Shadow of Noir

Chapter 6- Unlikely alliance

Plagg and Tikki darted into Marinette's bag. Marinette was stuck. She had nowhere to go. The further Nathalie  entered the room, the more Marinette began to hyperventilate. She could try and transform into Ladybug at risk of being caught mid-transformation. Instead, Marinette sat there up against the piano hopping she'd just turn invisible and could sneak out undetected. But it was too late. 

"Who are you?" Nathalie interrogated "How did you get in here?" 

Marinette focused on concealing the Kwamis before finally bucking up and replying to Nathalie's suspicions. All sorts of lies and excuses manifested in Marinette's mind. However, none of them seemed believable enough. So with one deep breath, the truth flowed out. Marinette told Nathalie very thing: The fact that her and Adrien were classmates, the investigation work she was doing into Adrien's disappearance, and even the crush she has on him. (ok so not everything, she might have been in a sticky situation but there was no way she was revealing her and Adrien's secret identities.)

Nathalie approached Marinette, clearly asserting her authority.  Much to Marinette's surprise, Nathalie put one hand forward and pulled her up onto her feet. Her demeaner had changed. She wasn't here helping her as an assistant to Gabriel Agrest; she was here trying to support a friend of Adrien Agrest. 

"Gabriel Agrest can't see you here," Nathalie stated firmly, "I will help you leave undetected but you must not return." 

Marinette knew there must be more clues as to what happened to Adrien around the Agrest household but deep down she knew Nathalie was right. It was lucky she wasn't discovered to be Ladybug, or that Nathalie was the one who found her and decided not to tern her in to Gabriel Agrest for trespassing in his son's room. So, without a moments hesitation Marinette agreed and followed behind Nathalie into the main entrance hall. The hall was well polished with white marble literally everywhere and a large diamond chandelier hanging from the centre of the ceiling. guarding the main entrance was Adrien's 'gorilla'  (his personal bodyguard whose name slipped Marinette's mind) but still no sign of Mr Agrest. 

"Alright..." Nathalie assessed the situation. Naturally,  Nathalie proceeded down the stairs and began to distract the guard. Marinette waited patiently for the perfect opportunity to make her escape. 

"Do you think we can trust her?" Tikki whispered as she peeped her head from Marinette's bag. 

"She has been very concerned since Adrien got..." Plagg began before being shut up by Marinette.  

A window of opportunity had opened to make her escape.  Nathalie lead the 'gorilla' towards Mr Agrest's office and guided him through the door. Step by step, Marinette tiptoed down the stairs towards the ajar front door. Out the corner of her eye, Marinette saw Nathalie closing the office door. Just as the door was about to slam Nathalie bowed her head in a "you're welcome" and "good luck finding what your looking for," sorta way. Marinette returned the gesture with a confident nod which implied gratefulness.  

In the closest alleyway, Marinette slumped backward and slid down the rough brick wall until she found herself upon the damp floor. the whole ordeal was so much to take in what with almost getting caught, the unlikely alliance between her and Nathalie, and the bombshell of Adrien Agrest being Chat Noir! Marinette had to get home and make sure Plagg was ok (and see what he knew about the disappearance of... them.)