Miraculous: Tales of Ms. Ladybug and Tom Cat

Part 5: Small Talk

As the school day ended, Emilie followed Marinette. Tikki got on Emilie's shoulder. "I forgot how young Marinette was." She said. "It seems just like yesterday that she couldn't even get a full sentence out to Adrien. Next thing you know, she figures out that Adrien is Cat Noir and everything only went uphill from there."

"Can I do this Tikki?" Emilie asked "I'm not Viperion. If I fail, I can't fix my mistake."

"It's just talking to a group of girls, you've done it before." the Kwami said.

"Yeah, but I've never been good about making friends or anything like that. What if I say something wrong? What if I accidentally reveal that I'm the next Ladybug?! Oh, that would ruin everything!"

Tikki just sighed "You're just as bad as your mother. She always had trouble talking to people too. But if she can do it, so can you. So don't worry. You'll do great."

Emilie smiled. "Thanks for that advice Tikki," she said. She then caught up to Marinette, who was with Alya, Juleka, Mylene, and Alix. "Marinette!" she called "I can't wait for the sleepover tonight!"

"Yeah! It'll be great!" Marinette responded. "Alya and the other girls are heading there right now! Do you want to join us?"

"Uh, sure!" she said. I have to be careful. She thought. One wrong question or action and I could end my existence! And Thomas's! And...

"So Emilie, how do you like the school so far?" Marinette asked

Small talk Emilie thought. It's ok. I got this

"Well, everyone seems really nice. Except for that one girl, the blonde one?"

"Ugh!" Marinette sighed. "That's Chloe. She's the worst right?! On my first day of school, she put gum on my chair and called my fashion tacky."

"But if she hadn't put gum on your seat, you wouldn't have fallen in love with you know who"

Marinette suddenly turned bright red. "Alya!"

"You-know-who?" Emilie asked. "Are you talking about Adrien?"

Marinette's eyes went wide and she began to flail about. "What?! No, no. Nothing like that! He's just a super nice guy, and handsome and smart, and has charisma for days," Marinette suddenly collected herself. "But yeah! It's not like that. He's just a good guy!"

I wouldn't be too sure about that. Emilie thought. I'm living proof after all

"So what about you Emilie?" Rose asked. "Is there anyone in your life? Maybe a handsome country boy?"

Great! Now I have to talk about crushes! I don't even like anyone! What do I do?! Make someone up?! Yeah. Yeah! That's what I'll do!

"Uh, he's tall, and has," she tried to think of details. "Brown hair! And eyes! Yeah! And he loves horses! He even has a farm, where he raises them!"

"Did he miss you when you left for Paris?" Rose asked.

"Oh. Uh, yes! He said he would miss me every day, and that he'd name a newborn foal after me if he ever got the chance.

"That's like, so romantic," Juleka said.

"I know," said Alix. "But it would be cooler if he was a skater if you ask me."

They kept chatting about other things like that until they reached Marinette's home, the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. The twins had spent a lot of her childhood here, being watched by grandma and grandpa while her parents were away on business. Emilie recalled how she and Thomas helped her grandparents bake everything from bread to cookies to croissants. But here in the past, the old place seemed newer. And so did her grandparents. They looked almost the same, with significantly fewer wrinkles and gray hair.

"Welcome girls!" The broad-shouldered baker said, "Have some dinner rolls as you come in! They're freshly made!"

Each girl took a roll and ate fresh pizza made by Marinette's mother. This was one thing Emily had always loved about her grandparent's bakery. There was always a warm atmosphere, whether or not the ovens were on.