#carmilla brigante

[tenebraevesper]

Up Ladybug, Entry 27: If You're Here (Part 2)

''Morning will definitely come, there is no rain that won't stop, so believe in yourself. If I have to choose between the moon and the sun, I'll be the moon. When I'm with you I am shining! Don't bear your burdens alone, do notice that I'm here! Soon in that heart, a beautiful rainbow will appear! Soon in that heart, a beautiful rainbow will appear!''

– Kimi ga Ireba by Detective Conan

xXxXxXx

Chat Noir leapt from one building to another, trying to find a good spot for his little concert. He actually felt somewhat excited about it, as this would be the first time in a long time he played music because he wanted to. It was special to him and he wanted to make sure no one would interrupt him. He eventually managed to find a good spot on a rooftop where he was feeling safe and secluded. Hoping that his curse wouldn't hinder him, he took out the violin and placed it on his shoulder, putting the bow over the strings.

However, there was no music.

''What's wrong, Kid?'' Plagg asked, his voice coming from the ring.

''I… I don't know what to play…'' Chat Noir admitted. ''I mean, I've been always playing what other people wanted to hear. It was rare for me to pick anything I liked.''

''Okay, how about this? You take a moment to think and pick whatever suits your current mood,'' Plagg suggested.

''Good idea.'' Chat Noir nodded and took a deep breath. This would be just for him and him alone, and he wanted to make it special. He closed his eyes, his black cat ears twitching as a cold breeze blew. He could hear the usual noise that was typical for Paris during the night, but tried to ignore it.

What should I play? Chat Noir looked up at the night sky. The stars twinkled like fireflies, but gave no answer to his troubled heart. He knew how to play many classical and modern pieces, but no melody came to his mind. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to calm down and place the violin and bow in position. I should let my emotions loose through the music.

Chat Noir started to play, at first not even recognizing the melody himself. It felt nostalgic, as if he was standing on a field of grass or in the mountains or beneath a waterfall, somewhere far away. It was soothing, but there was an energetic spring to it, like the calmness of an autumn forest with a light breeze and sunshine. It was as if nature itself was guiding him as the bow glided across the strings. Then, he remembered, his green eyes lit with awe. Lindsey Stirling's ''Guardian''… It never fails to astound me.

His cat ears perking up, Chat Noir closed his eyes once more, putting more emotion and energy into his play, even swaying along with the melody, his tail flicking as the tension lessened, replaced by a sense of elation. How long had it been since he actually felt joy in playing the violin?

''Please, keep playing for me. It makes me feel better.''

''Yes, Mother!''

Chat Noir's eyes suddenly snapped open for a moment when the memory intruded his mind, but after a moment of contemplation, he allowed it in. He needed this more than anything. As he kept playing, he recalled how his music brought not only joy to him but also to someone else – his mother, who had been lying sick in the hospital for many months. He would visit her as often as possible, bringing along his violin and playing for her just to see her smile a little more. She was always so pale, her eyes sunken and dark rings forming underneath them, but they would always light up when he played. He wasn't as good back then as he was now, and he knew that he made mistakes, but that didn't matter to his mother. She could've had a professional orchestra playing for her and she couldn't care less as she preferred her son playing for her, regardless of the mistakes he made. Unfortunately, her brother didn't share the same opinion.

''You gave an amazing performance, Félix,'' Michelle told him, clasping her hands as she gave her son a proud look, despite her weak voice. Félix smiled, but his smile faded when he saw the disappointed look on Gabriel's expression. He simply shook his head.

''I have counted at least a dozen of mistakes in that performance. Instead of getting better, he's getting worse,'' Gabriel grumbled, with Félix lowering his head in shame.

''Don't tell me that you suddenly switched jobs from a fashion designer to a music critic,'' Michelle scoffed, then turned to her son as he sat next to her on the bed. She placed her hand on her son's hand, and Félix could feel just how cold and clammy it was, but when he looked into his mother's eyes, he saw nothing but warmth and love. ''You're doing great sweetheart. I would've listened to you even if you played the kazoo as obnoxiously as possible.''

Félix couldn't help but chuckle at Michelle's comment. She was always there for him, encouraging him to follow his dreams and to indulge into his hobbies, no matter what other people, his uncle in particular, said. He then stood up and started to play again, just for her. Michelle closed her eyes and leaned against the pillow, a content smile on her lips. Even if she looked like she was asleep, Félix knew that she was listening. She promised that she would always listen to his performances.

Until one day, she fell asleep forever.

She is gone, and there is nothing I could do about it. Her illness may have destroyed her body from the inside, but wherever she is now, I hope she still listens. Chat Noir felt a stinging pain piercing his chest, but he continued to play. He allowed the pain wash over him, but he didn't push it away anymore. He was allowed to feel pain without the need to hide it. He was allowed to grieve his past and his loss. He was allowed to process the present. He was allowed to hope for a better future. I am free.

With a sudden flourish he ended his performance, lowering the violin and bow, and looking up at the moon illuminating him, the weight he felt now gone. From now on, he would be playing for himself.

''That was beautiful.'' Chat Noir suddenly turned around, surprised to see Ladybug sitting on the roof above him. She hopped down, landing in front of him and giving him a sheepish smile. ''I didn't want to interrupt you. I'm sorry, I guess this was supposed to be a private moment.''

''I don't mind having an audience,'' Chat Noir replied with a smile as Ladybug gave him a curious look.

''That's great, but would it be okay for me to sit here and sketch while I'm listening to you?'' she asked.

''I wouldn't mind that either, but I didn't know that you draw,'' Chat Noir said, giving Ladybug a look of intrigue. His partner reached for her compact, opening it and taking out a notepad and a pencil.

''It's a hobby of mine. It takes my mind off things, but lately, I've been having a bit of a block,'' Ladybug responded.

''I would love to see one of your drawings,'' Chat Noir told her, with Ladybug perking up.

''How about I draw you? You could serve as my muse,'' she suggested.

''Your muse? I'm honored, Bug,'' Chat Noir replied with a bow, then gave her a mischievous smirk. ''Perhaps you could do a sketch of me? I know that I look good no matter which pose I strike.''

Ladybug rolled her eyes, followed by a giggle. Considering her reaction, Chat Noir figured that he was in the clear, especially when she started to draw instead of scolding him. While she did that, he resumed playing, his heart now light and swelling with a different emotion – one he couldn't quite put a finger on, but nevertheless accepted.

Ladybug lifted her head briefly to glance at Chat Noir before resuming her sketch. She had to admit that there was something mysterious and alluring in seeing him like this. She still remembered how much of an arrogant jerk he used to be when they had first met, but all of that behavior seemed to just be some kind of mask he put on to impress her. Instead, the true Chat Noir was the one who stood before her, his dark suit gleaming under the moonlight, his pose showing nothing but elegance and confidence. There was something that had drawn her to him and she wished to know more about it, to understand what this emotion was.

They didn't know how much time had passed as they stood there on the building, but eventually, Ladybug interrupted Chat Noir, showing him her drawing.

''I hope you like it,'' she said smiling. Chat Noir lowered his violin and examined the drawing, his eyes widening in awe. It was a sketch of him playing in the moonlight, with Ladybug capturing his presence, the sharpness of his features and the softness of the scene perfectly.

''It's amazing!'' he said, giving Ladybug a look of awe, his green eyes gleaming in joy and adoration. ''You're a great artist!''

''Thank you so much,'' Ladybug replied, a bit bashfully as she placed her arms on her back, her cheeks rosy and her dark blue eyes sparking as pride swelled in her chest. She then stood on her toes, leaning in, with Chat Noir feeling her warm breath on his skin as she kissed him on the cheek. ''You can keep it.''

Ladybug then stepped back, turning on her heel and leapt into the night, leaving a baffled Chat Noir. The black cat superhero's jaw dropped as he stared into the night, his cheeks burning red. His ears flicked as he finally processed what happened. ''What the-?! Did she just kiss me?!''

''Woah, you just scored with Ladybug! Congratulations, Kid!'' Plagg whistled, amused by Chat Noir's reaction. ''Too bad it wasn't a kiss on the lips so you could remove the curse, but hey, you're getting there.''

Chat Noir remained speechless. Even though he knew that he and Ladybug were getting close, but he never thought that they would get this far. He didn't even know whether Ladybug would ever fall in love with him, but now that appeared to be a strong possibility. He smiled a little, feeling happy that Ladybug genuinely loved him, or at least, had a lot of affection for him, but the smile vanished when he realized what that meant, as Plagg pointed out. Not to mention, there was another issue he had to deal with.

What about Bridgette?

Chat Noir would be lying to himself if he said that he didn't have any feelings for Bridgette. She was his first friend, aside from Plagg, and she kept pulling him out of his isolation, worried for his wellbeing and did her best to cheer him up when his heart was consumed by bitterness, placing his happiness above her own. He genuinely appreciated her and cared about her, and he knew that it only took him confessing those feelings for them to get together.

But, at the same time, he also had feelings for Ladybug. Despite their rocky start, he loved her for her confidence and selflessness, as well as her caring and warm nature. From what he knew, Ladybug had no reason to take on the burden of becoming a superheroine besides her desire to protect, and he admired that. She was strong, smart and reliable, serving as an inspiration for people like Amber, and never asked for anything in return.

It was no wonder he fell for both of them, but what should he do about this?

xXx

Ladybug hid behind a rooftop, her cheeks bright red and her eyes wide in complete shock as she cried out in panic, ''Why did I do that?! Oh, no, this so bad!''

Ladybug slapped her cheeks, trying to collect herself, but the feeling of embarrassment lingered. She was in complete disbelief of what just happened, of what she had done. In fact, she never intended to kiss Chat Noir, but somehow, she felt compelled to do it. Maybe it was because of the atmosphere, maybe it was to thank him for the compliment… Would he even see it like that? After all, la bise was a cultural thing in France, but that was used as a greeting between friends, and Ladybug was certain that she and Chat Noir were indeed friends…

She felt her heart pound, drowning out all of her thoughts. Who was she kidding – she had a crush on Chat Noir and just moments ago, she acted out on it. She sighed. Frankly, she never expected to even have any romantic feelings for her partner, especially not after their rocky start, but somehow she had developed them and now Chat Noir wouldn't leave her mind.

Ladybug took a deep breath, steadying herself and trying to focus on her feelings for Chat Noir. Despite making a bad first impression, Ladybug had over time gotten to know him better. He could be often cocky and smug, teasing her and flirting with her, but at the same time, he was also fun and lively, with a hidden vulnerable side, having opened up only to her, be it as Ladybug or as Bridgette. There was a depth to him that drew Ladybug in, a sense of sadness he hid under a mask of confidence and it kept her intrigued.

Ladybug shook her head, aware that falling for Chat Noir technically wasn't a bad thing. He was her partner and had worked hard to improve their relationship, and he had a crush on her. If they got together, perhaps their bond would grow and become stronger, but there was one thing that prevented her from accepting it – the fact that she still wasn't over Félix.

No matter how much she had insisted that she and Félix were just friends, for his own comfort, she was still in love with him and she couldn't just abandon those feelings. They were still a part of her and getting rid off them would probably break something inside her. However, she knew that she couldn't just go date both of them for her own comfort, because that was just plain wrong and her own morals definitely didn't agree with any of that. Either she would date one person or no one.

Ladybug shook her head, having to smile a little at the thought of being attracted to two completely opposite people. While Chat Noir was daring and carefree, Félix was mature and had a mysterious aura to him, with a soft side he would keep hidden from everyone but her. She had to wonder how she ended up in this situation, concluding that she probably had a thing for guys who are a complete mystery to her.

''What should I do now? I mean, I didn't really get to see Chat Noir's reaction to this, but I imagine that he was in complete shock over what I did given how I barely tolerated him in the beginning,'' Ladybug muttered.

''I don't know, Ladybug. I still wouldn't trust Chat Noir,'' Tikki told her. Ladybug rose an eyebrow in surprise.

''What do you mean, Tikki? Chat Noir has already proven that he has earned my trust and he was working hard on improving our relationship. I see no reason why I wouldn't trust him,'' Ladybug pointed out. Tikki was quiet, her silence puzzling Ladybug. ''Tikki? Are you okay?''

''I… I was just being worried about you. What if Chat Noir is being manipulative again?'' Tikki said, albeit a bit reluctantly.

''I don't believe that he's manipulating me. Why would he act like that?'' Ladybug asked.

Tikki was silent once more, then responded with, ''I don't really know, but something feels off. Please, be careful around him.''

''If you say so…'' Ladybug muttered. She had to wonder why Tikki was so reluctant to trust Chat Noir, despite everything he had done. Sure, he may have been a lying jerk in the beginning who just got in her way, but he had shown to be brave, trustworthy and caring, and Ladybug loved being in his company. While she probably couldn't understand completely why Chat Noir did things the way he did, she was certain that he was far from the person he used to be. However, that didn't ease the turmoil in her own heart.

Back when Chat Noir kept annoying her, it was easy to ignore his advances and focus on her feelings for Félix. But now that she tried to step away from Félix in spite of her true feelings, Chat Noir had become a person she was romantically attracted to and it left her mind in compete disarray. She took a deep breath, exhaling as she finally calmed down.

''What should I do?'' she muttered. ''If Félix and Chat Noir were the same person, I'd have no problem just confessing, but what are the odds of that happening?'' She let out a sharp giggle. ''They are quite different, aren't they? It would be impossible for them to be the same person…'' Ladybug trailed off, then blinked when a new thought crossed her mind. ''Although, there were a few times when Félix left only for Chat Noir to suddenly appear, like the time when The Mime attacked the charity gala or when Amber caused trouble as Queen Bee. Félix did say he was getting help with the former, but I don't recall seeing him anywhere. Admittedly, things were quite chaotic and I was focused on saving people. Then, there's the thing with Amber, but Félix did mention before that he had a way of contacting Chat Noir…'' Ladybug groaned, clutching her head. ''Ugh, I'm getting a headache!''

Ladybug sighed, not really wanting to think about any of this. She noted that she was tired and that she should just go home and relax, but something told her that her mind would remain swarmed and that he headache wouldn't go away so easily.

xXx

I was right, the headache won't go away. But… it doesn't seem as if Félix minds my current mood, Bridgette thought as she looked across the desk at Félix, who was writting down notes. The two were currently at the library, doing some research for their schoolwork, along with Sophie, Claude, Allegra, Allan and Carmilla, the latter having joined them because she had a project of her own that she needed to research for. Bridgette took note of how her friends seemed to be much more amicable towards Félix in comparison to how they used to be, although Claude remained a bit wary of him, despite currently distracting himself by building a house out of books.

''I don't think the librarian will be happy to see that,'' Allegra said, giving Claude a sharp look. The teenager just smiled playfully as he set another book.

''Don't worry, it's not like I damaging the books,'' Claude responded, carefully placing two books to form a roof.

''You're not, but that's only because you know that you can't play Jenga with them,'' Sophie commented, drawing a chuckle out of Allan and Carmilla. Félix, on the other hand, glared at Claude, his gaze matching Allegra's.

''You still shouldn't be doing that,'' he said, while Claude gave him a slightly annoyed look.

''What are you, the library police?'' Claude asked sarcastically as he leaned back on his chair, only to cry out in pain a moment later when a book from the nearby shelf suddenly fell and hit his head. ''Ouch! What the-?!''

Félix smiled, not saying anything and turning back to his book. No one noticed the faint shimmer of his ring. Claude, on the other hand, rubbed the back of his head, picking up the book that fell down and examining it. ''Hey, that's the one I need for my research!''

''I guess you got both unlucky and lucky,'' Bridgette commented in amusement, her earrings briefly shimmering.

''Yeah,'' Claude nodded, turning his attention back to the book. ''Although, I'd prefer not finding my research material this way.''

''At least it has stopped you from procrastination,'' Carmilla commented. Meanwhile, Bridgette turned towards Félix to see his reaction, only to realize that he was staring at her intensely. Once he realized that she noticed, he quickly turned his attention to the book in front of him, leaving Bridgette wondering why he was staring at her.

She thought back to previous night, when she was wondering about whether Félix was Chat Noir or not. She was certain that he wasn't, but at the same time, she couldn't shake off that weird feeling that she may be wrong. Even if Chat Noir acted completely different from Félix, that meant nothing since it could be just a persona he put up as the black cat superhero. After all, Bridgette herself was much more confident as Ladybug. Nevertheless, she knew that she had no solid evidence for this theory and she was certain that if she confronted Félix about being Chat Noir, she would probably sound like a lunatic. Therefore, it was better not to mention anything.

However, Bridgette did confront Félix later on when they were putting away the books back on the shelves about something else.

''Say, Fé… What would happen if you had two favorite books, but you could only choose one of them to read?'' Bridgette asked, her question catching Félix off guard.

''Well, I would read one book and once I'm finished, I would read the other one,'' Félix replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

That was a bad analogy, Bridgette thought, realizing that she would need to explain herself better. ''Okay, but what if you couldn't read the other book? Even though you really really like it.''

''I suppose that would depend on what kind of book it is. For example, I will always be more drawn to one type of genre. Unless you want to say that the books are of the same genre,'' Félix said.

''Actually, no, they are different. In fact, imagine the books being complete polar opposites from each other, but you still like both of them because of they inspire you in a different way,'' Bridgette explained. Félix rose an eyebrow, arms folded across his chest.

''I see… I guess it would be difficult to make a choice in that case,'' he said, only to give Bridgette a questioning look. ''Of course, if we are still talking about books.''

''Eh? What do you mean?'' Bridgette asked, her ahoge standing up as she got startled by his sudden statement. She held her hands up defensively, sweatdropping as she quickly added, ''Of course we're still talking about books.''

''I understand,'' Félix said in a casual tone, grabbing his backpack and walking past Bridgette, only to lower his head right next to her ear, muttering, ''You don't have to act in a different way to make me like you. I'm already quite fond of you.''

Those words sent a wave of heat through Bridgette's body, turning her face completely red as she placed her hands over her cheeks, feeling the warmth. She was completely frozen, while Félix just walked past her, trying to remain calm despite the voice in his head chiding him for turning to his Chat Noir persona and flirt with Bridgette. This left her in a stunned state, with Félix already fearing that he may have actually caused some damage to their relationship, especially since she was constantly insisting on them being friends. It was obvious that she wouldn't expect him to turn things around.

''That was a smooth move, Romeo.''

Félix stopped in his tracks, turning to Carmilla as she put away her own books. She gave him a mischievous grin. ''I never expected that a stuck-up like you would even be able to talk so smoothly.''

''I was simply stating the obvious. Bridgette and I may not have started out as friends, but I have warmed up to her,'' Félix replied, his eyes narrowing. Carmilla shrugged.

''If you say so, Romeo. I just never thought you'd have anything interesting to say,'' she replied, with Félix just walking past her.

''I guess that's because you don't know me at all,'' Félix told her, stopping with his back turned towards Carmilla. ''Also, I prefer to be called Ice Prince. Keep that in mind next time you try calling me 'stuck-up'.''

Carmilla narrowed her eyes, watching Félix as he left. Frankly, she always thought of him as someone not worth her time since he wasn't that interesting of a person, but this little exchange did make her wonder if there was really more to him than this rich boy with a famous uncle. She smirked slyly.

Maybe I should keep an eye on you in the future.

xXx

Gabriel observed the line of trees and bushes in his private greenhouse, his attention drawn to the rows of lavender chrysalis hanging on the thin branches. It was a personal project of his, one he had started a few weeks ago after that disaster with the charity gala. He had decided to go ahead with this project a bit earlier, noting how it took time to take care of the chrysalis, especially in such large numbers. He needed as much as possible of them for his grand plan of finally finding the magical artifacts that would grant him any wish he had. He already had one magical artifact, but his brooch could only do so much for him. He needed more.

''They're almost ready,'' Gabriel muttered as he held up his hand, reaching for the chrysalis and observing it. Those chrysalis were quite special. Instead of hiding a future butterfly, they were filled with a strange energy that reacted to people's emotions, the negative ones especially, and if that energy was released, it could have devastating consequences for all of Paris.

Gabriel smirked. He had told the Mime and Monsieur Pigeon to leave Ladybug and Chat Noir alone until he was done with his project, well aware that the lack of activity on his part would lull the superheroes into a false sense of security. Then, he would strike, catching them both off guard. He knew that both of them had most likely access to magical artifacts that allowed them to fight like this and he had studied all of the previous encounters his minions had with them. All that was necessary now was to take their magical artifacts for himself to see whether they were what he was searching for.

Sure, that also meant that he would be endangering Paris and its civilians, but that was a price he was willing to pay for the ultimate power and create a world that would fit his vision.

''Sir, I apologize for interrupting you.'' Gabriel turned around, noticing his asisstant, Adeline, approaching him while she was holding a tablet. ''I must remind you that you have a meeting in 20 minutes for the upcoming winter fashion show.''

''I know,'' Gabriel replied coldly, turning his attention back to the chrysalis as he sensed weird energy coming from one of them. He reached out for it, plucking the chrysalis and examing it, noting how it was as hard as a crystal. He then tossed the chrysalis to Adeline, who caught it. ''This one has finished maturing. I will need your assistance in the future, so be ready for when I call you.''

''Yes, Sir,'' Adeline responded, nodding. As Gabriel left, she followed him outside the greenhouse, staring at the chrysalis. She knew well what her boss was up to and being a loyal employee of the Agreste household, she was going to follow his orders no matter what happened. Of course, she couldn't guarantee for any satisfactory results, but she would do her best.

xXx

Chat Noir sighed, leaning against a steel beam as he stared at the dark sky. He and Ladybug were hanging out on the Eiffel Tower, with Chat Noir having brought his violin while Ladybug had her notepad and was currently sketching something. He stopped playing for a moment, with Ladybug lifting her head.

''What's wrong?'' she asked.

''It's just… It's been really quiet for the past few weeks, don't you think so?'' Chat Noir pointed out.

''Yeah, I have noticed,'' Ladybug replied. ''Maybe Papillon just gave up?''

''I doubt it. I'm sure he is up to something,'' Chat Noir replied, only for Ladybug to burst into a fit of giggles, leaving the black cat superhero surprised. ''What's wrong?''

''Usually, I'm the one worrying about Papillon sending the Mime or Monsieur Pigeon to attack Paris, but it seems that we have switched roles,'' Ladybug pointed out.

''You're right. But, I don't mind spending time with you without having to worry that we'll get interrupted, Bug,'' Chat Noir replied.

''Honestly, I agree with the sentiment,'' Ladybug replied with a smile. She had to admit that the past few weeks of them just hanging out together did wonders to their relationship. She felt quite relaxed in Chat Noir's presence, especially when he didn't bring up that kiss on the cheek. Surprisingly, Chat Noir actually kept the flirting and teasing at a minimum, to the point that Ladybug couldn't even recall the last time she felt annoyed about it. That left her with other thoughts, though. ''I wonder how long we'll be fighting Papillon.''

''I don't know what to tell you. He hasn't shown himself at all, so this could go on for a while,'' Chat Noir replied with a shrug. ''Why are you bringing that up?''

''Well, it just came to my mind that if things are going to last for much longer than either of us thought, maybe we will end up in situations where we will have to rely on each other as civilians,'' Ladybug pointed out, much to Chat Noir's surprise.

''Wait, what do you mean by that?'' he asked, already having an idea what Ladybug was thinking, but he still wanted to hear it from her.

''I mean that we will have to eventually learn about each other's civilian identities,'' Ladybug stated bluntly, taking note of Chat Noir's shocked expression. ''I know, you probably didn't expect me ask for this, especially since I was the one insisting on the whole secret identity deal.''

''That's right,'' Chat Noir said, his heart pounding. The idea of Ladybug finally revealing her identity to him was both tempting and frightening, as it would either confirm or debunk many of his theories, but at the same time, he feared what the reaction would be when she learned who he really was. ''I suppose knowing each other's civilian identity would allow us to communicate easier if we try to come up with a plan to take down Papillon, but at the same time, if someone else learned about our civilian identities, it would put both of us into danger.''

''I agree, but are you going to tell anyone else?'' Ladybug asked.

''Of course not! I'm not that stupid to just reveal my identity to some random person,'' Chat Noir huffed.

''I know, and that's why I trust you. However, I guess we can leave that for later,'' Ladybug replied, looking up at the moon. ''Once we're both ready, I'm certain that the desire to reveal ourselves will come to us naturally.''

''I hope that it will,'' Chat Noir replied, following her gaze. He genuinely wished that he could agree with Ladybug, but the doubt lingering in the back of his mind kept feeding his fears.

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[yin-390]

Hi~

Phantom Thief Belladonna from @tenebraevesper 's awesome fic Up Ladybug!

Love the character and thought of drawing her based on description, both first appearance and transformation secuence, hope I got it right! 😅😁

[cruentusscarlet]

The First Vampires

A list of the five original vampires that made the deal with Morrigan; the current names they go by, and what areas their covens cover.

Carmilla Karnstein

Origin: Celt Tribe in Great Britain (Britain Proper, Britons)

Coven Reign: Western Europe

Residence: London (England, United Kingdom)

Nosferatu

Origin: Celt Tribe in Southern Central Europe (Hercynia, Boii)

Coven Reign: Central Europe

Residence: Berlin (Germany)

Sir Francis Varney

Origin: Celt Tribe in Southern Europe (Citerior Iberia, Celtiberians)

Coven Reign: Southern Europe

Residence: Madrid (Spain)

Abhartach

Origin: Celt Tribe in Ireland (Gaels, Brigantes)

Coven Reign: Eastern Europe

Residence: Tallin (Estonia)

Orpheus

Origin: Celt Tribe in Central Europe (Rhaetia, Vennonetes)

Coven Reign: Northern Europe

Residence: Helsinki (Finland)

[tenebraevesper]

Up Ladybug, Entry 19: The Lingering Loneliness

Chapter Preview/Link To Full Chapter Below

Félix had to admit that he wasn't completely sure whether he even made the right decision.

It was weekend and, as usual, his uncle was too busy with his projects to care, leaving Adeline in charge. She was currently looking at Félix's schedule, questioning him about his free time and how to fill it up.

''Your sensei had praised your karate skills,'' Adeline said, her tone lacking any emotion. ''I believe that it would do you well to add more hours to your karate lessons.''

''My schedule is fine as it is,'' Félix told Adeline, his back turned towards her as he stuffed a book into his backpack, with Plagg already being inside it. ''I'll be away for the day.''

Adeline pursed her lips. ''I don't think wasting your time with unimportant activities is acceptable in Monsieur Agreste's eyes,'' she told him, her perfectly manicured fingers gripping the tablet with the schedule of the Agreste household tightly.

Félix just slung the backpack over his shoulder and walked up to her. ''What Uncle Gabriel thinks about my activities shouldn't be any of your concern, Mme. Arsenault. If he wants to express his disappointment, he can talk to me directly instead.''

Félix then walked past her, going outside and ignoring the twin bodyguards, Nathan and Simon Fortin, who had been patrolling the property. Both were burly bald men dressed in a white suit, shoes and gloves, with two black dots on the suit and a black bowtie, and a purplish circular mark on their left and right eye respectively. Félix never questioned them about it, though, as neither of them were particularly talkative. Not that they had anything to talk about. Fortunately, neither stopped him from leaving the Agreste property.

Once he made his way down the street, Plagg popped his head out of the backpack. ''So, where are we going, Kid?''

''Honestly, I don't know,'' Félix muttered, with Plagg tilting his head, giving him a questioning look. ''All I know is that I need some time to clear my head.''

Entry 19: The Lingering Loneliness (Complete Chapter)

[tenebraevesper]

Up Ladybug, Entry 14: Step By Step

Chapter Preview/Link To Full Chapter Below

''…have been saved by two supposed superheroes named Ladybug and Chat Noir. According to the sources, these two may have been responsible for stopping the bank robbery by a different perpetrator, whose identity has yet to be uncovered. The police is warning the public to not engage with any of them and to notify the authorities in case they spot any weird activities…''

''This is the worst…'' Bridgette muttered as she walked towards her school, staring at the news broadcast on her smartphone. ''I told myself I would stay away from the spotlight and now something like this happens.''

''I guess you becoming more known as a superhero would happen eventually,'' Tikki noted, popping her head out of Bridgette's backpack. ''Your friends are happy that you saved them, though. That's a good thing, isn't it?''

''I guess it is,'' Bridgette said, shrugging and glanced back at the video, where Corinne was being interviewed about what happened. Considering how Monsieur Pigeon attacked the Fléchette Stars concert, there was no way that this would go unnoticed, even after she and Chat Noir escaped the place. She really disliked the spotlight, but she was glad that Corinne and Allan, who was part of the interview, praised her and Chat Noir. ''Well, now that the public knows about the existence of Ladybug and Chat Noir, I just hope they won't start to demonize us for acting like vigilantes.''

''Even if they do, do you think that the police would really be able to deal with people like the Mime, Monsieur Pigeon, and Belladonna?'' Tikki asked.

''I doubt that,'' Bridgette replied, pocketing her smartphone. She sighed. ''Besides, I have other things to worry about.''

''You mean Félix?'' Tikki asked.

''Yeah,'' Bridgette said, biting her lip. ''I… I just want to apologize to him, but I don't really want to talk to him. I mean, he'll probably think that I'm being obsessive again. To be honest, at this point, I'd rather take on Monsieur Pigeon again rather than deal with Félix.''

''I think that you should trust your intuition and do what you believe is best for both of you,'' Tikki told her in a warm tone. Bridgette smiled, gazing at the kwami for a moment and stopped walking, observing her surroundings. She then spotted a coffee shop. She hit her palm with her fist as she realized what she could do. ''My lucky star shines again!''

''Are you sure it isn't just the Miraculous?'' Tikki asked her in a concerned tone, but Bridgette ignored her, running over to the coffee shop. She did glance at the Ladybug Earrings, noticing a faint gleam coming from them and sighed in exasperation.

xXx

Félix yawned as he walked into the classroom, covering his mouth and taking a deep breath. He was too occupied with watching the news broadcast about the attack caused by Monsieur Pigeon to even think about buying his daily dose of coffee. He felt a bit tired and cranky, but what happened last night kept him in a surprisingly good mood. Not only did he have a heart-to-heart conversation with Bridgette, but Ladybug was trusting him again.

So far, so good. Although, I should talk to Ladybug about the news.

Félix spotted Allegra, Allan, Claude, Sophie and Bridgette talking to each other animatedly, assuming the topic was about last night's events. They weren't the only ones, as across the room, Amber was telling Jeanne and everyone who was unfortunately in her vicinity about how she'll be the one to determine whether Ladybug and Chat Noir were good superheroes or not.

''No one is going to be declared a superhero as long as my father is the major of Paris,'' Amber told Jeanne, while everyone else was ignoring her. ''They need to prove themselves first.''

''I think Amber is just jealous that she wasn't yesterday with us,'' Allegra said.

''While it was awesome to have Chat Noir protect us and Ladybug fight Pigeon Man, I still think it's not something we should be proud off. What if we accidentally get in their way and someone gets hurt?'' Claude said, with the rest of the group exchanging glances.

Félix's lips curved into a tiny smile as he overheard them praising him. Admittedly, he didn't care about whether people would consider him a superhero or not, but it was interesting to hear the opinions of others about his alter ego.

''Huh?'' As he was about to sit down, Félix was stunned to see a plastic cup of coffee on his table, with the word ''Sorry'' written neatly across it. He glanced back at Bridgette, caught his eye, her cheeks turning into a deep shade of red, and quickly turned towards Sophie, asking her about more details of what happened last night.

''It's really unfortunate you couldn't come,'' Sophie told her. ''Seeing Ladybug and Chat Noir in action was amazing!''

''I can imagine,'' Bridgette replied, still avoiding Félix's gaze.

Félix was aware that she did not want to see his reaction to the gift, but he was actually really happy about it, even smiling a little when he took a sip of the coffee. To his surprise, it was the bitter taste of black coffee, something he would usually drink every morning to keep himself awake. He wondered whether she knew what he liked to drink or had just guessed.

I assume it was the latter, he thought as he set the cup down and stared at the word ''Sorry''. He knew that he'd have to confront Bridgette today and he wasn't really looking forward to it. Sure, Bridgette may have been comfortable when talking to him while he was Chat Noir, but this was different. She had a crush on his civilian self and was now doing everything in her power, even removing herself to give him some privacy and apologizing in her own way for her seemingly obsessive behavior. He knew that she meant well and that she was a kind person, so the least he could do was to talk to her and figure out the best solution for both of them before things got too awkward.

How am I going to convince her to talk to me? He then glanced down at the Ring of the Black Cat, with a mischievous, Chat Noir-like smirk forming on his lips as the ring. Of course…

Up Ladybug, Entry 14: Step By Step (Complete Chapter)

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Up Ladybug, Entry 17: The Trigger

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Despite the fact that it was heavily raining the past night, the next day was bright and sunny. Félix sighed as he walked towards the school, holding a cup with his usual morning coffee and a cup of hot tea. Admittedly, he wasn't sure whether it was a good idea to walk around with hot coffee and tea with the kind of luck he had, but he was confident in his ability to deal with it. As a matter of fact, he was more concerned about an entirely different matter.

''Was this really a good idea?'' he muttered, loud enough to be heard only by Plagg, who popped his head out of Félix's backpack.

''Why would you think that buying Bridgette tea would be offensive to her?'' Plagg rose an eyebrow.

''Considering how her family owns a tea shop and Bridgette is capable of brewing high quality tea, maybe store-bought tea isn't enough,'' Félix replied.

''Kid, you're really overthinking this,'' Plagg replied in a deadpan tone, then quickly hid back inside the backpack as they reached the school. Félix stopped walking for a moment, seeing Bridgette talking to her friends. She appeared to be quite relaxed for the most part, if tired. While Allegra, Allan and Sophie didn't appear to be worried, Claude did have a look of slight concern on his expression whenever he would address Bridgette. Still, Bridgette would wave him off, pretending she was fine.

Félix inhaled sharply as he looked at them, wondering how he should approach Bridgette without having to deal with her friends, Claude especially. He knew that they were quite wary of him, despite Bridgette's fondness of him and he didn't want to really talk to any of them. What should I do?

Félix's expression changed to a determined one and he walked towards Bridgette, figuring that he could just hand her the cup of tea over and be on his way to the classroom. However, before he could do any of that, he heard someone yelling.

''Watch out!''

Félix only had enough time to glance to her left and see a football flying towards him. He quickly took a step back, but the football hit his hands, causing Félix to cry out in pain, the hot liquid splashing and the cups falling out of his hands. He looked down at his hands, which turned red, searing pain spreading across his arms and towards his body. He managed to avoid having his clothes ruined, but the hot liquid burnt him. He realized that he needed to get to the bathroom and put his hands under cold running water so the injuries wouldn't get worse.

''Félix!'' Félix looked up and saw Bridgette running up towards him. She seemed to want to add something, but one gaze at Félix's hands told her everything she needed to know. She quickly placed her backpack down on the ground and took out a bottle of water, telling Félix in a demanding tone, ''Extend your hands.''

Startled by her voice, Félix did as she said, wincing as Bridgette poured the cool water over his hands. He eased up as the pain lessened and while his hands were still a little red, he knew that the worst was behind him.

''We need to bring you to the nurse's office, right now,'' Bridgette quickly added. Félix could only nod, but felt his anxiety rising when Bridgette's friends and the guy who kicked the football at Félix approached them. He did not want to deal with them as well!

''I told you to watch out!'' the guy said, picking up his football. He was well-built, with short black hair and brown eyes. ''Are you deaf or something?''

Félix just cast him a glare. Bridgette, on the other hand, was more confrontational. ''How about you don't kick the football at other people?!''

''Tsk, I'm…'' the guy trailed off, raising an eyebrow when Bridgette quickly turned to Félix.

''We should go,'' she told him. Félix just nodded, following Bridgette towards the nurse's office, who gazed at her friends, quickly adding, ''Could you guys please just throw the cups away?''

''Sure,'' Claude replied, grabbing the cups that were still on the floor. The guy frowned, only to notice Bridgette's friends casting a glare at him.

''What's the hold up, Léon?'' The guy, Léon, scoffed and turned around, returning back to his friends.

Meanwhile, Claude threw the cups into the nearby trash bin, exchanging silent, exasperated glances with Allegra, Allan and Sophie. Why did they have a feeling that this would be a long day?

Up Ladybug, Entry 17: The Trigger (Complete Chapter)

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Up Ladybug - Meet The Phantom Thief (Analyzer)

Carmilla Brigante/Phantom Thief Belladonna

Carmilla Brigante is a new student who moved from Florence, Italy, to Paris, becoming friends with Bridgette’s friend group; being especially close with Allegra. Carmilla is someone who always seeks new thrills in life, loving listening to gossip and finding a way to cure her constant boredom. She likes to live life by her own rules and is hardly affected by whatever curveball fate throws at her. However, under her plucky and inquisitive nature hides the personality of a manipulator, someone who has no problem lying and toying with people’s emotions in order to get what she wants. She appears to be especially antagonistic towards Amber and Félix, sometimes targeting them for her own amusement.

‘‘Let the Phantom Thief awaken!’’

Carmilla leads a secret life as the Phantom Thief Belladonna, a notorious kaitou who steals jewelry and valuable artifacts, even leaving calling cards to taunt her victims. Using a lavender rosebud brooch called the Phantom’s Legacy, she is capable of transforming into a stage magician-themed phantom thief, gaining a wand and magical powers in the process. She had inherited the Phantom’s Legacy from her mother, learning in the process that her grandmother and her mother too had taken the guise of the elusive Phantom Thief, with Carmilla being the next in the line to carry on the family legacy. The reason why she moved from Florence to Paris was to find someone who could challenge her in wit and combat, eventually finding a worthy rival in Ladybug, and even crushing on Chat Noir (much to the latter’s chagrin). Belladonna sees herself as a performer and loves the spotlight, as well as the thrill of combat. Being independent and something of a wild card, Belladonna isn’t interested in working for Papillon.

*Note: Carmilla Brigante/Phantom Thief Belladonna is my own spin on the character Lila Rossi/Volpina.

Up Ladybug (Story)

Analyzer - The Hidden Potential of the Miraculous Ladybug PV (Miraculous Ladybug PV)

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Up Ladybug, Entry 24: Icebreaker

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Félix was in the state between deep sleep and waking up, feeling something scratching his cheek, as well as light hitting his eyes. His body felt as heavy as lead and he didn't want to open his eyes, despite being aware that it was time to wake up. There was once again scratching on his cheek and he grabbed a pillow, eyes still closed, and placed it on whatever was scratching him.

''Plagg, stop it…'' he groaned. There was some muffled yelling coming from below the pillow, with Plagg escaping it and sitting on Félix's forehead.

''Com'n, Kid, wake up!'' he told his holder. Félix sighed, slowly rubbing his eyes and opening them. He felt dizzy, but eventually, his head cleared.

''What time is it?'' he asked, rubbing his head.

''Oh, I think it's about 11:30 AM,'' Plagg told him nonchalantly.

''That late?!'' Félix was now fully awake, scrambling out of his bed. Plagg grabbed Félix's smartphone, watching his holder run into the bathroom in his PJs.

''Oh, and before I forget. Bridgette had sent you a message, asking you whether you'd come by her place around 13:00 PM,'' Plagg added. Félix's popped his head out of the bathroom, his hair a complete mess.

''Why didn't you tell me that before?'' he asked in an annoyed tone.

''Because I had figured you'd wake up by now,'' Plagg replied. Félix just frowned and vanished into the bathroom. Plagg smirked, still holding up his smartphone.

Eventually, Félix emerged out of the bathroom, having changed into his usual outfit and grabbing the comb as he turned towards the mirror. His hair was still dishelved. Plagg flew up to him, aware that Félix would spend at least 15 minutes of his mornings fixing his bed hair.

''I'm surprised that Mme. Arsenault didn't wake me up. It's really late,'' Félix noted, combing the back of his hair, before switching to the front.

''I saw her in the house, but she and your uncle had left hours ago,'' Plagg informed him. ''Maybe they didn't want to wake you up because of what had happened last night. You know, give you time to recover and whatnot.''

''Honestly, it is more likely that Hell would freeze over before they decide to do something nice for me,'' Félix replied, frowning as he saw bits of his hair still messed up. ''I assume they just forgot about me. After all, they would still have to deal with the outcome of that fire.''

Up Ladybug, Entry 24: Icebreaker (Complete Chapter)

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Up Ladybug, Entry 7: The Thief Among Us

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Ladybug landed on a rooftop, with Chat Noir landing right next to her, giving her a mischievous grin, his tail flicking.

''So, is this it? Are we done with the patrol?'' he asked. Ladybug sighed, taking another look at her surroundings.

''I guess it is,'' she replied. Chat Noir's ears perked up as he smiled happily.

''Do you want to hang out for a little longer?'' he asked.

Admittedly, Ladybug wanted to leave, as she had school tomorrow and she needed to get some sleep, but looking at Chat Noir, at the eager gaze he was giving her, she figured that it wouldn't hurt if she stayed just a little longer. After all, she did tell him that she wanted to evaluate their partnership and, as Chat Noir put it, this also meant that they would have to get to know each other better. Still, while Chat Noir wanted to learn more about her on a personal level, Ladybug was more focused on learning about him on a professional level.

''Fine,'' Ladybug said, with Chat Noir doing a fist-pump. ''I did agree to this, after all. However, I won't be answering any questions that I'm too uncomfortable with.''

''That's completely okay,'' Chat Noir told her, placing his hand on his chest. ''I'm just glad that we get to hang out with each other. We do have a lot to talk about.''

''Yeah,'' Ladybug muttered, falling silent for a moment and closing her eyes. She hadn't been upset or anything like that, but tried to calm down her mind and find the right words to express herself. She opened her eyes and looked at Chat Noir, who had his head slightly tilted, giving her a look that appeared to be a mix of curiosity and concern. He reminded her of a lost kitten. ''You're right, we do have a lot to talk about.'' Chat Noir's ears twitched as she turned towards him. ''It's probably annoying that I'm bringing it up again, but I still have some questions about your bad luck powers.''

''Oh,'' Chat Noir mumbled, a little surprised, then gave Ladybug an assuring look. ''I don't mind it. What do you want to know?''

''You told me that you know how to deal with your bad luck,'' Ladybug stated, with Chat Noir nodding.

''Yes, but I'm not claiming that I have complete control over it,'' Chat Noir replied, crossing his arms. ''There will be times when something unpredictable will happen, and I will take full responsibility for it. As I had told you, I don't want to get in your way and I'm willing to improve myself as a superhero.'' He gave her a soft smile. ''I have to admit, your determination did really inspire me to work on myself.''

''I did…'' Ladybug was stunned, feeling a strange warmth surging through her body. Chat Noir's words were incredibly sincere, making her feel flustered. She lowered her head shyly. ''I-I'm glad that I could help you.'' She then took a sharp breath, trying to ignore the strange feeling of fluttering butterflies in her stomach and continued in a more assertive tone, ''However, I'm still far from perfect. You're not the only one who has to work on improving yourself.''

''That's understandable,'' Chat Noir replied. There was a strange twinkle in his green eyes, especially after seeing Ladybug getting flustered. He placed his hand on his hip, ruffling his already messy hair with the other. ''Honestly, I kind of wish our partnership had started under different circumstances. I know that I left a bad impression, especially after getting rather bold and flirting with you, as well as not telling you about my bad luck curse.''

''If you ask me, I'm glad that you actually did leave a bad impression on me,'' Ladybug told him, with Chat Noir giving her a perplexed look. ''Nevertheless, I'm glad that you're owning up to it.''

''So, am I forgiven?'' Chat Noir asked sheepishly. Ladybug crossed her arms, tilting her head and giving him a pointed look.

''The trial is still ongoing,'' she added. ''But, so far, you don't have to worry. Trust me, if I get annoyed by your antics, I will make that loud and clear.''

''That is something I really love about you, Ladybug,'' Chat Noir replied. Ladybug was stunned for a moment, partially due to Chat Noir's boldness, partially due to the fact that he didn't call her 'M'lady' as he usually would. ''You don't play around and you make your point clear. The more time I spend with you, the more I'm fascinated and pleased that I had met an amazing person like you.''

''I- Thanks,'' Ladybug said, a little flustered by his compliment. However, she managed to quickly focus again on the matter at hand. ''In any case, about our partnership, the main point is that we still have a lot to work on. We have conflicting powers, which won't make this easy for either of us.''

''True, but we won't know for certain whether things are going to work out unless we try,'' Chat Noir replied. ''However, I'm sure that with you in charge-''

''No,'' Ladybug cut him off. When Chat Noir gave her a questioning look, she elaborated, ''If either of us is in charge, we might create an imbalance. It doesn't matter whether it's too much luck or too much bad luck, if we're going to work together, we both have to put effort into our teamwork. This would obviously include knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses, as well being able to trust each other and be able to act on our own in case the other party is incapacitated.''

''Essentially, we're acting together, not against each other and we will have to learn to anticipate a situation where one's power would be more useful than the other's,'' Chat Noir said, with Ladybug nodding enthusiastically.

''Exactly!'' she said, feeling rather happy that he was genuinely listening to her. Maybe this partnership won't be as bad as I thought. He did try to help me in the battle against the Mime, even if his bad luck caused him to mess up. Not to mention, he did leave me alone during my last fight against the latter, so perhaps we can work things out.

''I do have one request,'' Chat Noir said, holding his clawed finger up. Ladybug stared back at him, confused. ''May I continue flirting with you?''

''Eh?'' Ladybug blinked, stunned. It took her a moment to process his words. ''What?!''

Chat Noir just gave her a mischievous grin. ''I promise I won't keep you distracted. You said yourself that being Ladybug is your priority. Still, that doesn't mean that we can't have fun during our free time, right?''

''You're hopeless, Chat,'' Ladybug groaned, feeling completely exasperated.

''Yeah, I'm a hopeless fool who has a crush on a beautiful and mesmerizing lady,'' Chat Noir replied, shrugging. He then winked at her. ''You look absolutely adorable when you're flustered.''

''Well, I guess the reason for that is because I'm not used to have someone flirt with me like this,'' Ladybug replied in a firm tone, crossing her arms on her chest. Admittedly, she was still flustered, but she managed to remain calm enough to retain a neutral expression.

''Really?'' As Ladybug looked up, she saw a baffled Chat Noir. ''I'm surprised that someone as lovely as you isn't getting the attention you deserve.''

''That's how it is,'' Ladybug replied, shrugging. Her ahoge lowered as she thought about Félix, but quickly pushed him out of her head. ''I mean, you said that you aren't exactly the social type, yet you're shamelessly flirting with me.''

''It might be because of the mask,'' Chat Noir replied, lowering his head a little. A few pigeons flew above them. ''After all, I don't have to act like my usual self when I'm wearing it. That's the perk of anonymity.''

''Don't let it get to your head,'' Ladybug replied. ''Only because you wear a mask doesn't mean that you can escape the consequences of your actions.''

''I know,'' Chat Noir replied, his ears twitching as he heard wings flapping. He and Ladybug looked around. ''Why are there so many pigeons?''

''No idea,'' Ladybug replied, her ahoge taking the shape of a question mark. The pigeons were twitching, turning their heads towards them, making Ladybug feel nervous. ''It's kinda creepy.''

''Are they… judging us?'' Chat Noir said, rising an eyebrow. More and more pigeons landed on the rooftop, all of them staring at the two.

''Maybe it's because of you,'' Ladybug suggested in a deadpan tone. Chat Noir's ears lowered and he gave her an annoyed look, even though he had to admit that the birds probably didn't like the idea of being around a cat superhero. He suddenly shook his head.

''Wait, what are we even talking about? Those are pigeons! They're just-'' Chat Noir tried to make sense of the situation, but quickly cut himself off when a huge flock of pigeons flew over them and surrounded the two. ''What is going on?''

''I have taken you as my captives! Ro-roooo!''

Ladybug and Chat Noir stared with completely dumbfounded looks on their expressions and dropped jaws at the flock of pigeons flying up to them, revealing a man in a grey, pink and black bodysuit standing atop of the birds, his arms crossed on his chest.

''This has to be some kind of dream,'' Ladybug said dryly, stunned by the reveal.

''To be honest, I can understand the Mime, he has interesting powers, but a Pigeon Man?'' Chat Noir said, not looking particularly impressed.

''The name is Monsieur Pigeon, you simpleton!'' Monsieur Pigeon yelled indignantly.

''Great, he also talks,'' Chat Noir added in a deadpan tone. Monsieur Pigeon lifted his head up high, glaring at the two.

''Don't you dare to mock me!'' he yelled at Chat Noir. ''I will teach you a lesson, you insolent cat!''

''What about her?'' Chat Noir pointed with his thumb at Ladybug, who rose an eyebrow, giving him an incredulous look, her ahoge frizzled.

''Don't worry, I will deal with her later, but my top priority is to eliminate any strays,'' Monsieur Pigeon replied, lifting his hand up, with the pigeons that were sitting on the roof suddenly flying up and surrounding the two.

''Hey, wait a second!'' Ladybug interrupted him. ''Why are you even attacking us? We don't even know who you are.''

''Don't worry about that,'' Monsieur Pigeon replied, holding up his hands in a theatrical manner. ''All I need to know is who you are. Take them down!'' he commanded, with the pigeons suddenly flying towards the two.

''Black Storm!'' Chat Noir formed a disc of dark energy on his palm and fired it at the pigeons, causing them to scatter and create an opening. He and Ladybug ran through it, leaping off the building and landing on another, with the pigeons following them. Chat Noir sent another dark energy disc at them, causing them to scatter, before glancing at Ladybug and asking, ''Now what?''

''I'm not sure,'' Ladybug replied, with the two running towards the edge of the building and leaping off, landing on another one. ''What do we even know about this guy?''

''Aside from the fact that he's calling himself Monsieur Pigeon, that he controls pigeons and that he's after us for some reason, nothing,'' Chat Noir replied, his ears picking up the flapping of numerous pigeon wings from behind and above them. ''Well, we could also add persistent to the list.''

He and Ladybug jumped away to the side as a flock of pigeons charged at them and hit the rooftop. Ladybug looked up, seeing another flock charging at her and quickly turned her compact into a shield. The pigeons pecked and scratched it madly, trying to get through it, only to scatter away when Chat Noir threw another energy disc at them.

''Thanks!'' Ladybug said as he joined her. Chat Noir smiled at her.

''I guess that this is where we try to figure out how to work together,'' he said, only for Ladybug to suddenly turn her shield back into a yo-yo and throw it behind him, scattering another flock of pigeons that attempted to fly into them.

''I absolutely agree,'' Ladybug replied. ''For now, we need to find a shelter, then we can discuss our battle plan.''

''That won't be easy,'' Chat Noir told her as they continued with their run on the rooftops. ''We're surrounded by pigeons.''

''Then let's go underground,'' Ladybug told him, looking down. Chat Noir followed her gaze, his tail flicking in excitement when he saw the entrance to the Paris metro at Varenne. He then glanced at Ladybug. ''I need you to cover us.''

''Got it!'' Chat Noir was a little startled when Ladybug suddenly grabbed his other hand and threw the yo-yo at the trees that surrounded the entrance to the metro, securing it around a branch. Chat Noir then turned back to the flock that had been following them and sent an energy disc at them, causing them to scatter again. The two then jumped off, with Ladybug letting the yo-yo pull them towards the entrance.

Once inside, they quickly walked down the staircase, both hoping that the pigeons wouldn't follow them. They sighed in relief when, fortunately, they couldn't hear the birds anymore.

''That was close,'' Ladybug said.

''I do agree that we are quite close,'' Chat Noir told her, smirking as he gave her a pointed look. Ladybug looked down, only to realize that she was still holding Chat Noir's hand and quickly let go of him.

''In any case, we now have to figure out how to take Monsieur Pigeon down,'' Ladybug added.

Up Ladybug, Entry 7: The Thief Among Us (Complete Chapter)

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Up Ladybug, Entry 23: All The Right Moves

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Félix sighed as he sat down at his desk in the classroom. He arrived a bit earlier and hadn't seen a trace of Bridgette or her friends, giving him some time to think through the conversation he had with Gabriel during breakfast.

''You have asked me to let you go to school in order to make social connections,'' Gabriel had told him when he saw Félix's anxious expression, having already figured out what was going through the teenager's head. ''Don't tell me that you haven't made any.''

''I did,'' Félix replied, not liking the cold gaze Gabriel was giving him, nor the accusatory tone his uncle used. Gabriel then got up, seemingly done with his breakfast, with Félix feeling a moment of relief as he hoped that his uncle would finally leave him alone. However, Gabriel stopped just next to his seat, facing forward, his hands crossed on his back.

''Then, I hope you'll keep in mind what I had told you about creation connections,'' Gabriel said, glancing at his nephew. Félix felt chills flowing down his spine.

''Creating connections with someone else on an emotional level will only hinder me,'' Félix muttered, repeating what Gabriel had told him a while ago. He waited for Gabriel's response, but the latter just walked away. Félix felt a knot in his stomach, awaiting a sense of relief that never came. Instead, all he felt was anxiety. He knew that all Gabriel cared about was his public image and if the guest he brought along didn't fit what he had in mind, he would get in trouble for his ''mistake''.

The issue is, the person I want to bring along is Bridgette. Félix sighed as he took out his book and opened it, trying to focus. He knew that Gabriel wouldn't approve of someone like Bridgette, but frankly, Félix didn't care. Aside from Plagg and Ladybug, she is the only friend I have, so it would be only natural that I'd invite her to the charity event. Félix then paused for a moment, looking up and seeing Bridgette, Allegra, Sophie, Claude and Allan entering the classroom, all talking about something and laughing. Félix at first thought of focusing on his book, but then he made eye-contact with Bridgette, who smiled at him. Without even realizing it, Félix smiled back and turned back to his book, only for a moment later to hit him, his eyes widening. That was not planned.

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Up Ladybug, Entry 21: Clash At The Musem

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Ladybug and Chat Noir made their way through Paris, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, searching for any signs of trouble. Fortunately, it seemed that this night would be uneventful.

''It seems that the Mime and Monsieur Pigeon had decided to back off,'' Chat Noir commented as they took a short break at Place de la Concorde. ''Not to mention, there is no sign of Papillon.''

''Even if Papillon and his minions aren't active tonight, we still have someone we should worry about,'' Ladybug replied, taking off towards Rue de Rivoli. Chat Noir's ears twitched as he followed her.

''You mean Belladonna,'' he said. Ladybug just nodded in response.

''She hadn't appeared at all during the past few days and I'm afraid that she may be up to something,'' Ladybug explained. She didn't really want to tell Chat Noir that the reason why she was thinking about Belladonna was because Carmilla had brought her up during their conversation at the Louvre.

''Is this why we're going towards the Louvre?'' Chat Noir asked, with Ladybug giving him a look of surprise. He quickly added, ''I mean, there is a new exhibition, so she might try to steal any of the items.''

''Uh, yeah!'' Ladybug replied, not noticing Chat Noir's look of relief. He couldn't really tell her that the reason why he suspected she was thinking about Belladonna was because Carmilla had mentioned her during the conversation at the museum.

Both of them had to admit that Carmilla was right about her assumption. They knew Belladonna well enough to know that she would seek a place that would prove to be a challenge for her, and the Louvre was a building with high security and valuable items. Therefore, they made it their priority to go there first before they explore the rest of the Paris.

Up Ladybug, Entry 21: Clash At The Museum (Complete Chapter)

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Up Ladybug, Entry 15: Youth Of Today

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Ladybug was soaring, both in a literal and metaphorical sense, as she leaped from building to building, her path leading her to the Eiffel Tower. Chat Noir was already there, waiting for her. Ladybug knew that she needed to pretend that she had no idea what Chat Noir was up to, but she felt quite excited about her new nickname. It was something so simple, but it meant a lot to her.

''Good evening, Chat Noir,'' she said as she approached him.

''Good evening, Ladybug,'' Chat Noir replied, his ears twitching as he realized that she was in a really good mood. ''How was your day? You seem to be really cheerful tonight.''

''My day was a bit of a rollercoaster, but otherwise, I had a nice experience,'' Ladybug replied. Chat Noir's eyes gleamed.

''That's great to hear,'' he said, scratching the back of his head as he thought about how to formulate his next question. It may have sounded odd for him, but he put a lot of faith in Bridgette's judgement. She had been right about his relationship with Ladybug and he felt that he should trust her, at least a little bit. Let's hope that this works.

''How was your day?'' Ladybug suddenly asked, catching him off guard. Chat Noir shrugged.

''It was normal,'' he replied nonchalantly, his tail swishing as he grinned, a fang poking out of the corner of his mouth. ''I had been thinking about giving you a new nickname.''

''Oh, really?'' Ladybug said, rising an eyebrow and placing her hands on her hips. She knew she had to pretend that she was suspicious of him, but in truth, she was looking forward to the conversation. ''What did you come up with?''

''Would you mind being called Bug?'' Chat Noir asked, smiling sheepishly, his tail swishing as he waited for the answer in anticipation. Ladybug tilted her head, crossing her arms as she thought about it. Chat Noir felt a little anxious as he waited for her answer, his ears drooping. Maybe this was a stupid idea. Maybe I shouldn't have asked her. Maybe…

''I like it,'' Ladybug said suddenly, smiling. Chat Noir immediately perked up.

''Really?''

''Yeah, it's short, to the point and sounds cute,'' Ladybug replied happily, gazing at Chat Noir, who looked quite proud of himself, still grinning like an idiot. ''Anyways, we need to leave. We still have a patrol to complete.''

''I'm right behind you, Bug,'' Chat Noir said, following her across the city.

xXx

The patrol was for the most part uneventful and Ladybug realized that it was going to be a slow night. Still, there was a topic she needed to address. As she and Chat Noir leaped on the Louvre Museum building, she turned to her partner.

''Say, Chat, have you seen the news cover for Monsieur Pigeon's attack?'' she asked. Chat Noir nodded, not looking pleased.

''I guess this would've happened at some point,'' he said, crossing his arms. ''We're lucky that we aren't being followed by a bunch of reporters chasing after the big scoop. I'm not going to let a bunch of vultures pry into our superhero and civilian lives.''

''Then we're on the same page,'' Ladybug replied. ''The only other issue I have is someone trying to paint us as dangerous vigilantes. It would only cause unnecessary panic and I don't want to deal with that.''

''You mean, just like a certain comic book character,'' Chat Noir said, smirking. Ladybug managed to only catch the glint in his eyes before he launched into a tirade, '''Who are Ladybug and Chat Noir? They're criminals, I say! A menace to the city! We'll put them on the front page, make them infamous! Wait, what do you mean 'we don't have pictures of Ladybug and Chat Noir'?! You're fired! No, wait, you're un-fired. Put an add on the front page: 'Cash money for a picture of Ladybug and Chat Noir!'. What are you waiting for? A raise?! Get out!'''

By the end of his monologue, Ladybug was laughing out loud. ''That was amazing! You really should consider acting.''

''No, thanks, I don't like the spotlight, but I like making you laugh,'' Chat Noir said, bowing. ''I'm glad that you enjoyed my skit, Bug.''

''You're welcome,'' Ladybug replied, waving him over to follow her as she leaped off the Louvre Museum and onto another building. ''It's a surprisingly peaceful night.''

''Let's hope it'll last…'' Chat Noir said, giving her a playful look. ''Maybe we could spend some alone time together.''

''Aren't we spending a lot of alone time already?'' Ladybug asked sarcastically. Still, the gaze she gave him was one of amusement rather than annoyance. Chat Noir knew that she wasn't angry at him, but he wasn't going to test her patience. She had made it clear how she felt about his flirtatious nature and she would fight back if necessary.

Still, he had to try. He needed to remove his curse. Fortunately, he had the whole night for that.

xXx

Claude stared at the ceiling of his room, lying on his bed and holding a basketball. His eyes narrowed as he remembered Bridgette's somber gaze when she had told him that she wouldn't be pursuing Félix anymore. While he was glad that she gave up on him, as he didn't understand why she would crush on someone who would never return her feelings, he still felt sorry for her.

It also irked him that after Bridgette had started to avoid Félix, he had suddenly decided to talk to her. If he really wanted to avoid Bridgette, why would he put an effort into approaching her? What was his deal anyways? Was he still angry at her and decided to stalk her? Admittedly, Claude couldn't imagine Félix acting like that, but on the other hand, he didn't even know the guy well enough to know how he'd act.

If there is one person who'd know Agreste, it's Bridgette. Claude closed his eyes, seeing an image of Bridgette smiling. She was the only one who put effort into getting to know him, despite his refusal to engage. Even Allegra, who was the class president and kept tabs on everyone, nor Sophie, who had been interested in the Agreste brand due to her hobby as a fashion designer, had any luck with him.

Claude sighed, opening his eyes and threw the basketball up, catching it. He frowned.

I know that Bri told me she had everything under control and not to worry, but I can't bear seeing her like this any longer. If I don't interfere, things might get only worse for her. Claude felt something something constricting his chest as he remembered the times Bridgette was trying to smile and tell him that she was fine, only to break down crying because she couldn't handle being bullied anymore. He hated himself for not being able to help her at the time and had promised to himself to never let Bridgette get hurt.

I'll have to talk to Agreste tomorrow for Bri's sake.

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It took a while for Ladybug and Chat Noir to free themselves from their restraints, as they had to wait for the energy rings to disappear, meaning that Belladonna was already gone and that there was no way for them to track her down. It also didn't help that, once the energy ring disappeared, Ladybug fell straight on Chat Noir, who cushioned her fall, with her yo-yo hitting her head. All in all, the patrol was a complete disaster.

As if the night couldn't get any worse.

Chat Noir remained silent as he and Ladybug finally left the building. He knew that she was still furious about the loss against Belladonna and he didn't want to provoke her in any way. It was quite obvious that they were done for tonight, but he had to wonder what Ladybug's plans were. He was fairly certain that she would go after Belladonna.

''LB?'' he rose his voice as they took a short stop on the rooftop of a building. Ladybug stared ahead with a blank look on her expression, causing Chat Noir to wonder whether she heard him. ''Ladybug?''

''What is it, Chat?'' Ladybug suddenly turned her head towards him, her voice just barely louder than a whisper. Chat Noir stared at her, noticing a strange gleam in her eyes and noting how exhausted she looked.

''Ladybug, are you okay?'' Chat asked, even though he already knew the answer. Still, he wanted to hear it from her.

''I'm fine,'' Ladybug replied tiredly, her voice slightly hoarse. She looked away and lowered her head, shaking as she clenched her fists. ''I'll… I'm sorry…''

''Sorry, for what?'' Chat Noir was genuinely surprised when he heard her apology.

''What happened with Belladonna… I feel that…'' Ladybug gulped, feeling as if she had a lump in her throat, ''It's my fault she got away… I-I…''

Chat Noir gave her a sympathetic look as Ladybug's voice suddenly broke and all she do was to stare at him, looking disappointed with herself and regretful about her failure. His ears lowered as he realized that she was on the verge of crying.

''Ladybug, this isn't your fault,'' he told her, stepping towards her. ''None of us knew what Belladonna was capable of and she caught us off guard.'' He smiled warmly, trying to comfort her. ''I'm sure that, next time, we'll catch her.''

He took another step, figuring that he could just hug her, but Ladybug suddenly stepped away, rubbing her arm nervously, her hand still clenched.

''I guess so…'' she said quietly, looking up. Chat Noir noticed the glistening in her eyes, aware that she was suppressing her tears. ''Good night, Chat.''

She quickly turned around and leaped off the building, seemingly trying to get as far away as possible from him. Chat Noir's ears and tail lowered as he clenched his clawed hands into fists. He took a deep breath, feeling rather worried about Ladybug's reaction. It was clear that she was quite affected by this defeat and he wished he knew a way to comfort her. His eyes narrowed as he thought about everything that happened, feeling something bothering him.

Something doesn't feel right, though. She did lose before, in the battle against the Mime, but why did this loss affect her so much? Was it the humiliation that Belladonna inflicted upon her or maybe something else – something I'm not aware of?

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''Have you heard about what happened last night?'' Allan asked Claude as they walked towards their classroom. Claude shook his head. ''One of the high-end jewelry stores had been completely cleared out and no one knows who did it.''

''Seriously?'' Claude's eyes widened in surprise. Allan nodded, taking out his smartphone with the news report and showing it to him as they walked into the classroom. Allegra and Sophie were standing next to Bridgette and having a conversation, while Bridgette had her head leaned against the desk, looking grumpy.

''Hey, guys,'' Allan greeted them, glancing at Bridgette. ''What's wrong, Bri?''

''Nothing,'' Bridgette replied in a dismissive tone, with Allan rising an eyebrow. It was rare for Bridgette to be this annoyed, but he figured that he shouldn't press the issue, as he knew that Bridgette would tell them whenever something bothered her. Claude, on the other hand, gave her a questioning look, but seeing how irritated Bridgette was, he decided against asking her why she was so grumpy.

''Say, have you guys heard about what happened last night?'' Claude turned to Allegra and Sophie. ''Allan was just telling me about the robbery at the jewelry store.''

''We were also talking about it,'' Allegra replied. ''Honestly, I'm surprised that the surveillance system hadn't caught the thief on camera or that none of the security alarms had be activated.''

''Maybe it was an inside job,'' Sophie suggested. ''An employee would've had access to the security system. They could easily turn it off.''

''I kind of doubt that,'' Allan replied. ''I mean, it is also possible that an outsider planned this out, right?''

His friends shrugged, with Claude turning towards Bridgette.

''What do you think, Bri?'' he asked. Bridgette gazed at him, only half-listening to their conversation.

''I have no idea,'' she replied in an irritable tone. Claude frowned.

''What is it with you today? Did something happen?'' he asked. Bridgette, who had been in a bad mood for most of the morning didn't want to tell her friends the true reason why she acted like this. However, she knew that she had to come up with something believable so they wouldn't question her further.

''I… I accidentally deleted a project I've been working on for a while,'' she explained. ''It's been bothering me the entire morning.''

''I see,'' Claude muttered, still retaining that questioning look on his expression. However, he appeared to believe her.

''Can't you retrieve it somehow?'' Allan asked. ''You know, I could help you with that.''

''Thanks, but no,'' Bridgette replied, trying to sound like her usual cheerful self. ''Sure, a lot of work had been wasted, but I had already made peace with it.''

''I wouldn't be so sure about that,'' Allegra responded in a snarky tone, with Bridgette being aware that she was referring to her sour mood. It didn't bother her, though, as she knew her friend was right.

''I'll be fine,'' Bridgette replied. She was just glad that they believed her, as she hardly could tell them that the real reason for being so grumpy was the fact that someone managed to steal all that jewelry right under her nose. So much about Ladybug being the protector of Paris.

Admittedly, during her patrol she hadn't noticed anything unusual, having actually passed the area where the robbery took place, so it had probably happened after she passed through. After all, Paris was a large city and unlike the case with the Mime, who exploded the vault in order to steal the money, this thief appeared to rely on stealth rather than brute force.

Well, at least I know what I'll be doing tonight.

Bridgette sighed as she remembered the previous night. As she had noted earlier, nothing really happened and she could finish the patrol without any additional stress. She wanted to return home and go to sleep, but Chat Noir had managed to convince her to stay a little longer, with the two sitting on a rooftop and just talking about random stuff.

''What is your favorite ice-cream flavour?'' Chat Noir suddenly asked. Ladybug gave him a confused look.

''Why are you asking me that?'' she asked. Chat Noir smiled.

''I simply was wondering whether we could go out for an ice-cream,'' he replied in a casual tone. Ladybug's eyes narrowed when she realized that he was fishing for her again. Unfortunately for Chat Noir, she wasn't biting this hook.

''I assume that 'going out for an ice-cream' is code for 'asking for a date','' she replied, crossing her arms.

''N-No,'' Chat Noir held up his hands, waving in slight panic, ''I just figured that I could treat you to an ice-cream after a night of hard work.'' His ears lowered when he realized that Ladybug didn't buy his explanation. ''Well, it doesn't have to be a date…''

''No, it doesn't,'' Ladybug replied in a calm tone and then gazed ahead, staring at the street below them. She could hear Chat Noir sigh, obviously feeling crestfallen. While Ladybug knew that he was just disappointed that she rejected his invitation, she didn't feel that they were close enough for him to invite her out even to something innocent like an ice-cream. At best, they were partners-in-crime and that wasn't changing anytime soon. Still, she did feel comfortable around him. ''Besides, I thought that cats cannot eat anything with milk in it,'' she added, glancing at him as she reached for her compact.

''I'm a cat superhero, not an actual cat,'' Chat Noir replied, his tail flicking. He sounded a little irritated. Ladybug smiled mischievously, taking out a laser pointer from her compact.

''Oh, really?'' She pointed the laser pointer on the roof space next to them, the red dot dancing and flickering wildly.

''Seriously?'' Chat Noir frowned, not at all amused by this.

''I had to try,'' Ladybug replied, still grinning and playing with the laser pointer.

Chat Noir remained stoic, even crossing his arms in firm defiance. However, as he looked down at the red dot, he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, his tail swishing and his ears raised. He stared at the red dot, feeling as if it was taunting him.

Suddenly, he jumped towards the dot, trying to catch it and growling when it escaped, appearing next to him. He pawed at it again, only to hear Ladybug behind him burst out laughing. He turned around, with Ladybug placing a hand over her mouth in order to stifle her giggles.

''You were saying?''

''Really funny, Ladybug'' Chat Noir grumbled as he glared at her. He felt completely embarrassed.

''I'm sorry,'' Ladybug replied, still smiling in amusement, and returned the laser pointer back into the compact. ''Although, that was kind of cute.''

''Really?'' Chat Noir suddenly perked up and sat next to a startled Ladybug, this time much closer.

''Uh, yeah,'' she replied, still surprised by his sudden change in mood. ''Speaking of which, I'm curious whether you're gonna exhibit other kinds of cat-like behaviors.''

''Like what?'' Chat Noir asked suspiciously.

''Oh, I don't know,'' Ladybug started innocently, before giving him a mischievous look as she leaned closer, ''Maybe you'll purr if scratch you behind the ear.''

Chat Noir's eyes widened and he quickly got up, feeling that Ladybug was getting too close for comfort. ''Uh, well, it was nice talking to you, but I need to go now, Ladybug! I'll see you tomorrow!''

With that said, he quickly left, noting to himself that he'll have a long talk with Plagg after he returned home. Ladybug, who stood up, wasn't exactly bothered by him suddenly leaving, as she was aware that he'd be back the following night. It was obvious that he was caught off guard when she decided to mess with him instead of acting serious like she usually would.

I guess I got a bit too unpredictable for him. Bridgette smirked smugly.

''Speaking of which, I wonder where Ladybug and Chat Noir were during the robbery?''

Allegra's question caused Bridgette to snap out of her daydream and suddenly look at her friend. She wasn't the only one whose attention was caught, as Félix, who was busy with reading a book and trying to ignore the conversation that was held behind him, suddenly turned towards Allegra.

''What are you talking about Allegra?'' Sophie asked. Allegra shrugged.

''I'm not suggesting that they had something with the robbery, but they did miss out on apprehending the thief,'' Allegra replied. Bridgette felt a sting of guilt, aware that she should've been more vigilant. Had she returned to that area, maybe she could've apprehended the thief and prevented the robbery.

''Your assumptions make no sense whatsoever,'' Félix suddenly rose his voice, much to everyone's surprise. Sure, he had joined in on their conversations before, but they didn't expect him to make a habit out of it.

''What do you mean, Agreste?'' Claude asked him, crossing his arms. Félix took a sharp breath, well aware that he would regret this and that he should've kept quiet. However, this matter struck a personal chord with him and he wasn't going to let them make false assumptions.

''I'm saying that what you're saying doesn't make sense,'' Félix said, turning around and staring at Claude and then shooting a glare at Allegra. Instead of turning back to his book, he added, ''Given how you just told everyone that the thief had managed to evade detection, wouldn't it be also possible that they had figured out how to avoid Ladybug and Chat Noir? After all, it doesn't appear that either of them is omniscient, so how would they know anything unless they get alerted?''

Allegra frowned, feeling mildly annoyed, but she had to admit that Félix was right. She had no idea what exactly the new superheroes of Paris were capable of, so she couldn't judge them for their oversights.

''I guess…'' Suddenly, the bell rung, forcing Claude, Allan and Allegra to return to their seats, while Sophie sat next to Bridgette, who was staring at Félix.

She was quite perplexed, having not expected that Félix would come to her and Chat Noir's defense, even if he was just trying to make sense of the situation in his own way. She wished that she could thank him in some way, but she knew that this would most likely come at the cost of revealing her own identity as Ladybug. Still, she smiled, feeling glad to have him on her side.

However, as she opened her book, her mind wandered back to the mysterious thief, imagining their shadow looming over her. She wasn't the only one, as Félix, who'd usually diligently pay attention to their teacher, was also occupied with the robbery, aware that this wouldn't be the last conversation he'd hear about it.

Both Bridgette and Félix knew that tonight, they would be hunting down the elusive thief.

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Bridgette had joined her friends just as Carmilla was leaving, looking back briefly at her before asking them, ''Where is Carmilla going to?''

''She said she lost a pendant that her mother had sent her and wanted to search for it,'' Allan explained.

''We asked her whether she needs helps searching for it, but she declined,'' Sophie added quickly, intercepting Bridgette's next question.

''I see,'' Bridgette muttered as she sat down. ''I hope no one else had picked it up. It would suck for her to lose it.''

''Speaking of which, how did your conversation with Félix go?'' Allegra asked.

''We just asked each other a couple of questions and exchanged our phone numbers,'' Bridgette replied.

''I'm surprised that Agreste wants to talk to you in the first place,'' Claude said, then quickly added after realizing how it sounded, ''I mean, he doesn't really talk to anyone.''

''Well, he would talk to us a few times at school,'' Allan pointed out. Allegra snorted.

''That's just because we were having a conversation right behind him,'' she said.

''It's not like his advice wasn't reasonable,'' Bridgette said.

''So, what do you plan to do about it? Are you just going to call Félix and ask him to hang out with you or…?'' Sophie trailed off.

''I think I'll let him do the first step. If he wants to talk or hang out with me, he now has the means to communicate with me. If not, that's fine with me,'' Bridgette replied. While her friends seemed to be fine with the response, Claude cast a look of doubt at her. Bridgette caught on, giving him a question look in return.

''Bri, could we talk for a moment, in private?'' Claude finally asked her. Bridgette nodded.

''Sure.''

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The Quantic Kids

The Quantic Kids are a group of superheroes formed by Ladybug and Chat Noir, who also act as the team’s leaders, after encountering the superheroes Kid Mime, Melodie, Gavroche, Sparrow and Queen Bee. The goal of the Quantic Kids is to protect Paris from Papillon, his minions and the Butterfly Wraiths. Unlike Ladybug and Chat Noir, who have the kwamis Tikki and Plagg to give them their powers, the other members of the Quantic Kids use a Butterfly Chrysalis.

Bridgette Cheng/Ladybug

“Tikki, transform me!’‘

After finding the Ladybug Earrings and meeting the Kwami of Fortune, TIkki, Bridgette Cheng gains the ability to transform into the superheroine Ladybug. As Ladybug, she gains a compact that she can turn into various weapons to aid her in a battle. Her main superpower is her Good Luck Charm and she can Connect with Chat Noir to influence reality. Initially, she fought alongside Chat Noir, but after meeting the other superheroes, she became the leader of the Quantic Kids due to her experience, with the other members looking up to her. She is the second member of the group to gain her superpowers.

Félix Agreste/Chat Noir

“Plagg, transform me!”

After finding the Ring of the Black Cat and meeting the Kwami of Misfortune, Plagg, Félix Agreste gains the ability to transform into the superhero Chat Noir. As Chat Noir, he gains the ability to manipulate dark energy (Black Storm & Black Hole), usually using his claws and cat senses in combat. His main superpower is his Bad Luck Curse and he can Connect with Ladybug to influence reality. Initially, he fought alongside Ladybug, but after meeting the other superheroes, he became the leader of the Quantic Kids due to his experience, with the other members looking up to him. He is the first member of the group to gain his superpowers.

Claude Savard/Kid Mime

“Kid Mime, metamorphosis!”

After finding a Butterfly Chrysalis, Claude Savard gains the ability to transform into the superhero Kid Mime. As Kid Mime, his power is to mime anything he desires into existence, with that object usually remaining invisible and only casting a shadow. Driven by his desire to protect his childhood friend, Bridgette Cheng, Kid Mime is loyal to a fault to Ladybug. Interestingly, while his relationship with Félix Agreste isn’t the best, he and Chat Noir get along well and tend to often team up in combat to mess with their opponents. He shares his powers with Pierre LaRue/The Mime, someone he used to look up to, but unlike The Mime, Kid Mime tends to talk during battles. He is the fourth member of the team to gain his superpowers.

Allegra Baudelaire/Melodie

“Melodie, metamorphosis!”

After finding a Butterfly Chrysalis, Allegra Baudelaire gains the ability to transform into the superheroine Melodie. As Melodie, she uses her flute as a weapon, being able to create sound-based and sonic wave-like attacks, as well as control fire and turn her flute into a fire sword (Flare). Driven by his desire to save her friend, Carmilla Brigante, from another of Papillon’s attacks, Melodie is the cool-headed strategist of the group, working well with everyone. She is the fifth member of the team to gain her superpowers.

Allan Durand/Gavroche

“Gavroche, metamorphosis!”

After finding a Butterfly Chrysalis, Allan Durand gains the ability to transform into the superhero Gavroche. As Gavroche, he has the ability to manipulate a material he calls Spark. This Spark is actually energy made out of pure light, which Gavroche can manipulate into energy projectiles and shields, and is even able to create a golem-like entity he calls Schütze (German for protector). Driven by his desire to save his older sister, Corinne Durand, after she had been turned into a Butterfly Wraith, Gavroche is someone the other members can always rely on. He is the seventh member of the team to gain his superpowers.

Sophie Renard/Sparrow

“Sparrow, metamorphosis!”

After finding a Butterfly Chrysalis, Sophie Renard gains the ability to transform into the superheroine Sparrow. As Sparrow, she gains access to her Feather Darts, which she can transform into all kinds of useful items, mostly technological in nature (like a grapple hook or hacking device) and the coat on her back can turn into a glider. Driven by her desire to protect the people that had been targeted by Papillon at one of Gabriel’s fashion shows, Sparrow is a quick-witted and resourceful member of the team. She is the sixth member of the team to gain her superpowers.

Amber Bourgeois/Queen Bee

“Queen Bee, metamorphosis!”

After finding a Butterfly Chrysalis, Amber Bourgeois gains the ability to transform into the superheroine Queen Bee. As Queen Bee, she uses a trompo (a yellow and black spinning top) as her main weapon and gains bee wings for flight. She also has access to two superpowers, one which allows her to release a fine yellow powder by spinning her trompo that causes paralysis to all who are exposed to it (Pollen) and the other allows her to turn her trompo into a bladed weapon attached to her right arm (Stinger). Driven by her desire to prove herself as a superhero, Queen Bee will usually be the first to enter a battle. Despite trying to act as professional as possible (and emulating Ladybug in the process), Queen Bee has her moments of sass and haughty behavior. Still, at heart, she completely adores Ladybug, being overjoyed when she gains the opportunity to work with her and will even fangirl in her presence. She is the third member of the team to gain her superpowers.

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