Marinette sat in the park that afternoon, sketchbook in hand. The gentle sound of Luka's guitar lulled her into quiet contentment and stole her stress. It had been three days since she and Chat Noir had encountered the mysterious duo that was Phoenix and Alpha Wolf. Despite many attempts, they had not been able to track them down again.
The news was flooded with rumors of fire in the sky and a pack of ghost wolves running through the streets, but none of the sightings had been officially confirmed. Over the past few days, Marinette had done everything she could to find the mysterious pair, even seeking Tikki and Master Fu's council. Tikki was as clueless as she was, but Master Fu seemed to know something on the matter and was very reluctant to divulge it. "If you find them, Marinette, do not interfere." He had warned her sternly. "These things are best left alone."
All of this combined with the general stress that was simply being Marinette had left her in a gloomy fog that had Tikki worried. So, when Luka had asked her to go to the park with him, she had happily accepted.
"Thank you for inviting me today, Luka. I really needed this." Luka smiled at her from the other end of the park bench. "I was glad when you agreed to come. My music comes easier when you're around, Marinette." She couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks at that, and Luka's loving smile certainly wasn't helping. "What have you been sketching?" He asked as his fingers played a steady rhythm. Marinette looked down at her sketch book and sighed. A tunic with a faint flame pattern had overtaken the page.
—-
Adrien rested his head against the music stand of his piano. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to hit the right notes.
"Give it a rest!" Plagg shouted from the couch, "I don't understand why you bother with music anyway. Cheese is much simpler." Adrien sent his kwami a condescending look. "You're always thinking with your stomach." Adrien rose from the piano bench, electing to check his phone which he had tossed on the bed earlier. There were only a few notifications: a message from Nino, a calendar reminder about a photo-shoot, and a message from the local news advertising a live feed. Curious, Adrien clicked on the notification and soon the feed started.
"Paris Police have started a search for notorious gang leader, Robin Dorn, this man you see on your screen."
The picture was fuzzy, but Adrien could make out the man's appearance easily. He was heavy set, with a square jaw, and a scar cutting through a thin beard."Parisians are warned to be on alert and Police request that if you see this man you call it in immediately. He is wanted for the murder of fourteen Berlin police officers, and four young men. He is considered armed and dangerous. In other news, more reports of fire in the sky coming in overnight. It is unclear who or what is the cause of these peculiar sightings, and some are hoping for a statement from Ladybug and Chat Noir in relation to these issues. I'm Nadia—"
Adrien cut the feed, his mood worsening. He dropped his phone back on his pillow as his emotions darkened. "You know Plagg," Adrien said in a grumble, "Alpha Wolf showed me more attention in the three minutes I spoke to him than my own father has in the past month, and we're not even sure if he's a good-guy."
Plagg floated over to the young man and slouched down on his shoulder. He could feel the negative emotion radiating off of his chosen. It had been some time since Adrien had been this upset, but he had a feeling now wasn't the time for comfort. Adrien needed something to build off of; something to channel his energy. He decided to take a risk.
"Alpha Wolf... that's the dog guy right?" Plagg started with a casual tone. "You know, I've been thinking: while I've never heard of that guy before, I do recall someone called Moon-Stalker many years ago." Adrien's ears pricked as Plagg continued to ramble. "He used to call magic wolves to himself by use of a magic howl. I watched him send them out to track down a missing little girl who had been taken by an enemy tribe. They found her in just a few hours, and then they helped him kill off her captors. But I doubt the two are related in any way. The soul stones were lost centuries ago, but maybe your new friend took his inspiration from him?"
Adrien blinked in surprise as the information swept over him. "Soul stones?" Adrien asked, forgetting his previous frustration. Plagg shrugged carelessly as he flung open a cabinet where he kept a stash of cheese. "Some shiny rocks with magic power. Master Fu doesn't like us knowing much about them." Adrien opened his mouth to question the small cat-like being further, but a knock at the door cut him short. Natalie had come to send him to his photo-shoot.
"Chin up, kid." Plagg said as Adrien grabbed his phone off the bed, "Your dad is gone all week, which means Chat Noir can run all night and no one will be the wiser."
—
Marinette said goodbye to Luka just before sundown that night. As she climbed the stairs to her balcony, she was feeling much better. It felt to her like a great weight had been lifted from her mind, and she was beginning to think clearly again. "I can't believe how worked up I had gotten, Tikki!" She exclaimed to her small friend as she plopped down in her deck chair.
"I'm really glad you are feeling better, Marinette. That encounter the other night really threw you for a loop." Tikki hugged Marinette's cheek with a relieved smile.
Marinette looked out to the city around her. She could still hear Luka's song in the back of her mind, it's steady melody played in time with her heart. "Oh Tikki!" She gushed when her emotions began to swell, "Luka cares so much! Did you hear how he talked about my designs? He called them "visible melodies!" And the way he smiles at me when he plays guitar makes me blush every time!" She grabbed the outdoor pillow from behind her in the chair and buried her face in it, squealing in happiness.
Tikki chuckled at her antics, making Marinette flush in embarrassment. "Luka is certainly not shy about how much he cares for you, Marinette."
Marinette sighed as she remembered his confession at the tv studio. "He really isn't..." Her eyes closed as she recalled the melody he had played that afternoon. Casually, she hummed it to herself as she rose from her chair and leaned against the balcony railing. It was a beautiful picture-perfect moment. The last bit of sun fading from the sky as Paris lit up in its world-famous brilliance. She stared out upon the city for a few minutes in silence, inwardly wishing that Luka was there with her.
Since the wax museum, she had been spending more time with Luka. After spending so long chasing someone who she now knew only saw her as a friend, it was nice to know Luka thought of her as more than that. They had grown close the past few weeks, and Marinette was finding herself missing him more and more when he wasn't around. She breathed in the night air, savoring the calm moment.
But the moment was not meant to last.
A streak of fire whizzed across the sky in front of her, and its heat tickled her nose. As it turned the corner ahead of her, Marinette looked to her small friend with courage. "Tikki," She said, "Spots On!"
