Post-Reveal: Volpina

Chapter Thirteen

"So it's the real thing?" Marinette asked anxiously.

Fu inspected the pin with sharp curiosity and precision. "Indeed it is."

"If we got the butterfly brooch, we'd have all the Miraculouses, wouldn't we?" Adrien realized excitedly.

"Ah... no. Unfortunately, it seems as though the fox necklace is out of my reach as well, now. But it's to be expected." Fu carefully placed the peacock pin in its place in the box. Marinette got a sense of deja vu.

"Why is it expected?"

"Young lady, has your kwami ever told you of a time when all the Miraculouses were in one place?" Fu spun the box back under the gramophone.

"No, but-"

"Ever since their creation, there hasn't ever been a time when they have all been in the original box together. One has always been stolen, or given incorrectly, or lost. Or in use. It is part of their nature, I suppose. Even stranger, at least one has always been in the box at a time. This box, since the very beginning, has never been empty or full."

Marinette was captivated by Fu's history lesson, but Adrien less so. It reminded him of Nathalie's private lessons with him.

"So what would happen if they were all reunited?" Marinette wondered aloud.

"Good question. Nobody knows. My point is, please don't set your hopes on reuniting them."

Marinette was no longer listening. She was daydreaming what might happen if all the Miraculouses were returned to the box.

"But thank you very much for bringing me this, Ladybug and Chat Noir," Fu said, in a manner that politely but clearly suggested they should leave.

"Good-bye!" Marinette chirped, and led Adrien out.

"What now...?" Adrien sighed. "Papillon is still doing his evil Akuma thing."

"Maybe today's the day we'll finally stop him," Marinette suggested, not really meaning it, and only intending to humor her boyfriend.

"Sure." Adrien was not buying it.

************

Drama was going down in the Agreste mansion.

Gabriel Agreste always liked to look at his wife's Miraculous whenever he missed her, which was usually twice every day. When he discovered that not only it, but his prized book was gone, it took all his self-restraint to keep from destroying the entire room.

"I'm going to make whoever took it regret it," he growled. "I'll meet them personellement."

He trekked to the upper room and opened the skylight, calling upon Nuru's power and transforming.

Searching for an angered or miserable person, he fumed silently and wondered who could have possibly gotten past his personal safe. It seemed impossible, or- miraculous.

Of course. Kwamis could go through any substance. It had to have been Adrien.

Finally, he landed on a heartbroken civilian named Camille. He began the usual evil monologue, but added a special twist at the end.

"Capture Chat Noir for me. Bring him to me, unharmed," Papillon ordered.

"Okay," Camille agreed without question, and morphed into Lullaby. As per usual, she began to wreck the city as fast as she could so as to get Ladybug's and Chat Noir's attention.

It worked nearly instantaneously. A tooth-rattling CRASH caused Marinette and Adrien to spin around and search for the source of the noise.

"It's Papillon again," Adrien sighed.