I wrote this instead of sleeping. I hope you're happy. Probably going to be lots of dialogue in this chapter so be warned.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

Sitting quietly, Marinette waited for the sailor to finish making his tea, before starting. The man sat down slowly and took a sip of his tea, before speaking, "So what are you looking for?"

Marinette sighed and stared into her cup trying to find the words, "I'm looking for answers." She raised her head and looked into his eyes, "What can you tell me about Ladybug and Tikki?"

If he had had anything in his mouth it would have been forcefully expelled at her question. As it was, he recoiled slightly and looked around to make sure no specters had appeared. "Miss, you might want to be careful. To most sailing folks even mentioning those names is bad luck and almost enough to cancel a voyage. They fear it'll summon them like they're some kind of demon."

"So you can't tell me about them?" Marinette asked sadly.

"Many would say that they wouldn't dare." The kind captain smiled mischievously, "But you're in luck because I believe that telling stories makes everyone just a little bit greater. So I'm gonna tell you what I know."

"Thank you."

He heaved a deep sigh, "You may want to hold off on that thanks, little miss. Ladybug and Tikki are quite the pair. Lots of stories about them, but very few solid facts. Some say that Tikki is a ship larger than life with a crew of over ten thousand terrifying pirates and that Ladybug is a giant of a man that'll kill you as soon as look at ya. Others say that Tikki is barely bigger than my own Lavender here, and that Ladybug is a vigilante, bringing her own brand of justice to the seas. There are even those that think Ladybug isn't a human but some kind of angel or demon depending, and Tikki is just their mode of transport."

"What do you believe?"

Lavender's captain huffed, "I believe that they're just a normal captain and boat that enjoy causing a bit of mischief."

Marinette looked past her new friend towards the little window that showed the open ocean, something about these stories seemed familiar, "Is there anything that the stories can agree on?"

"Very little. Though most agree that, if it's convenient for them, the crew of Ladybug will help out smaller ships. They're also pretty quiet in the years when farming and trading are tough."

The two talked for a while longer, Marinette asking questions and him answering to the best of his ability. Tea was drunk and refilled many times, and as they spoke, bits and pieces of conversation would stick out to her, never enough to trigger a memory, but always a sense of deja vu. Before long it was close to dawn and Marinette had to go, lest she be discovered missing.

"I hope this helped you, missy."

"I think it did. At the very least it gave me a lot to chew on." Marinette waved goodbye to her friend, but before she began the trek back she had one more question, "We've spent hours talking, and I've never once asked your name. What do they call you?"

"If you must call me something, call me Carapace."

"Well, goodbye Captain Carapace and may wind always fill your sails and the waves see you smoothly to your destination." Marinette had no idea what had caused her to say that, but it felt right, so with a smile and another wave, she headed off.

Once she was a good distance away did Carapace softly reply, "And may fortune and glory always dog your heels, Captain Ladybug."

Still short, but better, right?

Hope you enjoyed!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!