even certain what they wanted you to be."
"So... they were mad that I didn't turn out the way they wanted, but they didn't know what they wanted instead?" Bruce couldn't tell if her reasoning through this instead of just breaking down was a good thing or not.
"That's basically it. For a long time, they didn't have to think about what they wanted you to be, because you were so talented and smart. Everyone always praised and complemented you. When people started complaining about you, I think it shattered their image of you. The fact that it did proves how little they actually know you, as opposed to what they gain from you."
"So, if people stop complaining about me, they'll love me again?" Gina hugged Mari tighter and went off in a tirade in Italian. As much as that logic was purely Marinette, it was still beyond depressing.
"They don't deserve you." Rolland's voice was firm, and Mari just blinked at him. His expression turned bleak. "No parent deserves a child they're willing to throw away." Mari pulled away from Gina to hug him again. Bruce suddenly felt extremely unnecessary. He managed to get up and make it to the door without anyone really noticing. He thought Gina may have, but wasn't certain.
"Is everything aright?" He should have expected Selina to be lurking, and Damian was right behind her. He was honestly surprised more of them weren't in the hallway. Then again, the rest were probably watching cameras somewhere.
"They just need some time alone."
"Did they agree to the safety protocols?" Damian's voice was demanding, and Bruce sighed.
"We didn't get that far, but I doubt it will be an issue." That produced a scowl. "They aren't going to leave before we discuss everything. Mari needs this." She needed to know that her grandparents weren't going to turn on her just because of the Miraculous.
"Fine." He walked off, and Bruce could only roll his eyes. He had a feeling that Damian's feeling of being responsible for Marinette transferred to her grandparents, too. That or he considered them necessary to keeping her properly safe.
"How did they take everything?" Selina brought him back to the current situation.
"Honestly, better than I would have expected. They're mad at me, of course, but they're mostly worried about Mari. They both feel like they failed her, so she comes by that honestly." Selina was just frowning at the door.
"Tim and Babs think they may have found a meeting place for the upper members of the cult. Still haven't found anything to indicate the League is actually in Gotham, though." Bruce blinked at the subject change, then scowled. There's no way they were funding an organization without oversite. They were definitely trying to stay under the radar. They were going to have to dig deeper.
"From now on, no one leaves the manor alone. Preferably, never without two other people." Given that they were talking about the league, it was better to be over cautions. "We need to get eyes and ears in that warehouse, discreetly."
"They already sent Cass." He let out a breath. That was good. She'd know how to judge where everything would pick up the most. Wait...
"Just Cass?"
"Nooroo and Wayzz went with her." It was still odd to think of the Kwami as backup, but that was his life now. "Bruce, have you thought about having Gina and Rolland stay here until this situation is dealt with?" She really liked subject hopping today.
"If they're here, they're a bigger target. It makes more sense to let them stay where they are so that Talia or whoever she sent doesn't have more of a reason to go after them. I'll make sure they're properly protected, Selina." Her expression softened, and she raised a hand to his cheek.
"I wasn't questioning that. It just... feels wrong to spread out right now. I don't know why." One more thing to ask Mari about. After her insight on Damian, he wasn't about to just let things like this go anymore. If he was lucky, this was just Selina being worried about Syd being out of sight, despite being the one to suggest she go in the first place.
"We'll talk about it with everyone. No point making any decisions without everyone on the same page. We should probably see if Harley and Ivy are planning on stopping by tonight." The last thing they needed was everyone arguing instead of doing their jobs.
"You've changed since Mari came." He frowned at her. "It looks good on you."
When Mari came back the next morning, she was concerned. Just about everyone looked half dead. Except Tim, oddly enough. Poor Damian was just a little ball of rage about to pass out at the table, and Cass fell asleep as soon as she sat down. The others were slightly better at hiding it, but they all had dark circles under their eyes. Chloe hadn't even bothered to try and cover hers with makeup.
"Well, I found the evidence that Mari was nowhere near that train station when Rossi went missing. She was saving Adrien from that mob, and more than a few people's videos of it went viral." Babs sounded disgusted as she rolled into the room.
"Why do you need proof of where I was?" Mari knew her voice sounded scared, but she couldn't help it. Didn't they trust her? She thought things were finally starting to turn around. Babs blinked at her in confusion for a moment.
"I didn't realize you were back. Some people made accusations against you, so we needed to clear your name, that's all."
"Oh." Her chest tightened and Mari could feel tears pricking at the back of her eyes. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that." Why couldn't things just go right for once? Why did she always have to cause problems?
"I'm not." Mari could only blink at her in confusion. "None of us are going to stand by while someone tries to drag your name through the mud."
"Because it makes all of you look bad." It made sense. She was connected to them now, so any rumors were going to affect them. Babs frowned at her.
"No. Because I care about you, and I know you don't deserve it. Trust me, if certain things came out about any of the boys, or even Bruce, I wouldn't lift a finger to help because they brought it on themselves." Mari hoped she was joking but couldn't tell. All the girls were laughing, but Bruce just rolled his eyes, and Dick looked betrayed. The other boys were all somewhere between amused and insulted.
"Thank you?" It was a stupid response, but it was all she could come up with. "But what did you mean about Lila going missing? I thought she just got deported." It seemed like everyone in the room was suddenly scowling at the walls or ceiling. Bruce let out an annoyed sigh.
"Apparently, she never made it there. As far as anyone can tell, she got on the train and was never seen again. We haven't been able to find anything on her since." Mari could only frown at the information.
"Lila never does anything quietly. Something must have happened to her."
"Chloe thought the same. As soon as we know anything, we'll let you know, but we don't have anything to go on right now." That was bad. Lila was bad enough out in the open. Mari didn't even want to think about how much damage she could do if she'd learned subtlety.
"Don't worry, kitten. We won't let anything happen to you." She gave Selina a tense smile, but she couldn't help it. Lila Rossi had been the beginning of the end for her. Knowing that she might be anywhere, doing anything, was enough to release nightmares. Hawkmoth had been bad enough, but he wasn't targeting her specifically. Lila had done everything she could to make Mari's life a living hell, and she wasn't certain she could go through that again. She was starting to spiral when Cass came over to pull her into a hug.
Mari burrowed into her, letting the girl's heartbeat soothe her. Cass was a lot like Luka for her. Both were calm in the torrential rain. Both made her feel like things weren't completely hopeless. Most importantly, both made certain she knew she wasn't alone. No one else seemed to understand it. Just being surrounded by people didn't mean anything. It was far too easy to get lost in a group. She'd never felt more isolated than when she'd been the center of attention. Cass understood that better than any of the others.
"We see you. Nothing will change that." Cass' words were soft enough that she was the only one who would hear them. Mari felt her entire body relax. In their talks, Cass had made her see that her classmates, and even her parents, had a specific picture of her in their heads that had very little to do with her. When that illusion was challenged, they had nothing to fall back on except what they were told. Here, she had a foundation. Here, she was surrounded by people who knew who and what she was, even when she forgot. She felt Tikki hugging her side, and it reminded her that no one could take the Kwami again either. No matter what happened, she'd never be alone again.
"Why does everyone look like the walking dead except Tim?" She had no idea why that came out of her mouth. Tim let out an annoyed 'Hey', and everyone else just chuckled or groaned. Bruce ended up answering.
"Well, Babs was dealing with the lawsuits and getting proof of your whereabouts. The rest were watching the security cameras because the search results on who's funding the cult came back. Adrien and Kagami knocked Tim out before that happened." Tim grumbled and Mari could relate. At least they had gotten the mixture perfected on her before they used it on him, though. The first time, she'd been out for three days. It took her a couple of days to figure it out too, since no one else seemed to notice she was missing.
"So who's funding it?" Dead silence, and Cass started rubbing her back. That couldn't be good.
"The cash flow leads back to the League of Assassins. It at least explains why Damian's connected. I'm putting more protections on your Grandparent's house. While I don't think they'll be a target, anyone connected to us is in possible danger." Bruce's words brought guilt with them. They were in danger because of her. Again. Both of them had been Akumatized because of her actions, but at least that had been fixable. If assassins went after them, there was nothing she could do. "We'll keep them safe, Mari. I'll call in reinforcements if I have to." Selina cleared her throat loudly, and Syd let out an annoyed sigh.
"If you were going to force the issue, I don't know why you texted me in the first place. I'll go if I have to." Mari peeked out from her safe spot to find Syd glaring at Selina until she caught Mari's confused look. "She thinks Trixx and I should stay there while this is resolved. It'll add protection and keep me where she can find me. If we're careful about it, the cult shouldn't know I'm there."
It wasn't a bad idea. At least not if they could make sure no one knew where Syd was. She didn't want to deal with the cult, and she still shouldn't be moving around much anyway. If properly fed, Trixx could keep an illusion over the entire house to make sure no one could find it.
"It... I'd feel better if you were there." Syd gave her a small nod. The way her posture relaxed, Mari had to wonder if she was only protesting for Selina's sake. She'd noticed the woman got antsy anytime Syd agreed to something too fast. "The easiest thing would be using Kaalki to transport you."
"Your grandparents don't know about the Miraculous, do they?" Selina sounded confused, but Mari caught Adrien and Chloe trading looks.
"Grand-pere Rolland doesn't as far as I know, but I'd be surprised if Nonna hasn't guessed some of it. After Jason figured out I was Ladybug, I asked the Kwami and they said that once our Miraculous were taken, the protection was extremely weakened. Something else I wish I'd known when picking temporary holders. But honestly, since they're staying in Gotham, and I have a feeling this isn't the last time something like this will happen, I think it would be best they know the truth. About the Miraculous at least."
The reactions around the room varied. Bruce was frowning and Mari could practically see the pro-con list forming in his head. Selina seemed on board with it, but that wasn't surprising since she and Gina had seemed to hit it off. Everyone else seemed on the fence except Cass. She just waited for Bruce to make eye contact before nodding. He sighed.
"It is your decision. It might be a good idea to send Harley and Ivy as well, if they're willing. They won't be happy if they can't check on Syd, and it'll be another layer of protection." Syd grimaced, but didn't object. She could only take so much smothering. Chloe looked less than thrilled with the plan, Mari assumed, because she wasn't involved.
"I'm okay with that, but it's another reason to tell them about the Miraculous. We can all come and go as we need to." That got Syd and Chloe to relax a bit. "Maybe we should invite them for dinner?"
"That's a great idea. Do you think they'd want to tonight? Your grandfather did just fly in." Mari saw Selina roll her eyes at Bruce's question. Given that they'd been trying to convince her to stay until she, Gustave, and Selina walked out the door, she was fairly certain they'd be fine with it.
"I'll text them to be sure, but I don't think they'll mind." She pulled out her phone to find messages from both her grandparents - she didn't even thing Rolland knew how to text - wanting to make sure she got back to the manor okay. She put them in a group chat and answered before issuing the invitation. "They want to know how early they can come."
"Tell them they're welcome at anytime. It'll give us time to talk before dinner."
"They're on their way." She was hoping they weren't sitting outside the gate, to be honest. She was going to tell them about the Miraculous. She was going to have to tell them about being Ladybug. Mari felt her breathing shorten and Cass pulled her back into a secure hug. They were going to hate her.
"Do you want me to talk to them first to let it sink in before you talk to them?" Bruce's voice was far too close, then his hand was rubbing her upper back gently. She couldn't do that to him, could she? It was her problem. "It'll give them a chance to yell at me for letting you go into danger again."
"It's not your fault." She didn't want them mad at Bruce, but she didn't know how to fix it.
"They're worried about you. Even if they didn't have good reason, and they do, they'd be upset with me. I can handle it. You don't need the stress of their immediate reactions." She wanted so badly to just let him handle it, but it was her problem. Her responsibility. "You'll still have to talk to them about it. It will just give them some time to process before you give them an in-depth explanation."
"Okay." She knew it was still a copout, but she really didn't want to face them when they found out what a failure she was. Alfred walked into the room.
"Mr. and Mrs. Dupain are here." Mari couldn't help but curl further into Cass. Bruce let out a breath.
"Show them into my office, please." This was going to be a disaster.
So, I know I said I wasn’t going to start posting anything new, and this will probably be extremely slow updating like everything else, and is currently depressing as all get out, but I felt the need to write and post it due to something that happened yesterday. I’ll probably wait to start posing it on AO3 until I have a better idea of where it’s going.
Marinette sat crying on a random park bench in Gotham. She wasn't even certain which park, to be honest. She'd been wandering around aimlessly for hours beforehand and had finally just dropped. She'd been in Gotham long enough that she didn't think it odd no one had stopped her in her travels to ask what was wrong, but not quite long enough that it didn't hurt.
It was stupid, she knew, to cry over something so small in the grand scheme of things. It was stupid to get so attached to a creature in such a short time that it would affect her this way. It was ridiculous that she even still had the capacity to feel loss after everything she'd been through, but here she was, crying because she'd had to have a stray cat she'd found the day before put down because of a broken back.
She couldn't even imagine what the poor kitten had been though in its short life to have such a rotten end. She had seemed so relieved when Marinette brought her home. Had even seemed to be getting some life back into her, but the next morning, she wouldn't even try to move. Wouldn't eat or drink. She just laid there while Mari tried tempting her with everything she could think of.
The vet had been sympathetic, but told her in no uncertain terms that the poor thing was beyond help. Anything they could try would only prolong its suffering. Mari had signed the papers they'd given her and given them her credit card. She didn't even really remember what she'd agreed to, but she had the receipt in her purse to look at when she calmed down. Assuming that happened.
She was pulled from her misery by a wet nose pushing into her hands. She blinked to clear away some of the tears, and found a dog staring her in the eyes. It was almost as tall as she was sitting, and she reached out to hug it without thought, starting a new wave of sobbing. The dog just sat there, slowly thumping its tail. When she pulled herself together enough to lean back, she scratched the animal behind the ears. That was when she noticed its tag. It had a name and phone number, but nothing else.
"Well, Titus, we should find your human. Animals don't seem to have the best odds when I'm around." Titus just licked her face in response. Poor creature had no idea how much danger he was in. It had started with her partner and just gone downhill from there. Tikki claimed that animals trusted her enough to be there in their final moments, but Mari thought the tiny god was just trying to cheer her up. Every time an animal sought her out, things ended badly.
Before any more tragedy could strike, Marinette pulled out her phone and dialed the number. She waited, but the person didn't pick up. The voice message was just a computerized voice, repeating the number, but still no name. When it beeped, she tried to talk in a clear voice, but there were a few hiccups and she was certain her voice sounded raw.
"Hello. I found your dog Titus... or he found me. We're in a park... uh, I'm not exactly sure which one. Shoot. I'll try to find the entrance and get a name, or at least a street address, and call back." She felt like such an idiot. Who ever it was probably thought she was a lunatic. Guess she was beginning to fit in here after all.
When she stood, Titus heeled without being told. He was certainly well trained, which begged the question of how he ended up with her in the first place. He looked healthy, and she sent out a little prayer that it was just a fluke he'd found her of all people. She walked in the direction she hoped led out of the park.
"Titus!" The voice sounded young, and Titus's tail wagged excitedly even though he didn't leave her side. Mari changed directions.
"Over here!" It only took a moment for her to hear footsteps, and less than a minute before two people rushed into the clearing. The boy looked to be about twelve or thirteen, and the woman with him seemed close to her age. The boy immediately went to scold the dog, but Mari could feel the woman studying her. She'd hoped the rain would hide her tears, but Mari had a feeling she'd notice even if it did.
"Where did you find him?" Mari blinked at the boy in confusion. His tone was accusing. Did that make sense?
"I was sitting on a bench and he just walked up to me." He looked to be about to explode when the woman made some hand gestures to him. It took her far longer than it should have to realize it was probably sign language.
"Cain says you are telling the truth." He grumbled the words reluctantly. "But it is still suspicious." She couldn't really argue with that. A woman alone in the rain, near dark in Gotham, certainly counted as suspicious. The woman signed again. "She wishes to know why you've been crying." Mari cringed, and it caused a flurry of signing between the two before the boy stormed off. Titus followed obediently, but the woman stayed, and after a moment, offered her hand.
"Cass." It took her far longer than she should have to realize she was introducing herself. She really was tired. But the boy called her Cain, she was sure of it. The confused look she shot at his back brought a few more words. "Damian uses last names." She was very deliberate in her speech.
"Oh, I'm Marinette, uh Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It's nice to meet you?" She didn't mean to make that a question, and she suddenly remembered the woman's outstretched hand. She reached for it just as Cass was pulling back, which led to this being even more awkward. She should not be so bad at normal human interaction. "I'm glad you found your dog, and I'm sorry about the message."
"Message?" Fantastic. They hadn't heard it yet.
"Um... yeah, I called the number on Titus's collar and left a message. Please feel free to delete it without listening to it." The look she got made her realize how suspicious that sounded. They were going to think she was kidnapping the animal or something. "Anyway, I hope you have a good night." She turned to walk away, mentally cursing at herself.
"Wait." Crap. Mari turned her head to look at the woman warily. Cass reached a hand out like she was going to touch her face, but stopped short. "Pain." She wanted to say more, Mari could see it.
"You have trouble finding the right words too?" She just got a nod, but had a feeling it was far more than that. "I'm fine, really." The frown Cass gave her said she wasn't buying it. Not that she should, but Mari had to wonder how she'd managed to find someone in Gotham who actually seemed to give a shit about a stranger they had no reason to. Cass stepped closer.
"Not okay." Mari felt a laugh bubble up, but it turned into a sob before it even made it out of her body. And once she started, she couldn't stop. At some point, the other woman pulled her into a hug and she just clung to her for dear life. It was nice to have someone to lean on for once.
"You shouldn't encourage such ridiculous behavior. It's unseemly." Damian's judgmental tone caused Mari to burrow in deeper, and Cass tightened her grip.
"Go home." The boy scoffed.
"You're the one holding us up with this disgraceful display." Something close to a growl came out of the woman.
"You. Go home. Now." It wouldn't be until much later that Mari realized Cass was talking to him so she didn't have to let go of the inconsolable wreck she'd turned into. She heard a huff before the boy stormed away.
"He shouldn't be by himself this late." She had enough sense to realize leaving a boy to make his way home alone was a bad idea. Barely.
"He won't be." She hoped she didn't mean Titus, but couldn't bring herself to ask. It had been so long since anyone had just held her that she wanted to stay here, just for a minute. At least, that's what she told herself. "I'll take you home."
"You don't have to do that. I'll be fine." The fact that she was still clinging to the woman called her a liar, but it was also best to be cautious with strangers. As nice as Cass had been, Mari had no way of knowing if it would continue, and letting her know where her apartment was could turn out very badly. She didn't think it would, but she wasn't certain she should take that chance.
"Not fine." She braced herself to pull away, but she felt Tikki pinch at her side. Well, if the Kwami thought it was okay...
"Alright." Cass pulled back slightly to pull out her phone and handed it to Mari with the GPS up. She put in her address and Cass scowled when she saw it.
"Across town." Mari wasn't certain if her tone was annoyance or concern.
"Is it? I guess I went farther than I thought. You don't have to worry about it if it's too much of a hassle. I'm sure I can get back on my own." Cass didn't answer, just took her hand and tugged her along the path. Mari was too drained to question it. She led her to a car and Mari finally dug her heels in to stop. She was certain it was more expensive than a year's lease on her apartment. "I'm soaking wet. I don't want to ruin your interior."
Cass gave her a strange look, before ignoring her and gently shoving her in the passenger seat. She tried to make herself as small as possible, but knew it wouldn't do any good. Cass got in and reached over to secure Mari's seatbelt, before buckling hers. She felt her face heat and wasn't certain how much of it was embarrassment, and how much was because someone was actually showing concern for her wellbeing. It was nice.
When Cass pulled into traffic, she wasn't prepared. She was certain it was illegal to be going that fast, and the way she weaved in and out of the other cars was making her nauseous. She didn't want to complain, so she just closed her eyes and prayed they didn't get in an accident. Cass must have noticed because she reached over and took one of her hands. Mari still didn't open her eyes until Cass stopped and turned the car off. It didn't take nearly as long as it should have.
"Thank you for the ride." Mari didn't move to get out and realized she was still clinging to the other woman's hand. She couldn't force herself to let go, though. Cass didn't seem to mind, but Mari knew this wasn't how she'd planned on spending her evening. "I, um... I hope to see you again sometime." She cringed mentally. Smooth Mari, really smooth. Cass handed Mari her phone again, this time with a new contact pulled up. She entered her information without second guessing herself. After she handed it back, Cass typed something, and Mari felt her phone vibrate in her purse. "Thank you."
Mari knew the words weren't adequate. She moved to get out of the car and hoped she didn't imagine Cass' reluctance to let her go. She waved when she reached the front entrance and Cass waved back. Once she got inside, she leaned heavily against the wall, dreading climbing the six stories to her apartment. The elevator in this place had been broken when she moved in for who knows how long and showed no signs of being fixed. So she trudged toward the stairs.
The climb gave her time to think. Too much time. Going over everything that happened in her head made her more and more embarrassed. By the time she got to her apartment, she wanted to disappear. She'd cried on a complete stranger about a cat who she hadn't even had for twenty-four hours. She went out to the balcony to avoid her living room, and was surprised to see Cass still there, leaning against her car. Mari waved sheepishly, but Cass waved back before getting in and driving off. She wasn't certain what the tightness in her chest was for.
She made her way back inside and to her kitchen, careful not to let her eyes wander. She grabbed four bottles of water, knowing she had to be dehydrated by this point. When she was headed to the bedroom, her eyes landed on the couch and she stopped cold. Right in the middle was the blanket she'd made for the kitten. She picked it up with a trembling hand before dropping onto the couch, sobbing again. The Kwami all cuddled against her. She ended up crying herself to sleep.
———————————————————-
Plagg watched over the Guardian, as the others all slept with her, so he was the only one to see the vigilante make an appearance on the balcony. He watched her inner struggle as she reached for the door and stopped herself. She ended up pressing her head to the glass before taking off to another building. Interesting.
"So how many times have you been thrown out of schools exactly?" Izzy seemed to be taking this whole thing fairly well, but Lila hesitated.
"Twenty-six." Sabine's eyes widened at the number, but Izzy laughed.
"We're definitely related." At Lila's confused look, Izzy kept going. "I've been thrown out of just about every boarding school in the US and five in Europe. Of course, mine were because of grades more than anything else."
"But you're smart."
"That really doesn't matter when you refuse to do anything but doodle on tests and homework. It was my form of willful disobedience for my grandparents pulling me out of the public school I was in. Not the brightest thing to do, but I was hurting and extremely pissed off about being pulled out of what was left of my life." She frowned at the ceiling. "If not for Aunt Penny, I probably would have done worse."
"Who?" Lila's question made Izzy's eyes light up.
"That's right, you only met her a couple of times when you were really little. She'll be so happy when she hears you're alive. She's Dad's sister. Well, adopted sister, but that's beside the point. I'll text her to see when she's going to be in Paris next."
"That wouldn't happen to be Penny Rolling, would it?" Lila almost choked at the question, but Sabine sounded amused.
"Yes actually, do you know her?" Lila heard laughter and turned to see Chloe and Marinette on the stairs.
"I guess you are actually connected to Jagged Stone, Rossi." Chloe's tone was dry. Lila groaned.
"Alya can't find out about this. It'll just make her more determined to believe I was telling the truth all along." Wait... Jagged and Penny both loved Mari. "She's going to hate me." Izzy just looked confused, but Sabine rolled her eyes.
"No, she won't. You're family, and it's not like you were purposely trying to cause harm."
"Jagged Stone loves Mari just as much as he does Ladybug. There's no way they're going to be okay with me."
"Wait, your daughter is the little designer Penny told me about?" Great, even Izzy knew about Mari's talent. She'd be lucky if Penny even acknowledged her, let alone wanted anything to do with her. Sabine nodded with a proud smile.
"They don't need to know what happened, and it was all a big misunderstanding anyway." Chloe scoffed at Mari's declaration, and Lila just wanted to bash her head into a wall. Mari was the only one who could possibly consider what happened a misunderstanding. Even Izzy was looking at the girl like she had a screw loose.
"I'll talk to Penny and explain things. It will be fine, I promise." Izzy's words should have been comforting, but Lila just felt sick. The fact that she had to be explained to a relation didn't say much for her. "Why don't we head out to get your stuff? We'll worry about the rest when it happens."
"I suppose." Izzy frowned at her and Lila had a feeling she knew that she'd be worrying about it, regardless. When she stood, she pulled Lila with her before turning to Sabine.
"We'll be back later, but I'll probably take Riley out for dinner after we're done, so it won't be quick." The woman just smiled at them.
"Of course. Have fun." The smile Izzy wore worried her. It was more manic than anything else.
——————————————————————
"You're not going to tell me what happened, are you?" Lila had come back into the lobby to find the staff cowering behind their desks while Izzy glared at them from near the doors. She'd rushed her out to the car before Lila could say anything.
"It's nothing you need to worry about." She got into the backseat as the driver held the door. She hadn't expected it, but it made sense that Izzy had a driver. Especially in a place she didn't know well. It still felt weird, especially with the man eyeing them like he expected an explosion. Whatever happened, it must have been loud enough for him to hear it. "You just need to worry about where you want to go to eat after we get you a camera and a new laptop just in case she can track that as well."
"I've been through everything on there and haven't found anything suspicious, but most of my stuff is backed up so it's not a big deal either way." She didn't mention that she hadn't stored anything she considered important on anything but flash drives and SD cards she could hide easily in years.
"I'll keep your old one with me just like your phone, so you'll be able to get whatever you need from it. I just don't want to risk her finding you."
"You really don't need to buy me a new one. I'm sure I can use Marinette's or go to a library if I have to for anything while you get things figured out." Izzy sighed.
"It's not about what you can work with. I want to get you whatever you need or want so that you don't have to go without anymore. Just let me try to assuage my guilt, please." The last part sounded almost desperate, so Lila dropped it. She wasn't certain how to feel about someone spending so much on her, but if it made Izzy feel better it seemed like it would be okay. "You're thinking too hard again. I can see it."
"Is there something wrong with me?" She winced as soon as the words came out. The question had been floating around in her head as long as she could remember, but she hadn't meant for it to come out.
"Why do you think something is wrong with you?" Izzy's tone was off.
"I... I don't understand things I should. Even when I was little, I acted differently from how everyone thought I should."
"Being different doesn't mean something's wrong with you. You see and relate to the world in a way most people don't." Lila could only frown at her. That certainly sounded like something was wrong. Izzy sighed. "Riley, everyone sees the world differently. I see it in terms of how much I can piss off my grandparents. Your friend Marinette sees it in terms of design. Mine is certainly less healthy, but that doesn't make either inherently wrong."
"How do I see it?" It was a stupid question. How was Izzy supposed to know that?
"Why and how." Izzy's words sounded like a statement, not a question, and that just confused Lila more. "You look at everything around you and ask why and how it works. You ask why things are the way they are. You ask how things can be different. It's against your nature to just accept things at face value. It's why it never even occurred to you that lying to those nitwits would backfire."
That was... an interesting theory. It seemed true to a point, but if she wasn't affected by something, or wasn't interested in it, she ignored it. If it became an issue, she'd research it. It was why she'd read so many books on psychology to try to understand the way her mother was with her. It hadn't helped at all, but she did try.
"Would it be easier if I just accepted things?" Izzy frowned at her.
"Easier for who? No, never mind. First, you would go insane if you didn't pick things apart. Second, giving other people the advantage like that is a terrible idea. If you don't look past the surface, it can be dangerous. Look at our father." Lila blinked in confusion at the tone.
"You blame him?"
"I don't want to influence your opinion of him, but all he had to do was look into her actions, or what she was doing with his money. He never did. Misplaced trust is the quickest way to get hurt. Look at Marinette." Lila tried to remember anything from the time before her father died, but there wasn't much.
"I don't remember him spending time with me. I do remember you arguing with him. He always said you were too cynical." Izzy winced.
"He was of the opinion that I didn't like your mother because I was jealous of the time he spent with her, and nothing I said would get him to think otherwise. I think he tried to not spend individual time with you because he thought it would make me angry. If I'd realized that at the time, I would have tried to do something about it."
She didn't know how to respond to that, but luckily they made it to the electronics store. Maybe she could come up with something if she had time to process. The store wasn't bad. She found a nice camera, and Izzy insisted on buying extra lenses for it too. Their computer selection wasn't great, but they had the components to upgrade or build yourself. Lila protested, but Izzy said buying everything she needed to build a desktop would let her get what she wanted (even though Izzy seemed set on getting the most recent and powerful components) and it would give her something to do while she had to hide at Mari's house. Besides, she shouldn't need a laptop until her mother was dealt with and they could get her a new one then. Lila didn't really think she needed two, let alone three, computers, but Izzy seemed so excited about it.
When they finally left, Izzy asked her if she'd figured out where she wanted to eat. Lila mentioned a cafe nearby she wanted to try, just to make sure they didn't end up in some high scale restaurant. She really didn't want to be stared at because they weren't wearing the right clothes, and she'd heard good things about the cafe.
"Lila!" How could her luck possibly be this bad? "Why haven't you been at school?" Seriously? She turned to look at Alya and Nino walking towards her. Alya's older sister was sitting at a table nearby. Fantastic.
"She's transferring to a different one." Alya glared at Izzy and Lila didn't even want to know what was going through her mind. Izzy, on the other hand, seemed to just dismiss the girl.
"Who are you?" The demanding tone just got an eye roll, and Lila could practically see the steam building in Alya's head. She really didn't want to deal with her being Akumatized again.
"Izzy's my sister. If you don't mind, we'd really like to eat in peace." She didn't know where the words came from, or the cold tone, for that matter. Izzy wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. Alya and Nino both just seemed stunned. She tried to walk away before Alya found her voice, but she didn't manage it.
"You don't need to transfer. Whatever Marinette threatened you with, we can help." Lila could only groan and bury her head in Izzy's side. It shouldn't be possible for someone to be this stubborn about something so stupid.
"Oh, you're that classmate." Alya bristled at Izzy's tone but didn't have time to respond. "Look, you really need to drop this. I don't hold out any hope you'll listen to reason, but if you don't stop this nonsense, I'll be sure to get restraining orders for both my sister and Marinette. They don't need all this stress."
"I'm trying to help her." Alya's indignant tone caused Izzy to pinch the bridge of her nose.
"No, you're not. You're trying to prove to yourself that you were right to believe Riley, and that your opinion of Marinette is justified."
"Who's Riley?" Yeah, this was just going to make things more complicated.
"I am. My mother changed my name a long time ago, but I prefer Izzy use the name I was born with." They didn't seem to know what to do with that.
"Why would she change your name?" Nino at least just sounded confused. Lila wished she had an answer for him, but she didn't actually have a clue what her mother's reasoning was.
"It doesn't matter. And it's really not the point." Even Lila could hear how drained she sounded. "I made a huge mistake lying to you all and assuming you'd call me on it, and I own that. But you need to stop blaming Marinette, of all people, for my bad behavior and your ignorance." She only just noticed that Alya's sister had walked over, and she seemed extremely confused.
"What happened with Mari? You never said anything."
"She's been bullying Lila ever since she transferred."
"Marinette? Tiny ball of sunshine that wouldn't stand up for herself over anything, but always helped and stood up for her friends? That Marinette?" Oh thank god, someone else could see the insanity. Alya blinked at her for a moment, as if trying to get her brain to reset.
"She's jealous because Adrien likes Lila more than her." That just got another frown, and Lila fought not to gag at the thought.
"That doesn't sound like her. Didn't she help the model when he wanted to date someone?" That definitely sounded like Mari, but Lila hadn't heard about it. Must have been before she came or while she was out of school.
"That's not the same." She actually stomped her foot when she said it. Rather than responding to her, her sister turned to Lila.
"Was Marinette bullying you?"
"No. I lied, and she called me on it. That was it." Well, that was all Mari did, at least. Alya looked like she was going to argue, but her sister shot her a look and her mouth clamped shut.
"Why don't you two go back and sit down?" Alya pouted, but she and Nino did go back to the table. "I'm Nora." She held out a hand and Lila just blinked at it. Izzy shook it instead.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Izzy, and this is my sister Riley, er, Lila. Have you decided what you want other people to call you by chance?" Lila just shrugged. Nora just seemed to roll with it.
"Did I hear something about restraining orders?" Lila cringed, but Izzy just sighed.
"Look, I know that Riley isn't innocent in all this, but your sister is blatantly refusing to believe she was wrong about her. She's already attacked Marinette once with some of their other classmates and I'm not about to risk it again. That girl has dealt with enough because of this nonsense."
"They did what!?" More than a few patrons side eyed them at Nora shout. "Do you have proof of that?"
"There's a video if you'd like to see it, but as I said, right now, everyone just wants to be done with this. Marinette doesn't want to get anyone in trouble, but neither her mother nor I are going to let this continue. If you can just get your sister to calm down and back off, it would solve a lot of problems. Marinette and Lila are both transferring to a different school and that should be the end of this."
"Mari's transferring over this?" Nora ran a hand down her face. "Alya doesn't do calm, but I'll talk to her and our parents. My mom's been trying to get her to agree to therapy for all the hero chasing she does, but I'll back her up this time. If what you're saying is true, she needs it more than I thought. I would like to see that video though, no offense." Izzy just pulled out her phone. When she'd asked for the video while they were talking earlier, Lila hadn't thought much of it. She certainly hadn't expected to need it so soon.
"Of course." She handed the phone to Nora and Lila just waited. She seemed far too calm, but she developed a twitch in her right cheek as she watched. When she handed the phone back, her expression was blank.
"Thank you. You can tell Madam Cheng that Alya won't be bothering her daughter again."
"I'm sorry." It took her a second for Lila to realize the words came from her. She'd been thinking them since this conversation started, but she hadn't meant to say them. Nora cocked her head in confusion. "None of this would have happened if not for me."
"Alya is old enough to make her own decisions. Regardless of what you told her, her actions were her own and completely unacceptable. Her being so suggestible is another thing we're going to have to address. Thank you for bringing this to our attention." She sounded grim, and Izzy frowned at her.
"You don't seem surprised."
"Tempers run in our family. It's why we've all been Akumatized except mom. My outlet is sports, and we thought Alya's was her blog and running after the heroes. I'm not surprised that this happened, but I can believe she'd do that to Mari, especially after everything she’s done for her."
"Maybe being Akumatized has something to do with." Yet another thought that she didn't expect to come out of her mouth. Nora frowned at her. "It's just that everyone in the class has been Akumatized, except Marinette and Adrien, and they're the only two that know I was lying. Well, Adrien knew because Ladybug called me out in front of him, so maybe not. But maybe being taken over like that leaves people vulnerable to suggestion. It would explain why he tends to go after the same people so much if he basically leaves a door open." Now they were both frowning at her. Nora ended up letting out a bark of laughter.
"Thanks for that thought, kid. Because I didn't have enough to be worried about." Lila opened her mouth to apologize, but Nora put a hand on her shoulder. "It's fine. You might even be right, so that's one more reason to get Alya, and all of us honestly, into therapy. I'll let you get on with your meal." She watched as Nora grabbed Alya and practically dragged her outside, Nino jogging behind to keep up. She looked back at Izzy to find her still frowning at her.
"Is that what you really think is happening?"
"It makes sense logically, but given we're dealing with magic, I don't know. It may just be that he has a limited range or something else entirely as well. I don't have enough information to be certain." Izzy was still frowning at her, but eventually shook her head as if trying to get rid of a thought.
"We'll talk more about this later, but we do need to eat." Lila wasn't certain what else there was to talk about, but she just nodded. "Please tell you you've gotten over your 'I only eat green food' phase."
So I’ve been insanely inactive, which I’m sorry for. I believe I mentioned that I got an apprenticeship through work, so I’m working full time and going to school. When I’m not doing either of those things it’s hard to work up the energy to focus on a specific writing project. I am still plugging away at everything, and about five other stories I’ve started and haven’t posted because I don’t want to get anyone excited about more stories that will have a terrible update schedule (or rather no update schedule). I’m starting to get a little better at working on something everyday, and hopefully that lasts. But rest assured I am still alive and I haven’t abandoned any fics.
Now, to all the writers out there who are looking for inspiration, or just a jumping off point to get going, I have a suggestion. I’ve been trying out using tarot decks to jumpstart my brain and it’s not bad. I think I’ve got about 25 different decks of tarot/oracle cards now to pick from depending on my mood or what I want to work on. In the process of buying these, I found one that honestly feels tailor made for writers, even though that’s absolutely not it’s main purpose.
https://mysticmandy.com/ehpublishing/uypl/
It’s called Uncover Your Past Lives Oracle Cards, created by Mandy Peterson. It’s almost straight character creation prompts. It’s amazing. Now she mentions on her webpage that there are a lot of counterfeit decks, which don’t come with the manual on how you’re supposed to read the cards, so if you actually want to know how their supposed to be used, be careful that you find one with a physical manual, not a pdf, because you may not be able to get it at all, not to mention, you want your money to actually go to the person who made it. Either way, if you like to work off prompts, you should check it out to see if you think it will be useful for you.
In case you weren't aware, a lot of these questions you're being asked (while not necessarily bad) are most likely copypasta'd questions since a lot of popular tumblr critics of mlb have gotten the exact same questions recently.
If you start to see a lot of anon questions on your opinion of the show and it's writing that's probably why. Or if it's a real person they get around this fandom big time...
I mean, most of the actual questions I get are from anons, and it's not like my inbox is flooded, so either way it doesn't bother me. However they must be bored if I'm considered a 'popular' mlb critic lol.
~Dess
Random Writings @dessarious - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
