Scene 10 - *Nathalie in her Room

Nathalie may be confined to her bed most days, but she was not going to let that get in the way of her doing her job. She coordinated brand meetings for both Gabriel and Adrien, she arranged for both of the Agrest's every need, and of course spent a considerable amount of time supporting Gabriel and his more mystical pursuits.

She was up late, working on trying to further decipher the grimoire translations they had acquired from the previous guardian, Wang Fu. She was reviewing a crucial portion: implementing the wish. They understood as much that combining the miraculous of the Ladybug and Black Cat would grant the wearer a wish, but the details about how to wield this power and its consequences were still unclear.

She was still pouring over the digital scans when she heard a faint knock on her door.

"Nathalie?" Gabriel called out. "Are you still awake?"

Nathalie sat up in bed, adjusting her posture and flattening her hair.

"Yes sir, I am," she replied. "You may come in."

Gabriel entered the room, his hands folded in front of him solemnly. Even in the middle of the night, he was always so composed.

"I know it's late," he said. "I want to thank you, Nathalie, for covering for me at the event today. Even if my mission was not a success…" he paused, trying to choose his words carefully.

"I understand, sir," Nathalie assured him. "You could not pass up any opportunity to save your wife."

Gabriel gave her a stiff smile. "You always understand, Nathalie."

"I've told you before, sir. I am willing to do whatever it takes for you to succeed."

Gabriel closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm afraid," he said "that perhaps I have not been doing enough. I have let the collection distract me. I need to step up my frequency of attacks. Try to catch Ladybug off guard."

"Of course, sir," Nathalie replied. "I will adjust your schedule accordingly"

"Thank you, Nathalie."

He turned to leave the room, but stopped to ask one more question.

"Any news on why Chat Noir did not appear in battle today?"

"No sir," Nathalie pulled up her notes on her tablet. "There were no reported sightings of him anywhere in Paris today. Ladybug has not made a statement as to why he did not appear."

"Strange," said Gabriel. He had a thoughtful look on his face, as if he might have a theory.

Whatever his thoughts were, he did not share them. He wished Nathalie good night and departed quickly to his own room.

Nathalie returned to her work.