"So!" Carter says with an easy grin. "Good news and bad news."

Anais scowls at him. "Did you figure it out, or not?"

"Yes and no." Carter answers. "We've got a good theory, but we can't be sure just yet. Not until we figure out who you were."

Anais taps her foot. "Well? What's the theory?"

"Ah, so, good news!" Carter says. "You might not be dead!"

Anais blinks in shock. "I… wait, really?"

"Bad news, you might be associated with Hawk Moth. Or is that good news, 'cause you'd know who he is? Ah, whatever, it's just a possibility, anyway."

"Wait, hold up, what on Earth are you talking about?!"

Carter chuckles, slowing himself down. "Okay, so Avery did a lot of research into what could make you… the way you are. Right? Because you aren't just a spirit with amnesia, you're different than most spirits, in a way only he and Iinar really understand completely, yeah?"

"Where is that guy, anyway?" Anais grumbles.

"Oh, Chat Noir stopped by our place. Avery is talking to him. I wasn't necessary there, and he seems to take more to Avery anyway, so I came here instead of calling to cancel."

Anais hums a discontented acknowledgement. "Okay. And what's all this about me being alive and Hawk Moth?"

Carter takes a deep breath. "Okay, so here's the deal. Avery was researching what's up with you, but for a while everything he considered had major problems that the theory doesn't explain, right? Until this theory came up. I know it sounds far-fetched but hear me out. The peafowl Miraculous of emotion is one associated with the box that the guardian here in Paris has. It was lost alongside the butterfly Miraculous."

"You're telling me Hawk Moth might have another Miraculous?!"

"Yes, but that's not the point. Listen, if the peafowl were damaged, it could set off a preservation response of sorts. Like an autoimmune thing. Without the safeguards that the Miraculous give us, trying to channel the peafowl's magic would be extremely dangerous. If the magic was set into an emergency state, like if it was damaged, then it could, in theory, separate the keeper's spirit from their body. There's a lot of complicated magic mechanics going on here, but essentially, the result would look exactly like you do."

Anais shakes her head, flabbergasted. "You think… you think I'm the keeper of the peafowl Miraculous?"

"It's the best theory we have at the moment." Carter says. "We're still exploring all our options, of course, but it's the only one we have that explains everything Avery and Iinar see in you."

Anais grits her teeth, sighing as she inclines her head. "But there's no way to know for sure until you figure out who I am."

"Unfortunately, yes. We had no idea the peafowl was even outside the box, much less paired with a keeper. But there is some more good news, if you're comfortable with trying it."

Anais narrows her eyes. "What is it?"

"Avery's figured out what you are. Well enough, anyway, that we managed to adapt a spell that might work on you. We also found some records in a book that the guardian has that might help us repair the damaged peafowl Miraculous."

"So… you can fix everything? Is that what you're saying?"

"In theory. If this is what's really happening." Carter says. "If you're like this because of the peafowl, then if we put you back in your body, and we repair the Miraculous, you should eventually wake up with conventional healing. Not right away, of course, and depending on the state of your body it's possible that… nevermind. Point is, if your body is okay, then doing all that is a relatively safe and easy way to get you back to normal. We would need some help from casters, though, but that shouldn't be a problem. We aren't wanting for casters willing to help us."

"That's… that's great! I'm alive! And I can get back to my body!"

Carter winces. "Yes, but… we still don't know who you are or where your body is. That's the other side of the coin. The more dangerous one. We've already been asking around about it. Our friend likes creating and adapting spells. With Avery's specifications, he adapted a memory spell that should help you remember who you were, and hopefully what happened to you. The problem is, the spellcasters we know best here in Paris are Gerard, who is a specialist warlock, so not a very good choice for complicated memory spells, and the Couffaine siblings, who're teenagers. If I had to pick, I'd say the boy, Luka, is probably the best bet, but… well, it's your brain. Memory spells are dangerous, since they directly alter your mind. If you're not totally comfortable with this option, then don't agree to it, okay? We can figure out who you are another way. That said, the option is here, if you want it, and your chosen spellcaster agrees to do it. Doesn't have to be my options, either. If you know someone, we can take the spell to them."

Anais worries her lip for a long time, mulling over the options she has. "So… we go to a spellcaster… and they can give me my memory back?"

Carter nods. "The theory is all sound. The spell should work, if it's done right. But you are still something we've never seen before. I trust both Avery and Todd, the one who drafted the spell, with my life, but the truth is if either of them got anything wrong about what you are, or how the magic will affect you, or if the one casting it botches it for whatever reason, you could end up losing your memory again, or worse. Magic affecting the mind is extremely delicate. Any miscalculation can alter the mind in a way we don't intend. For that reason, I'm only telling you that this option is here. I'm not going to encourage you to take it, and if you decide not to, there's no worries. Avery and I will keep working on figuring out who you are."

There's another moment of quiet unease until Anais clenches her jaw and straightens her shoulders. "No. I'll take it. Let's do it You said Luka is a good option, right? Why?"

Carter hums. "Well, he's real careful. Patient and composed. I've only talked to him a few times, but he's got the right temperament for this kind of casting. A bit inexperienced, but he learns quick and Todd is very thorough. Avery and I are used to interpreting Todd's instructions, and we both know the theory behind it, so if we all help, I'm sure Luka can handle the spell."

"And he's the best option you know of?"

"For sure."

"Okay. I trust you, so I'll trust him. Let's ask him."

"If you're sure." Carter eyes Anais as he pulls out his phone. He calls Anarka, rather than Luka, both because he feels he should keep her informed when he's asking a favor of her son and also because spellcasting of this kind, memory and mind-altering magic, is not something undertaken lightly. Most who do it are specialists. Truthfully, Carter would prefer taking Anais to an expert, but experts on this kind of magic are few and far between at the best of times. He did, of course, look into finding one when he first considered this option, but if there is one working in Paris, they're well hidden. Even casters who do dabble in mind-altering magic rarely admit to it unless they're actual doctors, and truthfully, magical doctors are one in a million themselves.

Most casters know basic medical spells, but there just isn't enough accessible magic education for true medical specialists to come up with any regularity, nor do even magic folk often find themselves in situations where magical healing is superior to modern medicine.

Carter has unique access to vast swaths of magical knowledge on nearly any topic one can think of. That's why his job is so important. For a lot of casters, if they don't learn from their parents, Carter and Avery are the only teachers they have. And if they do learn from their parents, their parents don't necessarily know any more than their own parents taught them. If the child of a graphics wizard wants to become a medical wizard, there aren't many magical avenues to pursue that. They would have to pursue a medical education in muggle society, and create their own medical magic using their conventional medical knowledge and standard magic theory.

Todd likes spellcrafting, but he's also a genius with magical theory who regularly consults with Carter for advice, as well as Johann's and his own Hale family magical libraries. He's uniquely gifted in spellcrafting and has a unique advantage over most casters in that area. For most casters, the idea of entering a whole area of study with very few formalized spells to start from is too outlandish to consider. It's a sad reality, and one Carter is trying hard to change, but it's the current state of things.

And it all means that finding a memory specialist, even in a city like Paris, is a stretch, to say the least. The best Carter can hope for is a caster who will listen to him, try their best, and ideally clicks, even just a little, with the spell when they see it. He's sure Luka is at least two of those.

He explains everything to Anarka, explains how if Luka is willing to help, assuring her that despite the danger to Anais, there's no more danger to Luka himself than there is with any other spell, and asks for her permission to ask Luka for his assistance. She eagerly grants it, proud that her son is deemed capable of such a thing and glad to help someone who needs it. So, Carter calls Luka next. After checking with Anais, he explains the whole situation, Miraculous, Anais, and all. He may not know Luka super well, but they've been talking since they met. Luka has a lot of good questions, and Carter can tell already that he's taking Carter's lessons to heart. He's a good kid, and Carter trusts him with this.

"This sounds complicated." Luka says softly. "Are you sure I'm your best option?"

"Luka. I would never ask something of you that I'm not confident you're capable of. Okay? Trust me."

There's a long pause, and then, "Okay. If you think I can help, I'll do whatever I can. You'll help me go over this memory spell?"

"Of course. I'll be there every step of the way. Any questions to have, either I or Avery can answer them, alright? And we won't move forward with the casting until you're comfortable with the spell."

After they arrange a time to meet and Carter hangs up, he catches sight of Anais watching him. Carefuly, softly, but almost smug at the same time. "What?" He asks.

She just snickers. "You're so soft with kids."

Carter laughs loudly. "Should I not be? I like kids."

Anais giggles. "Your kids are going to be something else, I can tell already."

"Pfft. Between our students back home and the kids here, Avery and I have quite enough kids already. Maybe when we're older."

Anais laughs along with him. He and Avery haven't not talked about kids. Of course, they have. That's an important thing to know, considering wanting kids or not can make or break a relationship for some people. If they do decide to have kids, it won't be soon. That much is for sure. Neither of them are ready for that, yet.

"How'd it go with Chat?" Carter asks when he sees Avery at the Couffaine houseboat.

Avery shrugs and smiles enigmatically. "As you'd expect. He's a good kid. Anais agreed to the memory spell, I see."

Carter nods. "Luka, what do you think?"

Sitting on his own bed, guitar laid out next to him, Luka examines the papers in his lap, frowning gently down at them like they're a puzzle. "I've never tried anything this complicated before."

"It's not as bad as it looks." Avery says. "Is there anything you don't fully understand?"

Luka looks up at him and then back to the paper. "What's this symbol here?"

"Ah, that." Avery sits with Luka, explaining what Luka asked about and how it ties into the rest of the spell. They go back and forth for a bit, reviewing everything, always calm and patient with each other as they ensure Luka understands everything he's going to be doing. Arrel joins them, too, explaining more technicalities.

In the meantime, Carter consults with Anais and Iinar about what might happen, what they might learn from Anais' memories, and what to do with the peafowl Miraculous should Avery's theory be correct. He also makes sure she knows what to expect going into this spell and reminds her again of the possible dangers. "I know, I know." Anais rolls her eyes. "A lot can go wrong. You don't have to keep telling me. I'm not backing down from this. I have to know."

"Good." Iinar says. "This'll definitely be interesting."

"Mein Lieber." Carter turns his head at Avery's call. "Are we ready?"

Carter looks back to Anais, who nods resolutely. "Let's do it. Whenever you two are ready."

Anais sits on the floor in front of Luka's bed, watching him expectantly, but Luka hesitates just a moment more, eyes darting back down to the papers in his hands. "Start with the permissions." Carter prods. "It's only polite, when casting on someone else."

Luka nods and turns his attention to Anais. "Anais, may I cast on you? It would be a…" His words are a tad stilted, and Carter knows he's just reciting what Carter told him earlier word-for-word. He doesn't have much practice casting on others, understandably, and even then the permissions are mostly a formality, since if someone were going to try casting on someone without their consent they wouldn't bother asking, but it's a formality that was drilled into Carter from the beginning by not only his own mentor, but his friends, too. Never cast on another if there's even a shred of doubt. All spells need clear and direct consent, and even if they've agreed casually to it, always ask just before casting. Give them time to back out, and explain exactly what you're going to do, so they won't be taken off guard. That's the purpose of the permissions. Not everyone follows that rule, since it's so formal and can be kind of awkward at times, but by making it a habit there's no chance of unwilling subjects, and that's the most important thing of all. "A medical-grade remembrance spell adapted for use on spirits."

"Yes." Anais says. Carter knows the formality annoys her, but she understands why he's enforcing it, especially with young casters like Luka. All his students ask the permissions before casting anything on another person. Luka is no exception just because his subject is in a rush.

"Okay. Then…" Luka picks up his guitar and holds it close, placing the spellwork papers on the bed next to him, laid out in case he needs to peek at them, and then he begins to play.

When a spell is cast, by anyone, magic can be felt. There's passive magic all around them all the time, of course, just the magic of the earth in the world they live, but a spellcaster's magic takes on a quality uniquely their own. When Carter was transfigured into a cat, it was Mia and Asher who cast the spell. Mia's magic feels like a semi barreling down the highway at a hundred miles an hour. It's startling, dangerous, breathtaking, and it slams into Carter like he's standing on that highway. Asher's is much the opposite. Cool and minty, snowmelt trickling along carefully arranged tentacles guiding the current around him. It can send a chill down Carter's spine, but – and maybe this is simply the familiarity of it – it is comforting, in a way.

Luka's is a haunting melody that sets his insides abuzz, like he's standing in front of the speaker at a concert. It pulls on him, even though he's not the subject, like it's trying to draw him in. Like it hooks into his chest and pulls towards Luka and his guitar.

The spellwork itself is not something Carter can actually observe, merely the feeling of the magic at play, so as Luka furrows his brow and purses his lips and moves his fingers up and down his guitar, there's little Carter can offer to help except silence so that he might focus.

Carter estimates the song goes on for four or five minutes before Luka finally stops playing. Anais tenses visibly, and she has been reacting throughout the spell, but, following Carter and Avery's warning to keep still and not make too much noise until Luka tells her he's done, at risk of distracting him and throwing off the spell, she remains still sitting with her eyes closed.

"That's it." Luka says slowly, carefully examining Anais. "Did it… work?"

All three boys are surprised by the audible growl that Anais lets out. Her fists clench tight, as does her jaw, and her eyes only open far enough to glare at no one. "Gabriel Agreste." She hisses. "He's Hawk Moth. No one else could be."

"Agreste?" Luka's eyes go wide. "But, Adrien…"

Anais leaps to her feet. "That bastard! I'm going to tear him apart! How dare he use Nooroo like this!"

"Woah, woah." Carter steps between her and the exit when it looks like she's going to go for it. She can still easily slip around him, he doesn't want to trap her, but he does want to slow her down. "Can you explain, for the ones that don't remember your life?"

Anais huffs and, begrudgingly, sits back down. "You've earned it, I guess." She says. "My real name is Emilie Agreste. Adrien is my son, and Gabriel my husband." Luka gasps softly, but Carter and Avery, as well as Arrel all keep their reactions minimal. Anais does resemble Adrien. She just looks too young to have a kid his age. But spirits aren't bound by physical appearance. If her spirit simply appears as a younger version of herself, though… It's interesting for sure, and if this is leading where he thinks it is… "You were exactly right with what you thought made me this way. It was the peafowl Miraculous. It was damaged in a…" She bites her lip. "I'm not sure. Not everything is totally clear. But, it was damaged, and as I kept using it I started to get sick. I do remember that I found the peafowl, along with the butterfly and a spellbook in a language I don't know, when Gabriel and I were on a trip to Tibet. They were there, all together, in an old tourist trap souvenir shop. I convinced Gabriel to buy them." She sighs. "We didn't know that using the peafowl would do this to me. I'm sure he would have forbidden me from transforming if Gabriel did know. But now… Gabriel is trying to get the ladybug and black cat Miraculous to make a wish. I'd bet you that that wish is for me to wake up, or something similar. Stop the peafowl from getting damaged, or… basically he's going to wish for me."

"Wait, but…" Luka says, looking to Carter, "didn't you say she'll recover if she gets back to her body?"

Carter nods. "And the peafowl is fixed, yes. There's no reason what happened to her shouldn't be reversible, so as long as her body is in a state to recover physically, she should be fine."

"I wouldn't worry about that." Anais, or Emilie, says drily. "Knowing Gabriel he's keeping me as pristine as possible. If there's even a chance my body hasn't deteriorated too far, I'd bet it hasn't."

"That's good, then." Carter says. "And do you have any idea where you are? I can look for medical records if you don't, but if you do…"

"At the house. Our house. Even Gabriel understands that what happened to me was magical, and he barely trusts doctors as it is. He's doing this in-house for sure." She taps her chin for a moment. "We have a… basement, of sorts. I guess now it's more of a secret lair. It's where we practiced with the Miraculous and where we could talk openly about magic. Gabriel keeps a butterfly garden down there. That's where he's getting the butterflies. That garden was one of my favorite places inside the house, and he could easily adapt it to hold me if he wanted to. That's where my body is."

"Great." Carter says. "I don't suppose Gabriel will listen if we show up at your house and tell him we have the spirit of his wife with us?"

"Not a chance. One mention of magic and he'll turn on you. If he even talks to you in the first place. He's way too far gone to reason with at this point. Any attempt to bring me up will just make him angry. And I'm sure he won't be able to see me. He'll never believe I'm here in the first place, and we taught ourselves everything. We never learned to see spirits, never even knew about them, so me going over there won't do anything."

"A fight, then." Carter resigns himself to that inevitability. Sometimes, fights just can't be avoided. Sometimes people just go too far, and with such little formal policing in the magical world, it falls to people like Carter and Avery, young, competent go-getters who know enough to fight back, to put a stop to things like this. Ladybug and Chat Noir will need to be brought in, too, of course. They have to be there for the fight with Hawk Moth. "Wonderful."

Carter really does hate fighting. He's a historian, not a warrior. Given the option, Carter will always choose to talk things through. Sometimes, though… sometimes people just don't listen. It's unfortunate.

"So," Avery says, "I assume we're making a plan?"

Emilie nods. "Call Ladybug and Chat Noi- oh. No." She covers her face. "My poor boy."

"We'll call just Chat Noir." Avery says. "Let him absorb the situation first, and then call in Ladybug after. That way he has time to process, and he doesn't accidentally reveal himself to Ladybug."

"Good idea. Do that. Call him, set up the meeting, but… let me talk to him. Please?"

Avery nods. "Of course. I'll tell him to get to our apartment. We can meet him there, and Carter and I will… be nearby."

"Thank you."

"What about me?" Luka asks. "Can I help?"

Avery frowns, as does Emilie, but Carter points out a small flaw in the plan of leaving him out of it completely. "Someone needs to put Emilie back in her body. Er, actually, do you want us to call you Emilie? Or stick with Anais?"

"Emilie's fine. A caster needs to do that?"

Carter nods, and, resigned, so does Avery. It's Avery that explains. "It would be another medical spell, possibly even adapted necromancy, but yes, only a spellcaster can stich you back into your body. That means we have the same options as before, but this time I think Gerard is a much more feasible option."

"I'm not so sure." Carter says. "Gerard might be able to help us break in, but as you said it's another delicate medical operation. Maybe we should talk to Todd first, and Shiloh, maybe. Get the spell, and then see who matches best with it."

Emilie grits her teeth. "And how long will that take?"

"Depends. It'd be more spellcrafting for Todd, and he's not a medical witch, nor a necromancer, so he's going to have to do some research before he can be sure about it. It's all just how quickly it comes to him. But we don't exactly have any other options."

Luka pales. "Necromancy?" He echoes.

"Nothing like you're thinking." Carter clarifies. "Most of the sphere of necromancy is as harmless as any other field. Commonly, it has to do with funeral prep. Body preservation, cleaning of remains, that sort of thing. People don't think of raising the dead when we talk about necromancy, typically. Mostly because that's impossible. There is some skeletal puppetry, that classifies as necromancy, too, but that's about as morbid as it gets. Most necromancers don't even do that. A lot of people aren't comfortable with it, even so. If you're not, we're not going to ask you to cast the spell."

"No, it's fine." Luka says quickly. "I want to help. If I can."

Emilie smiles kindly at him. "You're a sweet boy, but you really don't need to do any more. You've already helped us more than enough."

Luka shakes his head. "Hawk Moth hurt my sister. My friends. Me. And… what you were saying. Adrien is Chat, isn't he? I don't know him that well, but I want to help him. If I can help stop Hawk Moth, I want to. And I want to help you, too. At least let me look at the spell, when you get it."

Carter sighs. "Well, our options are basically you, your sister, or Gerard."

Luka hums softly, thinking. "Juleka might actually be good at this. I don't know about this Gerard guy, but Juleka's pretty good at putting things back together when Mom or I break things around the house. I don't know if that'll translate to a person, but…"

"In my experience?" Carter says. "It'll translate better than you think. Either way, we need to talk to Adrien first. Prepare him for what's going to happen. Then, we need to call Ladybug and come up with a plan. Maybe you and your sister should be there as well. And Gerard. If you're comfortable with Ladybug and Chat Noir knowing you're a spellcaster, that is."

"I'm fine with that. I'll ask Juleka when she gets home, but I'm sure we'll be there."

"Why would they need to be there?" Emilie snaps. "This boy is not fighting Hawk Moth."

"Of course not." Carter says. "But we don't know yet where the peafowl Miraculous is. If there's a chance we can wake you up and avoid having to fight, I'm going to explore that option."

"Ugh, you naïve child!" Emilie groans. "Gabriel will not give up his Miraculous without a fight! Even if you do wake me up, you'll have to fight him to get the butterfly back, anyway!"

"Maybe so, but you're still our best weapon against him, if only to throw him off balance. Even if it's just putting you back in your body drawing him into the lair, that's a big advantage for us."

Avery raises his brow but nods approvingly. "Against any opponent, if you get them off balance, you win. That's physically, or mentally. Scared for your safety, or angry that we're messing with your body, either makes him predictable and easy to deal with. It's a calm opponent that's most dangerous. It's not a terrible plan. If we can get into the lair undetected, it would even let us dictate the arena and catch him by surprise."

Their points quiet Emilie, sending her deep into thought. "As much as I would like to see you beat his scrawny ass, I guess you have a point. But how do you plan to get in there without alerting him?"

"Pipes." Avery says simply.

Carter gasps playfully. "We're using the plumbing!"

Avery giggles, as does Luka, and explains. "Well, not exactly. But I've read about the sewer system in Paris. Along with the catacombs… there's a lot underground here. I'm willing to bet there's some underground path that leads under your secret lair. From there, Gerard could break a hole for us."

"And the security? That place is locked up tight, you know."

"Let me worry about that. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. First, Chat Noir, then planning."

The fire dies in Emilie's eyes. "Right." She says. "First, we need to take care of my son."

"So, that's the situation." Carter says into his phone. "Can you help?"

"Aha! Lucky you, I'm already working on it."

Carter chuckles. "Catch your curiosity, or did you really believe that much in Avery's theory?"

"Both! We all know Avery's rarely wrong about these things. But the spell isn't quite ready yet. Sorry. I want to consult with Shiloh, and check a few more things, then recheck my declensions and redefine the clauses again and reorganize the framework into all the proper matrices and-"

"I get it." Carter says, amused. Classic Todd. That's why his spells work, though. Because he checks, rechecks, restructures, redefines, and rechecks again to an almost obsessive degree before he even thinks of handing a spell off to actually be cast. "It still needs more work. Let me know when it's ready?"

"Naturally. It shouldn't take more than a few days, now."

"Got it. Thanks a bunch, Todd."

"No problem! You guys always have the most fascinating puzzles. I'll tell Asher you miss him."

"Aha, good. Bye-bye."

"Come back soon! Your students miss you, too!"

Carter hangs up, shaking his head, and returns to the living room. Chat Noir arrived while Carter was on the phone with Todd, apparently. That's good. "Shouldn't we wait for Ladybug?" Chat asks, brow furrowed. "If you have information on Hawk Moth, she should really be here."

Emilie smiles gently. "No, Chat. We'll catch Ladybug up soon, but we agreed to tell you first because… well…" Her words fail her, though it's clear she's trying to get them out. After a moment of freezing, she takes a different approach. "Let's get you up to date, shall we?"

Emilie begins explaining the story. How she woke up as a spirit without her memories, how she asked Carter and Avery for their help figuring out her story, how Avery realized she's different than most spirits. She explains what really happened to her, with the peafowl Miraculous, and then she ultimately gets to the point that she has no choice but to say it. "Chat… before I lost my memory, my name was Emilie Agreste." He gasps audibly, but she continues without acknowledging it. "I took care of the peafowl Miraculous for a time, and my husband, your father, Gabriel, had the butterfly. Has the butterfly."

"W-what? No, you… you've got to be mistaken."

"I'm so sorry, Adrien, but I'm not."

"But… Father can't be… he can't…"

"Adrien, honey, listen to me." Emilie takes his shoulders and levels her gaze with his. "Gabriel is Hawk Moth, yes, and there's nothing that justifies that. I know it hurts. It hurts me, too. I loved him, too. But I promise you, Adrien. Once we take down Gabriel, I'll be here for you. Not as a spirit, either. Our friends here figured out how to fix the peafowl Miraculous. Their friend is figuring out how to put me back in my body as we speak. It might be a short while before I really wake up, since my body has been asleep for so long, but I will wake up. You hear me? You're not going to be alone."

Adrien stares at her for a long time. The moment stretches on and on and Carter feels obtrusive watching the scene. It breaks down, eventually, as Adrien starts crying. He grabs onto Emilie and doesn't let go. Carter nudges Avery into the kitchen. Adrien isn't likely to let go of Emilie anytime soon, and when he does, he'll need hydration. Carter starts to put a pot of tea on until, with an affectionate roll of his eyes, Avery pulls an admittedly slightly more sensible pitcher of water out of the fridge to pour a glass.

He grins sheepishly and returns the pot to the cupboard before taking advantage of their small bit of privacy to wrap his arms around Avery and nuzzle close. "He's going to be alright." Avery says softly, running his fingers through Carter's hair. "He's got his mom. And he's a strong kid."

"I know he will." Carter says. "I'm not worried about him."

"You're not?" Avery voice holds thinly veiled teasing disbelief. "Carter Wroden is not worried?"

"Oh, shush. You know what I mean."

Avery pushes Carter's hair back and holds it there while he leans over to give him a kiss. "Sure. Can I ask, though… what do you reckon you're going to do with the butterfly and peafowl when we get our hands on them?"

"Good question." Carter closes his eyes and rests his head against Avery's. "Do you trust Emilie?"

"Despite the whole memory thing, she's still the same person she was when we knew her as Anais. Maybe not someone I'd choose to give a Miraculous to unprompted, but she's technically already a keeper. If the kwami wants to stay, I'd trust her to keep it. It might give her some peace of mind after all this with her husband, too."

"Yeah… I was thinking along those lines, too. The butterfly is a bigger question, though. It'd be irresponsible to leave her to care for multiple Miraculous when she's still so unfamiliar with magic. She's learned some being Anais, but…"

"She said herself she's self-taught, and her primary guide admits openly to being uninformed. She'd need a lot of preparation before she takes on the same responsibility you and Gabby do. I agree the butterfly can't stay with her. We could take it, but the guardian might not take kindly to that."

"Eh, who cares? The arrangement of the Miracle Box does hold power, but I didn't see any reason it'd hurt to remove one, did you? So, if you want to run off with one of the Miraculous I'm down for it."

"Or all of them." Avery chuckles. "We still haven't decided what to do with the guardian."

Carter lets out a low grumble in his throat. "Ladybug trusts him, for what that's worth. I do trust Ladybug. She obviously needs guidance and teaching, but she'll turn into a fine keeper. So long as we keep an eye on her education, and it's clear the guardian intends on her being his successor, I think we can trust him to be the… interim. Until Ladybug is old enough. I don't particularly like it, but I think, if we want to, we can leave him alone and things'll be fine."

"Hmm. I agree. Maybe we'll take the butterfly, just to show him we can." Avery grins wickedly. "And return it to Ladybug once she inherits the box."

Garter giggles, nuzzling into Avery's neck. "You're mean. You know that?"

Nearby, Carter hears Arrel clear his throat. "While it's true there's no obvious magical reason the box must stay united, I would remind you that the kwami of that set all have known each other for many, many hundreds of years. They've been together for a long time. I'm sure they'd all like to see Nooroo again, and Nooroo would be glad to be with them."

"Point." Avery huffs. "If there's no need to take the box, or make a statement, there's no need to separate Nooroo from the rest of the kwami of the box. That's our plan? Return the butterfly, leave the peafowl with Emilie?"

"For now, at least." Carter says. "So long as the kwami agree, and unless something comes up to make us reconsider."

"We can hope."

"Haha. Think it's about time to head back out?"

"At least to give Adrien some water, yeah." Avery grabs the cup again, shakes it purposefully, and leads the way back to the living room.

When they step into the room, Chat Noir is wiping at his eyes with Emilie sitting next to him, rubbing his back. They both look up to the keepers. Rather than say anything, Avery just smiles and holds up the glass of water, offering it to Chat Noir. After he takes a long drink, Avery asks, "Better?"

Chat nods slowly. "Thank you. For telling me before bringing Ladybug here." He says. "And for teaching me and… everything, really. Father…" He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. "Honestly, I think you've paid more attention to me in this past week than Father has since… Mother disappeared. Huh. I guess you didn't even really disappear, did you?"

"Never." Emilie says.

"Uh… when Father is taken down…" Chat Noir looks mostly at Avery, but his eyes keep darting down to the floor. "Are you going to leave?"

Avery smiles patiently. "Not right away. We still have students, and our lives, back in the states, so we're going to have to go eventually. But we're planning on sticking around for a while. To teach you more about what being a keeper means. About the community. We're not leaving until you and Ladybug are set up, alright? We're not taking off until we're sure you don't need us anymore."

"Oh. Okay."

"And even when we do leave, you can always call us. We'll still be available for you, come hell or high water. Understand?"

Chat Noir nods, hesitating a moment before rushing to give Avery a hug. Carter can't hold back his grin. It's no surprise that Chat is acting like this, really. He's more attached to Avery, whereas Carter has a better bond with Ladybug, though she's come to them much less than Chat has. Even though the two haven't been super involved with Carter and Avery's investigation, mostly because it revolved around Emilie and just happened to lead to Hawk Moth, the two have still managed to earn the heroes' trust.

A teacher who cares, who wants nothing for their student but their success and happiness, and who is willing to work to ensure it, is so important to kids. That's what Carter believes with all his heart. Chat Noir, Adrien… Avery is good for him.

Chat Noir backs away, looking embarrassed, but quickly composes himself. "We need to call Ladybug. She should know about this as soon as possible."

"Agreed." Carter says. "You're ready for this?"

Chat Noir looks to Emilie with hooded eyes, nodding. "As I'll ever be."