It's been speculated that the miraculous items in Master Fu's box aren't the only ones out there. But we've only seen mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects so far (Ladybug, Fox, Bee, Cat, Turtle, Peacock, Moth/Butterfly...), but no aquatic creatures. Besides, Akumatized victims can only be land-bound for so long. So, I thought, rather than a straight animal, how about a mythical water being like a mermaid? Like the idea?
So here's how it goes down: a new student from New Orleans, Louisiana, is a champion swimmer and often has dreams of being a mermaid. When she comes across a seashell choker in an odd-looking box, she meets Finni, the kwami of the Mermaid Miraculous!
Now, when Master Fu gets wind of this through Wayzz, he's surprised because the Mermaid Miraculous had long been thought to have permanently vanished.
Features "Part Of Your World" from "The Little Mermaid" - in fact, many songs from that franchise will be included.
*Now, I'm taking some artistic license here as far as the laws and the River Seine goes - my research revealed that the river isn't the cleanest in the world, so swimming isn't really a good idea. In fact, it's banned in real-life Paris with a 15-euro fine.*
A beautiful scene of blue and sunlight coming up from the sky. Bubbles rose up from below, and then one could hear feminine laughter and giggles. Out of nowhere, a silhouette of a person with a large tail fin appeared, and the person had long hair. It was clearly a girl, and she was giggling while twirling and dancing in the water.
*BEEP BEEP BEEP*
"Mm..." A girl sat up in her bed, as the dream stopped. She brushed her hair out of her face, and turned off the alarm clock. Her hair was revealed to be back-length and red, and her eyes were a beautiful sea-foam green.
Her room was revealed to be mainly sea-foam green and blue, with a major ocean theme to it; not a boat, but rather seashells and wildlife of the ocean. She had a trophy case with many trophies for swimming meets and competitions.
She got out of her bed, and put on her clothes, also in the same theme color.
'I dreamed it again... It's been happening for weeks now.' She thought, as she looked at a photograph.
It was a picture of her when she was younger, a woman that had blond hair and brown eyes, and an older man with the same hair and eyes as the girl.
"Don't worry, papa," She said aloud. "I'll make sure your legacy stays alive."
She went downstairs and saw her mother in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Rochelle." She said.
"Hi, Mom," Rochelle said, as she sat down for breakfast. "...I had it again."
Her mother looked at her, and asked Rochelle, "The dream about you being a mermaid again?"
"It's been three weeks since it started," Rochelle said. "Why is this happening?"
"I don't know," Rochelle's mother said, as she also sat down. "But your father always said that the water was always a part of him; being his daughter, the water is a part of you, too."
"Well, I never dreamed you would get transferred to Paris, France for work," Rochelle said, as she looked around the house. "But I hear that it's a pretty exciting town."
"Especially with Ladybug and Cat Noir protecting Paris all the time; I hear that Ladybug's power reverses any and all collateral damage that happens, so at least Paris stays intact." Rochelle's mother said, smiling.
"Sometimes I really envy them. Without Ladybug and Cat Noir, I don't know how many people could have been hurt or what. I wonder what it would be like to join them."
Rochelle's mother smiled a little bit, and said, "It's a weekend; why not explore Paris a bit? You might even find a swim team to join!"
Rochelle smiled and nodded. After she ate breakfast, Rochelle grabbed her purse - a sea blue seashell-shaped bag - and left the house. She wanted to go and explore her new home.
As Rochelle was walking around, she saw posters and paraphernalia about Ladybug and Cat Noir. She saw people going crazy over the merchandise. Looking into a store, she placed her hand against the window and she sighed as she looked at an action figure of Ladybug.
She wanted to join them, and she wanted to make a difference, too. She just wish she knew how.
However, Rochelle shook off the thoughts; she had heard rumors that if one was feeling really upset, that they would become akumatized and wreak havoc on Paris.
After Rochelle tore herself away from the shop, she walked around town some more. She found herself in front of the Dupain-Cheng bakery for a few seconds, and then she moved on.
Rochelle then came across the Bourgeois Hotel; hearing some screams from inside, Rochelle cringed back and started to walk away. She was wondering what the heck she was going to do about a swim team.
Fluent in French on all fronts, Rochelle found fliers about all local swim teams trying to find new swimmers, but they did not have any openings at the moment. Rochelle sighed; she had a hunch that something like that would happen.
'No swim team spots available. I can't kill time with that, then. So what can I do until there is an opening on a swim team?' Rochelle thought, as she kept walking around.
She found herself in front of an athletic complex with a pool inside; she smiled and rolled her eyes, knowing how typical it was for her to wind up near a body of water whether she wanted to or not. She walked inside, and went into the locker rooms to change. She always had a swimsuit, towel, and a change of clothes on hand in case she wound up going swimming somewhere.
In her bikini, Rochelle just did laps in the long pool, practicing her swimming, since she had nothing better to do. Looking around, a lot of the people were wearing swim gear that had either a ladybug or a black cat theme; in fact, it seemed like a lot of fashion was about Ladybug and Cat Noir around town.
Rochelle even hear rumors around the city that even the mayor's daughter, Chloe Bourgeois, was a fan to the point that she would dress up as Ladybug and go LARP-ing around her house.
Seeing how everyone adored the superheroes, Rochelle merely soaked in the water, knowing that she envied the two heroes. Looking up to the ceiling, she wondered how she would be able to help.
"There's Ladybug, isn't she neat? Cat Noir, too, makes the duo complete," Rochelle began to sing. "Those two have the world. The world they save, quite daily."
Rochelle then dove underwater and swam around a bit, making like a mermaid. She then surfaced after doing a few water tricks.
"They've saved Paris, time and again. To be honest, I quite envy them. Looking at them, one would think, 'They're the best at everything'." Rochelle sang once again.
"Ladybug's Lucky Charm is quite handy. Cataclysm is so useful, too. Any other powers? Not that I see... But who cares? No big deal... But no more..." Rochelle sang, before diving under the water again.
Her imagination ran wild as she swam. She turned into a mermaid with a beautiful Bleu de France fin and she had a periwinkle seashell bra.
"I wanna be, where both of them are. I wanna help, help them with Hawkmoth. I want my own... What are they called? Miraculous, right." Rochelle sang, as she leaped out of the water, with her imagination.
"Running on legs, they won't get that far; fins are required for swimming, propulsion, long distance travels and most importantly - speed!" Rochelle sang, as her imagination stopped.
"I want to help! I want to fight! I want to help them do what is right! Swimming so free! Just want to be, part of their team." Rochelle sang, as she surfaced and got a gulp of air.
"What would I give, to have a miraculous of my own? What would I pay, to have a kwami or whatever!" Rochelle sang, as she laid on her back in the water. "Betcha one day, Hawkmoth will say 'time for akumas to take to the water'."
She once again dove underneath the water to continue her water dancing.
"One great swimmer! I'll be a winner! Ready to fight!" Rochelle sang, as she rose up out of the water once again. "And I'm ready to help Paris stay standing! Wanna keep Ladybug and Cat Noir strong. Gonna make things stay right all along..."
As she got out of the pool, she lifted her head and sang aloud, "Is it so wrong? Wouldn't I love! Love to help Cat Noir and Ladybug?"
She looked out the window.
"Saving Pari... Just want to be... Part of their... Team." Rochelle sang, as she sighed sadly.
Rochelle soon decided to wrap up her swim practice for the day; she wanted to make sure that she did not get too upset for risk of being akumatized. Sure, she wanted to join Ladybug and Cat Noir on their adventures, but she was not about to let that turn her into a villain.
The next day was Rochelle's first day at school.
"Everyone," Madame Bustier said, at the beginning of the day. "We have a new friend joining us today. From the Crescent City of New Orleans, Louisiana, we have Rochelle."
"Hello," Rochelle said, in perfect French. "I hope to get along with everyone here."
"New Orleans? Hah! Nothing good ever comes out of Americans." A girl with blue eyes, blond hair in a ponytail, wearing a stripped shirt and yellow jacket, and sunglasses atop her head said.
"Chloe, I don't think..." The girl next to her, with red hair and glasses said, a bit meekly.
Hearing this, Rochelle approached and slammed her hand on the girls' part of the desk.
"I don't take well to people who are just plain mean and racist - I can already tell that's the kind of girl you are. Unless you have nice things to say to me, I suggest keeping your mouth shut - no one likes hearing garbage coming out of the mouth of some brat." Rochelle said, right to Chloe's face.
Chloe was rendered speechless at this statement. Rochelle sighed to herself; she knew she was forward and had a tendency to be pretty blunt right out of the gate.
Rochelle just decided to keep away from Chloe and Sabrina and to get a seat as far away from them as possible.
As she walked up the stairs, she made eye contact with a girl - she was wearing a white shirt with a pink flower, pink pants, a grey jacket, and had a pink bag with a floral design on it. She had blue eyes, and bluish-black hair tied into pigtails that hung low. Next to her was a darker-skinned girl with dark hair that had lighter colors on the end; she was wearing a plaid shirt, had glasses and hazel eyes, and had a beauty mark above her eyebrow.
"You can sit with us," The blue-haired girl said. "We have a seat open right here."
"Thank you." Rochelle said, as she sat next to the girl.
"I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng." She blue-haired girl, named Marinette said.
"My name's Alya Cesaire," The girl with glasses said. "It's nice to meet you, Rochelle."
"Thanks," Rochelle said. "I know I can be pretty forward and a bit much at times..."
"Are you kidding?" A boy with glasses, wearing a cap, and a blue shirt said; he was sitting next to a boy with green eyes and blond hair. "No one's stood up to Chloe Bourgeois like that. Her dad's the mayor, so she thinks she can get away with everything and get whatever she wants."
"She nothing but a cruel bully to everyone except Adrien here," Alya said, gesturing to the blonde. "You're one of those people who just doesn't hold back, aren't you?"
"In a few words... I don't mince words with anyone - I try to hold back when necessary, though." Rochelle said.
"Either way, that was impressive, girl; my name's Nino Lahiffe, by the way." Nino said, introducing himself. He was sitting next to a boy with blond hair and green eyes.
"Thank you, and it's nice to meet you too, Nino." Rochelle said, as she smiled; she was beginning to feel comfortable in her new school already.
When Rochelle got home later that afternoon, she was sitting on her bed, reading the Ladyblog's articles and watching the videos. She was hoping to find some hope or clue about how one could be a member of the team.
She gave up at some point and made to stand up, only for her to hit her head on the shelf above her. Rubbing her head, Rochelle saw an octagonal black box fall onto the bed.
"What in the name of the Dead Sea...?" Rochelle said, as she took the box into her hand and she opened it.
It revealed a bead chocker that had several colors of blue weaving through it in the design. The chocker had a stone in the shape of a scallop shell in sandy-pink hanging from the center.
However, it started glowing in sea foam green and as Rochelle covered her eyes, out from the box came a small creature. She was small enough to fit into Rochelle's hands, was also sea foam green, had a fish tail, and large, green eyes. She also had arms that were tiny and resembled fish fins.
Looking at her surroundings, and then making eye contact with Rochelle, the creature smiled.
"Hello! I'm Finni!" The creature spoke. "I'm a kwami!"
Rochelle was speechless, and on the verge of screaming from surprise. Looking to the choker and back to the kwami, Rochelle grew a facial expression of great confusion.
"What's your name?" Finni asked, as she started to fly around Rochelle.
"R-Rochelle..." She said, as she was still struggling to find her voice to speak.
"It's nice to meet you, Rochelle! So, looks like you're my new human partner." Finni spoke, as she landed next to the box.
"..." Rochelle failed to speak, as she was completely confused.
Finni, not sure what to do to break the ice, started to look around Rochelle's bedroom, and saw all of the trophies that she had won.
"Wow! A champion swimmer?! That's amazing! Most of the humans I've ever paired up with either can't swim, are scared to, or aren't very good! But a champion swimmer?! This is perfect!" Finni said, as she flew back over to Rochelle. "This is going to be great! We'll be an amazing team!"
"I'm still not sure what's going on..." Rochelle said.
Looking to the computer, Finni saw the Ladyblog.
"Looks like Tikki has found a new partner," Finni said. "The Ladybug Miraculous seems to be in good hands."
"What in the...?!" Rochelle said. "Who's Tikki?"
"She's a kwami, too; she's the kwami of the Ladybug Miraculous. There are several other Miraculous items in the world, all either lying dormant or in use. Each miraculous item has a kwami with it, and it takes both items to become a superhero." Finni explained.
Rochelle's eyes widened and said, "So that's how Ladybug and Cat Noir get their powers? Through the jewelry they wear?"
"Sure do! But..." Finni began, as she looked at the calendar. "It's been over eight-hundred years since I've been active."
"What?! Eight hundred?!" Rochelle shouted, in surprise. "You're that old?!"
"Older, actually; all kwamis are immortal, and we've been around since the dawn of time." Finni explained. "Now that the two of us are acquainted... How about you put on that choker?"
Rochelle did as asked; as she put on the choker, she looked in the mirror, and saw that it was beautiful.
"So... What now?" Rochelle asked.
"Rochelle? What's going on up there?" Her mother shouted.
"Just..." Rochelle began, but she hesitated to answer. Finni nodded, and they agreed to tell her mom.
"...So that's what's going on?" Rochelle's mother asked.
"...I can understand if you don't believe me; lawyers like you are pretty down-to-earth and realistic." Rochelle said, as she sighed.
"Oh no, I believe you." Rochelle's mother said.
"You do, Marissa?" Finni asked, confirming Rochelle's mother's name to be Marissa.
"Seeing a little cutie like Finni here makes it hard for me to be a skeptic," Marissa said. "But to think that this is the first time in over eight hundred years that she's been awake... That's quite a nap."
"Tell me about it," Finni said. "But what I don't understand is how I wound up in this building."
"It's been nearly a millennium since you've been active, Finni," Rochelle said. "Maybe the box just changed locations after scuffle after war after massacre and just wound up here somehow."
"That makes sense," Marissa said. "But I would never imagine that the box contained something this magical inside."
"Me neither," Rochelle said. "So what now?"
"I just give you a crash course in being a miraculous holder!" Finni said, as she flew to the front door. "Come on, Rochelle! We need to find the closest thing to a private pool we can get!"
Rochelle looked to her mother; she nodded, and Rochelle followed Finni out the door.
However, Marissa looked to a photo of the family when her husband was around. She said, "If only I had told her sooner... That choker was meant for her all this time..."
As Finni hid underneath Rochelle's hair, they made it to the banks of the River Seine and tried to find a private spot to hide; looking around, Rochelle saw no one.
"Okay, we're in the clear; what's next?" Rochelle asked.
"Repeat after me: 'Finni, gills on!'" Finni said.
Rochelle took a deep breath, clutched the shell on her choker and said, "Finni, gills on!"
The shell turned from sandy pink to sea foam green. Finni then entered the shell on the choker. With a look of awe and surprise on her face, Rochelle's clothes disappeared in a wave of light.
Her body was given a bleu de France body suit that had scales sparkling in periwinkle with hints of sea foam green in the light. Her face was given a mask in a matching scheme; her chest was given a periwinkle-sea foam green seashell bra and her hair was put up in a braid, fastened with a matching scallop shell. Her feet were given flats. Her ankles were given loose ruffled fabric that were also blue de France with the periwinkle sparkle affect; same with her wrists, waist and hips. On her waist was a scallop-shell in the same color scheme, with a string.
"Wow..." Rochelle said, looking in the water of the river. "This is me?"
'It sure is!' Finni said, from inside Rochelle's mind. 'You're now the official holder of the Mermaid Miraculous!'
"Mermaid? Then where are my fins?" Rochelle asked.
'You're on land right now; once you get into the water, then you get your fins.' Finni explained.
"Gotcha..." Rochelle said, as she started to go into the water.
Back at another house in Paris, an older Chinese man was working on some of his Miraculous-related magic and ancient Chinese massages.
His kwami, Wayzz - a turtle-like being - sensed something, and his one antenna stood on end at sensing something.
"Master Fu!" Wayzz shouted, as he levitated over to his master in a hurry. "Finni's awakened!"
"Finni?" Master Fu asked, a little surprised at hearing this. "The kwami of the Mermaid Miraculous? But how? That miraculous has long thought to have disappeared during the 1213-1214 Anglo-French war."
"Apparently not, Master," Wayzz said, shaking his head. "But I sense that Finni is happy and is in good hands with whoever found her miraculous."
"That's good news, then," Master Fu said. "Hopefully Ladybug and Cat Noir can cooperate with this new teammate of theirs."
"We shall wait and see; since they had to deal with a phony Volpina, I am unsure of how they will react to this new arrival." Wayzz said.
"I can understand your concern," Master Fu said. "But we need to trust the young ones."
Meanwhile with Rochelle, she was still at the riverbank of the Seine and was contemplating going into the water.
'Don't hesitate! Go in!' Finni said, inside Rochelle's mind.
"Okay, then." Rochelle said, as she took a deep breath and dove into the water.
Opening her eyes underwater, Rochelle could see as clear as if she were wearing goggles. She smiled in awe of the beauty of the undersea scenery.
Rochelle then looked down to her feet and saw them glowing bright white. She witnessed her legs fuse together seamlessly and painlessly. She saw some fins growing, and then the glowing stopped. Rochelle's eyes widened to see that Finni was right - her legs were now a mermaid fin, in the matching color scheme, and ruffles at the waist-hip area.
'No need to hold your breath! You can breathe underwater as a mermaid!' Finni said, through Rochelle's mind.
Rochelle then began breathing regularly; Finni was again, correct.
"This is amazing! It feels so great!" Rochelle said, as she kept on swimming.
She surfaced and started swimming around, with her head above the water. Her smile was big and beautiful.
"Okay, get a grip! Get the hang of this flipper! It's like slipping two feet into one huge big slipper!" Rochelle began to sing, as she started to swim around.
"This way is left, now which way is right? Oh now I'll be circling in circles all night!" Rochelle sang, as she started swimming in circles while trying to get a feel for her new mermaid fin.
Diving down into the water, she started to swim freely.
"I can't believe I can do this and more! To swim in the Seine like I walk on the shore!" Rochelle sang, swimming as if she were dancing in the water.
"Out of my shell, not closed up like a clam!" Rochelle sang, while rising up to the surface; she breached the surface and held herself in the air for a few seconds. "Look out, Paree! This is me! here I am!"
Landing back in the water, Rochelle started to swim again.
"For a moment, all of me, is alive and at home, swimming free!" Rochelle sang, as she started to swim in circles while dancing and twirling like her dreams had her.
"I'm swirling and twirling, so graceful and grand; not stubbing my toes, getting stuck in the sand!" Rochelle sang, as she started to spun around in the water while holding the pectoral fins of a European smelt, spinning and dancing with it.
As she breached the water, she sang, "For a moment, life is cool!"
"I'm a splash in the world's biggest pool!" Rochelle sang. "This is more than my dreams ever dreamed it could be!"
"For a moment, just a moment, lucky me!" Rochelle sang; after diving back in, Rochelle did tricks in the water, swimming in circles and flipping in the water, while she kept swimming, playing, and giggling.
Back at Rochelle's house, her mother took down a photograph of her, her husband, and Rochelle together; the photo was dated six years prior.
"If only for one moment, I had shared with you all I've known," Marissa sang, as she looked at the trophies. "Finni wouldn't be a mystery. Oh, why did he have to go?!"
Back at the river, Rochelle was swimming with delight while seeing seagulls and other birds flying around.
"Everything is newer and brighter, and bluer!" Rochelle sang, before diving back under the water, and playing with the fish.
"And truer to life than before! Watch me soar!" Rochelle sang, as she started so swim in an acrobatic manner under the water.
"For a moment, I can shine! Got a grin and a fin that works fine! My fingers are wrinkly and I really don't care, if all of my curls have curled out of my hair!" Rochelle sang; she kept swimming, dancing, and playing with the sea life, while smoothing out her hair.
"For a moment, I can feel! All the dreams I've been dreaming are real!" Rochelle sang; she breached the water, and posed in mid-air while watching the scene in front of her.
Gripping her choker, she sang, "Wish my father could see it; the Seine is my song. For a moment, just a moment, I belong!"
She dove back into the water, before swimming again.
"Please come home soon, my darling. And the moment that you do; I'll hold you close, my sweet Rochelle. And sing the song of the Seine with you!" Marissa sang, while back at the house.
Rochelle kept swimming, while singing, "For a moment, just a moment, I belong (Sing the song of the Seine with you)!"
Once again, Rochelle breached the water in delight and giggled with joy. She was happy that her new powers were giving her such a beautiful chance to be a mermaid.
At a certain building that had a bakery, one girl was sitting in the living room, all by herself, while her parents were working in the bakery. It was Marinette; her parents Tom and Sabine were working in the bakery while she was watching TV.
"Marinette," A red creature said; it was a kwami, who was red with black spots. "Your homework is done and nothing seems wrong in Paris right now, so I think a little relaxation is what you need."
"Thanks, Tikki," Marinette said. "And it was really refreshing seeing someone stand up to Chloe without holding back back there at school. Rochelle was great!"
"Not like Lila," Tikki said. "Remember that?"
"Yeah..." Marinette said, her expression falling. "I should have just let her get caught in her lies - maybe we wouldn't have run into such a near-disaster."
"You nearly gave up your earrings!" Tikki said. "You need to stop misusing your powers whenever Adrien is involved. It's already caused trouble three times."
"You're right, Tikki," Marinette said, realizing Tikki was telling the truth. "... As much as I love Adrien, I can't let that cloud my judgement as Ladybug anymore."
Just then, the TV changed the channel and the news came up. Nadja Chamak in the news corner.
"We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring this report: pedestrians have reported a mermaid in the river Seine!" Nadja said, as footage of the river came up and saw Rochelle swimming in the river.
Marinette's eyes widened and Tikki got a closer look.
"While this speculated 'mermaid' does appear harmless, it is unknown how long she has been in the river; it is thought that she only arrived recently, perhaps maybe a day or two ago, and just decided to play. No evidence or behavior of this 'mermaid' suggests that this is merely a girl who has been akumatized. Citizens are asked to maintain considerable distance regardless." Nadja said, as the footage of Rochelle swimming kept playing.
"Marinette, pause it!" Tikki said.
Marinette immediately hit the pause button when a scene that got a closer look at the choker popped up.
"See that choker?" Tikki asked, pointing out the choker.
"Yes! That must be where her akuma is! Tikki, spots -" Marinette began.
"No! That choker is the Mermaid Miraculous!" Tikki said, stopping Marinette in her tracks.
"Mermaid Miraculous?" Marinette asked, as she stopped her transformation call. "How come Master Fu never brought it up?"
"Because he thought it vanished during the Anglo-French war of 1213-1214," Tikki said. "Finni - the kwami of the Mermaid Miraculous - hasn't been awake in over eight-hundred years!"
"But the girl looks familiar..." Marinette said.
"Regardless, you have a new teammate! Unlike that Volpina mishap, at least this time she's someone you can trust and not an akuma victim! We need to have you go seek her out!" Tikki said. "She's a new friend! Go and meet her!"
"But wouldn't that just catch her off-guard? Shouldn't we wait until we know what she's capable of in terms of powers when we have an actual akuma to deal with?" Marinette asked.
"Good point," Tikki said. "But it wouldn't surprise me if your new classmate became the holder of the Mermaid Miraculous."
"You mean it's possible for Rochelle to be that mermaid? Being a champion swimmer, it makes sense." Marinette said, as she sat back down on the couch.
Back with Adrien, he had seen the whole report on the TV in his bedroom. Needless to say, he and Plagg were shocked to see it.
"The Mermaid Miraculous appears NOW of all times?" Plagg said, munching on camembert.
"A Mermaid Miraculous? So that mermaid is just another Miraculous holder?" Adrien asked, as he paused the TV.
"Yeah, but that Miraculous hasn't been awakened in over eight-hundred years," Plagg nonchalantly said, as he ate the last of his camembert in one bite. "The fact that's it's waking up NOW is weird, but at least we don't have a repeat of the Volpina mishap."
"That's good," Adrien said. "A fake Miraculous holder is one thing. If this mermaid is the real thing, then we gotta find her."
"We don't want to scare her off, Adrien!" Plagg said. "I think it might be best to lure her out. Let's just wait for an akuma to take to the water."
"Wait for someone to get akumatized and then use the water to fight against us?" Adrien asked.
"Right." Plagg said, as he and Adrien continued to watch the news.
Back at the river, Rochelle surface and took in some air. She looked around and saw people with their phones out and clamoring about her.
"Oh, no!" Rochelle said, before diving back under the water.
She continued swimming at a considerable depth at the river, trying not to be noticed. She tried to look around for somewhere to end the transformation.
'Rather than just scrambling to look for a place to hide, why not wait it out, Rochelle?' Finni asked.
"Probably a good idea." Rochelle said, before stopping her swimming. She waited about five minutes, and then tried to surface once again.
She did not see anyone, and then decided to play it safe with another tactic. Rochelle dove back under the water, and made her way under the bridge. She found what seemed to be a riverbank, and then she jumped out of the water. As she made to land on the sand, her fin turned back into two legs, and then she landed.
"Finni, gills off." Rochelle said; just then, Finni came out of the choker and Rochelle turned back to normal, clothes and all.
Finni landed in Rochelle's hands before saying, "We need to be more careful of our surroundings when we transform in the future; this is sure to cause a media uproar with all of those bystanders around."
"That's the truth," Rochelle said. "We'd better get home before mom gets wind of 'the mermaid in the Seine' - come on."
Finni hid underneath Rochelle's hair before trying to find a discreet way to get back home safely.
Once Rochelle got back home, she saw her mother had turned off the TV.
"Don't tell me..." Rochelle said.
"Yes," Marissa said. "Bystanders saw you as a mermaid and now it's all over the news."
"Hopefully it will die down when or if I get to join Ladybug and Cat Noir on a mission. Until then, no more swimming in the Seine unless it's an emergency." Rochelle said.
"Good," Marissa said. "And if its brought up at school, don't engage unless they engage you."
"Thanks; good advice," Rochelle said, before sitting at the table. "If an opportunity arises, I'll jump in and help Ladybug and Cat Noir."
"None of the monsters, from what I've seen, go into the river. Looks like you'll have to lay low until one akuma victim actually DOES go to the water." Marissa said.
Rochelle sighed, knowing her mother had a point. It was meaningless having a mermaid heroine if she could not take to the water as mermaids do. She decided that until that day came, no more swimming as her mermaid self.
Okay, that's a wrap for chapter one! I hope you all liked it, if at all. I'm going to try to keep everyone in character, and I'm going to make sure Rochelle gives Chloe a big dose of reality-checks. We'll find out more about Rochelle in the next chapter.
But I need an idea for an Akuma that can take to the water and give Rochelle a chance to show Ladybug and Cat Noir what she can do. I hope you can help.