The heroes were all at Master Fu's place training themselves in order to get stronger. Hawkmoth was getting stronger and closer to unlocking new powers and they needed to get there first.
Marinette and Adrian were sitting on their pillow seats, trying to connect with their special abilities. Neither had achieved absolute focus, but they were getting closer.
Ning, on the other hand, was trying to use two Kwamii Charms at once. Thanks to the Miraculous Book, Master Fu had discovered this possibility. It would be a difficult task to master, considering each Miraculous and kwami were very different.
"Concentrate on two charms, try to think about the balance. You have four charms, one set of partners. You know the combinations that work. Call upon the power in each hand," Master Fu instructed.
He observed carefully as Ning closed her eyes and stroked the Kwami Charms. The tactile connection helped her feel the magic inside of them. Tikki and Plagg's charms started to glow brightly. Holding out her hands, the young woman curled her fingers upward, willing the magic to flow down her body. Sparks started to appear in her hands. Slowly the sparks started to come together.
"You're doing fine Ning. Don't force the magic through you, let it flow naturally."
"Picture what you want to happen in your mind. It will help you concentrate better," Wayzz advised her. He was sitting on the Miraculous Chest. His antenna twitched as he measured her spiritual energy levels.
I can do this, I can do this Ning repeated in her mind over and over. She could feel the sparks getting bigger and bigger. The magic was gaining more power. Just a little more and she could use the magic.
At that moment, the magic started to fizzle and go down. She tried to keep it going only to fail as the magic retreated back into the Charms. Opening her eyes, Ning frowned in frustration. "Why is this so hard? I've managed to keep both Plagg and Tikki in human form at the same time before."
Master Fu scratched his chin, thinking the situation over. He snapped his fingers when the answer came to him. "In that situation, you were powering the Kwamiis with your life force. In this situation, the Kwamiis are the ones lending you some of their life force to grant you magic."
Tikki and Plagg floated over upon hearing their names. Tikki perched on Ning's right shoulder, Plagg on the left. Tikki gave her a look of encouragement, Plagg muttered to her he would need a lot of cheese as compensation. Borrowing their life force through the Kwamii Charms was a taxing job.
"Really Plagg, you need to stop thinking with your stomach so much," Tikki scolded him.
"I suppose you don't trick your user into giving you extra cookies now and then," Plagg snapped back at her. Tikki flushed white making Plagg smirk. "So you do take advantage of her once and while."
"Can you two please stop talking? We're trying to meditate here," Adrien snapped at them. He turned his head to face forward again, but his concentration was blown. After a few minutes, he gave up trying to meditate. He started pacing the room angrily.
Sensing her partner was upset, Marinette stopped what she was doing and opened her eyes. Adrien was scowling and kept muttering to himself, saying he was failure and stupid for not getting this.
His girlfriend tried to stand up only to find her legs were asleep, so she sprawled out on the floor. As she rubbed them to get feeling back in them, Adrien bent down and helped her up, holding her steady until she could stand on her own.
Marinette thanked him and fiddled with her hair. She blinked her eyes a few times, then poked her fingers together, something she didn't do often or at all. Her foot started to tap the floor. Something was going on in her mind.
Master Fu, had seen this behavior before. It was the behavior of someone who wanted to say something, but was very afraid to speak up. "Marinette, my dear. If you have something to say, you should share it with the rest of us."
"Well, it's just, no it's silly, yet maybe I should, oh I'm so confused!"
Tikki rolled her eyes and reminded her holder, there was no such thing as a bad question.
Marinette just blurted it out, "Well, since Adrien and I are having trouble with our special abilities, maybe we could work on mastering our defensive moves?"
Adrien looked at her confused, Ning wondered what she was talking about, and Master Fu was having trouble remembering, what the defensive powers were and the phrases to activate them.
"Defensive powers? Plagg, what is she talking about?" Adrien looked at his Kwami was a curious expression.
"Kid, you need a good offense to fight, but a defense if you're trapped in close corners."
Tikki stated the Miraculouses had both offensive and defensive powers. It had been a long time since they had been used, for the simple reason most wielders believed, they could win every fight, without needing them. The two heroes had never asked about defensive powers, so the two Kwamiis never mentioned them.
Adrien asked how his girlfriend knew about these powers, and she explained, they were the result of the merger of her souls during the splintering incident. She had a faint memory of fighting in another soul's world and seeing them being used. "I don't remember the words to activate them, but I do recall that unlike our offensive powers, defensive powers won't activate the countdown."
Master Fu nodded at Marinette and picked up the Miraculous Book. He flipped through some pages until he came to a page with an illustration of the Miraculous users using their defensive powers. Thankfully, he could translate this page without any trouble. "Defensive magic doesn't require nearly as much magic, as an offensive one. The point of having them, is to give the heroes, protection until they complete their mission."
Wayzz added that they could only use their defensive powers once in a fight so they should only activate them in the direst of circumstances. The defensive powers lasted up to ten minutes, giving them time to figure out how to win.
Ning looked over her mentor's shoulder and reading about the defenses and what the key phrases were. "According to this, the Ladybug defense is Warning Spots. The spots come off the suit and forming a wall or trap around the enemy. Sometimes, the spots will even attack to give the wielder a better chance to escape."
She showed them the picture of a past Ladybug using this power. Marinette was intrigued by the possibility of using this power. Adrien was squirming around as he waited to know about his defensive power.
Master Fu read out loud, "The Black Cat Miraculous defensive power is Feline Bluff. According to this, Feline Bluff makes the user two times bigger as well as scarier. Their shadow turns into cat to make them look more intimating."
It was hard to imagine Plagg being intimating. The kwami puffed out his chest saying his true power came out when he was in the Miraculous.
"These powers seem to be easier to learn, but there has to be a catch. Besides only lasting ten minutes and one time use," Marinette stated knowing how tricky it could be to use their offensive powers.
"The drawback of using these powers; is you have to use your own energy to power it. You'll feel a bit exhausted and slower, which is why you need to figure a way to win quickly," Tikki told the two. "Kwamiis have incredible stamina, but our magic has limits, such as when you use your special offensive powers."
"That why we can give you the magic to use the defensive power, but you have to be the power source," Plagg added helpfully.
Which meant they had to improve their stamina if they wanted to use these powers and still have enough strength to fight afterwards. Ning gave the teens advice on how to improve their stamina.
Master Fu told them training was done for the day. They should all get some rest. They could practice more another day. The teens thanked the Great Guardian help as they left for home.
The next few days were an intense time between Great Guardian and Apprentice. Now that Ning knew about the other Miraculouses, she wanted to learn more about them and their Kwami Charms.
Master Fu had brought out the chest once more and had opened the compartments with the Chinese Zodiac circle of Miraculouses. Unlike the Universal circle, there were twelve of them. Another difference was all the Kwami Charms were two toned just like the Miraculouses.
Ning gently picked up three of the Zodiac Miraculouses and studied them carefully. They were so old she wasn't sure what type of jewelry they were. The Miraculouses were also two colors. The tiger one was magenta, with a yellow green paw mark on it.
A look at the Rat Miraculous showed it was Spanish gray with Gainesboro gray markings. As she held the Miraculous it felt very light and smooth.
The Dog Miraculous was raisin black with buff colored beads with gray dog faces. Though it was tricolor, the first two were much more prominent.
She put the Miraculouses back in the box and took a closer look at the Kwami Charms. She knew each charm resembled the kwami it corresponded two. As she studied them, she had to admit, they didn't exactly look like the animals they symbolized.
For example, the dog kwami didn't even have a nose on it. The ears also weren't spread apart, but attached to the head making it look super big. The paw/hands didn't really look like paws.
The rat kwami had the wrong proportions and ears. Rats didn't have rounded ears like mice, they were more oval shaped and tilted backwards on the head. The tail was fur covered not naked. The whiskers and the teeth were the only thing that was rat like on the charm.
The tiger kwami didn't have stripes all over their body and the mouth shape was wrong. The body was thin and the tail looked to be arched. Tiger's generally held their tails slightly above the ground, not all the way up.
"I can barely feel the dormant powers or the Kwamiis in their Miraculouses. It's almost as if they're in a coma instead of just sleeping," Ning remarked as she put the Kwami Charms back into the box and closed all the compartments.
Master Fu nodded in agreement with her. "Each circle, when dormant, sleeps in different stages, due to their connection to an abstract idea. The universal circle, is the one most often needed, so they slumber closer to the stage of waking up. The Chinese Zodiac circle isn't called upon as much, so they sleep very, very, deeply."
Wayzz floated in front of her and told her that his "cousins" needed a lot of rest in order to be active for a long period of time. Past wielders often mentioned that the Kwamiis in this circle, either overslept or overate, often at the expanse of their wielder.
"The Miraculouses are so old. It's harder to determine what kind of jewelry they are. Do you know what powers they have?" Ning asked politely.
Master Fu shook his head. "I'm sorry Ning, but I was only in the third stage of training when I became the Great Guardian. I hadn't learned about this circle yet. Wayzz helped to finish my training, even if it was incomplete. There are somethings Kwamiis know or somethings the Guardians only knew."
Both humans' eyes flickered to Wayzz. He reminded them he wasn't at liberty to share everything he knew about the other Kwamiis. All he could tell them was their powers could be unpredictable at times.
It was clear that both Master Fu and Ning we're extremely disappointed about the news. Ning ran her fingers through her hair as she recalled the dream she had. "Master Fu, Wayzz, I have a question?" The bonded pair smiled and waited for the question.
"The night he Miraculous Book revealed to me the truth about the Guardians, I had a very vivid dream. In it, three origami animals landed in my hands and they each had on accessories."
Master Fu and Wayzz looked at each other, puzzled by the news. Why would paper animals be made with accessories on them? Unless, they were wearing Miraculouses, which would mean the animals represented Kwamiis.
Wayzz fetched some paper and colored pencils for Master Fu. Fu thanked him. "I'm not much of an artist, but I want to you describe in detail, what you remember about these origami animals and their accessories."
Ning described the panda wearing the chain with the duel colored stone. Scrunching her head, she finally recalled the color the chain as being palladium and the jewel was obsidian with a snowflake pattern on it.
Master Fu had a hard time drawing an Asian elephant in different tones of brown. The tricky part was getting a bronze sundial watch around its left front leg. After bit of erasing and changing some of the lines, the elephant was finished.
Describing and illustrating the magpie was the easiest animal to do. It was the animal that had stood out the most to Ning. Master Fu had also had seen pictures of the bird before and better talent for drawing feathers, then folds of skin.
The description of the headgear was accurate. Ning recalled the head gear reminded her of historical clothing worn in Eastern Asia. She didn't know for sure which country, but the jeweled part seemed to be a small cluster of sardonyx gems.
After putting the finishing touches on the drawing, Master Fu asked his apprentice if these matched what she saw. She squinted at the drawings, trying hard to see how the animals looked when not made of paper.
"These look accurate to me. The panda's chain is the right size. The sundial watch was a bit bigger, but looks pretty accurate. Huh, I didn't notice before the gem cluster resembled a bird," she remarked.
The animals indeed seemed to be wearing Miraculouses. A closer look at the accessories, showed the jewel on the chain was shaped like a panda's face. The dial was really a god like elephant.
Master Fu shot the turtle kwami a look. Wayzz shrugged his shoulders. "There are thousands of abstract creatures and they all take different animal appearances. The mage made a large amount of Miraculouses. The Order didn't know how many and even us Kwamiis were unsure. There were several circles, but I don't know them all."
Master Fu tugged on his goatee thoughtfully. "The Guardians did have a habit of keeping different circles apart after the dark period. They thought it would be unwise to tempt fate."
Ning touched the Miraculous Book and attempted to will it to the pages she wanted. Peridot Turtle had mentioned she had done this before. However, the tome refused to do her bidding.
Frustrated, the UN agent counted to ten. Why was the Miraculous Book being so difficult? It made her want to pull out her hair. "If these animals really are representations of Kwamiis and Miraculouses, we should keep an eye out for them. The Book might even reveal their location someday."
At the charm school, everyone was in the formal dining hall. In about a week and half, the fundraiser ball would commence. So far, all the students had been doing well, even the ones who just signed up for the ball.
Madam Isura and Monsieur Jerome watched as the students warily sat down at their assigned tables. Several students looked nervous about the upcoming lesson, Formal Dinning Etiquette. This class was the most important one for the ball.
"Good day students. With the fundraiser ball so close, we've decided today all students should be practicing for the dinner and the ball, so today this will be your only class," Monsieur Jerome informed them. He watched as several students twitched or had anxious looks on their faces. He shared a teasing look with his sister, who hid a chuckle. Nothing scared teenagers more than getting a scolding for horrendous table manners.
"Please, calm yourselves. I know this sounds very scary. That is the reason we are spending all day on this class. The other teachers have each been assigned a table, and will help you if you find yourself in trouble." He clapped his hands and the other teachers went to their assigned tables.
Marinette was thrilled that Madam Eugena had been assigned to the table. She had been so grateful when Ladybug and Chat Noir had returned Wiggles to her, she had given the heroes honorary certificates declaring them to be graduates of the school.
Everyone at the table straightened their posture and kept eye contact with the headmistress and owner of the school. The headmistress asked them to all stand up, push their chairs in, and walk back into the hallway so they could practice their proper entrance into the room.
As the students entered the hallway, their assigned teachers lined them up in order of table numbers. Adrien and Marinette's class was at table seven. The couples were told to stand next to their partners, girls on the left, boys on the right. The boys were instructed to hold out their left arms and their girls to loop their right through them for escorting each other. Adrien held out his arm and Marinette was about to take when she felt somebody yank her from behind.
She stumbled backwards, falling on top of Judekael, sending them crashing to the floor with a loud thump. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to push you down," she told the boy frantically.
"It's alright, I wasn't expecting my partner to forcefully switch places with you," Judekael told her in a tired tone. He pointed behind Marinette, who turned her head, forming fists with her hands.
Chloe had locked her arms tightly around Adrien's. She pulled him closer to her and was flirting with him. You could see on the model's face he was very uncomfortable.
There were the sounds of light footsteps coming to a stop, as Madame Eugena walked over and demanded to know who was causing the disturbance. "We're about to make our entry to the dining hall. Who is causing so much commotion?"
Judekael and Marinette stood up and apologized for causing a ruckus. Madame Eugena raised an eyebrow. These two were not assigned partners. Her eyes looked to right and saw Chloe and Adrien together. She frowned, upon seeing the mayor's daughter once again, forgot proper etiquette.
"Ms. Bourgeois, you are partnered with Mr. Chevalier, not Mr. Agreste."
"No I'm not. Marinette agreed to switch with me, right Marinette?"
Marinette started protesting. "You call yanking me backwards and crashing into someone as switching?"
Chloe smirked and held tighter on Adrien. The boy gave the teacher a pleading look.
The teacher didn't have time to play games with the mayor's daughter. She forcefully pulled Chloe off Adrien and made sure she was holding the arm of the correct person. Hissing into Chloe's ear if she didn't behave, she wouldn't be allowed to come to the ball at all, no matter who her father was.
The students started to proceed into the dining hall. The host siblings greeted each pair and the couples thanked them for the inviting to the dinner and ball. A slight bow and curtsy, the students proceeded to their tables.
The boys pulled out the chairs for the girls and helped them into their seats. The girls thanked the boys for being a gentlemen, which allowed the boys to take a seat.
After everyone was seated, the hosts went to the main table and raised their wine glasses. The legal age for drinking in France was eighteen, so the students had sparkling cider in their glasses. The hosts gave a few toasts before saying bon appetite. Since they weren't serving any food today, the teachers explained placement of plates and utensils. For example; the dinner knife was on the right next the soup spoon. After finishing, the knife and dinner fork, lay parallel on the right side of the plate.
Madame Eugena also showed the students how to properly unfold their napkins before placing them on their laps. Plates of food would be passed out counter clockwise. "Remember students, you may not ask for seconds and should finish everything on your plate."
"Exactly how do we reach for things without knocking something over?" Mylene asked politely. Her arms couldn't reach forward very far. Most likely she would have to lean in to get the pepper and salt. Even the butter tray was out of reach.
"You generally ask for others to pass items for you. Each of you are fifteen inches apart from one another, giving you enough room to reach items easily without causing accidents. If, you do need to reach for something, you do it like this."
The teacher demonstrated to hold their arm in the air, the elbow bent slightly, but not on the table and gently move your hand until it reached the object she wanted. Delicately, she pulled on the tablecloth. When the glass was in her reach, she wrapped her fingers around the stem.
"Pull the glass back to you, while using it to unwrinkled the table cloth. Once you can lift it up to your mouth, carefully adjust your elbow and take a sip. Repeat the process to put the glass back. Are there any more questions?"
Each student had a question ranging from the order of meals to what was the proper way to excuse yourself to use the bathroom. Adrien asked about the menu, concerned about people with food allergies.
Madame Eugenia assured him, that plates with alternative foods for those with allergies, would be made in a separate kitchen, to avoid accidental food contamination.
Marinette was happy learn if someone got a stain, the staff would do their best to get it out quickly. If they couldn't, alternate clothes were available for use.
"Madame Eugenia, how long will this dinner take? I want to be able to dance without feeling bloated." Chloe stated.
"As you recall, everyone was given the details of the ball the other day. You will arrive at five. You will greet the media, be announced and then spend cocktail hour meeting and talking with other guests. At six, dinner will be served.
After dinner, the ball room will be opened at seven and last until nine. Afterwards, we'll have a small ceremony to congratulate each of you and giving out your certificates. We'll also reveal how much money we've earned.
By ten we should have finished with the ceremony and you may leave at the time with your families to go home. I'm sure they will enjoy the dinner ball as much as you do."
It was barely after breakfast the next day, when Ning got a call from her superiors. She went into the bedroom area to accept the call through her special communication device.
The French Representative appeared on the screen. "Peace Keeper, your retreat is over. We have a new assignment for you. North and South Korea are about to have a historical meeting. North Korea leader Mr. Kim and South Korea's president Mr. Moon, will engaging in peace talks in Panmunjom. There is a real chance that a peace treaty can be established between the two countries."
Ning schooled her expression to remain neutral, but inside she was jumping in joy. The Korean War had ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, so technically the countries had still been at war for nearly seven decades. A reunification between the two countries would change the political scenarios when it came to the peninsula and other countries.
"These talks are vital to the region. North Korea is still under sanctions for nuclear missile testing, but they might agree to start denuclearization. That is a big maybe. We know South Korea will make an offer to fix the roads in North Korea, but uncertain if the offer will be accepted."
Even if those agreements weren't reached at the summit, the possibility of further talks between the two Korea, was a realistic goal. Improvement between inter relations could help improve lives. As important as it was, learning to be a Great Guardian and stopping Hawkmoth, Ning knew her duty to the world, must take precedence in this case.
"Sir, I accept this mission, but I do have a small request. Upon completion, I would like to return to Paris for three weeks. The situation here is developing into a greater conflict then before. It wouldn't feel right to leave, without helping the team here, find a way to deescalated the problem."
The French Representative agreed to her request. He instructed her to prepare for departure in one hour when his private plane arrived to take her to South Korea. It would be tricky, but the UN Security Council had a plan, of how to insert her in the talks, without raising suspicions.
After signing off, the agent now had a difficult task before her. Returning to the main room, Master Fu and Wayzz, were waiting for her. She tried to smile, but couldn't and looked down at the ground.
Wayzz antenna drooped and Master Fu played with his goatee. "You've been recalled to duty. Where are you going this time?" he asked her in a kind tone.
She explained about the peace talks and how vital they were for the region. The UN Security Council wanted her there to ensure they went smoothly and to take out any problems that would threaten the talks. Also, this was her opportunity to get new details from her Peace Team station in North Korea.
Wayzz pulled her chin up. "A Guardian cannot ignore their duty, no matter how it can be inconvenient. You're desire for peace is strong. It is what defines you as a person."
Master Fu held out her disguise and helped put it on. "No matter where you are, I know you shall come back to your home here."
"Thank Master Fu, I will return. When I do, I know in my heart will find more about the Miraculouses and Kwamii Charms." Hugging them both, Fu called her, no him, a taxi and with heavy heart, Ning started her journey to Korea.
Of course, Marinette and Adrien were disappointed with Ning's absence, after all, she had been helping them practice in attempt to access new powers. Also, with only one person translating the Book, it would take even longer to learn about Hawkmoth's possible new powers.
Marinette and Adrien were drinking tea as Master Fu explained something he had found in the Book. "Before Ning left, she managed to translate one more page about the Butterfly Miraculous. She wasn't sure what it meant, but the page described motion to motionless and emotion to the emotionless."
The teens looked very confused by the statement. Even Tikki, one of the smartest Kwamiis, couldn't figure that one out. "Nooroo's powers have always had a bit of mystery to them. His powers are extremely diverse when one considers the possibilities of different champions."
Plagg snorted, causing a few pieces of cheese to land on Adrien's head. "Plagg!"
"Sorry, what a waste of cheese. I was just thinking about how Nooroo's powers are not that much of a mystery."
"They are too Plagg! No one has ever figured out if there's a limit to what our "brother's" powers are. All his champions have had a range of powers."
"Are you that oblivious Tikki? Most of his Champions have similar powers, or the same powers as a previous Champion, it's just a different person. The akumas are all different depending on what emotion they're drawn to. Its the same thing when their angels choosing champions. Back up me up on this Wayzz."
The turtle kwami groaned. He hated it when his "brothers" and "sisters" fought with one another. As the oldest, Tikki should be the one breaking up fights, not him. Everyone just turned to him because he happened to be the kwami of the Great Guardian.
"For goodness sakes, can't you two stop arguing about this? Both of you are right so shut up!"
The other two Kwamiis stared in shock. Wayzz rarely raised his voice or told someone to be quiet. He must have been more stressed out then he was letting on.
The turtle kwami floated down to the table, took a few sips of tea before munching on his baby carrots. He glared at his "siblings" daring them to continue to fight. Instead, they both floated down and settled on the table quietly eating their food.
"I apologize, Wayzz doesn't lose his temper often. I believe we should focus on understanding the translated page,"the elderly man suggested, as he opened the book. He flipped through the pages until he came to the page which had been translated.
The top part of the page was writing and the lower half was an illustration. The translation of the words were like a poem, describing the phenomenon below. There was a picture of Nooroo, his flitter flying off, and then landing on a tree and a statue, and then the tree and statue were moving.
"Motion to the motionless. Emotion to emotionless," Adrien whispered to himself. His fingers touched the aged paper, as he carefully traced the picture, his green eyes locked onto the image."Could this mean Hawkmoth could bring inanimate objects to life?" The boy drew his hand away to give Master Fu a better look at the picture.
While the Guardian looked over the picture Marinette wasn't so sure Adrien was right about what the page was trying to tell them. His theory was a possible interpretation. It fit the motion to the motionless, but it didn't cover the emotion to emotionless. Could Hawkmoth's empathy be able to put emotions in something that didn't have them?
I wish we could talk to a Butterfly wielder. They would be able to tell us more about the powers. I wonder, I have to give it a try.
Marinette slammed her palms on the table drawing their attention She then told her fellow Miraculous users her idea of how to figure out the page. She needed to visit her soul room, and invite another part of her soul, to talk with her. First though, she would need to enter a deep sleep.
While Master Fu was brewing a sleeping potion, Adrien watched his girlfriend laid out a bed roll to sleep on. "I really don't think this is a good idea," he informed Marinette.
He started to wring his hands and his eyes widen. "What if you splinter again? Worse, or never wake up? Can another part of your soul possess you?"
Marinette rolled her eyes at him. "Adrien, if your so concerned, then why don't you join me?" She giggled as Adrien balked at the idea. "I mean it. You've been distracted lately, very anxious. Talking to another side of you can only help."
The rich boy sputtered and stuttered about the reasons he shouldn't do this. Plagg laughed in his face telling the boy he was coward. Of course, Adrien snapped back he was not afraid and he would prove it.
Master Fu wasn't surprised to find out Adrien had changed his mind. Plagg knew how to manipulate his chosen to act accordingly. Which is why he had brewed two potions.
"Once you drink this, you will fall into a deep sleep. While, I have never been able to do what Marinette's Turtle side can do, I have read about how to reach your individual soul room," he told them as they prepared to enter the deep sleep. "Focus on who you are, what makes you special. Picture a room which shows all of what makes you up as a person. Follow the path provided and you'll reach your soul room."
"We'll administer the antidote in one hour. Be careful and good luck," Wayzz added. Behind him Tikki and Plagg watched quietly as their chosens drank the potion and immediately fell into a deep sleep.
Marinette opened her eyes and saw the red brick road laid out in front of her. Taking a deep breath and steadying herself, she walked down the path until she reached the door with a ladybug over it. Turning the knob she entered the room.
Her soul room was exactly as she remembered. It was her bedroom with a few reminders of what happened to her when she was akumatized. There was another door that led to her stain glass window and the central soul room.
As she crossed the room, she could hear knocking on the door to the central soul room. She paused at the door and asked the person to identify themselves. When she heard who was there, she opened the door wide.
Mariposa entered the soul room and sat down on the comfy chaise. She appeared to be a little bit tired. "I was resting after another royal function and heard your heart calling out to me."
"Thanks for coming so quickly. I'd offer you a snack, but I didn't bring any with me," Marinette joked. Mariposa giggled and then became serious. She demanded to know why Marinette/Ladybug needed to speak with her.
Marinette quickly explained the situation about Hawkmoth, and how he was close, to gaining new powers. When she talked about the page, Mariposa asked her to clarify the exact translation, which Marinette did.
The Butterfly girl was quiet, her side ponytails started to come loose as she rested her head on her cane pommel. Nooroo had been teaching her new things recently. What Ladybug was describing sounded similar to something she learned recently from her kwami. "If you're right about the translation, then I do know what it's talking about."
Marinette had to put her hand over her mouth to prevent her from shouting in delight. She hopped up and down for a few seconds before settling into her computer had an eager expression on her face, ready to know everything.
"Adrien was partially right. Some inanimate objects can be brought to life, but not in the way he thinks. The object in question has be alive in some way. A statue of an animal or person, represents a life of being, who was captured in a moment. Trees are living beings, they just can't move.
If something is alive, or people talk about an object, as if it has life, it can be akumatized or made a champion. The emotional energy is put inside these objects and thus they gain movement. In theory, if a machine had life and expressed emotions, then it could also be akumatized."
The news was frightening to say the least. Marinette asked in there was a way to counter this power or bring it to a standstill.
Mariposa explained you could cleanse the object or figure a way to take away the emotions and life. "You also have to be super careful. Bringing objects to life can have dangerous consequences for the wielder. They are more likely to turn against the holder than other people."
While the ladybug and butterfly were having their conversation, Adrien had finally managed to find his soul room. It was just his room, but he saw pictures of himself with his friends and school.
There was a plaque on the wall. He went over and ran his fingers across the metal plates. The top part of the plaque read, "The Greatest Chat Noirs" then the plates had his name followed by Marinette's or another girls name with a tiny etching of a kwami.
"It's a list of all the versions of you as Chat Noir," a voice called out. Adrien spun around when he saw himself in clothes fit for royalty, come out of the bathroom. "You're Chat Noir most of the time, and all versions of you as this hero have similar lives, except for a few memorable occasions. The only reason the Chat Noir in Peridot Turtle's world is the strongest version is because of his relationship with her."
"Who are you? What are you doing here? Version of myself, I'm confused," Adrien sputtered out. Instinctively, he took a few steps backwards.
The doppelganger let out a sigh and muttered something about why he had to deal with this version instead of the one he previously met. Standing up straight, the boy motioned for Adrien to take a seat on the couch, which he did.
"For simplicity sakes, you can call me by my hero name, Teal Peacock. I shall address you as Agreste, agreed?" Teal Peacock asked. Getting a nod, he continued to speak. "May I inquire, about the reason you called me here?"
Adrien looked confused. "I didn't call you. I didn't even know how to get into my soul room! The only reason I'm here, is because Marinette wanted to talk to the part of her soul that had the Butterfly. We both drank a potion to put us in a deep sleep."
Teal Peacock scratched his chin with interest. "Yes, that make sense. Even though your Ladybug is the strongest version of her, she's not a polypossunman, so she requires aid to come here on her own."
Seeing that his counterpart was still confused, Teal Peacock told him not to worry about it. "Agreste, I know you have many questions, but we do have a time crunch. Can you think of a reason you would want to talk with me?"
Adrien turned away, shaking slightly. He looked torn about what to say. Teal Peacock just sat there waiting patiently.
"I've been having dreams and hallucinations about me and Hawkmoth! In my dreams I find myself in his lair, then surrounded by butterflies and mirrors that have half of me and half of Hawkmoth. I keep seeing that in the waking world!" he blurted out. He pressed his hand to chest as the feeling of pressure relented. "Do you know what it means Teal Peacock?"
The prince looked at Adrien amusingly before he started to laugh. It was a great big belly laugh and tears poured out of his eyes. The model scowled not liking being laughed at, only for the prince to tell him he was not laughing at Adrien.
"I apologize. I have so little fun in my life, I've forgotten how to have fun. You're problem isn't as big as you imagine it. Tell me, did Ladybug share what she had gained, when her souls merged?"
Getting a nod, Teal Peacock chuckled again. "I apologize, but the answer to your dreams and hallucinations is so simple, I'm surprised you haven't figure it out."
"Just tell me already!"
"Agreste, you are afraid of your father being Hawkmoth in your version of life, because Ladybug told you he was in a few versions, especially in the one with me in it. My father is a powerful dangerous king who is very stern and frightening to be around."
Teal Peacock reached in his pocket and pulled out a two photos before giving them to Adrien. They were before and after pictures. One was of Teal Peacock and his father standing on the grand staircase in the mansion. While the smiles in the picture seemed a little forced, they were clearly happy.
The other photo showed the exact same place and pose. Only the staircase was even more glamorous and now the Agreste wore clothes fit for royalty. You could practically feel the fear in Teal Peacock's eyes.
Adrien handed the photos back. "I'm sorry your father turned out to be evil."
"Thank you. I had dreams similar to you when this first happened. We're both conflicted. Our father is someone we love and respect. We should feel safe and protected. When we see his dark side, we fear it's only a matter of time before we turn into him."
Adrien sagged understanding what Teal Peacock meant. If there was even a possibility his father was evil, he didn't think he could handle it. If his father could be evil, then there was a strong possibility he was.
"We don't have to walk the path of our father. I have chosen to fight and overthrow my father one day, and restore Paris to its normal glory. You can find out the truth for yourself and make peace with it, if you're willing to. Question is, are you strong enough to do so?"
"I believe I am."
After an eleven hour flight from Paris to Seoul and couple hours of sleep, Peace Keeper was in the back of transport vehicle, reading the background for her new alias, Jeong Si-U and she was meant to play a part as fill in for one of the camera men, invited to broadcast the peace talks. Her male alias was skilled in camera work and keeping the shot in perfect focus. There was a list of credentials, money, and a security badge to give her access to the peace talks.
A picture of what she was supposed to look like had been added in the profile. She had secured her hair under a male hair style wig and changed her face and eye shape. Her skin was the right tone and she had already bound her breast and added her fake Adam's apple. Underneath her outfit, she wore a device that made her shoulders much broader.
"Hello, it is nice to meet you. It is a pleasure to be here," Si-U practiced, holding "his" right forearm with "his" left hand. It was tradition after the bow of respect to shake a man's hand.
While Si-U's handshake was right, the accented needed some work. Not only did it have to sound Korean, it had to have the inflections of someone who lived in a major city.
"His body" language would have to be very specific. No touching of any kind, avoid eye contact with a superior, and gesture for help by extending her right arm, palm facing down, and use a scratching motion to attract someone's attention.
Eventually, Jeong Si-U made it to Panmunjom and exited the vehicle. There were two people waiting for him. One was the head of security, the other was the head of TV crew.
He bowed to them and then did the handshake. "Hello Chief Moon, Producer Jin. It is an honor to be allowed to assist in this historical meeting."
"Indeed. Please stow your things and get to work," Producer Jin commanded.
Chief Moon escorted the cameraman to the bunks and then to the TV crew. This was going to be a tricky mission. There was no way to get away for a few minutes to check on the latest news from France. Squaring his shoulder's Jeong Si-U went to work.
In Paris, Marinette was soaking her feet after a hard day fighting a difficult Akuma. Mariposa's warning came to pass. Max's robot friend Markov had been akumatized as Robotus. The robot had taken control of all the technology in the city and it had been very difficult to fight against him.
The only reason they had won that fight had been because Robotus had turned against Hawkmoth, while Max had been able to distract his friend long enough to allow, Ladybug and Chat Noir, a chance to destroy his akumatized object.
"Mariposa was right. Hawkmoth didn't know how to control his power over inanimate objects."
Tikki swallowed her cookie and tilted her head. "That is true, but he might decide to do this again. Hawkmoth is very determined to get what he wants and doesn't give up. I hope the Great Guardian can figure out the rest of the Miraculous Book sooner than later."