Chapter 2: Change
Author's note: Thank you for everyone who read Chapter 1 and some even left reviews! There was an issue but now I can see them and actually respond :D! I appreciate you all. My workload has now increased since I started this, so instead of two chapters a week, it'll just be one. I want to give you guys the best after all! It's a long one, grab a hot cocoa and a snack why don't you? Now let's see what our girl is up to, shall we? Also to clarify, Marinette and her friends are 17 going on 18 in this!
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By the time Marinette actually gets to sleep, she only has five hours of sleep before her usual 6am Saturday morning patrol. But it was all worth it for her new perspective and besides, she'll try not to make a habit out of it. Reluctantly, she drags herself out of the warm covers and gets ready for the day. If she's lucky, patrol will go smoothly, then she can focus on her homework and get in a quick afternoon nap. She calls on Kaalki for her transformation. As famous as Ladybug is, she no longer feels safe being seen anywhere near her house. Instead, she uses Kaalki to teleport to an abandoned alley way in the opposite direction. Only when the coast is clear, does she release Kaalki and transform into Ladybug. She does this again for de-transforming. Certain things can't be helped, like if there is an akuma at school, but little things like this help her peace of mind.
"Alright Tikki, let's try out the new look!" Marinette says confidently.
"Just say the words!" Tikki grins.
"Tikki, spots on!"
There is a flash of pink as she extends her arms and legs, letting the transformation wash over her. She feels it changing to her will, her personality, it changes according to her mind and heart. In this moment, Marinette has never felt so free. After the transformation is complete, she looks down at herself and gasps. She didn't expect it to be so different! The designs she implemented are there, two yo-yos on either side of her waist (having learned her lesson from Simon Says), one for combat and one for catching the akuma and storing the other miraculouses. The yo-yos are hidden inside the sleeveless jacket to prevent theft, starting at her shoulders and flaring out at her waist almost like a cape. It is too short for that though, she's seen The Incredibles. There is one change she didn't account for though; her suit is now completely white with black spots. The only red present are the outline of her jacket which, to contrast her suit, is black with white spots, she can tell her pigtails have increased in length too, her hair is now a shield for her earrings making it more difficult for akumas to take them. She looks…good. She feels good. She can't wait to test it out!
With new found excitement, Ladybug whips her yo-yo out and starts patrol. She waves to the shopkeepers and police officers who are out on the street. They gasp, mouths hanging open, marvelling at her new look, wondering if it comes with a new set of powers too. Alya, knowing of her regular patrol time, always ready with her camera. But not even the Ladyblogger was ready for the heroine to change so drastically, practically overnight! Alya posts a livestream while Ladybug patrolling her street.
"Hey peeps, you'll never guess what the latest scoop is!" As usual, the camera shows Alya's excited face first, then whirls around to the rooftops, where a black and white superheroine is shown. Ladybug is seen occasionally dropping to the street, waving and greeting people. The video quickly gains hundreds of people viewing it live.
"Can you believe it! A brand new suit for Ladybug! At first, I didn't even recognise her and thought we had a new hero but it really is her, let's go say hi!"
Alya waves Ladybug over after she's finished greeting Mr Ramier who is sitting on a bench nearby. The heroine looks up and grins, her signature blue eyes being the only thing about her that's the same. As she confidently strides towards the camera, it shows the details of all the changes, even one's Marinette wasn't aware of. She knew that her hair was longer, but now it is pitch black, with the tips of her pigtails being red.
"Ladybug! I am digging the new look! What do you guys think?" Alya switches once more to selfie-mode, standing beside Ladybug so that they can both see the likes and comments coming in. Surprise emojis fly through the chat before it filled with likes and compliments, with many asking questions about the suit, eager to know more. Ladybug thanks them all, but does not give any details about the workings of her suit. Alya nods in agreement.
"That is fair enough, after all, you never know who could be watching! Just one question though if you don't mind, why the change, why now?"
"Well, I've been doing this for a while now and I have learned a lot. There was nothing wrong with the old suit butut at the very start of this, I made a promise to you all; I will find Hawkmoth and take him down. This suit brings me closer to that goal, and helps to prevent akumas overall. Now, I got to get back to patrolling – Bug Out!"
The heroine flashed a final smile to the camera and zipped off onto a rooftop to ran off into the distance. Suddenly, she hears muffled crying in the distance, and realising her hearing has enhanced. She quickly flies towards the noise, and sees a woman, crying, curled up on her personal balcony. She is blonde, her hair long and dishevelled, covering her face and is wearing what seems to be a uniform with white and grey striped trousers and a blue polo shirt. Labybug bites her lip for a second, unsure if it is her place to intrude but then shakes herself out of it, landing on a the balcony rail. She clears her throat, announcing her presence to not startle the woman, she looks up at Ladybug, meeting the heroine's blue eyes with her own. The woman's eyes trail to take in Ladybug's new look, too stunned to say anything, so as usual, Ladybug takes the lead.
"Excuse me, miss, I heard you crying while I was on patrol and I came to check up on you, what's wrong?"
"Oh…that's nice of you, I am sorry to bother you" she looks down to her feet once more.
"No bother at all! I'm happy to help if you'd let me…miss?"
The woman's head raises again, this time with a small watery smile "Claire…my name is Claire".
Ladybug smiles and nods encouragingly. "Okay, Claire, why don't you tell me what happened?".
The lady describes her first day at work as a florist, she was excited to finally do something that she loved, but her manager is rude and disrespectful. He thinks that just because she's young, she can't know anything about flower arrangements, he thinks she got the job just because she's a woman – but she loves flowers more than anything, and enjoys the joy it can bring others. Although she worked hard, he dismissed her without reason. As Ladybug listens, her sense of justice is alerted, she feels it like its singing in her soul; a wrong that needs to be righted.
"That's an unfair dismissal! You shouldn't stand for it!"
Claire slumps her shoulders, her lips forming a pout. "That's easy for you to say Ladybug, you're a hero! What can an ordinary person like me do?"
Ladybug hops off the railing and crouches to her level, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"You know…my first time battling akumas, I wasn't sure if I was worthy either" Claire's eyes widen as Ladybug re-tells the story of her first time, the mistakes she made, how she was close to running away and giving it all up (obviously leaving out any details that would give away her secret identity).
The florist takes it all in then asks the burning question in her mind. "So…what did you do?"
"I realised something very important, that even when it seems impossible, there is always a way out. When you're sad, angry, lonely or frustrated it can seem like the only option is to give up but that is a lie. You can cry of course, let all your emotions out, but then let them go and think of a new way forward. Just look at me! I haven't caught Hawkmoth yet, but I am finding new ways to make his life more difficult, like making it harder create his akumas in the first place. Giving up means the bad guys win, and justice loses, we can't let that happen now can we?"
Claire bites her lip in thought then shakes her head, slowly at first. Then as she really thinks about it, she can see a way out, her head moves left and right with gusto and she stands up, wiping her tears. She re-does her hair into a neat ponytail and smiles at Ladybug with determination.
"You know what, you're right Ladybug! I loved that job and he can't dismiss me without cause, I'm going back and getting my position back!"
They grin at each other, and Ladybug extends her hand in a fist, Claire cocks her head in confusion.
"We won today, by deciding not to give up, that deserves a celebration!"
The blonde blinks before raising her fist to meet with Ladybug's, a simple gesture, but she can't keep the smile off her face. She feels like a real superhero, like she can accomplish anything. They say the words in unison as their fists touch.
"Pound it!"
Claire thanks Ladybug, watching in awe as she flies off into the distance, then makes her way to the flower store with a new plan in mind.
Marinette, as Pegette (in her Pegasus form), de-transforms and flops onto her bed, just before lunchtime. Tikki flies out, with a wide smile.
"Wow Marinette! That was some great advice, and you prevented an akuma too!"
The girl smiles tiredly in return. "Thanks, Tikki, I knew I had to help. There are times where people can feel helpless, but that is not at all true and why I want to be a designer. Even if it seems small, a new outfit can change your perspective, make you feel happy and in control, and that is a powerful thing. I wish I could watch her give that manager of hers a good talking to but unfortunately I have a lot to do today."
Tikki nods along. "Speaking of, time for a nap and then homework. You can't get into Parsons if your grades slip, no matter how good your designs are!"
Marinette pats Tikki on the head then puts a cookie for her, and a sugar cube for Kaalki on a plate, before drifting off to sleep.
Meanwhile, Claire arrives in the flower store. It isn't much, small and blue with the logo 'Flora' in pastel pink cursive on the windows. Although the store is small, it is filled with all kinds of different flowers, with deliveries coming in each day, one of the reasons she applied for the job is to see if she can help take it online to help. The manager, Marcus, a small pudgy small with long ginger hair tied up in a messy man bun, in his usual grey trouser and blue polo shirt with the same 'Flora' logo printed in the top right-hand corner.
He sees her walk in and rolls his eyes, but before he can berate her, she asks in a calm tone why she got fired. Marcus stumbles a bit, not expecting the question, before vaguely stating that she wasn't right for the role. The woman frowns in return, stating that if he does not give a reason for letting her go then she has grounds to take it further and sue. As she explains her workers' rights to him, his ginger eyebrows raise in surprise, she's smarter than he thought.
"So, I will give you by the end of the day to let me know your decision. Either you give me back my job, and we can work as co-workers like this never happened, or I will contact my legal team. Your choice." With that, she turns on her heel, and saunters out.
He watches Claire exit the store with her head held high and his pride wounded. He can't believe that girl! Just who does she think she is threatening him like that when she just wants to play with flowers all day? No way is she actually that smart to sue him, she'll probably just go running to her daddy. He and his wife are the ones who has built this business from the ground up. Now that she's gone, only he knows exactly what is takes to run, it's the only thing that is keeping her spirit alive and that little girl thinks she can take it all away? These pretty blonde girls think they can get away with anything but he cannot let that happen! Lost in his rage, that he doesn't see the black butterfly fly into his wedding ring. All of a sudden, he feels his rage multiply and his mind clouded, his rational thoughts are replaced by an unquenchable thirst for revenge. He'll take down that girl, keep his business, all he needs is a little help.
"…yes Hawkmoth"
