Ethereal light shone from a cloudless sky, illuminating a wide plane. It's source was accompanied by two moon like shapes, giving off their own mysterious glow. Blades of grass rocked in a lazy breeze, joined by lots and lots of flowers. Dancing to their own little tune, unheard by those not made of this magic.
Marinette sat under a massive oak tree, perched on one of it's strong roots. The bark was rough under her bare feet and the slight rustling of the leaves had a soothing effect. She felt at ease, even with the completely foreign landscape. No ill thoughts intruded her. No problems, either of her civilian or superhero life, could break through. This place was a bubble of peace, where she could fall asleep without having to fear an Akuma attack any minute. Where she could relax, just let her thoughts drift wherever they decided to.
“Do you like it?”
She tilted her head a little in acknowledgement of the soft voice, humming quietly. “It's beautiful. I didn't imagine this, when you said I'd love hibernation.”
A giggle. It made the light shine even brighter, but not so much as to be unpleasant. “Well, for normal ladybugs, hibernating does mean being unaware of anything until they wake up. But as I said before, you're human. And I'm not a real ladybug either. I just liked the way I made them and decided to give me a form similar to them, while wandering the physical plane.”
“Oh so you just wanted to show this off. Did you make me tired on purpose?” She teased, turning her head to look at the little goddess floating next to her.
“No, of course not! What do you think of me? I'd never do something like that because I want to spent some time with my Chosen!”
“Oh you. Not like you aren't at my side all the time.”
“I'll take every opportunity I can get.” Bluebell eyes locked on their twins, glimmering with love. “Humans like to think of the winter as a time for the earth to sleep. To gather it's strength for the coming spring, preparing a new cycle of life. What they don't know, is that they're right. I use the cold times, when there's almost no recreational activity on the northern hemisphere, to prepare for the coming new year. So much, that I even send this form, which takes only a little of my energy, to sleep for a few days. It's why you've been feeling tired the whole time since the first cold-front hit. It's ingrained in my being.
“As soon as this is over you won't have any more problems with unusual fatigue. Until then, we can enjoy the peace.”
“Time only for the two of us, huh?” Marinette murmured lost in thought. In this calm setting, her mind was able to really slow down for the first time in weeks. There was nothing she had to think about. No commissions, no Akuma, no school, no anything. She could just be! Just exist!
...just have Tikki by her side.
They had the quiet, the chance to be in each others company, not as Ladybug and her Kwami, or Marinette and the goddess of Creation.
...but as the one thing she'd never dared to think about since the day of that conversation.
