Delicate, Chapter 30
"You know... I don't think I even have to tell you how surreal this feels."
Marinette grinned at Gabriel as she said that, sipping at her lemonade. A light breeze in the air felt good on her legs as she sat comfortably on the Agrestes' back porch, watching Adrien and Emilie slowly walking together across the lawn.
"What do you mean? Surely, through all of your battles with Hawkmoth, you anticipated that someday you would be sharing a quiet summer afternoon with him and his family," Gabriel countered, a smile on his own face.
"I'm not complaining that things ended up like this. Not at all; it's a good feeling," Marinette replied. "I'm still wrapping my head around everything that's happened. That's all."
"That makes two of us."
The pair watched as Emilie took one step after another, a cane in her left hand, Adrien holding her right.
"Two months ago, all she could move were her eyes," Gabriel admired. "And look at her now... she's very nearly walking all on her own now! I could not be more thrilled by her progress."
"I don't know if I would toss out her walker just yet," cautioned Marinette. "Wayzz and Tikki like what they're seeing in her, but as they've told us... there will be good days and bad days ahead."
"Certainly! And there have been. But I believe Emilie may throw that walker out on her own; she is so determined to return to life as she knew it."
Marinette paused. "I have to be honest with you... we were concerned about that," she noted. "After we brought her back, the Kwamis and I were talking about how she might react. She spent years in a dream world of her own making, where her subconscious could tweak every little thing to her liking..."
She shook her head, lightly. "I mean, I don't know what I would have been like, coming out of something like that, you know? Such a shock to the system. We were afraid that she'd find the real world..."
"...Deficient?" suggested Gabriel.
"Boring," Marinette countered. "Broken. Like you just put it... insufficient."
Gabriel considered that. "She's... described it to me as if she was the protagonist in some fantastic, endless storybook," he related. "One grand adventure after another. Some of them realistic... some of them wild flights of fantasy. One day a fighter pilot over a wartorn nation, one day a humble peasant migrating to a new land, another day an actress, filming a sequel. Or she could spend weeks in one reality, perhaps months from her perspective... and then find everything reshuffled the next morning. She enjoyed the majority of it... but she also knew it wasn't real."
He sighed. "There are many mornings on which she awakens with a loud cry, reaching out with her arms, frantically... because she fears that this is all just another dream, that it will pop like a soap bubble and Adrien and I will be gone."
"Mmmm," Marinette mused. "I feel for her... so much. Her therapists are helping her with that?"
"As much as anyone can," he said. "All I can do is be here for her... and make certain that she never wakes up alone again." He smiled and added, "My business partners have raised an eyebrow at times, when I have halted meetings by saying, 'My wife is off for a nap, so I must adjourn and accompany her.' But these are most unusual circumstances... and if they do not understand that, too bad. Of course... having her traveling companion with her helps smooth those edges, as well."
Gabriel shuddered slightly after his last statement.
"I cannot deny that the sight of Duusu in Emilie's company... it gives me the willies, even now," he admitted. "To know all that she has suffered through, and that her companion was the cause, even unwittingly...!"
"Come on, now. You've spent enough time around Duusu to know better, right? He's adorable," Marinette coaxed him.
"He is... somewhat endearing, yes. Most eager to please," Gabriel replied. "Which was part of what caused the trouble in the first place; he was willing to do whatever we wished back in the day, even when it endangered both himself and my wife."
"Look at it this way. Duusu has been through everything Emilie has, and then some; he was damaged before the accident happened. He's fragmented now, and relearning how to interact with the real world," Marinette pointed out. "So he and Emilie are very well-suited for each other; they understand what they've been through together, and they have a bond from that."
"Certainly. Which is why I do not object to him remaining in this house," sniffed Gabriel. "Emilie seems most happy with his company, at the very least; that makes him a welcome guest, despite my misgivings."
"And as far as 'willing to do whatever we wished' goes, you would know better than most that if a master of a Miraculous dictates how things will be... the Kwami kind of has to follow that."
"Hrmmph," Gabriel snorted... but refrained from any snappy comebacks. "I remain quietly amazed that you are allowing Duusu to remain here... given our history."
Marinette gave him a look. "You wouldn't think of causing a ruckus with him now... would you?" she teased. "Honestly."
"Fair enough," he replied, with a grudging grin. After a pause, he asked, "Speaking of such relationships... how is Nooroo doing?"
"He is happier than I have ever seen him," smiled Marinette. "He and Adrien have a very close connection now. I'm sure that you'll understand that Nooroo prefers to remain out of sight when you're around..."
"I can believe that," he frowned. "I have earned it."
"...I don't think that Nooroo hates you, Gabriel. That's a strong word to use. But there are some bridges that just can't be un-burned," she sighed.
"I would have thought," Gabriel mused, "that once certain wounds were healed, Adrien might have gone back to the Black Cat Miraculous. You two were such an effective team together, after all... which is something else that I know better than most."
"Heh," Marinette chuckled. "Well... Adrien and Plagg are on good terms again, at least. Risking his own life to try to rescue Duusu certainly scored Adrien a lot of points... and Plagg never really wanted to hold a lifelong grudge, you know? He felt hurt, he felt betrayed, and he needed one heck of an apology. And he got that, and more."
Gabriel waved his hand, as if asking, ...And?
"I certainly wasn't lying to you that first night when I said that I'd pretty much retired as Ladybug," she parried. "Because I don't need to be out there any more. Without somebody throwing Akumas all over the city... the police can handle what smaller things pop up. I mean... if there's a building on fire, or something like that where I could save lives or protect people, I'll say two words and be on my way! But, day-to-day... the Miraculous are better off when they're tucked away in a safe place."
Marinette became distant for a moment as she added, "I do have... one more special mission for the Miraculous in mind. Something richly deserved. After that... it might be time for a break for a while."
"Plagg's comfortable with that, not being in regular use," she continued, "and, in part, it was his idea. He insists that Nooroo's more than earned his place with Adrien... and I agree with that. In fact, Adrien's thought about following in your footsteps, just a little bit..."
"...I beg your pardon?" wondered Gabriel, looking startled.
"...by using Nooroo for better purposes than you did. Sending out white butterflies where and when they are needed, not Akumas," Marinette explained. "If a building's on fire, giving a fireman water-blasting powers. If there's a bad car wreck, giving EMTs super-strength to move cars and free the wounded. That sort of thing, doing good from afar, but anonymously."
"To be honest," mused Gabriel, "...I would very much like to see that. It speaks extremely well of his character."
"You told me once how Adrien had 'the power to change the world at his fingertips, and he gave it up voluntarily.' You said, 'how predictable,'" she reminded him. "Adrien was never afraid of having power, or influence, or fame. He was always afraid of misusing them."
"His mother's influence," Gabriel declared. "And he's all the better for that."
"As for Plagg... they see each other any time that Adrien comes over to my place. Plagg thought up a way that he can hang around and keep tabs on him, without Adrien being his host. But... 'He's good with Nooroo,' Plagg told me. 'And I think I found someone else I can relate to.'"
They watched as Adrien glanced in their direction, from across the small courtyard. He smiled warmly at Marinette... then at his father.
"He's giving you a chance. I know he is," soothed Marinette. "And I'm glad to see that you've been taking it."
"Speaking of taking a chance on things..." Gabriel deflected, "have you given any more thought to my offer?"
Marinette sighed. "I have... and my answer is still the same. I wouldn't feel comfortable working for Agreste Fashions; I'm sorry."
As his face fell, Marinette scrambled to explain herself further. "It is not that I'm holding my own grudge," she insisted. "I wouldn't be here right now if I did."
"The same worries as before, then?" he asked.
"Yeah. I just... something deep down inside of me knows that if I wasn't my other self, if we didn't have this history together... someone with my lack of field experience wouldn't even be on your radar," she replied. "Let alone sitting on your porch, sipping a cool drink and chatting with you. I'm proud of who I am and what I've done... but I want to get my big break because I'm that good as a designer, not because I fling a mean yo-yo and I helped save your family."
"I understand that. I do not know that I agree with it in full," Gabriel parried. "Opportunities in life come from many directions and for many reasons. Sometimes, one must grab hold of them when they are in reach, regardless of how they arrived there. And I will insist that there is nothing wrong with your design skills, for a person of your age and experience. Check your email when you get home; I took a second pass over your portfolio and annotated it with some suggestions."
"Thank you," she smiled. "I really appreciate that. And that's kind of what I mean... Here I am, nineteen years old - twenty, next month - and I have a giant of the fashion industry giving me his personal attention! That's amazing, and it's an incredible gift... but going to work for you just seems like a bigger shortcut that I don't think that I want to take. I need to make it on my merits, not my heroics."
"I see. Are you at least interviewing elsewhere?" asked Gabriel. "I would hate to see you waste years toiling away at that dreary little factory you're at."
"...I am?" Marinette admitted, hesitantly. "I don't really want to say where, though. A couple of my coworkers have been pushing me, just like you are... 'You're too good for this place. You need to find something better,' they've told me, so many times. I'm sure that I'll find it... I'm just not sure where or when yet. Or maybe how."
"Keep at it," Gabriel assured her. "Your day may arrive sooner than you think."
"That's kind of you to say."
They paused, watching Adrien and Emilie continuing their light workout. As they watched, the distant pair shared a laugh over something that Adrien had said.
"Things around here have been calm?" Marinette wondered. "I'm sure that there have been quite a lot of adjustments to make."
"An understatement," Gabriel concurred, "but most of them for the better. Keeping the paparazzi at arm's length has been a hassle, but they have been uncharacteristically gracious in allowing Emilie some space and breathing room to recover."
"That's good. How about among the staff and family? Everyone is coexisting well?" she asked.
"Mostly, yes. Adrien and Nathalie are slowly rebuilding some trust. Emilie gave Nathalie a bit of side-eye at first, which I expected... but all of us have reinforced for her that Nathalie is a trusted assistant, and that our relationship has never progressed beyond professionalism. I am a happily married man, and my ring remained on my finger. Emilie understands that."
"Which is good..." said Marinette, cautiously. Adrien... wasn't so sure about that, or at least that Nathalie didn't WANT more. If Gabriel remained true to Emilie, that'll save a lot of headaches down the road.
"Adrien and I are... working on it," he continued. "There are some things that will always be sore spots for us. In others, I believe that we are finding some common ground, at long last. He has even consented to appear in some promotional capacity for the company..."
"He told me about that! Not the lead model that he used to be... but at least getting in front of a camera again," beamed Marinette.
"You know, I rather think that he's more comfortable behind one these days?" mused Gabriel. "I saw the promotions for that Spanish company that he worked with, while he was... away. I could sense his fingers in it before I ever heard his name connected with them. Perhaps that ought to be where he should focus his attentions."
"Growing up here, watching you run Agreste Fashions... he certainly knows the business," Marinette agreed. "He's got some interviews planned, too."
"I would hope so," Gabriel snarked. "Otherwise, that house that he put a down payment on will out-budget him very quickly."
"I think that he knows what he's doing. I've looked it over with him... it's got the space that he wanted without being overwhelming or overly rich. You wouldn't look at it and think 'a supermodel must live there,'" she said. "I don't know much about houses, but this looks like a decent investment to me."
"Indeed. A good first home for a young couple, just starting out," smiled Gabriel, meaningfully.
At Marinette's lack of response, he continued, "You cannot tell me that he doesn't have rooms picked out already for your studio, for your design work... perhaps even one extra room set aside, just in case a certain day arrives."
Her face burning, Marinette struggled for an answer to that.
"I think that we all know that it's going to happen," she replied, hesitantly. "That it's the right thing for us... when we're ready. I know how he feels. I know how I feel. Our friends have been predicting this since the week that we met."
"And, yet, you are hesitating," Gabriel noted. "I hope that I am not the primary cause of that."
"You're not," Marinette replied, quickly. "I promise you, you're not! It's..."
She fell silent once more.
"You do not have to tell me, if you are not comfortable with doing that," Gabriel prodded her. "But I am curious."
"These last few months have been a complete whirlwind," Marinette began, feeling as if she was about to ramble out of control. "Adrien came back into my life, completely unexpectedly, and this time I found the courage to show him how I feel, and everything just...exploded from there! Everything with understanding his sudden disappearance, his years away, and then he turned out to be Chat Noir, and that opened up a whole can of worms in my mind... and then Emilie, and the rescue attempt, and almost losing both of them that night..."
"You're feeling overwhelmed," Gabriel perceived. "And I cannot blame you there."
"And not in a bad way. In a good way, mostly!" Marinette protested. "But even now, with things calming down... I'm looking for a better job, Adrien's looking for steady work, he's buying a house, he's making sure that it's close enough to here to be close to you and his mother, to help with her recovery... and I want him to do that! I want to be part of that, too."
She took a breath. "It's all too much at once," she declared. "So we decided that, well, we'd let the boil come back down to a simmer first. We'll stabilize our lives together, and then... then, some night, we'll know that it's time and he'll surprise me. I have no doubt of that."
"You are both all right with waiting like that?" wondered Gabriel. "Many people wouldn't be."
"I don't need to be married to him for us to love each other as if we already are," she managed. "I don't want a ring on my finger making me feel like we're rushing into it; I want it to be when neither of us can live another minute without one. Besides," she smiled, "you saw it that night. Any time that I want an engagement ring, I can make one, in red."
"Hah!" Gabriel laughed, caught by surprise. "You do have a good point there."
"That's not to say that I won't be spending lots of time at Adrien's new place," Marinette grinned. "Much more spacious and comfortable than my little hole-in-the-wall. It will be so nice to have a kitchen that I'll have room to cook in again!"
"You're not afraid that someone would break into your apartment and seize the Miracle Box while you're away?" he wondered.
"Oh," cackled Marinette, "I pity anyone who would try that."
To Marinette's relief, the topic quieted down as Adrien and Emilie approached them slowly.
"Wow! I can't get over how much stronger you're looking lately," Marinette cooed once Emilie was within earshot. "You're moving so much better."
"A l-l-l-little better every day," Emilie smiled back. "I have a great coach here."
"Please. You're the one who's working so hard," beamed Adrien. "And it's showing."
"I'll say!"
Duusu fluttered over to Marinette, reaching out and hugging her shoulder briefly. "This is just the best," he declared. "Now we're all together and everybody's happy and feeling better! That's how it should be."
"You and Adrien have been almost inseparable since you were reunited," noted Marinette. "And it's wonderful to see that."
"If you're sure about that! I'm taking his time away from you," Emilie replied. "I heard that before I came back, it took a cr... crrrrrr..."
"Slowly, darling," Gabriel encouraged her. "We know that the words are there; you just need a little extra time to get them out. Take your time."
"...crrrrowbar to get you two apart," concluded Emilie, with some effort. "And I can see why."
"That part hasn't changed," Adrien grinned. "But it's our turn to focus on you now."
"Well," she said, "Marinette... I hope that I'll get to meet your parents soon. Just let me get my legs under me a little more, and get a little bit more con... ...fident in my speech..."
"It's completely on your timetable," Marinette assured her. "Whenever you're comfortable, they would love to meet you."
"Good!" Emilie beamed.
"Would you like to walk and talk with me for a little while?" asked Marinette.
"Certainly," she replied, putting her free arm out for Marinette to take.
As the two of them began a leisurely stroll, Adrien sat down next to his father with a big smile on his face.
"Marinette's absolutely right," he said. "The way that Mother's talking, she's getting around, she's doing so many things all on her own now... I can't get over it."
"Even after she awakened, I was so afraid... that that would be as far as it would go," Gabriel replied, in a subdued tone. "That she would be alive... but a mere shell of herself. But between her therapists, and the two of you spending all this time with her..."
He closed his eyes. "You have always been one of the two blessings in my life, Adrien," he intoned. "And it is to my sorrow that, for a little while there, I forgot that."
"I just want to look forward now," Adrien answered. "We know where we've been. Where we go next is more important."
"I could not agree more," smiled Gabriel. "Oh, and, Son?"
"Hmmm?"
Gabriel nodded his head in Marinette's direction. "Do not ever, ever let that one get away from you," he declared.
"That would be the last thing I'd ever want to do," Adrien agreed.
"On a related note..." asked Gabriel, in a more relaxed tone. "You wouldn't know where she is interviewing this week, would you?"
"Debussy, I think," Adrien replied. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh," his father smiled. "No reason."
Across town, at roughly the same time... a man in a package-delivery uniform strolled casually up the walkway to an apartment building's main door, whistling a nondescript tune quietly.
Seeing him coming, a resident who was leaving held the door open for him. "Anything for 5c?" he asked the deliveryman.
"Not today," the deliveryman mumbled. "Just this one."
"Ah," grumbled the resident as he left. "That toolset should've been here yesterday! I wonder what's holding it up..."
Oh, it came yesterday, grinned the deliveryman to himself. It's a nice one, too. I could see that as soon as I got it back to the van and got the box open.
He continued his soft whistling as he strode down the hallway, a quiet confidence buoying his walk.
This apartment complex has been a gold mine for me since I started scouting it, the man thought. The people are friendly and trusting. Not very observant. Lots of package deliveries. Lots of unattended boxes.
Lots of free stuff for me.
But this one, he grinned, just might be the big haul I've been waiting for. A couple of months ago, I saw her get MULTIPLE crates of stuff delivered all at once... and the mailing label on the boxes had Gabriel Agreste on there as the sender.
I don't know what she was receiving... clothes, maybe? Designs for something? Fabric? Whatever it was, if the Agrestes are involved... it ought to be valuable. And I'm sure that I've seen the younger Agreste in and out of here frequently - lucky girl! - and if they're an item, I'm sure that he's treating her right, too.
Wonder why she's still in a little dump like this, if she's his squeeze?
Anyway... her loss. My gain.
She's been pretty predictable lately; she's spending a lot of her time out of the apartment. Nobody else lives here. And she left about an hour ago.
The man stopped in front of Marinette's front door, pretending to stare at the package he was holding. A glance left and right showed that the hallway was empty.
So all I have to do is jimmy this door open and slip inside... and these old places usually have cheap locks, no trouble for me...
A *thunk!* sound made him smile, as it indicated that his aim with his tools had been true.
He sat the package down on the "WARNING: ATTACK CAT ON DUTY" doormat, turned the doorknob slowly... and slipped into the entryway, quiet as a mouse.
Smooth as silk, he grinned.
The thief's impressions of his breaking-and-entering were mostly accurate... in that no humans had witnessed his entry.
"Okay! Let's get down to business," the thief grinned, speaking to himself in a quiet voice.
Front room... Nothing amazing here, he mused, rifling through the magazines on the coffee table. She's into fashion; no surprise there, if she's boinking an Agreste.
Not bad with the decor. A nice sofa... but hardly an antique or some super-expensive model. It's a step up from IKEA, but not by THAT much. Probably a family hand-me-down.
He noted the food dish and litter box along the side wall. Good... the doormat didn't lie. She has a cat. I can handle cats easy enough. Memories of a break-in six months prior that left him face-to-face with a Doberman filled his mind; that was the LAST time I don't double-check for animals, he told himself.
Kitchen... I don't think there's any ROOM for anything expensive here, he noted. How does this girl manage to cook anything in here? Any smaller, and I'd be afraid of getting stuck if I turned around too fast.
Dutifully, he rifled through the cabinets just in case. Containers of oils, rice, pasta, plasticware and dishes were all that he found there, as he expected.
Not even any wine. I always like walking off with a nice Chianti, thought the thief. If she drinks, it isn't often. Pity. Better luck next time.
Stepping back out into the living room once more, he scanned his surroundings. Cratefuls of expensive gifts from the Agrestes, he mentally called out. Come out, come out, wherever you are!
In Marinette's bedroom, a small pile of white fluff stared hard at the open doorway. There was someone here, she knew that for sure... and it was certainly no one who belonged here. Not when Mama's gone!
A small presence, hovering beside her, whispered to Audrey. "Okay," it said, "just like I showed you before. You got this, right?"
"Mrawr," the kitten mewed.
"I'll take that as a yes."
This looks like a little studio, the thief noted. Where she gets her work done? Probably a designer. Maybe that's what's up with the Agrestes - he's hired her and he's drowning her in design work. But where are the crateloads of things, then? This room - this APARTMENT is barely big enough to hold all of that.
Laptop... looks like an older model. I'll grab it on my way out, but I doubt that I'll get much for it. If I'm lucky, it's not encrypted and maybe I can snag some industry secrets or something. Not that I would know who to sell them to...
He glanced at the designs lying on top of the pile on the desk. Not bad, not bad, he approved. I'm more of a sweats-and-sneakers kind of guy... but this girl knows what she's doing.
Behind him, he noted the Jagged Stone poster on the wall, and did a quick air-guitar riff. I don't think that any guy can see that and not rock out, the thief grinned. It's in our blood!
Well... not much here, either. That just leaves the bedroom, he considered. There doesn't look like there's an attic or anything, and I didn't see any storage rooms out in the hall, so unless she's keeping her good stuff offsite... and what girl living in a place like this has money for that?
Awright. Let's see what I can -
As the thief stepped back out into the hallway, he flinched at a small movement... then laughed.
"Well, hello, 'Attack Cat,'" he greeted Audrey.
A low, growling sound came from the small, white kitten, who reared back and puffed up threateningly.
"Get over yourself," the thief laughed loudly. "I've crapped bigger things than you."
When he took a step forward, the cat hissed loudly, ears back, eyes narrowed.
"Oooh! I'm soooo scared," he mocked her. "I bet you could gnaw the heck out of my ankle, if I stood still and let you."
Still...
He took a step backwards, to see if there was a laundry basket or something nearby that he could drop over little cute-and-vicious; nothing jumped out at him at first glance.
"All right, Fluffy-Pants, I wanted to do this the easy way," he declared, returning to the hallway. "I don't really want to punt you. I may be a dangerous criminal and a wanted man... but I actually like animals. So step out of my way so that I don't have to toss you around, right?"
A shiny glint caught his eye. He leaned down, wary of teeth and claws, trying to get a look at what was around its neck.
"I'll bite. What's that on your collar, little one?" the thief wondered. "It's not just a nametag. That almost looks like... jewelry?"
The cat lifted its head slightly, as if daring him to look closer.
"A silver ring?" he smiled. "Why would you have a silver ring on your collar? Now, hold still, Fuzzy... I'm just going to get a look at what that might be worth-"
As he leaned forward, the cat lifted its right front paw up and touched the ring with it.
"Mrawr!" it announced... and extended its claws.
Marinette snuggled up against Adrien's arm as the two of them walked from her car to her front door.
"So... what do you want to do tonight?" she beamed.
"Well..." grinned Adrien.
"I mean, besides that." Marinette grinned back at him, adding, "Don't give me that look. There's so going to be that! Lots of that. But what else?"
"I'm thinking... maybe one of those series that we started watching?" he suggested. "There's that old one with the vampire, or the one with the brothers that we just started-"
"Adrien."
As they walked down the hallway, Marinette froze in place.
"What is it?" whispered Adrien.
"My door is open. Just a crack," she gasped. "And I know that I didn't leave it open when I left this morning."
"Hmmm. How should we handle this?" he wondered. "With, or without?"
"...Stay back. Let me check this out without first."
"You're kidding, right?" he hissed.
"I don't want to compromise myself, if it's unrelated to that!" she hissed back. "If you hear a ruckus, or if I yell, transform and come in hard."
"Okay. I trust you... but I'll be ready," Adrien murmured.
"I'm going in."
Marinette slipped inside, wary but determined... then let out a giant laugh.
"Adrien... my home security system works just like I hoped it would," she roared. "Come in and look at this."
Adrien stepped inside, not knowing quite what he was going to see... then did a double-take, shutting the door behind him from sheer force of habit.
A large black panther was in Marinette's apartment, perched proudly atop the body of an unknown man in the hallway! A huge paw batted playfully at the man's head, as if daring him to try to get up.
"Is that..." Adrien managed.
"Uh-huh. Hey, Audrey!" giggled Marinette. "Who's a good girl?"
The panther looked up... and once it did, Adrien got a better look at it. Its face was small and mostly white, as if it was a white cat wearing a giant black cat-suit... but the rest of the animal clearly meant business.
"I don't know who you are," the man whimpered, not moving a muscle. "I don't know what it is that I've walked into here. I don't really care any more. Call the cops, send me to jail, I don't care, just somebody get this freakin' panther off of me before it eats my freakin' head!"
"So... you're telling me that this little thing has you scared?" Marinette replied, in a teasing tone.
"You're kidding, right?" he gasped. "It could take my head off with one swipe! I can feel its claws on my back, and they're like shark teeth! Help me! Please! Call it off!"
"Now, come on, now. I'm sure that you've been around housecats before. When-"
"HOUSECATS?" the thief yelped, getting a *whap!* to the head from Audrey for his tone.
"When have you ever known a housecat to do exactly what it's told, when it's told?" she asked. "I mean, I can try... but I don't know that I want to, anyway. Adrien, would you make a little phone call for me, please?"
"I'd be happy to," Adrien smiled, pulling out his phone to call the local police.
A short while later, a familiar figure trudged up the walkway.
"Ah! Adrien Agreste, isn't it?" a uniformed Roger Raincomprix called out to him, standing in the hallway.
"Lieutenant Raincomprix! Good to see you again," Adrien replied.
"Captain Raincomprix, now," the officer grinned. "But still doing the same old duties."
"You remember Marinette Dupain-Cheng, don't you? Another one of Sabrina's old classmates? This is her apartment."
"...I remember him," Marinette declared, as she stepped out into the hallway as well. "Hi there! I'm kind of surprised to see you."
"Well, how come? I get assigned to all sorts of cases," he said.
"It's not that. It's more like... aren't there other police officers in Paris? It seems like it's always you that answers the call," she noted.
"How many more do you think that we need?" he chuckled. "Anyway... we had a report of a break-in here?"
"Uh-huh," Marinette confirmed. "We got back from visiting Adrien's parents, and found the door had been opened. We looked inside, very carefully... and found that my pet had subdued an intruder."
"Oh?" Roger wondered, warily. "What kind of pet is it? This was a grown man that it caught? Do we need to be careful?"
"Nah. She's nothing but a pussycat, I promise."
Marinette leaned her head in the door and called, "Audrey! Here we come!"
She waited for a white flash to subside, then opened it fully. "Come on in, Mr. Raincomprix," she beckoned.
Roger braced himself as he entered...
...only to find a grown man in a delivery uniform face down on the hallway rug, with a tiny white kitten perched on his back like a lion over its fallen prey.
"Mrawr!" Audrey trilled, proudly.
"Officer!" the man nearly screamed. "This thing is a killer! Just get it offa me! Hurry!"
"...Well, I'll be," Roger murmured.
As Roger handcuffed the thief, who did nothing but stare at the vigilant kitten and make little gibbering noises, Marinette inventoried her apartment.
"Did he take anything, or cause any damage?" Roger asked.
"Not that I can tell. I don't think that he had much of a chance to," she called back. "I don't see anything missing or broken. I'm not happy that someone strange had his fingers all over my things..."
"Mrawr?" Audrey meowed at the intruder, accusingly.
"I had gloves on. I had gloves!" the thief replied, trying to show his hands from behind his back. "I didn't even leave a smudge. I'm sorry!"
"All right, off with you, then. Marinette, I'll be back in a bit with some more questions, okay?" Roger declared. "And you'll want to replace this lock."
"We'll be here 'til you get back," she said. "And I'll let the landlord know what happened."
The door closed behind Roger and the highly agitated burglar.
"But, first..." beamed Marinette, "I think someonnnnnnne needs some tuna treats for being such a wonderful guard kitty!"
"Yep!" echoed Adrien. "And some for Audrey, too!"
"Hey!"
"Plagg, he's only joking. Once we get this door fixed, you and I are going to the cheese shop. There's Camembert de Normandie in your future," Marinette told him. "Lots of it."
"That's more like it," Plagg exclaimed. He floated down next to Audrey and declared, "You did great, kid! We are going to have so much fun together."
"She certainly did!" Adrien agreed, leaning down to both of them. "You were both awesome."
"Yup," beamed Plagg. "So... when's the next one of those guys coming?"