Chapter 3: Meet Azeria
Lila was pissed.
She was pacing around her room, the TV was playing the latest news on Volpina. »Ugh! That little-little...fox! How could they- I mean I know that they don't know I'm already here, but still.«
Aiistra looked at the girl sadly. »Don't worry. I know it's hard, but Ladybug and Chat Noir are smart, they'll figure it out and take Volpina down.« She pat the girl on the back. Lila groaned. »I know, I know. But now I'm gonna have to prove to them that I'm the real one when I get there. They won't trust me, they'll think I'm a fake again.« Aiistra slowly nodded. »Maybe it'll be hard, but you're a good person, they'll learn to trust you.« Lila nodded, before she started pacing again.
When Volpina was pronounced defeated and an akuma Lila and Aiistra where already completely stressed. Lila turned off the TV and sighed. »Thank god that's over.« Aiistra closed her eyes as she nodded. »We'll be there to help them in four days, don't worry.«
Four days later...
»Aiistra!« Lila hissed as she searched for the kwami. »We need to go. Where are you?« The kwami flew out from behind the bed. »Sorry I was sleeping. Have you packed my caramels?« Lila rolled her eyes. »You and your toffee. Yes I packed them so that we can keep your energy up. Now c'mon we need to go in five minutes, I'm aready packed and I was looking for you.« She looked around the room and sighed. »I'm going to, miss all of this.« Aiistra smiled sadly. »I know. Don't worry, I'll always be with you.« She snuggled against Lila's cheek, making the girl giggle. », making the girl giggle. »Yeah, at least I'll have you by my side, I won't need to get through this alone.«
Five minutes later they left for the train station.
The train ride was long and Lila managed to find a spot that was mostly deserted. She talked to Aiistra a little, but mostly she just listened to music.
Two hours later they arrived at the station in Paris. Lila stepped off the train, looking around. She wondered what her aunt would look like, searching for someone recognizable in the crowd. She spotted a woman looking through the crowd, holding a sign that said Lila Petit. She smiled at the sight of her aunt. She had long blond hair, a soft smile and was wearing a light pink dress. She walked up to her and gave her a small smile. »Hello, auntie Sophie. It's me, Lila.« The woman's expresion brightened and she pulled the girl into a hug. »Lila! I haven't seen you in two years.« Lila hugged her back. »It's good to see you too.« Her aunt pulled back and looked her up and down. »You've grown so much! Look at yourself, you're such a beautiful young woman. Now, let's go, we have to get home so you can unpack.« Lila pulled her suitcase along as they walked to Sophie's car . When they were driving back to her aunt's house, they made small talk about Lila's parents and home life. They got to her place in about ten minutes. Sophie left Lila alone so she could look around her room and unpack. Lila sighed as she sat down on her new bed, bouncing up and down slightly. Aiistra flew out of her bag, eating a toffee. »Wow, this is a nice room.« She commented, trying to get the girl's spirits up without success. Lila sighed again. »Tomorrow is the first day of school. I hope all goes well Aiistra.« The kwami nodded, siting on Lila's stomach. »It'll be fine Lila, no one knows you, they haven't ever seen you before or judged you. You have a chance to make brand new friends! Don't worry about it.« Lila smiled and looked at her kwami. »Thanks for-« She strated but was cut off by screams coming from outside. She jumped out of bed and ran to the window, she could see an akuma in the distance. She turned to Aiistra. »Do you think it's our time?« Aiistra grinned. »You still remember right?« Lila nodded. »Of course I do.« Just as she was about to transform her aunt came running in. Aiistra quickly hid under the bed. »Oh! There you are Lila. I forgot to tell you, lately we've been having some sort of 'akuma' attacks, so be careful when you go outside and if you see anything weird hide, alright?« Lila nodded. »Of course, I'll be careful.« Sophie sighed in relief. »Okay, good. Now you probably want to rest, it's been a long day so far. I won't bother you.« She left, closing the door. Lila released a held breath. »That was close. Okay, let's go Aiistra. Tail out!« As she called her transformation Aiistra was sucked into Lila's necklace and she brushed her hands over the top of her head, fox ears appearing on top of her head. She trailed her hands over her hair to the very tips of it. It gained twice it's normal lenght and pulled back into a low ponytail that started at her waist and turned from dark brown, to orange and at the end to white, making it look as though she had a fox tail. When she reached the tips of her hair she flung out both her arms and they got coated in dark brown vines up to the elbows. Then, an orange latex suit spread from her elbows up to her shoulder and around her neck, it went white down her body, across her stomach and orange on her back and to her ankles. Ankle high black boots appeared on her leggs when she tapped her feet. Finally she pulled her hand over her eyes and an orange mask appeared on her face. She smiled, raising her hand in the air as a flute appeared above her. She giggled as the transformation was over and she turned to the mirror. She gasped. »I don't look like Ladybug and Chat Noir at all.« Aiistra giggled inside Lila's mind. »That's because we have a connection they don't and we've also been together longer. Also you can fly and they can't.« Lila giggled at Aiistra's response. Suddenly she heard a scream from outside and Ladybug calling Chat Noir's name. She snapped back to reality. »We need to go!« Aiistra warned the girl. Lila nodded and jumped out the window, stumbling in the air as she tried to fly. She quickly regained control of her flying and looked around, she couldn't see the akuma but she heard screams nearby and flew onto a rooftop, slowing down and landing on it. She jumped from rooftop to rooftop elegantly, like a fox.
She landed on a rooftop above the fight. She could see that it was another tough one for Ladybug and Chat Noir. Chat Noir was tied up in papers and Ladybug was fighting off thousands of little origami birds. The akuma was dressed in a white outfit out of paper and laughing manically. »I am Origaminer and no one will destroy or reject my gifts any longer!« Azeria gasped, quickly looking around her. She saw a fire hidrant and quickly jumped off the roof, flying down to it. She used all of her strenght to unscrew it, hiting it with her indestuctable flute and fracturing it, making a powerful jet of water hit all the origami surrounding Chat, making the paper fall to the floor, wet. She smiled at her acomplishment. She took thee chance to put her flute to her lips and look over at Ladybug. She thought thoroughly about creating a Ladybug illusion that would attract the origami. She created one a few feet away from Ladybug, making the origami confused. She played a little more making the illusion run into an alley as the origami followed it. She gave herself a nod and turned to the akuma to see Chat in a fighting stance pursuing it. She ran up next to him. »Were's the akuma hiding?« She asked Chat, who looked over to her, dumbfounded. »I don't know if I should tell you...« She shook her head and looked back, pointing at Ladybug. »She's still covered in origami...« She hit a few origamis flying towards her away with her flute. »And I want to help you.« Chat nodded. »I think it's in his origami crown.« She nodded back. »Alright, I'll distract hima and you destroy it.« He was about to ask her how she was going to distract him when she put her flute to her lips and started playing. Suddenly three Ladybugs and three Chats appeared around the akuma, all jumping around him and distracting him. As the akuma was swiping around and sending origami towards the illusions Chat Noir jumped up, extending his staff and pushing himself over the akuma and grabbing his paper crown before landing on the other side, Azeria kept playing her flute and creating new illusions to keep Origaminer occupied. Chat ran to Ladybug, offering her a hand. »My lady.« She took it and he shoot them both out of the whirl wind of origami that had surrounded them, he quickly handed her the crown. »A gift for you.« Ladybug rolled her eyes, taking it. »Thanks Chat.« She quickly broke it and freed the akuma, capturing it in her yo-yo and purifying it. When she was done she looked to Chat. »How did you do all of this without me?« Chat scratched the back of his neck. »Well...«
»Hey!« They both turned around to see a fox heroine floating in the air behind them, they'd been so high on Chat's pole that seeing someone so high up with them had been quite a suprise. »Can we talk?« The fox heroine asked.
Ladybug's eyes narrowed. »I don't know...Am I talking to an illusion?« She replied in a harsh voice.
Chat flinched. »Ladybug...Calm down...« Ladybug looked to him and sighed. »I'm calm, but how do we know you're not an akuma?« She demanded, turning back to the fox heroine.
»Be patient.« Aiistra reminded her in her mind. Azeria smiled eagerly. »I know you had a fake superheroine and that you're just being cautious. But I really am a miraculous holder.«
Chat smiled at Ladybug. »Come on my lady. We can at least listen to what she has to say.« Ladybug looked at him and nodded, her expresion softening. »Alright we'll listen to what you have to say, Volpina.«
Azeria gave a little giggle and Ladybug and Chat Noir gave her confussed looks. She raised her hands in an apologetic gesture. »I'm sorry, it's just...I'm not Volpina, I didn't like the name. I'm Azeria.«
Ladybug tilted her head. »Alright...Azeria. How about we visit the eiffel tower and talk there?«
Azeria nodded. »I'd like that, but let's hurry. I need to get home.«
They both nodded at her and Ladybug and Chat started swinging and jumping away and Azeria followed them.
When they reached the eiffel tower they sat on the highest ledge, Ladybug and Chat Noir on one side and Azeria on the other side. »So...« Azeria started. »What do you want to know?«
Ladybug was the first to anwser. »When did you get your miraculous an what are your powers?«
Azeria took a deep breath before starting. »I got my miraculous two years ago when I was thirteen, but I wasn't allowed to transform until you two appeared and today I transformed for the first time.« Ladybug tilted her head. »Why weren't you allowed to transform. »Because I was too young and there was no danger.« Chat and Ladybug nodded. »Okay continue.« Azeria smiled. »My powers are creating illusions with my music, flying and I have this unbreakable flute.« She paused for a second. »Don't forget that you can interact with animals, mostly foxes without scaring them.« Azeria shook her head. »I would've forgot that. Thanks Aiistra. I can interact with animals, mostly foxes without scaring them too, but I can do that out of costume too and it's rarely useful.«
Ladybug and Chat Noir were looking at her strangely. »Who's...Aiistra?«
Azeria gasped, before releasing a nervous giggle. »I'm sorry. She's my kwami. She reminded me of the talking to foxes because I amost forgot it.«
Chat leaned towards her, interested. »What do you mean she reminded you?«
»Oh, right. You've only had your kwami for half a year now. We've been together longer and have a connection through which she can talk to me in my mind. I'm sorry for confussing you.«
Both the superheros slowly nodded. »Okay...what's your miracculous?«
Azeria's hand flicked up to her necklace. »It's this fox tail necklace.«
Ladybug's eyes narrowed. »That was the last 'Volpina's akumatized object.« Azeria nodded slowly. »I didn't know that...but this is a miraculous. I have a kwami and I know I'm strange and all but I really am on your side, I am a miraculous holder.« She looked between Ladybug and Chat Noir, who were now eyeing each other.
»Okay.« Ladybug turned to Azeria. »You can fight with us. I believe you. But listen to me, I'll be keeping a close eye on you until I know I can trust you.« Azeria eagerly nodded, slightly bouncing up and down. »I understand. I'm so excited to be helping you!« She squealed.
Chat Noir grinned. »Thanks for the help today, by the way.« Azeria gave him a smile, Aiistra reminded her that she needed to get home. Azeria gasped. »I need to go! It's my first day here, I can't dissappear. My aunt would go crazy. Okay, see you soon. Bye!« And with that she jumped off the eiffel tower and flew away.
Ladybug and Chat Noir stared after her for a few seconds, before turning to each other and bursting out laughing. When their fit of giggles was over Chat Noir turned to Ladybug. »Well, she's quite something, huh?« Ladybug giggled before turning serious and looking back at Chat. »I still don't trust her though. What if she turns out like Volpina?« Chat returned Ladybug's serious stare. »For now, we'll just have to see. But he knows a lot about miraculouses, I think she may be the real deal. I wonder why she's got such a different connection with her kwami though.«
Ladybug looked in the direction in which Azeria had dissappeared. »You're right. We'll just have to see.«
A.N:
Aaaaaand...drum roll.
I give you another chapter. How do you like it?
I love your reviews, BTW. Just saying.
Well...Dream on!
Timisa
