You're Lost, I'm Found.
Chapter Eleven: Introductions
Kari loved swimming when she was sulking. It was a good stress relief. Just dive down into the deep end of the pool and reality would sink away. No sounds but that of her own thoughts, gravity seemingly existed, and the only thing that mattered was not running out of air.
It was like a weightless heaven.
Karina opened her greens to look up at the colorful sky above her as she floated on her back. The sun was setting, causing an array of shades to spread across the sky.
It was peaceful to see as the teen reached back and played with her hair. She loved the feeling of the water on her head when she did that. Swimming really was her one true stress free zone...
...A place where her mother, as loving as she was, couldn't 'protect' her. A place where she was truly free of her life. Flowing with her own soul, feeling something she only felt when she was altogether happy. Unified…
"Kari? Are you out here?" The muffled voice of her maid called out, causing the brunette to stand up in the shallow end of the pool.
"Yes! Sorry Chiara. I forgot to tell you."
Chiara laughed a bit, "It's alright. Nothing I'm not used to. You're a catfish."
"Oh no, not that nickname again. Don't make me splash you!"
The maid put her hands up as a shield, "Ah! No! Don't do me that way!" She chucked. "I just wanted to tell you that I made some cookies in here if you wanted to dry off and come in. Besides, it's getting pretty late, don't you think?"
Karina looked back at the sun which had almost ducked under the horizon. "Yeah...I guess you're right. Tell you what, I'm going to dive under one last time, then I'll come in and eat some cookies. Deal?"
"Deal." Chiara smiled at her before sliding the back door back in place.
Taking a deep breath, Kari turned around to face the deep end of the pool, leaping into its depths. The cool water moved through her hair like a river as she kicked downwards to the bottom of her 15 ft deep pool. She loved the pressure as it built up around her ears. It made them ring, but she didn't care. This was a true state of bliss for her.
Stopping. Karina opened her eyes to look around the blue water as she reached the bottom of the pool. She let a small bit of air out from her lungs to stop her from floating upwards. The last of the sun's ray made the water sparkle, causing her to smirk at its beauty Nothing could ruin this for he-
Wait. What was that?
Something shiny seemed to be reflecting from the bottom of the pool. It was on the slope downward. Curiosity bested Karina as she used her last bit of air to swim to the object…
A silver ring? What was this doing here? Maybe she should bring it up and ask her mother before-
Suddenly a green flash came in front of her. All she had done was touch the ring, and the she was blinded…
But when her eyes did focus, she sucked in a bunch of water into her lungs. For her eyes met with another set of greens. Those greens belonging to a small back catlike creature.
…
Plagg's mouth filled with water as he tried to finish his statement to Adrien. He knew he'd been transported back to his miraculous...but he didn't expect to meet his new welder underwater.
And he hated water.
This meeting was already going well.
Plagg followed the girl to the surface as he watched her pull herself up on the concrete while coughing up a lung.
She had tried to scream when she saw him, but well, water doesn't exactly work well in that situation.
In some ways, Plagg was okay with that. In others, drowning on the first meeting would've been some pretty rotten luck. Guess that's to be expected with his presence though.
"Hey, water whiskers. You okay over there?" Plagg said as he drip dried by the pools edge.
Karina slowly turned her head to see him before she quickly jerked her head back to stare at the ground. "Oh my God I did see what I thought I saw down there...and it talks...is my mom playing a trick on me? What's going on right now…?"
Plagg had to remind himself that this girl had no idea what was going on. There wasn't even a miraculous box. She just found what looked to be an ordinary ring at the bottom of the pool.
"Hey, um, I know you're a little shocked right now but, you might want to talk to me. I hold a lot of the stupid answers you're brain is thinking of questions for." Plagg scoffed. This sucked… he wondered if Adrien had heard him before he was taken away by this girl. Not that he could do anything now. He had to serve this human. Even if it was to help the will of the evil…
Karina, shivering and all, finally worked up the nerve to face the kwami. Their eyes locked, and Plagg finally got to get a good look at his new miraculous holder…
...which happened to be the new girl from class.
Plagg had seen her earlier when Adrien was helping her find the classroom. She seemed a little out of place… like something was off. Plagg just hoped it wasn't her heart or her character.
"W-what are you?" Karina finally piped up, holding her knees close to her chest.
Here we go. Introductions.
"I am what you call a kwami. I'm a magical being, per say."
Karina cocked her head to the side, a bit perplexed. "Magic?"
"That's one word for it, yes." Plagg kicked himself off the ground and floated over to her face, causing Karina to jump. The kwami figured she was a bit freaked out at him ability to fly too. This all was so...annoying. "I can grant you powers. Like, superpowers."
"How? That's...no way." Karina had only heard stories. Now this little creature, no, kwami, was telling her he could give her powers? Her mom was going to freak…
"That ring you found, it's called a Miraculous. In this case, it's the Miraculous of Destruction."
The teen took in a breath and held it. "Miraculous? Like…" Kari started down at her palm where the silver ring rested. This ring...was a miraculous? The that means… "O-Oh my...no no. T-This is…" Her greens were wide in shock and disbelief as she looked at the now sad looking black cat floating in front of her.
"That ring you're holding belonged to Chat Noir."
"Kari! Did you drown?" Chiara's voice made Karina jump as Plagg rushed to hide behind her.
"Uh! N-no! I was just about to get a towel and head inside!"
"Well, hurry you! These cookies won't stay hot forever." Her caretaker chuckled a bit before sliding the door closed once more.
Karina let out a relieved sigh, turning back to Plagg as she stood up. Her legs were still weak after all of this shock that had happened in just the past five minutes. "So I'm guessing no one is allowed to know about you?"
Plagg nodded, "No. Only you can know about me."
"Figured." Karina looked down at her open palm where the silver ring rested. She looked over to Plagg once more before squeezing her hand closed. "We'll figure this out later. If I don't get in there we'll have bigger problems than just a miraculous."
Plagg nodded, floating sneakily behind her as she made her way inside. This was going to be a long night.
. . .
Gabriel stared up at the picture of Emily in a focus awe. He missed her so much...and the longing to see her beautiful eyes gaze him again was getting unbearable.
He would do anything to see that again.
The older man turned to face the doors as it swung open, "Sir, I've gotten Adrien for you." Nathalie announced as Adrien follows in behind her.
"Ah yes," The father looked at his son. "I wanted to let you know of a few changes that are happening around here."
Adrien nodded, feeling like hell after the events that had happened only a half an hour prior. He was surprised that this father had time to tell him whatever this was. Typically, Nathalie would tell him. This must be something really important…
"I wanted you to give this to someone." Gabriel announced as he walked over to Adrien with an envelope in hand. "Nathalie will escort you to her residence accordingly."
Adrien looked at the envelope in hand and almost gasped. "You're giving Marinette an internship?"
Gabriel nodded, "She's exquisitely talented. Her creative spirit is one I can't pass up. She may be a very smart young lady and perhaps big in the fashion industry someday. I'd like to help her blossom. So I'll be bringing her here a few times a week, if she accepts."
"That's amazing father! Marinette will be ecstatic. She'll definitely accept, but…" the blonde studied his father as he turned away from him. "Why would you want me to deliver this to her?"
"You represent the Agreste name, don't you?"
"Well of course but-"
"That's all the reason you need. I thought you'd enjoy this outing a bit more than the usual photo shoot anyhow."
He did have a point, Adrien hummed, usually he wouldn't be allowed out of the house.
"There's also one other thing…"
Adrien turned to see the door open and an unfamiliar face walk in. Adrien studied her as her high heels clicked against the tile floor she walked past them. Her eyes were green, and her long hair black as midnight. She wore a red dress of Gabriel's design... Very elegant but not too proper. She stopped next to his father and smiled shyly. This almost seemed to be rehearsed in some odd way…
Adrien also took note of Nathalie's sudden shift in demeanor.
"Adrien," Gabriel spoke, recapturing his son's attention. "This is Clarissa Bissett. Nathalie has become very busy recently and I've decided that a second assistant is needed. She was friends with your mother years ago… so I offered Ms. Bissett a position with us."
Clarissa smile never faltered as she bowed softly to Adrien. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Adrien blinked a bit, shocked that he had yet another assistant to deal with now. "It's… it's nice to meet you to Ms. Bissett."
The woman rose, still smiling. "You can just call me Clarissa."
"She'll be helping me more so Nathalie can focus on you. I just wanted to introduce you two so you're familiar with one another in the mansion."
"I see, thank you father." That's all Adrien could say.
From there, he was dismissed to take this internship letter to his friend. He hoped that would at least help her feel better… he knew she had been going through a hard time.
This news of a new assistant did catch him off guard though. His father was letting someone else in the house… it seems a bit odd. He did say she was an old friend of his mothers… maybe that has something to do with it.
The one thing that stood out to Adrien the most though was Nathalie's behavior… she didn't speak a word while Clarissa was present…
...but, then again, something just felt off about that whole thing…
. . .
After Nathalie and Adrien were dismissed, Gabriel returned to his painting of Emily. Clarissa stood behind him, a tablet in hand. "What would you wish me to do now, Papillon…"
That's right. Clarissa knew all about the Agreste's and the miraculous. She was there when Emily and Gabriel brought them home from Tibet.
Gabriel smirked a bit before turning his gaze to the dark haired lady. "Careful Ms. Bissett. Just because my wife shared our secret with you doesn't mean you can call me that. I am your boss."
"In more ways than one, sir." Clarissa hummed in amusement. "So tell me Gabriel. Emily… what happened to her?"
"I wish I knew completely…" The man let his eyes fall to the tiled flooring. "We used to be so subtle with the use of our miraculous. She used to power of the peacock to protect those she cared about the most, while I used the butterfly to help secure the business. We promised not to use the miraculous in vain or really even use their power on a high output. We knew they'd be detected."
"Hm, yet here you are… using the Butterfly miraculous at 75 percent of its full capability."
"I needed to see if they existed… the miraculous of creation and destruction…"
"And now that you know they do, you've been trying to seize them to make a wish for Emily's return. Yet, even with those two children using their miraculous at only 25 percent of their full power, you are unable to defeat them." Clarissa walked over to Gabriel as he turned to face her. "You need help."
"I-I can't."
Clarissa sighed. "You're always so stubborn. Fine, let me see the peacock miraculous."
Gabriel looked at her with hesitation, but nodded as he moved the painting from the wall to reveal the safe. "It's damaged, you know."
"But usable, yes?" Clarissa smiled at him a bit. "Don't worry, I'm not trying to use its power. But, that kwami might have a few answers for you. Have you ever tried to talk to it?"
"Of course." Gabriel defended. "Duusu isn't very captive with me however and I personally cannot stand it."
Clarissa clipped the miraculous on her dress strap and a small blue kwami zipped free from it. Immediate, Duusu flew away from the two and hid behind the pencil cup on the desk. "I'm not talking! I can't help you! I'll only cause you pain…"
"Duusu?"
The kwami immediately looked up from its position and peaked around the hiding place. "C-Clarissa?"
The woman nodded, letting Duusu process her presence. "I know, it's been awhile."
Duusu suddenly shot forward and hugged onto her cheek, tears raining out around her. "I thought you left me and Emily for good! I'm so glad you're back!"
"Me too Duusu." Clarissa smiled, but it quickly faded. "You have to tell me what's wrong with your miraculous. It might make us able to help Emily."
Duusu looked at her, tears still pooling in her eyes. "I-I don't know what's wrong. But when anyone uses my power, it takes some of their life force with it… the more you use, the less of you there is…until..."
"Until there's almost nothing left…" Gabriel finished that statement.
Duusu quickly jumped onto Clarissa's shoulder in a defensive hiss. "You! You stay away! You made her keep using my power! She told you it wasn't safe!"
Clarissa flashed her greens to Gabriel. "You what?"
"It's a long story… but that's why I need Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous. I must set things right.. "
Clarissa sighed, realizing there was so much she had missed when she moved to Spain. She should've stayed… told her husband she wanted to be with Emily and raise their children together. But that man didn't understand. He drug her all the way to the edge of France to leave her in the end.
And then when Gabriel reached out to her, it was because his wife, her best friend, was in a Coma.
"Duusu. How do we fix your miraculous…"
"Only a Guardian can repair it, and that takes time…"
Clarissa sighed, looked up at Gabriel. "You've got yourself in quite the mess."
"That's why I brought you here…"
"Thank you for the help Duusu. I'll see you again soon I'm sure." Clarissa said as she removed the broach and the kwami zipped back inside. "So. We'll need to find a guardian."
"There's one in Paris… but I have yet to locate him."
"Not to worry. We'll still need the miraculous of creation and destruction…" Clarissa glanced over to the spellbook as she placed the broach back in the safe. "Did you all ever figure out what it said?"
Gabriel sighed. "No. Sadly not. It holds untold secrets. I would love to have it translated."
"Perhaps I'll work on that." Clarissa took the book and began to walk to the door. "Just like you'll work on seeing if that girl is Ladybug or not."
"Well, first things first…getting her to accept the internship." Gabriel looked down as his miraculous began to shine. "...but maybe I will find out beforehand. Let's see how well Ladybug can hold up to the Shadows alone…"
The black haired woman let out a small giggle as she exited the room. "Good Luck, Hawkmoth."
. . .
Marinette sighed as she set her tablet pen down. She was trying her best to keep herself distracted during her down time. Chat Noir was all anyone was talking about. That and where his miraculous went…
Tikki zipped over her with an extra cookie in hand. "It'll be okay, you know..."
Mari offered a kwami a sad smile. "That's what everyone keeps saying...even myself..."
"Marinette! You have a visitor!" He mother called from downstairs as Marinette took the cookie her kwami offered her.
"Oh, that must be Alya. I don't know who else it could be…" Marinette was glad for any distraction though. It could be Chloe at the door right now and she wouldn't mind a bit.
Tikki, however, was hoping it was someone in particular… and hopefully with the news Plagg had unveiled to him. The kwami took in a breath of hope before slipping into her chosens satchel.
Marinette made her way to the1 door and walked downstairs. However, she wasn't expecting what she saw. Nathalie and Adrien were in her livingroom.
"Ah, Ms. Marinette…" Nathalie spoke as she noticed the girl's arrival. "Nice of you to join us."
Marinette offered a shy smile, "Ah yes, but if you don't mind me asking…" she flashed her blues to look at Adrien, who seemed distraught as he studied the floor, "...what brings you here? It's pretty late in the evening."
This time, Tom Dupain spoke up. "Adrien has come to bring you some wonderful news. Come on son, give it to her!"
Marinette looked at her father in utmost confusion before turning to Adrien who was now looking at her with a half hearted smile. In his hand, an envelope with an Agreste wax seal on the back of it. "This is from my father, he instructed me to bring it to you and hand deliver it."
Marinette raised her brows with curiosity as she proceeded to take the envelope and break the seal. She adjusted the letter to read, her heart racing the entire time.
Adrien couldn't help but smile as he watched her read. Her eyes lit up more and more as she moved down the page. He looked over to Marinette's parents who were leaning against one another as they awaited their daughter's reaction.
When Marinette was finished, she dropped the letter out of complete shock. "No way…"
"Yes way." Adrien laughed a little.
"Do you accept?" Nathalie stepped up next to Adrien.
Marinette could no longer contain her excitement. "Yes! Of course I accept! I've dreamed, no FANTASIZED about this happening in my college years!"
"That's great news, then you shall begin tomorrow. You'll need to be there twice a week. After school on Monday and Thursday should work for you yes?" Nathalie smiled a bit as she documented this on her tablet.
"Absolutely!"
"Oh! And then she can just ride with us back to the mansion after school, right Nathalie?" Adrien smiled, looking at the assistant.
Marinette looked at her as well...but she was holding her breath.
Nathalie blinked as she looked up from her tablet and too the two teens. "Well, I do not see why that would be an issue. So long as you're okay with that, Mr. And Mrs. Dupain-Cheng?"
"Ohh, it's not a problem at all with us." Sabine smiled brightly.
This was surreal… there's no way this was happening. She's asleep right? This was too good to be true. Marinette finally let out the breath she had been holding in for a solid minute. "I don't know what to say… Thank you! Thank you both of you."
"Don't thank us," Nathalie replied, a small smirk on her face. "Thank Mr. Agreste tomorrow when you see him."
"You know it!"
"Well Adrien, I think we better be heading back-"
"Actually, why don't you two stay for dinner. Our treat. We are the best bakery in all of Paris!" Tom jumped in, hospitality always in his mind.
"Well, actually, we probably need to-"
"Please Nathalie?" Adrien interjected, looking at her pleasingly. He loved the cooking at the Dupain's bakery. He didn't want to miss out on such an opportunity to not only eat good food with his friend, but also avoid being alone cor just a little while longer.
The assistant bit her lip in though before letting out a defeated sigh. "Alright. We'd love to stay. I'll go and let you farther know of the arrangements… "
Marinette couldn't get over the shock of all these events. This was the worst week of her life while also being the best. She was going to lose her mind by the end of it all…
Meanwhile, in her purse, Tikki was growing concerned. Did Plagg not tell Adrien yet? Whatever the case, She was going to find out why and then give that stinky sock a piece of her mind.
…
Karina sat crisscrossed in her bed, examining the ring with one eye closed. "So, this turns black when I use it to transform?"
Plagg let out annoyed sigh, his back turned to his new wielder. "Yes, the color changes to black. Their will be a green paw that flashes when you use my power."
"Right! And that's called Cataclysm… oh! And they you have 5 minutes before transforming back?"
"Yup…" This girl had been asking him questions non-stop after their cookies. It was now into the evening hours. Around 9:00 PM? Ugh.
Karina focused her attention on Plagg now, squeezing the ring in her hand tightly. "You're dissatisfied with me finding your miraculous...aren't you?"
Plagg was caught off guard by the question. "I-I...look kid, I don't know you or anything about you even. I can't make that judgement yet."
"Yes but…" Karina opened her hand again, looking down at the ring with sadness. "You lost your last chosen. That can't be easy…"
Plagg quickly flew from his position and faced the brunette. "It's not. I would prefer you not bring it up."
Karina locked eyes with his, looking a bit startled.
Plagg flattened his ears with guilt before returning to his previous position, still turned away from Karina. "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."
"Plagg… it's...it's okay. I'm not mad." She said the ring down in front of her. "This is all hard for me to process too. My mom told me the miraculous were a myth. Well, actually she told me that the superheros and villains in Paris were probably a hoax when they were definitely real. So you could imagine how this is all going in my head as well."
Plagg hadn't thought about that, but he did remember her mentioning something about her mother earlier.
"I know I'm not that Chat Noir you had before...but I want to try. I don't want to believe that I can't do this, because I know I can. It's just scary at the same time… I just jumped into the comic books…so Plagg?"
Plagg turned to face her, their eyes meeting again
"Will you grant me the ability to use your powers?"
The kwami blinked a bit. Did this girl just...ask for his permission? "Well Actually..I-"
Suddenly, her phone sounded off with a loud blaring alarm, causing them both to jump. "What is that?!" Karina frantically picked up her phone to stop the loud noise.
Plagg knew all too well what that was…
"It's…" Karina's eyes widened, the weight of the situation sinking in as she read the urgent message on her screen. "It's an Akuma Alert."
TO BE CONTINUED
AN: So, I'm really good at cliff hangers, and I'm not sorry.
Things are going to get real and fast btw. This story is about to take off!
Lemme know what you all think with a comment if you'd like! Thanks for reading you beautiful people!
(Also, I'm looking for a proof reader if anyone would be interested in that. I'm very bad at going back and editing my works. I do try me best.)