It's about two days later before Emilie's in any state to hold a conversation or to listen to one for that matter.
It gives Adrien and Nathalie enough time to plan. There are some things which it might be best that Emilie doesn't know about quite yet. It's inevitable that she's going to ask about her husband. In fact, she already has. Their responses have been evasive. Thankfully, she's not been in enough of a state to question them. That will soon change however and whilst they're reluctant to give her the whole story, her son's already made it perfectly clear that he's not about to start lying to her. It's only been a couple of days but his current Guardian already has a headache.
"Master Fu doesn't want us revealing too much about the miraculous Adrien..." She's forced to remind the teen. "Not until he's confident that your mother wasn't abusing the power of the peacock."
"She wasn't!" She's not about to begin an argument about that. "I just… What are we supposed to say? It's not like Gabriel's in China voluntarily..."
"We'll just have to say that he didn't have a choice and that we don't know when he can come back."
It's an excuse and one that she'll almost certainly see through when she's better but for the time being, her son accepts that it's the best any of them can hope for.
The better she gets, the more time that Emilie spends awake and naturally, she seems eager to get to know her son a bit better. It's been so long since she last saw him. It's clear that she's struggling to get her head around the fact that he's no longer a little thirteen year old. He's practically doubled in size since the last time that she saw him and is far closer to a man than he is a child. For the first day, it's quite clear that her memory isn't quite what it should be – either that or she simply can't believe what's happened – as she's asked him at least four times how old he is now.
So on the evening of the second day, when she's not too tired, they decide that it would be a good time to have a little chat. It's started off innocently enough:
"How are you feeling Mom?"
"Better every minute." She replies quite honestly, able to sit up in her bed. "Have you had your dinner?"
"Yes." Adrien chuckles amused by her priorities before becoming somewhat more serious. "Listen mom, we thought it was about time that you were brought up to date..."
He sees the relief pass over her face. Apparently it's something that's been troubling her.
Adrien takes his seat next to his mother. Briefly, he gives Nathalie a nervous glance. She nods, encouraging him on. Even though she keeps a respectful distance, her presence is a welcome and comforting one. It gives him the courage that he finds he lacks sometimes. It's with a deep breath that he steadies himself. It's a wonder where even to begin. There's so much that's happened and yet comparatively little that he's entirely comfortable telling her about. It isn't because he suspects, like some, that she might somehow have been involved with her husband's shady dealings but rather that he's unsure how to break to her that a few years ago their family unit crumbled.
He starts with the basics. The miraculous, she needs to know what happened to her and how they fixed her:
"Mom… Do you remember the miraculouses?" He asks the woman tentatively.
"Only a bit… I remember one… Dooroo? No. Duusuu." She frowns, casting her mind back so far seems to be a strenuous activity. "I got sick, didn't I?"
"Yeah… You did. Why were you using it?"
Nathalie's honestly surprised that the boy managed to work up the courage required to ask the question. She's proud of him for doing so. It takes courage to question someone so close to one's own heart. Whether he's doing it because of his own doubts or simply to silence those who are more vocal with those concerns, she doesn't know and perhaps doesn't care.
Although if Emilie was involved with anything sinister, it's not as if she's going to confess it to her son… The woman can't help but think to herself.
She's quiet for a moment, clearly thinking. Her brow creases. She looks down at her lap, her fingers toying with the end of her sheet. She was nervous but seemingly giving it her all. The effort seems to be either painful or distressing. Whatever the case, Adrien is quick to reach out and take the woman's hand. He squeezes slightly, smiling reassuringly as if to forgive her evident failure:
"It's okay mom..."
"I'm sorry…" Her voice is soft, quivering as she turns towards him. "It's all blurry."
If it's a lie. It's a believable one. Nathalie's the same: memory loss. She can scarcely remember the times she she became Mayura at this point. If ever she brings it up, Adrien's keen to inform her that that's probably for the best.
Whatever the case, her son appears to buy it. Adrien starts off: letting her know that it's been five years. Yes, he is eighteen or coming up to it at least. For all that time, she's been sleeping in some sort of magical trance, kept alive only by Gabriel's vast funds which enabled him to create the casket which they freed her from not all that long ago. The miraculous has been repaired and now her body is slowly getting back what was taken from it.
"Gabriel..." She mutters eventually after a few moments. "Where is he? Have I seen him?"
"No." Adrien lets out a heavy sigh. "Gabri- Father is in China. He won't be able to come back for a while."
Emilie frowns, clearly confused and expecting a little bit more by means of an explanation from her son. He fails to provide her with one, looking away and remaining quiet instead. Perhaps honesty would have been best but Adrien doesn't want to dump the fact that her husband had made himself into a magical terrorist in order to bring her back on a woman still recovering. Is it lying? At the very least it's being economical with the truth and is in a gray area which the teen isn't comfortable with but currently, he can't see any alternative.
After a few moments, the woman speaks in a hushed voice:
"He-He promised he'd bring me back."
Not news. Nathalie knows just what Gabriel had told his wife he would do before she'd fallen into her slumber. What she doesn't know is just what lead him to have to take such an oath to begin with. She's not entirely comfortable with not-knowing but can see now that they're unlikely to get any answers. Either the woman genuinely has amnesia or there's a more sinister reason she can't or rather won't tell them, in which case they won't know until it's too late.
For the time being, Nathalie will stay vigilant but won't act.
Adrien consoles his parent. Instead, he tells her about everything that's happened and changed. He's going to school now! Even has a girlfriend… She's brilliant, talented and so kind. He knows that his mother will love her. She's a little surprised but that much doesn't quite seem to register with her son. There's so much that she's missed and he's eager to bring her up to date so that he can share it with her.
"You're all grown up..." There's a hint of sorrow despite the smile when his mother speaks.
"Almost..." The teen clarifies with an almost regretful smile.
"-but if you're father's been away, who's been looking after you?"
"Nathalie." Adrien turns towards the woman, his gaze softens as it falls upon his carer. "She's the one who's been there for me."
At the mention of her name and the open expression of such sentiments, Nathalie feels somewhat awkward. As Emilie's attention drifts over towards her, it seems like the woman is rediscovering her. She feels the heat rise to her cheeks and tries to hide the fact by adjusting her glasses.
Emilie could be jealous. Nathalie can remember that much about the woman. If Gabriel was… Well at times impossibly oblivious. His wife was, in many ways, his complete opposite. She'd been over-protective of Adrien when he was a boy. The family assistant isn't entirely sure just how she will take to abruptly discovering that there's been somebody else in her house, raising her son for these past few years. Without the supervision or input of her husband to boot.
If there is any resentment there, she conceals it well. Instead, the woman offers her a wonderful and gentle smile:
"Well it seems that we both owe Nathalie a great debt."
"It's been a pleasure and an honor." The reply is, if nothing else, honest. "You have a wonderful son."
"I know… And I can't wait to get to know him..."