"Wait, she what?!"
"Sis, that's serious! Are you sure?!"
Dragon Fyre nods at Ladybug and Cat Noir's horrified expressions, and says "I don't particularly care that Liar Rossi hates me, either side of me. She's…I think she's a Narcissistic Sociopath, actually. I looked up different mental disorders one day at lunch, and that's the one that fit the best."
Ladybug says "Get to the part where she wasn't at all remorseful or regretful about getting Akumatized, Dragon Fyre."
Dragon Fyre sighs, then says "I'm not even sure why she'd get so upset about me making commentary on her Akuma form. Unless she's proud to have been Akumatized, that is…"
Cat Noir frowns, and asks "Isn't a Sociopath someone with…I think it was no remorse?"
Dragon Fyre nods, saying "No remorse, empathy…there was a whole list about the traits a Narcissistic Sociopath has, and she checked over a dozen of them. Manipulating others, expecting entitlement, taking steps to gain and retain everyone's attention, arrogant behavior, lying, doesn't care whatsoever that her actions could hurt someone, irresponsibility…" And she wanted her to get beaten, or even worse, wished she'd managed it while Akumatized. Her ghost said she hoped the next Akuma took her out for good. Lila holds a grudge big-time, it seems.
Cat Noir asks "Irresponsibility?" How so? He hasn't got a clue, having been out of the loop the day after Lila's entrance into Dupont and Volpina's debut.
"She's supposed to be out of the country, on a trip with her mother. As of the day after the first Volpina incident. Apparently, her mother is a high-ranking ambassador at the Italian Embassy."
Ladybug groans, then asks "So…we've got someone who's…not against being Akumatized, then?"
Dragon Fyre grimaces, and says "I think she likes the power it gives her. She seemed to remember more than most do, anyway. Mr. Ramier's been Akumatized twenty times by now, and he always starts out confused. Rossi, though? Not a hint of confusion." Point of fact, she actually tried to attack the fire-haired girl, saying she hopes the next homicidal Akuma takes her out for good. "I don't know just what it means, but Lila Rossi is someone to watch out for."
Cat Noir crosses his arms and frowns, asking "Well, what do we do about her? Tell the school she goes to she's still in town?"
Dragon Fyre sighs, and Ladybug says "For now…the best thing might be to just leave her in her self-imposed isolation. If she doesn't make any other problems for now…" She's still thrown by the info that Lila's a willing Akuma - she's certainly not a victim, at least. Not if she's so self-absorbed she'd readily accept being Akumatized to get back at Dragon Fyre. She didn't think anyone would be willingly Akumatized, though - Mr. Ramier currently holds the highest number of Akumatizations, and he's got to be one that hates it the most. And Chloe causes a lot of Akumas...but she's just that awful of a person, and Hawk Moth uses that to his advantage readily.
Both are different than actively helping Hawk Moth.
Unfortunately, there's no way to prove Lila's not a victim - not only is she a very convincing liar, as they all know, but most people won't be as receptive to the idea of Dragon Fyre being a mind reader as they are. And it won't exactly hold up in court or anything, reading a person's mind - oh, I found out she's working with a magical terrorist who prey's on people when they're emotionally vulnerable because I read her mind!
Dragon Fyre groans, then says "I'm gonna set up her downfall for when she finally goes back to Dupont and starts her shit up again."
Cat Noir asks "What if the lies she tells are harmless? If she just wants her five minutes of fame?" Much as he really doesn't like her...he doesn't want to have another Volpina situation for them to deal with either. Volpina was as powerful as an actual Miraculous Holder, and didn't have a time limit like them - it makes her more dangerous than most, and if she targeted, say, Bloom for calling her out on something...she nearly dropped him, the boy she claimed to like, off the Eiffel Tower. he doesn't want to think what she'd do to someone she doesn't like.
Though, if she's actively working with Hawk Moth, it wouldn't really matter if she was Akumatized or not, would it? Only time will tell, and they all hope she's wrong about Lila working with him.
Ladybug frowns, then says "If that's the case, if she just wants people to like her…then that's one thing. If she actively wants to manipulate everyone though…"
Dragon Fyre says "If she wants to use everyone, ruin their lives for her own, then we destroy her. We won't have to make a noose, she'll make it for us. We'll just have to give her a nudge to hang herself with it."
Cat Noir sighs, figuring this is the worst-case scenario they're talking about - if Lila's really that dangerous, though, it'd be better to have some kind of plan for dealing with her.
Kwamis, as uncomfortable as she made him, he hopes she isn't that dangerous - heck, that's probably why he's hoping she isn't that dangerous usually. She was bad enough before getting Akumatized, and both he and Plagg hope the level of creepy-crazy she was at as Volpina was only because of the Akuma and how much energy Hawk Moth seemed to put into that one.
When Dragon Fyre gets back to her warehouse, she opens up her laptop and gets onto the Italian Embassy's website. She finds a Lucia Rossi, listed as a senior Ambassador from Italy that recently moved to Paris when she got a promotion…but there's no record of the extensive travelling Lila claims she's done.
No visits to Achu, or America, Brazil, or the dozen other countries Lila claimed to have been in.
At least, not in the past decade and a half. She did travel frequently before that, a week-long trip here or a three-day trip there…but all of it was registered and approved by the Embassy she worked at, all business and full reports and itineraries are readily available to view. Not a hint of splurging or sight-seeing to be found.
Lucia Rossi's a decorated Ambassador, with a gift for negotiation and an eternally level head that helps to defuse a situation. Her daughter's a manipulative, lying little snake - no, wait, that gives snakes a bad name, especially since there's a Snake Miraculous the Dragon tends to be paired with! - with delusions of grandeur and all the care and empathy of a rock.
Bloom can't particularly find any similarities between Lucia Rossi and her daughter, honestly - aside from a few physical similarities, mostly around the eyes and Lila's chin. But Lucia Rossi, from her photos alone, is a dedicated, hardworking woman who juggles being a single mother and full-time senior ambassador between Italy and France - and for a position like that, she couldn't have pulled a stunt like Lila's currently pulling, skipping school for a few months at a time because she wants to.
Gritting her teeth, trying to hold back a surge of rage, Bloom takes a deep breath like Ms. Bustier has them all do every morning to try and avoid being Akumatized. Despite what she said to her two partners earlier, she just knows Lila isn't going to simply stop. The girl is one of the most self-centered, selfish creatures she's ever had the displeasure of meeting, topping Chloe by a large amount.
Chloe, at least, can take criticism with a grain of humility when it comes from a superhero that has to clean up her messes on a near-daily basis at times.
Lila, on the other hand, got so upset over some criticism about what she did when Akumatized that she got into that state a second time - why she got so upset, when nobody's particularly proud of what they did as an Akuma, is another matter.
Bloom mutters "Time to get researching, Longg. Make a list that we can add to later, rather than trying to remember every single thing she says two months in."
Master Fu sets out two cups of tea alongside the pot he made - Bloom Peters, AKA Dragon Fyre, is visiting again. She usually visits at least once a week, but ever since they found the spellbook those visits have been much more serious. She's been helping him translate the Spellbook - in-between Ladybug attempting to stuff her with food and stuff her into clothes they make, anyway, along with school, homework, and Akuma battles - and he's starting to add in some of his own Training as a Guardian, incomplete as it is.
Today, though, she looks…much more serious than usual.
As the two are sitting over the Spellbook, making a key to translate the thing - which would make doing as much only a thousand times easier, since Master Fu's currently going by context and guesswork half the time - the older man says "Tell me what troubles you, Dragon Fyre. It's obviously something."
Bloom sighs, handing Longg a strip of jerky as she does, and says "A number of things, Master Fu. This…we're in a war, Master Fu. It might not seem like it day to day, but…"
Wang Fu nods, and says "I won't deny that, Dragon Fyre. I've been in World War 2, went through some of the London Blitz with…a very trusted friend of mine. There may not be any bombs falling from the skies, or the constant terror pervading the air, but…yes, this is a war."
Bloom mutters "It's a war of attrition. He doesn't need some big, grand city-destroying Akuma. He just needs to keep going until one of us breaks down. Cat Noir is ten steps from an emotional breakdown, having to suppress all his emotions all day every day. And he's that far away because I keep pulling him back night after night. Marinette is overworked and underappreciated, between being class rep, Ladybug, and an up-and-coming designer as well as a student and Ladybug. I help carry all of that where I can, but…" She sighs putting the empty cup down, and says "We need help, Master Fu. We're not always going to be enough, won't always be able to win the battles with our skills. We can't always slip away, and the bathroom excuse only works so many times before people either see right through it or start thinking we've got some kind of medical problem." They're stuck between a rock and a hard place, and it's getting worse and worse each day.
Master Fu mods, and says "I have other Miraculous' hidden here, as you know. However..."
Bloom nods, and says "But we can't bring them out, any of them, without letting Hawk-butt know about them. We all appeared at the same time, making it plausible that we all arrived at the same time..." But, if a new Miraculous is introduced, that goes straight out the window. He'll know there are more Miraculous' in the city, he'll know there's a Guardian in Paris.
And, loathe as Bloom is to admit it, she's grown rather attached to Wang Fu. And not just because he's the one that gave her Longg's Miraculous, he's the first person in literal years to take an interest in her wellbeing. He offered her food, tea, and an ear for her worries with no strings attached...and it has the effect of drawing her in like a moth to fire. He offered her the chance to be more than the unknown street girl with magical abilities she doesn't really understand - he gave her the chance to have a family again, when he gave her the Dragon Miraculous.
She can't repay that, but she can at least protect him as much as she can - for all that Wayzz is the Kwami of Protection, Absolute Protection at that, she will bring a perfect storm down on anyone who thinks they can mess with Master Fu.
Kwami of Perfection…good thing in China, 'perfection' is doing things to the best of your ability rather than some standard society imposes on you… At least, that was what it meant back when Longg first came into being.
She was so thrilled with that explanation, because she's far from 'perfect' in a lot of different ways when you go by, say, Gabriel Agreste's definition.
If she had an idea of who would make a good Miraculous Holder to join them, that would be perfection right there. As it is…she figures it'll probably be chosen in some kind of emergency and they'll go from there.
AN: Hey! Yes, me blatantly setting up for a new Holder - honestly, not sure if I should go with Chloe first or if I should give someone else one in an Akuma battle like they did with Rena and Carapace - meh, I'll flip a coin. Heads, Chloe; tails, someone else.
*flips the coin*
And the quarter says...Chloe. Alright then, Style Queen's coming after Glaciator then.
Enjoy! More chapters coming soon!