This chapter has a new Akuma and it stands in for the Chat Blanc episode. If you read my other stories you know that if Gabriel/Hawkmoth breaks his vow of not akumatizing his son again, Adrien would become a werecat forever.
I hope that you all enjoy this original Akuma and that the rest of the chapter makes you all happy.
The media was having a field day with speculations about the attack of the Feast demon yesterday. Experts in mythology were debating about what the creature had been. Die hard scientists refused to believe the security footage was real.
Meanwhile, Nadja and Alec were busy interview different doctors about what happened to cause so many people to faint when the statue/demon was first revealed or why so many people reported they were nauseated or hallucinated as they made their way out the building.
"Don't be bemused it's just the news. I'm Nadja Chamack. Today we're speaking with Dr. Goodwin, an expert in rare diseases. Dr. Goodwin, in your expert opinion, what could have caused so many people to have such a violent reaction once the magical statue was revealed and why was there no reaction when the statue was first brought in?"
"Thank you, Nadja. To answer your question when artifacts are found and transported. Archeologists are very careful when they excavate artifacts. Everyone wears gloves and masks to avoid any contamination of the artifact at all times.
Initial tests on an artifact are usually superficial. A variety of techniques are used to preserve artifacts in pristine condition during transport. When a new artifact is brought in to a museum many times it is kept in an isolation room for closer studies.
In my expert opinion, the statue shell had some ancient bacteria lying dormant in it. Once it was exposed in a more open environment the bacteria had time to spread throughout the museum.
Depending on a person's immune system and how it handled the bacteria was the determining factor that caused some people to faint and others to become nauseated and hallucinate."
"Dr. Goodwin, why do you think this creature gobbled up so many teenagers?"
"Again it has to do with their responses to whatever bacteria was on the statue. They were easy prey for the creature to consume and it appeared to be attracted to the smell of the most vulnerable of the people assembled."
Ning turned the TV off tired of listening to the news. "We're lucky that the scenario Dr. Goodwin explained would apply if magic wasn't involved," she told her father.
Master Fu nodded. "Everyone, save Ms. Sancoeur, happened to be Miraculous wielders. Adrien mentioned that Ms. Sancoeur has been having recent health problems. It's entirely possible that in her weakened state some of the magic from her proximity to Adrien has attached to her."
Ning nodded but filed the fact in her mind to do further investigation should evidence showed that Ms. Sancoeur indeed had magic. "Controlling that creature took a lot out of me. I've never had to focus so much magical energy on one thing before. We're very lucky that my fake emblem worked. Feast seemed very devoted to a person connected with the society that it didn't question my lack of negative energy."
"Indeed. You will need to train harder to get your magic reserves bigger. Hopefully, you'll get time to practice with me while you're here."
"Not today I won't. My superiors want me to interview Mr. Kubdel as myself. They feel he would be more open to a "superheroine" than a regular visitor. Wish me luck."
Peace Keeper was slightly uneasy as she made her way to the museum. While she was confident and knew how to extract information without force she was slightly confused by her superior's actions to revealing herself to a civilian. After all, her existence was a tightly kept secret for a reason.
Finding a service entrance, she entered the museum and turned on her stealth mode. Her suit activated the weave of transparent plastic and contained her body heat. She adjusted the filter on her mask to read body heat so she knew how many people she would be going through.
As she made her way to the off-limit areas of the museum she wondered why the Kubdel family actually lived there. She had done some research and she couldn't find anything about any family living in the actual museum they worked at. Some curators would live in properties near the museum or there was a curator's house on the grounds.
At one point she had to jump up and crawled upside-down along the ceiling because of how much foot traffic there was. Once the foot traffic was gone she dropped to the ground and proceeded the rest of the way on foot.
Finally, she reached the area in the museum that had once been rooms for French royalty to stay in. Her filters identified one male inside the residence. Judging by height and the outline of the person's body she knew it was Mr. Kubdel.
She entered the home and quietly closed the door. Watching where she stepped she entered Mr. Kubdel's room where the man was sitting. He appeared to be engrossed in a book.
She deactivated her stealth mode and her mask's filters returned to normal. She cleared her throat and the man finally looked up and jerked back falling out of his chair and scrambling on the floor to get back up.
Snatching an old fashion letter opener that was lying on the dresser he pointed it at her and in a shaky voice, "Who are you? What are you doing in my home?!"
Raising her hands she tried to calm the man down. "Mr. Kubdel, I mean you no harm. I'm a friend of Ladybug. My name is Peace Keeper and…."
The man took a swing at her with the letter opener. She backed up a few steps to avoid being cut. "Please sir, I'm a superheroine just like…."
Mr. Kubdel slashed at her chest. Her suit protected her from receiving any injuries. When he came after her again, this time she disarmed him and pushed him back a few steps.
"I won't let you hurt my family or me Akuma!" Mr. Kubdel shrieked as he hurled a lamp at her. "I will not be helpless again!" When he saw how easily the woman avoided being hit he came at her fists flying.
Peace Keeper ducked under the sloppy punches. It was clear to her, that Mr. Kubdel was still overwhelmed by yesterday's events and that having her "magically" appear in his room was not helping the situation.
"Sir, I'm not trying to hurt you! I just need to ask you a few questions! I'm trying to find out more about the demon attack yesterday…"
"That was you wasn't it?! You summoned that demon that hurt my Alix!" Mr. Kubdel kept trying to hit Peace Keeper who was in a bit of a dilemma. She was supposed to be a superheroine so it wouldn't do her any favors if she restrained him.
She was also worried about using one of her sedatives because if she did she might not get intelligent responses. That's when she spotted an akuma flying towards Mr. Kubdel.
She tackled Mr. Kubdel to the ground shielding him with her body. She raised her left arm and the akuma merged with her analyzer/scanner. She felt her mind connect with Hawkmoth once more.
"What? How did my akuma find you?" Hawkmoth stated in a stunned voice.
"I'm not letting you akumatized this man. He's suffered enough, Hawkmoth," Peace Keeper gritted out. She signaled for Mr. Kubdel to get out of the room.
He got up and made it to the door only for the curator to stop and look back at the women. She was on her hands and knees talking back to Hawkmoth and telling him to go away and not return.
Mr. Kubdel realized he had made a horrible mistake as the woman's face filled with pain. "Get the heroes here now! I don't know how long I can hold him off!"
As soon as Alix's father was gone Peace Keeper tried to gain the upper hand. "Get out of my head! You will not control me!"
Hawkmoth chuckled and poured more of power into her. "I can help you bring about change Warmonger. Accept my power and then I will have done the favor you asked of me."
"NO! AHHHHHHHH!" Peace Keeper screamed as she clutched Nooroo's Kwami Charm in her right hand as the akumanzation process started to take over. Purple and black smoke covered the left side of her body. Her right side of her body started to glow mauve.
The smoke and glow vanished at the same time. Now she was split right down the middle. Her right side remained normal and under her control. Her left side now resembled a female version of Genghis Kong's wearing his battle outfit.
She let out a war cry before busting through the wall and onto the streets of Paris. Peace Keeper tried to stop her Warmonger side from lifting her arm, but couldn't stop herself as she zapped people turning them into crazy Mongolian soldiers.
"Follow me my soldiers and wage war on Paris! No don't ahh!" the soldiers gathered around her and they started to march through the city to gather more troops.
A few minutes later, Ladybug and Chat Noir arrived at the museum where a frantic Mr. Kubdel was waiting anxiously. "Thank goodness you're here. I hoped by posting an alert on the LadyNoir blog you would get here quickly."
"Thank you for alerting us about the Akuma. Do you know who this person is and what they want?"
The man looked down somewhat ashamed. "Before I continue, do you know someone by the name of Peace Keeper?" Seeing the heroes widen in fear Ladybug demanded to know where he got that name from.
"A young woman wearing a uniform suddenly appeared in my home. She said she was a friend of yours Ladybug and that she wanted to ask me some questions. I didn't believe her and I attacked her with fear and anger."
"Which attracted the akuma, but how did our friend get akumatized? She should be protected from the process," Chat Noir sternly inquired.
"She took the akuma meant for me. She was fighting Hawkmoth off when she ordered me to leave." He stood anxiously as Ladybug check the news feed and had a brief conversation with Chat Noir.
"We'll handle the situation Mr. Kubdel. We appreciate it if you didn't mention Peace Keeper to anyone. She's a valuable member of our team who must remain a secret from the public. It's vital to her role on the team."
The man nodded as the two heroes took off to stop their friend from causing trouble.
Once they were out of earshot the two heroes started talking again. "I can't believe we're having a repeat incident with someone only halfway akumatized. I thought we were done with that after Hawkmoth stopped trying to use homegrown akumas," Chat remarked as they pressed on.
"Peace Keeper may have stopped Startrain, but that doesn't mean he still doesn't want all of Nooroo's power for himself. We need to finish this fight quickly without anyone catching on that half of her is still normal," Ladybug replied.
Chat nodded in agreement. "Get Rene Rouge and Sirius. I think they're the best ones to help in this situation. I'll keep our friend occupied bugaboo." Ladybug peeled off and Chat Noir surged forward intent on finding his friend.
By now, Warmonger/Peace Keeper had gathered a small army and they were marching on the police station. Peace Keeper kept struggling to gain complete control over her body, but Warmonger was stronger it seemed.
"The police don't protect anyone! They're mercenaries who will look the other way for quick cash! Down with-no! The police are protectors of people and try their best to keep people safe."
Her right side planted her foot and she wrapped her arm around a streetlamp. Her left arm tried to pry her right off the post. "Soldiers! Help me right now!"
Two soldiers flanked Warmonger/Peace Keeper. Using brute strength they nearly tore the arm around the post off the woman's body. Now free once more, Warmonger started to march once more towards the police station.
The police were busy setting up a roadblock to prevent anyone from getting caught in the crossfire. "Remember everyone! We're detaining the Akuma until Ladybug gets here."
The Mongolian soldiers were marching straight towards the roadblock. They raised their hand axes and composite bows ready to attack the police when Chat Noir tackled their leader.
"I think you took a wrong turn because Mongolia is in the opposite direction," Chat Noir joked as he wrestled with the half Akuma. He couldn't say anything too personal because Hawkmoth was listening in.
"I hate cats! You're going to make a great fur cape!" Warmonger growled as her hand moved towards his throat. She wrapped it around his neck and started squeezing his airway.
Chat Noir was struggling to breathe. He could feel his windpipe being crushed. He was losing oxygen fast and couldn't reach behind for his baton.
Then the pressure was off his neck. Taking a full gulp of air, he blinked his eyes a few times and saw Warmonger/Peace Keeper had let him go.
"Stand down soldiers! No one attack! Yes, attack no! I said no and I mean no!" The half that was Peace Keeper pulled out her rope dart and quickly wrapped it tightly around the arm with the blaster to prevent from forming new soldiers.
Hawkmoth mask flickered into existence then sputtered out by a roar. "Do something!" the Akuma yelled at Chat Noir.
He took out his baton and extended it. He then came at his opponent on her good side.
Warmonger/Peace Keeper twisted her body so the Warmonger part got hit hard on the side. The weapon came back around only lower this time striking the backside of her lower leg.
There was pain, but not enough to stop her from counterattacking. She took several swings at the hero who dodged some of them. The last one to his stomach connected and he went flying down the street.
Warmonger/Peace Keeper started to walk towards him when she felt something wrap around her legs and pull her to the ground. "Ladybug! You're a pest!" she shouted at her.
"I've been called worse names. This isn't who you are. Take control of your body," Ladybug urged.
"What do you I'm trying…" the woman's face contorted painfully as the sides clashed for control. "Shut up Ladybug! Soldiers attack!"
Rene Rouge and Sirius appeared on the scene. Both heroes took on the soldiers. Rene Rouge attacked from a distance. She played her flute to draw in the soldiers before attacking them when they got closer.
Sirius was using his brain taking in everything around him. He then flipped around the soldiers getting in close to hit them with his bat before moving out of the way.
Warmonger/Peace Keeper freed her legs from the yo-yo string and went after Ladybug. The heroine tossed her magical weapon around trying to slow the Akuma down, but that side appeared able to tolerate pain well.
Chat Noir returned to assist his partner and while they managed to prevent her from attacking civilians, she was too powerful to defeat. They needed to cleanse her now.
"Rene Rouge! Play your tune!" Ladybug shouted.
Rene Rouge tossed one soldier over her shoulder and into a dumpster then spun on her heels and played a familiar tune on her flute. Flinging it outward she called out her power. "Spirit Foxes!"
The two transparent blue foxes appeared in front of the half Akuma. Without hesitating they clamped their jaws around her ankles and started pulling her away from the police and media.
The spirit foxes stopped once they were in an enclosed area of a small garden. Dropping their prey, they returned to Rene Rouge's flute as her necklace started its countdown.
Sirius leaped forward and called on his power, "Fateful Choice!" He pressed his hand on the akumatized side of the body. Seeing what would happen if the Akuma side continued to attack people, it gave up.
Chat Noir used his Cataclysm to destroy the rope dart so Ladybug could smash the scanner/analyzer with her yo-yo. The black butterfly flew out and was quickly purified as everything was returned to normal.
"Are you okay?" Ladybug asked as she helped her friend stand up instead of doing her usual pound it with her teammates.
Peace Keeper assured her she would be. "Right now I'm more concerned how much got out about me."
Rene Rouge stepped forward. "Not as much as you think. Those who glimpsed of you thought you were akumatized to represent war and peace so they don't know it was the real you fighting.
I also used an illusion when we were fighting to keep people away when we took you away to be purified. On the street back there they think Ladybug freed a soldier who was having a bad day."
Peace Keeper was relieved to hear this. Her superiors didn't want to clean up after her again. Saying her goodbyes she hurried away. There was no way she was going back to the museum after the day she had. She was going to her father's house to talk about what happened to her.
The first thing Fu did before Peace Keeper entered the home was to ensure there wasn't any residual trace of Hawkmoth or the akuma in his daughter. After verifying that she was cleansed and it was safe to enter, she hugged the man.
"I can never show you how happy I am that you are alright. When Marinette explained what was going on I feared you would lose yourself completely."
Peace Keeper squeezed the old man tighter. "I was afraid of that as well. My worst fear was coming true. I was truly helpless in a situation." The two parted from each other.
Prickker scratched her leg wanting to be picked up. She did so and started to nuzzle him, careful of his tiny spines. "Do you want some cauliflower?" he asked her.
She shook her head and announced she was going to change in her room. Prickker followed her, motioning for his "siblings' to stay back. He was the one needed to help the Great Guardian's daughter understand her fears.
He respectfully faced away from the young woman as she changed her outfit. "So being helpless is one of your greatest fears?" he asked initiating the conversation.
"I was created and trained from the time I was two years old on how to protect myself and others. I know countless self-defense styles and can wield weapons with deadly accuracy. I should never be helpless."
The kwami stayed silent as heard Ning finish taking off her suit muttering about getting in cleaned. There was the sound of a drawer opening and shuffling of feet. Giving it another minute he spoke up. "Do you think your fear of failure has added to the fear of being helpless?"
"I already dealt with being overconfident! I approached the situation as I was ordered to exactly and Mr. Kubdel freaked out. I couldn't let him get akumatized!"
Prickker glanced behind him and saw that Ning was fully redressed in one of her business suits. Turning all the way around he confronted her. "I know you couldn't let an innocent be akumatized and that's why you did what you did. You thought you would be protected thanks to Nooroo."
She nodded and muttered something about Hawkmoth getting a beat down if she ever saw him in person. "I only had control of half of my body. It was awful trying to stop myself, but at the same time I was getting a thrill from attacking people."
She sat down heavily on the bed and gripped the covers. There was more going on than just being frightened that she ended up partially akumatized. Prickker levitated over and tapped her nose while saying, "Frayed Nerves."
The rigid control she had over her fears vanished as she began spilling about all her fears related to this incident and why she was still frightened.
Prickker listened calmly as Ning spoke about her feelings of helplessness were not just about her personally. She also feared how other people could get hurt if she wasn't there to offer aid and protection.
There were fears about what happened to Nooroo because of this incident. Had she hurt him by drawing on his power to keep half of herself from going full Akuma? Could his power be waning explaining why she couldn't stop herself on her own?
A big part of her fear was that her superiors would see how vulnerable she could be and request her immediate return to NYC. She had been pushed hard through the toughest training regimen and worried they would force her to retrain before she was ever let out again.
Once she finished speaking, Prickker took a deep breath and relaxed his spines. "Your fears are valid Ning. It's not a weakness to admit you're frightened about being helpless. You can train and be prepared for any situation yet still become helpless. Instead of letting the fear take control, you have to accept it. Accepting it is hard I know. However, it is the first step to conquering it."
When Ning came out of the bedroom and back to the front room all her tears were gone. She had a small smile on her face and was very relaxed and calm.
The next day, it was time for some Great Guardian training. Master Fu was going to teach her a new skill. "Today, we will be discussing an important part of being a Great Guardian. The ability to identify who has the potential to become a Miraculous wielder."
His daughter blinked. She was good at reading people and sensing magic. Wasn't that enough to determine if someone would make a good wielder?
"There is more to picking a wielder than just their characteristics and potential to use magic. You must be able to look into a person's true self. To see their mind, heart, and soul."
He looked at Ning who felt as if he was seeing all the layers that made her who she was. "When you were just six years old, you showed enormous potential. You were able to use two Kwami Charms without even bonding with the Kwamiis they represented."
Wayzz moved forward and settled on the table looking up into Ning's eyes. "A child of pure innocence with a mind and heart focused on bringing about peace to the world. Your soul wasn't created by the scientist who made you. You formed who you wanted to be."
Hearing this made her feel so happy that Stella started to fly around her head and she whistled in joy. Honorra joined in and soon all the Kwamiis were expressing how pleased they were to have her as the next Great Guardian.
Master Fu picked up Ning's staff and handed it over to her. "You will need to use powerful magic if you wish to use this technique for now." Once she took the staff he stood up and told her they were going into the backyard to practice.
Apparently, to use this spell she needed to start outside until she could refine her control enough to use it indoors. The Kwamiis watched from the window as the lesson began.
"Spread your legs apart and bend slightly at your knees. Shift your weight so it's not all in your hips. Hold the staff in your right hand while using your left to protect the jewel at the end of your staff."
Ning did as he asked and he gently prodded her body until her feet were half an inch further apart and her left arm wasn't so rigid. "Remember to breathe through your nose and let out through your mouth as you are speaking the incantation."
Ning watched her father as he went through each movement of the spell step by step. She copied what he did only for him to tell her she went to fast through the motions. The next time it was too slow.
The movements needed to be sleek, supple, and precise. It was important to be aware of everything around her while also pushing it to the back of her mind so it wouldn't distract her.
The first movement was taking a step forward with her left foot, then lean back on her right. The second was for her to pull the staff back slightly. The third step was to brush the crystal with her left hand.
The last step was when her left hand was out of the way, she would extend her right arm forward and aim at her target. She performed the steps again and then looked up. "Did I do it right this time?"
Fu smiled before pulling out his gong and started hitting it. The noise was unbelievably loud. He hit it a few more times and yelled at her to do the movements again without messing up.
The noise was throwing her balance off as she tried to cover her ears. She didn't even make it to the first movement when the gong sound started getting louder as Master Fu started striking a slightly larger gong.
She went through the movements and felt herself mess up on the third step. She tried again and messed up on the last step. The third time she managed to get through it despite the noise.
"Good job. There will always be something going on to distract you as you perform this spell. You need to know it's there and make it white noise so you can still perform the spell. I'm going to now teach you the words of the spell. I need to make sure you're pronouncing them correctly."
They ran through the spell five times. Ning didn't need that many times to memorize it or speak it clearly. Fu was just being cautious as this was a big step in training his Apprentice.
Finally, it was time. Master Fu took several steps away from Ning as she focused her energy. The UN agent felt her magic starting to grow inside her. Once she felt she had enough magic she performed the motions while saying the incantation.
The glow from the staff was so bright, the Kwamiis all had to shut their eyes and turn away from the window. They waited approximately five minutes before opening their eyes and looking out the window.
The Great Guardian and his Apprentice were discussing something in hushed whispers. They made several gestures towards the house so they figured it had something to do with them.
After a few minutes, the two started heading inside. It would appear that the lesson was over for the day. The EMC wanted to ask Ning what she saw only to be told by Wayzz that whatever she saw was greatly personal and they should not question her.
While Fu and Ning had been training, emotions were spiking at the school. Specifically, Adrien and Marinette's. Carrying around members of the EMC circle had heightened their emotional state.
Neither of them currently had an extra kwami. The energy of their previous charges had clung to their bodies. Adrien was suffering from sudden stints of extreme sadness. Marinette was experiencing a flux between anger and disgust.
It was their third class of the day, which happened to be geography. They were learning terms of geography based on water formations. "There are many terms associated with water. Depending on both how the water is used and where it is coming from helps define what term to use.
For example, effluent is a term used to describe water that has been through a sewage treatment plant. A reservoir is a basin for the storage, regulation, and control of water.
These terms describe an artificial place where the water goes. In places where water is naturally flowing and noticing the local environment tells you what geography term to use.
For example, a delta is a land form at the mouth of a river where the main stem splits up into several tributaries. It is formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river.
On the other hand, an estuary is the broad lower course of a river where it enters the ocean and is affected by the tides."
Ms. Bustier was about to go over the differences between a river, stream, and creek when she heard someone crying loudly. Following her students' gazes, she saw that Adrien was having a crying fit.
"Adrien, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know why I am sniffle sniff crying. I'm sorry sniff for disrupting the lesson. Please go back to sob the lesson."
"Dude you need to chill. There's no need to cry in public."
Nino's words appeared to trigger Marinette who snapped angrily, "What's wrong if Adrien cries in public? Is it because men should never look weak by crying? Your archaic ideas about emotional expression is disgusting."
Everyone started whispering. It was highly unusual for Marinette to be snarky. It was almost unheard to see Adrien being so expressive with his emotions. Realizing everyone was still looking at them, Adrien cried even louder as Marinette started yelling at people.
"Marinette and Adrien, please join me in the hall for a minute." The two teenagers followed their teachers outside. One of the mandatory classes teachers now had to take was how to help students who were having trouble controlling their emotions or behavior at times.
"Marinette, Adrien, I want to assure you neither of you is in trouble. I know both of you are not trying to be disruptive. Your emotional outbursts are taking away from class time."
Both of them apologized and said they didn't know why they had started acting up. The best explanation they could give was that they were suddenly overwhelmed by an intense feeling of sadness or anger.
"If you feel that you can control yourselves you can return to class. If you need some time to compose yourself then stay out here until you are. Whenever you return to class, I ask that you try to not disrupt the lesson."
Ten minutes later Adrien and Marinette returned to class having finally getting a handle on their own emotions again.
In the underground chamber, Emile was resting comfortably in her cryopod. Gabriel had just left after having his usual conversation with his wife. He told her all about his efforts to revive her. He talked about he was trying to be there more for Adrien, but found it difficult because he was emotional lately.
In Emilie's dream world she incorporated every conversation she had with him. Well, almost every conversation. Every time he talked about his activities as Hawkmoth, Nooroo's magic blocked it from reaching her mind.
At the moment in the dream world, Emilie was in the atrium talking with her husband telling him he was making a mountain out of a molehill. "Gabriel it's a completely normal thing for teenagers to get emotional. All those hormones racing through their bodies and their minds growing and accepting new norms. Adrien is no exception."
"I was never like that as a teenager. All Agreste men are perfect at keeping control over their emotions. He must be taking after you."
Emilie laughed and put her hands on her husband's shoulder. "You show more emotion than you know Gabriel. You look at Adrien and me with so much love. You smile in happiness every time you finish a new design.
You even twitch your nose when you're disgusted by a new dish our chef makes because you hate trying new things. You are expressive darling just not as expressive as our son."
Giving him a quick peck on the cheek she headed out of the atrium. She was humming to herself as she grabbed her coat and left the mansion for a walk. Gabriel didn't like her going out. He was so worried something would happen to her.
She wished that Gabriel wouldn't be so paranoid. It wasn't like the world would end if she took a walk outside. Feeling a bit peckish she decided to head to her son's girlfriend's family bakery.
She arrived in the bakery and took a deep breath enjoying the smell of freshly baked bread. She smiled as she approached the counter. "How are you doing today Sabine?"
(In Emilie's dream world she could picture people she had never met if she had a detailed description. When your husband is a designer, you get a lot of details.)
"Oh, hello Emilie. You're looking beautiful today." Sabine chuckled when she saw her friend blush. "We have fresh croissants if you're interested. I know you love them."
"Yes, I do. I can't imagine why my husband is so against them. They're like heaven on Earth." The two women giggled merrily.
"So, I heard you were working on a new movie. What's was it called again?" Sabine questioned.
"The Happiness of a Family. I just finished my last take a few days ago. Now it is in post-production hands. I'm sure they'll do a good job. I actually came over for another reason."
"Of course. Neither of us can go anywhere without thinking about our kids. If you have questions about Adrien's moods you should talk to Tom. They've been having a lot of conversations lately."
Emilie knew what those conversations must have been about. She had been bugging Gabriel for months now about giving their son the Talk. It seemed that her husband preferred the outer body and not the insides.
Sabine called her husband out and then went to manage the counter. Tom appeared with flour all over his apron. He tried to wipe some off and a bit of the flour landed on Emilie's outfit. "I'm sorry! I'll get that dry cleaned for you."
"Oh, phish-posh. It's nothing Gabriel can't get off in a few minutes. I wanted to talk to you about my son. Both of us have noticed Adrien's been getting moodier as the months passed. Anything you can tell me?"
Tom confirmed her thoughts. Adrien was experiencing normal puberty problems, including wet dreams, and felt embarrassed to talk to his father about it. She assured Tom she would talk to her husband and make sure that father and son had a proper conversation.
"I'll even have Nathalie help me tie Gabriel to a chair if that's what it takes. Thank you, Tom, for helping my son. You're a good man." He replied she was a good mother and she left the bakery heading back to the mansion.
In the real world, Emilie's hands twitched just for a second, showing that she was still alive to the world.
After school, Lila found herself in the suite's small Ladies Room with her mother. She had her arms crossed in front of her and a scowl on her face.
Olivia was trying to discuss with her daughter about her behavior without it resulting in a screaming match. "Lila, I know the last few months have been hard. Moving to another country, a new school, and your father and I have been busy with work."
Lila rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, you love me and want what's best to me. Hah, I've heard that a thousand times, but you never side with me. How could you punish me for having some harmless fun with Alya?"
Olivia took a few deep breaths and let them out. "I know this is hard for you to understand Lila. What you did may have been harmless in your mind, but it wasn't for Alya. She got in trouble for her actions."
"So? That's not my fault. If she didn't want to get in trouble, then she shouldn't have asked me to hypnotize her." Lila was completely ignoring the fact she was the one to bring up the topic to Alya in the first place.
"Alright, we'll come back to that one. Do you understand why our extended family is upset? We had clients who stopped by our sporting goods for their stores because of what you gave Ms. Bubbles and the lawsuit her parents filed on her behalf."
"I gave her the equipment that was suitable for her skills. She's a mediocre swimmer at best. It would have been a waste to give her a better version of our products."
Olivia looked at her daughter pleadingly. "I know your smart Lila. Being smart doesn't always equal being right about something. It was not your job to judge Ondine's swimming skills. All that was up to you was selling the equipment you promised."
Lila rolled her eyes and said she didn't see the difference. Other people should be grateful she did anything for them.
"Lila, I know this is difficult, but please try to understand this. When you let that Darknet hacker into our systems do you realize how wrong that was? It was a criminal offense. If we had turned you in you would be going to jail for a long time."
"Please, I would have found a way out of that. After all, who would believe that I had anything to do with it? The evidence was flimsy at best."
Olivia looked down at the floor hiding her tears. Nothing seemed to be getting through to Lila. She was trying so hard to help her daughter and it upset her that said daughter couldn't see she had issues.
"Alright, we're done for now. Please, go do your homework, Lila." Satisfied that the discussion was over, Lila practically pranced out of the room leaving her distraught mother alone with her thoughts.