"Time. This is something you can only use once and cannot be erased. Within you now is everything you need to deal with whatever time throws at you. Time is represented through change." Mrs. Bustier went on as Adrien heard Alix smirk. If it hadn't been for his cat like hearing he may have missed it. Grinning to himself he kept thinking about the actual reason she had to smirk. The bell rang signifying he missed the actual assignment that they were just given. Nino, who had been joined by Alya and Marinette, got the attention of said blonde boy. Adrien confused as if his time just dropped him in from nowhere said, "Wait, what was the assignment?" "We are to write about time, how it changes everyone the same way and differently at the same time." Oh, great Adrien thought, not sure if he said it out loud or not, closed his book up and joined the others to leave for lunch.

"Where are you headed off to Dude? Going to join us for lunch today?" Adrien sighed and slumped his shoulders. "No, the same as always, home for lunch."

"When is your dad going to lighten up and let you stay here? Is he afraid we're going to stuff you with sugar and carbs?" Alya teased.

Adrien smiled and gave a little laugh. "No, he seems to think most akumas happen in the time between morning and afternoon classes. I have to be home for my 'safety'." Finger quotes used with the word safety. The four of them laughed together.

Marinette finally spoke up, "I'm going to the art room, I'll walk up front with you. If you want some company that is." "Sure!" Adrien and Marinette waved to Alya and Nino as they rounded the corner for the cafeteria.

"Does the art room have good food?" Adrien asked jokingly. Marinette blushed and stammered. "Uh, no. I have a project I want to work on, now seems like the best time to put a dent into it."

Adrien stopped abruptly,"Marin, are you eating?" A few steps ahead of him, she stopped and turned around, looked at his hands holding onto his book bag. "I eat. I have a packed lunch in my backpack. Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Eat."

"I do."

"What?"

Adrien started walking again, "You know, this 'model diet' everyone thinks I'm on isn't really that bad." There was a slight edge to his tone.

"I know. I see you eat, whatever you want really. But you didn't like the implications did you?"

"Okay, I know I was abrupt but Marin, something seems like it has changed," Adrien stammered before continuing "are you okay?"

They were nearly at the front doors now. Marinette smiled; too tired to stutter around Adrien anymore, it only happened when the super embarrassing stuff happened. "I'm fine, my mind is just busy. I have a lot of responsibilities. And I don't have a nagging assistant to help me keep them all organized like you do Agreste!" She poked him lightly on the chest letting him know she was being lighthearted. Just on queue his phone chimed; it was Natalie being impatient in the car.

Adrien rolled his eyes and smiled, "Enjoy your lunch break!"

"You too."

Marinette joined a few others that occasionally used the art room at lunch time. Marc and Nathaniel were in one corner of the room. "Mind if I join you?" Both boys smiled and scooted the extra seat towards her. "What are you here to work on?" Marc asked as Nathaniel continued to illustrate. "I'm working on a design inspired by dusk. The moment when stars start to shine but you can still see the colors of a painted sky it just seems to inspire me."

"That sounds sparkly"

"Exactly!" And they all got to work.

About a half hour later, Emmett came stomping in, hands in fists, flinging his backpack across the room. Emmett Lee Spencer was a drama kid, and a very good one at that. He had won several awards for different acts he portrayed while competing with Francois DuPont's drama club. If anybody needed anything related to drama Emmett was the student to go to, he was such a silly friend with a heart of gold. Always singing or or quoting lines from historical figures, he would help anyone become their own star. Since Luka was the same age as Emmett they often collaborated together, however most people didn't know that since Luka was such a private person and Emmett was so outgoing.

Startled Marinette jumped out of her seat "Emmett, what is going on? Can I do anything to help?"

"Sure, if you have $10,000 sitting around somewhere."

Marinette was completely confused "Why would you need that amount of money?"

Nathaniel trying to defuse the situation with humor "Did you steal a car ? What's the bail money for?"

Emmett huffed, "They decided the drama club was no longer needed due to lack of funding."

Before anyone else had the chance to speak along came a black butterfly. It flew onto Emmett's chain necklace turning him into an akuma.

Emmett had transformed into a handsome knight of sorts. Looking eerily similar to how the phantom of the opera would look, he took off out the window singing. His singing was luring everyone out from where they were but shattering glass all around him anywhere he went.
Marinette raced out of the classroom to the backside of the school where no one ever went since it was mainly storage spaces and custodial equipment. Tikki popped her head out ready for action, "Tikki, spots on!" And off Ladybug went to the Eiffel Tower to get a better look at what Emmett was doing.
Adrien's phone buzzed and the tone blaring with it was the akuma alert sound. Adrien groaned thinking his father might actually be right. Plagg cheerfully floated around his welders head and said "Maybe we'll miss your dreadfully boring afternoon classes!" "Don't count on it, Ladybug and I will make that akuma crawl back to where it came from. Plagg, claws out!" and out the window he went.

Spotting Ladybug, Chat landed behind her. "What do we know MiLady?"

Just then the akuma bellowed out "My name is Thea Ate Tor. I will get Chat Noir and Ladybug's miraculous! I will also take all the drama naysayers out there and turn them into bridge trolls! So come out, come out where ever you are beetle and feral fur ball." Shattered glass also fell all around him.

"Me-ouch"
"Focus Chat we need to get close enough to him without hearing him sing. The singing subdues the person and he then can somehow tell weather or not your a supportive of theater arts. If your not you become a troll, if you do they just seem to lay there in an endless sleep."

"Do you know where the akuma is? And how do you purrpose we get over to him without hearing him? I for one know I will not be turned into a bridge troll, I have loved the theater since I was a kitten, my favorite show is Cats!"

Ladybug groaned "Chat find a way to come at the akuma from behind, the necklace is where the akuma is." thinking she said that a little to confidently since she really shouldn't know where the akuma landed and the villain gave no indication to where it may be she added "I think. Find some protection for those ears of yours."

Chat lept away following the path of where the akuma had been. "Ok, my ears need protection, where am I going to find something like that out here?" just then he spotted Alya, who had been caught by Thea Ate Tor and seemed to be sleeping soundly. Along with her was Nino in the same state. "That's it! Sorry bro, you'll them back!" Chat lept down and gently took Nino's noise canceling headphones from his head. And back he went to join Ladybug to find a way to end the battle.

"Lucky charm!" Chat got back just in time Thea Ate Tor was getting close enough now he could be heard. Knowing there wasn't much time he got Ladybugs attention and tossed the headphones to her. Chat then fell into a fatigued state. He couldn't move his head but was able to move his eyes around to see what was going on, he also was able to hear. He attributed that to be from the magic of the suit.

Ladybug had VIP tickets to a private showing of Funny Girl, at the Marigny Theater as her lucky charm. Having no idea what use they could be, she had been hoping for noise canceling headphones. Just then she saw Chat as he threw something at her, the noise for Thea Ate Tor coming closer making her very drowsy. She was able to fight the feeling and catch what Chat had tossed to her. Noise canceling headphones, awesome, she went to tell Chat about his perfect timing, but he was on the ground paralyzed near sleep. The look in his eyes told a whole story in itself. She knew he was aware of what she was about to say, and that was all she needed to be able to do the rest on her own.

After a few jumps here and there, like a flea would do, and another couple close calls, Ladybug had Thea Ate Tor cornered. He was busy singing to a group that even Ladybug knew were about to be Trolls. She broke the necklace and was relieved to watch the akuma flutter away. She took her yo-yo and cleansed the butterfly. Made sure Emmett was okay as she handed back the broken necklace, it would be fixed as soon as she cast her miraculous ladybugs, to heal everyone from sleeping and trolling. As she did the spell her priority was to get back over to Chat. She wasn't sure how she would feel, had she been paralyzed but still able to see helplessly watching. Probably very lonely and frustrated. By the time she got there his grin was wide and his fist was out. She knew he was safe and happy, and probably ready to pun.

"Pound it."

Ladybug and Chat Noir bumped fists.

"That was quite the Act MiLady."

Handing the headphones back to Chat, "Well I'm drawing the final curtain, I'm late for afternoon classes!" Ladybug jumped off into the roof in the opposite direction of the school. The last thing she needed was for Chat to know where to locate her. Once in the clear she double back transforming behind the back of the school. Marinette knew of a back entrance that led into a hallway outside the Gym. Hopping up the stairs near the locker rooms she was quickly trying to get to class without much disruption.

"So we meet again!" Spooked Marinette froze.

"Adrien you scared me! What are you doing out here, did you just get back from lunch?"

"Yeah, the akuma slowed down traffic between here and home. The Gorilla didn't want to leave until it was over. Father's orders. What's your excuse?"

"I, was, well…Emmett was the akuma, I had been in the room when he was akumatized. Did you hear they canceled the drama program? Anyway I was hoping I would see him return. I wanted to learn more about what he knew to see if there was anything I could do to help the situation."

"I hadn't heard." Bending the truth, he went on "what caused the dismissal of the program? I thought there were plenty of other students to help represent the program."

"That's not the problem. Funding was cut. That's all the information I received before Emmett was akumatized.

"Hmm." was all Adrien could get out. "You're right we need more information. There has to be something else to it."

The bell rang, Marinette groaned, she missed another class.

"At least we didn't have to make an embarrassing entrance." The smirk Adrien had on his face had Marinette's heart pounding. She backed up against the wall until it went away. They both ran in separate directions, Marinette off to the last class of the day, Adrien putting headphones in Nino's locker before making it to his classroom.

After school Marinette caught up with Emmett.

"Are you doing okay? I hear being akumatized can be quite the experience"

"I am okay Marinette, thank you for asking. I am however still pretty bummed about the drama program. I don't understand why they would cancel in the middle of the school year. Funding is usually budgeted for one whole school year."

"Maybe if we go to Mr. Damocles we could get a better idea of what is really going on."

"I suppose, but is he really going to tell us more. We're just students we don't get to know the details."

"Only those who care enough seek the details."

"Now you sound like Alya. I bet we could use her investigative skills."

Marinette smiled and started heading towards their principles office.

Once there Emmett put up his defenses and was ready for an argument. Marinette asked him to calm down before another akuma was sent. He nodded in agreement.

"Emmett, Marinette it is nice to see the two of you, what can I help you with."

Emmett started of with "We want to know more information about the drama clubs cancellation."

"It doesn't seem like dismantling it in the middle of the school year is the right thing to do. We're aware that it has something to do with funding. Why were the drama students not even given a chance to come up with the money."

Mr. Damocles smile faded and shoulders sagged, he knew this was coming. "Here at Francois DuPont we have been fortunate for many years not to have the struggles most schools have. Low attendance, few set props and costumes, we even have a great portable lighting and sound system. But that's just it, portable. We have no home for the drama club since we do not have an auditorium."
Interrupting Emmett said "But that has never been a problem before, and what does that have to do with the budget?"

"You're right Mr. Spencer, it hasn't been a problem before, but due to new regulations for competing thespian clubs each club must have a set home auditorium at all times. Between that rule and the ever raising rates for renting space for the clubs performances, it came down to a board vote to raise enough funds for an Auditorium or canceling the group all together."

Marinette quickly voiced her opinion, "That doesn't seem very fair, no one within the school, even the drama teacher had any clue that this was happening! They were not given a chance to defend themselves to the board. Maybe they could have come up with a plan to raise funds for an Auditorium or look for a more permanent place to continue their work."

"There were some that considered this option, and others completely against it. The deciding factors were that Francois DuPont just doesn't have enough space for adding another building for an auditorium and the board can't justify renting a place and paying monthly for a space that is only used by one school group, open to public for other groups, and not a necessary need for our education curriculum. The drama credits needed are all classroom based but not performance. Emmett I don't necessarily agree with it. But my hands are tied, I fought against their decision and also had a handful of others with me. But the bulk of it came down to money. "

Emmett hummed a response to indicate that he was thinking after a moment he brightened up, "So your saying to continue we need a permanent, self funded space to continue being a club?"

"Your club can remain, but if you want to be a performing club with up to date credentials, yes those are two of the things the board would need before approving the the club to have a budget once again."

"Okay Mr. Damocles, Thank you for your time!" Emmett said with a smile and hurried out of the principles office.
Marinette shrugged her shoulders at Mr. Damocles indicating that she was not aware of why he abruptly left, then ran out to catch up with him.
"Hey! What was all that about? You seem like you have an idea?"
"I might, I need to go home to do some research first."
"That's the spirit! Good luck, let me know if there is anything I can help out with."
"Thank you Marinette!" then he ran out of the school towards home.