It was a little before ten in the morning; the sun shone brightly on the cleared parade field in the center of the camp. That morning volunteers had taken down a dozen of the tents bordering the parade field, expanding the clearing to accommodate the entire group of heroes, villains, Initiates, and the rest. Some of the tents had been moved to the far south, close to the Owl's makeshift school complex, but most of them were folded up to the side: by that night it would all be over, one way or the other. Cavalière Lavande walked down the marked avenue bisecting the field, Sent-Bee and Aisha to either side of her. Groups of heroes and villains – everyone who could help against the Tarasque – were gathering around the field, testing their tools and adjusting their suits. Reaching out with her senses, Cavalière Lavande could feel the tension in the air, excitement mingled with fear. From the civilians watching around the periphery came the sensation of anxious hope; from the heroes the overwhelming emotion was bravado.

The two surviving space-planes rested on their shipping container landing platforms in what had been the center of the field though it was now on the north side, with the two New Atlantis pilots inspecting them under the watchful eyes of Biladurang and one of the sorcerers. Just north of them sat a smaller remote-controlled plane that the Engineer, Biladurang, Onça Feroz, and Iron Maiden had cobbled together from spare parts. As Cavalière Lavande and the others continued their walk, they passed the Nihon Hiro Chimu standing in the shade of one of the shipping containers of supplies, along with the handful of Yakuza members who had met them in Paris. Ronin knelt beside the container, polishing his katana's blade, while Kamikaze hovered half a meter off the ground in the lotus position, eyes closed. As Cavalière Lavande watched, Bu-Geisha withdrew a compact mirror from a fold of her kimono and adjusted the white makeup covering the top half of her face before offering the mirror to the woman standing next to her, who shook her head curtly. A little further down, the Heroes of Lisbon – O Patriota, Caravela, and Socomem – spoke to Dhuan in hushed tones.

Cavalière Lavande let out a slow breath, glancing at the group of Lynchpin-ions assembled in a small cluster around Mecha-Man and Elettrisicario, huddled off to the side as far from the Heroes of Paris as they could manage. The Engineer stood behind Mecha-Man, tightening a couple of the bolts on his back. Next to him, Elettrisicario was talking quietly with the Bearator, Araignée, and Castutrice. A little further along, standing a little apart from the others, were Killer Bee, Cerna, and a couple others. Cavalière Lavande watched them for another couple of minutes, but they didn't seem to notice her attention. She pursed her lips in thought. Heroes and villains, all working together for a common goal. A part of her was relieved to see it – that in the face of such a terrible threat they could put aside their differences. But how long was it going to last? Would this alliance fall apart the moment they defeated the Tarasque? For that matter, would it even be enough to defeat the Tarasque?

She could feel her stomach starting to churn just from the thought of such failure – and she could feel similar emotions coming from the center of the field, where Ladybug and Cat Noir were talking to Rugindo Leoa, Lupa Gris, Joey, and Majestia.

Slowly, Cavalière Lavande inhaled and exhaled, releasing her own fears in to the atmosphere and allowing her senses to expand and take in all the emotions floating in the air around her. Nervousness. Trepidation. Cool confidence. A spike of anxiety from the Knight as she walked past him and Valkyrie. Cavalière Lavande frowned as she sensed more and more anxiety from the heroes she was walking past, but before she could examine the emotions further, she was already picking up the emotions of the next person. So much anxiety. But were they anxious because of the impending fight? Or was it because they still remembered what she had tried to do, well over a month ago? Her stomach clenched at the unwanted memory – not just of her actions but of what had precipitated them. Would she ever be able to forget what she had done? Would the people of Paris ever forgive her? Could she ever make up for it? Marinette had told her that she would need to earn back her trust, and that this was the beginning. But could she really earn it back after having betrayed it so badly?

Max would have told her that she could. But Max wasn't here anymore, was he?

Sent-Bee elbowed her hard in the ribs. "Hey, are you still with us?"

Cavalière Lavande jumped. "Oh, um… yeah. Sorry. I was just… thinking."

"You've been doing that a lot," Aisha observed wryly. She frowned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Cavalière Lavande shrugged. "I'll be okay," she told them. "I'll just feel better when this is all over."

Aisha hummed. "One way or the other, this is going to be it, isn't it?" she asked, her mouth turned down in worry. Cavalière Lavande nodded. Aisha put an arm around her back. "I'm going to miss our sleepovers!"

Sent-Bee chuckled. "With luck, we'll get the portal system fully operational again soon enough," she told her. "When that's done, I suppose you can come over for a visit any time you want!"

"Really?" Aisha's eyes widened eagerly. "I've always wanted to see Paris!"

Cavalière Lavande laughed humorlessly. "Not much there to see at the moment…" she muttered. Aisha's face fell. "But maybe soon…" Cavalière Lavande added quickly.

"Hopefully Ladybug can put it all back the way it's supposed to be, right?" Aisha mused, raising an eyebrow.

Sent-Bee shrugged. "I've seen her do some wild things with her…" She mimicked throwing a yo-yo into the air. "So who knows?"

As they continued down the avenue, the three found themselves right next to Iron Maiden, Bandruí, and the Hound. Bandruí was kneeling, one knee on the ground, and gently coaxing a series of vines together into a wreath. Next to her was a small sapling – the same one she had brought with her from England when they first arrived to face the Tarasque in Paris. Next to her, Iron Maiden stood absolutely still while the Hound rapped on the plates of her armored suit, testing the bolts securing them in place. Cavalière Lavande's stomach turned over, feeling the love and affection emanating from all three of them despite the fear that they were trying hard to suppress. The love coming from Iron Maiden and the Hound, especially, threatened to completely overwhelm her. And yet, as Cavalière Lavande absorbed it, she could feel a modicum of contentment in herself, a reflection of their emotions. Despite everything she had been through – despite everything she had lost – yes, there was still love in the world.

Even without her lost love… maybe she could be alright.

Aisha grabbed Cavalière Lavande's hand, dragging her over toward Iron Maiden and the Hound. "Hey!" she called cheerily, releasing Cavalière Lavande to throw her arms around Iron Maiden in a tight hug. "Are you ready?"

Iron Maiden nodded slowly, returning Aisha's hug as the Hound tapped on the last bolt and nodded in satisfaction. She opened her helmet and smiled. "As we'll ever be, I think. Though trying to scrounge up a fresh supply of missiles was a challenge."

The Hound's mouth twisted around in a frown. "Fur-tunately, we found a very… unexpected source in the camp who had a few extra rockets that just happened to have… 'fallen off the back of a truck' is the phrase he used."

"If those things blow up in the launcher, I am not cleaning up the mess," Bandruí interjected, arching an eyebrow doubtfully. "I still can't believe you decided to trust him…"

"I didn't want to accept them, but I did check them out before loading them," Iron Maiden retorted, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Not exactly up to my usual standards, but under the circumstances…" she shrugged "beggars can't be choosers." She chuckled. "At least I didn't have to try modifying amateur rockets into explosives this time."

Cavalière Lavande forced herself to smile. "I'm sure it will all work out okay for you two," she told Iron Maiden and the Hound. "It's good that you have each other, that you can watch each other's backs."

Iron Maiden placed her hand on the Hound's shoulder. "We'll get through this, together." Suddenly her eyes widened and she snapped her helmet shut.

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Cavalière Lavande turned to look in the same direction that Iron Maiden had been facing. She frowned. Why was the Engineer walking in their direction?

The Hound saw him next and pressed past Cavalière Lavande and Sent-Bee, walking out to meet the Engineer. They were at least a dozen paces away from the others, not quite out of earshot, when they met. "What do you want?" the Hound demanded, frowning.

The Engineer cocked his head, staring at the Hound in confusion. "I – um…" He let out a breath. Cavalière Lavande furrowed her brows, feeling the nervousness coming off of the Engineer in waves. He coughed. "How are the new rockets working? Is she going to be able to use them?"

The Hound raised an eyebrow. "She did check them for any nasty surprises, if that's what you mean. But she is going to use them." He let out a breath. "Thanks, I guess – I suppose this is better than you trying to blow up our city again…"

"We didn't exactly want to blow up London!" the Engineer protested.

"You could've fooled me!" The Hound folded his arms. "Why did you come?"

"I just wanted to…" The Engineer looked away. "This is harder than I thought it would be…" he muttered. Finally he gritted his teeth. "Look," he told the Hound, "I just came to ask you to–to just… make sure you keep your partner safe. In this fight against the Tarasque. Keep her safe."

The Hound started, cocking his head to one side. "I–of course I will," he answered hesitantly. "But–"

"Good," the Engineer interrupted him. "Then that's all there is to it." Without another word, he turned and walked briskly away, back toward Mecha-Man.

Cavalière Lavande glanced at Sent-Bee, whose mouth was set in a frown. Behind them, Aisha, Iron Maiden, and Bandruí were talking quietly. "What do you think that was about?" Cavalière Lavande asked.

Sent-Bee shrugged. "Who knows?"

From the far side of the field, Cavalière Lavande felt a sharp spike of anxiety and fear. Looking in that direction, she could see King Monkey, standing by himself, Ondine's arms wrapped tightly around his neck. "Excuse me," Cavalière Lavande whispered to Sent-Bee.

Sent-Bee quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, yeah, you go and do your thing."

Cavalière Lavande picked her way across the field in that direction, past Lupa Gris, who was holding baby Vida to her chest, cooing softly as the baby cried. Lupa Gris sniffed, whispering into the baby's ear until she spit up and froze, staring up into Lupa Gris' face in surprise. Gently, Lupa Gris wiped off her mouth before passing the baby to Mão Curadora and giving her a final kiss on the forehead.

"Please keep her safe," Lupa Gris begged.

Mão Curadora nodded, rocking Vida gently. "I'll protect sua Vida with minha vida."

On the far side of the field, Ondine was still holding onto King Monkey when Cavalière Lavande finally reached them. King Monkey's emotions were roiling – a mix between fear, guilt, and confidence. Ondine, on the other hand, despite the brave front she was putting on, was feeling a great sense of fear and worry. Stopping a couple paces behind them, Cavalière Lavande coughed quietly. Ondine jumped away from King Monkey, blushing guiltily. King Monkey turned to look at her in surprise, opening his mouth to say something, but Cavalière Lavande cut him off. In a tone that allowed no discussion, she asked, "Can you give us a minute?"

Quietly, King Monkey slunk away, toward where Capricorn, Geber, and Taureau Dechaine were sparring while Multiplice watched. Cavalière Lavande turned her focus on Ondine, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

Ondine flushed, turning away. "I suppose you think I'm being overly emotional about King Monkey running off to fight the Tarasque, don't you?"

Cavalière Lavande snorted humorlessly. "After what I did, I don't think I have any room to call someone else out for being 'overly emotional' when her boyfriend is fighting that thing," she observed wryly. "But I do think it will help you to talk about it."

Ondine's shoulders slumped. "I guess… I didn't realize how bad it would be – watching him go off and fight the bad guys," she admitted. "I thought it was cool at first – he's saved my life multiple times. I worried, of course. I didn't want to see him get hurt. But I knew he could handle himself. And then…"

"…All of this happened?" Cavalière Lavande finished knowingly. Ondine sniffled. Cavalière Lavande nodded sympathetically. "There isn't anything easy about any of this. You don't have to feel good about watching someone you love put himself in danger."

"I feel… guilty," Ondine explained, pursing her lips. "He knows what he's doing – I know that. And I'm proud of him for wanting to do it – I don't want to stand in the way of him doing it; I want to support him. But a part of me also does want to hold him back. I just–I don't know if I trust that he's going to come home."

Cavalière Lavande put a hand on Ondine's shoulder. "I won't lie: this is going to be dangerous. But I have a question for you: does he love you?" Ondine nodded. "Do you think he would intentionally leave you?" She shook her head. "So, if he has a choice, do you think he will return?"

Ondine let out a breath, her anxiety unclenching marginally. "Yes. Absolutely."

"Then trust in that," Cavalière Lavande advised. "Something else could happen, but he will still try to return to you."

Ondine nodded slowly, her shoulders slumping. "Thanks." Cavalière Lavande gave her a quick hug, the way that she had a dozen times over the last year, and Ondine hesitantly returned it. After only a moment, Ondine coughed awkwardly. "I suppose I should go and, um…"

"That's a good idea," Cavalière Lavande agreed, releasing her.

Suddenly, silence fell across the field. Ladybug stood in the center of the field, Cat Noir by her side. She turned to find Cavalière Lavande and waved her over. "It's time!" she called. "We will return to France. We will fight this Monster. And we will win! Because we are together!"

As she spoke, Cavalière Lavande trudged across the field to stand beside Ladybug. "Voyage!"