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dessarious · 11 months

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What Comes After Pt5

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Mari sat at the table with Chloe next to her, and the Sirens opposite. She had no idea how to even start this conversation.

"If you want us to leave because of what happened, we understand." She could only blink at Harley in confusion. Leave? Oh.

"Batman would have shown up at some point whether you were here or not, and I'm the one who said Red Hood could stay." She paused and glanced at Chloe, but the all she got was an encouraging smile. Not helpful. "This is actually about what Batman said about the Miraculous."

They all just stared at her, waiting. No questions. Nothing she could use to jumpstart her brain or her mouth. Harley was giving her an encouraging smile, but the other two were blank, and that was just creepy, especially from Selina. Finally, Chloe took pity on her.

"I know we haven't talked about it, but what do you know about what happened in Paris?" Harley and Ivy shared looks, but Selina just frowned at them. It was a good question, though. Given what they'd said in the beginning, the Sirens hadn't really looked into it at the time. Mari wasn't certain how much research they'd done since. Harley ended up answering.

"Not much, to be frank. A lot of the media we found, we aren't certain if it's reliable and don't want to make any assumptions. Other than the basic information on the villain and all the statistics from the final battle and aftermath, we were honestly waiting for you two to feel comfortable enough so we could ask." That was good and bad. Mari took a deep breath and kept her eyes on her hands as she began speaking.

"The Miraculous are magical jewelry that grant powers to their holders. The first Akuma was Stoneheart. A boy in our class named Ivan was being teased about his crush, and that's all it took. Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared to fight him. Ladybug screwed up and didn't capture the Akuma after the fight which led to a much larger problem. When that escalated, Hawkmoth made himself known to the public. After that, the people of Paris were in constant danger of their emotions being weaponized until he was defeated. At some point, Chat defected to Hawkmoth's side. Hawkmoth and Chat Noir were both killed in that last fight and revealed as Gabriel and Adrien Agreste. Gabriel's assistant died a week before from using the Peafowl Miraculous." She let out a sigh. "Those are the official facts that are known to the public."

"That's... that's not very much." Mari could only sigh at Selina's observation. She still had no idea how much secrecy was necessary, but fewer people knowing the details certainly made things easier to contain.

"No, it's not, but for most people living it, it was more than enough, given what they went through. Honestly, I think everyone was too relieved to question anything, even if Ladybug was willing to share, and she wasn't." Chloe started rubbing her back, but it still took everything in her not to cry. Mari wasn't even certain if it was grief or anger.

"But you know more about it?" It wasn't really a question, and Harley kept her voice soft.

"I know everything." She couldn't help the dead tone, not that she tried very hard. Chloe actually scooted her chair closer so she could pull her into a hug. "But, before I tell you anything, I need to know if you're willing to help fix the problems that Ladybug and Chat Noir caused." Mari put a hand over Chloe's mouth before she could argue. This wasn't something they were going to agree on, and it wasn't relevant for this discussion. Granted, the Sirens didn't look happy with her wording either.

"We'll do whatever you need us to." Mari was surprised that Ivy was the one who spoke, but they all nodded. There was no hesitation and that, more than anything, made her decision.

"I need you to be part of a team of new Miraculous users."

"What?" Ivy seemed surprised the word came out and immediately cleared her throat. "I thought Batman said the Ladybug and Black Cat had to be active."

"Batman knows nothing about the Miraculous. While having a balanced pair wielding those two is one option, it's not the only one. Given what happened the last time, it's not worth the risk." Harley was frowning at her, but Selina seemed to be trying to analyze her.

"Okay, so this other option doesn't require balance?" Mari let out an amused huff. She should have expected Ivy's question.

"All life requires balance, but there are different types. Finding two people who balance each other exactly for the most powerful Miraculous is extremely difficult, and that doesn't account for how people change and grow. I'm not sure exactly how long it would take to restore the balance, but the chance of making things worse is higher than the other options. Our current plan only requires the team to have a common goal."

"And what would that be?"

"Well, restoring the balance for one. Other than that, it's something for us to discuss and figure out among ourselves."

"You're going to be part of this team?" Harley tried to hide her worry, but all three of them looked concerned.

"I am. Five people are needed, and having us all living and working together will reduce any chances of someone breaking from the group and causing issues."

"You don't trust us?"

"I don't trust anyone, not with this. With that in mind, you'll also have to agree to being put under a spell that will make it impossible to talk about anything you learn about the Miraculous with anyone other than the five of us. The spell should be powerful enough to sense if anyone is listening in covertly as well." None of them seemed comfortable with that, but they didn't say anything. "This isn't your problem, and I understand if you don't want to do it."

"It's not that. We want to help you, but having some random person casting magic on us isn't exactly smart for us." She could only blink at Selina in confusion for a moment. Oh, of course they thought it was someone else.

"Not some random person. I would be doing it." That just got more blank looks. "I'll be able to explain a bit more once it's done."

"If you're sure this is how you want to handle things, we'll do it." Harley didn't seem to like the idea, but Mari wasn't certain how much of that was the magic, and how much they were just worried about her and Chloe.

"Want is not the issue, unfortunately. This is the only option that isn't likely to end with the universe imploding." Ivy let out a short laugh, but it seemed more of a reflex than anything else. The other two were just exchanging frowns.

"What do you need us to do?" Selina sounded resigned more than anything else, and honestly it was comforting. The fact that they weren't excited about wielding a Miraculous made her think this plan was likely to work. She pulled three vials out of her pocket.

"Drink this." They all took them, but waited for Ivy to smell it and nod before they drank. It was good that they were cautious. Given the look Ivy was giving her, she knew about the 'special' ingredient in it as well.

"That's all?"

"That's all you need to do for the spell. Now you won't be able to speak about what I tell you. For everything else, it's only the beginning." She knew she sounded tired, and far more grim than she should have, but this wasn't something she could be happy about. "I suppose it's best to start with what the Miraculous really are. Each one is powered by a god tied to it. They grant their users abilities based on their aspects. We will be using Miraculous that give powers based on emotion, metamorphosis, subjugation, deceit, and protection."

"Gods? Like one of the old pantheons?" Selina's nose wrinkled as she talked, and Mari could understand why.

"No, the Kwami predate all of them. The gods you're thinking of were actually created by the Kwami in an attempt to have better control over the physical world. Not their best work, I'll admit. Honestly, it's right up there with Plagg wiping out the dinosaurs in an 'oops' moment."

"You're kidding." Ivy's tone was dry and Mari just tilted her head. "You're not are you? And you want us to just let these gods use us as they see fit?"

"That's not how it works. The Kwami that bound themselves to Miraculous gave up their autonomy for the most part. They have to obey their holders, which is why Hawkmoth and Chat Noir were able to do the damage they did." Chloe hugged her tighter, and the Sirens were shooting them both concerned looks. Mari could only wonder when thinking about Paris wouldn't feel like someone was ripping her heart out of her chest. "You guys can come out now."

The Siren's confusion turned to surprise as the five Kwami made their presence known. Pollen went to sit on Chloe's shoulder, while Nooroo hid under Mari's chin. Even if she hadn't been the most suitable for them, she wouldn't have given the Miraculous to someone else. Nooroo needed to be with someone they trusted. Wayzz, Dusuu, and Trixx settled on the table studying the Sirens, who, in turn, were just blinking at them. Trixx broke the silence by giggling.

"This is going to be fun. It's been a long time since I've had a suitable holder." Mari felt herself flinch. While Alya had been a good person, and now a lot less nieve, pairing someone who wanted to get to the truth of things with the Kwami of deceit wasn't her best decision. Especially since it had actually made her more susceptible to Lila's lies.

"This isn't about fun, Trixx. But I'm glad you approve." Now all the Kwami looked worried too. Wonderful.

"I'm sorry Guardian, we know this isn't easy for you." All the Kwami cuddled up to her. She'd forgotten how nice it was to have them around. Well, when they weren't driving her insane anyway.

"Guardian?" Harley's soft question brought her attention back to the discussion at hand. The question was how much she wanted to tell. Even knowing they couldn't tell anyone else, she wasn't certain.

"I'm the Guardian of the box of Miraculous that all these Kwami belong to."

"Just these five?"

"No." She could tell they wanted to know more but were afraid of overstepping. "There's currently nineteen, including all those used in Paris."

"So Batman's assumption that you could get him in contact with Ladybug was correct?" Selina looked like she wanted the words back as soon as they came out.

"Ladybug no longer exists." None of them knew how to take that. Even the Kwami were giving her odd looks. It was true, though. Even if she had to use the Miraculous again, she wouldn't be Ladybug anymore. Too much had changed. She'd changed. "Batman is chasing a ghost, and I'm more than willing to let him." Honestly, she was glad that the magic users in the league either didn't know, or didn't feel the need to tell him, about the order or Guardians. That or he just felt finding Ladybug was the only way to get to them.

"When you say she doesn't exist..." Harley didn't seem to be able to finish the thought, and Mari tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"The hero no longer exists. The person who was forced into that role is alive and as well as they can be." She looked less than thrilled with that explanation. "Right now, we need to figure out how this is going to work, or rather, how we're going to work together."

"I still vote setting off explosions in the Batcave." Chloe's words just made her roll her eyes.

"While I certainly don't have a problem messing with Batman, going after him on his home turf isn't wise. We could have all sorts of fun with him when he's on patrol, though. We know Gotham just as well as he does. Some of it better." Chloe pouted at Ivy's suggestion, but Mari knew it was a much better plan. He was already going to be pissed that they were in his territory. Going after his base was just going to get all the others riled up as well.

"I'd prefer that our main goal be helping people, rather than just trying to see if we can get steam to come out of Batman's ears." Mari's voice was dry, but she couldn't help it. "The last thing I want is for us to only be thinking about petty revenge." Would it be a good uniting factor? Absolutely. Did she want it to be the main one? Absolutely not. The Sirens softened at that.

"There are certainly more than enough people in Gotham that could use the help. Did you have any particular person or groups you want to start with?" Harley's question caused Mari to pause. She hadn't thought about it, but the answer was obvious.

"Kids, and people who have suffered the loss of family, blood or otherwise." She honestly wasn't certain what to make of the looks she was getting.

"That's definitely something we would be happy to help you with."

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