The Wolves in the Woods

Most Precious Gold

Ô, Sunlight! The most precious gold to be found on Earth.

— Roman Payne

***

Kagami receives some unexpected help after her fight with Adrien.

***

            "Thank you, Mr. Agreste, for your time," Tomoe said.

"It is no problem, Mrs. Tsurugi," Gabriel said in kind, guiding his guest out the door. "I only wish the meeting could've ended on a..." he spared a glance toward his son, "better note." Adrien flinched at all the glares being leveled his way. The red handprint was still visible on his face even though Nathalie had gotten an ice pack for it.

"At least now, it can be corrected," Tomoe affirmed. "That sorry excuse of a teacher has done widespread damage to her students." She ordered Tatsu to come closer. "Some more than others." If anyone saw the put-off expression Adrien had, no one noticed or commented.

"I intend to correct all the behaviors that woman has allowed my son to get away with," Gabriel replied. "Perhaps, I too misjudged the quality of that school." He sighed. "If I had known it would escalate into this, I never would have enrolled him there." He walked with Tomoe toward Tatsu, still too angry to look at his son for long. "But, since you came all the way here, is there anything I can do to make it up to you and your daughter?" Tomoe sat down in her usual seat inside of Tatsu.

"I will keep that in mind for later," Tomoe said. "But thank you."

"You're quite welcome," Gabriel said. "As for your daughter..." Tomoe held a hand up.

"I have an idea where Kagami could have gone," she said. After the meeting between the two parties had gone sour, Nathalie reported seeing the girl leave the mansion. Still with tears dripping down her cheeks. "For situations like this, we agreed to have a GPS installed on her phone. In case we ever get separated." Tomoe activated the system inside Tatsu and her own phone. "Rest assured, this won't strain our business partnership."

"... yes, understood," Gabriel said. "That said, do you still intend to come to the show later?"

The show?...

... ah, yes, Tomoe remembered. The show later in the school year where artists and designers could show off their talents to prospective employers and mentors. Amid the chaos from the lawsuit and the school board's investigation into Dupont, it had slipped everyone's minds. Thankfully, it wouldn't be for another few months. Tomoe still had time to prepare a list of standards she would look for in new talents. The chilly mid-November air sent a subtle shock to her bones.

Ah... when did it turn from summer to autumn so quickly...

"I do not plan to miss it, Gabriel," Tomoe said, addressing her partner as a friend. "In fact," she adjusted herself so she sat comfortably inside of Tatsu, "I quite look forward to it." There was a hidden smile behind the black sunglasses she wore. "I heard that St. Catherine's has acquired many young talents this past year, courtesy of Dupont's disintegration." She did not miss the smirk on Gabriel's face.

"I look forward to it myself," the man said. "Have a good evening."

"You as well," Tomoe said, rolling up the window and ordering Tatsu to drive to where Kagami had gone. Just as quickly as they had arrived, Tatsu ferried its master out the gates of the Agreste Mansion.

Gabriel did not know how long he had stood there, lost in thought. So many changes had come in just two short weeks. Two. Weeks. But if he could pinpoint where it all began, it was when he had transformed Lila Rossi into the akuma Chameleon. An akuma he had made over two months ago at the start of the school year. A clever one, she was. She almost got Ladybug's Miraculous had it not been for that mangy Chat Noir getting in the way yet again.