Sorry for the late update. I have been up on a mountain banging on rocks and collecting several impressive samples of Kyanite. Unfortunately I had no signal till today so I wasn't able to update till now. Good news though! I figured out how to move chapters around! I have now placed all stories next to their sequels and added an index to Chapter one. Hopefully this will make navigation a bit easier since Cats Closet has gotten quite large. As always I hope everyone continues to enjoy my stories and if you have the time drop a review!
mayuralover... I added an index to Chapter 1 so it should be easier to find the stories you desire. Locked In is a sequel to The Cats Shield which is Chapters 61-68 and Purloined Puns which is Chapter 69. Hopefully this helps.
Chat-and-ladybug... Glad you liked the scary story! The Legend of the White Blood Lily is my own Ghost story invented while camping one warm summer night. My friend frequently likes to give me three things that I have to make a story out of and that time the three things were flowers, a curse, and spiders... I creeped the heck out of them because the next morning we realized that our camping are was surrounded by white lily like flowers that had pink tips... It was rather creepy lol.
When a sleep over at the schools Gym gets crashed by an Akuma Marinette finds herself with no where to hide and an oddly clingy Adrien wanting to tell her something. But how can she stop an Akuma when she can't even transform? Sequel to The Cats Shield and Purloined Puns.
Locked In (Part 3)
Gasping as those furious screams echoed in her head Marinette shot upright tossing Tiki right off her chest. Fear sweat covered her body while dried tear tracks ran down her face and Marinette looked around realizing she was back in the locker room again. The lights were on but something gripped her shirt and for a brief moment Marinette panicked trying to shove the weight away before she realized it was Adrien.
"Marinette stop! Its ok! You two must stay connected!" Tiki cried crashing into Marinette's cheek as she stopped trying to pull out of Adrien's arms.
"T-TIKI!" Marinette sobbed cupping her hands around the kwami "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Tiki hummed against Marinette, her little paws rubbing small circles on Marinette's cheek as she tried to soothe the nearly panicking teen.
"Marinette calm down… its ok."
Marinette shook her head "No its not…" she sniffed as Tiki wiped at the tears sliding down her cheeks. "The Akuma, Babooyaga, she knows who I am! I-I don't know how… she must have read my mind when I was dreaming or something because she knows!"
"Its ok Marinette. The Akuma hasn't showed back up since she put the gym to sleep. The instant everyone was passed out it turned to smoke and settled on everyone. You two included. I don't think she is strong enough to stay in the real world long. Unfortunately we need to figure out a way to draw her back so we can free her from Hawkmoth." Tiki said hovering before Marinette.
"Adrien got hit too?" Marinette gasped looking down at him. Adrien had curled around her slightly, one of his legs thrown over hers, an arm wrapped about her waist, and Marinette reached up to place a finger on his neck even though she could see the swiftly rising and falling of his chest. His heartbeat was fast, thready, and Marinette just knew that he was now stuck in his own nightmare.
"I don't think Adrien got hit properly, I think he just breathed in some of the smoke that came off of you." Tiki admitted "He was fighting so hard to stay awake as he held you, calling to you, but about the time I felt you reaching out to us Adrien immediately fell unconscious."
"Stupid kitty." Marinette choked running a hand through his hair. "He gave into the sleep so he could come rescue me. He must have gotten trapped in his own nightmare when I broke out of mine. He-he knows Tiki, and he… he told me that he was my partner. It's how I was able to snap out of the nightmare."
Tiki blinked her big blue eyes then slowly nodded. "That makes better sense, this Akuma is so strong on the Astral plane I was wondering how you managed to break free. Plagg come on out."
"Oh thank goodness!" Plagg cried as he shot out from under Adrien's shirt. "The kids gotten sucked deep into the magic Tiki, your bugs gotta go in and pull him out before this nightmare turns permanent. Besides do you know how sweaty he is getting?! I don't think I could have stayed hidden much longer!"
Even though Marinette knew Adrien was Chat Noir it hadn't really sunk in. Seeing the kwami however hit it home for her and Marinette let out a squeak like sound as all the times she had flirted, scratched, or kissed Chat on the cheek came back to her. It had been Adrien the whole time, her crush and Marinette felt her face turn red as she gazed down to spy the silver ring on his one finger.
"You gonna survive there kid?" Plagg asked dryly his ears twitching. "Adrien's in danger and you are the only one who can pull him out."
Marinette held up a hand "Can you just give me a second here? I just came out of a nightmare where a version of Chat was trying to kill me and killed Adrien and… besides all that I really like him! It's very jarring to suddenly know he's… you know…"
"A pun loving idiot who's just as in love with you as you are with him? Jeez you two are going to be so overly sappy together…" Plagg whined rolling about in the air deciding not to ask about the nightmare.
Adrien whimpered next to Marinette making them all freeze and Marinette glanced down then back up to the kwamis. She could freak out later Marinette decided shoving the confused tangle of feelings to the side as she tried to find her center again.
"How do I save him?" Can I call out to him or shake him? Maybe ice? Or a k-kiss?" Marinette asked tripping verbally on that last one.
Tiki shook her head, "I suppose you could try the kiss but this isn't like the cupid incident. I don't know if it would work from this side. The Akuma is in his mind forcing him to live through some kind of nightmare. You are going to have to go back to sleep as Ladybug and wake him up from the inside."
Marinette nodded "Ok… will I remain Ladybug once I fall asleep though? I mean the nightmare I had felt so real… it was so easy to get confused."
Tiki ducked down and grabbed her purse grunting slightly as she lifted it off the ground. "We need a power up, the one that lets me go incorporeal! Then we will be able to fight this Akuma at her own game!"
Taking her purse from the struggling kwami Marinette pulled out the tiny box of multi colored macaroons. Fu had briefly explained the uses of the different colors and he had used the word incorporeal too when holding the pink one. She hadn't known what the word meant but then again she had been in information overload so she had meant to ask Tiki at a later date.
"Incorporeal?" Marinette asked pulling out the odd pink macaroon.
"Insubstantial, body less, uhhh ghost like?" Tiki tried as Marinette gazed at her in confusion.
"I'm going to turn into a Ladybug ghost?" Marinette wondered not really liking the sound of that at all.
Tiki smiled at Marinette understanding her confusion "Not really. It just gives you the ability to wander through the dream or spirit realms without you losing yourself. Some Ladybugs have used the power to find their centers, rebalance their energies-"
"Battle the darker energies of other Miraculous or even nasty ghosts…" Plagg broke in making Marinette glance at him nervously.
"Ghosts?" Marinette queried nervously.
"That's not usually our job Marinette." Tiki soothed "Usually the fox miraculous takes care of such things but sometimes our help is needed as well. I doubt such a thing will be needed in this day and age Plagg."
Plagg shrugged "She asked besides can we get moving? I can feel the Akuma is getting stronger. If this goes on much longer we might have to go get the fox just to fix this mess!"
Tiki sighed but nodded to Marinette who glanced between the kwamis then back down at Adrien.
"I-I will know it's not real right? The dream I go into?" Marinette asked wanting clarification.
Her nightmare had been utterly terrifying, confusing, and she really, really did not want to go through it again.
"Would you still go even if we couldn't promise you that?" Plagg asked making Tiki swat at him.
"Of course!" Marinette snapped immediately "I have to save Adrien, and everyone else so of course! I'm the only one who can and if this Akuma's power grows who knows what damage it will do!"
Ducking Tikis disapproving swats Plagg darted up to Marinette rubbing against her cheek. "Then save my boy and we will be right behind you."
Marinette nodded cupping her free hand around Plagg, who she noticed was shivering slightly. "Alright Tiki ready?"
Tiki grinned popping open her mouth for Marinette to toss the macaroon in. "Alright Tiki, Power up and Spots on!"
Pink light filled Marinettes vision and the next thing she knew she stood in darkness. Bubbles floated around her drifting through the empty space and as she looked down she realized she was dressed as Ladybug.
"Ummm what just happened?" Ladybug asked looking a little closer at one of the bubbles to see Damocles being chased by what looked like a bunch of owls.
"We are in the dream world." Tiki replied in her mind sounding more echolike than normal.
If she had been in her normal body she would have gotten goosebumps but here the sensation was muted here sending the slightest of shivers through her form. Looking down at her hands didn't help since they were the slightest bit see through, as if she were not quite real.
"I think I would be freaking out right now if I were in the real world…" Ladybug murmured her sensations and emotions feeling distinctly muted at the moment.
"Yes probably." Tiki admitted "There is a reason why this power-up isn't used often. It makes you feel quite… detached in some cases."
"Detached huh?" Ladybug murmured rolling the word around. It was a good way to describe how she felt even though she really didn't like it. "Am I going to feel like this the whole time fighting? It's very distracting."
"I don't know." Tiki admitted "It might be better once you enter a dream."
"Ok… well at least I don't have to worry about being injured here since it's a dream." Ladybug sighed. She hated getting hurt while fighting Akuma and while major injuries were healed by Miraculous Cure there were numerous times where slight sprains, bruises, and cuts were not. Since they were in the dream world though-
"Your physical body might not get injured but your mind will remember the injury." Tiki warned her voice eerily serious. "If you get injured too badly here your mind can easily send your body into shock. You must be careful. Probably even more so here than in the real world."
Nodding Ladybug reached out to the next closest bubble. This one held someone she didn't know. They were running down a path while a ghost raced after them and frowning Ladybug waved the bubble aside. A small part of her wanted to dive in and rescue that person but Adrien came first.
"How do I find Adrien in all this?" Ladybug wondered and as she did the space around her shifted the bubbles drifting past her until a single bubble hung close to her. "Really it's that easy?"
"This is the dream world. It follows its own laws. I wish the fox was here. They can navigate so much easier in these realms. Unfortunately mine and Plaggs powers just aren't compatible with this space." Tiki bemoaned even as Ladybug drifted closer to the bubble.
Looking in Ladybug spied Adrien running down a rooftop struggling to make it somewhere and yet with every step he took wind seemed to blow him back two. A kind of fury ignited in Ladybug because she could see the fear in his eyes and it pissed her off that an Akuma was doing this for any reason at all.
"Let me in!" Ladybug commanded gripping the bubble tight in her hands.
A sucking sensation pulled at her, dropping the bottom out of her stomach then she was standing at the top of a nondescript roof gazing out at a Paris that seemed lifeless and empty.
"Wow weird…" Ladybug shivered, the detached feeling thankfully gone as she looked around trying to find Adrien. "Tiki… my dream mostly took place in the flashlight tag maze. How am I supposed to find Adrien in all of this?"
"Follow your instincts Marinette." Tiki replied and Ladybug sighed as she picked a random direction that just felt right to go in.
Running across the rooftops was easy since everything on them seemed to be missing. Most rooftops had some sort of equipment on them from pipes, to air-conditioning units, to rooftop gardens that people took care of. These roofs were all empty, perfectly flat, and not even the colors around her seemed to be correct. The sky was a greyish blue while the streets down below were devoid of life and objects. The only odd thing Ladybug could see was that far off in the distance was something that looked like a gray fog. Biting her lip Ladybug wondered if it were tied to this dream or if maybe she should check it out but something told her to keep moving forward. With a shrug Ladybug did all the while noting the things that were missing around her. It was like the Akuma had simply forgotten to add the details to the world since they didn't deem them important. Or maybe that's how dreams normally were. Ladybug wasn't really sure.
"Please!" Adrien cried his voice carrying easily since it was literally the only sound besides Ladybugs heavy breathing.
"Adrien!" Ladybug yelped turning towards the direction she heard his voice coming from.
Clearing a peaked roof Ladybug dropped in on one of the most unnerving sights she had ever witnessed. Two clear boxes hung even at the edge of the building off of a frame that resembled a scale. Both were strung out over the street and sitting between them was a timer that was swiftly counting down. It was like a mission impossible set up and the weirdest part was that in one box was her as Marinette while the other box held her super hero persona. Both versions were striking at the boxes that held them, each begging Adrien to choose them. Each kept repeating "I don't want to die! Please save me!" and Adrien was stuck between them holding cords that connected to the boxes that from the look of things kept the boxes hanging in place.
A cold voice sounded out from a speaker set into the odd contraption "You cannot save them both Adrien. You may not even be able to save one of them at the rate you are going. So choose and quit dragging this mess out. Or would you like me to choose instead? Only two of you can walk off this roof alive."
Furious with the scene before her Ladybug ran towards Adrien who had stood. "It's impossible to choose between them. I won't play this stupid game… I'd rather die myself!"
He did something to the cords and when he ducked under them Ladybug realized he had tied them together. Ladybug bolted for Adrien since she had an idea of what he was planning on doing and he was almost to the edge when she heard him saying "They leave together. I'm the one who falls."
Then the idiot jumped off the building. Thankfully Ladybug moved faster than he could fall and she snagged him by the back of his shirt as his feet cleared the edge. She was going to pull him back or throw out her yo-yo but the world around them twisted dissolving in a swirl of color. Ladybug was unable to move and even Adrien stared forwards seemingly unaware of the changing scenery. Suddenly the world snapped back into focus and they were at the top of the Eiffel Tower staring down at the excruciating long drop. They fell as everything solidified and Ladybug just barely managed to catch the railing before they plunged all the way past the top. Even though Ladybug knew it was a dream her heart still jerked uncomfortably as she saw her feet and Adrien's hanging with nothing below.
"Oh Crap!" Ladybug yelped as Adrien swung under her by the back of his shirt. She didn't have the best grip and she could feel that he was slipping. "Adrien! Adrien Agreste, you stupid, wonderful, pun loving idiot you had better look up at me this instant!"
To her surprise Adrien did his eyes a dull green and his coloration from his skin to his clothes seemed duller than what they should be. "L-Ladybug?" He asked cautiously "H-how?! I-I saw her fall… I-I couldn't save Marinette!"
Adrien's shirt slipped a little further and yet he had no reaction to it, he simply hung limp in her grasp. Ladybug felt her heart clench. Was this what he was afraid of? Watching her die helplessly? Was that why he constantly took hits for her?! It made a weird sort of sense and Ladybug could feel her heart breaking.
"You saved Marinette Adrien. You have saved me too, far too many times for it to be fair. I-I guess it's time for me to save you." Ladybug said softly and let go of the bar keeping them up.
Adrien's eyes widened slightly, the green in his irises brightening and then they were falling. Adrien twisted in her grip as they fell wrapping his arms around Ladybug in a protective gesture and Ladybug chuckled a bit even as the wind blew his hair into her eyes. The ground wasn't really getting any closer for her since they weren't actually falling in her mind but to Adrien they must have been because she heard him cry "WHY?"
Ladybug pulled back, pressing her hands to his cheeks and forcing him to look her in the eyes. "Because I need you at my side as my partner. Plagg is waiting for you Adrien. It's time to wake up."
Truthfully Ladybug had no idea if it would work but Tikis comment of not knowing if the kiss would work on the waking side had made Ladybug wonder. Plus it was an excuse to kiss Adrien and in all honesty tonight she was feeling quite brave. Closing her eyes Ladybug closed the gap her lips pressing to his as warmth shot through her. A sensation like bubbles fizzing across her skin swept through her and then she was suddenly standing on the street. Ladybug shyly opened her eyes only to find her hands cupping nothing while dull colorless people passed her by ignoring her completely.
"What the hell?!" Ladybug demanded stomping her foot as she looked around. "I finally kiss the boy of my dreams and I don't even get to see his reaction?!"
"Well technically you have already kissed him once under dark Cupid…" Tiki pointed out.
"That doesn't count and you know it." Ladybug growled in answer then sighed rubbing at her eyes. "Fine, fine. Since he isn't here I assume that means I managed to wake him up. Sooo… where are we now?"
"The next dream over maybe?" Tiki supplied unsure. "Clearly this is a dream so I'd suggest we start walking and hopefully we will find whoever this dream belongs too."
Ladybug's shoulders slumped a little bit but with a small sigh she started walking. Grayish people passed her on all sides as she walked and Ladybug nearly screamed when she made the mistake of peering up at one persons face only to realize that it was essentially formless. They didn't seem to notice Ladybug at all one or two bumping past her in an unhurried walk. The formless people filled the street though making hard to tell what was before her since she was shorter than everyone here.
"Ok definitely a dream but seriously who's dream are we in?!" Ladybug demanded and unnerved by the formless people shuffling around her she tossed her yo-yo out to swing up onto the roofs.
Hitting the rooftops Ladybug grimaced as she looked around thinking that this particular Akuma had to be lazy or something. Unlike Adrien's dream where the city was intact, other than the rooftop she was standing on the rest of the city essentially didn't exist. At the edge of the rooftop off to her right everything dissolving into gray fog like nothingness and the same thing appeared to be happening on the other side of the street. Although a second glance made Ladybug wonder because it almost looked like the grayness was inching closer. Blinking to clear her vision Ladybug crept a little closer to the greyed out edge and after a second confirmed that the grayness was slowly inching in.
"Is the dream closing in on itself or something? Is that what this gray fog stuff is?" Ladybug asked curiously backing away from the fog like wall. Part of her wanted to poke it but Ladybug had a feeling that if she did the Akuma would notice her and that wouldn't be good at the moment.
"As the victim is consumed by their nightmare this fog probably closes in to ensure that they stay trapped. Whosever dream this is, they have fallen into the nightmare extraordinarily quick." Tiki replied.
Unnerved by the idea of being consumed by her own nightmare Ladybug turned away from the fog wall and back to the main street below her. It stretched out in a straight line framed by buildings that had no entrance, exits, or windows, while those formless grayed out people wandered down the street in straight lines. No cars lined the street nor any chairs or tables and as Ladybug started running she wondered if the street went on forever. Running took no effort but Ladybug kept an eye on the fog since it appeared to be creeping in faster than before. The sounds of someone sobbing eventually caught her attention as she ran and Ladybug skidded to a halt noting how the formless people were suddenly moving differently. If the formless had been moving like ants in straight lines before they were now moving like ants who's hill had been kicked over. They were shifting in circles like sharks that smelled blood one or two breaking off to hassle a figure that was on the ground. The figure scrambled to their feet and struggled forward with the cry of "MOM! Please wait!" only to be tripped by one of the formless. A nasty round of sniggering rose in the air as the figure hit the ground and Ladybug launched herself from her perch. Landing on two of the formless who seemed ready to heckle the figure Ladybug bounced off as they hit the ground landing so her back was to the figure hunched on the ground. The figure didn't move and Ladybug pulled her yo-yo out, spinning it rapidly to force the formless back if they swooped into attack. The formless she had taken out simply ignored her returning to circle since the figure had yet to get up.
"Are you ok?" Ladybug asked taking her eyes off the formless and putting her hand out to the nearly colorless figure on the ground.
They ignored her, or maybe they had been sucked so far into the dream they didn't even see Ladybug. Adrien certainly hadn't really noticed her till she forced him to maybe this person would be the same.
"Mom wait!" they cried again managing to get to their feet and Ladybug recognized Chloe as she ran past.
"Chloe?!" Ladybug demanded surprised because this Chloe didn't look anything like her normal self. This Chloe was small and childlike as if she had been de-aged somehow. Her colors were washed out as well, her bright blond hair a dirty gray straw color and her clothes all muted to grayer shades.
Chloe didn't notice her and Ladybug followed her noting that the only thing of real color in this world seemed to be a figure that was just barely clear through the formless shifting bodies. It was this figure that Chloe chased with the formless constantly getting in her way, tripping her up, and laughing at her as she failed again and again to get through.
"Mommy wait! Please I'll be good!" Chloe sobbed as she struggled to her feet again.
Ladybug wasn't sure how but Chloe managed to push through the formless and Ladybug followed her knocking the formless over in the hopes that they wouldn't be able to catch back up. If Ladybug could help Chloe reach her mom perhaps she would become aware again and Ladybug would be able to wake her up. It was some sort of plan at least so Ladybug knocked over any formless that tried to get in Chloe's way until they caught up with the figure that had moved steadily away from them. Glancing around Ladybug saw how the fog had drifted to the edges of the buildings on either side of the street. Feeling suddenly nervous Ladybug wondered if maybe she should try and snap Chloe out of her dream a different way but Chloe had caught up to her mom and lunged forward to wrap her arms about her waist.
"Mommy!" Chloe sobbed making the figure freeze in their tracks. The street around them vanished along with the formless and it was hard to tell the fogs location now since there were no more defining edges.
"Charles…er Cassie…no Chloe." The figure grumbled jerking Chloe off herself "What have I said about hugging me after gallivanting about? You children ruin everything! I don't know how your father talked me into having you."
Chloe seemed to shrink in on herself a little more as her mom continued to berate her while Ladybug stared on in horror. She couldn't imagine her mom ever saying something so horrible to her and Ladybug wondered if this is what Chloes mom was really like or if it was just a twisted version of her. "I'm not sure this is just a dream anymore Marinette…" Tiki whispered nearly making Ladybug scream.
"What do you mean?" Ladybug hissed as loud as she dared while Chloes mom continued moaning about how terrible children were.
"This feels different from before… less like a dream and more like a memory. They do say that all dreams start from a truth no matter how odd or terrible they might be." Tiki answered
Whether it was a dream or not there was no way Ladybug could just stand there and let this travesty continue. Stepping forward Ladybug reached for Chloe's mom ready to demand an apology on behalf of her daughter but Ladybugs hands went right through her. Jerking back Ladybug glanced down at her hand to make sure she was solid and looked up to find a younger mayor coming into view.
"Come now Audry dear why have you made her upset? You know we need her to look good for the pictures in an hour." Andre asked glancing down at Chloe.
Ladybug half expected him to bend over and pull Chloe up while promising her any number of ridiculous things but he just stared down at her with an odd disinterested look on his face.
"Oh she's fine. If she doesn't look perfect we can just say she had a stomach thing and leave her in her room. Now come dear we have somewhere to be." Audry simpered and led Andre away.
Chloe's Parents faded from view as their voices continued and by this point small Chloe had crouched low to the ground hands pressed over her ears while tears leaked from her shut eyes. Understanding dawned and Ladybug felt her fury blaze. Even though Ladybug didn't like Chloe all that much she felt for her. This was Chloes worst nightmare. To be ignored by the people she needed love and attention from most while simultaneously being struck down by the masses that surrounded her. Chloe's haughty attitude was a front and behind it was a scared little girl who was overall ignored by people who should be loving towards her. Suddenly her attitude as well as her demands upon everyone else started making sense. Chloe was not in the right for doing all the terrible things she did but they made better sense now to Ladybug now.
"Chloe…" Ladybug whispered pity in her tone as she dropped to her haunches next to the now sobbing little girl.
Half expecting her hand to go through her Ladybug was relieved when she touched Chloe and found her to be solid. There was no reaction from Chloe at all and reaching out Ladybug gathered Chloe to her, wrapping the sad little girl up in her arms.
"Why don't they love me Sabrina?" Chloe whimpered clearly not seeing Ladybug for who she was.
"Oh Chloe…" Ladybug murmured holding her a little tighter. "If that really was a memory and not part of this twisted dream I definitely shouldn't meet your mother… I'll punch her in the face."
Chloe sniffed on Ladybugs shoulder "Daddy buys me whatever I want but he doesn't kiss me goodnight like your daddy does."
Finding herself speechless with rage Ladybug stroked her fingers through Chloe's hair for a minute as she wrestled her feelings under control. The fog was sneaking ever closer and taking a deep breath Ladybug set Chloe back down. Gently she forced the small Chloe to look up at her and Ladybug shivered at the dull unseeing look in the child's eyes. It was like the lights were on but no one was home and it worried Ladybug on several levels.
"Chloe do you know who I am?" Ladybug asked
A tremor went through Chloe and a flicker of consciousness drifted across her gaze. "You're not Sabrina."
Forcing herself to smile Ladybug gripped Chloes small hands in hers. "No I'm definitely not Sabrina. I'm Ladybug Chloe… You're slowly being trapped in a nightmare and I am here to rescue you. Do you remember me?"
Chloe blinked slowly and Ladybug watched as color seemed to seep back into her eyes. "I-I like Ladybug… she makes me feel safe… she saved me you know. We are best friends."
Ladybug chuckled "I remember saving you, more than once really. I need you to remember all those times I've saved you and I need you to wake up… This is a nightmare. It's not real."
Chloe tilted her head a bit looking a little uncertain but as Ladybug glanced around them she could see that the fog had stopped creeping in.
"It's not real?" Chloe asked looking around them. For the first time it seemed like she was able to see the nothingness and the odd gray fog that had been closing in. A frown covered her young face as the color in her eyes seemed to grow just a bit brighter. "I-I got stuck in something like this before with that dumb picture Akuma…"
Relief hit Ladybug like a truck and she stood up putting a hand down to help pull Chloe to her feet. "That's right Chloe. This is another Akuma's ability and it has your mind trapped in a nightmare."
"An Akuma…" Chloe murmured her features aging away from the little child she had been when Ladybug found her and coming closer to her actual teen age form.
Around them the fog swirled unhappily, grudgingly retreating from the space where Chloe and Ladybug stood. Ladybug didn't really notice the fogs retreat until it revealed a figure with it's back to Chloe and Ladybug.