Chapter Summary: "If you really look, you can see the people, and if you really listen, you can hear them starving."
Chapter Pairings: Tikki&Marinette, Plagg&Adrien, Plagg/Tikki, LadyNoir
A/N: Well hello, it's only been what, 3 months? I would apologize except life happened. But I'm 20 now, older wiser, more cynical. I realized I needed to set some more things up before I keep the plot moving.
thanks to TidePoolDevil, Yamina20, An Amber Pen, CursedRedRose, and a guest all for reviewing
Marinette did not go home. She rushed through the streets to Tikka's home, praying to see the loving face of her mentor and friend. The house was quiet when she slipped into the guest room, not even Tikka's loud snoring could be heard.
Fear gripped Marinette heart as she creeped through the hall to peer into Tikka's room. Her bed was made neatly, but there was no sign of the older woman.
"Tikki!" Marinette called out, probing the house for signs of life.
Silence.
"Tikki!" Marinette called out again, louder. She ran down the steps, only one thought in her mind. Oh please dear gods, do not be what I fear-
"Marinette, is that you?" Tikki said, walking calmly from her sewing room in the back to see Marinette thunder down the stairs.
"Tikki!" Marinette exclaimed in relief, she flung herself into Tikka's arms and breathed heavily.
"What is it, dear girl?" Tikki asked, unsure of what happened.
"I feared- I feared the worst. Oh Tikki, I've done, or almost done, a terrible thing."
"I'm afraid I've done, and almost done, very terrible things, mon cheri." Tikki let her go, and there was a faraway look in her eye. Marinette was sure she was thinking of the war, of Pondecherry. "But I'm afraid the worst that's happened to me is a hangover the size of France itself. Come here and tell me of your terrible thing, and I will tell you of mine."
"Prince Adrien, sir, please pay attention," Nathalie begged him, and Adrien willed his eyelids to open. But they felt like they weighed more than the marble walls and it was difficult.
"What could possibly be so important that it couldn't wait for a nap?" The dauphin whined.
"Your impending marriage, sir."
"Something is indeed impending in France, and nothing is going to stop it being so, not even my marriage to Chloe Bourgeois."
Nathalie seemed to brighten at his statement. "Does this mean you've consented to the marriage-"
Adrien could hardly believe what he was hearing. "No, it does not!" He stood and moved to the window. He pushed aside the curtain and gestured to the view outside of his apartments. "Look Nathalie, really look and listen."
She moved to stand beside him and looked out the window. "What am I looking at?"
"If you really look, you can see the people, and if you really listen, you can hear them starving."
Nathalie made an exasperated noise and pulled the curtain closed.
"Putting your marriage off by trying to invent problems of state will not work any longer, sir." Adrien balked and took a step back in surprise. "Now, I invited many young, eligible ladies to the upcoming ball-"
"Invent prob- People starving is not only a matter of state, Mme. Sacouer, but a matter of common decency. Those people are our people, and they are being imprisoned."
"I see we need to take Diderot out of our lessons. Anyway-"
"I will not go to this ball, I will not participate in any more of this."
Nathalie's eyebrow furrowed and her mouth set into a hard line. "You will go to the ball, and you will choose a suitable bride. Now, I will make your excuses for dinner, and you will sleep on this, and if you do not change your mind by tomorrow, there will be consequences."
Adrien grumbled his apologies as Nathalie left. He stomped back into his chambers and sent his man away at the first possible convenience. He donned his black costume, and stole out of his bedroom window. There was still perhaps an hour of sunlight left, but he could not wait.
Plagg was better today. He had received a letter from his lady-love in Paris, and seemed to be more sober than not.
"You ought to get her out," Adrien offered to the older man.
"Hmm?" Plagg looked up from sniffing a small plate of cheese. "Do you not think I've tried? She refuses to leave. She says Paris is in her blood and she would see it fall if it meant that blood would be spilled."
"The two of you met at Pondecherry."
Plagg shrugged. "Someday I will convince her to go, I think. But not today. She has a young woman that she worries about, her protege."
Adrien raised his eyebrows. "She too? We are quite the parallel."
Plagg looked up from his cheese to eye the prince up and down. "I would not flatter myself if I were you. You're just a pampered prince, she just a seamstress. Ladybug and I, we are everything. Chaos and creation, Lady Luck and misfortune."
"I think you mean, 'Lady Luck and Mister Fortune,'" Adrien offered with a grin. Plagg snorted. "And I'll have you know I've gained my lady's trust. She is taking me to her resistance group toni-" Plagg stood suddenly and clapped his large, black hand over Adrien's mouth.
"Shush, petite dauphin, you don't know which walls have eyes and which ones do not," he whispered. Adrien nodded behind Plagg's hand. "Go now, meet this lady, gain her trust, save the city. Save my lady, and be back before anyone misses you."
"I will." Adrien grabbed his mask and sword, moving to the garden as he slipped the remains of his costume on. He had one foot over the garden wall before he remembered something. "Plagg!" He called out in a hushed shout.
"What?" Plagge called back, sticking his head out of the back door.
"Don't drink too much tonight, I prefer your insults when you're sober."
Plagg shooed him with a hand and pulled the door closed behind his head. Adrien dropped to the other side, keeping watch out for guards.
Marinette found Chat earlier than she had anticipated. Sounds of a scuffle cause her to search an alley, only to find a small scene as if from a play. Two men, one large and one medium sized against a tall, slim man in black. And to top it off, a woman was huddled against the wall, her clothing ripped half off her body. The two men were clearly overpowering Chat, but he was holding his own.
It only took a flick of the wrist to send her disk wrapping around the larger one's wrist as he raised it to bring a fist down on Chat's back.
"What is this here?!" He exclaimed.
"Arreste!" Marinette exclaimed. "Disperse or I will call the guards!"
"Come out and fight, little girl," said the medium one. He had a scars over his face and neck that said it was not his first fight, nor would it be his last.
Marinette yanked her disk back, sending the man to the ground. While Chat fought off the other man, who had now produced a knife, Marinette tried to take down who she dubbed the Brute. He circled and she twirled her disk to keep him at a distance. Eventually they met and she had the rope around his neck. He went down and she immediately pulled it away. Chat was scaring off the Other Man screaming about justice while Marinette listened to the heartbeat of the Brute. It was still strong, and he would, undoubtedly, live to fight another day.
Chat was panting, he stood over her, a vision in black.
"Bonsoir, my lady, lovely evening, though not as much as you," he purred.
She shook her head. He looked almost like a hero until he opened that mouth. She stood and brushed the dust off.
"You shouldn't have yelled, the guards might hear," she scolded him as she walked out of the alley.
"Let them come, mess with this cat, you get the claws," he replied, flashing his sword as he followed her.
"Why do you fight with that, anyway?" She asked. "If you actually wanted to be effective, you would have a pistol."
"Meow-ch, big talk from a bug with a disk on a string."
Marinette shrugged. "Still."
"Pistols need to be loaded. A blade only needs to be sharp."
He had a point, and she did not speak until they reached the Red Lion. She knocked.
"Who comes to knock at my door at this late hour?"
"Jacques, and his friend," Marinette affirmed.
The eyes slid behind the panel and Chat Noir cleared his throat.
"They do know that I'm coming, don't they?" He asked, suddenly seeming very nervous.
Marinette nodded. "They know."
The door opened and Alya ushered them into the back room.
"It's nice to finally meet you Chat Noir, I'm Lady W. This is my husband, the Bubbler."
He shook hands with Nino and kissed Alya's hand. Marinette was impressed with his manners, but she said nothing about them.
"How is your knitting?" She asked Alya. How is the list coming?
"Not nearly as close to being done as I hoped to be." It's going along, but not done.
"Keep at it." Marinette took her place at the head of the table and gestured for Chat to sit at her right hand. Everyone sat and Marinette called the meeting to order. "Everyone, we have a new addition to our group. This is Chat Noir. Now, the first item is of some major interest, so I'm told. Bubbler?"
Nino cleared his throat and stood. "Thank you, as you may know, the King is having a ball…"
A/n: I'm not BSing when I say I think I'll be updating again soon. I really wanna finish this story before I start anything else. Partly out of obligation and partly because I think it deserves to be done.
As always thank you for reading, no reviews are necessary
