div class="userstuff module" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 1088.64px; float: none; word-wrap: break-word; color: #2a2a2a;"
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Oh my goodness, Tikki, have you ever heard of such an awful thing?" Marinette sat at her desk, very clearly distracted from her homework./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""What's going on, Marinette?"br /"On the news, there was a man who burned his own house down after he fired all of his servants. He and two of the firefighters who tried to rescue him died in the fire."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Hey, that's around where Adrien lives, isn't it?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Looks like it. We're really lucky that the fire didn't spread. I should have done something. As Ladybug. Maybe I could have stopped the fire…"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""What's done is done, Marinette. If you had known, you would have gone out of your way to help. But there isn't any point in dwelling on it."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""I guess. But I don't get it, Tikki. I've heard a few of the things that people say about him, and it sounded like he was a completely self-satisfied snob, to the point where he just sounds like an awful person. A freak suicide from someone like that is a lot less likely than foul play."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Marinette, it isn't fair to judge. You really don't know if he was suffering some kind of mental illness or dealing with grief. People do and say a lot of things to cover up how they're hurting inside."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""That doesn't make it right, Tikki…" Marinette sighed. Her head was swimming with thoughts of the fire….oh, if that fire had spread, and hurt Adrien, or Mr. Agreste, or the other innocent people on that block...she wouldn't have forgiven herself. "Although you're probably right. I shouldn't worry about it."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Marinette, you're forgetting something."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""I am?"br /Tikki exasperatedly nudged Marinette's digital clock, which currently read 18:13. It took Marinette a second. She closed her eyes./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""I'm late for patrol with Cat Noir, aren't I."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Tikki nodded silently. This was par for the course./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Transform me, Tikki."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"~~~~~/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Cat Noir! I'm sorry I'm late!"br /"It's not a problem, m'lady," he said, waving her sins away. Still, he looked downcast. Ladybug took a seat on the rooftop beside him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Is something wrong, kitten?" she said softly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""I'm a little shaken, is all." He snuck her a sad, slightly twisted smile. "Did you hear about that man on the news? The one who burned his house down?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Yeah, actually. George Ector, right? The rich guy from England." Cat Noir nodded sharply./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Poor man," she continued. "...and those two innocent firefighters. I wish I had done something."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""I knew him. Friend of the family," Cat Noir coughed./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"There was a heavy pause, and Ladybug turned away. "I'm...sorry for your loss," she muttered lamely./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""It's just...I don't really get it. I didn't know him that well, and he wasn't exactly the greatest guy, but it was such a weird thing to do."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Ladybug bit her tongue. Tikki's advice earlier was on the money. Cat Noir couldn't possibly know the man well enough to judge him fairly, could he? But before she could chide him with Tikki's words, he continued./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Ladybug, I saw him a few days before it happened, and that kind of thing is really out of character for him."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"She let out a strangled "Really?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""He's an angry guy most of the time. He's more into revenge than anything." Ladybug stared at him in confusion. Cat Noir turned back to her. "I ran into his secretary that day, too - right after she quit working for him. From what I heard, he must have harassed her for years. He threatened to ruin her life. And he definitely had the connections to go through with it, so I don't think dying was really a part of his plan."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Ladybug chewed on her lip, processing all this. " I'm surprised there was no Akuma involved. It sounds like Hawkmoth missed his chance…unless maybe the secretary had done something?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Cat shook his head. "She was in Germany long before the fire. I don't think Hawkmoth can reach that far, and he's never killed. Even if he could…"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Ladybug nodded. "We would have seen something by now. Hawkmoth's Akumas are kind of...loud." She giggled awkwardly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Yeah," He croaked. For a few moments, they were silent./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Hey, Kitten?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Yes, Bugaboo?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""We should probably start our patrol," she said quietly, standing up./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Cat noir stood up quickly and shook himself out of his confusion. "Of course, my lady." He added an obligatory wink and gestured grandly to the night. "Ladies first."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""What a gentleman," she huffed, stepping off the ledge and careening into the darkness. Cat Noir followed not long after./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"~~~~~/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""A patrol at 18:30 every night?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Yes, monsieur. That appears to be the case."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Hawkmoth pulled back from his conversation with Weber, impressed. Even if she hadn't obtained either miraculous yet, she had gleaned more important information about Ladybug and Cat Noir than all his villains over the past four months combined. He was half inclined to hire her unakumatized./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"This, however, did very little to quell his unease. Ector's death was quite the shock to both himself and poor Adrien. He had been untransformed at the time, and thankfully out of the house, but he regretted not keeping a tighter leash on Weber. He usually made it a point not to kill or maim Parisians. He just wanted the miraculous./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Once he learned how easily Weber had crossed the border (while her physical body slumbered in a car on the side of a German highway) and brutally murdered Ector, he decided to put restrictions on her powers. Now, her victims had to be physically wounded (nonlethally) in addition to eye contact. Much to Hawkmoth's dismay, Weber began carrying a knife./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"For the first time, Hawkmoth questioned the scope of the power of the butterfly miraculous. If he truly wanted, he could wreak true destruction upon Paris simply by finding someone willing to take the deal. There were always plenty of cruel people willing to kill on a whim. But he was a man with principles. Not a killer./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"In the meantime, he resolved to keep a closer eye on Weber. She might be deadly, but she was too effective to lose as an ally. Hawkmoth could take no chances./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Monsieur?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Hawkmoth jolted out of his reverie. "Forgive me, Possessor. You've done excellently thus far. This information will serve you well in your pursuit of their miraculous," he said, masking his dread best he could. "However, I must ask that you do not make another move tonight. I'm sure the both of us are rather tired. Please excuse me for the evening…"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Of course. Good night, Hawkmoth."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Gabriel Agreste returned nervously to his bed, finally feeling the draining effects of the transformation. Tonight...tonight would be a restless night./p
/div
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"*A/N- is really obnoxious with its GUI. Ao3 feels a little bit more intuitive. But, I want people to see this fic. So I will suffer./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Oh my goodness, Tikki, have you ever heard of such an awful thing?" Marinette sat at her desk, very clearly distracted from her homework./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""What's going on, Marinette?"br /"On the news, there was a man who burned his own house down after he fired all of his servants. He and two of the firefighters who tried to rescue him died in the fire."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Hey, that's around where Adrien lives, isn't it?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Looks like it. We're really lucky that the fire didn't spread. I should have done something. As Ladybug. Maybe I could have stopped the fire…"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""What's done is done, Marinette. If you had known, you would have gone out of your way to help. But there isn't any point in dwelling on it."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""I guess. But I don't get it, Tikki. I've heard a few of the things that people say about him, and it sounded like he was a completely self-satisfied snob, to the point where he just sounds like an awful person. A freak suicide from someone like that is a lot less likely than foul play."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Marinette, it isn't fair to judge. You really don't know if he was suffering some kind of mental illness or dealing with grief. People do and say a lot of things to cover up how they're hurting inside."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""That doesn't make it right, Tikki…" Marinette sighed. Her head was swimming with thoughts of the fire….oh, if that fire had spread, and hurt Adrien, or Mr. Agreste, or the other innocent people on that block...she wouldn't have forgiven herself. "Although you're probably right. I shouldn't worry about it."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Marinette, you're forgetting something."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""I am?"br /Tikki exasperatedly nudged Marinette's digital clock, which currently read 18:13. It took Marinette a second. She closed her eyes./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""I'm late for patrol with Cat Noir, aren't I."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Tikki nodded silently. This was par for the course./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Transform me, Tikki."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"~~~~~/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Cat Noir! I'm sorry I'm late!"br /"It's not a problem, m'lady," he said, waving her sins away. Still, he looked downcast. Ladybug took a seat on the rooftop beside him./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Is something wrong, kitten?" she said softly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""I'm a little shaken, is all." He snuck her a sad, slightly twisted smile. "Did you hear about that man on the news? The one who burned his house down?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Yeah, actually. George Ector, right? The rich guy from England." Cat Noir nodded sharply./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Poor man," she continued. "...and those two innocent firefighters. I wish I had done something."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""I knew him. Friend of the family," Cat Noir coughed./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"There was a heavy pause, and Ladybug turned away. "I'm...sorry for your loss," she muttered lamely./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""It's just...I don't really get it. I didn't know him that well, and he wasn't exactly the greatest guy, but it was such a weird thing to do."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Ladybug bit her tongue. Tikki's advice earlier was on the money. Cat Noir couldn't possibly know the man well enough to judge him fairly, could he? But before she could chide him with Tikki's words, he continued./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Ladybug, I saw him a few days before it happened, and that kind of thing is really out of character for him."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"She let out a strangled "Really?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""He's an angry guy most of the time. He's more into revenge than anything." Ladybug stared at him in confusion. Cat Noir turned back to her. "I ran into his secretary that day, too - right after she quit working for him. From what I heard, he must have harassed her for years. He threatened to ruin her life. And he definitely had the connections to go through with it, so I don't think dying was really a part of his plan."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Ladybug chewed on her lip, processing all this. " I'm surprised there was no Akuma involved. It sounds like Hawkmoth missed his chance…unless maybe the secretary had done something?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Cat shook his head. "She was in Germany long before the fire. I don't think Hawkmoth can reach that far, and he's never killed. Even if he could…"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Ladybug nodded. "We would have seen something by now. Hawkmoth's Akumas are kind of...loud." She giggled awkwardly./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Yeah," He croaked. For a few moments, they were silent./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Hey, Kitten?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Yes, Bugaboo?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""We should probably start our patrol," she said quietly, standing up./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Cat noir stood up quickly and shook himself out of his confusion. "Of course, my lady." He added an obligatory wink and gestured grandly to the night. "Ladies first."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""What a gentleman," she huffed, stepping off the ledge and careening into the darkness. Cat Noir followed not long after./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"~~~~~/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""A patrol at 18:30 every night?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Yes, monsieur. That appears to be the case."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Hawkmoth pulled back from his conversation with Weber, impressed. Even if she hadn't obtained either miraculous yet, she had gleaned more important information about Ladybug and Cat Noir than all his villains over the past four months combined. He was half inclined to hire her unakumatized./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"This, however, did very little to quell his unease. Ector's death was quite the shock to both himself and poor Adrien. He had been untransformed at the time, and thankfully out of the house, but he regretted not keeping a tighter leash on Weber. He usually made it a point not to kill or maim Parisians. He just wanted the miraculous./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Once he learned how easily Weber had crossed the border (while her physical body slumbered in a car on the side of a German highway) and brutally murdered Ector, he decided to put restrictions on her powers. Now, her victims had to be physically wounded (nonlethally) in addition to eye contact. Much to Hawkmoth's dismay, Weber began carrying a knife./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"For the first time, Hawkmoth questioned the scope of the power of the butterfly miraculous. If he truly wanted, he could wreak true destruction upon Paris simply by finding someone willing to take the deal. There were always plenty of cruel people willing to kill on a whim. But he was a man with principles. Not a killer./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"In the meantime, he resolved to keep a closer eye on Weber. She might be deadly, but she was too effective to lose as an ally. Hawkmoth could take no chances./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Monsieur?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Hawkmoth jolted out of his reverie. "Forgive me, Possessor. You've done excellently thus far. This information will serve you well in your pursuit of their miraculous," he said, masking his dread best he could. "However, I must ask that you do not make another move tonight. I'm sure the both of us are rather tired. Please excuse me for the evening…"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;""Of course. Good night, Hawkmoth."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"Gabriel Agreste returned nervously to his bed, finally feeling the draining effects of the transformation. Tonight...tonight would be a restless night./p
/div
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"*A/N- is really obnoxious with its GUI. Ao3 feels a little bit more intuitive. But, I want people to see this fic. So I will suffer./p