7:46 PM
"Don't come here," Gabriel hissed. "If you've captured Chat Noir, simply take his Miraculous! I want that ring."
"Bringing him to you while he wears his ring is the same as bringing his ring to you," was her infuriatingly mild response. "Unless you care to revise the terms of our agreement and specify that you would like only his ring?"
Gabriel ground his teeth. He knew what she was trying to do. "Take his Miraculous," he repeated. "I have no use for the boy. If you bring him here, his fate is on your head."
He thought that would give her pause. Instead, she asked, "Are you so afraid of him?"
"I know you don't like needless death, Dracona," he snapped. "If you believe bringing him to me will save him, you are sorely mistaken."
"You don't want to know who he is?" she asked lightly. "For the next time he foils your plans?"
"There won't be a next time if you give me his Miraculous this time."
"How can you be so sure of that when he could face you using a different Miraculous?"
Gabriel stilled. How did she know that? He had never told her of the Miraculous beyond asking her to fetch Chat Noir's, and he didn't recall naming the ring as a Miraculous until now.
She must be guessing. She couldn't know more.
He wasn't willing to bet on that, though. She'd surprised him by having that blood magic of hers; he wasn't about to assume she was ignorant of other magics. "We'll meet on the rooftops, then. The former venue." He didn't want to make this concession, but she'd use a refusal against him. It was far better to meet her away from prying eyes than to have her find him where he stood now. Besides, he knew to be careful. She'd only captured Chat Noir; the other heroes he'd seen acting earlier were still out there, as was her son.
He suspected this was her new way of opposing him. She was still trying to bargain with him, trying to find loopholes in their agreement. Still thinking she could get the upper hand. No matter; he'd prove her wrong soon enough.
"No."
"I beg your pardon?" He spoke slowly, letting his threat soak through the words at her audacity of trying to dictate more terms.
"Go to the roof of your hotel. I'll find you."
"I'm afraid—"
"You're not from here, and this is hardly a residential district. You're staying at a hotel nearby. Your first choice tells me that much."
Gabriel let out a growl, and Dracona added, "Or would you prefer I come straight to your room?"
The cane in Gabriel's grip trembled slightly, and he forced himself to relax. He didn't want to let her know how much her insubordination irked him. "Very well." Once he had Chat Noir's ring, he could recall her akuma and be done with this. She may have inside knowledge of other magical artefacts that might be useful to him, but it was abundantly clear that she wouldn't part with that knowledge if he didn't have some leverage. He'd hoped Nooroo's magic would be enough to keep her on a short leash, but if she could push back this much, he was better off declawing her.
Fortunately, while she wouldn't remember the incident, he'd know everything she'd told him. That would have to be enough for him when he found his next target.
"Dark wings fall, Nooroo," he said, letting the magic wash over him.
Nooroo appeared in front of him. "Is this wise, Master?"
"Are you questioning my judgement?"
"No, Master."
"Then what more can you tell me of her magic? How she could possibly know about the Miraculous?"
Nooroo hesitated.
"Answer me."
"These things are not meant to be spoken of, Master."
"Consider this an exception."
Nooroo swallowed. "Dragons believe themselves to be the protectors of the magical world. While the Order of the Guardians have striven for utmost secrecy themselves, it is likely the dragons are aware of the Miraculous."
Dragons.
"And you did not think to mention this before?" Nooroo would have known that from the beginning. It was highly unlikely he'd known she possessed blood magic without recognizing its kind, especially after Dracona had unlocked her own power. Gabriel did not appreciate being taken for a fool, yet they all seemed intent to try it—though it did make Dracona's protection of her family make so much more sense. Her son, especially; as she'd said he'd fought and won his own battles despite still learning, Gabriel had no doubt that her son also considered himself a protector of the magical world.
"You forbade me from speaking, Master."
A convenient excuse but not likely the real reason. Nooroo's reluctance to speak of this at all would have been obvious even if he had met Gabriel's eyes. "Then speak now. What can you tell me about the others? The ghost, the ninja?"
"I do not know specifics," Nooroo admitted in a whisper. "I believe the Ninja is using magical artefacts to achieve his powers—"
"Then we shall have to see if we can take those away from him."
Nooroo flinched. "That would not be an easy thing to do, Master. I do not know what the artefacts might be or if they are connected and must be used together. I cannot even guess if they are bound by magic my own cannot unravel. I would have to see them to discern that, as was your plan for any other artefacts we find here."
"Then we shall see if you can properly evaluate those artefacts once we crush the Ninja. What of this Phantom?"
"Spirits are not uncommon but rarely pose a serious threat to the living realm. They…. The strongest are capable of possession, but—"
"Possession?" That was not a threat that should have gone undisclosed. "Can you counter it?" When Nooroo didn't answer, Gabriel repeated himself slowly, letting his anger at Nooroo's delayed response simmer in every word. "Can you counter it?"
"It's not the same as when my magic is used to overtake another Miraculous Holder. The spirit magic—"
"I don't want an explanation. I want an answer. Can you counter it or not?"
"I-I don't know, Master. I can try."
He couldn't afford to expose himself if Nooroo wasn't certain. "You can shield me from other threats," he said, keeping his voice deliberately mild. "You said it's not the same as when other Miraculous Holders are overcome by your magic, but unlike Ladybug and Chat Noir, there are no constraints on how much of your power I can safely access. If you used all your power to fight a threat such as this, could you not protect me?"
"I don't—"
"Could you not protect me?"
"I could," Nooroo breathed, not meeting his eyes.
"Then I command you to do so. Protect me regardless of the cost to yourself."
The kwami nodded and had the sense to hide in Gabriel's breast pocket instead of arguing.
Gabriel reached up to touch his earpiece. "Nathalie, I'll be delayed further. Relay to the security team that everyone is to stay off the rooftops for their own protection." Enough people had seen Dracona that such an order wouldn't be questioned, and with any luck, Dracona's presence would be enough incentive for the other buildings where he had no influence to follow suit.
"Of course, sir. Would you like me to see if I can have a lockdown instituted?"
Gabriel considered the idea and then dismissed it; if worst came to worst, he'd need to blend into the crowd quickly—and that would require there to be a crowd in the first place. "Not within the building. I want people to be free to move about inside, but talk to security about getting the streets cleared. There's no benefit in stalling that any longer."
"I'll see to it right away, sir."
He didn't need to ask how her negotiations were going. She would be doing an exemplary job; he didn't pay her for anything less. She knew what he wanted and she'd find a way to get it—most likely while making others think they were doing precisely what they wanted.
As Adrien knew better than to leave his room, Gabriel had no need to check the adjoining suite to know that everything was in order.
Much as he hated letting Dracona choose their meeting ground, he wasn't going to argue with results. With Chat Noir out of the picture, Ladybug would be easy enough to defeat in the future, even without any other magical artefacts.
7:47 PM
This was not going according to plan. Clearly, there was a reason that Ladybug was the one to come up with their plans. Adrien didn't even have the room to squirm in Dracona's talons. The suit protected him from being sliced to bits, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel the amount of pressure she was using to keep him in her grip.
The suit also protected him from the cold wind, and he hoped that wind wasn't going to rip away his words. He needed Dracona to hear this. Even if he could only get her to hesitate, it would give the others time to catch up. "You're worried about your family, aren't you?" he asked, thinking that was a fair assumption when they were clearly involved in the magical world and Hawk Moth wanted something from that world enough to put in an appearance. "I've met your son. And your daughter. They love you very much."
Dracona said nothing.
Maybe she couldn't hear him; he wasn't whispering, but he couldn't draw enough breath to shout over the wind.
Or maybe she was just ignoring him.
"I'm someone's son, too. And if you give my Miraculous to Hawk Moth, you'll be endangering so many more kids just like your own. You'll be endangering everyone. He won't stop until he gets what he wants, and he doesn't care who gets hurt in the process. It won't just be your family or mine; it'll be anyone who's even remotely in his way."
Everyone was insisting that Dracona was different because she was part of a family of dragons, but she was still akumatized. Most akumatized people couldn't be reasoned with, but some of them— Some of them fought back. And from what he'd heard of the dragon earlier—of how no one had been hurt—he was pretty sure that she was one of those people who was fighting back.
She might be like Nathaniel had been as the Evillustrator. From what he'd seen and what he'd heard from Marinette, Nathaniel had tried to resist Hawk Moth more than once. If Susan could keep doing that….
"I heard what happened earlier at the fashion show," he continued. If he hadn't begged off shadowing Nathalie, chances were very good he'd have been caught in the middle of it. As it was, everyone seemed to have assumed that he'd never left his room. Perhaps they'd left a message for him and told him to remain there; he hadn't looked in the brief time he'd been back there, too focused on other things, monitoring Plagg's cheese consumption included. He could always claim to have been in the washroom when the message came, maybe say he'd needed a shower to wake up.
As it was, too much had happened for Adrien to feel tired. More likely than not, he'd crash once this was over. They had to get this sorted out tonight. Soon. Now. He couldn't afford to give Hawk Moth more time to find what he was looking for, especially when he had a connection to someone who would know exactly where to procure what he wanted, providing he could convince her to do that.
"I know this night didn't go like you'd hoped, and I can't fix that—" Not like Ladybug could have, anyway. "—but that doesn't mean we can't begin to make it better now. And better includes keeping your family safe, doesn't it? You might think that will happen if you give me over to Hawk Moth, but it won't. Your son and I…." Adrien hesitated, not sure if he could call this a proper partnership, let alone a friendship, when he hadn't told them his real name. "We're working together. Sacrificing me—and sacrificing my Miraculous is sacrificing me—won't make him give up; it'll make him fight harder."
"I know."
Adrien blinked, not expecting to get a response. At least, he hadn't been expecting that response. An argument, maybe, if not continued silence, but an acknowledgement? It was going to be a lot harder to sway her to his side if she already knew what he was going to say.
"Then why are you doing this?"
"It's the only choice I have."
His heart sank at her words, and as she banked towards the site of the gala, he thought it might have skipped a beat entirely. There was a figure on one of the rooftops—and unless he was completely disoriented, it was the rooftop of his hotel. Hawk Moth was staying at this hotel? Surely he wouldn't have had time to go to a different one. But if it was this one, then if Plagg could get a look at the registry so Adrien could check names once he got back to Paris—
He could discover Hawk Moth's identity. At the very least, he could narrow it down.
He just needed to get out of this first.
7:49 PM
"Why are you slowing down?" Randy asked. "They're there! We can see them! We need to go!"
"Danny's gotta get Chat Noir out of there before we completely lose the element of surprise," Jake reminded him. "If he can do that without Hawk Moth realizing, all the better."
"Yeah, that's not gonna happen."
"I like to be optimistic sometimes."
"Really didn't seem like that earlier."
"I said sometimes. Besides, it's better if I drop you here and we hit them from different angles." He wheeled towards the same rooftop where he'd talked to Randy earlier that day. "I wanna check on Trixie and Spud, too. Make sure they caught up to Haley. If I tell you the number, can you call them for me?"
Randy snorted. "With what, my broken phone that you left in pieces somewhere? Or did you give them one of those earphone things?"
Oh. Right. Jake had used his cell phone as a dragon before, difficult as that was when it came to precise handling and not, well, accidentally gouging out buttons or scratching the screen or completely smashing it, but if he didn't specifically try to keep the phone with him when he transformed, it stayed safely with his human clothes.
"Sorry," Jake mumbled as he landed and crouched so Randy could slide off.
Randy flipped onto the rooftop instead, missing Jake's transformation but turning back in time to watch him dig his cell phone out of his pocket. "You didn't talk angles with Danny," he said as Jake started dialling. "Shouldn't you have done that if you wanted to hit them from all fronts? And, I mean, not to say I don't have some pretty bruce moves, but is it wise to pretty much divide and conquer ourselves against someone we know is strong, especially when she's with the shoob who's manipulating her?"
"Now you're questioning me? Really?"
"You decided to stop before fighting. That means I get to criticize, doesn't it? Since I'm not doing anything else. I mean, I don't usually get the luxury of a breather in a fight. You seriously do?"
Jake rolled his eyes and was about to retort when Spud picked up his phone. "Hello?"
That wasn't Spud.
"Trixie? What's going on? What happened to Spud?"
"He's fine. We're both fine. Don't worry about us."
Jake frowned and turned away from Randy, who had pulled off his mask in order to make increasingly silly faces at Jake in what was undoubtedly an attempt to get a reaction out of him. "Then you guys found Haley already? Have you dealt with Rotwood? And, um, McFist?"
"Not exactly."
"What do you mean, 'not exactly'? Where are you guys?"
"Cool it, Jakey. Spud had an idea. I'm helping."
"Wh—? I need you here! Haley needs you here!"
"We're trying to save your butt. And Haley's. Let us do this."
"Yo, do you have any idea how crazy you sound right now? Spud doesn't have time to build another thermos if he can't find the first one!"
Trixie let out a low whistle. "You would be surprised what ya boy can do under pressure."
"But—"
"Just trust us. We got this. I think. And Haley can hold her own. Chill."
Jake just groaned as Trixie hung up on him. He turned back to Randy, about to explain Trixie's side of the conversation, and then realized that Randy wasn't there. Jake spun and finally spotted a flash of Randy's red scarf the next building over. He was steadily making his way towards the building—hotel, Jake realized—where Hawk Moth stood with Susan, who was still in her dragon form and using it to very effectively pin Nino to the rooftop.
Evidently, Randy's suit had repaired itself just fine.
Jake hoped that wasn't the only bit of luck they'd have tonight.
7:48 PM
"Magic exists," Haley said. The words were a bitter betrayal. It didn't matter that Rotwood already knew about the magical world or that McFist had to be aware of it if he fought the Ninja; the point was that she was never supposed to confirm that knowledge, and now she was.
"Of course magic exists," sniffed Rotwood. "You are a dragon. I know you are a dragon. Therefore, magic exists."
Haley glanced at McFist, who shrugged. "I work with a sorcerer. It's not news to me."
"Still," she whispered, "that's not the same. This magic isn't like that."
"We do not have time for games," Rotwood said. "If you think we do, perhaps I should just phone one of the news channels?"
Ordinarily, Haley would think Rotwood had cried wolf too many times for that threat to hold any water, but after tonight?
She wasn't willing to make that bet after tonight.
"You have to swear that you won't tell anyone if I explain this," she said. Jake and Rotwood had called truces in the past, so he might keep his word, but she had no idea about McFist. Frankly, she didn't trust either of them as far as Fu could throw them. But, hopefully, if she made this sound important—and told them a little bit of what was important—they might not realize what she left out.
Or how much.
McFist frowned at her. "Any of this going to blow up in our faces?"
"Not if I tell you," she said carefully, "so you're warned."
"Good enough for me." McFist hesitated. "Except I don't want to lie to my wife. I don't lie to her. I'll have to be able to tell her enough so she knows she can't push me on this. You good with that?"
Haley blinked.
"And Viceroy sometimes just knows things. Man's not a mind reader, but he's good at tricking you into saying things. Not sure I can make any promises with him, either, and expect to keep them. But if you're worried about this whole magic thing, he knows it's real, too. Helps me help the Sorcerer. And I can't keep anything from the Sorcerer. I think he really is a mind reader. Maybe. Hard to say. He hasn't caught the Ninja yet, either. But he knows things. The existence of magic included, obviously. So you okay with me promising not to tell anyone but with the caveat that those people might find out?"
"You have our word," Rotwood said. "He won't intentionally tell anyone, and I won't tell anyone who doesn't already know—unless you try to trick us."
She wasn't going to get a better deal than that, and it was as much as she'd expected anyway. Rotwood has given himself the out he wanted—he could claim trickery and tell the media—and given McFist the out he'd wanted, and she was left with little more than she'd started with.
"Okay." What was the best way for her to put this? "The dragon you saw earlier was created with magic."
"How?" McFist demanded. "Can it be replicated?"
"Not by any of us. It's not a magic I understand. The person doing this…. They're not from here. And that dragon? She's not much more than a distraction." That wasn't exactly true, but they wouldn't know that. Besides, it wasn't entirely a lie, either. Things would be simpler if it were. "If you—if anyone—kicks up a fuss over the dragon, you'll be playing right into their hands."
Rotwood frowned. "This other person, what game are they playing?"
Haley shrugged. "We figured it was better if we could cut them off before they could set any more rules."
"So you, what, saw me talking to him and figured you had to get us out of there before we messed with your big plan?" McFist crossed his arms. "Gotta be more to it than that."
"It's my job to protect people from the magical world, including those who go poking their noses into trouble," Haley shot back. Rotwood sniffed, maybe because he knew that was supposed to be more on Jake and Gramps and Sun than her at the moment, but she ignored him. "The Ninja's heard of you," she said, looking at McFist, "and what's happening in Norrisville. He gave me some weaponry to help me, um, convince you to leave. If I can figure out how to use it to distract more than just you, all the better."
"Wait, are you asking us to help you?"
She wasn't, but Haley nodded anyway. If McFist was going to offer, she wasn't going to turn him down. She didn't have a plan—not anymore, anyway—and she doubted Jake had come up with anything yet.
"And what are we supposed to get in return? Are you willing to take me back to the Magus Bazaar?"
"The what?"
"Magical market," Rotwood said to McFist. "Filled with magical creatures and magical things."
"Could I get something to take down the Ninja there?"
"I can promise to ask if someone will take you," Haley said, "and I can promise that you'll remember this when it's over."
"Why wouldn't we remember this once it's over?" McFist asked.
Haley cocked her head. "Why do you think so many people don't believe in magic anymore?"
"If you could do that, Jake would have already done this to me. To Brock. You are stretching the truth, little girl."
"Ordinary humans aren't supposed to know about the magical world," Haley said. "You might know it exists and keep looking for solid proof to share with others, but that doesn't mean you remember every encounter you've had with it. Even Jake knows how suspicious it would be if you suddenly stopped poking around until you saw something that made you suspect the truth again."
"But…but your brother's friends—!"
"I don't know," admitted Haley. "I think Jake defied direct orders and Gramps smoothed it over. You've met my family, Rotwood. If it were perfectly fine for humans to know about the magical world, don't you think our lives would be easier?"
Rotwood opened his mouth but paused as her words sunk in. McFist raised his eyebrows at him, and Rotwood's expression sunk into a glower. "It's Professor Rotwood. But very well. I see your point. However, if you are not able to get me entrance to the Magus Bazaar again, you must do something else for me in the future. I am not going to give up on an opportunity like this without good reason. There is footage of a dragon out there now. Proof. Which means redemption for me as all those who have mocked me realize they were the ones who were wrong. You must think me a fool if you believe I would give this up for nothing."
She did think him a fool, but she shook her head anyway. "I can't make an open promise like that."
"Then I will add the caveat that, whatever I decide, it will not directly endanger the magical world or your family. Or directly expose them. Is that satisfactory, Miss Long?"
Haley bit her lip. She knew this wasn't what anyone had intended when they'd asked her to distract Rotwood and McFist. It might very well be the opposite of what had been intended. Still, they needed help. And Jake had struck deals with Rotwood before. She wasn't sure about Randy and McFist, but….
"Okay. Yes. I agree. Help me protect the magical world now and don't ever tell anyone the truth about what's going on, and I'll do something for you later if I can't get you into the Magus Bazaar." She looked at McFist, waiting to see what he'd ask for; he didn't strike her as someone who would let Rotwood take a better deal than him.
"You don't have anything that'll grant me the superpower of my choice, do you?"
She shook her head. "There are some potions that grant temporary effects for something specific, but—"
"Like what?"
Haley swallowed. "Invisibility. Flight. Shapeshifting. There are a lot of—"
"Could you get me a bottle of something?"
She wanted to say no. Giving magic to a human, especially one with questionable intentions, was just asking for another situation like they one they were already facing. And if McFist intended to misuse magic and she gave him the opportunity to do so, chances were good Randy would pay the price for her decision later. Still, if she warned Randy and gave him something to allow him to counter whatever she gave McFist, then maybe—?
"No, wait— Have you got anything that will stop magic from affecting me?"
"You're worried about that sorcerer you mentioned?" she guessed. "I might—"
"No, he's going to give me a superpower when I destroy the Ninja for him," McFist said, "and if you can't give me one, too, then I want something that'll stop swamp magic in case Booray gets any ideas."
"Swamp magic?"
"It's, y'know, swamp magic," McFist said, waving his hands in vague motions as if that made his point any clearer. "Little pouches of mind-controlly stuff. Freaky. Don't want it anywhere near me."
A protection spell, then, or something that would cancel out this other magic. Gramps and Fu would have an idea of what would be best, but she was sure there was something. "All right."
"And you have to tell me about the NYC Ninja."
Haley agreed to that condition immediately. If McFist had just said the Ninja, she would've had more trouble justifying that grey area, but as he'd specified, she felt no qualms about agreeing at all. It was hardly her fault that he wanted to know about a Ninja that didn't exist—at least, not to her knowledge.
She wasn't going to tell him that until he asked, though.
McFist grinned and stuck out his hand. She shook it, then shook Rotwood's. "You want us to find a way to convince everyone that things are not as they seem, yes?" he asked. "That this new dragon is a hoax? As everyone has always believed of my proof?"
McFist grunted. "People were already muttering about it being some kind of publicity stunt. Better to lean into that. I can even sponsor something if I need to." He glanced at the bulging pocket of her hoodie again and said, "Let's have a look at what the Ninja gave you first and see what we can come up with."