"Wait a minute." Master Fu exclaimed. "We know your superhero name but not your real one!"
Oh. So now, after 2 hours of explanation about Tikki and how she worked, Master Fu finally wanted to know my name?
"Ummm. Well, it's a bit awkward." I muttered.
"You find your name awkward? I'm sure it's not that bad." Tikki said unhelpfully (again).
"I mean, it's not awkward, but you know that stuff you told me earlier? About your name not being the same as your superhero name because your identity would be found out more easily?"
"Yes?" Master Fu narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Tell me your name's not Scarlet."
"Okay, then I won't tell you that my name's Scarlet."
Master Fu groaned inaudibly and slumped on his stool, almost falling off backwards. "Okay," he finally moaned, "you have to change it now."
"But why?" Tikki whined. Evidently, she loved my cool and flashy superhero name, and was reluctant to let it go. "She could just tell anyone that suspects that it's a coincidence!"
"Tikki!" Master Fu exclaimed. He turned his attention back on me. "You do know that by using that superhero name you are immediately putting yourself and anyone you know in danger! Hawkmoth could easily akumitized members of your family if he finds out!" he clamped his hands over his mouth as if he had said too much.
"Who's Hawkmoth? An old school friend?" I tried to act casually, as if I couldn't care less.
Master Fu glared at me, and I shrugged innocently, giving him an angelic smile.
He only turned away and stalked off to a private room at the back of the shop.
"I think he's annoyed." Tikki remarked.
"You think?" I responded starkly.
"Okay, okay. I know, then."
I tuned her voice out as I crept closer to that mysterious door. Where did it lead to? Was it Master Fu's bedroom?
"Don't even think about sneaking in there." Tikki cried. "Besides, he's in there right now, and he'll see you! With your red hair, you'll stand out like… like a… ummmm… a… oh yes, like a Christmas tree in summer!"
"That's the best you can come up with?" I jeered, only to find myself blushing as I realised, I was being incredibly mean. Again.
Poor Tikki's face crumpled up, and I sought desperately for a way to calm her down before she burst into tears.
"Oh no, I'm sorry, you can practise, you'll get better at it, it's ok!" I babbled incoherently, all the while listening out in case Master Fu returned and insulted me out of his shop. On the inside, I was screaming insults at myself for being such a spiteful snob.
And then I realised that Tikki was laughing.
"Oh!" I exclaimed because I had nothing better to say.
"Got you!" Tikki shrieked, doubling over in laughter.
"It is not funny, and now because of you, I didn't get the chance to snoop around Master Fu's private room to look for anything to do with this Hawkmoth!" I roared.
I was very unlucky, as it turned out, as at that moment Master Fu had somehow glided silently up behind me and had been listening to me the whole time.
"Oh, hello there." I smiled weakly, hoping that he hadn't heard any of that whatsoever.
"So, you were going to sneak into my room, huh?" he hurled the question at me.
"Umm, noooo?" I cried, my squeaky voice betraying my thoughts.
He sighed, and then told me to sit. "I should probably tell you the truth. Hawkmoth is my nemesis, who has been trying to steal all the miraculouses to gain power over the whole world! It is your job to stop him!"
"Oh. Ok, I am going to pretend I didn't hear that last bit."
"See?" he responded. "You don't want to hear the next bit."
"Go on." I tried to sound brave and failed miserably.
"He akumitizes normal people and turns them into monsters, which he uses to try and take Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculouses."
"Wait." I frowned. "If Tikki is Ladybug's miraculous, then where's Ladybug?"
"There is no Ladybug. Not anymore. She was captured along with Cat Noir by Hawkmoth, and your mission is to get them back."