I wonder how many people are still reading this story. Lol
"Marinette, slow down!"
Marinette was racing down the hallway towards the library. She had just left the Infirmary after finding out about the mark on her arm. The healer managed to wrap her arm back up before the bluenette bolted. She was holding her arm over her cloak, making sure it's hidden as she ran.
The library's doors banged open against the walls when she burst through them. She immediately ran towards the shelves. Tikki was more hesitant. It was late in the evening so the library was closed to everyone except the Miraculous Holders and Master Fu. Sometimes the librarian would stay after hours too, but that didn't look to be the case today.
"Marinette, calm down. You won't find anything this worked up." Her voice was in a whisper. They were in a library after all.
"Biodiversity… biochemistry… biology!" She yanked the book from the shelf, making the others beside it fall with loud thumps to the ground. Tikki flinched at the resounding echo while Marinette sped walked over the sitting area and slammed the book down on one of the tables and fell into a seat. She started flipping through the pages.
"What are you planning on finding in an old biology textbook?" Tikki floated in front of her. A frown was heavy on her small face.
"The curse affects the body right? So there should be something in here about how to counteract it."
"A curse is different from a poison, Marinette." Tikki sat down on the desk' surface and pulled the book from her hands using her magic. "A poison has to be absorbed or entered into your body to break you down. A curse is magical. It can still affect you without even being inside of you. You can't just take some medicine or perform some home remedy to get rid of it."
"Tikki! What am I going to do?" Ladybug slammed her head down on the table and buried her fingers in her hair. Tikki frowned. She hates feeling useless while her mistress is suffering. She needs to have a talk with Plagg after this. She flew over and landed on top of her head, gently smoothing over the small tufts of hair that were sticking up.
"First you need to calm down. You won't get anything accomplished. For now you need to get some rest."
The polka-dotted fighter sighed, "Alright, Tikki. Okay. I'll go rest."
Arnou was soaked to the bone with sweat. His shirt was tossed over the back of a chair on the sideline. His arms were starting to feel the strain from swinging his sword and Plague hadn't broken a sweat.
"You've gotten better at the sword." Arnou was sitting on his haunches in the middle of the training room floor. Chat looked fine for someone who's been training for over an hour. He looked cool as a cucumber. He even still had on his cloak. Isn't he hot? "Maybe we should work on the bow next."
"How are you not tired?" The boy has the stamina of a god.
"Years of practice." He walked away from the fatigued soldier over to the supply closet to grab the targets for shooting practice. "Training up your dexterity will help your endurance. Try doing hand exercises or running more to work on your footwork."
Arnou took a water used his abandoned white t-shirt to wipe the sweat off of his face. "Did someone train you?"
Plague froze. His hands twitched. Then he started setting the targets up again. "My father."
"He must've been a great fighter."
"He was. Before he drove himself mad." He picked up a training bow from the rack and a quiver of arrows. He notched an arrow and took aim and let it go. It hit a bullseye.
"You don't have to keep talking about it if you don't want to. It sounds like it's complicated." Arnou took a swig of water.
"Complicated is… one word you can use to call it."
"Do you still talk to him?" He set the water bottle down on the floor and draped his saturated shirt over the back of the chair.
He grabbed another bow from off the rack and another quiver of arrows.
"We talk… occasionally."
"You don't have to sugarcoat it. I know it's tough. My dad and I don't have the best relationship either." He noticed the arrow and took aim and let it go. It hit the blue.
"You're not keeping your stance consistent. Keep your body and feet parallel to the target even when shooting your arrow. Don't hold your breath either. Breath normally."
Following his instructions, Arnou straightened up his stance and steadied his breathing. He shot the arrow again. It hit the yellow. Close to a bullseye.
"Why is your relationship with your father strained?" Plague asked.
"Differences and disagreements. My father is a knight. One of the best. He's a proud man, too. He wants to continue the legacy. He wants me to become a knight like him."
"But you don't want to be a knight."
"Not a knight. Maybe an assassin. Or maybe even a mercenary for hire. A knight requires you to work under a liege and to pledge them your allegiance. I rather work for myself than feel trapped by responsibilities."
"Sounds like a nice way to live."
"It does, doesn't it."
They trained for a while longer before they split for the night. Plagg was sitting on the bed shuffling a deck of cards.
"Where'd you even get a deck of cards from?" Plague asked as he dropped down on the bed besides the kwami.
"Some of the soldiers were playing 'War' on the yard. They were called for duty and happened to leave the cards behind. It didn't look like they needed them anyway."
"Why did you come with me when I was kidnapped?" Plagg sighed. "This again, kid?"
"You could've avoided Hawkmoth entirely. You could've stayed here with Tikki and just found another Holder."
"Listen well kid, because this is the absolute last time I'm going to say this. I didn't stay here because you weren't here, and I am not taking another Holder because you are my master and only you. Got it."
"Got it." Plague turned over and buried his face in his sheets. So Plagg couldn't see the goofy smile that had spread across his face. He's asked this question many times over. Plagg has said this many times over, but it's always nice to hear it again.