Ondine had been waiting at the Needlemouse restaurant. She sighed as Kim was running late. She knew that guy could get caught up in his bets or be obvious…but she was having a bad feeling about this. It is confirmed later when she receives a text message from Kim. 'Emergency, can't talk. Explain later. Sorry. Make it up to you. Love you.' Ondine sighed as she expected this. There was something up with Kim as of late. He hadn't made it to several of their dates in the past few weeks. It is not like Kim didn't want to miss out but she felt like he wasn't honest about what was going on. She just put her phone away and looked down.
"Is something wrong?" a voice asked. Ondine looked up and saw a boy that looked familiar.
"You're…Kagami's boyfriend, right?" Ondine asked.
"That's right. I'm Lysander. You are…Ondine right?." Lysander Sangré replied. "Kim's girlfriend?" Ondine nodded. "I know that look on your face. Trouble in paradise?"
"Not trouble but…he has been skipping on our dates as of late and I don't know why. I don't want to think there is anything malicious about it, Kim is a good guy but…" Ondine said.
"I have been having the same with Kagami. Reason I was able to tell from the look on your face. It's the same look on mine." Lysander said. Ondine had to admit, Lysander's expression was not unlike hers. "She is a busy girl, I know. But…I feel like Kagami is hiding something from me…sorry to talk about it, I thought we were in the same boat and wanted someone to listen…sorry for intruding."
"No, it's ok. I don't mind. I am good at listening to people…learned it from my mom. She's a psychologist. Talking about problems with people always helps." Ondine said.
"In short, misery loves company?" Lysander stated.
"I'm not miserable, just not…all there right now." Ondine noted.
They heard a ring, that signified a new customer arriving in the restaurant. He looked miserable. He sat down in a nearby table. The spherical table decoration caught fire, the boy grabbing a nearby vase, pulling out the flowers and pouring the water over the flaming decoration, before putting the flowers back in and placing the vase back, without changing his expression. He then faceplanted on the table.
"Oh, hi Kiva. You look a bit down in the dumps…" Lysander said to his Belgian classmate.
Kiva lifted his head up to look them in the eyes. "That obvious?"
"Takes one to know one." Ondine added. "Lysander and I both had a date with our respective other cancelled."
"Not exactly a date, but…" Kiva sighed. "Rose and Juleka promised me that they'd be there for my poetry recital. My family was there so it may not have been that bad but…they had promised before to hang out or be there at an event, and then they don't show and I wonder…is it something I did?"
"Them too…" Ondine muttered, wondering if there is a pattern.
"That's a coincidence…" another voice said. It was the voice of Reece, whom was joined by his friend Scott. "…we also had someone from our class flaking out on us. Nino cancelled the movie project we would be collaborating on."
"What are you doing here?" Lysander asked.
"Our families owe the restaurant?" Scott reminded them.
"Oh sorry, my bad." Lysander said. "What about you Scott?"
"Well, Max promised me and Vincent some help with engineering. I wanted to improve my robot building for the next Robot Wars tournament and Vincent wanted to improve upon Bullhead's specs. But Max said he had to make himself unavailable." Scott noted.
"That's odd…" another voice joined in. Another young couple from a different table had caught wind of the interaction. The voice came from Aurore Boreal. "I was collaborating on a project but we got blown off."
"She was a now show, gave us a small message with an apology and a promise to make up later, and we just Duparc-ed from the set." Jean Duparc, Aurore's boyfriend said.
"Jean, what did I say about making puns of your names?" Aurore asked.
"Come on Northernlight, like you don't make a ton of weather puns." Jean added.
"Weather I do it or not should not be the concern. Besides, I have the cloud to get away with it." Aurore added.
"At least you're able to still laugh about it." Kiva scoffed.
"Don't let our misery distract you from what could be a good date between you." Ondine said. "We could just leave."
"We actually only went here that due to the collab being a bust we had some spare time. It doesn't really feel like a date." Jean added.
"Besides, our parade got rained upon, let's at least seek shelter in each other's company." Aurore noted.
"I'll call Vincent, I think he should be here too." Scott suggested.
"Good idea…Let's rearrange a few tables so we can sit together." Reece added.
A few moments later, the final guest in Vincent has arrived. And his Bullhead robot pet, whom was enjoying the attention and petting from the other kids. "I ordered our largest pizza with the best toppings and cheese stuffed crust along with the strongest drink we are legally allowed to have. Which is basically a sugary soda." Reece noted.
"We are sad so we deserve calories!" Scott added.
"I'll work it off." Ondine noted.
"No olives, right?" Kiva asked.
"No olives, bud." Scott said.
"Thanks for having me over. I needed the distraction." Vincent said, the boy genius (not to be confused with the photographer or the fanboy and in all honesty the writer regrets picking the name and forgetting about the other two Vincents).
"Anytime Vince…" Scott noted. "So, who wants to give their two eurocents about what is possibly going on with our classmates/friends?"
"Yeah, I feel like the entire class but us are up to something, and we are being left out." Kiva added. "But…they wouldn't do that, right?"
"Not only them, Marc is in our class and he is acting just as weird as them sometimes." Jean added.
"Yeah, and I'm in fencing class with both Agreste and Tsurugi, they tend to vanish all of a sudden like snow during a heatwave." Aurore added.
"You fence?" Vincent asked.
"Yeah, parasol is not just for show or to further my weather girl image, it is a weapon in case someone would be dumb enough to mug me. They'd be facing the perfect storm." Aurore explained.
"I can't just put my finger on it. It must be something that they all are involved with but keeping us out of, but nothing I can think of makes sense…" Lysander said as he grabbed his hair.
"Maybe they just don't want to hang around us anymore." Reece said sadly.
"They wouldn't be, right?" Kiva said, sounding desperate. "They're our friends, they wouldn't do that to us right? Playing with our feelings like that?"
"Kim is a lug but he's not malicious, he would be honest if something is up." Ondine noted.
"And my girlfriend defines 'bluntly honest'. It would be so unlike her. If she doesn't like someone, she not only lets them know, she verbally destroys them while she's at it. And if that doesn't work she stabs them." Lysander noted.
"I'm just saying…" Reece said.
"I don't want to believe that they're bad and want to see the good in them. But…I also keep having these doubts." Scott noted.
"They are busy people. I mean you know what they all do? We got a band, an upcoming fashion designer, The Ladyblogger, a DJ, the former mayor's daughter, a soccer star, a boy genius, the writer and illustrator of a Ladybug comic, rising star athletes…" Jean said as he started counting it down his fingers.
"But we are too. Top athlete…" Ondine pointed at herself. "Weather girl, rising magician…" she points at Jean and Aurore. "Director, poet and robot fighting champion." She points at Reece, Kiva and Scott. "An inventor." She points at Vincent. "And comedian." Finally pointing at Lysander.
"I-I-I…" Kiva became nervous and hugged himself. "There must be something. What if something bad is going on and they are forced into it but they can't tell us? Are they in trouble?"
"If that's so, it is notable if it is a large group would be involved? And I believe the majority of them are smart enough to not get roped into that kind of situation." Vincent said as he scratched his head.
"They promise explanations, but their excuses don't start to add up." Reece said.
"Yeah, Markov just yelled 'Excuse!' in my face last time I asked something and Max just facepalmed. That is indeed weird." Vincent said. Bullhead put his head in his master's lap, as Vincent absent-mindedly stroked his creation.
"I don't want to write them off. I don't know what it is but it is big. And if we confront them about it, they better be honest on what it is, because I want to understand." Scott said.
"Me too. I thought I finally had friends. I don't want to lose that." Kiva said.
"Me neither…Ok, maybe I was a bit negative earlier, but they better have a damn good reason for this mess." Reece scoffed.
"They deserve the benefit of the doubt." Ondine said.
"So we agree to wait patiently? But we confront them eventually." Aurore added. Everyone agreed to it. They all finished saying 'aye!' as their pizza was being served. "Well, it is time to ruin our diets, everyone."
"Bon appetit." Ondine said as they all took a huge slice of the oversized pizza and eat their negative thoughts away.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"This sucks!" Kim noted as he had sent his message to Ondine, prior to the meeting with the rest of the team. "Stupid supervillains causing trouble, they are because we can't have nice things." Kim sighed.
"I am lucky Lysander is patient…because as of late I may have been neglecting him." Kagami said softly.
"We've ignoring all our non-Miraculous friends." Rose said sadly. "We had to because we have duties but I don't like it."
Juleka wrapped an arm around her girlfriend, whom is one of the most empathic people there is. Juleka felt bad too. "This has been a mess and a half."
"We make up most of a class, with even our teacher in on it, so the rest of the class is going to notice stuff. And those closest as well." Max was a bit twitchy.
"I never thought at first the group would become as big as it is. Last time it was a gambit and desperation, I needed the numbers." Marinette explained. "But with what I expected from the future, I didn't feel like benching was the best solution. And I was right, for what we faced afterwards, we needed everyone."
"And now? What do you think about expanding the team now?" Nino asked.
"I'm not sure. Last time it was sprung onto us and I had to improvise. And luckily everyone picked it up rather quickly. But now I don't know if something like that will work again. This time if we add members we want to break them in a bit first. Because Hawkmoth didn't expect us to go all out then, but as much as I hate to admit…Latombe is not dumb. He knows about the Kwami Hunter and the anomalies, it was over the news, he may suspect we have other Miraculos in reserves."
"If he does, would he be really springing an attack like we suspect?" Alya noted. "It would be obvious, wouldn't it?" Alya suggested.
"Maybe. But the targets are too irresistible and valuable for Latombe. For what he needs to achieve. Besides, he is not like Hawkmoth. He loves the spotlight, he would want to draw attention. For better or worse." Marinette explained.
"About the spare Miraculous, do we as he expects and bring in newbies and hoping they can wing it or do a crash course in case we need numbers." Kim asked. "Because part of me doesn't want to put Ondine at further risk, but part of me would perhaps feel safer and there would be less then a barrier between us if she…" he sighed. "I'm not the brightest tool in the shed but she never looked down upon me for it, things are serious between us, and I feel awful there is a huge part of my life I cannot share."
Alix didn't playfully rib Kim this time, instead putting a hand on his shoulder. "I get it, she is right for you. And trust me, Mistress of time, there are a lot of possibilities with happy endings. None of them are set in stone now but I would get that you want that."
"I must say that my relationship with Lysander feels less like…boyfriend-girlfriend then I liked. We sought comfort in each other and wanted to learn about relationships. But whatever happens, he has become a dear friend and I don't want to lose him either." Kagami noted.
"We got a fair few of friends whom we don't want to lose. Though if we ever had to choose between their safety and their trust…if we aren't able to involve them." Nino looked down.
"There are so many possibilities, variables, risks on both aspects." Max ran his hands through his hair.
"According to my calculations, both options are equally viable and not without risk or merit." Markov added.
"So, do we know what to do for now?" Chloé asked.
"For now I have thought about various contingencies. First is the Miracle Box. Right now both me and Chat have been given control by Fu. It is at my home since it's easier to hide there. The new Miraculouses are hidden inside for the moment. I will connect your Miraculouses to it in case you need to recover something, but as soon as there is a sign that it is compromised, a safety will completely cut the Miraculouses that are active off." Marinette explained.
"Furthermore, if by any chance they get to the box, another trap will trigger and spread the Miraculouses out to the personal pocketspace of randomly other active wielders. That way the Miraculouses are not only in safe hands but spread out, not as easy to recover." Adrien added.
"And in the worst case scenario and if you are overwhelmed, pull out one of the alternate Miraculouses and Unify." Marinette said.
"Unify? But we haven't even finished that training yet." Rose said.
"Yeah, first attempt hurt like a bitch!" Juleka added.
"It will only be a last resort. If there is no other way, Unify. I know it is asking a lot but there are still so many unknown variables. Let's hope that never comes to pass." Marinette said.
"But what if we are able as an alternative recruit someone?" Kim asked. "I may be sounding a bit too hopeful but…if we don't have to unify…"
"I think that may depend on the situation you find yourself in at that moment. It's something that in the heat of battle should justify that action." Marinette said. "A part of me wants to micromanage, but I can't control everything. I know that. And…I must be able to trust my team to know what the best action is in that moment."
"We have been working together for a while now, so you all are deserving of that trust." Adrien added.
"So…do we have an idea about how we are going to defend all the locations at once?" Chloé asked.
"Yes, we'll break off in four teams. One for each location, at the docks for when the ship with the power source arrives, one team at the museum and one team oversees the kwami Hunter's prison transport. The rest is a team that needs to patrol the rest of Paris in case Latombe causes trouble elsewhere, or wants to lure us away." Marinette explained. "Alix, you know the museum like the back of your hand so you have to be at the museum."
"Will do." The Rabbit wielder responded.
"Juleka, Luka, you know the waters of Paris the best, so I think you are best to be stationed at the docks." Adrien suggested.
"We can work with that." Luka assured them.
"Chat and I will personally oversee the transport of the Kwami Hunter. Of the three targets he is the most immediate danger that even if Latombe fails to obtain him, he can still escape and we don't want that to happen." Marinette said. Nia visibly clenched her fists.
"So we take him out if we can't keep him out the hands of Latombe or sweet freedom." Adrien added. "Finally Max, you are the fastest and can cover the most ground. So you should take lead of patrol duty."
"I will endeavor not to let anything happen on my watch." Max said as he pushed his glasses further up his nose.
"We still have to divide the rest of you across teams, we need to build balanced groups for each mission. We leave as little to chance as possible, because for as much as me and Adrien can bend fortune…we cannot fully control the outcome." Marinette said.
"As much as we hope that we can take Latombe on top of thwarting him, we can't solely bet on that. Priority is protecting the targets until they are out of his reach. It would be a bonus but not something we can count upon. He is as slippery as an eel after all." Adrien added.
"But we all know what to do now…" Marinette said. "And we are not alone."
"This is coordinated with all of the civilian allies we have, keeping an eye out for us." Adrien noted.
As the heroes thought it over, we see moments of several notable people all across of Paris. Mayor Lavillant talks to Roger Raincomprix, the agent nodded as he was given instructions, which he passed on through his walkie-talkie to the rest of the police squad to start their patrol.
At the Bureau's HQ, Allegra personally oversaw how a couple of her men had tied the largely sedated Kwami Hunter strapped onto carrier in a straightjacket and a mask (not that he needed one as his other one is stuck on his face) a la Hannibal Lecter. Beside her stood Nathalie Sancoeur, decked out in combat gear similar to the rest of the Bureau.
Master Fu, now in his wheelchair (the cane no longer was able to help him remain upright) looked out of the window of his home, keeping an eye on the outside world. Marianne moved to his side, putting an arm on his shoulder. Fu turned to her and smiled, but still had concern on his face. The two then looked out the window together.
Greg and Emilie were incognito, disguised thanks to some new wear Marinette provided them, as an additional patrol. They carried communicators that alerted the heroes once they would see the first sign of trouble.
Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng were in the park, using a simple picnic as a cover, but like Greg and Emilie would sound the alarm should they notice something.
Everyone hoped that in the end, everything would be enough. As Latombe stood on top of a roof of a building, overlooking Paris, he caressed his new invention and pressed the button. "Let the party begin!"
TO BE CONTINUED
Second part of the new arc, and this sets up other plot elements for this chapter.
Oh boy, I feel like this one is going to be big already. I hope I'll be able to juggle it all. But I'm not backing down, I have started this fic and I'll finish it, damnit!
Has been a while since I've been able to use some of the minor characters of my fic, due to a lot going on and not always giving everyone some time to shine, this chapter should be a turning point.
Aside canon characters Aurore, ONdine and Jean, me and my best buds' character avatars Kiva, Reece and Scott, as well as other OC's Lysander Sangré and Vincent Legrand (which we haven't seen since season one), hoping that I'll give them all some time to shine.