Alya Césaire of the Ladyblog is eager to get in contact with Avery. It's no surprise, really, with the photos Avery attached to his initial message to her. Carter almost wishes he could have seen her face when she opened that submission.

In truth, he half-expected that she'd completely brush them off. After all, she surely can't bother Ladybug and Chat Noir over every fan letter asking her to. That's why he and Avery agreed to send photos of them transformed, as proof of, if not their own Miraculous, knowledge about Miraculous outside Paris. That alone warrants looking into further for a blog like Alya's.

But she's more than willing to talk to them. And though Carter wants to get things moving, he also knows the value of patience. It's his idea to take things a bit more slowly. There's no need to go over everything multiple times, after all, and they really only need Alya to let Ladybug know they're here so that they don't take her off-guard. Avery gives her their phone numbers and asks her to organize a meeting with Ladybug as soon as she can manage to. They don't need to overplay and do any more than that.

They also need to figure out who exactly Hawk Moth is, and it'd help to know who Ladybug and Chat Noir are, too, but Carter doubts Alya will help them much with that. No, for that, he turns to Julian. The magical community is tight-knit, organized, and accustomed to secrecy and operating underground. At least, it is in Carter's hometown. It was someone Julian knows and trusts that confirmed that Ladybug and Chat Noir were thirteen at their start.

Julian, like his cousin Dakota back home, works as a bartender at a local place. Eclipse here in Paris is actually a night club later in the evening, though it's open during the day as a more standard pub, and even allows minors in. Most magic friendly places are also friendly to minors. It's a cover, so that if they have to take in magic kids for whatever reason, no one will question it. Places like the night club, or Dakota's bar back home, are excellent community centers if they're under the right management. Unlike his cousin, Julian doesn't own this bar, but if he's working there at all, it's a good sign for the place. Carter thinks it'll be a good place for the meeting.

It's also a good place to gather information. A bartender like Julian hears just about everything there is to hear without prying. One woman who overhears an innocuous conversation about a specific subject, a man who hears remnants of school drama, another who once saw something telling being carried by someone important. Anything and everything, and in Julian's hands all that information comes together into a picture much more concrete. Namely, the age and approximate location of Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Carter learned from his experience with Dakota. Those people in charge of places where the community gathers – bartenders, librarians, and the like – are people it is in Carter's best interest to befriend quickly. Not just for the information they can give him, but for the reputation they have and the pull they have over the magical community as a whole in their area. Carter could not have come half as far as he had if he didn't have his mentor and Dakota's reputations backing him. The community may be tight-knit, but that also comes with the side effect of being difficult to integrate into. Outsiders are rarely trusted, and to the community in Paris, Carter and Avery are outsiders.

Luckily, they have connections. Dakota. The Hale twins. Johann. They all have connections in Paris, so that makes Carter's job a whole lot easier.

Carter doesn't expect immediate results, but he doubts no one in the community has tried to figure out who Ladybug and Chat Noir are yet. Once he and Avery get to Eclipse, the night club, they put out feelers and are satisfied with that and introducing themselves properly to some of the locals. Julian is listening for them, and now they have the grapevine letting everyone know that two keepers from America are looking for the heroes here in Paris.

That said, Eclipse, like the Cat's Cradle back home, is a were bar. Even among the magical community there are divides. Carter has a bit of a connection with the werebeasts, personally. They sort of adopted him after he got bit and almost turned by a werecat and he spent a week transfigured while his friends searched for a proper purging charm. Not that they don't like to adopt people who haven't directly faced the possibility of becoming a were, but when the were community at home welcomed him so kindly, even when the curse hadn't yet taken hold and they knew he was actively searching for a spell to purge it, he couldn't help but be taken in a bit by them.

Of course, that could just be southern hospitality, at least in part. But from what Carter can tell the weres here in Paris aren't so different. Despite that, though, the community is much larger than just the werebeasts, and the werebeasts' bestial natures lend to them being looked down upon by some sects of the community. The people Carter has met tonight will definitely spread word, but it would be wise for him to stop by some other places. Though, with luck, the Ladyblog will get him in contact with Ladybug directly and he can simply ask her herself.

Not that it's super important to know Ladybug and Chat Noir's secret identities. Carter mostly just wants to know because without that knowledge, he can't have a full picture of what those kids are dealing with. They need a support system, and his understanding is that they simply don't have anyone. Not even each other, really. The guardian certainly doesn't count, since no one can convince Carter he's in any way a positive support for either of them. If Ladybug will be willing to tell him herself, then that's for the best, but if he finds out behind the scenes, then he can cut through that ridiculousness with no fault laid at the kid's feet.

He'll have to apologize, of course, for invading their privacy, but he's not going to hide the fact that he's going to be looking if he meets them before he gets that information. No matter their protests. And he's certainly not digging any further into their lives without permission. He's only doing this much because the secret is in place because of that idiotic guardian in the first place and because it's inevitable if they want the community looking for information on Hawk Moth, too. Unless they have a very good reason for him to call off the search, something much better than worry over himself or Avery getting akumatized and revealing their identities to Hawk Moth, he's already decided that this is necessary.

With a heavy sigh, Carter wonders if he wouldn't be better off just calling Gabriella and using her powers. But that's definitely a gross overstep. Though, it would almost guarantee finding out who Hawk Moth is… but Carter can't do that. Using that Miraculous would be going way too far for the situation at hand. Plus, he really doesn't want to owe her another favor. And that's if she deigns to help him out at all.

Besides, knowing their identities isn't imperative. Not if they can reach out to the kids one way or another. Carter has quite a few avenues to take before he becomes that desperate.

So, after a night on the town, he and Avery return to the quiet of their apartment. The mission, as always, is at the forefront of their minds, and they spend a great deal of time whispering about where to go from here, but in the end, they feel they have everything put together.

An akuma attacks that very night, and not long after it ends Avery gets a message from Alya that the meeting has been set, and when the next evening comes, Carter and Avery are making their way towards the rendezvous point. Just outside Eclipse, in a hidden area where passersby won't see them.

Nearby, they exchange a look and call on the kwami to transform them. Around the corner, they find Alya alone waiting.

She immediately bursts into action. "It's true! New heroes!" She hold up her phone, possibly already recording them, eagerly asking, "Will you two spare some time for an interview? What should we call you? Are you here to help Ladybug and Chat Noir? How old are you?"

Carter chuckles lightly at her enthusiasm. "Perhaps another time." He answers her. "If Ladybug and Chat Noir are okay with it, you're free to record this meeting, so long as you promise to edit out certain things. Part of why we reached out to you is so that you could introduce us to Paris, since it seems like you're Ladybug's favored reporter. Maybe not right away, be warned, since no one knowing we're here means Hawk Moth might not either, but that's something Ladybug will decide." Alya positively glows under the praise and the scoop she's getting. "And I'm sure Ladybug will have most of the same questions you do. We should wait for her and Chat Noir to arrive before we get into it, yeah?"

"Of course!" Alya says. "They should be here any moment."

Right on cue, there's a thwip and a flash of scarlet and Ladybug lands gracefully a few feet away. Carter's breath immediately catches in his throat because he knew she was young but to actually see her… "Good god, she's tiny." He says unthinking. An elbow in the ribs from Avery shuts him up before he can say any more.

Sure, Carter is used to people being smaller than him. He's not stand-out big by any means – actually he's relatively average as far as adult men go – but he was an early bird with puberty, so he started sprouting before a large number of his peers. And sure, this girl is fourteen, and also a girl, so odds are she'd be small, but she's even tinier than Avery was back when they met! And Avery is still on the smaller side.

Despite her stature, though, when she speaks, she's calm, professional, and wary. Carter can respect that. "Alya tells me you're heroes from America? Did you come because you heard about the attacks here?"

"Yes and no." Carter answers. "Before I say anything, though, Miss Césaire? I trust you'll allow Ladybug to review all your footage and take out anything she likes, yeah? Unless Ladybug would rather you put that away altogether."

Ladybug glances over at Alya, who hastily agrees to let the heroine edit. She's not dumb, at least. Even a highly edited scoop is a scoop. And recording the heroes' first meeting is a dream come true, even if it only turns out she can use a small portion of the footage. "I trust her." Ladybug says.

"Very well then." Carter grins as Chat Noir arrives. "So, my answer. Yes and no. Firstly, we do not consider ourselves heroes. As keepers, we would more accurately be called historians. But yes, we are American. As for why we're here, if the situation were slightly different, we wouldn't have come all this way. As it is, the thing that we really came to address was the guardian." Ladybug's eyes fly open wide and her jaw drops to the floor. "We will, of course, update you on the specifics about that later. As for what's relevant to you directly, yes, we will lend you our aid. In whatever capacity you see fit." He bows politely and begins the formal introductions. "I am Carter Wroden, keeper of the polar bear Miraculous of patience. This is my partner."

Avery gives her a nod. "Avery Graham. Keeper of the otter Miraculous of liminality."

Carter is about to continue, but the three kids interrupt him by erupting into pure chaos. Above the yells from both Alya and Chat Noir, Ladybug's shriek is clear to hear. "You can't tell us that!"

Carter laughs quietly, sharing an amused look with Avery while he waits for the kids to calm down. "Understand," he says when he has their attention once more. "We don't operate the same way you do. Hiding our names would only be detrimental to our work. Besides, our names carry no weight in Paris. Our loved ones are all in America." Except for Morgan and Rhys, but they're set to leave Paris tomorrow, and it'd take much longer to make the connection between them even with all their names. "Hawk Moth has nothing to use against us, names or no. Not that we'd like them shared to all of Paris, of course, but you are the leader of this operation here, so it makes no sense to hide ourselves from you."

"So, we can reveal our identities! I've been telling you, bugaboo!"

"Don't call me bugaboo." Ladybug frowns, effectively brushing off the rest of Chat's statement in favor of examining Carter and Avery. "But I suppose it's too late to take it back now. You need cover names, though, if you're planning on sticking around."

"Polar Bear and Otter will work fine. It doesn't matter to us."

Ladybug sighs. "Okay. Polar Bear. I've never even heard of your Miraculous before. I didn't know there were any outside of Paris."

Carter nods. "The guardian didn't tell you." He shakes his head. "As of right now, I am aware of three Miraculous with keepers outside of Paris. Including my partner and myself. The last is the keeper of the owl Miraculous of knowledge. She's based i-"

"Wait." Ladybug holds a hand up to silence him. "We don't need to know any more about her. It's safest if we don't know anything that could lead Hawk Moth to her. Especially if her Miraculous is what it sounds like."

Carter smirks. Ladybug is a clever girl, that's for sure. Gabriella would like her. "If you say so. But though we are the only known keepers outside of Paris, there are still even more surviving Miraculous. I myself have a collection – not with me, of course – and the keeper of knowledge has her own. You could say we're sort of like guardians, but we don't follow the old teachings, so it's not exactly accurate."

Ladybug looks a bit overwhelmed at the thought, so Carter decides to slow down and let her process everything so far. But Alya has no such reservations, nor does Chat, and they start firing off questions non-stop.

"What other Miraculous do you have?"

"How old are you? What're your powers?"

"What's the other hero's powers? Can they tell us who Hawk Moth is?"

"What do you do with the Miraculous if you don't have a villain like Hawk Moth?"

"Do you have a villain like Hawk Moth? Did you beat him?"

"What's a guardian? Why didn't we know one was in Paris?"

"Kids, kids, settle down please." Carter holds his hands up placatingly. "We'll get to everything, I promise."

Resolve solidified on Ladybug's face, and she says, "Start with the most important things. What can you do to help? How dangerous would it be for Hawk Moth to akumatize you?"

"Anything you need us to." Carter says. "We're both able fighters, and we can help you in the akuma battles. I will be almost impossible to akumatize, even without the care I'm taking not to get worked up. As a side effect of my bond with Arrel, my kwami, my spirit is stronger and calmer than most. I will be able to get much more upset with much less for Hawk Moth to target as a result. I'm, of course, still taking measures to avoid it. My partner is in a bit more of a precarious situation. His kwami is progeny of Hawk Moth's – that means that they draw from the same power, and through that, to an extent, can sense each other. A sorceress friend of ours made charms for us a long time ago that protect us from magical detection, so we should be relatively safe, though the plan is to use that connection to find Hawk Moth himself, and there is no situation in which Avery can find Hawk Moth where Hawk Moth cannot detect Avery in turn.

"Luckily, he has good control over his emotions, and his principle, liminality, is a very odd one. It's impossible to predict exactly how it'll interact with an akuma, but it's very unlikely that even if he were akumatized, he would be fully under Hawk Moth's control. Our secrets will most likely be safe regardless."

Ladybug scowls. "I'm hearing a lot of maybes. If there's even a chance that Hawk Moth can get all the knowledge you have about the Miraculous…"

"A calculated risk. We would not have come if we thought that would happen. Trust me. It would take years to fully explain the way Avery's Miraculous and powers work, and another few years on top of that to fully explain his connection to Hawk Moth. We will be happy to do so, when time permits, but please, for now just trust that we know what we're doing. We've been keepers for a long time."

Ladybug silently stares them down for a long moment, and then she says, "A sorceress gave you charms?"

"Yeah." Carter shrugs. "The kwami are hardly the only magical beings in the world. Our friend Mia is a sorceress. Her brother's a witch. Some of our best friends are actually spirits, changelings, or werebeasts. Avery and I will teach you about magic and the magical community when you feel you're ready to learn. Your guardian worried that telling you of the community would distract you from Hawk Moth and the attacks, but the truth is, if you find people in the community you trust, they may be the only support you get that will understand the magical side of your lives. That's actually the other reason we came. We found out how old you are, and realized you're being thrown to the wolves, so we wanted to offer you our support. Anything you need. If you need help in the fights, we'll be there. If you need a place to hide, or someone to vent to, you can drop by our apartment. The door and windows are always unlocked. Whatever you're willing to trust us to provide, we'll do what we can. But you can't take the weight of this fight with Hawk Moth all on your own. No one could, and you deserve the chance to be kids, whether you're heroes or not."

Ladybug seems taken aback by Carter's declaration, but Chat Noir seems just about ready to cry. "Y-you really mean that?" He asks.

"Of course." Carter says. "What's been done to you both is horrific. The guardian should never have charged kids your age with keeping the whole city safe. This whole mess is his responsibility in the first place, and to enlist child soldiers to clean it up is just…" Carter sighs. "But you're keepers now. If ever you wish to give up that responsibility, I promise you we won't judge you. If you want to stop fighting, you're welcome to, and I will personally make sure that you keep your Miraculous whether you keep fighting or not. If that's what you want, Avery and I can take it from here and get Hawk Moth's Miraculous ourselves. If you do want to keep fighting, Avery and I are here to help take some of the pressure off. Ladybug, you're the leader and we have no intention of usurping your authority here, but the same applies to you. If ever the pressure is too much, feel free to lean on us. We can take charge if you need us to, and we can even take over if you need us to. But, if you don't, we'll follow your lead. Either way, you're the keepers of creation and destruction, and you will remain so as long as you want to be. With the exception of abuse of the power, of course, but neither of you are like Hawk Moth."

Carter watches the kids expectantly, and after a long silence chuckles sheepishly. "Ah, sorry. I have a bad habit of lecturing. I rambled a bit, didn't I?"

There's another long, awkward silence, and then Carter is having the breath squeezed out of him. "Thank you." The whisper is so quiet Carter almost misses it, and then Ladybug jumps back like she's been burned and covers her face in embarrassment. Her voice, though, sounds relieved. "You have no idea how much of a relief it is to hear that. We've had to do this on our own all this time and I just… thank you so much for coming to help. We really, really need it."

Chat Noir frowns. "You promise?"

"Of course. Your guardian failed you by keeping secrets and putting too much pressure on you without properly preparing you to handle it. We understand that we're strangers, and strange adult men on top of that, but I promise you, our goal here in Paris is to ensure that you two don't miss out on your childhoods because of this responsibility the guardian has pushed onto you. Knowledge, support, the works. If you have any problem, any at all, even if it has nothing to do with magic or the Miraculous, you're more than welcome to come to us."

"We can't." Ladybug says quickly, cutting off whatever Chat Noir was going to say. "We have to keep our identities safe. Telling you too much would compromise us."

Seeing the way Chat Noir's ears droop and he hangs his head, Carter sighs. "I know you won't trust us with your identities right away, but if you do decide that we're trustworthy, you don't need to worry about that. As I said, I'm near-impossible to akumatize, and Avery wouldn't give away information like that even if he was. While we're together, he's a lot more difficult to akumatize, too. Your identities are probably safer with us than with the guardian. And knowing who you are will help us better know how to help you. If you ask us for advice, it might be different depending on what your situation at home is, for example." He shrugs. "Besides, it's not like we'll know anything about who you are anyway. If you told us your names right now, we wouldn't even recognize them. Neither of us know anyone your age in Paris."

"We can't." Ladybug repeats. "It's too dangerous for anyone to know our identities."

"No more dangerous than the situation already is." Carter shrugs. Out of the corner of his eye, he catches sight of movement. Not risking more than a glance in that direction, he still manages to recognize what drew his eye. He smirks. "But as I said, we're here as you need us, with whatever you trust us with." Ladybug sighs in relief. "Not that we don't have our own investigations ongoing." He says, making her tense again immediately. "Primarily looking for Hawk Moth, of course, but honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if someone already figured out your identities. We learned your ages that way, I'm sure there's more. We may hear it as we go, and without a much better reason, we're not calling off the search for Hawk Moth. It'd be good to know just how much people know about you already, anyway."

Carter glances again towards the figure hiding nearby, and spies Avery following his gaze. The kids remain ignorant, but the figure itself quickly shrinks away, clearly knowing it has been caught. Carter runs his thumb along the edge of the discus at his side – his weapon – a speed-dial of sorts. Avery's own weapon, one of the tonfa on his belt, beeps insistently. He takes it in hand and a small screen slides out of the end. "Pardon me." He says politely, smiling at each of the kids. "I'll be right back." Then, he takes off towards the figure spying on them. From where the kids are standing, he disappears behind a building, but Carter can clearly see him grab someone before he disappears from view.

In all likelihood, that spirit spying on them is harmless. Nothing said is strictly "secret" anyway, not among the magical community, at least. But if this little spirit makes a habit of following people and listening in, and if they're taking an interest in Ladybug and Chat Noir, or the Miraculous, they might know more about Hawk Moth or even the heroes. They're not in trouble, but either he or Avery have to check before they vanish and their chance is gone.

"Is something happening?" Alya asks. "Was that important?"

"Important enough for him to handle it immediately." Carter answers. "Not enough to bother interrupting us. Don't worry about it. If he couldn't handle it alone, he would have asked for help. It's probably just Morgan calling again."

"Who's Morgan?"

"A close friend of ours. He's in Paris on his honeymoon and is scheduled to leave tomorrow, so they probably just want to say goodbye while we're all here."

"Is he… magic?"

Carter chuckles. "He's a changeling."

"That's so cool!"

Despite Alya's excitement, Ladybug remains troubled. "I guess you have a point. But please, don't look for our identities. If someone already knows, we want to know who, but don't go looking for them. Please, just focus on Hawk Moth."

Carter nods. "We can do that."

"You don't… you don't think Hawk Moth might be magic, do you? Like a… changeling? Wouldn't that make it almost impossible to find him?"

"Not at all. I guarantee you that Hawk Moth is an ordinary human. Or, that's not strictly true. Being bonded with a kwami does change you, so he can't be considered a total muggle exactly, but for all intents and purposes, he's ordinary. The Miraculous don't respond to people who already have that kind of magic within them, so only non-magic folk can be keepers. Plus, from what people were telling me last night, it seems like Hawk Moth isn't even aware of the magical community. That's a very good thing."

"Oh, good. That's a relief."

"Mein Lieber." Carter turns back to where Avery lands. The call is amused, but insistent. No danger, but requiring Carter's attention.

Chat Noir coos at the affectionate address, though. He understands German, then, at least a little. It's Carter and Avery's default when they want to talk without people overhearing, so they'll have to keep that in mind. This address, though, is just affection. Avery isn't hiding anything.

Just behind Avery stands a small spirit. They present as female, but with spirits that's not a very reliable tell as to what they actually are, with flowing blonde hair and green eyes not unlike Chat Noir's. They're incorporeal for sure, which means that they're almost definitely weak, relatively speaking, but also that the three kids most likely can't see them. Ladybug and Chat Noir's transformations may have granted them the sensitivity to see the spirit but considering neither of them even knew spirits exist and they aren't reacting to their visitor right now, Carter assumes not. They also appear rather young, rounded face and pouty features, but like the gender, with spirits appearance is not so reliable a gauge of a person.

"What's up, Bärchen?"

Behind him, Carter hears a quiet squeal of, "Bärchen! Because he's a polar bear! That's brilliant!"

Avery ignores it. "Ladybug and Chat Noir," he says, "have their own little guardian angel."

The spirit squeaks in protest. "I'm helping!"

"She's helping." Avery says, helpfully.

"I didn't do anything! I promise!" The spirit says. "I've only helped them! I'm here for the same reason you are!"

"Good." Carter says. "I'm glad she's watching out for them. Don't you think she should introduce herself, though?"

"It's not my fault they can't see me! I haven't been hiding from them!"

Avery chuckles and shrugs. "Blame their guardian. He's the one that didn't tell them about spirits."

Carter looks back to the kids to get two different questions at once. One from Chat Noir, bouncing excitedly, and the other from Ladybug, wary and guarded.

"Are you two together?!"

"Someone's been following us?!"

Carter laughs. "Yes. To both of you. Don't feel bad about not noticing. She's a spirit, essentially a ghost, practically speaking. No one ever taught you how to see them, so you can't be blamed for not noticing one was following you. She's just trying to help, though."

Ladybug narrows her eyes. "How do you know that?"

Carter shrugs. "Avery is a very good judge of character. Also, if you know what to look for, it's extremely hard for spirits to lie. Hard to lie to them, too. Has to do with how lies affect your own spirit and how they see the world. Avery could explain better, but that's probably a bit tangential to this conversation. Point is, she's not lying. She's just trying to help. Wasn't hiding, either, it's just your guardian's neglectful teaching that means you haven't learned how to tell she's there. Avery and I can help with that, though it would be easier someplace quieter." He looks back at the spirit. "Hey, what do we call you? Do you know their identities?"

The spirit grumbles a little, crossing her arms. "Anais. And yes, of course, I do. I've been trying to help where I could so they wouldn't be so stressed while they're fighting Hawk Moth."

"Anais." Carter says. "Nice to meet you."

"Did you hear that, bugaboo? Those heroes are together. We could be, too!"

"We're not heroes." Carter says before Ladybug has to fend Chat off herself. He can already tell she does enough of that. "We're historians. We also don't have secret identities. Also, didn't she tell you not to call her bugaboo?"

"She doesn't mean it." Chat says flippantly. "She loves when I call her bugaboo."

Carter raises his brow and looks to Ladybug. "That true?"

"No." Ladybug growls. "But we have bigger things to worry about right now."

Carter shares a look with Avery, and with Anais – the exasperated and annoyed look on her face tells him that this sort of thing isn't at all new. They'll definitely have to have a chat with Chat Noir about this behavior, but Ladybug is right. Now isn't the time. Not only is that a conversation better had one-on-one, but they also don't have enough of Chat's trust yet to be sure he'll listen to a word they say.

"How long have you been together? How did you get together?" Surprising Carter, it's Alya who asks those questions. She's been an eager onlooker this whole time, but Chat was the romance-focused one so far.

Carter supposes he can't blame them. They're young teenagers. Romance must seem like such a major thing to them, just entering the stage of life where it's relevant and all. Carter remembers how important it was to everyone when he was their age. At least they're not put off by both of them being men. "Over five years, now." He says. "And same as anyone else, I suppose. Started as friends, gave dating a shot, never stopped." He shrugs. "But that's irrelevant to our work. Right now, we should focus on that."

"Thank you." Ladybug sighs. "That spirit. She's here right now?"

"Yep. You want to meet her?"

"Can I? How?"

"You know how to meditate?" Ladybug eyes him curiously and nods. "Start with that. Basically, what we want to do is teach you what you're looking for to sense spirits. If you meditate and open your mind to everything you're feeling, and a spirit touches you, that's usually the fastest way to teach someone that sensitivity. You just have to focus on what the spirit feels like, and you'll, uh, 'tune in' so to speak to their wavelength. Being new, you won't be able to see any old spirit that wanders by, but once you get used to her you shouldn't have any problems spotting Anais if she isn't hiding from you. More practically you're learning how to feel through your own spirit, but that's a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo that would take forever to explain. Again, I'm more than happy to explain it all if you want, but that's probably better saved for another time."

"Agreed." Ladybug says. "Let's do it."

"You down for this, Anais?" Carter looks over to her.

"I've been ready for this for forever." She says. "It's about time someone teaches these kids something useful."

"Alright. Chat Noir, Alya, you too. Sit down with Ladybug. You two know how to meditate?"

"I think so." Chat says. Alya nods and closes her eyes, quickly sitting like Ladybug does.

Carter guides them all through it, and as Anais touches each of their arms, with some prompting from Carter for Alya and Chat, they all manage to feel her. This isn't Carter's first rodeo – he's guided a lot of people through spiritual sensitivity training – so he manages to get them seeing Anais in no time.

But Anais herself… kind of concerns Carter. He has no doubt she's a great person, really. In fact, he's glad for the chance to give Ladybug and Chat Noir one more person looking out for them. But free spirits, those incorporeal ones, are ghosts. Carter's best friend, Shiloh, is one such spirit. A bakeneko, the lingering spirit of a dead cat, flushed with the same magic that turns living cats into nekomata. He's the reason Carter has so much practice teaching spiritual sensitivity.

Carter doesn't know the details of Anais' life, but there are only so many reasons spirits end up unattached to bodies. It's theoretically possible to be born free, true, but free spirits aren't actually very common, and the only non-ghost free spirits Carter's ever heard of are purely theoretical. If he gets the chance, he'd like to talk to her.

Not that it's any of his business. If she's not inclined to share, he won't force the issue.

All the kids are a little shocked by the spirit they can suddenly see. Alya is particularly excited, already grabbing her phone again and asking question after question – they should probably tell her that Anais won't show up on camera no matter her own sensitivity – but Ladybug and Chat Noir frown, examining her closely.

It's Chat Noir that speaks first. "Have I seen you before?"

Anais snorts, almost derisively. "I hope so. I've tried to get your attention enough times."

Carter chuckles. "Even unsensitive people can occasionally see spirits, especially if that spirit wants to be seen. Some ghost stories start that way. It's likely you've seen her around without realizing."

Both Chat and Ladybug nod acceptingly.

"Can you be akumatized?" Ladybug asks. "You knowing our identities is dangerous. You do know, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do." Anais says. "And no, I can't be akumatized. You're safe." Carter furrows his brow. He doesn't really see why she wouldn't be able to be akumatized, since his understanding is that it's primarily a corruption of the spirit. But that's also pure theory. Practically speaking, the only recorded akumatizations involve the akuma infesting a physical object on the victim's being. A free spirit has no such being nor objects to infect, so Carter supposes it would make sense for her to be immune. What an interesting dilemma. He certainly doesn't wish Hawk Moth would try, but he is curious as to whether it's truly possible.

"Good." Ladybug sighs. "And you've been… helping? How, exactly?"

Anais huffs. "Sorry if I can't poltergeist Hawk Moth's Miraculous to you. I've been doing what I can!"

"Woah, hey, I wasn't trying to… accuse you or anything. I just never noticed."

"That's because you kept writing me off as your ladybug 'good luck'." Anais sneers. "And for your information, I asked Britt to ask Julian to tell these two about you and get you teachers who actually know what they're doing, so feel free to thank me."

"You're the one who leaked their ages." Carter realizes. "You knew we'd come when we found out."

"Duh. Julian talks about his cousin's pet keepers all the time! If you were half the people he makes you out to be, I knew you'd be chomping at the bit to come to help them. And I was getting sick of nothing getting done around here."

Well, now Carter understands why Avery was so amused. Anais is just… like this. She's honestly not all that different than Iinar when they first started out. Huffy and rude, but still helpful and well-meaning. Carter hopes she isn't a troublemaker like Iinar, though.

"I'm sorry." Ladybug says, ducking her head. "I know we haven't been making any progress."

"Through no fault of yours!" Anais exclaims, rushing to fuss over her. "Don't you dare apologize for a thing! You were thrown out with no preparation and no guidance! Honestly, you've done more than any of us could expect of you! But that's exactly why something had to be done about the situation, and why the polar bear and the otter are here. You just listen well to them, okay dearie? They won't lead you wrong." She casts a glare over her shoulder at Carter and Avery. "You better not lead them wrong."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Carter says amicably. "We want the same thing you do."

"Are you sure?" Anais challenges. "Because I want Ladybug and Chat Noir safe and happy."

"Then I'm a hundred percent sure." Carter says. "That's the whole reason we're here."

"Hmph. Good."

"I just- wait." Ladybug shakes her head. "This is all just so much to take in! More Miraculous, spirits and changelings and sorceresses, y-you. What is even going on anymore?!"

"Oh, you poor dear." Anais pats Ladybug's head gently. "We have sprung quite a lot on you for tonight. Why don't you head home, hm? Give yourself some time to process everything. We can talk again anytime. Now that you can see me, you'll spot me occasionally throughout the day, even at school sometimes. Find a moment to sneak away if you ever want to talk to me, okay? And you can message either of these fine young men with any questions you have over the phone any time of day."

"Definitely." Carter says. "The only thing that's important to ask right away is what you want us doing during akuma battles. As I said, we're more than capable of fighting, but if you'd rather us be on reserve, to try to track Hawk Moth without announcing to him that we're here, we can sit out. If you need us in battle you can always send us a message."

Ladybug worries her lip. "I think that's a good idea. You focus on finding Hawk Moth. Let us handle the akuma unless I call you."

"Understood." Carter takes his discus from his hip and swipes his hand over it, bringing up the display. "In that case, if you'll connect your communicator with mine, I'll send you our personal numbers and you can text us at any time. I'll send you our address, too. I understand you may not trust us that much, but that offer of a hideaway, or home base, or whatever you need us for, is always on the table."

Ladybug hesitates before she nods, murmuring, "Thank you."