When the morning sun fell on Ning's face, the young adult squirmed under the light. She rolled over on the cot, trying to get away from the sun, but it was no use. The warmth of the sun made going back to sleep impossible.
Getting up, she headed to the small bathroom Master Fu had and took a shower. Staying with Master Fu for her time here, was nice. She didn't have to worry about being spotted outside her disguise or hiding any of her stuff. In truth, she hadn't felt this secure and happy, since she was a little six year old in Beijing, being protected by Master Fu after being attacked. Those were happy memories.
Once she was cleaned and had some breakfast, she went into the main area. Master Fu was already reading the book, as Wayzz did his best to help with the translation. They both appeared to be lost in their own world.
"Good morning, Master Fu. Have you had breakfast yet?" she asked politely.
Master Fu smiled at her. He offered her some tea and she accepted. "Of course my dear. I thought you would be sleeping in after yesterday. After all, you worked on trying to repair your suit's new tech till midnight."
"No, I was running a diagnostic on the tech, until midnight," she replied in a cheerful voice, showing that she was just being playful by correcting him.
She sat down on the cushion and pushed a strand of her hair back behind her ears. "The tech is a prototype from a tech lab in Mexico. They're trying to develop an invisibility unit, so they can infiltrate and bring down cartels."
Wayzz was intrigued by what Ning had said. He could see how this tech would be extremely helpful. Smugglers could be caught, human trafficking would decrease greatly and hostages could be saved from dangerous situations. Many lives could be saved.
Still, there would be downsides as well. Invisibility could help killers, kidnappers, and saboteurs. If Hawkmoth had such tech, he would have a great advantage over the heroes.
Wayzz hadn't realized he was speaking out loud until Ning assured him the tech wasn't fully developed. Being invisible didn't cover up being heard when moving. Besides, she hadn't tested it against any sensory devices yet. The little kwami was happy to hear it would be a long time before the technology could used properly.
"I only used it yesterday, because it was helpful. The technology still has a long way to go before it's fully functional. "
Master Fu interjected telling the duo it was time to work on translating more of the Miraculous Book. They were on a tight schedule, not knowing when Ning would be called, back to active duty.
Ning was excited about this. She wanted to be more useful. However, Master Fu told her she still had a ways to go. "I want you to practice some more with the code. You still need to memorize the alphabet and writing the symbols correctly. Only then can you work on speaking and reading it properly."
Sad and frustrated, Ning did as she was asked. After all, with her perfect memory and omniingual skills, she should have this mastered shortly. She bent over a piece of paper and started writing. She stuck a tiny bit of her tongue out as she tackled her new assignment.
The code had the same letters from the English alphabet, at least from A to K. Then the code switched to little pictures that resembled objects or shapes. There was one that looked like an upside down triangle and another shaped like a cup. The code returned to letters picking up at where it left off. That ran until they reached U. Then there were hanzi from ancient China that finished it out.
Ning's brow furled as she looked at the tricky code. At least Master Fu managed to translate it into letters for the most part Ning thought to herself. Softly, she started to sing. "A, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j k, upside down triangle, cup, diamond, reed, square, leaf, rectangle, water droplet, trapezoid, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, hanzi, hanzi, hanzi, hanzi, hanzi, hanzi."
This is going to be harder than I thought. These hanzi's are ancient and I'm not sure what they're expressing. They don't match up exactly with any hanzi I've seen before. China has changed these symbols so much over time they might not match anything I'm familiar with. Then the little pictures, I have to figure out what they represent.
All morning, Ning practiced the alphabet, singing softly to help memorize it. As she practiced it, the picture symbols began to make sense to her. The pictures were like hieroglyphs, the pictures represented different letters from other languages. The shapes represented different vowels found in Spanish, and the objects corresponded to the first five double consonants, found in the Italian alphabet. That was suprising considering the code orginated in entirely different language family.
Grabbing a translation dictionary from her bag, Ning settled back down to figure out the hanzi. She always carried a dictionary with her. She knew the language, but if she was working with a regional dialect, she liked to have it on her side. Hopefully, I can find something similar to help with the translation she thought to herself, as she thumbed the pages in her dictionary.
It took a while, and rereading several pages in the dictionary, before she found six hanzi's that looked similar enough to the ancient ones in the code. The first three hanzi corresponded with the emotions: love, anger, and sadness. The other three hanzi were for moral, good, and evil. Essentially these hanzi connected to the purpose for creating the Miraculouses.
Hours ticked by as the Guardian and Apprentice worked on the codes. Master Fu was so absorbed into his work he didn't realize it was lunch time until Ning brought out a plate of sandwiches. His stomach chose that moment to growl in hunger.
"Hungry?"
"Ravenous. Sometimes I get so caught up in what I'm doing, Wayzz has to remind me to eat," he relied with a chuckle. He picked up his PBJ sandwich and took a big bite. It was delicious and he complimented her.
Ning blushed slightly saying it was easy to make sandwiches. "Making fancy food for an important meeting, is hard. My kitchen isn't really big enough to practice often." Taking a bite out of her own lunch, she slid a piece of paper over to him. When her pseudo grandfather looked at it, he was visibly impressed. Even Wayzz's eyes went wide.
Not only had she learned the alphabet, but she had written the pronunciation over each letter/picture/hanzi. Beneath the alphabet that Master Fu had written, was her own perfectly formed alphabet and a few sentences. It was very clear she had mastered the code in all three forms.
"I knew you were gifted with languages, but you are the quickest to learn this code, or rather, what I remember of it. It took me a year and half to get this far. You only took a few days."
"Indeed, I think the Order would have been impressed."
Ning looked at Wayzz puzzled. What did he mean by Order?
Wayzz realized his mistake. He shouldn't have mentioned the Order! Not yet anyways. "Why don't you help us with some of these pages? We could really use your help with them!"
Reluctantly, the UN agent didn't press any further. Instead, she took pictures of some of the pages, with her special tablet, so she could begin translating the pages. Her pages were mostly text with only one tiny illustration on the last page. The image was faded so it was hard to identify what it was.
Setting up a translator program, she highlighted the texts and applied the code into the program, creating a split screen. The top part was the original text and the lower half was the translated text.
Tapping on the screen, she went through each paragraph carefully. The code translation was incomplete, due to the fact that Master Fu and Wayzz, couldn't remember all of it. When she came to a word that her tablet couldn't translate, she ran comparisons in other languages while also trying different ciphers.
With the help of the ciphers, little by little she was able to translate more. Slowly, the paragraphs were starting to make sense. Some words were impossible to translate. Using context clues, she insert the most likely translations.
The pages she was working on appeared to have more gibberish and false codes then previous pages. Ning was determined to find a way to spot a fake sentence or know when a false code was inserted into the paragraph.
"Alright, first thing to do is write out what I have already, then compare it the hard copy to see how well it matches up. Then insert the words I think are the most likely translation, and few other possibilities. Finally, look to see if there's a pattern when it comes to the false information," Ning said to herself while stretching.
After making several cups of tea and grabbing some fruit from the fridge, Ning settled back down to work. She was so focused she didn't hear Master Fu getting up and heading to his room to rest for a time. His back couldn't take sitting down for so long. Wayzz was moaning about a slight headache he had from staring at the Miraculous Book for so long.
Hours passed and still the UN agent worked on the information in front of her, only taking a few bathroom breaks. It was getting late, almost eleven at night, and Ning was refusing to get some sleep. Master Fu had attemptd to guide her to her cot, but she had shaken him off. It was now Wayzz's turn.
Wayzz floated over to her and got into her face. "Ning, it's late, you've been working all day, with little rest. You really should go to bed." The little turtle crossed his arms and gave her a pointed look.
She returned it with a pleading expression. "Wayzz, I can't stop now. I'm almost finished figuring out how to spot when a fake code is being used. If I go to sleep now; I'll forget it."
The little kwami bonked her forehead with his antenna. "Becoming a Great Guardian means knowing when to rest. Drop what you're doing and go to sleep!" His voice was a little louder and harsher.
Obediently, Ning put her stuff down and headed for her cot. Watching the whole exchange, Master Fu barely managed to hide a chuckle. He had been scolded by Wayzz many times in the past, but now it was his apprentice's turn.
"She'll learn when to not push him."
That night, Ning had difficulty sleeping. The pages she had been working on, kept popping up in her dreams. The pages swirled around her and then smacking her in the face.
She tried pushing them away or tearing them apart, but the pages floated just out of her reach. It almost felt like the pages were taunting her. She jumped up to grab one, but once again it floated out of reach.
"Stop teasing me! Come back here and let me study you!"
The pages floated closer and turned into origami shapes. When the folding was complete there was an origami panda, elephant, and a magpie. The animals started to bleed with color for a few seconds. Then the origami animals landed in Ning's hands as she studied them. They were very detailed oragami animals.
The black and white panda was cute and was in the middle of eating bamboo. Instead of sitting, it was standing up and strangely around its panda thumb, which in reality was an extra-long wrist bone, was some kind of jewelry. Looking closer, it appeared to be a chain of sorts with a tiny duel colored stone in the center. This confused Ning. "Why would the origami animal be wearing jewelry?"
The other two, a brown elephant and a black, white, and blue magpie also had jewelry on them. For the elephant, the jewelry was ancient time piece, a sundial on the wrist. An early version of a watch perhaps?
The magpie was wearing some kind of head gear, perhaps an early version of a hat or decorative scarf? She wasn't sure why these animals had appeared before her or why they wore jewelry pieces. Ning bit her lip knowing these animals were a message of some kind.
The animals cried out in their voices and then the pieces crumbled into dust. Ning sneezed repeatedly. The dust was swept away by a light breez. She started running after the dust cloud. "What are you trying to tell me? Please I want to know!"
The palm of her left hand started to burn. Clutching her wrist, she whimpered as the sensation rose up through her hand, branding her with a mark. Looking down at the mark, she gasped.
"The illustration from the pages, I can see it properly now! What does this mean? It's just a picture of a sigil. I don't know what it's for!" The mark burned again causing her more pain. She couldn't take it. She let out a scream and her world faded into darkness.
Ning's eyes opened widely as she started to struggle to get out of the sheets. She shoved and twisted, until she rolled on the floor finally free. It was still dark out and her clock told her it was three thirty a.m.
Holding up her left palm, the moonlight sparkled on the non burnt skin. The mark she had in her dream, was gone and it appeared her skin had never been burnt. "It was just a dream. Nothing hurt me," the young woman whispered to herself.
Still, her heart was pounding, her body trembled. She felt actual tears falling down her face. Her lungs couldn't get air fast enough. The dream upset her more than she realized. She had to regain control.
"In out. In out. In out. There is plenty of air to breathe. There's no pain and I'm fine." She repeated the mantra several times. Slowly, the tears stopped and her body stilled. Her heart returned to its normal rhythm.
Taking a deep breath, she stood up straight and let it out. "I just need to splash my face and go back to bed." She took one step towards the bathroom, then stopped.
She could feel a tugging sensation in her body, coming from the main room. It was so powerful, she couldn't ignore it. Her mind relaxed as she entered a trance. Just like when she was six years old, she walked into the room where the Miraculous Book was. Robotically, the UN agent walked over to the table.
The Book was glowing white brightly. There was a hum in the air, which got louder and louder, as she approached the Book. Ning touched the object and opened it to the pages she had been reading and translating earlier.
The script was no longer in code, but plain glowing English. As she committed the pages to memory, the glow grew dimmer. As soon as she committed the last paragraph to memory the Book shut itself and the glowing stopped. The agent sank to the floor as slumber took over her once more.
A few hours later, Master Fu and Wayzz woke up. Translating the Miraculous Book would have to wait another day, considering Fu needed to be open for business. Hopefully, their guest would feel like helping out today.
When they entered the main room, they saw Ning sitting next to the table. Her expression was furious. The air was thick with a sense of hurt and betrayal. Wayzz himself could feel Ning's spiritual energy and it was very agitated.
The kwami looked down at the table and saw the Miraculous Book open to the pages from yesterday. Only instead of being in code, the pages were now in English and the illustration of the sigil was cleaned up, showing it was actually a hanzi for guardian. This scared the kwami greatly.
"You lied to me. How could you lie to me?! I thought you were the one person in the entire world, I could count on and I find that you have been lying to me. How do you think that makes me feel?" Ning shouted. Both the Guardian and the Kwami jerked at her words.
Shoving the Miraculous Book towards her pseudo family member, she got up and started to pace angrily. "The books, the charms, your teachings, I thought I knew everything, but I barely had one fact!"
"Ning please, talk to me. What have I lied to you about?" Fu asked gently. He knew what this was about and she had every reason to be angry at him. There was reason he and Wayzz didn't tell her the truth yesterday.
"How about the fact that they're more than seven Miraculouses? That the ones I know about belong in one circle, the most important and powerful universe circle?" she snapped. She stood still and her tone became cold. "Apparently the safe house was actually a training temple where Guardians were trained and Miraculouses were experimented on? Because of those experiments the Kwami Charms came into existence?"
She reached up to snap the charm necklace off, only for Fu to stop her at the last second. His grip tightened on her wrist. Ning tried to break free, but to her surprise, the old man was a lot stronger than he looked. No wonder he had been chosen as holder.
"I know you're angry and upset. You have a right to be. I didn't want to burden you with the whole truth, until I thought you were ready. Thanks to Wayzz slip-up, I have no choice, but to explain everything to you."
He let go of her wrist and walked over to the disguised Miraculous Chest. After punching the code in, the box rose out of its hiding spot and he collected it. The weight of the chest was heavier than usual, as the burden of the truth hung heavily around his heart. This secret would not be easy to share with Peace Keeper.
Ning watched as Master Fu opened up the chest revealing the Miraculous she knew about. Then he started tapping the sides of the box and new compartments opened up revealing twelve more Miraculouses. A quick glance told her they all corresponded to the Chinese Zodiac. Nestled next to each Miraculous, was a corresponding Kwami Charm.
Even dormant, she could faintly hear the slumbering Kwamies. Their Charms glittered brightly. She wondered what each Miraculous could do.
Master Fu cleared his throat and pointed to top layer. "As you know, Kwamiis are little gods that represent abstract concepts. You also know an ancient wizard created the Miraculouses, giving them substance and form for humans to see."
Ning nodded, having read this part before in the little books about the Kwamiis and their history. She understood that the creation of the Miraculouses was one of the biggest feats of magic ever, but she had thought only seven abstract creatures had been selected for the honor.
"The ancient wizard was able to craft many different Miraculouses over his life time. Whenever he came across a new abstract idea, he would work night and day until the Kwami and Miraculous were united as one. Near the end of his life, he knew he would need someone to guard these magic items, perhaps even craft more if necessary. So he trained an Apprentice to be the next Guardian."
"So was that when the Order of the Guardians was created?" Master Fu shook his head and explained the Order of the Guardian came to be many centuries later. Fu paused for a moment, his mind going back in his memories as he was taught the history of the Guardians.
"I told you the truth when I said there was always one Guardian and one Apprentice. Over the centuries, as the world grew, the Miraculouses needed to be spread far and wide. At times, they were all in different parts of the globe. To ensure the return of the Miraculous, the Order was formed and the Miraculouses divided into circles, so that one Guardian was always watching over them."
That made sense to Ning. She had seen firsthand how the Miraculouses powers could be used for great good and great evil. Having one person guarding a set of Miraculouses lifted the burden of constantly traveling and distribution of the magical items. The Kwamiis themselves would have someone nearby to help them if their chosen ran into a problem, which required a Guardian's intervention, to solve.
Fu opened the Miraculous Book and flipped through the pages until he came to afolded up page, which actually folded way out. It showed the Order of the Guardians temple and complex, including buildings dedicated to learning and experimentation of the Kwamiis. There were barracks for living, training areas, and a library. Everywhere one looked, they could see subtle hints of the Kwamiis presence.
"The temple and the complex took many years to build. The monks needed to a place where magic was very strong, but also difficult to get to for security. It also couldn't be too remote, otherwise they wouldn't be able to gather trainees or send the Guardians out. Once it was finished, the monks brought the first trainies to it."
Wayzz floated over to the fold out and pushed a tiny bit of magic into it. The illustrations came to life. Ning watched in amazement as the figures started to move around and talked softly. She wastched as monks of varying ages went about their daily chores, while the children were practicing defending themselves. It took a whole five minutes before she spotted a few women working near the kitchen.
"The Order of the Guardians temple was a place of study and training. Many young boys came here to train and become Miraculous users. I admit there were only a few girls, which made all of the Kwamiis upset. We needed a diverse range of possible wielders. No matter how hard we pleaded, the monks were very strict when it came to tradition."
Ning gave Wayzz a sympathetic smile and turned back to the fold out. She wished society was like the Kwamiis. They didn't care about gender specifics. Turning her attention back to the Book, she watched as time passed, the temple growing and different wielders coming and going. Her fingers tapped the library removing the roof.
Inside she could see old men taking turns to write in an ancient book. She was startled to see it was the Miraculous Book and it kept getting fatter and fatter as new information was added.
Tapping the building again the roof reappeared. She then tapped the buildings dedicated to learning and experimentation. Inside, she saw a room where the elders were talking with different Kwamiis in one room. In another, the Kwamiis were being told to do all sorts of tasks. The little gods had mixed expressions on their chibi heads.
Another room drew her intention. Inside, there was Wayzz. He was standing perfectly still as the monk worked on a small metal piece giving it details. Finishing up, he showed it to the turtle kwami. It was his Kwami Charm!
The monk touched it to Wayzz forehead. The monk chanted a spell and suddenly the kwami shook all about. To her horror, she saw the magic from Wayzz was being drained into the Charm.
"Stop it! You're hurting him!"
"Ning, calm down, this the past. It already happened and it's over with," Wayzz reminded her. It didn't seem she heard him as she continued to shout at the living illustration.
Wayzz closed his eyes and focused his power over spiritual energy. Ning's energy was wild and all over the place. Directing his own energy at her, he mixed the two together and slowly the young woman's energy calmed down. He smiled, pleased that the young Apprentice was balanced once more.
Ning wiped some tears off her face. She scooped up Wayzz and hugged him tightly, causing the little god to gasp for air. He was let go and Ning looked sheepishly at him.
"Why would you agree to something that caused you such pain?"
"Because, I didn't know it would hurt. I was the first one to have a Kwami Charm made. The monks believed that if the trainees had a chance to practice with part of Kwamiis magic, they could tell who would be a good wielder. Also, they were made for the purpose you learned about."
Wayzz admitted it was a painful process and that he had felt drained after the creation. It was also weird to sense his power split between two objects. There was something good that came out of it, the Kwamiis accessed new abilities, including to be able to hold human form for ten minutes.
"The Kwami Charms we're very helpful in the long run, but their success lead the Order of Guardians down a dark path for fifty years," Master Fu informed her.
Tapping the illustrations, he sped up the time. The events showed the Order teaming up different Miraculous in ways that wouldn't ever work. Like the Black Cat Miraculous paired up with the Turtle Miraculous.
Destruction and Protection, misfortune and spiritual energy, they were never meant to be used together. Destroying things left little to protect and protection couldn't stop destruction forever. Misfortune caused corruption of spiritual energy.
The monks experimented even further, forcing Kwamiis to try entering other Miraculouses. Creating spells that were dark. Even using the Miraculous to impose their will on others. The Guardians saw themselves as the world's Peace Keepers, and only they had the right to decide how the Miraculouses would be used.
It took a brave Order member to set things right and banish the monks who created the chaos. The young man had risked his life and the trainees to restore honor to the Order of the Guardians. Because of what happened, new spells were placed on the Miraculouses and to the Kwamiis to prevent something similar from happening.
"It was around this time, the Miraculous Book was lost, leaving the Order with only a few stray pages and the little books about the Kwamiis. The Order stopped experimenting with the Kwamiis and the Miraculouses. The elders vowed to never hurt anyone again. They also started the hunt to retrieve the book, so the magic inside couldn't be used for evil.
Throughout the centuries, a few more bad times happened, but that's life. Then, I made a huge mistake by trusting someone I shouldn't have. It lead to the discovery of the temple and its destruction. As the temple was being destroyed, I gathered as many Miraculouses as I could and fled. The Kwami Charms were already attached to the box thankfully."
The illustrations stopped moving and returned to being pictures. Master Fu folded up the pages and closed the Book. He looked at his Apprentice and told her that when he fled to safety, he vowed to make sure this would never happen again. He would make sure he found the right person to be his Apprentice.
"The Order of Guardians did many good things, but that didn't erase the bad things that were done. The Order's arrogance nearly cost the world to lose the most important creatures to ever exist," Fu explained. He closed his eyes and lost himself in memories once more.
His training days, the temple, and his mistake. The stories about the Miraculous Book being stolen then lost for many centuries. Struggles to decide where a Miraculous was really needed. Years passing without the Kwamiis seeing each other. The sadness and secrets hidden by the elders.
"This is a heavy burden to carry. To know, the Order of the Guardians, didn't always have pure intentions. By cutting themselves off from the world, many crises that could have been resolved peacefully were not. As the next Great Guardian, you will bare all of that history on your shoulders. It is not an easy task."
Seeing the old man looking down at the floor in misery, Ning went over to him and gave him a hug. No matter what the truth was, Ning would gladly take on this burden one day, so her friend wouldn't have to carry it on forever.
At the Agreste Mansion, Adrien was practicing on the piano. He had fallen behind on his practice and he wanted to improve before his father noticed the difference.
Usually the music from the piano helped soothe Adrien's frustrations and sadness. It even helped calm his nerves. However, no matter what he played, he couldn't find peace within himself.
The teenager slammed his fingers on the keys in frustration. The noise was loud enough to wake Plagg from a deep sleep.
"Why did you have to do that Adrien? I was dreaming that the entire Earth was covered in cheese," the little kwami whined.
Adrien rolled his eyes, not bothering to respond to the question. He went over to his arcade games and started blasting as many aliens as he could on the screen.
It was somewhat relaxing and he started to feel a bit better. Then he looked down at the screen and froze. Once again, he saw half his face as Hawkmoth's. He dropped the blaster and backed up.
Plagg blinked his eyes as he saw Adrien in the early stages of a panic attack. Sweat was starting to cover his body as he breathing became hard. Plagg's ears even detected the sound of Adrien's heart speeding up.
The little kwami flew over to his wielder and tried to help him. "Adrien, everything is okay. Take some deep breaths. Think of something happy and you're heart will stop racing. Nothing in this room will hurt you."
The rich boy did as he was asked and slowly came out of the panic attack. His heart stopped racing and he could breathe again. "Thanks Plagg."
"You're welcome kid, but what happened? I've never seen you have a panic attack."
Adrien rubbed the back of his head and mumbled about what he saw when he was playing the game. He tried to laugh it off, but Plagg could see right through him.
Adrien turned away from his kwami, not wanting to be seen as weak or vulnerable. He couldn't understand why he kept seeing things that weren't there. First, they were in his dreams, and now he saw them when he was awake.
"I'm not going crazy. I need to stop thinking about that stupid dream. I'm never going to be Hawkmoth, so there's nothing to worry about," Adrien told himself quietly.
He sat down at the piano again and started to play. It wasn't any song, just some random notes. He tried to not think about the strange dreams and the hallucinations.
None of it made any sense. He had looked up the meanings behind the key items in his dream. The symbols he saw represented safety, protection, and his true persona. Why would being in Hawkmoth's lair make him feel safe? He knew he hid part of himself, but why was his face changing into Hawkmoth's?
There was a knock on the door and abruptly Adrien stopped playing the piano. His father entered the room, a slight frown on his face. "Adrien, you're supposed to be practicing music and not trying to come up with an annoying jingle."
Adrien bowed his head submissively. "Sorry Father, I was thinking about something else. I'll do better."
His father nodded. "Try not to think about anything except playing the piano perfectly. After all, perfect practice means you achieve your goal sooner than later."
The man left the room leaving Adrien saddened. The teenager wished he could talk to his father about what was bothering him, but he couldn't. His father wouldn't try to understand or help him.
Plagg watched his wielder start playing again. He wondered if he should mention the panic attack and strange dream the next time they visited Master Fu.
It was another day in charm school and Marinette was actually enjoying the class. Today, she was in Presentation. This class was devoted to making sure a person had the right looks, clothes, and poise, for any occasion.
This was also the only class that had two teachers. Madame Osanne and Monsieur Dorian had separated the couples, each taking their own gender into different parts of the classroom, and started teaching them.
Madame Osanne was talking about different hair styles they could have for the ball, using a wig to demonstrate, when Alix snorted. The teacher turned to look at her. "Is there a problem Ms. Kubdel?"
"Yeah, I don't understand why hair styling is so important. I dyed my hair back to pink because I couldn't stand the mousy brown it was. I want to stand out, not fit in."
Chloe laughed at her. "The only thing that stands out is how short you are. I can't imagine you ever looking like a girl."
Alix seethed and was tightening her fist to throw a punch at Chloe. Madame Osanne clicked her tongue, drawing the punk girl's attention. "Violently responding to comments, means you are a hothead. If this was an interview, would you try to punch the person interviewing you?"
Alix mumbled no and put her fist down. Chloe was about to make another comment, but was reprimand for her uncalled crass remark. Hurtful comments made people feel bad and displayed immaturity. The blond girl muttered something to herself as she sat up a bit straighter.
"I understand the need to stand out. At the ball, you want to display what makes you special. Ms. Kubdel, you may keep your hair in your preferred color, but styling it sophisticated manner can help you. People are less like to pay too much attention to your hair, and pay attention to what you have to say, as long as it corresponds to a dress code."
She removed the wig she had on the bust and replaced it with a pink one. "Alix, would you come over and show me what style you would wear at the event, if you couldn't have your regular style?"
Alix stood in front of the bust staring at the wig. She wasn't good with girly stuff, but she still wanted to impress Kim. She liked him a lot and he was a good competitor. Still, he didn't see her as a girl. Alix was tired of being "one of the guys".
Looking at the styling tools on the table, she picked up a fluffy brush and some hair gel. She combed the hair down until the bangs were framing the face. With the help of the scissors she shaped the hair into a cute and sassy crop held together by a light layer of gel.
Alix stepped back and waited to see what the teacher had to say. Madame Osanne inspected the hair with a critical eye. A smile appeared on her face. "Excellent work, Ms. Kubdel. You picked the right style for your hair type and styled it in a way your pink hair will still stand out, but not be to attention grabbing."
She passed out more busts with wigs that matched the girls' hair styles. She also placed some basic make up next to the best. "Please show me what you plan to look like at the ball. Work on your poise by sitting straight when you can. Does anyone need help with make up?" Alix and Mylene raised their hands.
"I'll teach you the basics. By the end of class, I want to see how well each of you did."
While the girls were working on their busts, the boys were being lectured about proper attire. "You, are young gentlemen whether you believe that or not. Each of you have the ability to clean up and show how mature and respectful you can be."
Ivan raised his hand. "Monsieur Dorian, I understand the importance of wearing a suit. How do I find one that can accommodate my body type?" He had tried to find a suit for a school dance and ended up going in his usual attire because nothing fit right.
Nino commented that the suits he worn before were confining and he felt ridiculous in them. Either the color was ugly or it had too many buttons. The other boys added in their own complaints.
Monsieur Dorian clapped his hands breaking up the discussion. "I understand how you feel. Having the right suit sends a message. To make sure you are sending the right kind of message, there are a few helpful tips."
He went over to the white board and drew three different suits. "The first step is to find a suit that matches the occasion." The teacher wrote under the three suits, which occasion they were best for different occasions.
"Also, remember what you want in the suit when it comes to fabric, buttons, and lapels. You should also consider your body type when thinking about one or two breasted jackets and make sure the vent is proper for the ocassion. The sale's person can help you with your cuffs and pants."
The boys wrote everything he was saying into their notebooks. Suits should fit to their exact measurements and bought at a reputable store. "We have a tailor right here at the school. He can alter your suit to your particular needs. This will help ensure the suit fits, is comfortable, and appears respectful."
Monsieur Dorian passed out some pamphlets that covered the tips he mentioned. The pictures and lists would be a big help in finding the perfect suit for each gentlemen. He eyed Adrien and spoke, "Mr. Agreste, I assume you have been suit shopping before?"
Adrien nodded. He had several suits for different occasions and even had model some of them. When Monsieur Dorian suggested that he should take the rest of the boys with him, a huge smile lit up on the blond's face.
"I'm sure I can convince Nathalie to schedule a shopping trip for all us." The boys were pleased by that. Adrien wouldn't let them look like fools.
Suit shopping would have to wait for a day or two, because the next afternoon Ladybug was running across rooftops with Adrien in her arms, being chased by a metallic fencing Akuma named Riposte.
"How did we end up in this mess?" Ladybug moaned, as she slid down a roof top and jumped across the street, narrowly avoiding the Akuma's sword. It sliced clean through a chimney destroying it. Riposte looked unhappy at missing her target.
"You're the one that declared the match a tie," Adrien pointed out, his blond hair blowing in the wind. He looked past his girlfriend and saw Riposte gaining on them.
"You're the one who asked me who won your bout and you know I was having trouble with the scoring system!" she replied harshly glaring at him. The truth was, they were both responsible for this mess.
An hour earlier, Marinette had been at Adrien's fencing lesson. Mr. D'Argencourt had an open spot on his team and was allowing others to try out. Marinette had no interest in joining the team, she just wanted to learn how to fence.
So while the other's tried out Adrien was giving her lessons. The scoring system was confusing, because in fencing, the score was kept by who had the right away when the fencers landed a touch, in a scoring area.
It was very confusing, especially to a beginner. So when a female fencer named Kagami Tsurugi tried out for the team and got into a bout with Adrien that went all over the school, everyone got stuck together trying to watch.
Marinette had been the only one to watch the whole fight, being the only other female there, she was able to use her small size to get past the group and watch the match. She was trying to remember the rules as she ran to keep up with the two.
When Adrien and Kagami both touched each other at the same time, she didn't have a clue who won. So when she was asked what she saw she simply said she thought it was a tie.
Apparently that wasn't the right answer, because Kagami respectfully explained it wasn't possible to tie. Since Marinette didn't know who scored and Mr. D'Argencourt hadn't been able to see the full fight, he told Kagami regrettably, he couldn't give her the spot on the team right away, as he had to test the other people trying out.
Kagami had down played her hurt feelings and left. Adrien went after her to bring her back, so they could have a rematch in front of the instructor. Marinette had transformed and followed behind, hoping that the female fencer wouldn't attract an akuma.
However, she didn't get there fast enough and now the Akuma was after them, hell bent on defeating Adrien in a fight and proving she was the best fencer ever. Hence, Ladybug running away with Adrien in her arms.
"You will not escape me Adrien Agreste!" Riposte shouted. She leaped across the rooftops and thrust her sabre forward, a shock wave emanating from the tip.
"AHHHH!" Ladybug screamed as she and Adrien crashed to the street below. The magical suit protected her from getting hurt, but Adrien landed on his left ankle, the one he had previously sprained, when Marinette was an Akuma.
He hissed in pain. It was throbbing and he couldn't tell if he had sprained it again or if it was just badly bruised. He hoped it wasn't the first one considering the problems that came from a second injury to the same sprained area.
"Adrien, can you walk?" Ladybug asked anxiously. Riposte would be on them in seconds if they didn't get a move on.
Her boyfriend shook his head. His ankle had become overly sensitive, he didn't think putting weight on it, would be a good idea. He thought about transforming, but remembered the warning about fighting with an injury.
Another shock wave came at the du,o sending them flying further down the street. Ladybug used her yo-yo to pull a car in front of them, to avoid another shock wave.
Riposte sliced through it and her ruby eyes lit up, seeing her target lying on the ground a few feet away. "This should be an easy victory for me."
"Forget about having a rematch and get Ladybug's earrings before Chat Noir shows up!" Hawkmoth shouted at her. In his lair, he was seething a bit because Riposte hurt his son.
Riposte did as commanded. She thrust her sabre forward, aiming for Ladybug's right arm. The super heroine blocked with her yo-yo and kicked her left leg out, trying to knock the wind out of the Akuma, only for Riposte to block it successfully.
They continued fighting for several minutes. Ladybug was tiring and she could get to the sword and forcefully yank it off Riposte's body. Of all the times, Adrien had to be injured, he had to get hurt with a fencing Akuma attacking?
"You're weak and no challenge Ladybug. You are not a warrior at all!" Riposte declared as she tried to cut Ladybug's left arm off. "Where's your partner Chat Noir? Is he too afraid to face me?"
"No! He'll be here! I can count on him!"
"Of course you can My Lady!" "Chat Noir" stated as he leapt off a nearby roof, in midair he broke his baton in two and hurled them at Riposte who had to turn to deflected them.
The baton pieces twisted through the air and back to "Chat Noir" who caught them with ease. He laughed at the Akuma, who attacked him.
The feline hero dodged the attack and did a few back flips until he was next to Ladybug. "I've only got eight minutes left and Peace Keeper is too far away to make it here to help, "Chat Noir" whispered to Ladybug.
Ladybug nodded as she looked back and saw Adrien had dragged himself behind a car. Riposte could easily slice through it and hurt Adrien. This fight needed to end now.
"Lucky Charm!" The magic swirled in the air and dropped a heavy radiator in her arms. "Why does it have to be so heavy?"
Riposte was coming at them again and "Chat Noir" intercepted her with his baton. The two of them pushed against each other as Hawkmoth commanded Riposte to get the ring.
"Chat Noir! I need you to Cataclysm when I tell you!"
He nodded and called on his power, waiting to use it. The fight was moving to the curb and the hero saw a small crack in the sidewalk. Understanding what the plan was, he allowed himself to be pushed back.
"Now!" Ladybug shouted.
"Cataclysm!" The crack widened and crumbled. The fencing Akuma lost her footing and fell backwards on her back. The radiator was then shoved over her sword arm.
The duo used their combined strength to pull the sword off the arm and destroy it. One cleanse later everything was back to normal.
Using his power in human form, "Chat Noir" had to dash away before he turned back into Plagg. Ladybug stuck around, making sure Kagami was okay and encouraging her to go back to the school, to see if the instructor had finished testing the others.
Kagami promised she would. A small smile appeared on her face as she watched Ladybug swing away. Walking over to Adrien, she helped him stand up on one leg as she guided him to a clinic to get his ankle checked out. This was the start of great rivalry between the fencers.