Breathing hard, Marinette slumps onto her bed, exhausted and shaken.
That didn't happen.
She didn't come across some talking... things.
That, that was just her imagination carrying her away!
Yes, that was it!
There was no such thing as talking little... whatever they were.
Sighing, she reached for her cat plush, dragging it closer to nuzzle it's head. She enjoyed the softness, letting it take away he dramas of the day. Faintly she could feel something her head, brushing against her hair, but ignored it. One of her pillows must've rolled down and rest on her head.
"Big day, huh?"
Marinette hummed her confirmation. Then jerked up, meeting the laughing violet eyes of the little fox. "Y-you?!" Marinette squawks, pointing at the little grinning fox, "Wh-what are, how?!"
"We followed you," the fox said simply, her fluffy tail wagging about as her violet eyes gleamed with laughter.
Marinette gapes at her. Then warily looks around. She didn't seethe others...
"Why?" she asks nervously. "Wh-why did you-"
The black cat darts in front of her, grinning cheekily as she jumps, and knocks against her wall, sliding down to her bed. "You smell like food," he said bluntly.
Marinette stared at him.
Plagg grinned toothily down at her.
The fox chuckled beside.
"Plagg!" the red being scolds sharply, zipping out into view and giving the black cat a scolding glare.
He shook off her look with a shrug, huffing, "What it's true, Tikki."
The bee zips into view behind him, shoving as she buzzes angrily. "You make us sound like begging strays!"
The fox pops up near her, humming as she lifted up a paw, "Well, technically-"
"Don't you dare finish that," the bee growls, narrowing her blue eyes at the grinning fox.
"Everyone please," the butterfly voices, slowly coming into view, casting Marinette a nervous look. "You're kinda overwhelming her..."
"I had foreseen a better approach than this," the blue voices, glaring at the fox, peacock like tail feathers rattling in his agitation.
"This was more fun," the fox said, tail wagging.
"Not worth it," the turtle scolds as he joins the group, frowning at the fox.
The fox turns to him with a snip, "Everything fun isn't worth it."
"Because it isn't!" the blue proclaimed.
Tikki adds with an annoyed cross of her arms, "And everything fun for you is troublesome for us!"
"Eh," Plagg voices, "I'm not troubled."
"Well I'm not surprised," the bee grouches, rounding on the cat. "You're never troubled."
"I'll have you know I do get troubled the perfect amount."
"Oh really? I find that hard to beelieve."
"Enough!" the turtle cried, waving his arms scoldingly as he glared at the two. "I'm not going to risk a curse breaking out in this room!"
"Hey!" Plagg snapped, rounding on the turtle. "I'm not as childish as Vixx to place a curse in some kid's room."
"Excuse me?!" Vixx, the fox, cried, tail puffed up, ears down, violet eyes narrowed.
"Vixx," the blue pleaded, reaching for her.
"Plagg!" Tikki scolds, "stop starting fights."
"I didn't start anything!" Plagg snapped, pointing to the bee. "Beea did!"
Beea buzzed angrily. "I did not!"
"Everyone, please," the butterfly stresses.
"That is enough! All of you!" the turtle called out strictly.
"All of us?!" Beea snaps, rounding on the turtle.
Before he could respond, Marinette quickly squeaks out, "Excuse me?!"
All little beings paused, turning to down to the wide eyed human that had crawled to the far corner of her bed, away from the squabble. "But, who, w-what, why, how... Answers?!" she dramatically pleaded, waving her hands to them.
All looked a little sheepish, turning to eye each other.
Tikki drew near, chuckling weakly as she rubbed her paws together. "I'm sorry," she offered, "this could've gone better."
"I could've told you that," the blue mutters, earning a shove from the fox.
"I'm so sorry that we've intruded, and scared you, and you saw us arguing... again." She shakes her large head, antennas waving about. "This is not how it should've gone."
Marinette warily asked, "How should it..."
The blue drew near, sharing the awkward smile. "Better introductions, less arguing, and less scaring," he states, reaching down and nervously tugging at the peacock feathers hanging beneath him.
"We'd like your help," the turtle pleads, drawing near and offering the girl a bow. "We've tried forgoing without human help but..."
Beea drew near, head high as she harrumphs, "That got us stuck in a stinky old box for nearly two weeks."
"I'm sorry," Marinette offered awkwardly.
"It was horrendous," Beea bemoaned, rest a black paw on her head.
"It wasn't that bad," the butterfly gently placates.
"Yes it was," Vixx voiced, popping up and leaning on the butterfly's head. "Your wings kept getting smothered."
"Oh Nooroo," Tikki gently chides, turning to the butterfly, "you should've said something!"
The blue gapes at her. "I've been saying for days that you've lot been stomping on my feathers!"
"I've been hearing it for days," Beea grumbled.
"Well my feathers got to look good!" the blue argues.
Vixx slips close to the blue, slinging a dark paw around the pouting being's shoulders. "Feathers don't look good when they're all stomped on!" The blue nods in agreement.
"No one cares," Beea stated.
"You lot," the turtle sighs.
Plagg draws near the frowning human, causing her to jump in slight surprise. "Can we have some food?" he asks, "It shouldn't take this long to get it."
"Plagg!" Tikki scolds, "You can't just come up to someone demanding food!"
Plagg shrugged. "It's what we were going to do anyway."
Before another argument could break out, Marinette asks, "W-what do you guys li-like?"
Plagg beamed. "A whole platter of cheese for us al-"
He was shoved down by a furious Beea. "I am not eating cheese! That'll get in my fuzz and make it all gross!"
"Plus it tastes gross," Tikki said, grimacing.
"I don't mind it!" Vixx pipes up.
Sighing, the turtle drew near her again and requested, "All bugs will need something with sugar, the sweeter the better. Vixx can eat pretty much anything, I prefer fruits or vegetables. And Plagg of course prefers cheese but mushrooms work too."
"No!" Plagg cried, "They don't have any flavor!"
The turtle bowed to her. "If you please."
"Y-yeah," Marinette agreed shakily, "sure, I, I can do that... just uh, ah gi-give me a minute."
The turtle smiles, pleased. "Of course." He bows again and draws away, letting the human up. Marinette slowly crawled towards her stairwell, trying ignore all the eager and curious eyes locked on her. They watched her till she disappeared down the trapdoor.
Tikki smiles. "She seems to be taking this well!"
A loud thud was heard below, followed by a squeak of pain. Almost everyone gave a slight wince.
Vixx snickered. "Evidently not."
Humming, Plagg settles on top of the cat plush's head, eagerly awaiting his cheese. The others slowly joined him, settling on the large head and waiting anxiously for their meal.
Marinette couldn't believe she was doing this.
She held one of their biggest platters in hand, piling it with cookies, fruits, and cheese for the... things in her room.
She should be freaking out. She should call her parents. Maybe the cops.
But she wasn't.
She was feeding them.
She was feeding them.
That's it. She had to be crazy. Absolutely crazy.
When the platter was heavy in her hand, and looked like it would be enough, hopefully, she turned and carefully made her way back to her room, mindful not to trip and send all the food scattered onto stairwell and the floor.
Coming into her room and finding it empty, she nervously calls out, "U-um?"
Seven colorful heads pop into view from her loft.
With eager gasps they all dove down towards the platter, startling Marinette enough that she almost toppled back down the stairwell. Only to quickly straighten herself, watching in surprise as the little beings attacked the platter, inhaling all the food she got.
"Oh, you're all, uh, hungry," she notes, blinking in surprise.
With a mouth full of cookie, Vixx utters, "It been neawly two eeks since we had food!"
"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Beea scolds.
"Wow, ok," Marinette said, glancing to her desk. "I'm gonna, uh, set you all there..." she carefully made her way over, setting the plate on the desk and slowly backing away, watching the colorful beings in surprise.
This was weird.
This was really weird.
Why was she willingly feeding them?
Popping a cookie into her mouth with a big hum, Tikki turned to her, blue eyes gleaming warmly. She floated up and drew near the human, voicing, "I suppose introductions are in order!"
Marinette smiles awkwardly, "Yes please... and answers?"
"Of course!" the blue cried out, drawing near as well, holding a few blueberries close to him. "Of course! That's been long overdue!"
"We're kwamis!" Tikki offered.
"Kwamis," Marinette repeats.
"Or you can refer to us as little gods," Plagg voices, think sinks his teeth into a lump of cheese.
The blue nods and states, "We were made a long time ago to help and protect humanity."
Nooroo adds, "We're one of the few that have worked the closest with humanity."
"We actually need humans to do our tasks," Vixx pipes in.
"Not largely," Beea states.
"Oh please," Plagg huffs, "you couldn't last nearly two weeks without a Guardian."
"You made it difficult!" Beea buzzed.
"Don't start!" the turtle called sharply. Tikki and the blue echoed him with slight rolls of their eyes, while Nooroo frowned.
"Guardian?" Marinette asks.
"A human caretaker," Nooroo offers with a smile. "And partner."
"In the old days," the blue voiced, "we used to have one individually for us all. They fed us, sheltered us, and in turn, we granted them our power, and together we did our respective jobs." Setting a paw on his chest, the blue bows to her. "I am Juuno, the Peacock. I am the healer and adviser. My Guardian and I have advised kings, ruled together as kings, and healed and helped many."
"Fat lotta good it does now!" Vixx pipes out, coming up behind Juuno and laying over his head, ignoring his flustered squeak of, "Vixx my crest!". With a sad smile, Vixx states, "Now a days, we only have one Guardian to care for us. Don't really do much of what we used too."
Marinette frowns. "What happened?" she asked.
"War," Beea stated.
"Stupid, selfish humans," Plagg adds.
"We've been abused a few times by what we considered to be trusted Guardians," Tikki explained, antennas drooping, "so one trusted Guardian cares for us all now, one we've all considered."
"Where's your Guardian?" Marinette asked.
"It's Wayzz's fault," Vixx declared, making the turtle tense.
"Vixx!" Juuno scolds.
"Don't be so insensitive!" Nooroo adds.
"Well," Beea voices, "she's not wrong."
"Beea," Tikki warns.
"Um," Marinette tried, looking among them.
Sighing, Wayzz floats near, clutching a strawberry to his chest. "Our... previous Guardian is a nice man, a man whose living past his time. I, I was considering that maybe it was best that he spent the last of his years not worrying about us."
Nooroo flew to him, giving him a hug.
"We didn't leave him willingly," Tikki puts out quickly, "we were considering it."
"I wasn't going to leave him," Plagg put out, echoed by Beea.
"But we wound up separated from him," Juuno said.
"So that nearly two weeks was us partly trying to make it on our own," Tikki said.
Beea finishes, "And partly trying to get back home."
"Or finding a new home," Vixx said.
"Huh," Marinette utters.
"Will you please shelter us human?" Nooroo pleads.
"You don't have to be our Guardian," Wayzz stresses.
"Just until we find ourselves a new one," Juuno adds. "Or find our previous one."
"We won't be any trouble," Tikki adds.
Vixx snorts, drawing near to rub against Marinette's cheek, sending her a wink, "We'll be some trouble."
"Vixx! You're going to ruin our chances!" Beea scolds.
"I, I don't," Marinette stutters, watching them all stare at her with big sad eyes. To add to the situation, and angry thunder clap bellows out, making them all wince. Marinette bites the end of her nail, stressing slightly. She couldn't send them out into the rain... and they had been near starving, and... She sighs and caves, "I, I suppose... jus-just till you get a new Guardian!"
Vixx darts to her, wrapping around Marinette's neck and rubbing against her affectionately, bumping her head against her jaw.
With a relieved giggle, Tikki darts forward, rubbing against Marinette's cheek, quickly followed by the rest, though Wayzz simply rested a paw on her arm instead of cuddling her cheek.
Beea floats up, clasping her black paws together and bows to the human. "Caring for us, know that we too shall care for you." Then lightly bumps her head against Marinette's forehead.
Marinette smiled awkwardly in turn, cheeks a little pink from the thankful affection.
That just left Plagg, still downing cheese on the half eat food platter. "Plagg!" Tikki called, "get over here and thank her!"
He pauses, eyeing them and shrugged. "Yeah, good job kid. Happy to be in your care and all that."
"PLAGG!"