"Okay, okay, don't panic," Marinette let a shaky breath escape as she raked her fingers through her loose hair until they tugged at the roots. She spared another glance at the shimmery blob that was nonchalantly sitting on her chaise with a fashion magazine held gingerly in its... hands? Paws? she still wasn't sure what they were, but it was weird. The plate of lemon slices she'd gotten from her mother earlier now sat as an empty plate on the end of the lounge, rinds and all. (She really didn't want to think about how the blob had just... popped each one into its maw whole.)

"I already told you everything's going to be fine, Marinette." Tikki regarded her with mild amusement before turning her attention back to the sentibeing. "All you need to do is find the Peacock, take it back to the Guardian, get it fixed, and we can get, uh, them back to their own body."

"Do you know whose soul this is?" The girl whirled around, pointing an accusatory finger at the little god.

There was a very long pause.

The blob looked up from its magazine.

Tikki hesitated, glancing at the being before finally locking eyes with her chosen.

"Well..." the ladybug grimaced as if she'd just sucked on a lemon. "... technically, yes. But unfortunately Kwami cannot reveal the names of their users unless you actually got to meet Duusu and the body this soul belongs to. I couldn't tell you even if you commanded me."

"Well, great," the teenager huffed, going back to pacing about her room. "That really helps my chances of- wait." She stopped in place, before looking back at Tikki in confusion. "If I commanded you? I can do that?"

"When you made a deal with me in exchange for the Miraculous, you and I became bonded in such a way that I would be magically compelled to answer any question you command me to answer." She winced again. "Usually I try not to tell my users about that... poor Cat has been on the wrong end of that little detail far too many times."

"Oh, oh, Tikki," Marinette's eyes softened and she went up to where the ladybug avatar was resting, cupping a hand before her. When she climbed into it, she held the spotted being close to her face. "I would never do that to you. I promise."

"I believe you a hundred percent." Tikki's eyes closed and a blissful smile grew on her face as the girl began scritching on the back of her head. She preened, little wings fluttering at the delightful sensation. "I've seen your heart, Marinette. Every time you call on me to transform, you and I become one being. I would not trust you with so much of my wisdom had I sensed you had even the slightest darkness in your soul."

Marinette looked over at the blob, only to find them watching the two with something like interest. The magazine lay forgotten on the chaise as they got up from their spot and made their way over.

"Now," Tikki began, opening her eyes and regarding the being once more. "Until we can find Duusu and his user's body, it doesn't hurt to give them a name, right? What did you have in mind, Marinette?"

"Wha- me?" She squeaked. Two sets of eyes (well, one invisible) were on her, and she fidgeted under the heavy stare. "Um... well, since you're mostly yellow... and because you seem to like lemons so much... maybe Citron?"

The blob warbled and jiggled in place, almost as if it were... laughing?

Tikki giggled alongside it, much to her chosen's confusion. "I see, I see. That's a good name. Don't you think, Citron?"

"Citron" seemed to nod its head, and a dip spread across the front of its face much like a human smile.

"Hello, my darlings," Amelie greeted the boys sweetly as they walked into the mansion. Opening her arms for a hug, she asked, "Are you hungry? You must be - didn't you visit the hospital right after school again?"

"Correct, Madame," Nathalie spoke up as the boys hugged the blonde. "I trust the chefs got my message?"

"Oh, don't worry, I let them know." With a wink towards her son and nephew, she began to guide them away. "Come now, boys. I managed to get the both of you a surprise I know you'll like!"

"Thanks, Aunt Ame!" Adrien's voice began to fade from earshot as they moved through the corridor.

The assistant heaved a quiet sigh, adjusting her glasses as Adrien's bodyguard placed a massive hand atop her shoulder.

"I'm worried about him," she admitted in a murmur.

The Gorilla, as he was nicknamed among the staff, grunted an agreement.

"Guillaume, please continue to keep a close eye on Adrien." The dark-haired woman kissed her teeth. "And Felix too. I don't trust that boy."

He patted her shoulder, and without a word, sauntered down the hall. His heavy footfalls echoed through the empty corridors and bounced off the walls, until it all faded into silence... and Nathalie was alone with nothing but her clipboard.

She gave a weary sigh before making her way to the atelier.

After knocking twice, she opened the door when she heard him murmur inside.

"Sir," she greeted, shutting the door behind herself as he looked up from Emilie's painting. "Rumors are spreading, and not in the good way - you need to lie low for a while until people stop talking."

His shoulders were tense, raised like the hackles of a cat. "Have the hospital staff been gossiping again?"

The face she made only confirmed his suspicion, and he growled in annoyance.

"It's not enough that they forbid me from seeing my own wife, is it? Now they have the gall to talk about me as if I'd ever...!"

A fist slammed down on his antique wooden desk and she hurried forward, hands outstretched. "Sir-"

"Nathalie, I ordered that my wife be given the absolute best of care in the country." Gabriel spat, the frames of his glasses catching in the light and obscuring his eyes for the quickest of seconds. "I allow my son to see her twice a week, no matter how damaging it must be for him to see his own mother in a coma for which there is no known cure. I send fresh lillies every Monday-"

"That reminds me, we just got a confirmation that the florist got a new batch of flowers yesterday and is working on a new bouquet," Nathalie interrupted quickly.

He shut his mouth and nodded brusquely. "Thank you, I was hoping they had gotten back to us."

"But what else can I ask for, Nathalie?" He demanded, the pinch of anger coloring his aged face. "I cannot have the entirety of Paris spreading the appalling rumor that I beat my own wife into a coma!"

"Sir," she began a little weakly. "shall I, ah, send an airtight NDA to the chief of staff?"

He waved her off with a grousing, "Don't even bother with an NDA. If we retaliate, they'll only believe that confirms their suspicions. What we need is something bigger... something guaranteed to overpower these silly playground rumors."

A malicious grin spread across his face, and the butterfly lapel pin shimmered in the light. "Nathalie, please let my directors know that I will be unavailable for that video call tomorrow afternoon."

Nathalie watched as her boss stalked back over to the painting, and she felt her shoulders grow a little heavier. She nodded, despite not being seen. "Of course, sir."

The painted eyes of Emilie Agreste seemed to pierce her right through the painting, and she couldn't help but give a shiver at the guilt that leeched into her body like a toxin.

A/N: I know, I know, we already got a name reveal for The Gorilla, but I liked Guillaume better. At least I'll keep his canon name as his last name, just as a shout-out (and because I love the pun).