"Marinette! Plagg, Claws Out!" As I transform, I can see that Marinette has transformed as well, but what if she's in trouble?
I sink down into the water, looking frantically about for her. "Oh, your just the cutest!" I hear her say behind a outcrop of rocks. "You touched my foot with your cold wet nose because you wanted someone to play with!" I swim over and down, finding her twirling in the water with a happy seal, as she holds it by its flippers. It barks happily, then darts over to me, circling as if to say, "Goody! Another new friend!"
"Thank goodness your alright," I give her a quick hug, but our seal friend nudges between us. "Okay, okay, Seaweed, I didn't forget about you!" Ladybug laughs, giving its side a good pat.
Seaweed suddenly darts away in a cascade of bubbles, but stops, turns and looks at us to follow. "Alright, we're coming!" we follow the friendly seals, marveling at the colorful beauty and the wildlife. At last, Seaweed leads us back to the surface, and we find ourselves on a small island. "How far out did we swim, Adrien?" Ladybug laughs.
I'm half paying attention though, and I want to take a look around. "You'll wait for us here, won't you, girl?" I ask Seaweed, and she yawns, flopping down in the sand. "I'd take that as yes." Ladybug grins.
The island though small and deserted is very peaceful, the lapping of the water at the shoreline, the sway of the leaves of the high trees. "To bad there aren't any coconuts," I joke, and Ladybug rolls her eyes. "Its not a tropical island, Kitty, though that would be nice."
It grows warm quickly however, and we flop under a tree to cool off. I set my head against Ladybug's shoulder. "Here, lay your head down in my lap. I want to try something."
Curious, I do as I'm told, and she starts scratching around the base of my ears, eventually weaving her hands through my hair. She works at the tight muscles of my neck and back, and I'm nearly asleep at her touch. Almost. "Don't go to sleep now, Cat. We still have to swim back." "I could stay just like this forever," I murmur. "Then you'd miss dinner and snacks," she giggles. I lick my lips. "I'm still thinking about that cookie," I confess. "Don't worry, I'll give you lessons eventually," she promises.
Everyone is just packing up when we get back, and Hydra strolls over to us. "Were were you two?" "On a walk down the beach," comes Ladybug's prompt reply.
Its Ladybug who falls asleep on the way home, as I stare out the window. I don't know if I'm just imaging it, but her face seems to be peaceful, instead of the restless look.
She wants to head back to the dorm to record today in her diary, so with a kiss, I tell her I'll see her later.
I dream again of swimming with Seaweed during the night with Ladybug, but we keep going never touching land.
"I'm so amped for today's class!" Hydra cheers, and I turn to look at him, comb in hand. "What's special about today?" "Music class!" My breathes catches in my throat. I love music. "Do you think they'll be a piano? I play a little myself." "Oh, the piano's a beauty. I'm sure the teachers will let you play, even if its not during the lesson. Now, let's get down to breakfast!"
Ladybug teases me about my hair being slightly green after being in the water so much yesterday. "Just sporting a new style," I joke back. I meant to wash it after dinner, but I had layed down for a minute, and woke up only this morning.
"He was talking about seals and cookies last night in his dreams," Hydra spills, laughing. "Hey," I hold up my hands with a grin. "Don't give away all my secrets." "Anything else we should now about, Kitty? A tattoo, a new girlfriend?" "I'm perfectly happy with my bell, and for a girlfriend, M'lady, I'm stuck on you!"
When we get to class, two teachers stand at the front, and one has a cart full of buckets, lids, and other household items.
When we're all seated and quiet, our teacher begins. "Good morning, students. Today you will use your creative talents to make music, but music so much more then lyrics. A song with or without lyrics could calm a emotional loved one, and as you encounter a villain out in the world, you may even lull him into a trance with a hypotic tune. Our art teacher has graciously let us borrow things from the art room this morning. Let's have fun, but keep things in one piece. Any questions?"
"Yeah," Ivy stands up, waving her hand. "Why don't you just ask me to sing a song? Listen, I'm a great singer! Yeowww!"
The class tries not to giggle or wince, as Ivy sounds like one of the alley cats I used to hang out with. Marinette would ban balcony visits on Yowl Nights (self-explanatory) and now I can see why.
"Ivy, we have a different class for that. Now, come on up, class!" Hydra grabs me as we head down. "Can you grab the buckets, Cat? I got the lids." Clearly, Hydra has a idea, and I'm happy to follow along.
We assemble a sort of drum set with three or four others, and Hydra takes the drums. We actually sound pretty good after a half hour of practice, but Hydra is the best!
We all turn and watch in amazement as he bangs away on the drums, but he holds no drumsticks. I look closer and find water shooting out of his hands at just the right speed and angles causing a booming sound, just like drums!
Unfournetely, I don't get a piano this class, but I'm more eager to hear how Hydra played like that. He pulls me into a side hallway after class, showing me a small necklace. "I'm named after the constellation of the water dragon. This necklace grants me special powers."
Unknown to Cat or Hydra, there was someone else hidden who was impressed, a man wearing a mask named Scorpius. He planned to get that power, and soon. But what or who could he use a bait?