(Time Skip)
Hours after Marinette's speech at City Hall, the girl in question went home, and had dinner with her family before her nightly call to her brother. To which she told him and Toby about D'Argencourt's akumatization and regaled the details since it wasn't on the news… for obvious reasons. From there, the boys regaled their own tales of how their day went, especially about Jim's new training schedule with Blinky and an upcoming Spanish comprehension exam.
But she was now transformed into Ladybug, and waiting for Chat Noir at one of their designated patrol meet up spots. Standing at the second level of the Eiffel Tower after night had fallen, Ladybug could spy her partner making his way over to her with his staff, propelling him from the top of Trocadero so he could land right next to her.
"You're late." Ladybug playfully remarked as she turned to face him. Chat Noir was usually good about arriving to patrols on time, so for Ladybug to arrive before him, she took great pride in being the first to arrive… for the first time in her whole life.
"Sorry, My Lady. I couldn't get away from my civilian duties." Chat Noir explained as he put his baton away and stretched his back muscles, warming up for the large amount of parkour he'd be doing in a few minutes.
"It's okay. Lord knows how much I've been in your shoes." Ladybug groaned as she started to stretch as well, her own limbs having become stiff while waiting.
"Thanks. So which route are we going tonight?" Chat Noir asked after he finished stretching.
"North and south route tonight. Do you want north or south?" Ladybug asked as she finished her own stretching and pulled out her yo-yo.
"I'll go south tonight. You took south the last time we did this route, so it's only fair." Chat Noir said as she pulled out his baton.
"Sounds good to me. Meet back here when we're done?" Ladybug queried as she started to spin her yo-yo to gain momentum for when she would throw it.
"As usual. See you in two hours." Chat Noir farewelled before using his baton to propel himself towards the south side of the city. A second after he did, Ladybug followed his example and used her yo-yo to swing herself towards the north.
It had been an hour and a half since Ladybug and Chat Noir had started their patrol, and things seemed to be quiet. No akumas, no muggings, no disturbances of any kind could be found as Ladybug perched herself on top of a chimney to try and spot anything out of the ordinary.
"Looks like the north is safe for tonight. Let's hope Hawkmoth doesn't release a late night akuma so it stays that way." Ladybug remarked before she climbed down from the chimney and landed onto the rooftop below it.
But as she grabbed her yo-yo and was about to throw it so it could catch onto another chimney and swing away, she heard a roof tile suddenly break behind her. Due to her time as a hero making her extra vigilant while transformed, Ladybug whipped out her yo-yo and sent it flying towards the source of the sound. Her warryness was rewarded when her yo-yo wrapped around a mysterious figure in the shadows.
"Ah!" the figure exclaimed as they were trapped in the yo-yo string while Ladybug held them tight in her grip. Due to where she was standing, the shadows from the chimney kept Ladybug from seeing what the figure looked like. But from what she could gather, the figure was definitely taller than her, which was concerning to Ladybug.
"Who are you? What do you want? Are you an akuma?" Ladybug interrogated before she pulled the yo-yo string tighter around the figure, causing them to yelp at the newly added pressure.
"I'm not an akuma! I am a friend, I swear!" the figure pleaded, trying to get themselves out of Ladybug's questioning.
"Why should I believe you when I can't even see what you look like?" Ladybug questioned with a stoney expression on her face.
"To be fair, you're the one who is keeping me in the shadows." the figure countered, much to Ladybug's surprise that he had a solid point.
"Okay, fair enough. I'll let you go, but you will step out into the light so I can see your face." Ladybug ordered, to which the top of the figure moved, leading Ladybug to think that they were nodding in agreement. So with that, Ladybug unwrapped her yo-yo from the figure and they finally stepped out of the shadows to reveal themselves. But at the sight of the figure, Ladybug's guard was anything but lowered.
The figure turned out to be a troll. A lanky and thin one, but a troll no the less if Jim's description of them was anything to go off of. Their hair was wispy, short and colored a soft brown, with the length going to the nape of their neck while the front area of their hair was spiked up. Their face was long and had stone gray, downturned shaped eyes with white slit pupils, and a dark green nose that went up to his tiny forehead. Along their mouth, were four lower jaw fangs that Ladybug had seen from pictures of Blinky and Aarrrgghh!-courtesy of Jim and Toby-that just reached the bottom of their nose.
The troll's body-like Ladybug had noticed before-was a lanky inverted triangle shape, but muscled enough for them to be considered a threat, while their skin was a pale green and decorated with dark gray tattoos on their upper biceps. On top of their head were small and moderately thick gray horns, just poking out of their hair. Like Ladybug had predicted, the troll stood taller than her, at an estimated 2 meters in Ladybug's judgment. Their attire consisted of a simple brown tunic, tucked under a black leather belt that held a few throwing knives for easy access, and gray pants to his calves. All in all, Ladybug held back from attacking them so she could find out what they wanted.
"You're a troll. Are you a good troll, or a part of the Janus Order?" the spotted heroine asked, her yo-yo at the ready just in case.
"Depends on who you consider 'good.' But if you think that the Janus Order is evil, like it sounds like you do, then I'm not on their side." the troll answered, relieving Ladybug a tiny bit.
"Good answer. Now what is your name?" Ladybug responded, hoping to get more answers from the troll in front of her.
"My name is Tarnite, Ambassador of Stone Arc Trollmarket and at your service, Mistress Ladybug." the troll, now revealed as Tarnite, introduced himself with a flourish and a bow, much to Ladybug's surprise.
" 'Stone Arc', not 'Heartstone'? And how do you know my name? "Ladybug questioned, her curiosity and confusion peaked.
"You are quite famous among our community's salvage runners. When they found out about you, they quickly spread the word." Tarnite explained, clearing up the second part of Ladybug's questions before he remembered her first question. "But how do you know of Heartstone Trollmarket?" the ambassador asked as he took a few steps towards her. First he found out that Ladybug already knew about Trolls, now he discovered that she knew about Heartstone Trollmarket.
'What else does she know?' Tarnite wondered as Ladybug finally started to drop her guard and lowered her yo-yo.
"The same reason why I know about Trolls. And if you don't mind… I'd like to keep that to myself." Ladybug admitted, making Tarnite nod in agreement once more. He was there to talk, not rile her up, after all.
"Of course. Now to answer your earlier question, Stone Arc is the Trollmarket here in Paris." Tarnite replied, revealing a new revelation to Ladybug and leaving her shocked.
"There is a Trollmarket here in Paris?" Ladybug asked, her eyebrows raised alongside her widened eyes.
"Yes, beneath what you humans call 'The Catacombs'." Tarnite continued.
"Wow, I had no idea! Just how many Trollmarkets are there?" Ladybug asked, leaving a smiling Tarnite at her amazement.
"At least one in every major region, and many more. But as much as I would love to continue this conversation, considering I am an ambassador, I'm here on business." Tarnite began, causing Ladybug to slowly lose her amazement as it turned into seriousness.
"What 'business'?" Ladybug asked as she finally put her yo-yo away as a show of good faith.
"I'm here on behalf of Stone Arc's leader, Vorgar. Due to the events that happened today, she wants to have a meet and greet with you." Tarnite explained, leaving Ladybug in slight confusion once more.
" 'Today's events'... do you mean when Chevalier Noir attacked?" Ladybug asked, to which Tarnite nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, whatever magic he came to hold, was felt down in Stone Arc. It nearly penetrated our defenses, leaving us to worry if the one called 'Hawkmoth' was aiming to attack us as well." Tarnite answered, leaving Ladybug speechless as she digested his words.
"I'm not sure if Hawkmoth knows of your kind's existence. But I can understand why you would think that if Chevalier Noir's magic was nearly strong enough to reach you." Ladybug reflected as she placed a hand to her chin in thought. "Though I can say this, me and Chat Noir would be honored to have a meet and greet with Vorgar." the spotted heroine proclaimed, causing Tarnite's face to brighten in happiness.
"Wonderful! Now, when should I tell Vorgar to expect you and Chat Noir? Considering you are a young human, are you still attending what you call 'school'?" Tarnite asked, to which Ladybug nodded 'yes'.
"That's incredibly considerate of you to think of. I will have to ask my partner, but how does tomorrow at 4 o'clock sound?" Ladybug asked, hoping that her suggested time would be good.
"Perfect timing, actually. Vorgar has some business she needs to do before then, so it works just fine." Tarnite said, glad that she even made the suggestion.
"Great! I'll meet up with Chat Noir and I'll tell him about the meet and greet. Though considering trolls can't come out into the sun or they'll get turned to stone… how will we find you if you can't show us the way?" Ladybug questioned, to which Tarnite smirked and reached behind his back to open a pouch that was hidden from Ladybug's observation. From there, he pulled out a dark pink crystal and handed it to her.
"I'll meet you at the entrance of Stone Arc, and this magic crystal will lead you to me when you wish to meet up. Simply think of who you want the crystal to lead you to, and it will show the one holding the crystal the way." Tarnite explained as Ladybug examined the beautiful crystal. When she was satisfied with her inspection, she looked back over at the troll ambassador.
"Thank you, Ambassador Tarnite. I hope to see you tomorrow." Ladybug said as she pulled out her yo-yo and put the crystal inside the endless storage area inside it.
"Until then. Have a good night, Mistress Ladybug." Tarnite farewelled with a bow before he ran to the edge of the roof and jumped off. Worried about the troll's safety, Ladybug ran to where he jumped off and saw him land on the ground below, and run off into the shadows. With a smile at the sight of Tarnite's safety, Ladybug opened up her yo-yo and called Chat Noir.
"Hey, My Lady! Just finished my patrol, and I'm on my way back to the Eiffel Tower right now." Chat Noir greeted through the screen.
"That's great to hear, kitty. But there's been a change of plans." Ladybug replied back, much to Chat Noir's confusion.
"Why, what happened? Is there an akuma?" Chat Noir asked, worry creeping into his voice.
"No, no akuma. But meet me at Master Fu's place. There's something I need to discuss with you guys." Ladybug admitted, leaving Chat Noir a little more than surprised at her words.
"What is it that you need to tell us both?" Chat Noir questioned, hoping to get more information.
"Let's just say, we have a meet and greet with a resident ruler tomorrow afternoon." Ladybug answered before she hung up, and threw her yo-yo at a nearby chimney. Once it was secure, she gave the sting a hard tug and went flying into the night sky, towards Master Fu's apartment.
It didn't take long for Ladybug to arrive at Master Fu's apartment. But her reason for not going to the window to let the guardian know she was there, was because she was waiting for her partner to arrive… again. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait too long this time as she saw Chat Noir coming to the rooftop. As soon as he touched down, Chat Noir was eager to ask…
"So why did you want to meet here, instead of back on the Eiffel Tower?" Chat Noir questioned with a raised eyebrow and slight amusement in his voice.
"I'll explain more once we're inside with Master Fu." Ladybug explained before she jumped down to the tiny balcony of Master Fu's apartment. Chat Noir soon followed behind by extending his baton so it touched the ground and sliding down to place himself next to Ladybug as she raised her fist to knock on the window. When there was no answer a few seconds afterwards, Ladybug tries again a little harder this time. But she still got no response.
"Maybe he's asleep? He is 186 years old, after all." Chat Noir reasoned, much to Ladybug's logic loving thinking.
"Possibly. But at least Wayzz should still be up." Ladybug pointed out as she turned to look over to her partner. But as she did, she didn't notice someone coming to the window until they opened the windows. The sudden change startled Ladybug, triggering her civilian self's legendary clumsiness and causing her to yelp and jump back, accidentally leaning too far over the tiny balcony's rail. If it hadn't been for Chat Noir's perch, she would have fallen to the ground, but he caught her and held her as she processed everything that had just happened.
"Are you alright?!" the person who opened the window asked, leading the two heroes to look and see it was Master Fu. At the sight of the guardian, Ladybug composed herself and waved at him.
"I'm fine, Master. Thanks to Chat Noir." Ladybug reassured as she swung from Chat's hold on her and back onto the tiny balcony.
"Good. Now why are the two of you here in the middle of the night?" Master Fu asked as he moved out the way to let Ladybug walk in, as well as give Chat Noir space to swing inside as well, taking his baton with him.
"What I have to say couldn't wait till morning." Ladybug said as the old man closed the window, causing Wayzz to wake up and fly out of his hiding spot in the gramophone horn towards them.
"What is it?" Wayzz asked as he took his place besides Master Fu.
"How much did the Guardians tell you about Trollmarkets?" Ladybug questioned, leaving Chat Noir in a state of perplexion, and Master Fu in contemplation.
"Wait, what are 'Trollmarkets'?" Chat Noir queried, his curiosity rising at the question about Trolls.
"From what I can gather, they are large underground communities of Trolls that reside all over the world." Ladybug answered, soothing some of Chat's curiosity.
"Indeed. But apart from that, we only learned the locations of the most important ones," Master Fu began as he led the two heroes to sit at his coffee table.
"Like Heartstone Trollmarket, in Arcadia?" Ladybug asked as they all sat down around the table. But at her question, Master Fu knew there was only one way for Ladybug to know about that particular Trollmarket.
"I see the Trollhunter has been shown around Arcadia's Trolmarket, am I correct?" Master Fu observed, making Ladybug nod in confirmation.
"Yes, he was." Ladybug confirmed, before she looked over at Chat Noir. "Which I was going to tell you after patrol, before things took an interesting turn on my end." the spotted heroine explained after she saw the probing look on Chat Noir's face, turning it into a surprised expression instead.
"Oh… nice to know. Thanks for thinking of telling me." Chat Noir thanked, causing Ladybug to smile and her cheeks to turn pink.
"You're welcome. But back to the reason why I called this meeting." Ladybug began, turning her focus back onto the task at hand.
"Finally! So why did you mean when you said and I quote: 'We have a meet and greet with a resident ruler tomorrow afternoon,'?" Chat Noir asked before he placed his arms onto the table and leaned towards her, eager to hear what his Lady had to say.
"Well to put it simply, during patrol I was approached by an ambassador from our city's Trollmarket." Ladybug replied, leaving Chat Noir, Master Fu and Wayzz in surprise.
"There's a Trollmarket here in Paris?" Chat Noir asked, his eyes sparkling at the new revelation.
"Yes, there is. It's underneath the catacombs and is called-" Ladybug began before she was interrupted by Master Fu.
"Stone Arc Trollmarket." Master Fu interjected, grabbing the two hero's attention.
"When I was taught about the Trollmarkets around the world, we learned how Stone Arc was a newly made community in Paris after the time of Joan of Arc. After she died, the trolls decided to honor her and name their Trollmarket after her. But other than that, there was not much known about it among the Guardians." the Guardian revealed, leaving Ladybug and Chat Noir in awe, before Ladybug decided to continue.
"That will change by tomorrow. Tarnite, the ambassador who approached me, told me that the leader of Stone Arc, Vorgar, wants to have a meet and greet with Chat Noir and I after school tomorrow. With Chevalier Noir's attack today, they were worried because the black void they had summoned nearly penetrated their defenses." Ladybug explained, causing some confusion to peak in Chat Noir.
"Why would they be worried if you can restore things to the way they were?" Chat Noir asked, not seeing the reason why this Vorgar decided to meet with them.
"Vorgar and the inhabitants of Stone Arc are worried that Hawkmoth tried to attack them." Ladybug sighed out before she placed her forearms onto the table and looked down at the table.
"Wait, what! How would he have found out about Trolls? Could his kwami have told him?" Chat Noir began to question, spiraling into thinking the worst, much to Ladybug's surprise. Usually she was the one to spiral into thinking of the worst cases, so it was a shock to see Chat Noir act like her for a hot second.
"Nooroo couldn't have told him unless Hawkmoth asked him to do so. Part of how the Guardians have protected the Trolls after they were decommissioned from the Miraculous after the Battle of Two Orders, was to forbid the kwami's from telling their human holders anything about Trolls unless they were asked." Master Fu revealed, settling any and all worry the heroes had about Hawkmoth knowing about Trolls.
"That's a relief! We can tell Vorgar about that tomorrow to settle their worry." Ladybug remarked, lifting her forearms from the table and placing them onto her knees.
"On that note, I believe I should go ahead to speak to Vorgar about your connection to the Trollhunter, Ladybug." Master Fu admitted, leaving Chat Noir the opportunity he needed to ask something that had been nagging his mind for a while.
"Speaking of which, there is something I'm not clear on." Chat Noir spoke up, drawing everyone else's attention to him.
"What is it Chat?" Ladybug asked, her brow creased with concern.
"It's okay if you answer either 'yes' or 'no'. It's your decision and you have your reasons, but… does the Trollhunter know your civilian identity?" Chat Noir asked, leaving Ladybug bewildered by the unexpected question.
"Well, um…" Ladybug sputtered, trying to think of some way to not tell the truth… but knew that would be the opposite she told Chat Noir she would do when it comes to Troll stuff. "... yes, he does." the spotted heroine sighed out, once more placing her forearms onto the table as she stared at the top of the piece of furniture.
"He found out by accident. We usually call each other every day at noon, and when I transformed into Ladybug for the first time, he called right after. It was either tell him my identity, or have him start questioning why a superhero was in my civilian bedroom." Ladybug explained, her voice starting out quite before rising in anxiety as she continued. But instead of a yelling of 'betrayal' from her partner, like she was expecting, she felt him place a comforting hand on her shoulder. Looking up from the table, she was met with a soft look from Chat Noir.
"It's okay, I understand. Like I said, you had your reasons to tell them. As long as you trust them to keep your identity a secret, I'm fine with it." Chat Noir reassured, causing Ladybug to smile and wrap him up in a tight hug, surprising him to no end.
"Thanks, kitty. How did I get such an amazing partner?" Ladybug wondered out loud, making Chat Noir's surprise fade a bit before he returned the hug.
"I keep asking myself the same thing, every day." Chat Noir replied, making her hug him tighter. Once they were happy with the amount of time they hugged, they pulled away and turned back to Master Fu.
"I believe you are right, Master. And as much as I want to tell you how I'm connected to the Trollhunter, it would be a direct way to find out my identity." Ladybug reasoned with a sad tone to her voice, not happy that while she was telling Chat Noir about the Trolls, she couldn't be fully honest with him.
"Considering how much you are involved with Troll affairs now, I understand." Chat Noir reassured, much to Ladybug's relief that he was being so understanding about this.
"Which, now more than ever, Ladybug's identity cannot be revealed. The only reason I'm suggesting why Vorgar should know, is because the leaders of Trollmarkets are notorious for being great at keeping secrets. Once they know, they are tight lipped from then on." Master Fu promised, leaving Ladybug a bit more open about the idea.
"I trust you, Master. Though, do you know where the entrance to Stone Arc is? From what the Trollhunter told me, the entrance to Heartstone was hidden from the humans to keep them from finding it." Ladybug asked, thinking that the old guardian knew where to go.
"Unfortunately, no. While we were taught where the Trollmarkets were located, their entrances were not revealed to us." Master Fu admitted with a heavy sigh, to which Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo.
"You can use this to find the entrance." Ladybug said as she pulled out the pink crystal Tarnite had given her and handed it to Master Fu.
"What is that?" Chat Noir asked as he looked over Ladybug's shoulder to look at the crystal.
"It's a Locator Crystal. How did you…" Master Fu began, wondering how Ladybug came across such a magical piece of equipment.
"Ambasador Tarnite gave it to me so Chat and I can meet up with him tomorrow. He said that all I need to do is, and I quote: 'Simply think of who you want the crystal to lead you to, and it will show the one holding it the way'." Ladybug revealed, explaining how she got the crystal and how it worked.
"That's amazing!" Chat Noir exclaimed, amazed by the magic the Trolls had at their disposal.
"Indeed. I will use it to find the entrance to Stone Arc tonight, and will send Wayzz to give it back to you tomorrow morning." Master Fu ran down, thinking up a compromise that would be good for all of them.
"Sounds good. Speaking of 'the morning', we better head back home. It's really late." Ladybug remarked, which triggered Chat Noir to yawn at her words.
"She's right. As much as the thought of meeting Trolls tomorrow is super exciting, we'd need a good night's sleep to be coherent and make a good impression." Chat Noir replied as he stretched his arms above his head while standing up from the ground.
"Agreed. Go home and get some rest, you two. I'll see you tomorrow in Stone Arc." Master Fu said as Chat Noir helped Ladybug up from the ground. Once they were all standing up, Master Fu opened the window and the two heroes leaped into the night, heading home. Once they were out of sight, Master Fu looked down at the crystal in his hand with an inquisitive glare.
"Now then, let's see if this really works." the guardian uttered to himself as Wayzz flew to sit on his shoulder. Closing his eyes, Master Fu concentrated on what he wanted the crystal to find, focusing his energy into the pink rock. When he opened his eyes, he saw a pink trail leading out of his window and out into the city, much to Master Fu's joy that the crystal worked, before he glanced down at Wayzz.
"For old times sake?" Master Fu questioned, much to Wayzz's chagrin.
"Just this once, right?" Wayzz inquired wearily, knowing what his holder was implying.
"Just this once, old friend. Wayzz, Shell On." Master Fu said before Wayzz flew into the Turtle Miraculous bracelet and the guardian turned into his alter ego, Jade Turtle. When his transformation was complete, the old superhero leaped out of his window and followed the trail to find the entrance to Stone Arc, feeling the cool night air pass by him as he ran across the rooftops.
The next day proved to be even better than Marinette had hoped, because after class had started, the elections did as well with Marinette earning the role of class representative.
"By majority vote, Marinette is the new class representative, and Alya will be her deputy!" Miss Bustier announced as the whole class, except for Chloé and Sabrina, clapped for Marinette and Alya as they stood in front of the teachers desk. Turns out the class had every intention to vote for her even before Chloé's antics the day before, and just wanted to make Chloé squirm and try to win them over as payback for her constant bullying. While Marinette was undecided on how she felt about that, she was just glad that they knew that Chloé wasn't the better candidate in this case.
"You'll be able to do your blog and be deputy. We can do anything if we put our minds to it!" Marinette promised Alya as she leaned in close to whisper said promise to her BFF.
"I'm with you, girl!" Alya exclaimed as they did their secret handshake and basked in the feeling of having the chance to make things in their class better than before.
(Time Skip)
After class was dismissed for lunch, Marinette had to duck and evade her classmates as they congratulated her and started asking for requests that Chloé wouldn't even try to fulfill. But eventually, thanks to Alya leading them away, Marinette finally found some peace and quiet in a secluded corner of the quad area as she pulled out her lunch. Today her mom packed two spinach and ham quiches, an apple, and some chocolate tarts for dessert. She also pulled out a bag of chocolate chip cookies for Tikki to enjoy as well, and to fuel up for their upcoming visit to Stone Arc. As soon as she pulled out her phone to await her brother's call, it started ringing with Jim's contact appearing on the screen.
"Right on time." Marinette remarked before she answered the call, allowing Jim to appear on the screen.
"Hey sis!" Jim greeted, making Marinette sigh in relief at the sight of her brother, despite the stack of books she could see on his desk.
"Hey, Jim." Marinette replied back before she yawned, covering it with her hand.
"You look happy and tired at the same time." Jim remarked as Marinette started to eat her lunch, picking up one of her quiches while she noticed that Jim looked a little tired too.
"You look tired too. What have you been up to?" Marinette asked out of concern when she saw the beginnings of eye bags on Jim's face, before she took a large bite of quiche.
"Just studying for my Spanish comprehension exam coming up." Jim explained before he rubbed his eyes to keep himself awake and grabbed a cup of coffee from off the side of the screen to drink from it.
"Coffee? You're doing an all nighter?!" Marinette questioned when she saw Jim take a sip of the bitter liquid.
"I've got no choice. It's either an all nighter, or I fail. Don't you remember how long it took me to become fluent in Italian when we were kids? I'm not taking any chances this time." Jim proclaimed, making Marinette sigh in acceptance. Both her and Jim were known to be quite stubborn and both knew that sometimes, they needed to play things out to see where they ended up.
"Just make sure you get some sleep at some point, okay?" Marinette asked, knowing Jim had a tendency to not get enough sleep… like she did recently.
"I will, don't worry." Jim promised as Marinette finished her first quiche and wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"So other than that, how has your day been?" Marinette inquired, hoping to change the subject for Jim since she knew that was all she was going to get from him.
"Pretty good. How was yours?" Jim asked as Marinette grabbed her second quiche, causing her face to light up at the question.
"Well since you asked… I got voted to class rep!" Marinette exclaimed, making Jim's eyes widen at her words with a large grin appearing as well.
"That's amazing! I knew you could do it!" Jim cheered, moving away some books he had crowding his side of the screen.
"Thank you, Jim. Honestly it's still pretty surreal, and I've already had so many requests from my classmates. Heck, I couldn't even get any peace and quiet to have lunch and call you without Alya helping me." Marinette exclaimed before taking a bite out of her second quiche, leaving Jim to chuckle at her lighthearted rant.
"Well, considering Chloé had been class rep until now, it would make sense that they would be excited to have you take on the role." Jim remarked as he moved more books out of the way, while Marinette finished her last quiche and reached for her tarts after deciding to leave her apple for last.
"Good point. But that's not all I've got going on today." Marinette brought up before she bit into her first tart, peaking at Jim's curiosity and desire to not keep studying.
"What else are you up to?" Jim asked, leaning closer to the screen to become fully invested in what she had to say.
"Last night, I was approached by a troll ambassador from Paris's Trollmarket, Stone Arc." Marinette revealed after swallowing, causing Jim's eyebrows to rise up into his hair alongside his newly widened eyes.
"There's a Trollmarket in Paris?" Jim questioned, much to Marinette's chardign as she chuckled at his reaction.
"Apparently there is one in every major region all over the world, and many more." Marinette remarked, leaving Jim in a state of surprise, before she continued with what she was saying before his question. "But back to what I was saying before. The ambassador said that their leader, Vorgar, wants to meet us after the Chevalier Noir's attack. So me and Chat Noir are going down to Stone Arc Trollmarket after school today." the designer finished, before taking another bite out of her tart while Jim processed her words and realized what they implied.
"That's amazing! First you become class rep, and now you're going on a diplomatic mission into your city's Trollmarket! Lucky!" Jim exclaimed as Marinette finished her first tart, and reached for another while watching her brother becoming more and more excited.
"I'm honestly so excited. From what I've seen from the pictures of Heartstone you sent me, I can't wait to see how Stone Arc compares." Marinette squealed before she bit into the second tart, her smile still burning bright even while she ate.
"Promise to send pictures to me and Tobes?" Jim asked, hoping to be able to see what the new Trollmakret looked like. Sure Heartstone was amazing, but the thought of another Trollmarket existing was all too enticing to him.
"Don't worry, I'll return the favor to you guys." Marinette promised after she swallowed her mouthful of tart and took another bite, savoring the rich taste.
"Thank you!" Jim exclaimed in excitement, before he sighed in thought. "I wish I was in your shoes. Blinky has been giving me a lot of action packed training lately. It's been very taxing, and has been making it hard for me to study for this exam." the Trollhunter reflected before he stretched in his seat, relieving his currently aching muscles of their discomfort at his sitting down. But in his words, Marinette was left slightly offended.
"You would think that you would be grateful for that. Chat and I haven't even started training with Master Fu, nor do we have the resources you have at your disposal when it comes to magical items that could help us with akumas." Marinette remarked before stuffing her mouth with the remainder of her tart in frustration. Admittedly, she was jealous that her brother was getting training to begin with, even though Master Fu had promised to train her and Chat after she met him for the first time. Granted she was probably taking her frustration out on Jim. But to be fair, she was hoping for her and Chat to have more help at their disposal, and Jim could see that.
"Okay, fair enough. I'll remember to be more open minded about that." Jim promised, knowing that she was right and that he had more resources at his disposal than her at the moment.
"I hope you do. And I honestly wish you luck on your exam. Considering you know Italian, one would think that it would be easier for you to learn Spanish." Marinette remarked, making a good humored jab at her brother as well as an observation of his struggle.
"Yeah, no such luck, unfortunately. Wish that was the case, but it's not." Jim groaned before he leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head out of habit to keep him from falling to the ground by accident. But as Marinette reached for her apple and Jim was about to say more, the end-of-lunch bell rang.
"Looks like I have to go." Marinette noticed as the students around the quad started to pack up and head to their classes.
"Here's to hoping that you aren't bombarded by your classmates again." Jim remarked as Marinette started to pack up her bag.
"They're just excited, and eager to make requests. I can handle them." Marinette reassured, recognising her brother's worry in his voice after years of knowing each other.
"I know you can, no doubt about it. Just be careful when going to Stone Arc, okay?" Jim asked, hoping that Marinette would be careful when first visiting the Trollmarket.
"I will be. See you tonight, Jimbro." Marinette replied as she zipped up her bag and stood up from the bench.
"See you tomorrow, Mari. Love ya." Jim farewelled as he waved goodbye through his end of the screen.
"Love ya too. Arrivederci." Marinette responded as she waved back, before she hung up the call and headed towards her next class.
Unbeknownst to her, a certain blonde model, who had been walking through the front doors as Marinette said 'bye' to Jim after having lunch at his house, had heard the last two lines of Marinette's conversation. All in all, he was left speechless at the accidental eavesdropping. But Marinette had no idea that he heard her as she met up with Alya at the top of the stairs to the upper classrooms.
"Did the call to your brother go well?" Alya asked as Marientte reached the top of the stairs.
"Yep, thanks for keeping everyone from interrupting. I owe you one." Marinette exclaimed before she hugged her best friend, grateful for her help.
"No need girl. This one's on me." Alya assured, glad that she could help Marinette in any way she could.
"Thanks Alya." Marinette thanked as she hugged Alya tighter.
"No problem, Marinette." Alya said as she patted Marinette on the back and smiled at her gratefulness, before she pulled away from the hug. "Now let's get to class before we're late." the reporter remarked, fully aware of Marinette's habit of tardiness and hoping to change that this time.
"Sounds like a plan!" Marinette agreed before she and Alya walked to their next class, ready for whatever came next.
(Time Skip)
Class finally ended, and both Marinette and Adrien ran out of their respective classrooms in hopes to make it to their meet up spot in time. Both were excited to go down into the city beneath their feet, and see the wonders that were hidden from the mortal masses. It took Marinette less time to reach her house, so as soon as she said hello to her parents and gave them the excuse of doing her homework until it was dinner and not wanting to be disturbed, she went up to her room with no worry of her parents peeking in to check up on her.
Adrien however, had a more challenging time on his end. As soon as he walked past his front door, Nathalie had reminded him of what his schedule had him doing before dinner. Luckily for him, he only had to practice the piano and do homework, the order of which didn't really matter as long as he got them done. Deciding to tell Nathalie that he would 'do his piano practicing first', which would give him two hours before he had to start his homework, Adrien went up to his room and closed the door behind him after entering. Knowing that no one would disturb him until much later, Adrien opened his bag to let a previously asleep Plagg fly out and stretch his arms into the air as he yawned. The boy could see that his kwami's stomach was poking out, a sign that he had gorged on camembert before his nap in preparation for the visit to Stone Arc.
After unpacking bags, changing out of school clothes, and setting up a piano music loop in Adrien's case, both Marinette and Adrien were ready to head over to meet up before heading off to Stone Arc. They transformed into their alter egos and quickly made their way to a rooftop near Montparnasse Tower, both arriving at the same time.
"Nice to see you again, My Lady!" Chat Noir greeted with a bow, much to Ladybug's fondness.
"It's nice to see you too, Kitty. Are you ready?" Ladybug questioned as she grabbed her yo-yo from her waist.
"Born ready!" Chat Noir exclaimed in excitement, eager to start their new adventure.
"Good," Ladybug remarked as she opened her yo-yo and pulled out the Locator Crystal from its infinite storage space. Like Master Fu had promised, he had Wayzz drop the crystal off to Marinette when he was done with it, and she found it on her desk that morning. "Now, here's to hoping this crystal will lead us to where we need to go." the spotted heroine uttered out loud before she closed her eyes, and started to concentrate. It took a few tries, but Ladybug finally managed to focus enough to finally see the pink trail Master Fu had seen last night as it wove through the city to their intended destination.
"I've got the trail, let's go!" Ladybug exclaimed before she threw her yo-yo and used it to follow the trail, with Chat Noir following behind her. As they followed the twisting and turning path through the city, they started to recognize the area they were being led to. It wasn't long until they cleared a section of apartment buildings, Ladybug could see the path was leading them straight to…
"Notre Dame cathedral?" the red heroine questioned after she landed on a rooftop overlooking the grand church.
"Is that where the path is leading us?" Chat Noir asked as he landed next to Ladybug, looking over at the famous landmark as well.
"It's pointing to a lower area of the church… but yes." Ladybug revealed, leaving Chat Noir to wince at the implications.
"Oof, imagine if the religious followers knew there was a city of Trolls living underneath their place of holiness." Chat Noir remarked, knowing that said religious types would have a heart attack if they knew there were less than holy creatures living underneath a church.
"They wouldn't be happy to say the least." Ladybug agreed, knowing that Chat had a good point, before she decided to focus on the current task "But we can't keep said trolls waiting. Let's go!" the spotted heroine exclaimed before she jumped off the roof and used her yo-yo to catch onto one of Notre Dame's gargoyles and swing over to the church. A second later, Chat Noir followed behind her with assistance from his baton. They followed the trail and ended up landing on the ground at the back of the church, before they continued to follow it until they reached a dip in the ground, leading to an archway hidden in the shadows of the building.
"I think this is it." Ladybug noticed as they walked past the threshold of the hidden archway. But they soon saw that it led to a dead end.
"Dead end? Why would the trail lead us here if there's nothing to find?" Chat Noir questioned as he put a hand onto the wall in front of them while the trail faded from Ladybug's view.
"Because Master Noir… nothing is as it seems." a voice behind the two heroes spoke up, causing them to turn around as they saw Tarnite in the left corner closest to the archway, hiding away from the sunlight.
"Ah!" Chat Noir exclaimed at the sight of the troll, having been surprised to see a troll for the first time, and jumped back to push himself into the farthest corner from Tarnite.
"No, Chat! This is Tarnite." Ladybug reassured, hoping to calm her partner down for his shock. It seemed to work as Chat Noir could see how his partner was being friendly to Tarnite.
"Oh." Chat Noir sighed out as he slowly walked out of the corner and back to Ladybug's side
"I take it that this is your first time seeing a troll, Master Noir?" Tarnite slyly questioned with a smirk on his lips as he walked out of his own corner towards the two heroes.
"Yes, it is. And no offense, but I expected you to be more…" Chat Noir began, slightly clinging onto the stereotypes he'd grown up with.
"Beefy? Yes, well contrary to popular belief, not all trolls are big and beefy. Which you will soon see in Stone Arc." Tarnite interrupted, assuring Chat Noir that humans weren't too far off on some types of trolls as he walked up to the dead end wall. "You're actually right on time. The guardian is already down in our city, and is speaking to Vorgar at this moment." the ambassador admitted as he reached into his back pouch and pulled out an orange crystal with a handle attached to it.
"What is that, Ladybug?" Chat Noir asked his partner, hoping that she would have some idea what Tarnite had in his hand.
"No idea." Ladybug answered, not having recalled Jim mentioning anything like that crystal in their numerous calls. But to their relief, Tranite took note of their rising curiosity and said…
"It's called a Horngazel. It's how us trolls can bypass our defenses to go to and from our home without deactivating them all together." Tarnite explained before he jabbed the bottom of the wall with the crystal, drawing a glowing red semi-circle into it before reaching the bottom of the wall again. From there, he pulled the Hrongazel from the wall and punched the space inside the semi-circle, causing the wall to break into pieces and dissolve into nothing with a pale red glow, revealing that the wall was not a dead end after all.
"Woah!" the two heroes uttered in awe at the sight of the entrance to Stone Arc being revealed to them.
"This way, young holders." Tarnite directed with a fond smile before he walked through the newly made threshold.
The two heroes then followed the ambassador through to the other side, right before the wall closed back up behind them. But instead of being plunged into total darkness, there were a few glowing red crystals scattered along the walls of the cavern they were in. Looking around, they could see that they were in a large cavern that opened up farther ahead with a giant hole leading down into what looked like an abyss. But at the sight of the empty cavern, the question that rested on Chat Noir's lips was…
"Wait, is this it? Or is there another hidden path?" Chat Noir asked, earning him an elbow jab to his gut from Ladybug. Normally Chat Noir was very courteous, but he was a little too curious about Trolls to remember his manners.
"There is another path, though it's not hidden." Tarnite explained as he started to walk to where the cavern opened up ahead, leaving the two heroes confused.
"But there is no other path." Ladybug remarked, starting to lean toward her own curiosity as well.
"Isn't there?" Tranite slyly asked as he reached the edge of the abyss, and took a step beyond it. But instead of falling off like Ladybug and Chat Noir thought he would, his foot landed onto a crystal that suddenly glowed red as soon as he stepped on it.
"Woah!" Both heroes exclaimed in awe once again, right before the abyss was lit up by more glowing crystals that acted in the role of a staircase as it spiraled down to the bottom.
"This way, please." Tarnite requested, causing the duo to walk up to where the ambassador was and follow him as she went down the spiral staircase.
"Wow, when you said that your city is deep… you really meant deep." Chat Noir remarked as they descended the crystal staircase, noticing that the stone along the abyss's walls was changing in material as they went deeper.
"Considering your kind built the Catacombs, it makes sense that we build our city even lower than them. We could be considered Kruberan trolls with how close we are to being as deep as their caverns." Tarnite regaled, even going as far as revealing a new source of information on Trolls.
"Kruberan trolls?" Ladybug asked after Tarnite brought up something new to learn about.
"They are a species of troll that live in the Deep Caverns, the deepest area our kind can go. They are the only trolls who can survive there for long periods of time, and rarely come this close to the surface since their environment makes them sensitive to light." Tarnite explained as he continued to lead them down towards the end of the staircase.
"Woah! There are so many types of trolls! I can't wait to see them all!" Chat Noir exclaimed, his voice filled with his eagerness to know more.
"Well, consider today a step in the right direction." Tarnite declared as the three of them reached the bottom of the stairs, only for the heroes to be left in further awe at the sight that greeted them.
"Oh my… is this?" Ladybug began to ask as she walked to the walled off edge of where the stairs ended to take in the breathtaking view of…
"Indeed. Welcome Mistress Ladybug and Master Chat Noir, to Stone Arc Trollmarket!" Tarnite proclaimed, as Chat Noir walked to stand next to Ladybug as they took in the Trollmarket out of the ocean in the middle of the city.
Though the trolls obviously found a work around for the area of water below the city and had sturdy bridges and paths that went to and from the 'islands' in the mini ocean. The most noticeable difference was the mix of gothic and medieval architecture to the larger buildings scattered around the city, reminding Ladybug of the medieval castles of old. Like Ladybug had seen from Jim and Toby's pictures, there were numerous shops all around the area below them with neon signs scattered around the shops to show what they sold. Stone Arc was situated in a gigantic egg-shaped cavern, with numerous levels in the stone walls and the ground, reminding the humans of terrace farms, while being lit up by numerous large glowing red crystals.
The plateaus and terraces held the shops and gathering areas up while a large pool of glowing sea green water occupied the bottom of the cavern floor. Multiple underground waterfalls falling from certain areas in the cavern walls that constantly filled it, with numerous shops settled on top of stone stacks that came Ladybug of pictures she'd seen of medieval castles in history class. All the while, laying ahead of the heroes viewing point, was a palace of the same architecture carved into the wall of the cavern that seamlessly blended into the dark stone wall and yet acted as a statement point for the whole city. The whole sight left the heroes in awe.
"This place is extraordinary! I can't believe we were walking on top of this and didn't even know!" Chat Noir exclaimed, almost going over the edge of the wall in his excitement as he leaned over it to get a closer look.
"Same here, kitty!" Ladybug agreed as she pulled out her yo-yo and opened up her 'Bug Phone' to start taking pictures.
"Are you… taking pictures?" Chat Noir questioned when he glanced over to his partner and saw her acting like an overeager tourist.
"The Trollhunter sent me pictures of Heartstone, so I'm returning the favor." Ladybug explained before she started to take more photos.
"Fair enough." Chat Noir remarked before he continued to stare at the city in front of them.
"Ahem!" Tarnite began, drawing the hero's attention back to him. "I hate to pull you away from you taking in the scenery, but Vorgar is waiting." the ambassador explained, appealing to Ladybug and Chat Noir's 'serious mode'.
"Right, lead the way." Ladybug agreed, before Tarnite led them to another staircase that led right to the city so he could take them to where Vorgar was.
As they walk through the city with Tarnite, a large crowd starts to gather along the sides of the footpath leading to the large castle in the middle of the Trollmarket. The two heroes looked at all the different sized trolls in awe, amazed that there were so many of the magical creatures. Some were tall and beefy, others were short and stout, and others resembled Tarnite in terms of figure. One such example that Ladybug and Chat Noir had noticed in their observation of the crowd was a female troll, with white skin and light green hair in a large low bun. On top of her shoulders was a smaller female troll, with red skin and coal black hair in a low ponytail, who climbed onto the older Troll to get a better view of the visiting heroes.
"Your kind seems very curious about us." Ladybug remarked as she and Chat Noir waved at the little Troll girl, leaving her awestruck as they passed by.
"You two are among the first Miraculous holders in almost 200 years. It stands to reason that they would be excited." Tarnite explained as the trolls continued to stare as they walked past.
"Makes sense. Though I was under the assumption that all Trollmarkets had a Heartstone, but I don't see one here." Ladybug pointed out as they walked by a wall that blocked passersby from falling into the glowing pool of water at the bottom of the cavern.
"You keep mentioning this 'Heartstone' thing. What exactly is it?" Chat Noir asked, hoping to satisfy that certain itch in his mind.
"It's a source of light and life for troll communities, and very powerful in certain cases. But Heartstone Trollmarket is the only known Trollmarket left to have a living Heartstone, forcing other Trollmarkets to find other lifegiving sources to support our communities." Tarnite explained as they walked along the path going around the water before heading up towards the palace.
"What's Stone Arc's source?" Ladybug questioned, hoping to find out what could be so powerful to replace what a Heartstone could seemingly do.
"I'll let Vorgar answer that one, considering that we are here." Tarnite admitted as they reached the large wooden front doors of the palace. From there, he pushed them open and left the heroes in awe once more.
As if the palace was a giant geode, the interior was a huge cavern of glowing white stalactite crystals that formed the walls and pathways to other wings of the palace. Multiple small pools of water, filled by small leveled waterfalls, were scattered around the main entry way the group was currently occupying. Above them, where the ceiling stalactites were coming from, the entire ceiling was covered in glowing gems that gave the illusion of a night sky. In front of them, a grand staircase rested in the back of the entryway that led to the upper levels of the palace, with a set of indirectly decorated wooden doors right in the center.
"This way, young holders. This way." the ambassador directed as he began walking inside the splendid palace and towards the doors in the back of the entryway.
"Woah, it's even cooler on the inside!" Chat Noir gushed as they walked towards the back of the castle.
They then opened the decorated doors, and entered what looked like a throne room with much of the same theme as the entryway. A throne made up of white marble was situated in the back of the room on a raised dais, providing the perfect vantage point for the occupier of said throne to see all who entered. Once they passed the room's threshold, they began to approach who they assumed to be Vorgar, considering her back was turned to them, and Jade Turtle as they were talking at the foot of the throne's dias. But before they could hear what the two were talking about, Tarnite announced…
"May I introduce our leader, Vorgar." Tarnite proclaimed with a bow as the one called 'Vorgar' turned around to face the two heroes.
At first glance, they could tell that this 7 ft tall troll was battle worn and yet wise at the same time. With her thick and full, graying dark violet hair, the left side of Vorgar's hair shaved up to her upper side part, before it joined the rest of her hair in a thick side braid to her ankles with a viking kransen braided into it to hold back her bangs from her eyes.
Her upturned shaped eyes were golden yellow with round pupils that paired well with her rectangle face shape, with two lower jaw fangs that poke out from her lips. A large cream colored nose that went up to her forehead went alongside chalk white skin with gold etchings along her very muscled, pear shaped body. Her biceps and thighs looked very strong compared to her trunk-like feet, while tall, thick and large elk-like gold horns extended outward and up above her head, with silver cuffs wrapped sporadically around them.
Vorgar's attire consisted of a black leather lace-up corset with two inch straps and a box neckline, with a faded gold asymmetrical thin leather skirt to her claves-the right side being the shorter side-made like gladiator belt-wrap skirt. She also had leather arm guards to her elbows, stuffed with fur to stop them from chafing her arms, alongside a thick brown leather belt around her waist that held a scabbard with a large broadsword in it. All in all, she was much more impressive than the two heroes had expected.
"Vorgar, these are Ladybug and Chat Noir. The heroes of Paris." the ambassador Troll introduced as he lifted himself out of his bow and guestrued to the teens behind him.
"It is an honor to meet the first heroic Miraculous Holders in two centuries. Your guardian has told me much about you." Vorgar exclaimed as she walked away from Jade Turtle and towards them, causing the two heroes to bow at her.
"And we are humbled to be invited to meet you,... your highness?" Ladybug supplied as she looked at the ground during her bowing, not sure of how she should address the ruler of Stone Arc.
"I am known to no troll as 'your highness'…" Vorgar revealed in a seemingly cold voice, causing Ladybug to panic at the possible mistake.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean-" Ladybug began as she looked up from the ground and up at Vorgar, hoping to appease any offense she had caused.
"But I quite like the sound of it when you say it!" Vorgar happily exclaimed with a chuckle, much to Ladybug and Chat Noir's relief.
"In all seriousness, Vorgar is just fine." the reigning head of Stone Arc assured as the two teens rose up from their bowing to look her in the eye.
"Thank you, Vorgar. You honor us with your presence and good humor." Chat Noir replied, adding in his own two cents into the introduction as well as making a good impression for the both of them.
"You are welcome. Now, I believe we should get down to why I invited you here." Vorgar began as she walked over to a table covered in old maps and battle strategies.
"We were told that you were concerned about the Chevalier Noir's attack, since it nearly bypassed your defenses." Ladybug replied as she, Chat Noir and Jade Turtle followed behind the tall troll.
"As well as your worry that Hawkmoth knows about your kind's existence." Chat Noir continued as they gathered around the table.
"Indeed. But after talking with your guardian, I am relieved to know that Hawkmoth doesn't know about Trolls… yet. It does mean that our salvage runners will need to be more careful to not tip him off, but we can manage. Unfortunately, there is a reason why we were worried that he was attacking us." Vorgar admitted with a sigh, her mind heavy with the information she was about to reveal.
"Other than searching for your kind?" Ladybug asked.
"Yes. Considering what I've learnt from your guardian before you two arrived, I'm sure you two know about Heartstones?" Vorgar questioned, her eyebrow raised at the heroes.
"Ladybug has known longer than me, but yes." Chat Noir remarked as he pointed over at Ladybug.
"Well, Heartstone Trollmarket is the last Troll community with a living Heartstone. Due to that, as a parting gift from Mistress Tikki to the trolls after being revoked from Red Scarab, each Trollmarket received their own unique life giving source of power. Stone Arc is an exception since it wasn't around when Mistress Tikki had done that. In our case, it's in our city's central lagoon." Vorgar explained as she moved the maps and battle tactics away from the table to reveal a map of Stone Arc that was carved into the table top and pointed to the lagoon.
"We saw that on the way in. It's beautiful by the way." Ladybug complemented, leaving a soft smile on Vorgar's face
"Thank you." Vorgar thanked before she focused back onto the map. "We call it 'The Lapis Lagoon'. When this cavern was found, the lagoon was here at the start. At the bottom of the water, there is a powerful crystal with the same life-giving abilities as a Heartstone and given to the city by Mistress Tikki. She created the crystal for our Trollmarket to thrive in this location after we honored Jeanne d'Arc by naming our city after her. But in order for those abilities to be able to support the city, the crystal needs the waters of the lagoon to amplify its abilities, causing the waters to glow the way they do." the reigning head of the city explained as she gestured around the lagoon as she spoke.
'She seems to be a bit of a hand talker.' Ladybug noticed as she listened to Vorgar explain their predicament.
"That's incredible! All of this is going on right below us, and we had no idea!" Chat Noir remarked with wide eyes and amazement.
"Yes, but we are at a disadvantage with our crystal. While the lagoon is very deep, the crystal itself is small enough for…" Vorgar began to continue explaining before Ladybug caught onto what she was implying.
"For an akumatized villain with the right skill set to steal it." Ladybug spoke up, realizing what Vorgar was worried about with the Chevalier Noir's attack.
"I had been hoping to meet you at a later point in time when you were more experienced with your Miraculous. But after the akuma attack yesterday, and your connection to the new Trollhunter, I requested you to come here so I could ask of you… to help protect our home alongside yours." Vorgar practically begged, knowing that having two Miraculous Holder on their side would be a huge help.
"While they can handle their own well enough, they are not able to go toe to toe with the akumas. Their powers, from what they have observed when they could, are nothing like what their kind has seen from previous Butterfly Miraculous holder champions, and it worries them." Jade Turtle elaborated, repeating what Vorgar had told him before the teens had arrived with Tarnite, leaving
"I honestly don't blame them for being worried. Admittingily, we had nearly been bested by an akuma or two before and they can be very powerful." Chat Noir admitted, deciding to be honest in this circumstance to better relate to Vorgar.
"Indeed. So will you help us defend our home? If so, we can return the favor should the time come." Vorgar asked.
"We truly appreciate it, thank you. And I promise, we will do everything in our power to help protect your home." Ladybug proclaimed, leaving Vorgar relieved and happy at her promise.
"Thank you, and you're welcome. But there is one last thing I would like to talk about… specifically with Ladybug." Vorgar trailed on as she turned her gaze to the spotted hero, much to her surprise.
"This is about my connection to the Trollhunter, isn't it?" Ladybug asked after realizing Vorgar's possible reason to want to talk to her.
"I'm afraid so." Jade Turtle agreed with a nod.
"Fair enough. I'm going to step out so you guys can talk." Chat Noir decided, knowing that this was a personal matter that he shouldn't know about.
"Could you take Jade Turtle with you? I would like to speak to Ladybug on my own." Vorgar requested as Chat Noir began to walk out of the room, leaving all the humans a little surprised.
"Oh, alright." Jade Turtle half-heartedly agreed before he followed behind Chat Noir as they were led out of the room by Tarnite.
"Finally, we can have a proper talk." Vorgar sighed as she walked away from the table and towards the middle of the room.
"By that you mean?" Ladybug asked as she leaned against the table by her hip, arms crossed in front of her as she waited for Vorgar to say her piece.
"I knew from Jade Turtle that you and Chat Noir don't know your identities, which would make some of the questions I want to ask, hard to do so." Vorgar admitted before she turned to look over at Ladybug. "You can transform back into your human form, I can keep a secret," the warrior leader assured, causing Ladybug's eyes to widen in surprise before steeling herself.
"If it's all the same, I'd rather not. At least not yet." Ladybug requested, not leaving her spot next to the table.
"Fair enough, I would be wary too in these uncertain times." Vorgar agreed, understanding that while the Troll Miraculous holders were open about their identities, Ladybug and Chat Noir were not only human but were also very young. Of course they would want to try and keep themselves and their families safe.
"So what do you want to know first?" Ladybug questioned, letting her arms drop as she took a few steps away from the table.
"Is it true that the new Trollhunter, the first ever human to assume the mantle, is your half brother?" Vorgar asked, causing Ladybug to stop in her tracks.
"Yes, it is. I know it's a weird set of circumstances, but Jim and I are extremely close." Ladybug answered happily, proud of her brother and his new role.
"That's not what I'm focused on. Family is family, no matter the circumstances. What I'm concerned about, is if he can be trusted to protect our home alongside you and Chat Noir." Vorgar admitted, her worry of the Trollhunter not helping when called on was very high, since he had his own responsibilities to think about.
"He will. I know my brother, and I know he will protect your home if I ask him to." Ladybug reassured, hoping that her promise would ease Vorgar's worry.
"That is a relief to hear, Marinette." Vorgar sighed out, leaving Ladybug stone still at the sound of her real name.
"Did Jade Turtle tell you…" Ladybug began.
"Yes, only for you and your partner's safety. He also asked for some of our stealthiest trolls to be sentries at yours and Chat Noir's homes. Call it 'extra security'." Vorgar reassured, knowing Ladybug was scared of her knowing her civilian identity.
"That's actually very reassuring. You really didn't have to do that." Ladybug said with a sigh of relief, placing a hand onto her chest to calm her racing heart.
"Consider it a down payment to how much Stone Arc will owe you for your protection." Vorgar assured, raising a hand in front of her to further reassure Ladybug.
"And, I can trust that you won't tell anyone my identity?" Ladybug asked, her voice lined with concern as she stepped closer to Vorgar.
"I promise." Vorgar exclaimed as she placed a comforting hand onto Ladybug's shoulder.
"Thank you. And I hope you and I can have a good partnership in the future." Ladybug remarked as she placed her own hand onto Vorgar's and gently pulled it off of her shoulder.
"I have a feeling that we will." Vorgar agreed before she and Ladybug shook hands, sealing their pact. "Now run along, I'm sure you are dying to see more of Stone Arc." the reigning head of Stone Arc encouraged as she and Ladybug released their hands from their handshake, sparking Ladybug's excitement.
"You have no idea. I hope we will meet again soon." Ladybug exclaimed when the possibility of seeing more of Trollmarket came up, but also remembered her manners when speaking to the ruler in front of her.
"And I as well." Vorgar agreed before Ladybug began walking out of the throne room and met up with Chat Noir and Jade Turtle as they stood just outside the room. As soon as she passed through the doorway, both Chat Noir and Jade Turtle's attention was directed to her.
"How did it go?" Chat Noir asked as he walked up to his partner.
"It went great. Though full warning, if you manage to spot a troll hiding around your neighborhood, they mean no harm. Jade Turtle asked Vorgar for extra security around our homes." Ladybug brought up, deciding to let Chat Noir know in advance to prevent any future mishaps.
"Really? Awesome!" Chat Noir exclaimed, his eyes lighting up at the new information.
"They are only there to make sure you two are safe. They aren't there to socialize." Jade Turtle reminded the two heroes, hoping that they would be responsible with their new security detail.
"Right, got it. But still cool non the less." Chat Noir remarked, knowing that he needed to be responsible.
"If you think that's cool, then we really need to take a tour of Stone Arc." Ladybug pointed out, leaving Chat Noir even more excited than before. At the sight of her partner's smile, Ladybug just fondly shook her head at his excitement. "If we have the time to do so?" the spotted heroine slyly questioned in an effort to tease Chat Noir a little.
"I have plenty of time before I have to go." Chat Noir protested, catching onto what Ladybug was doing.
"Same here." Jade Turtle agreed, wanting to see more of Stone Arc himself.
"Well then, may I be the one to show you three around?" Tarnite questioned as he stepped forward from his spot to the side, having stayed so he could make his offer.
"That would be lovely, thank you." Ladybug thanked, appreciating the offer the ambassador had given them.
"My pleasure. Now follow me, please. Lots to see and do." Tarnite proclaimed before he began to lead the group out of the palace and out into the Troll city.
The tour started off with showing the Miraculous holders Stone Arc's training/battle arena, followed by the Gyre station. Next was the town's central square on one of the islands in the Lapis Lagoon, where the Trolls had erected a statue of Joan of Arc, the sight of which left Ladybug in awe. After that they moved on to the markets, where Tarnite gave them all a little bit of Troll money to go about and shop at the market. To say that Ladybug and Chat Noir were excited to have the opportunity to shop from the Troll shopkeepers, was an understatement… They were like kids in a candy store.
It took a little bit for them to decide what they wanted to buy, so much so that Jade Turtle already used his portion to buy a few ingredients he needed for a certain project and a Horngazel. But Chat Noir ended up buying a magic pouch with an endless storage spell on it to keep Plagg's camembert in, and a Hrongazel, which burned through his portion of money. Meanwhile, Ladybug only bought herself a Horngazel which left her with some leftover coin. All in all, they were happy with their purchases. After they were finished taking the breathtaking tour, the three Miraculous holders had finally exited the Trollmarket with help from their newly acquired Horngazels.
"That was amazing! I can't wait to come back again." Chat Noir exclaimed as he tucked his black and neon green veined gem Horngazel where his baton was while they walked back into the sunlight.
"Me neither. I hope to come back again soon." Ladybug agreed as she opened her yo-yo and placed her own red and black veined Horngazel, and leftover Troll money inside.
"I'm glad to hear that you two enjoyed yourselves." Jade Turtle said as he pulled his dark green Horngazel away from the wall after using it to open the door into the secret city.
"Thank you, Master!" both heroes thanked as the guardian walked out of the shadows and towards the teens.
"Now, I hope to meet you two at my apartment in two weeks." Jade Turtle proclaimed, causing confusion to rise in Ladybug and Chat Noir's thoughts.
"For what?" Chat Noir questioned, tilting his head to the side as he asked.
"The start of your formal training. If you are to be protecting Stone Arc while the Trollhunter is in Arcadia protecting Heartstone, you will need to begin learning how to properly use your powers." Jade Turtle explained, leaving Ladybug excited. She literally just told Jim how she wished that Master Fu would stay true to his promise.
"What time?" Ladybug excitedly asked, her eyes sparkling in anticipation.
"Say, 5pm on the Friday after next week?" Jade Turtle offered with a fond grin.
"Works for me." Both heroes exclaimed at the same time.
"Wonderful, see you then." Jade Turtle farewelled before he jumped into the air and left the two heroes alone as he made his way home.
"It seems like a coincidence that I made a remark about more training, and now we are finally getting it." Ladybug brought up, voicing her surprise at the new training sessions.
"Looks like your Ladybug Luck strikes again." Chat Noir agreed with a wink and a smirk, making Ladybug roll her eyes at his unintentional pun.
"It appears so. See you soon, kitty." Ladybug farewelled before she grabbed her yo-yo and threw it at one of Notre Dame's gargoyles.
"See you then, My Lady!" Chat Noir replied as he pulled out his baton. From there Chat Noir extended his baton and Ladybug pulled on her yo-yo, sending them flying into the city and back to their respective homes, their minds filled with wonder at their little excursion.