Hello, all! I'm apparently hooked, as I've written like crazy the past day or two. Too much story, too little time, I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

At any rate, this episode is where things start to get intereisting. Rothan has his first run ins with Ladybug and Chat, both in and out of the suit, and things don't exactly go great, especially with Marinette's initial distrust to the new character on the scene...

"Marinette, this is so, so, so bad!" Tikki was pacing – flying – well, she was doing something anxiously around Marinette's room, even if the dark-haired girl didn't quite know what to call it. "I mean, great, someone managed to stop an Akuma, and we got to it before something happened. But this is so bad!" The little Kwamii paused, looked around, then flew over to her partner's bed and practically shouted. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Tikki, it's five in the morning. And I was up late last night on patrol and there was an Akuma attack and I was sort of–"

"Dreaming about a certain green-eyed, blonde-haired model. I know." The little red creature sighed and rubbed her eyes. "You're very excited to see him and for school to start."

"Can I help it? He's Adrien." Marinette smiled with her eyes closed burying her face into her pillow. "That kind, crooked smile – that gentleman's demeanor – those strong muscles – he's just perfect. I just wish I could see him more often."

"And you didn't get tongue-tied every time you saw him?" Tikki teased, to which her partner opened one eye just enough to playfully glare at her and rolled over. "Oh, come on. You know I was only teasing."

"I know." Marinette looked back at her Kwamii – one of her best friends, really – and both giggled. Then she sat up in bed, stretching and trying to wake up. "Great, you've got me thinking about Adrien again. I'm awake now – what's going on?"

"I remembered where I recognize the name Staffe from."

Marinette gave her Kwamii a look of curiosity. "You did?"

"Well, sort of. Not exactly. But I know enough!" Tikki protested as her partner gave her another pointed glare and prepared to go back to sleep. "He's a Kwamii, like me."

"I don't remember Master Fu ever mentioning a Staffe," Marinette mused as she snuggled under her blankets.

"That's the thing. He didn't." Tikki let this process for a moment, then sighed as Marinette sat bolt straight in her bed. "I've got your attention fully now?"

"Yep. You think there's someone else in Paris choosing Miraculous holders?"

"That's exactly what I think. And I don't know why."

"What else do you remember?" Marinette pressed her partner for more details, getting out of bed and yawning. "What he does, why he might be here, anything?"

"Not a lot. He's a member of a group of Kwamii that call themselves the Swarm. I don't think any of our Guardians liked them very much."

"Why not?" Marinette looked confused. "I thought all Kwamii worked together."

"We do! … I think." Tikki's head hung low. "I'm sorry. I'm not much help, I'm afraid. Most of what I remember is from talking, not actually meeting them. And it all gets so jumbled up here. You try living for well over 6,000 years."

"It's okay." Giving her partner a peck on the head, Marinette smiled. "You're doing your best. At least we know it's another Miraculous holder, and that makes a big difference. Do you remember anything about Staffe, specifically?"

"Well, he's the Kwamii of Willpower. He likes vegetables – bleah." Marinette smiled as her partner continued, looking up at her with big, thoughtful eyes. "His users take the form of a mantis. And – I think he has some sort of psionic power?"

At the moment, Staffe was using all of those things to help his newest partner practice. This is one of the most important lessons you will ever learn, Rothan. And you may not be able to fully control it even after many months of training. But we must start this process now.

"I get it, I really do." Rothan's face was clenched, and despite the cool morning air was beaded in sweat. "But it doesn't make it any easier."

I realize that. But the only way we will be able to beat Hawkmoth and his incoming allies is for you to be as practiced as possible. The Kwamii sighed as his partner dropped his hand from the carrot stick at which it was pointing. And my special skills are not exactly easy to control.

"I don't understand. Will you come out so I can talk to you? Staffe, Scythes In."

The green Kwamii popped out of the gloves of Rothan's darkly colored suit as it reverted to his normal black leathers, shook his head, and took a few deep breaths. "Oh, that feels nice."

"Are you okay?" Rothan saw that there was a tiredness to his partner's eyes, and he sat on the edge of the roof they were on and waved him over. "You don't look so great."

"I'm alright, nothing a nap won't fix." Staffe smiled, then yawned. "This is just as taxing for me as it is you, that's all."

"I know. I'm sorry I'm struggling."

"Don't apologize!" His partner put a hand on Rothan's. "I don't expect you to get this right away, or even soon. But practice makes perfect."

Rothan chuckled at that, grabbing a carrot stick from his satchel and munching away. "What are we even trying to do?"

"Every Kwamii is born out of an abstract concept, as I've explained. Tikki, for example, is the Kwamii of Creation, while Plagg is the Kwamii of Destruction. Those are Ladybug and Chat Noir's Kwamii, respectively."

"You said once that you were the Kwamii of Willpower."

"That's right." Floating up, Staffe stretched and began to do the tiny spirit being version of a pace, and Rothan realized he was going into teacher mode. Oh great. "And the powers a Miraculous grants you are based on the concept that we represent. Appearance, weapon, special ability – nearly all of it ties to the Kwamii's personality and purpose."

"What does that have to do with me levitating a vegetable?"

"Well, if I'm to believe Knutt's ramblings – and as insufferable as he tends to be, he's nearly always right – our abstract concept extends to you as long as you are transformed, at least to a very limited degree."

Rothan pondered this for a moment. "Do you mean I can control the will of other people?"

"If that were the case I'd never see the light of day again, Rothan! That's too much power for anyone." The green being gave the brown-haired boy a kind smile. "Not that I wouldn't trust you with it. It's just too much responsibility."

"That's what I was thinking. I wouldn't like the idea of being able to control someone like Hawkmoth can."

"And that proves you have a good heart, which is why I chose you as my partner." Staffe sat down on Rothan's shoulder and took the carrot stick he was handed, giving an appreciative hum in reply before continuing. "It's more complicated than that, anyways. Tikki's good luck manifests itself as little things and luck always being on Ladybug's side. That's what keeps her from getting hurt."

"And Plagg's bad luck is why Chat is always getting himself into trouble." Rothan chuckled at his memory of last night's news, where he had seen the black cat strung up by a rather cranky vine monster. "So, it's more of a passive thing. A distortion of that concept around them, that manifests in a minute ways."

"That's right. And some concepts can be very difficult to control. How do you interact with something as intangible as luck?" Staffe shrugged through a mouthful of carrot. "And Knutt's premonitions aren't exactly something that he wills into existence either. But my concept, being a little more concrete, has some more practical uses."

"You mean like the Will of the Mantis attack?"

"That's spot on – if you'll mind my pun," Rothan groaned as Staffe chuckled at his own Ladybug-themed joke. "My power manifests itself as limited passive psionic ability, a trait which, in theory, should pass to you even when you're not using my Will of the Mantis power. It's simply far weaker."

"That's assuming that is how it works. And even then, I may not be ready to use it yet." Rothan sighed in frustration. "It sounds like this is the kind of thing that is very difficult to control."

"Which is why we're practicing now." The Kwamii gave him a quick pat on the hand. "You'll get there, don't worry. My guess is for the time being it will manifest when you need it most, but someday you should be able to call on it more frequently."

"I hope so." Rothan stood and stretched, yawning as his spine popped comfortably. "Do you want to take one more crack at it?"

"Let's rest for now. By the time we finish your route, it will be nearly six anyways, and your mother said something about quiche waiting for breakfast?" The pleading look that Staffe gave his partner caused him to burst into giggles. "What?"

"You're just funny." Rothan decided not to mention how undignified the dignified little Kwamii had looked at that moment. "Are you always hungry?"

"How are you not?" Staffe's shock only made his partner laugh again. "Never mind, you'll be feeling it soon. If experience has taught me anything, it's that being a superhero burns calories like nothing else. And you need to get ready - School starts today, remember?"

"That's right." Rothan grinned. "I can't wait."

"Then let's not. Shall we be off?"

"Let's go," Rothan agreed, and gave the command to transform. Once he was settled, he began to run across the rooftops, finishing his morning route and ready to head home.

Marinette walked through the front entrance of Collège Françoise Dupont, tired but happy to be back. Even after going back to sleep, she hadn't quite recovered from the late night of patrol and the Akuma attack that had happened after. A local homeowner, disgruntled after their plants were killed by mistake, had turned into an ivy-growing supervillain named Kudzu and nearly strangled Chat, and it had made for a rough evening. Combined with her anxiety about seeing Adrien again and this new mystery person that had left a note and Akuma on top of the Eifel Tower, she hadn't exactly been sleeping well. So when Alya showed up with a coffee for her, she gave her an appreciative smile and took a long drink. "Thanks."

"No problem, girl. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"Not exactly, no."

"A certain someone keeping you up?" Marinette blushed, and Alya giggled. "Sorry. But you've been pining after that boy for like three years now. When are you going to ask him out?"

"I don't know. He makes me so nervous, I can't hardly think straight. I'm starting to think it's never going to happen."

"Relax, girl. You two are made for each other! You'll get there."

"Who's that?" Alya followed her friend's distracted gaze and noticed the boy leaning up against the entrance. "I don't think I've seen him before."

Alya studied the darkly clad boy, his wild brown hair styled into spikes and his half-lidded eyes giving the distinct impression that even if anyone was home, they wouldn't be answering. He lifted a long stick of something to his mouth, and after a moment she realized it was a pencil that dangled between his lips, just balanced on the tips of his fingers extending from his fingerless gloves while he was lost in thought. "I have no idea. Looks like trouble, though. Maybe he's a new student?"

"Why isn't he talking with anyone then?"

"Not everyone is as outgoing as you and I are, Mari. Maybe he's just lonely. It can be hard to change schools."

"Well," Marinette took a deep breath, bit her lip, and then sighed. "Hopefully Adrien doesn't get the wrong idea."

"What is that supposed to – where are you going?" Alya ran after her friend in surprise as she walked over to the boy standing alone. "Hey. You're new, right?"

"That's right." The slight British accent he had threw her for a moment. "The name's Rothan."

"I'm Marinette. You're British?"

"Yeah. On my –" The boy paused, an evident amount of strain forming on his face. "Partially. But my mom is French."

The dark-haired girl paused. Something she had said had obviously upset the new student, but the way he stiffened and snapped to full alert made her suspect he didn't want to talk about it. "Do you want to come and hang out with us? Nico and Alya and I, I mean."

"Who?" Rothan glanced over her shoulder and saw the other two walking over, Alya practically dragging her boyfriend as he tried to figure out what was going on. "Ah. That's alright. I'm happy just to –"

Alya took one look at the stranger and shook her head. "You're lonely. Come on, why don't you hang out with us for a bit?"

"I don't think that will be –" Rothan paused, her face suddenly familiar. "I recognize you. You run the Ladyblog, right?" All at once he was interested and on guard, his body loosening but still full of energy. "Rothan. It's a pleasure to meet you." He managed a small nod, the largest greeting he did most of the time.

"That's me! I'm Alya, and this is my boyfriend Nico. Welcome to Dupont."

"Thanks." The brown-haired boy studied the group intently. "I'm – I'm looking forward to the new school year."

"Are you alright?" There it was again, the strange choking on his own words. Marinette was suddenly worried and cocked a head and put out a hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm fine." This came out more a growl than a statement, and he flinched away from the motion, backing further into the wall than Marinette thought was possible. After a slight pause, he took a deep breath, stood ramrod straight, and threw his shoulders back, trying to look intimidating and not doing a very good job of it thanks to his shaking. "I'm going to find my locker."

He strode off just as Adrien was walking through the door, concern written in his face. "Is everything alright?"

Marinette went from composed to falling over herself in seconds. "I – uh – yeah! Hi Adrien." Why is it that every time I talk to him the most interesting thing I can find is my hands? "He's a new smooth – I mean a cool student – I mean –"

"What Mari is trying to say," Alya cut in, trying very hard not to laugh, "is that he's a new student from Britain, and he just moved here. He looks like he's already having a rough first day though."

"Tell me about it." Adrien made a mental note to watch him, in case he got Akumatized. Moody people tended to be an excellent target for their mysterious enemy. "Let's try to give his some space. He may just be struggling with all the newness."

Marinette also nodded, but mostly for show. There was something off about Rothan, something about the way he talked that felt like he was holding something back. Something painful. "I'll go apologize later. Let's get to class."

"Rothan." Staffe sat in his locker, arms crossed. "They were just trying to be nice."

"Which is why I decided to walk away." Rothan was still glowering, his jaw clenched as he set his extra books away. "I didn't want to do anything I'd regret later."

"Temper, please!"

"I know." Rothan went from angry to exhausted in a flash. "It's just that talking about – Talking about some things gets me unreasonably upset. It's very hard to control."

"You're in a lot of pain. Still in a lot of pain." Staffe sat a gentle hand on Rothan's. "I wish Edgge was here. She's much better at this kind of thing."

"Who?"

"My partner. My… Kwamii partner." As soon as he said it, Rothan could tell by the small blush that Edgge was a lot more than a partner. "She's the Kwamii of Serenity, and very sweet. She's good at calming people down."

"Do all Kwamii have partners?"

"Most do, chosen by how well we work together, and how our abilities complement each other. Most are just colleagues, but some of us. – Well, Edgge gives very nice hugs, and let's leave it at that."

Rothan stifled a laugh, his irritation starting to fade. Easy come, easy go. "Sounds like you like her a lot."

"She's wonderful. We work well together, and we've developed a few tricks over the years. We're a team, just like you and me."

Rothan gave a small nod. "Yeah. I am really sorry about that. That darn reporter standing right there was making me even more uncomfortable. She's intuitive, and the less people who know about you the better."

"It's alright. You tried your best to control your mood, and you walked away before it got out of hand. Let's just try and not get to that point next time?"

"Yes sir." He smiled and opened up his satchel, Staffe flying inside. "If I need anything, I'll put a note in my bag. Otherwise, just try to stay quiet and calm, alright? It's going to be a boring day."

"Wrong. You have your phone, right? I want to catch up on all the reading I've missed in the past decades. I don't think I've had the opportunity for a good book since the first few years of the twentieth century."

"You live with the Kwamii of Knowledge."

"And the only thing he reads are textbooks. I'm looking forwards to something more interesting."

Rothan let off a low laugh and headed to his first class, making sure everything was settled before he went inside. Glancing around, he saw a familiar blonde in the back, and gave a small wave. Lyra grinned and returned it, and he made his way halfway to her desk before he felt a pair of eyes on him. Glancing to his right, he realized that the dark-haired girl form before was looking at him, with a fair bit of concern. What's her name – Marinette? Great. I've upset pretty much half the class at this point. At least Lyra is here.

Walking up the rest of the way, he slid in beside his acquaintance and shot her a small smile. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Please." Lyra looked relieved and gave him a thankful grin. "I was afraid I would be sitting by myself again."

"Thought this was your first year."

"New school, same story. I'm too shy to make friends."

"You made friends with me."

Lyra blushed and turned away. "You needed someone to talk to."

Rothan rolled his eyes. "Well, maybe I can help you get introduced. I think I owe a few people an apology. Shall we make a trade?"

Lyra looked back with an interested glimmer in her eyes. "What did you have in mind?"

"You help me not make an idiot out of myself, and I introduce you to a few people?"

"I like the sound of that. Thank you."

Rothan just gave her a brief nod as class began and he turned to his work. He, too, was glad to not be sitting alone – he'd done that enough back in England. As he took notes – and maybe worked on one of his short stories too – he noticed that the girl that had been so worried about him was now staring into space. Or if I want to be accurate, she's staring at the guy in front of her. Hmm. Filing a note away for later, he chuckled and focused on his work. Crazy schemes would have to wait – more important was surviving his first day.

Elsewhere in the city, a very tired older man stood at his boss's desk, hard hat in hand. His employer was examining a few files, and his expression was unreadable. "Sir?"

"I'm sorry, Daniel. There's just not much I can do. I'm having to make some hard decisions, and unfortunately we are going through some downsizing."

"So, you're just… Firing me?"

"I'm afraid I don't have a choice. But you've been a good worker, Daniel. I have a severance check right here, and I will gladly recommend you to other companies, if you'd like."

"I'd appreciate that." Daniel's voice, however, was hollow. What are the chances a man in his sixties is going to get hired in the electrician business? "Thank you."

"No, thank you. And I'm so sorry I had to do this."

Daniel nodded mutely, took the check offered to him, and headed to get his things – which weren't many. Once he was done, he left the building and walked for a while, eventually finding a place to sit. "This isn't fair," he muttered, idly playing with a screwdriver in his hands. "I was their best and most loyal employee – heck, I've worked there for thirty years. Why am I the one who is getting shafted now?"

He didn't even notice as the Akuma landed on his tool and was absorbed into it. But he felt something change – a mental connection opening up to some voice he didn't recognize. As it spoke, however, he felt something beginning to build.

Why, hello there. Perhaps I can lend a hand?

"You do realize no one else packed a lunch?" Staffe sat on Rothan's bag as he traded a few things around, preparing for his lunch break and hopefully a bit of quality writing time. "It's not a very French custom."

"I realize that. But I don't want to go home for lunch, nor do I want to eat at someone else's expense." Lyra had offered to let him come to her place, but he had politely declined. He didn't want to bother anyone, he already had food – and he really didn't want to give Lyra's parents any ideas. It was one thing to meet by chance and happen to be going to school together, and it was another entirely to be going over to someone's house for lunch on the regular. "Besides, it's not like I mind. I need some space to think and write and just be me, and I can't exactly do that with anyone else. And I did it all the time back home, so it's no big –"

Rothan tensed suddenly, and Staffe looked up at him. "You alright?"

"Not my lunchbox," the boy managed, and the Kwamii looked up and winced in empathy. Rather than the small black bag that Rothan usually carried for meals, this was a little red box and thermos. "I must have been so tired when I packed after running our route that I packed the wrong one."

"Is that –"

"My father's lunchbox. Yeah."

Both of them were quiet, and then Rothan took a deep breath. "It's okay. Rough memories, but okay."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"In a minute. Let's go find somewhere to eat."

They wandered out of the school, eerily silent now that students had gone home for their midday meal. Staffe had moved from the bag to the shoulder, and he hummed as the afternoon sun hit him. "Ooh, that feels good. Your bag is nice, but it is very dark."

"Not much I can do there. What were you reading this morning?"

"I decided to start with a classic. War and Peace is something I've always meant to pick up and I may just have the time now."

"We'll probably talk about it in class. You can help me with it maybe?"

"If it comes up, I'd be glad to."

After about ten minutes Rothan found a bench outside a park in a quieter part of town, sat down, and got out his things. "Let's see – paper, pencil, salad, fork attachment for pencil, lemonade – everything seems to be in order." He forced a laugh. "It's lucky that the insulation is just as good, otherwise it would be all wilted and warm."

Staffe put a hand on his partner's neck. "We don't have to talk about this, if you don't want."

"It's alright." He sighed, ate a little, and looked up at the sky. "Back home, I used to get up in the mornings with Dad. I would write at the kitchen table while he ate breakfast and we would just talk for a while. Then we would pack our lunches together before he left."

"That must have been nice."

"It was. He always made the same thing – an egg and cress sandwich, a pickle, and a lemonade. Said it was a working man's food – but he really just loved mom's egg and cress sandwich filling. She puts cayenne pepper in it to make it hot."

"That does sound good. Perhaps she'll make it for us sometime?" Staffe grabbed a cucumber out of Rothan's salad and grinned as his partner playfully tapped his head. "Hey, you have your own food."

"Yes, but cold cucumber is good." He swatted at Rothan's hand, who chuckled. "I'm sorry things have been so hard. For you and your mother."

"It's not your fault. And we're managing. It's not easy, but we've started to figure things out. Moving has just made it harder than we thought it would." Rothan paused and looked upward, mildly confused. "You hear that?"

"I do." They both looked at the lamppost overhead, which seemed to be humming quietly. "There's something off here."

"Get down!" Rothan said, grabbing his partner as the hum rose to a shriek, and all at once the light exploded, sending fragments of glass and metal spattering to the ground. As similar events happened down the street, Rothan turned pale. So much for a normal first day. "Hey, Staffe? Maybe we should find a place to transform."

Marinette first realized something was wrong when she heard the screaming of people outside. "What's going on?" she cried in alarm as jumped up from the table. Her father burst through their living room door in the same moment. "There's something wrong! All the lights in the bakery just exploded!"

She could hear a vicious laugh over the panicked shouts and cringed. An Akuma. Of all the days, too - I'm still exhausted after last night's attack. First things first, I need to find a way to get out of here.

Luck for her, Sabine Cheng managed to solve that issue for her daughter. "Well, school is probably going to be cancelled for the rest of the day. Marinette, I want you to go upstairs. It's not safe for you to go outside like this, and I'm not sure what's going on. I'll let you know once Ladybug has dealt with the situation."

Marinette nodded and tried to disguise a smile. "Alright. It'll be fine, mom, don't worry!"

Although I'll probably know what's going on before even you do. The teen ran up the stairs and carefully locked the door behind her and looked to where Tikki was waiting. She seemed nervous but ready and gave her partner a nod. "Ready to go, Marinette!"

"Alright, Tikki. Spots On!" The transformation was quick and familiar, and Marinette hurried out onto the balcony and leapt off, her yoyo zinging through the air and allowing her to keep pace. Moments later, a bleary-eyed Chat was running on the rooftop beside her. "Hello, M'lady. It is such a shock to see you."

Marinette rolled her eyes and landed on the roof next to her partner. "Ha ha. Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Someone's been Akumatized."

"You're absolutely impossible. Anything other than that?"

"Well, I have a hunch. Look over there."

The pair of heroes turned to see people fleeing from the street as a pale-yellow energy shot from light pole to light pole, blasting each to pieces. There was another cackle as a voice rose from the street. "Ah, my two least-favorite people! We'll make this quick. Hand over the Miraculous, or your precious City of Lights goes out for good."

"Where is he?" Chat asked, taking a defensive stance. "I don't see anyone, only that ball of lightning."

"Chat," his partner replied, her eyes widening in realization, "I think that IS the villain!"

"Well done, Ladybug! The woman of the hour. Someone give her a medal." The voice sneered as the energy ball rose to the rooftop they were standing on.

Chat glared and raised his staff. "Someone feels snippy. Who are you?"

"You can call me Discharge. Now let me give you a taste of what I can do."

Suddenly the orb flew at Marinette, who only barely had the chance to block it with her yoyo. The sheer force of the impact, however, pushed her back a foot, and the orb simply bounced away and prepared for another strike. Ladybug pursed her lips. "He's really fast."

"Too fast for either of you!" Discharge cackled again as he arced through the air, this time going around Marinette and hammering into her partner, He wasn't quite as fast, and he seized up as the electricity coursed through his body. "Chat!"

"I'm alright," he grunted as the bolt passed through him and the supervillain reformed. "It was just a shock to my system."

"Thought that was funny, eh?" The orb of lightning seemed to pulse with irritation. "We'll see whose laughing when you're good and fried."

Chat pushed himself up and backed toward his partner. "This guy is too quick for me, M'lady. We may need to retreat for now."

"We don't back down. I think it's time to try our special powers."

"Will that even help?"

"I don't know, but we don't have a lot of options." She glared at the enemy before her, who was still glowing and cackling at the two. "Are you ready? We're going to give it all we've got!"

"And it won't be enough! Do your worst, girlie."

"Girlie?" All at once, the three of them turned from their confrontation as an indignant voice shouted across the rooftops. There was a blur, and a figure in a dark green skinsuit and mask slid in front of the two superheroes. His hands were arched in two hooks, and he looked ready to pounce. 'That's no way to conduct yourself about a lady!"

There was a beat as the surprise entrance of the stranger wore off, and then Chat Noir gasped. "Did you just make a double pun?"

Marinette nearly choked, and the villain seemed too shocked by this new appearance to react, so the stranger simply glanced over and smiled. "Greetings."

"Who are you?" Marinette managed to choke out, even though she had a pretty good idea already.

"The name's Black Mantis. A little ladybird informed me you could use a hand, so I thought I'd drop by."

"And just in the nick of time, too." Cat Noir was still wincing from his shock but gave the newcomer a friendly nod. "We're pretty wiped."

"Alright, that's enough!" The ball of electricity seemed to glow and take on a vaguely human form. "I don't care how many of you there are. The mighty Discharge can defeat you all!" As the figure shot towards the trio of superheroes, Ladybug and Chat dived out of the way, but the newcomer stood his ground, turned, and with a single motion of his wrist extended his blades and caught the blast in the metal. Throwing it back, the villain reformed and seemed to stumble a bit. "Lucky catch."

"I think the only lucky one here is Ladybug." The brown-haired boy ducked as he quipped, a streak of lightning shooting over his head. "Anytime now, you two."

Both Ladybug and Chat were scrambling to their feet, weapons at the ready. Marinette shot a glare at the newcomer. "How do we know we can trust you?"

"You can't, Miss Ladybug. But I'm here to help." The Black Mantis blocked another bolt with his blades as he tried to soothe. "So, do you have a plan?"

"Maybe. Look at his left hand!" Ladybug pointed at fuzzy outline of some sort of tool – a screwdriver, perhaps? "That must be where the Akuma is."

"How are we going to get it?" Chat ran up behind their new ally and deflected another strike with his staff. "He's a man made out of electricity."

"My Lucky Charm take care of that. I'm more worried about grabbing it at all." Ladybug joined them to form a small circle, their backs interlocked and weapons making a protective shield. "This villain is faster than anything I think we've ever faced before."

The Mantis gave a grim nod, seeming to be pleased at his ability to help. "Leave that to me. You just do your thing, Ladybird."

"Ladybug." Marinette glared at the mantis-themed hero, then launched her yoyo into the sky. "Lucky Charm!" With a brilliant flash, an object materialized and fell to her waiting hands. "A rubber glove?"

Chat grabbed it and stuck it on his hand, then nodded. "Perfect fit, as always. This will work nicely, M'lady. You ready, Mantis?"

"You bet. Here we go," he shouted as Discharge flew at the trio, shrieking in rage. "Time for my signature skill, Will of the Mantis!" The hero struck a pose, claws vanishing and revealing cupped hands, and his eyes went from green-grey to a deep, pupil-less red. Ladybug gasped in surprise, but their new ally wasted no time. Making an outstretched gesture with both arms, he let loose a primal roar as psionic power caught the supervillain and held him fast. "Got you!"

Discharge shrieked in rage. "How is this possible? Set me free!"

"That's our plan, actually," the Mantis joked as sweat began to bead on his forehead. "Um, Chaton –"

"Oh, sorry!" The black-clad hero shook himself out of his surprise, then reached in and grabbed the tool with his gloved hand. As it left the villain's grasp, it returned to a normal-looking screwdriver, which a Cataclysm made short work of. As the Akuma took off from the remains, Ladybug swung her yoyo around and caught the insect, de-evilizing the creature and releasing a pure-white butterfly in its place. "Bye-bye, little butterfly."

As the Akumatized villain returned to normal, and Ladybug directed Chat to toss the glove into the air to activate her Miraculous Ladybug power, Black Mantis dropped his concentration on his psionic power. "See? No reason to bolt," he quipped, then swayed unsteadily as his power drained away. "Hmm – that was a lot. I'm going to sit down for a moment."

"Mantis?" Ladybug looked over just in time to see the boy nearly collapse, think better of it, and stumble over to a roof ledge to lean on it and catch his breath. "Oh my gosh, are you alright?"

He waved her off with a small smile. "I'm fine, just winded. That's the first time I've used that particular skill. And he wasn't exactly the easiest thing to hold in place."

"Well, it worked wonderfully." Chat was helping up the electrician that had been akumatized, who what blinking confusedly and trying to get his bearings. "Thanks for showing up."

"I'm just sorry I missed last night." Their new ally managed to mostly regain his composure and shook his head. "That little fight looked like fun – a shame I slept through it."

"It really wasn't." Chat winced as he remembered being crushed by the vine. "When did you get into town?"

"Not very long ago. I'm pretty new in the area, but I'm glad to be able to help." He shot a pointed look at Ladybug, who flushed slightly. "I hope you will feel comfortable calling on my aid in the future."

"Oh! Look, Mantis, I'm sorry –" She was cut off by a dismissive wave from the boy, who shot her a half smile. "Don't sweat it. I'd be suspicious too, especially after that Vulpina incident."

A trio of chirps whined out, each from a different hero, and the Mantis pursed his lips. "Well, looks like we'd all better get going. I doubt you have any interest in my secret identity." Even if I am really curious to know yours.

"Shall we meet later to discuss things? Say, outside the Louvre?" Chat nodded and the Mantis sighed and shrugged at Ladybug's suggestion. "I'm free about eight."

"I can make that work. Have a lovely evening, Ladies and Cats. I'll see you in a few." The green-clad hero gave the two of them a short but kind nod and backflipped himself off the edge of the building, much to their surprise. But when Marinette looked over the edge, their strange ally was gone. "How odd."

"I don't know. I rather liked him, M'lady." Chat led the electrician to a nearby fire escape and helped him down. "Be careful, sir! Anyways, he seemed nice, and friendly, and he's pretty talented. I wonder how long he's had his Kwamii."

"And why we've never heard of him. It's very strange." Ladybug winced as her earrings chimed again. "I've got to get going. See you tonight!"

"Of course, Bugaboo." Chat smiled quietly as he leapt away. "Tonight."

Threat neutralized. I'm good but wiped. School cancelled for the rest of today. Rothan hit send and watched as his mom's typing bubble popped up on the screen.

[Supermom]: I saw! Proud of you sweetheart. So grown up now. xx

[Rothan]: You flatter me. I was on the news?

[Supermom]: Yeah, aerial coverage. At least it wasn't an interview

[Rothan]: That's fair. Dinner at 7? The dynamic 2-0 wants me to meet them to discuss things.

[Supermom]: Sounds good. See you later! Xoxo

Rothan chuckled as he slid his phone into his bag and began one of his meandering walks, enjoying the early afternoon sun and warmth. "I wish I'd been able to grab that Marinette girl's number or something. I still need to apologize for losing my temper."

"There's always tomorrow." Staffe's voice was muffled through both the satchel and the celery stalks Rothan had packed for today. "You've got an entire school year ahead of you."

"Doesn't make me feel better about it."

"Who are you talking to?" Rothan spun around and nearly choked. As if my fortune could get any better today – or worse, who can say? There was that Marinette, exiting a small bakery front and looking at him curiously.

"I – I was talking to myself. I think better that way," he replied lamely, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. "Author's habit, I guess."

"Oh. Do you live near here?"

"No, actually. I just heard there was a nice park in this area and needed a place to eat lunch."

"You don't go home for lunch?"

"Old habits die hard. Besides, Mum doesn't like to come home for lunch – she prefers to stay at the office, eat a quick meal, and get home early."

"Oh." They both stood in awkward silence for a moment. Finally, Rothan broke it with a wild hand gesture. "Sorry, I'm not very good at this conversation thing. I'm actually really glad to run into you – I had something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What about?" Rothan noticed her expression become both interested and guarded, and he blinked in surprise. I haven't even said anything yet. "Well, we didn't exactly get off on the right foot this morning – me being moody and the first day and all of that."

"I know you didn't mean anything by it." Marinette shrugged and leaned up on the side of the building. "It must be a lot of culture shock to move from Britain to France."

"Still, I feel bad, and I'd like to make it up to you all. I don't have anyone's number yet, but would the three of you be interested in meeting with me and a friend for coffee? Start with a fresh slate, as they say?"

"Really?" The girl pondered this for a moment. "I'd have to ask, but I'm sure Nino and Alya would like that."

"Let's plan on it, then. How does this weekend sound?"

They discussed the when and where for a good fifteen minutes, and the dark-haired girl was even kind enough to give him her and a few friend's numbers so he could get in touch more easily. Before he left, he shot her a lazy salute and smiled. "Thanks again. For this morning too."

"You don't have to thank me for making sure you're alright."

"But I do. I'll repay the favor one of these days, don't worry." Rothan's grin was filled with mischief as he turned to go. "Take care. If the news is to be believed, there's a strange guy in a dark-colored mantis suit running around. No telling what kind of trouble he might cause."

"Right." The half-laugh in Marinette's voice made him chuckle as well, if only because he was more on the inside of that joke – and suit – than she knew. "See you tomorrow."

Marinette waved her goodbye and started in the opposite direction, and Rothan began to head back toward his side of the city, whistling quietly as he went. Staffe poked his head out of the satchel and chuckled. "She's cute."

"She's also got the hots for that blond guy. I've seen him before, I think."

"I think his name is Adrien Agreste. His father is a fashion model here, and he's in the news pretty often."

Rothan nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Maybe one of these days I'll be able to help the girl out and get her a date or something."

"Good luck with that." Staffe rolled his eyes and his partner laughed. "I'm feeling better, if you want to go on a wander as Mantis."

"Thanks, but I'm okay. I like just being able to walk and talk to you too, you know."

The small green Kwamii smiled and settled himself into the top of the bag, looking out to enjoy the pleasant weather. "I know." And without another word, the two of them drifted blissfully into a Paris afternoon.

Well, at least things seemed to get patched up - or did they? I have a suspicion that Ladybug isn't going to be too pleased when she finds out about a little problem called Rothan's mother...

But that's a story for next time. If you have any questions about background, notice an error, or anything else, you can find me on Twitter at jamesthedabbler or Tumblr at james-brafin. For now, take care, and hopefully I'll be back soon! :)