Chapter Two: News
Ava looked at her costume. She looked nothing like the original Ladybug. She had a hood, knee high boots with laces, and the rest of her outfit looked pretty close to Ladybug, except for the fact that black went along the side of her legs, arms, and sides. And the yo-yo… Not that she hated yo-yos, but she couldn't walk without tripping over her own feet for grief's sake! But, trying to do it, she swung her yo-yo and it caught a light. She pulled herself forward, swinging.
She couldn't believe it was working. She had a major fear of falling though, so she just repeated to herself, "Hold on tight, you won't fall." That is, until she did. Fall into a black cat's arms, to be specific. This cat looked very similar to the original Cat Noir, even the hair laid messily on top of his head.
"Nice of you to drop in," he chuckled.
"Sooo funny," Ava said, sarcastically.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm paw-some," the cat said.
"One more pun and I swear I will rip that ring off your finger and get a new Cat Noir. By the way, what will you be going by?"
"Hmm… Call me Noire. I mean, unless I can find another name that is more cat-chy." The black cat leaned on his baton and Ava shook her head. "What about you, m'lady?"
"Excuse me? I'm not your lady, so don't call me that… call me Crimson."
"Pleasure to meet you, Crimson," Noire said, bowing. "I'm still calling you m'lady." He winked and Crimson sighed.
"Why?"
"Haven't you seen the Ladyblog before?" Noire asked. "You know the one Alya Cesaire made when Ladybug and Cat Noir were the superheroes?"
"Yes," Crimson responded, almost hesitantly.
"Cat Noir called Ladybug 'm'lady' so it is now your nickname," Noire said triumphantly.
"It's not like I'm named Lady Crimson or something, because m'lady only fit because Ladybug's name was Ladybug!" Crimson said. A thud came and a giant book fell on the ground, the wind from it knocking Ava over. "What the heck..?" And then a weird looking person jumped on top of the book.
"Looks like two new people came to join the party! A never-ending story wouldn't be complete without two superheroes!" the person said, by the sound of it, a younger boy. Without hesitation, Crimson unhooked her yo-yo and wrapped it around a pole, swinging herself onto the book where she could look at the boy.
"This story isn't going to last long, book-boy," Crimson said. Noire came up and joined her.
"My name is Storyteller!" the boy shouted. "And this story will be longer than you suppose!" The book suddenly jerked up, bucking Crimson and Noire off. Crimson began to panic, and flailed her arms around, flinging her yo-yo up so that it would wrap around something. She tightly clung to the yo-yo, panting.
"You do realize it wasn't that high of a drop, right?" Noire asked her.
"You try having your worst fear be falling, and then tell me I was over reacting!" Crimson shot.
…
Noire was amused with his new friend. Her hood nearly fell off her head when she jumped onto her yo-yo. Crimson was looking frantically at the ground, and Noire let out a soft chuckle. "You might have to get used to it," Noire said, and grabbed the girl down.
"I really don't like you," Crimson said, shaking her head. But, hey, he was a step up from Luka.
"Why? I'm purr-fect!" Noire said.
"Puns!" Crimson said, shaking her head. A loud thump came and Crimson fell to the ground. The Eiffel Tower had fallen down and been trapped in Storyteller's large book. "Ugh." Crimson pushed herself up and hesitated to grab her yo-yo to swing herself through the sky. So, in response, Noire grabbed Crimson in a wedding hold and used his baton to launch them towards where the akuma was.
Crimson held onto him tightly, looking frantically from the ground to him and back to the ground. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!"
"Thank goodness I am, or I wouldn't be doing this," Noire chuckled. Crimson sighed. "So, m'lady, what was your reaction to your kwami?"
"I thought I was going crazy, and now I know you're crazy," Crimson said.
"I know I'm crazy, or else I wouldn't have listened to a talking cat," Noire said. Finally, Noire landed on the ground and set down a shaking Crimson.
"Don't. You. Dare. Do. That. Again," Crimson said. She made a jerking movement when Storyteller landed in front of her.
"Hello, Ladybug," Storyteller said. "Papillion says you look different than when you fought Hawkmoth."
"Maybe that's because I'm not Ladybug," Crimson spat. "The name's…"
"Lady Crimson, and I'm her trusty partner Noire," Noire said. Crimson shot him a glare and looked back at Storyteller.
"You could just make it easy and give us your akuma, or you could fight, what is your choice?" Crimson said.
"I was going to give you the same options, so I guess you've made your choice," Storyteller said. He opened a smaller book and a blast came out at Crimson, who managed to dodge with a back flip.
"Did I just do a back flip?" she asked no one in particular.
"Yes," Noire said. "You don't know how to flip?"
"I don't do parkour! I just… flipped!" Crimson said, and ducked when another light came flashing at her. "Noire, the book! It must have akuma!" Crimson pointed at the book Storyteller was holding and Noire nodded.
"CATACLYSM!" he shouted, calling upon his superpower. He lunged towards the book, that was easily taken out of his reach, landing his hand on the giant book that Storyteller had used as a flotation device.
"I never said, Noire, that we needed to get it now! We need a plan M. Flashy!" Crimson said. Throwing her yo-yo up, she shouted, "LUCKY CHARM!" A heavy box dropped into her arms. She opened the box to find a drone. She turned on the drone and whispered something in Noire's ear. Well, actual ear, not his fake ear that twitched as she whispered into his ear.
He nodded and Crimson started messing around with the drone, buzzing it around Storyteller's face. Storyteller started getting annoyed and started trying to blast it with his book, not paying attention to Noire who slunk into the shadows and then lunged at Storyteller, wrestling him for the book, finally ripping it from the akuma's grasp and ripping the book.
"No more evil doing for you, little butterfly!" Crimson said, capturing the purple butterfly that came out of the book. Tapping her yo-yo, a white butterfly flew out and Crimson let out a collective sigh. Throwing the drone into the air, she shouts, "Miraculous ladybug!" A light of ladybugs swoop across Paris, most noticeably putting the Eiffel Tower back in place.
"Pound it!" Noire said, holding his fist out for a fist bump. Crimson looked at him quizzically.
"I meant what I said when I said you were crazy," Crimson said. It was Noire's turn to roll his eyes.
"Oh, come on m'lady, it's just a fist bump. Ladybug and Cat Noir did it after every akuma attack," Noire explained. So, with a little shrug, Crimson returned his fist bump.
…
Crimson felt exasperated with her new partner. How did she end up with a seat-buddy who was friends with Thomas and a partner who just wanted to mess around with his powers, not taking the time to be collective and make a plan. But, that wasn't what she needed to worry about.
"Wha- What just happened?" a boy asked, hand on his head. Crimson immediately recognized him- it was the same boy who she had stood up for against Thomas. There must've been more to the book than what had met the eye.
"Um- You were controlled by the butterfly miraculous," Crimson tried to explain lightly.
"What? Wait! You mean the same thing Hawkmoth had?" How did so many people know this? Clearly, it was a lot more fun to study an actual superhero in history than Shakespeare, who Crimson found delighting to study.
"Yes," Noire said. "But this time, it's not Hawkmoth. I'm Noire, and this is Lady Crimson, and you are safe now, what's your name?"
"Ezra. Ezra Coffaine," the boy responded. Coffaine. That was Luka Coffaine's last name, the same person who Noire had been named after. That must mean that Ezra was Luka's grandson.
"Where do you live? I can take you there," Crimson offered. Ezra told her and she rushed off, holding him by his waist and leaping away with her yo-yo.
"And I officially got put with the best partner," Noire sighed. "But Ava's pretty cute, too. You know what, I like them both." And with that, he took off, launching himself away on his baton. Only one person, though caught the superhero bouncing away. Her name? Nina Lahiffe. And now she would restart the Ladyblog, with her Mima, Alya's, permission, of course.
It was news to all of Paris.
Ladybug and Cat Noir have returned.
And so has Hawkmoth.