Ning was no stranger to dangerous situations. After all, that was the reason she had been created. She had gone into the middle of many conflicts and resolved them. Her job was also to prevent those conflicts from happening in the first place.
As the Great Guardian's Apprentice, she had learned about magic, Kwamiis, and what happened when an item created to help the world was used for evil purposes. She fought against Akumas and convinced a super villain to release an innocent victim. She also had experienced two powers of different Kwamiis.
A quest to retrieve lost Miraculous Circles, filled with dangers was expected. By now, she believed there were unseen forces guiding her bosses, in order to send her to where she needed to go to retrieve the Miraculouses. How else could she explain away the coincidences?
The countries she had been too, each had its own dangers and the Keepers' tests, had earned their rating. So far, she had been through three challenges and one trustworthy test. It was a high probability her next test would be one designated as bad. What kind of test would a bad ranking one be?
At the moment, she was wondering what AMC meant. A lot of abstract ideas existed, heck, the word abstract started with an A! "What abstract ideas start with A? Absolute, antimony, avant-garde? No, none of those are working."
She paced her hotel room and glanced at her watch. It was one in the afternoon. Her superiors had promised to contact her around three their time, which was one hour from now in her time zone.
A wave of dizziness came over her and she was forced to sit down. Earlier in the morning, she had contacted Dr. Calzone, and told him about her exhaustion and minor difficulties of breathing. His face had gone slightly white when heard about her breathing problems. He had said to her, "I thought you were taking it easy on your missions, but it sounds as if you're continuing to be very active."
"I hardly think visiting a few sites and walking would cause this much trouble," Ning had replied. She couldn't tell him the truth. The UN Security Council only knew that Ladybug and Chat Noir, were on the right side of the law, and had access to some unusual objects, due to her purging the data and the deal she had negotiated.
He reminded her she had been visiting many different countries with a variety of temperatures and climate, along with different oxygen levels. "Try to keep your activity to a minimum. If you do go sightseeing do so slowly."
In the present, she laid flat out on the bed with a washcloth on her forehead. The dizziness was starting to pass. "I need to control my stress levels. They're only making my body hurt more. Breathe in then breath out." She continued her exercise until her computer chimed.
Forcing herself to sit upright, Ning quickly fixed her hair and answered the call. The screen blinked on and she was looking at the most recent President of the Security Council, Olof Skoog of Sweden. "Peace Keeper, we have received your most recent reports. The country of Peru is slowly meeting the goals set for them by the Human Right's Council."
"The President is working diligently to comply and is thankful for the UN allowing them to have a voice in the Security Council. I don't believe there will be a problem for President Vizcarra and Ambassador Meza-Cuadra working together."
President Skoog agreed, as both men had experience in the UN, and knew what it took to keep relations running smoothly. They reviewed the information she had gather on her other missions. He politely asked if she enjoyed her time in Perth, which she expressed in a positive manner. She told him about a few sites so he didn't question her further on the subject.
Finally, it was time for her new mission. "As you know, Belize has never had a permanent member of the Security Council, only Ambassador Lois Young, in the General Assembly. Since our recent additions to the Security Council are doing well, we would like an evaluation of Belize's current government from you."
That raised an eyebrow. This wasn't a mission that directly fell on the Security Council to solve. "Sir, there are members of the UN General Assembly or diplomats, whose jobs are to make these evaluations, and take the necessary steps, to allow admittance. Why do you need me to do this?"
The man gave her a patronizing smile. "An independent evaluation from you, a person who is loyal to the world, will help us focus on the criteria, Belize must meet, before they can be considered as a member of the Security Council." Pointing at her, he continued "You have unbiased opinion on the country and its government. We trust you will give us an accurate report," President Skoog explained to her. His eyes remained locked on her.
"I understand President Skoog. Where in Belize am I to be sent to in order to make this evaluation?" Ning asked. Considering the unusual nature of the mission, she wanted time to do research before leaving for the country. Belize wasn't as dangerous as other Central America countries, however, you still needed to very careful.
President Skoog informed her she would be leaving for Belmopan, Belize's capital the day after tomorrow. She would meet with the Heads of Government at the Parliament Building to discuss the possibility of Belize becoming a member of the UN Security Council in the next session to elect non-permanent members.
The secret agent did her best to remain expressionless. "President Skoog, my cover is an attaché who works for the UK Security Council representative. I don't have the credentials or power to enforce any agreement. The requirements to be selected as a non-permanent member of SC, is a recommendation from the UN Security Council to the General Assembly.
In the election of non-permanent members of the Security Council, due regard shall, in accordance with Article 23, paragraph 1, of the Charter, be specially paid, in the first instance, to the contribution of Members of the United Nations to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the other purposes of the Organization, and also to equitable geographical distribution.
That means during a session the General Assembly must vote an elect members from five members from Asia or Africa, which will be split two to three. One member from Eastern Europe, two from Latin America, and two from Western Europe or other states.
Belize has never been recommended or chosen as a member for many reasons, including the ongoing dispute between Guatemala, which claims that the country Belize belongs as part of their territory."
President Skoog gave the young woman a hardened look. He reminded her in a tight voice he was well of the United Nations Charter, and she wasn't to question orders given to her. He could send her out on high risk missions, not giving her a chance to recover at all, if he wanted to.
Ning assured him that wasn't necessary. He would have her evaluation of the Belize Government on schedule. A few minutes later, the call ended. The only indication she was not okay, was a minuscule tremor of her hand for two seconds. President's Skoog's warning reminded her of how little control over her life she had at times.
The next voting session for non-permanent members for 2020 and 2021 would occur later in the year. If her evaluation could help in favor of the country it was worth doing. "This is highly unorthodox, but maybe it will help Belize in the future."
It was the next day in Paris, the group of four friends were hanging out after school in the park, just enjoying the sun. They had not spent much time together lately for one reason or another. The four of them were happy to spending time together again.
Nino was telling a funny story; about one time he had mixed up his records and played a polka song at one of his gigs. "I wanted to hide under the table man. I was going to play a hit jazz song at the party, but somehow someone snuck a polka record in there. The kids at the party fell on the grounds laughing, while the old folks danced it up."
Alya chuckled picturing the event in her mind. "I wish I had been here then. It would have been so fun to upload a video that was sure to go viral." Nino gave her the stink eye and she just laughed some more.
Nino placed his hand on Alya's right shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze. "Alright, if you're going to laugh at me, you're going to have to tell an embarrassing story about yourself."
Alya protested, pointing out that Nino was the one who decided to share his story. Marinette and Adrien egged her on until she agreed to tell her story. "It was my first time trying to make a video with my cellphone. I was videotaping my mom as she prepared a feast for us to eat. I can recall the scent of her perfectly cooked brisket. I remember because I dropped my phone to smell it. I grabbed for it and accidentally deleted the video!"
Marinette made a shock expression and raised her hand to her head and leaned back slightly, speaking in a dramatic way. "No! The great Alya, who knows all things about phone videos, pulled a "Marinette" and deleted a video by accident?" She started to laugh. The boys held their hands over their mouths to cover up their snickering.
Alya flushed embarrassed. "I got a lot better! Look at my videos now. They're superb!"
"Easy Alya, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing because I never pictured you tripping or dropping things before." Wiping a tear from her eyes, the bluenette admitted the first time she had sewed dress, she ended up with back of the bodice in the front. She hadn't even noticed until her mother pointed out the next day when she wore it.
Adrien laughed at that, trying to picture Marinette doing that. It was funny and he just couldn't picture his father ever making a mistake. Him on the other hand, "The first time I modeled clothes for my father's company, I ripped the jacket when I tried to get it on, by myself. I was five at the time and was trying to be grown up."
"Ah, I bet you were a cute little kid," Alya teased and pulled on Adrien's cheek. Luckily, the Gorilla was in the car looking at a "Bodyguard of the Month," magazine, otherwise he be all over Alya.
Adrien suggested changing the subject. He recalled Master Fu had been puzzling over some of the riddles to figuring out information on the other Circles. The Great Guardian had asked for their help in solving this matter. Maybe Alya and Nino could help them out.
"How about we play a puzzle solving game? Alya and Nino can be on one team and Marinette and I will be on the other one. We each ask five riddles and give the other team five minutes to answer. You get a point for each time you get the riddle right. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins."
The teams got together to discuss what riddles they were going to ask. Adrien told Marinette his plan to help them finally figure the riddles out. She agreed with him and told him he better be smart to answer the riddles asked to them. After all, she was not going to give Alya something else to tease her with.
Team Adrian went first. "The glow of night can be found inside of me. When I use it, it severs several purposes. What am I?"
Nino laughed, "Is that the best you got Adrien? The answer is bioluminescence." He didn't notice Marinette discreetly writing the answer down. "Am I right?" The dark skinned boy asked.
"You got it Nino. So what's your riddle?"
"This one is easy. What house is always sick?"
Marinette spoke up immediately, "Greenhouse. Manon told me that riddle and she said she came across on the Internet."
So each team had a point. This time, Marinette asked the riddle. "I am a beam of light, but I don't burn. I break apart, but then you see me."
Alya smirked. This was a hard riddle, but thanks to their recent science classes she knew the answer. "You're talking about a reflection. Because a light beam has to hit a surface, but doesn't burn it and using the law of refraction, we end up seeing our reflection."
Marinette nodded, adjusting her stance and discreetly gave Tikki the pad and pencil to copy the answers down. The bluenette had left her purse open just a smidge so the kwami could hear clearly. These answers were key to the safety of the Miraculous Circles out there.
Alya adjusted her glasses and looked directly at Marinette. "How many seconds are there in a year?" She could see the confusion on Marinette face. She bit back a laugh as Marinette tried to use her fingers to solve the problem.
Two minutes went by before Adrien pushed down her hands and told her to relax. "The answer is twelve. January second, February second and so on." He reminded his girlfriend to listen closely to the words and think hard before answering.
The two of them talked amongst themselves, before Adrien gave the next riddle. "The brightest light and deepest depth are met when the hardest substance has a soft carpet on it. What do we all have in common?"
Nino and Alya whispered amongst themselves. This riddle was hard and they reviewed the clues several times. Thirty seconds before time was up, Nino spoke up. "Colors. The yellow sun meets the bluish black of the sea join alongside the brown rocks and green grass."
"You're good. It took me a few minutes to "come up" with that one," Marinette joked. Unconsciously she started to tug on one of her pigtails, It was her tell showing she was hiding something. Adrien cleared his throat and gave her a sideways glance. Instantly, Marinette stopped. Alya noticed, but didn't make a comment.
Nino tried to stump his best friend asking him how an odd number became even after you took a letter out of it. He was visibly disappointed when Adrien replied seven.
The two heroes asked two more riddles, one about water and the other about shadows, but their best friends couldn't answer them sadly. Marinette answered the riddle of what had one eye, but couldn't see, (a needle). However, they were both stumped when Nino asked, "I have keys but no doors. I have space but no rooms, I allow you to enter but you are never able to leave. What am I?"
The answer was keyboard. They all laughed and admitted they were good riddle solvers. The Gorilla honked the horn on the limo so Adrien waved goodbye and trio went their separate ways home.
Belize, was unlike anything Peace Keeper had seen before, after stepping off her plane at the Hector Silva Airstrip, which had a small terminal and unmarked runways, but it was still very functional.
The architecture style was a mix of British with strong undertones of Mayan culture. The country had a rich mix of ethnic groups including: Mayan, Creole, and Garinagu, along with Meztios and a variety of other small groups.
The country had one of the most biodiversity places in the world with lots of environment protections for both the land and the Belize Great Barrier Reef, the second longest reef in the world. It was in fact, a World Heritage Site. Tourism was the second highest grossing part of the economy.
While this beauty was amazing, Belize had an extremely high risk dark side. Crime was high, especially in Belize City and Belmopan. Most of the crimes were committed by numerous gangs, who liked to traffic drugs and people. Murders were high, but not as high as in some neighboring countries.
To decrease crime the government had initiated many programs. Youth programs to educate and protect youths from violence, more resources for patrolling and investigation. The biggest measure they took, which some countries frowned on, was the 2011 truce between the government and a large majority of major gangs, which lowered the murder rate significantly from what it was before.
The truce only lasted a year when the money ran out to pay gangs to not commit violence. Over the last seven years, there were continuing efforts to find a way to ensure a lasting peace with the gangs. They were making progress slowly.
The best way to travel in the country was to flag down a bus as it drove down the road. A disguised Peace Keeper did just that. Clutching her luggage tightly, she boarded the bus and took a seat, being extremely aware of her surroundings.
Belmopan was a relatively new capital, have been establish in 1970, to prevent massive destruction to the government, due to hurricanes that ravaged Belize City. The centerpiece of the city was the Ring Road where the government building stood on, including her destination, The National Assembly Building.
Arriving at Ring Road, she got out and went to the USA Embassy Building, to alert them of her arrival and was allowed to leave her belongings in one of the diplomatic visitor's room.
After showering and changing clothes, Ms. Brantiti was ready for her meeting with Governor-General Colville Young and Prime Minster Dean Barrow. "I really hope this mission goes well."
Arriving at the prime minister's office, she was escorted into his inner office and was announced to the two men about her arrival. Prime Minster Barrow stood up, "Please come in Ms. Brantiti, we have been expecting your arrival."
Held his hand out and she shook it, then Governor-General Young's. "It is an honor to be here in your country and helping Belize to one day have a seat on the UN Security Council."
The meeting started off in normal Belize fashion. No direct eye contact and with little personal space. They made a lot of small talk, not really talking about the main topic.
Forty five minutes later, it was time to discuss business. "When Mr. Barrow and I, first got notice of your visit, it was very surprising. The Queen wasn't aware that the United Kingdom Security Council member would be making such a bold movement. Following the proper protocol, I should have been informed well in advance of this meeting, so I had more time to speak with our UN ambassador."
"I agree Governor-General, however President Skoog decided that this meeting should take place during his term in office and didn't mention his intention to the previous president. In the future, there will be no miscommunications."
"I should hope not. The future of our country and international relations depends on it."
"Indeed it does, what can Belize do to help us gain a recommendation for the General Assembly? I would like to know what the government can do before my term is up."
Ms. Brantiti stated plainly that the best way to gain a recommendation was to continue with their ongoing efforts to curb the violence in their country and peacefully settle the territory dispute with Guatemala. She also discussed the importance of the country to continue its ongoing missions of peaceful resolution with its regional division. An open dialogue with members who had already been on the Security Council, would also help with getting the recommendation.
The meeting continued for two hours before the three of them agreed to reconvene the next afternoon, as was customary in Belize. She decided to go into the bathroom to freshen up.
She washed her hands and started reapplying some make up as she talked to her reflection. "Belize is only one of sixty five countries that have never been made non-permanent members of the Security Council. Recommendations can only go so far, considering it took a majority of the General Assembly to agree on, which regional countries would best serve during their two year term."
Drying her hands she continued talking to her reflection. "Belize has had several evaluations over the years, so why was another one needed right now? What does President Skoog really want?" What was her real purpose in this country?
Returning to the USA Embassy, she secured a copy of the city paper and began to read about the local news. The Belize Embassy in Washington D.C received the Central American Integrated System (SICA) Pro-Tempore Presidency from the Dominican Republic.
There was another murder in Belize City. Possibly related to gang activity. An announcement about the upcoming SICA/Taiwan meeting. Crime rate was up in the capital and there was growing concern the city would become the next hot spot for murders and gang activity.
"How can a group of Miraculouses be in this country? I know compared to other countries in Central America it isn't as bad as it could be. There has to be a way to stop this violence or lower the numbers again until a viable solution can be discovered."
Looking at her left palm, it was the same as it had been since she left Lima. She had felt it heat up slightly during her discussions with the Prime Minister and Governor-General. "I thought the Miraculouses were somewhere in the Ring Road area, but you haven't heated up again at all."
Ning traced the letter A over and over, continuing to think of different abstract concepts, but none of them triggered it. She was starting to wonder if perhaps the concept in theory was abstract, but the Miraculouses represent ideas or objects associated with an abstract theory.
"I wish I had someone to talk to about this quest. The toll it's taking on me and the constant burning sensation, or even just figuring out what I'm supposed to be looking for."
Rolling on her stomach, the young agent sighed. The only people she could talk to besides her bosses, were asleep in their beds. It was one a.m. in Paris and she wasn't going to wake up someone late again.
Her special computer beeped. Surprised, she opened it and was surprised to discover someone was trying to contact her, but wasn't able to find a good connection to reach her. Ning investigated who was trying to make a cyber-attack on her.
As she investigated, she was surprised that the trace was going through her usual route in connecting to Master Fu. A few more clicks and she found herself face to face with Honorra, who looked up from tapping the keys.
"Honorra?"
"Apprentice Ning! I am so happy I managed to use the computer to find you. You wouldn't believe how long I have been trying to do this."
"Actually, I was the one to connect us, considering my connection is very secured and private. Why we're you trying to connect with me?"
"Besides having no one to talk too? We solved another riddle with a little help from Marinette and Adrien's friends!"
The little magpie kwami's feathers glistened with the help of the monitor glow. It took a few minutes to understand what she was saying because Honorra was talking so quickly. Apparently, they needed to use bioluminescence to read the page on the Academic Miraculous Circle.
In response, the mark heated up. At least Ning now knew what the A stood for. She listened as an excited Honorra went on to describe what the page had told them about the Academic Circle.
"There are eight members in this Circle can you believe it?" Honorra whizzed out of range. Ning heard thumps, a small crash, than something dragging across the desk. A few seconds later a large folder appeared in view.
Honorra opened the folder and pulled out a few pieces of paper. A tiny bead of sweat trickled down her face. Since she was still regaining her strength, it made sense, the folder was heavy to her.
Plastering one of the papers against the computer screen, Ning read the list of what academics were considered abstract. There was math, philosophy, and art. Then there was literary terms, social science, and studying. Lastly there was speech and history. After rereading the list, her mind tried to figure out how the list was abstract.
The first three make sense to me because they are abstract in nature. I guess when I think about it literary terms and literature in general are abstract. Someone had to come up with terms to describe writing and what people consider is real literature is very diverse.
Social science is all about abstract concepts to create data and explain behavior or people. Also studying, what is studying exactly? You can look and practice and there are so many different types of methods meaning there's no central focus.
Speech, you can't see it, you can only hear it. Again though, how do you create a speech and how do you make it effective, and we all know, history is written by the winners, yet was is historically significant Ning thought to herself.
Honorra yanked the paper away and replaced it with another one. This one showed different animals on it, the animals the Kwamiis looked like. There was a ferret, platypus and tarsier. Then, there was a worm, hermit crab, and aardvark. Lastly, a humpback whale and pangolin.
"The creator of the Miraculouses must have been really confused when he saw the animals the Kwamiis resembled." She raised a single eyebrow, the only indication that she picturing the wizard's wild expression.
Honorra chuckled as her whole body wiggled in joy. "Indeed. We couldn't find out what the Miraculouses looked like. There are lot of different accessories out there. The wizard created a variety of them in order to fool people from looking for a fixed item."
"Do you know anything about the test I'm to undergo?" Honorra shook her head, her tail feathers spread far, a sign she was either sad or frustrated. Ning told her to go get some sleep and she would figure it out herself.
Once the computer was off, Ning started to make a list of what she knew so far about this Circle. "One, this Circle revolves around academics. Two, it has been in this area when Belize was still British Honduras. Three, the mark reacted when I was in my meeting. So I wonder? Oh no, I have a feeling where I might find the Keeper."
A short time later, "Milina Brantiti" left the USA Embassy, rented a car, and drove an hour and half to reach the former capital Belize City, where the police station was. After explaining why she was there, she was sent to the Operation department to meet with the head of the Anti-Drug Unit.
She talked with the sergeant in charge about recent activity and any prisoners they might have. It took some persuading, but she finally got the answers she was looking for. As she left, she suppressed her emotions as much as she could because if she let the fear get to her, she wouldn't be able to go through with her test, which was a very bad one. She might actually die during the test.
Night had fallen and Peace Keeper, was in the most dangerous distract in the city, the southwest. She was hyper aware of everything going around her, mentally marking all the areas where there could be shooters and the angles they had. She had taken prophylactic methods to improve the suit to help her get away or protect her from harm. For added protection, on her person, she was carrying a magical Mayan amulet. Before leaving for Japan, she had packed a few magical items and a book, along with her regular gear.
Peace Keeper kept her cool and walked on to George Street, the central hub of the George Street Bloods, the most powerful and deadliest gang in the whole country. "I would like to talk with the leader of the Bloods. I am unarmed and I am not the police or a government official of this country," she spoke out loud in clear and authoritative tone.
Within seconds, she was surrounded by gang members, many of them pointing guns at her and others leering at her. "What's a pretty thing like you doing in these streets at this hour of night?" one the gang's lieutenants asked her. All around her the other gang members whispered amongst themselves about this crazy lady.
Ning looked directly in the man's eyes, unnerving him. "I already stated why I'm here. I would like to talk with your leader."
"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of us. Is this another truce idea?" a different lieutenant demanded, he cocked his gun and kept it steady as he aimed for Peace Keeper's head.
Peace Keeper stood firm and never broke eye contact. Inside one her belt compartments, her amulet activated forming an invisible barrier around her person. Once she felt the magic cover her, Peace Keeper reiterated her request.
"You think just because you're a woman, we'll go easy on you? You might fetch a nice price or be worth a ride or two." Gang members started to laugh and others started pointing out how silly she was dressed. "Why are you wearing a mask? Think you're some kind of super hero?"
"Keeping laughing and you might find out. I won't ask again. I want to speak to your leader now."
The original lieutenant gave her two minutes to get away if she didn't want to be shot. Knowing if she took off she be shot in the back, she refused to be intimidated.
Within seconds the gang members started shooting her with every gun they had. It took every ounce of self-control to not move. The amulet in her belt was shaped like a Balam, a group of five powerful jaguars, whose job was to protect a village or city with four idols placed at the edges of all four direction, in Mayan mythology.
Four balams would sit on those idols and keep watch, while the fifth was in the center coordinating the security efforts. The amulet was a beacon to summon all five balams to protect her.
Deep angry growls carried over the sound of gunfire, startling a few of the gang members. Shadows started to move around from building to building forming a ring around the group.
"Stop shooting! I think I saw something," a member called out.
"There's always something crawling around. We need to ice this woman," the first lieutenant shouted. He moved to reload his gun, but stopped when he felt something staring at him. This time he noticed the shadows moving.
A few other gang members saw what appeared to be paw prints that appeared and disappeared every few seconds. The gang was starting to get nervous. They all stopped shooting and were astonished to see Peace Keeper still standing in place, without a trace of blood or bullet hole in her.
In disbelief, the members started to whisper amongst themselves, wondering who this strange woman was. "All I wanted was to talk to your leader, but you had to use violence. You brought this punishment on yourselves," she commented lightly. Her face became impassive and the Bloods wonder what she meant.
Screams erupted in the air as five, large and shadowy, jaguars leaped from the shadows. They pounced on the gang members, destroying their weapons and mauling them. When a member of the gang tried to escape one balam would block their path and sink their teeth in them.
Residents in the area peeked out their windows astonished by what they saw. Afraid of the mystical jaguars many of them hid or prayed they wouldn't be attacked. It took fifteen minutes for the gang to be defeated and its members dragged out of the city.
Down on the street, Peace Keeper tilted her head when she heard clapping. Her black hair was flying all over the place due to the night breeze, but she pinpointed where the sound was coming from.
With great ease she did three backflips turned to the left, dropping into her fighting stance. Standing on the sidewalk was the leader of the Bloods. The sight of him was enough to trigger the mark, letting Peace Keeper know, this man was the Keeper and had the Miraculouses on him.
"Impressive. Did you train those jaguars? Perhaps, you even own them?" He asked, a deadly smile on his face. He casually moved revealing his gun holster. Judging by the minuscule fabric lying differently, he probably had a spare piece attached to his leg.
"Don't even think about going for that gun. You know who I am and what those jaguars really are. I also know who you really are," Peace Keeper snarled at him. Years of experience helped her calculate how fast the man could reach his weapons and shoot.
The man leaned against the building, his eyes were sparkling yet still had a cold look in them. "Who am I really woman?"
"You're the Keeper and I want what is mine. I passed your test and I will take you on if I have too. This time without magic."
The gang leader smirked, surprised she had figure it out. It was highly unorthodox for a gang leader to be a Keeper, but in a weird way, it made sense. The gang leader had little use for Miraculous based on academics. At the same time, a leader who eventually wanted the killings to stop, would be a person of trust to keep the magical items safe.
"No need for more violence. It's not every day someone can survive being shot at and walk away without a hole in them." He walked over to her and gave her a package. The young agent looked at him and he responded, "You got what you came for, so leave now. I have a gang to reassemble."
By the time she returned to the Embassy it was almost three in the morning. Ignoring her fatigue, she opened the package. In a Ziploc bag were eight Kwami Charms that looked like the animals Honorra had showed her.
She pulled the eight accessories out and arranged them in the order she had seen the animals in. Each item was unique and colorful. Some of the items surprised her. How in the world did the wizard create so many different accessories, when many of them had not even been invented yet?
There was a blue wristband with a black and white ferret sewn on. A turquoise colored veil, the straps were in the shape of a brown platypus. A red weapon sheath with an orange tarsier stamped on it.
Then, there was a fake purple flower with a green worm on it. Followed by, a peach sash with a navy colored hermit crab. Also, there was a tie which was made to look like a tan aardvark sticking his tongue out.
Lastly, there was off white basket with a regular colored humpback whale decal attached to it, and a masquerade mask shaped like a Chinese pangolin. "The uniqueness of the Miraculouses will never cease to amaze me."
Her mark burned slightly and flipped her palm upright, she saw the letters had changed. Instead of an A, there was now an EC, the next Circle she had to find. She had a strong hunch the Circles were going to be find and understand their abstract nature.
The next day was a beautiful one for Paris with warm sunshine and only a few clouds in the sky. At school, Ms. Bustier's class was waiting, for their teacher to return with the second book in the Percy Jackson series. They had finished the first book last week and to Ms. Bustier's delight, almost the whole class loved it. The one exception being Chloe, who had only read one page before telling Sabrina to do the reading for her.
"I can't believe we have to read another book in a little kid's book. What is the point of reading something if it doesn't give you fashion tips?" Chloe asked Sabrina, after she had a look at her nails. She needed another manicure and soon.
"The book wasn't that hard to read. Maybe you'll enjoy the second book better than the first?" Sabrina suggested, her hands folded together anxiously. She had liked the book and wanted to read the others or buy them, but she didn't know when she could do that because Chloe never wanted to go to the bookstore, and her dad, determined was she could download to her tablet.
Ms. Bustier entered the classroom smiling. The books in her arm started tumble to the ground. Adrien and Nino caught them before they hit the floor. A relieved expression was on their teacher's face. "Thank you boys. Do you mind handing them out to the class?"
Nino took one side and Adrien did the other. Chloe flashed him a big smile and said thank you when he gave her a copy of the book. "Adrikins, why don't you come over to my place and read the book with me?"
"Sure Chloe, I'll see if it fits into my schedule. I wonder what exciting adventures are going to happen next for Percy."
The class looked opened their books to the first page waiting for their teacher's instructions, but she told them to close their books for now. She wanted to have a discussion before they started reading the book.
"At the end of the first book, Percy was betrayed by Luke, someone he considered a friend and teacher. It didn't matter that Percy, Annabeth, and Grover had completed their quest, a fellow demigod was the source of the problem, which almost lead to their death.
Now, in this second book, another adventure will occur. Because of the ending in the first book, the hero Percy doubts himself and his skills, which will play a key role in the second book. If you were in the same position, would you have the same doubts and how would you deal with them?"
The teacher gave them five minutes to talk with one another and come up with an answer. Alix was leaning in to hear Mylene because the girl was talking so softly. Ivan had walked down to sit next to Nathanial, who was showing him a sketch he made to illustrate the situation.
Alya was laughing at something Marinette said, while Nino rolled his eyes. Adrien shoved his best friend gently, indicating he needed to take this seriously. Sabrina, was writing down some ideas for Chloe to use.
Clapping her hands, Ms. Bustier drew their attention back to her. "Remember, there are no wrong answers in this discussion, just honest thoughts." Scanning the room, her eyes came to rest on Kim. She asked him to stand up and tell her what he thought.
Kim puffed out his chest and struck a pose trying to look heroic. "I be a bit bummed out that my friend betrayed me, but I wouldn't let it keep me down. I know I'm impressive and to prove it I just have to work on being more awesome."
The boys clapped their hands while the girls looked away, annoyed at the typical male response. Kim kept boosting how great he was and nothing that happened to the protagonist would ever happen to him.
Knowing the girls wanted some relief from the macho man, Ms. Bustier called on Mylene, who stood up and was trying to keep her anxiety under control. Her hands gripped the front of her outfit and she spoke up. "I would have a lot of doubts in my mind. Even doubts about my doubts. I think I would need someone to help me overcome them and make sure I was okay."
"No surprise there, considering you're frightened of your own shadow at times," Chloe remarked. Mylene trembled and Ivan glared at Chloe for her awful remark.
Ms. Bustier walked over to Chloe's desk and told her to look at her. "Chloe, you can voice your own opinions later, but remember, we don't speak poorly to others in this room." She walked back to her desk satisfied she had done her job. She pushed away any doubts she had about Chloe never learning to be polite to others.
While the heroes were in school, at Master Fu's, the Great Guardian was trying to figure out what mirror angle to use, in order to figure out what EC stood for. Master Fu was using a small hand mirror as he moved it slowly across the page.
Fu looked up from his work and smiled at what he saw. Wayzz and Honorra, were having a meal together. The little magpie was slowly and daintily using a spoon to scoop tiny amounts of rice pudding into her mouth, careful to not slurp.
Wayzz, was happily enjoying his baby carrots and taking a sip of tea. Seeing the tea reminded Master Fu, he had promised Honorra, the next time he went grocery shopping, he would buy her some juice to drink.
"It's nice to see you two sharing a meal together. May I ask, what you two have planned for today?" The Kwamiis had slowly been attempting to bond, but had yet to do anything really big.
Honorra put her spoon down and twisted around gleefully before replying, "I started my own YouTube account! I just collect videos, not post anything. We're going to listen and watch some of my favorite videos!" She then turned serious again. "Of course my activity will be second as Wayzz has been here the longest."
Wayzz nodded in agreement. It was very polite for the host to go first. "I thought for my activity, we could do something I like. I enjoy meditating in my little Zen garden."
Honorra eyes widened in confusion. Her "cousin" had a real garden? Where could it be? The building didn't even have a yard of any kind. She opened her mouth to ask a question only for Wayzz to tell her to follow him.
He led her into Master Fu's bedroom and pulled a planter out from under the bed. The planter was full of sand with a tiny rake and some rocks making it an ideal place for meditation. Wayzz carefully moved his Zen Garden so the sunlight would heat up the sand.
In the center of the garden, there were three rocks the formed a circle. Wayzz sat on the formation before assuming his meditation pose. He soon started to hum to himself, reaching a place of tranquility.
Honorra landed in the sand and immediately regretted it. The sand was getting stuck in her feathers causing her to itch badly. She frantically tried to clean the sand off. "My poor tail, my feathers look ready to molt because of the sand. Ow! I can't scratch my back!"
She grabbed the little rake in her tiny paws and used it as a backscratcher to relieve some of the pain. She hopped up and down as the hot sand burned her feet. "I'm all for sunning, but this is ridiculous."
Desperate to relieve her pain, she spotted a small bench in the far right corner near a small pond. Levitating over the area, she carefully lowered herself in the water, freeing herself of the gritty and itchy sand. Once clean, she sat on the bench, letting the sun dry her.
Time passed and when the sun finally stopped warming the sand, Wayzz opened his eyes and stretched. "I feel very refreshed. It's always wonderful to clear your mind is it not Honarra?" He looked to his left, believing she would be meditating next to him, but she wasn't there.
The sound of sleepy breathing made the kwami shift to the far right corner. Lying fully on the bench was a sleeping Honorra. Her feathers were almost completely dried. There was a small sore on her back from digging the rake too deeply into her body to relieve the itching.
Wayzz rolled his eyes, before going to the bathroom and coming back with a small bandage and disinfectant. "Just a dab of this," he said to himself, noting Honorra shivering when the disinfectant touched her. "Then a bandage and voila, all better."
Honorra's eyes opened her eyes and blinked a few times. "Wayzz, what did you, oh thank you. I didn't realize the wound was so deep. Having sand on my skin makes it very irritable.
"If I had known that, I probably would have picked a different activity," the turtle admitted. He had forgot that not all Kwamiis enjoyed sand as much as he did. Pointing to her back, "You're wound should heal by the end of the week, or sooner, if you ask Fu about it."
"Maybe tomorrow, for now it's time for my activity." After they slid the little Zen Garden under the bed again, they went back to the kitchen/dining room. They could hear through the wall, the Great Guardian helping a client while asking questions.
The two Kwamiis landed on the table, picked up the tablet, and carefully made their way back to the bedroom. "Make sure to lock the door, so no one can get in," Honorra reminded Wayzz as they set the device down on the bed. The green turtle went back and made sure the door to the apartment was locked tightly.
Back in the bedroom, Honorra had logged into her account HonorBird and keyed up a video. Someone had created a video containing many different clips of Ladybug and Chat Noir, then added the song, "Try Everything," from Disney Zootopeia, as background music.
"Hope you love this one. Play!" Honorra tapped her tiny paw as hard as she could as the video started playing. She bopped her head along with the music while Wayzz watched her wondering if her head was going to fall off.
"Try everything, try everything, try everything!" Honorra closed her eyes and sang out loud. The beat to the song was fantastic. When the video ended, she paused her account and looked over to Wayzz. "Did you like it?"
"I wasn't paying much attention to the video or the song. You distracted me with your dancing, I believe it is called."
Putting her paws on her hip she glared at him. "I happen to like dancing and singing. Here, focus on this video. This one is called, "Biker Chick," by Jo Dee Mesina. I hope you like it."
The country singer's voice was very good Wayzz thought to himself. His antenna bounced in time with the rhythm. The song was about a girls at bar discussing what type of man they liked. The singer went on to describe a motorcycle rider and how she wanted to be a biker chick.
"Interesting song Honorra. This song though, seems to mean more to you than me. I like listening to the sounds of nature or wind chimes playing notes."
The magpie rolled her eyes. "You need to get out of your comfort zone sometime soon Wayzz. The music festival this weekend is sure to make you broaden your horizons."
On Saturday, Marinette stopped by Master Fu's to pick up Honorra and Wayzz. Honorra had begged to be allowed outside the apartment, as she wanted to be close to the music festival. Wayzz, was reluctantly following her, to make sure she didn't cause trouble.
Eyeing the two Kwamiis, Marinette clutched her hands and turned to Master Fu. "Are you sure this is a good idea? You said that we shouldn't risk having more activate Miraculous wielders."
Master Fu smiled at her. "True, no other Miraculouses should be released," he replied before giving her a wink. "The same thing doesn't necessarily apply to the Kwamiis in this situation.
Honorra has been cooped up at my home for weeks, only being able to see the outside world from a computer. She needs some fresh air and to experience the modern world. Wayzz and Tikki will make sure nothing goes wrong."
From Marinette's purse, Tikki popped her head out. "It will be fine Marinette. We have enough snacks to eat and we'll be safe in your purse. Nothing is going to happen."
The bluenette hoped so. She started walking towards the river looking for Juleka's houseboat Liberty. Marinette had never been on a houseboat before or near any of the small communities of them docked on one side of the Seine. This was going to be a fascinating experience.
Inside the purse, Honorra was trying to contain her excitement. "I can't wait to start hearing the music from all over Paris! It's been so long since I attended a concert. I'm interested in the new styles."
Wayzz leaned back and started nibbling on a baby carrot. "Couldn't we have watched the event on TV?"
"Oh Wayzz, how long has it been since you left the apartment? This is going to be fun. Marinette always leaves a tiny space open for me to glimpse at the world outside, so we don't even have to leave the purse to see anything."
The purse swung a bit as Tikki's wielder stepped onto the houseboat, swaying a bit as she regained her balance. Peeking through the tiny opening Honorra got her first look at some of Marinette's classmates.
There was Nino preparing the DJ area while Alya and Mylene set up the equipment. Ivan was assembling the drum set as Rose made sure the microphones were working. Juleka was tuning her guitar, a smile on her face, she was really excited to be part of the music festival.
"So those kids are Marinette's classmates? I've only ever heard names, never seen a picture," Honorra whispered. She floated back to allow Tikki to see who was there before identifying them for her "cousin".
The purse swung around and they heard Marinette talking to Alya about how she was disappointed that Adrien couldn't come to the concert. "He was really looking forward to being part of the band tonight, but he made one mistake playing the piano to his father, and now he has to spend all day practicing."
"Mr. Agreste really is a stickler for perfection isn't he?" Alya remarked to her. "Can you get that statue over there?"
Marinette nodded as she went to get the small metal statue and started to place it on the compass, when Anarka Couffaine, Juleka's mother, shouted at her to stop. "Don't you know anything girly? You never place metal near the compass, otherwise the needle with lead you to your doom. Don't want to sink the ship now do you?"
Marinette gulped at the sight of this woman. Juleka's mom was only slightly bigger than her, gray and green hair tied in a French braid, and her sky blue eyes had a wild look to them. She was wearing bright red glasses and a black coat with a gold trim that reaches her knees, over a light pink top and light blue jeans. She had on heeled brown boots which went halfway up her calves.
For accessories; she was wearing earring with alternating aqua and red spheres, and a variety of bracelets and bangles. She also wore three rings on every finger except for her ring finger on her right hand. Anarka also had on an indigo headband with a violet flower on it.
"I didn't mean to cause a problem. I'll be careful next time."
"Good girly! Now, why don't you get Luka up here and you kids can blow me away with your awesome music!"
"Luka?"
From outside on the deck Juleka's voice could be heard. "My brother, he's below deck in his room, tuning his guitar."
Marinette was surprised, she didn't know Juleka had a brother, but then again, Juleka rarely liked to talk. Going below deck, she followed the music until she found a boy about her age with dark green hair and blue eyes, sitting on his bed playing his guitar.
The music was rock and roll, but softer with a bit of romance. The teenage girl sat on the bed and started humming along. Luka grinned and continued to play listening to the heroine humming along.
"Nice vocals. You have a good voice."
"You have gifted hands. That was a beautiful tune for an electric guitar. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I'm Juleka's friend and classmate."
"Luka Couffaine, Juleka's brother. It's a pleasure to meet you. You like rock and roll?"
Marinette pointed to the poster of Jagged Stone, hanging on the wall next to the guitar pick collection. "Jagged Stone is my favorite musician. I did two commissions for him."
Luka looked at her impressed. "You like my guitar pick collection? Each of them are from a famous guitarist. They remind me how everyone starts small, but can become big with practice."
Marinette commented it was an impressive collection. When Luka gave her one, she tried to protest before taking it. After talking for a few minutes they went up to the deck to rehearse the concert.
Inside the purse, Honorra was trying to sit still and eat the bit of rice that had been packed for her. "When do you think they'll start playing? Soon, I hope. After that, we can watch the other performers."
"Hopefully, the music isn't too loud. I don't want to be deaf," Wayzz told the two females. The turtle kwami must have jinxed them because a few seconds later very, very, very loud music played as the purse vibrated violently.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?" he demanded, shouting to be heard over the music.
"I THINK THIS IS WHAT THEY CALL OUT OF CONTROL MUSIC!" Tikki shouted in response.
"MUSIC SHOULD NOT BE PLAYED SO LOUD!" Honorra added to the conversation.
Thankfully, the music stopped. The Kwamiis rubbed their ears, attempting to get them to stop ringing. Sneaking a peek out of the purse, Honorra saw Anarka in a shouting match with police officer Roger.
He was giving her lots of tickets and in response she kept acting even more like a pirate, even saying she make him walk the plank if he didn't stop issuing tickets and telling her that she couldn't do her concert.
Roger gave her one more ticket and told her if she didn't follow the rules, she would be arrested for noise violation. He left the houseboat and headed back on patrol.
"That scurvy dog, how dare he ticket me?" Anarka shouted, ripping up the tickets. "I am free to do what I want!" she stormed off angrily. Her children, looked at each other, hoping she would be okay.
It turned out Anarka wasn't okay. Hawkmoth had transformed her and her boat into a nasty noise blasting pirate and ship. She imprisoned all the kids in chains below deck and ordered her boat to head down the Seine at full speed. Her goal was to blast all the other performers out of the city for good.
Tikki quickly freed Marinette and Luka, who thought she used the guitar pick. Captain Hardrock was alerted by the Liberty about the escape attempt. "Nobody escapes my ship unless I throw them in the drink!" Racing downstairs, she ignored the other prisoners and cut her way into Luka's room.
In the room, Luka was standing by a porthole, yelling out for Marinette to swim for it. Captain Hardrock snarled. "My own crew betrays me? You're going to be the first to walk the plank!"
She threw a chain and locked Luka back up again. She dragged him outside the room, and hung him on the wall, before heading back up to the deck. "My first target! Jagged Stone shall be destroyed, the worthless landlubber will never play an instrument again!"
Back in Luka's room, the three Kwamiis phased out of the long drawer under the bed and pulled it out, revealing a hidden Marinette. "It's time this pirate learned to follow the rules. Wayzz, Honorra, stay hidden in my purse. I'm going after Captain Hardrock."
"But we can help!" the little magpie protested. She didn't want to be left behind. "I spent a long time in Limbo. I need to feel useful again."
"Sorry, but you need to conserve your strength. Tikki, Spots On!" Ladybug emphasized staying put one more time before she went after the Akuma.
Honorra fluffed her feathers before levitating towards the window. "You can stay here Wayzz, but I'm going to help."
"Are you mad? Ladybug told us to hide remember? Without our Miraculouses, we can't transform anybody. On our own, we don't have the ability to face the Akuma."
Honorra huffed, stating she wasn't going after the akumatized villain. She was going to find a way to slow down the ship. She zipped out the porthole, heading for the back of the ship, Wayzz followed to make sure she didn't hurt herself.
Honorra looked down in the river, and saw the keel of the ship moving furiously through the water. "If I damage the keel, the boat will lose stability and drift sideways."
Wayzz came up next to her. "We could also lower the anchor to keep the ship from moving."
Honorra pointed out the ship was alive and it would surely pull the anchor back up before speeding ahead. They both covered their ears as a loud sound wave blasted Jagged Stone's stage to bits.
"The further downriver, the more people will be. If that sonic cannon fires again, who knows what structures would break and harm civilians. We need to this boat to run aground," the female kwami emphasized as her eyes got really big with fear.
Wayzz nodded, knowing they had to do something. "We could drop the anchor and then wrap it around the keel. When the Liberty reels the anchor back, the keel will be torn off and we'll start to drift."
"Worth a try." The two Kwamiis phased into the pirate ship and looked below deck. Since the ship had been changed from a houseboat to a pirate ship, the anchor would have to be lifted up manually, instead of an electric signal.
Wayzz spotted in first. The anchor was locked in place and you need to throw a lever to make the anchor to deploy. "If we work together, we can move the lever."
The two small gods started to push on the lever with all their power. The lever didn't budge. They changed their positions and pushed again. This time the lever released the anchor dropping it into the water.
The two of them hurried, taking a deep breath, before diving in the water. They were two small to move the heavy anchor, so Wayzz focused all his energy into using his ability.
Slowly, the anchor's color changed from grey to green. With the ship's spirit under control, Honorra managed to guide the anchor into place before signaling Wayzz to stop.
Surfacing, the two Kwamiis watched as the anchor destroyed the keel when it pulled too hard to get the anchor back up. The boat wobbled and swayed before it was blown to the side and run aground on the stone streets lining the Seine.
Without the pirate ship acting as back up, Captain Hardrock was easier to subdue. The Lucky Charm, a chain, was used to tie her hands together so she dropped the microphone turned cutlass.
Chat Noir broke the object releasing the akuma. Ladybug purified it and restored everything to normal. Thankfully, the two Kwamiis managed to get back to the purse before Marinette came back for it.
A bit later the three Kwamiis watched and listened to Marinette's friends playing their concert, the volume turned down to sensible levels. Today had been an awesome adventure.