She sat for a good hour listening to the little kwami talk. According to Shii, originally there had been 14 Miraculouses created. 7 to embody the light and 7 to embody the dark. Over the centuries that the Miraculouses had existed, the dark ones had been lost or destroyed. Shii wasn't entirely sure how he'd gotten to this point, but he was perfectly happy as long as he was with someone.

"You have become the new wielder of my Miraculous." He said. "That of the white cat. With the power of..." The kwami did a little drum roll. "Nullification. You can take away the powers of others. For a time."

"That's pretty powerful."

"Of course, the rules are the same as with all the others." Shii waved a paw. "How long it lasts depends on how much power you exert. The longest it's lasted is a day."

"Isn't it a bit cruel to do that to someone?" Jeanne asked, starting to wring her hands. She didn't want to take away her brother's power, especially knowing how much it meant to him.

"It's just a power. It's not cruel."

"You're...You're sure?"

Shii smiled a big Cheshire Cat grin. "Would I lie to you, kid?"

And so began Jeanne's career as Chat Blanc. Every time, Adrien would come back from fighting and complain endlessly to his sister about Blanc. Jeanne would smile and nod and hide her sketchbook, the one that had the drawings she'd created of the man who would become Chat Blanc. She knew this was a bad idea. Deep down she knew this was something she shouldn't be doing. But she couldn't help herself. It was so nice to finally be able to be someone else, not Jeanne Agreste, not the perfect daughter or kindly sister. No responsibilities, no worries, just freedom. It was wrong. She knew that. But it was so much easier to just push her problems away rather than deal with them. Of course, Adrien knew something was wrong, he always did. He couldn't prove anything though. There was no way he'd even consider the possibility. That was what kept her safe.

.

She had gone to Adrien's school that day in order to give the students some art lessons. Well, they'd actually called another artist, but she had been called away for an emergency situation and Adrien had recommended Jeanne. He sat there like a puppy dog in the first row, so excited to get her "professional" opinion. It almost made her forget that she'd been going behind his back and battling him. She had to admit, the kids in Adrien's class had some pretty good artistic talent. Marinette had a cute cartoony style while Nino and Alya had a more simplistic way of drawing. Rose had beautiful sketches of plants, and Juleka could draw the most amazing shine on a mirror. Kim understood motion very well and Max could draw circuitry with a level of detail Jeanne hadn't seen before. Then she got to Nathanael. He'd been hunched over for the most part, completely focused on whatever it was he was doing. Jeanne walked up behind him, trying to get a look at his work. It turned out to be a comic depicting him saving Marinette from Stormy Weather and Lady Wifi as a superhero.

"This is amazing!." She gasped and leaned over Nathanael's shoulder to get a better look. "Your perspective is excellent, and your proportions are very well done. True, your shading does need a bit of work, but you're a rather accomplished artist for your age."

"Th-Thanks." Nathanael flushed and looked away. "I practice a lot."

"It's certainly paying off." She smiled. "Keep it up."

"Jeeeaaannetteeee! You haven't even gotten to me!" Chloé whined.

"I'll be there in a moment Chloé, be patient." Jeanne's smile faltered a considerable bit as she made her way down to the blond heiress. Chloé had drawn a picture of her and Adrien kissing. It was in a cute little anime style, something she'd probably learned from Adrien.

"It's very nice, Chloé." Jeanne said. "I especially like the detail on the clothing."

"Mine's the best, right?" Chloé flipped her hair, obviously expecting Jeanne to agree with her. Unfortunately, she did not.

"Well, it is good," Jeanne began. "But your proportions still need some work. Not to mention the hands are a bit wonky. Still, I'm sure with work you'll get even better." It was the same advice all her art teachers had given her when she'd been taking lessons.

"So Tomato Boy is better than me?!" Chloé sprung up, looking utterly furious.

"Chloé, I never said that." Jeanne couldn't help but sigh.

"Miss Bourgeois, please sit down." Miss Bustier took as kind and calm a tone as she could. Chloé made a screeching sound but sat down, arms folded.

"I think that's enough excitement." Miss Bustier looked apologetically at Jeanne. "Thank you again for coming on such short notice."

Jeanne picked up her bag. "Oh, it was no problem, really. Have a nice day." And with a wave, she left the classroom. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. She could sense someone would be akumatized soon.

"Your first real mission." Shii whispered from inside her bag. "This'll be exciting." A few moments later Nathanael exited the classroom, tears in his eyes.

Blanc smiled. "Let's have some fun."

The Evillustrator stood up and looked around, a singular goal in mind. First, he had to humiliate Chloé the way she'd humiliated him. Then, he would sweep Marinette off her feet.

"So you're Nathanael." Someone said from behind Evillustrator. "At least your costume isn't nearly as ridiculous as some of the others." He turned around to find the source of the voice. He recognized Chat Blanc in an instant. There were few in the city who didn't know of the villain by now.

"Thank you?"

"You're welcome." Blanc grinned and slapped Evillustrator's back. "Anyway, I'm looking forward to working with you. I hear your artistic skills are pretty great."

"What do you mean, 'work with me'?" Evillustrator asked.

"Oh, you don't know?" Blanc's expression shifted to that of a frown. "I thought everyone had figured it out by now. I help people like you, those who have been bestowed with Hawkmoth's little butterflies." He smiled again. "Consider me a bodyguard. I'm just here to make sure everything goes smoothly for you. Whatever you need, I'll do it. Especially if it involves teaching Miss Bourgeois a lesson."

"You'll help me do that?" Evillustrator's eyes widened.

"Of course. It's my job."

The two moved to the library where Marinette and Sabrina had begun to fight with Chloé. It was something about Sabrina and Marinette not wanting to do all of the work for some physics presentation. While they'd been sneaking, well while Blanc had been sneaking, he'd caught some of a conversation between Marinette and Chloé.

"I think I heard our dear Miss Bourgeois complaining about her hair." Blanc said innocently. "Why don't we help her with that?"

"She mentioned a beret too." Evillustrator murmured, beginning to draw. First, a beret dropped onto Chloé's head, mussing her hair a bit. But it wasn't enough. Next came a hairdryer. A giant hairdryer that followed Chloé and utterly destroyed the pristine hairstyle Chloé was so proud of.

"Pardon me." Blanc separated from Evillustrator, climbing up into the library rafters. He dropped down to snatch the beret off Chloé's head.

"Miss Bourgeois." He cooed. "We really must stop meeting like this."

Chloé shrieked and ran away from him, and right into the path of the hairdryer. She was sobbing, trying to cover her hair.

"Please! Please!" She screamed. "Not the hair!"

"It's just hair, dear." Blanc sighed, spinning the beret on one clawed finger. "Small price to pay for being such a bully if you ask me."

"But everyone loves me!"

Blanc's smile vanished, the beret crushed in his hand. How dare she? After everything Chloé had done, the girl had the gall to claim that everyone loved her. Did she even know how much pain she had caused? How many people she'd hurt? More importantly, did Chloé even care?

"No one loves you Chloé. You're a monster." He whispered.

"Get away from her!" Ladybug yelled. In an instant, she and Chat had appeared. It had taken them long enough. Ladybug disintegrated the hairdryer with her as Chat rushed Blanc.

"As you wish." Blanc dropped the hat and darted back to where Evillustrator was.

"That guy looks pretty sketchy." Chat said.

"Clever boy." Blanc rolled his eyes. "You done?" He turned to Evillustrator.

"Yeah, I'm done."

"Well then, let's go." The two villains turned and ran. The heroes gave chase, but Evillustrator had the upper hand, drawing a wall between them, allowing the villains to escape. Once they were a safe enough distance away, Evillustrator put a hand on Blanc's shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked. "I know Chloé's bad, but you seemed really upset."

"It's nothing." Blanc forced himself to smile. "You don't need to worry about it. Just past experiences rearing their ugly heads."

"You were bullied?"

"It's not something I talk about, kid." She'd never been free with her pain. Admitting she was hurt had always caused things to get worse. Crying was weakness. Sharing her pain was weakness. She couldn't say anything, even as Blanc. It would be letting them win by thinking about it. She'd destroy them. One by one.

"Is that why you became a villain? Because of people like Chloé?"

"Nathanael," his voice was soft and measured. "Let it go. Please."

"...Okay."

"So, what's next?" Blanc sprung back into his usual bright state. "That thing with Chloé can't be the only thing you've got planned."

"Well, today is my birthday." Evillustrator said. "And I wanted to have Marinette celebrate with me. She's really nice and she's nothing like Chloé!"

"Sounds like someone has a crush." Blanc couldn't help but laugh a little. "This Marinette girl seems like a real sweetheart. I'm happy to help."

Evillustrator's face lit up. "Great! Her house is this way."

Marinette's house wasn't too far from the school so it didn't take long to get over. They had to wait until Marinette got home to invite her to Nathanael's little party though.

"Do you think she'll say yes?" Evillustrator asked as they sat on the roof and watched Marinette's window. "I really hope she says yes."

"Calm down kiddo!" Blanc slapped his back. "Everything'll be fine, I'm sure of it! You're a sweet kid. I'm sure she'd love to hang out with you. But don't fault her if she gets a little freaked out at first. We don't exactly look normal."

"Oh...right."

Just then they saw Marinette enter her room.

"Showtime." Blanc stood up and stretched. "Go on then." Evillustrator made the jump to the window ledge and began erasing the window. Blanc waited until Evillustrator was in the room before following suit.

"It's you! The one from the library!" Marinette said. "What are you doing here?" Blanc had to say, she was doing a rather good job of covering up the fact that she knew what was going on.

"I wanted to see you." Evillustrator said.

"Okay...But why attack Chloé?" Marinette asked.

"Why do you think?" Blanc arched an eyebrow. "If you ask me we let her off lightly, given how cruel and selfish the girl is."

"What he said."

"Can't argue with that...Are you going to hurt me?" Marinette asked.

Evillustrator was taken aback. "You? You're Marinette! You're beautiful and sweet and... you're perfect and I could never hurt you!"

"Wow...that's, uh... very, umm...flattering! Uh, thank you?" Marinette blushed and looked anywhere but at Evillustrator, which meant her eyes landed on Blanc.

"So, I just came by to ask you," Evillustrator continued, unfazed. "It, uh, well, it's my birthday today, and, uh, would you wanna come to my party?" As Evillustrator and Marinette talked, Blanc let his eyes roam around the room. Marinette had a lot of pictures of Adrien taped up around her room. If she knew who Blanc really was, the girl would be scrambling to take them down. She didn't have to worry though. Blanc wasn't about to spill any secrets. Jeanne had already told Adrien she was pretty sure Marinette had a crush on him. Now they were certain. It was almost cute. He found himself smiling softly. If only those two weren't so dense. Suddenly Evillustrator tapped his shoulder.

"We have to get ready." The boy was practically shining.

"Of course." Blanc looked back and winked at Marinette. "See you later, my lady." Before Marinette could say anything he was out the window with Evillustrator and gone.

"That went well, I'm assuming?" He asked as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop behind Evillustrator.

"Yes! She's coming to the party! I have to make it perfect."

"Good luck." Blanc didn't want this to end. He liked working with this kid. Nathanael wasn't nearly as angry and villainous as the others Blanc had aligned himself with. He had such pure goals, well aside from ruining Chloé's hair. But still, it hadn't been that bad. They'd just blown Chloé's hair around a lot, nothing more. It was almost refreshing to just help the kid woo Marinette.

"I'll meet you at the Seine, okay?" Blanc stopped hopping. "I just need to talk to someone." He took off over the rooftops, back to Marinette's house. As expected, Chat had shown up to play the knight in shining armour. He was making some big grand speech. Blanc wrinkled his nose and dropped down next to them.

"I need to talk to you." He said, his cheerfulness vanishing. "Both of you." Chat drew his weapon and stepped in front of Marinette.

"Put it away, kid. I'm not going to attack." Blanc rolled his eyes. "Just hear what I have to say." Chat narrowed his eyes, Marinette doing the same. He knew they didn't trust him, who would at this point? He just needed them to listen.

"Look, just let the kid have his fantasy, okay?" Blanc said. "Yes, he messed with Chloé, but she did kinda deserve it. If you don't want to go, I get it. Just..." He sighed. "He's not that much of a threat. God knows he's better than half the akumatized victims I've worked with. Just let him have his thing. Please. I'll get him to give over his tablet afterwards and everything will be fine. He'll be satisfied." No one said anything. Chat still had his weapon raised. Marinette still looked ready to transform.

"Please." Blanc said again. "I like this kid. I don't want a big fight."

"That's not like you." Chat said.

"Like I said, I like this kid."

Chat looked back at Marinette and then at Blanc. "If you can guarantee no one else will get hurt then fine, we'll do it."

"I swear, no one else will get hurt."

.

And no one did. Although there was a brief scuffle in which Hawkmoth tried to take over Evillustrator's body, the whole thing went smoothly. Marinette had a decent time, but let Nathanael down easy about her feelings towards him. He took it better than expected and was happy to be her friend as long as he still got to be around her. For once, the story had a happy ending. Of course, Hawkmoth was none too pleased with Blanc, but it wasn't like Blanc had ever cared what Hawkmoth thought.

"That was boring." Shii whined once they were back in Jeanne's room. "Couldn't you at least have let them duke it out?"

"No!" Jeanne's voice came out sharp. "I mean...No. Nathanael deserved better than that. He deserved a happy ending."

"Ugh, fine." Shii rolled over. "Rub my belly. I want three rubs exactly."

"Alright alright." Jeanne said, laughing. "Three and then you'll bite?"

"Clever girl."

She petted Shii for an hour afterwards, composing an email with her free hand. She reached out to Nathanael, asking if he wanted art lessons from her, or if he didn't like that she could introduce him to Théo. It was rare for her to find someone who reminded her so much of herself. She had to make sure he'd be okay. She pushed Shii into a drawer when Adrien entered the room.

"Hey, everyone okay?" She asked, looking up from her laptop.

"Yeah..." Adrien nodded vaguely, sitting down on the floor across from her. "Something...Something weird happened today."

"What was it?"

"Blanc actually helped someone."

She feigned the appropriate amount of surprise. "That's certainly unusual. At least no one got hurt though. No one did get hurt, right?"

"Just Chloé's hair."

"Well...maybe he's not so bad." Jeanne suggested. "If he helped someone maybe there's good in him after all." Adrien scowled at the air and stood up again.

"I don't know..." He said. "There's still something off about him." He turned and left to his room, closing the door behind him. Jeanne looked back at her computer. She was lucky her brother was so dense. Otherwise, he would have figured her out by now. It was only a matter of time, really.