To Lyger 0: We've already seen 1 example of that in the "RooT"-verse. The double Miraculous Ladybug did accomplish a lot, but there was still a lot of damage that needed to be repaired (some of which was repaired with subsequent uses of Miraculous Ladybug). Of course, the damage had been there for a decade or more in "RooT," and Marinette was much less skilled with her miraculous then, so things could be different. But will have to see…

To Armadas: I mean, there's always hope…

To yellow 14: No time like the apocalypse for a cognitive realignment!

Before his evening patrol, Chrysaor flew in a tight circle around the bakery's balcony, scanning the cityscape in all directions to avoid notice as he did so. Above him, the drone assigned to this sector continued its assigned circuit, flying around the bakery, park, and school in a continuous loop and scanning for intruders. Quickly, Chrysaor accessed the drone's feed, checking for any indication of civilians in the area who might see him land. At a quick glance, he nodded. No one was visible on the streets around the bakery. Finally satisfied, he slowly descended to alight gingerly on the balcony, deactivating his jets and ducking out of sight as soon as he could. Stopping here was a calculated risk, particularly when he was suited up for patrol. And yet, all of their discussions would go for naught unless he spoke to the Guardian.

Atop the eaves of the house crouched a stone figure no larger than a child, with furled wings resting along its back, looking for all the world like a new stone gargoyle. As Chrysaor touched down, the creature slowly turned to look down at him with an unblinking gaze before returning to its previous position. Overhead, the sound of the drone's rotors, almost imperceptible to anyone not paying attention for them, faded into the distance. Nodding to the senti-guardian, Chrysaor pulled the trapdoor open and slipped through to land on Marinette's bed, which appeared to have remained made and unused for close to a month. At a glance over the railing, he froze in place, hardly daring to move. On the chaise lounge were a couple of blankets, folded neatly and placed on one end with a pillow atop them that looked like it had seen significant use recently. Scanning the room, he could see a little girl's clothing – of a style several years out of fashion – piled along one wall, just behind where the trapdoor would open. A handful of pastry crumbs littered the desk beside a small stack of used plates.

Clearly this was where Cosette slept, in Marinette's absence. Fortunately, however, Cosette appeared to be downstairs. Cautiously, Chrysaor dropped to the floor, activating his jets for a moment to soften his landing, and pulled open the trapdoor. Climbing down the ladder, he found Emilie sitting at the table, staring up at him with a concerned expression on her face. With a quick scan of the apartment, he confirmed that the two of them were alone. Sabine, Tom, and Cosette were nowhere to be seen.

Emilie stared up at him, her surprise shifting into a calculating look. "When my senti-guardian alerted me that you had come, I sent Cosette downstairs to help Tom," she explained. "Although I almost didn't believe him when he relayed that you were landing on the roof. What are you doing here? Is there a problem?"

Chrysaor nodded slowly. "There… is," he admitted. "You already know about the prison break situation, but it has recently devolved into a crisis. I apologize for not alerting you as soon as we discovered the problem."

She furrowed her brows, staring at him intently. "What's wrong? Did someone find the cave? Is the Headquarters in danger?"

Chrysaor shook his head. "No, everything is fine on that front. However, this is potentially worse. Recently we confirmed that at least one of the escapees was able to locate a missing miraculous," he explained darkly. "That, coupled with the inherent abilities possessed by Mallarmé, Nouvel, and Papon – to say nothing of the numbers on their side – makes this situation far too dire for myself or the Superhero Liaison Department to handle individually." He frowned. "The SLD has informed us that they are considering recruiting their own team from among the vigilantes operating in the city as a way to counter these super-villains, but with a miraculous involved…"

Nodding, Emilie hummed thoughtfully. "You think we need to fight fire with fire?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

He nodded. "Precisely. Having a miraculous user or two on our side would at least help to even the odds."

She pursed her lips, looking off into the distance. "I don't know about giving out multiple miraculous right now," she apologized.

"May I ask why not?"

"It's only fair," she admitted. She sighed heavily, rubbing her forehead. "I suddenly feel intense sympathy for Master Fu," she muttered quietly. "With the state of affairs in the city – and with a miraculous already fallen into the wrong hands while who knows how many others might still be out there…" She groaned. "You've been bringing me these miraculous since I'm the only Guardian left in the city, right?" He nodded. "Unfortunately, these aren't really mine to distribute," she explained. "Australian, American, Atlantean… they all need to go to their own Guardians eventually. Until we have the chance to return them, we can make use of them, but I am loath to risk too many of our limited supply at once. If it is necessary, yes we can use more… but I would prefer to be more surgical about it, particularly if they will already be part of a team."

"Very well." He nodded in understanding.

She let out a breath. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "But I will absolutely give you use of one under the circumstances. So, do you know which miraculous they found?"

"From Lieutenant Ramus' description, it appears to be the Koala."

"Koala, Koala…" she murmured, closing her eyes in concentration. After a moment she opened her eyes and let out a breath. "I don't think we have one here that can precisely counter the Koala," she told him slowly. "But maybe it doesn't have to counter that one in particular… Remind me, what powers do the others possess? Run me through the list again."

"Nouvel, codename Dynamus, has the ability to transmute matter from one element or state to another," Chrysaor began, "along with a limited form of telekinesis. Mallarmé, codename Mind-Wipe, can manipulate people psychically or telepathically by means of a chemical he secretes from proprietary glands in his hands. Papon, codename Elemento, has the ability to manipulate the elements. They are the only three with inherent abilities, but the others have proven dangerous in the past. Fire-Fly and Mistral favor fire and air, respectively, and are reported to have constructed rudimentary weapons of their own. Finally, the last escapee, Monte-en-l'Air, is an expert burglar."

Emilie frowned, furrowing her brows in thought. "Leaving aside the last three, that is a broad scope to attempt to counter…" she mused, her voice trailing off. She chuckled. "It's a pity that we don't have the Monkey Miraculous," she observed. "King Monkey would be our best option, were he here…"

Chrysaor nodded. "Indeed."

"However," she continued, glancing back into the box, "I may have an option for you: the Narwhal."

He cocked his head. "But with Master Fu's death still so fresh, will Kheaa be amenable to another holder?"

She let out a breath and pulled the bracelet out of her shoebox. "Under the circumstances, he hasn't much choice, though we can still give him the option." With a flash of light, the Kwami emerged from the miraculous, which turned to a muted blue that matched the Peacock Miraculous brooch pinned to her blouse. "Hello, Kheaa," Emilie greeted the Kwami with a sympathetic smile, fumbling around on the table for a handful of nuts and holding them out to him.

"Greetings, Mme Guardian," he replied, his voice shaking. "What–what has happened? I–the last thing I remember is Wang…"

Emilie sighed heavily. "It's all far too much to go into, I'm afraid," she answered. "I am so sorry for your loss. But I believe we have dire need of your abilities right now. Are you ready to receive another holder? I'm so sorry to ask you now, so soon after Wang's death, and you can say no. But I think I need your ability in particular."

Kheaa sniffed silently for a moment, munching on the nuts, before he finally responded. "I… think so," he agreed. "After losing a holder–I suppose it will be nice to have another. Perhaps–perhaps it will help to see more of the world…"

Emilie let out a relieved breath. "Thank you," she told him. "I have always been impressed by your resilience, especially after being lost for so long." Turning to Chrysaor, she asked, "Are you thinking of a temporary holder?"

He shook his head. "If that is the only option, then I will accept your decision. But I believe another alternative would be better," he answered. "With the dearth of available heroes, I think we would be better served to recruit someone to serve on a more long-term basis, at least until the others return – a semi-permanent holder, if you will." She hummed thoughtfully. "Do you have someone in mind?"

Emilie smiled impishly, her eyes lighting up with mirth as footsteps sounded on the apartment steps. "I do! And in fact–" The apartment door opened at that moment, and Kheaa dove for cover. "–I think she's here!"

"Mme Agreste?" called Leïla, poking her head through the door and looking around awkwardly. "I'm here for your checkup. Mme Cheng just told me to come right up… Oh!" She started, staring at Chrysaor with wide eyes. She swallowed nervously and began to close the door, backing out of the apartment. "I'm so sorry–I'll wait outside–I–I didn't realize–"

"No, come on in, sweetheart," Emilie assured, waving her into the apartment with a warm smile. "You are exactly the person I wanted to see!"

Hesitantly Leïla stepped into the room and placed her bag on the end table next to the couch before reaching up to fidget with her hijab. She coughed. "I–um–I need to check your vitals," she repeated, her gaze shifting back and forth between Emilie and Chrysaor.

Emilie held up her hand. "In a minute," she told her. "Before we get to that, I have a very important question for you: I know I am asking a lot of you, and you have every right to say 'no' if you don't want to do it. I've been watching you as closely as I could over the last few weeks, you know. And you have done so much for me – for all of Paris, for that matter – since the Tarasque left the city, by helping your Papa to treat people who were sick or injured. So after all of that, would you like to help us in another way?"

Leïla's eyes widened and she nodded eagerly. "Yes–absolutely!" she answered immediately. "That's all I've wanted – ever since the Heroes of Paris saved my life. I mean – I know I can help people like this, but I feel like I should be doing more. You know?"

Chrysaor nodded in agreement. "I certainly understand what you mean," he told her. "In such a crisis, we must all work together if we are to overcome it."

"What can I do?" asked Leïla, turning back to Emilie and leaning forward.

Emilie smiled. "That's what I wanted to hear!" Carefully she held out the miraculous bracelet to Leïla, who stared at it in confusion for a moment before taking it. As she held it in her hand, the bracelet abruptly changed color from dull blue back to burnt orange before shifting a final time to become the same shade of black as her hijab. As the miraculous shimmered, Kheaa reemerged from hiding.

Leïla jumped and almost dropped the bracelet. "What is this?" she whispered, looking up at Emilie with her jaw hanging open in shock, before she spotted the Kwami and gasped. She stared at Kheaa, her eyes wide, before blinking several times and wrenching her gaze back to Emilie. "I–" She cocked her head, studying the miraculous closer. "Wait, is this…?"

"Leïla Ouazani, this is the Miraculous of the Narwhal," Emilie explained gravely. "If you are willing, you will use this miraculous for the greater good, to assist Chrysaor in defeating the escaped super-criminals who have been disrupting the city. Will you accept this responsibility?"

Swallowing hard, Leïla slid the bracelet onto her wrist, where it automatically shrank to fit her arm snugly. Meeting Emilie's gaze, she nodded firmly. "I will."