"Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black have saved Paris once again. Johan Dubois was akumatized into the very menacing Squip, threatening to make every Parisian a part of his hivemind."

"WELL! If a certain prick hadn't decided to piss me off and act like a motherfu-!"

"Today, Prince Ali, heir to the throne of the kingdom of Achu will do the honors during his official Parisian visit by hosting a toy fundraiser for the sick children at the Paris City Children's Hospital."

"Jagged Stone is expected to be conducting a musical performance collaboration with pop singer, Clara Nightingale, to honor Prince Ali's visit to Paris. Fans anxiously wait for updates as both musicians have kept it under wraps."

"Rumors have been circling around that Prince Ali is still on the market-"

"Oh, they have no reason to be broadcasting that, Prince or not," Emmet mutters when he pauses the video on his phone. Elliot giggles and kisses his husband on the forehead before handing him his breakfast. "Thanks, Sunny."

"You know how those anchors are, always wanting to get the hottest story," Elliot hums and takes a quick sip of his coffee. "Once Prince Ali leaves, then they'll be keeping their eyes on Mayor Bourgeois for anything else incriminating so he'll get booted out of office. I mean, I feel like the public knows everything they need to know, but based on the election results, it never hurts to dig up more dirt on the guy." Emmet smiles sweetly and gives the other man's hand a gentle squeeze. "Anyway... With the shop under repairs, it looks like we'll be having the day all to ourselves," he says slyly.

Emmet smirks and lifts Elliot's hand up to his lips for a quick kiss. Before he can go further, he hears a familiar set of footsteps. "Right after Rose leaves," he adds.

"Morning, dad!" The blonde girl gives Emmet a quick peck on the cheek, then moves on to Elliot, "Morning, papa!"

"Good morning, sunshine," he beams and quickly adjusts her beret. Perking up as if recalling something, Elliot goes back into the kitchen and comes back with a pink bento box. "Rainbow pancakes with strawberries for your breakfast, mini pizza bagels and a salad for lunch, and frosted cookies for after lunch." Right as Rose is about to take the bento box, she coughs a bit, alarming her dads.

"Rose!" Emmet gasps and rushes to her side. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Did you take your pill?" Elliot frantically asks, frantically looking his daughter over for anything he and Emmet should be concerned about.

"Dad, papa, I'm fine," Rose assures them with a bit of tiredness in her voice. "I just had something in my throat." She takes the bento box and slips herself out of Elliot's grip. "I'll be okay." She smiles brightly, and while that does help ease their worries a little bit, Emmet still has this uneasy look on his face.

"Could... Could you wear your mask, sweetie?"

The blonde girl can't find it in her heart to say no. She pulls her pink-tinted face mask out of her purse and puts it on. "Can I get to school now?"

Elliot looks hesitant for a moment, that is until Emmet holds his hand. "... Have a good day at school, dear."

She chirps, "I will!" and makes her way out the front door. The moment he left, his dads slumped on their seats with long-suffering sighs.

"I should have known something was off yesterday," Elliot says, his head resting in his hand. "You saw how exhausted she looked. What if something goes wrong? Wh-what if she doesn't have her phone on her?" He gets up from his chair. "I'll go check her room-"

Emmet quickly takes his hand. "'El," he says gently. "Darling, I spotted her phone in her purse. She'll be okay, and she will tell us if something's wrong. And if not her, then her friends. They all know the drill for if something happens, okay?" Getting a nod in response, he gets on his toes and kisses the taller man's cheek. "There we go, now let's have breakfast."

🦋👸🏼

Nathaniel yawns into his hand. "Nooroo, remind me to never Akumatize people so early." Nooroo hides further into his friend's hood to keep warm. The rain only stopped an hour ago, but it was still kind of cold.

"Noted. I feel bad for Tikki and Plagg, though," he murmurs in his sleep, alerting Nathaniel.

The redhead pulls out his phone and holds it up to his ear. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the reason Miraculous holders are so energized and have heightened abilities is that they're using up the Kwami's energy. It's why we need to eat after a Miraculous is used. And from what I hear, humans can get sick if they stay out in the rain for long, so Tikki and Plagg are probably a little under the weather right now."

Hearing this, Nathaniel felt a pang of guilt. He doesn't know Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's kwamis, but the way Nooroo speaks so highly of them, they seem so sweet. Tikki's so uplifting, and kind, and gives the best advice to her holders, and Plagg is the living definition of a bastard cat but in an endearing way.

Something he won't believe until he hears it from Plagg's mouth after he gets the Miraculous is that one little Kwami was responsible for the Tower of Pisa leaning, the lost city of Atlantis sinking, and the dinosaurs going extinct!... Then again, he is the kwami of Destruction, so maybe it's not hard to believe... Although, Nathaniel's still skeptical about Plagg causing the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand.

But, he's getting off-topic. The point is, he hopes Tikki and Plagg are okay.

🦋👸🏼

"Dude, I can't believe you're going to meet Prince Ali!" Nino exclaims in disbelief. "I need you to shake his hand so that when I shake your hand, I'll be secondhand shaking the Prince's hand! I need you to do that for me, man!" Adrien giggles and bats his hands away.

"Hey, don't get too excited." He huffs a bit. "I'll be spending six whole hours with Chloé and the Austins." The amber-eyed boy gasps and immediately engulfs him in a hug. "Thank you, but this doesn't help my situation."

Nino kisses the side of his friend's head. "Just one text and I'll be there to bust you out and get you ice cream." Adrien giggles.

"You'll have to get past my bodyguard," he warns.

"Along with Prince Ali's guards," Alix drones on her way into the classroom with Marinette. "Guess who's being dragged to a party against her will?" She points to herself with a mirthless smile. "This guy!" Hearing that someone bearable will be there, Adrien lets out a sigh of relief.

"Well, at least you'll be going in style. Jalim's picking up the suits during lunch break." Marinette and Alix exchange finger guns before they head to their desks. "So, blondie. How'd you get roped into attending?"

"Hey, that's the price of fame," he says with a melodramatic sigh. "Plus, my dad designed a custom pair of shoes for the Prince's mother, so of course, we have to go."

Pulling out her textbook, Alix adds, "And my dad's the Louvre museum director, so he meets a guy, they know a guy, the fifth guy knows royalty, and we end up on the guest list. Seems like overkill, but I'm not turning down those fancy cakes they serve. They make almost having to bear the Austins and Chloé worth it."

Chloé scoffs on her way into the classroom. "Consider yourself lucky I don't have my daddy prevent you and your ragged clothes from getting within five feet of the hotel."

"Uh, the Prince invited my family," Alix points out and smiles when the blonde sputters for a response. "So, your dad can't do shit about me or my ragged clothes." She high fives Myléne. "And if he does, then that'll just add more fuel to his massive dumpster fire."

His friends' conversations were white noise to Kim as he was working overtime to keep Tikki warm. By the time he and Ikati Black defeated Squip, he only had fifteen minutes until the bell rang and he transformed back at home so his parents would see him leave, and the walk to school is five minutes. And by the time he gets to the healer according to Tikki's instructions about their address, he'll be at least fifteen minutes late to school.

And he'd rather not think of a half-assed excuse to tell his parents about why he was late to class.

Kim subtly places a hand warmer in the inner pocket of his bomber jacket (Thank you, Marinette), and gives Tikki a quick glance to see how she's doing... Not great. 'Damnit. Why'd Monarch have to akumatize someone in the rain?' When he comes face-to-face with Monarch, he's going to make the little son of a bitch pay.

"Hey, Kim," Nathaniel greets on his way to his desk. "Nice jacket."

"Thanks, Nath!..." 'I'm gonna find you, you little son of a bitch.'

🦋👸🏼

"Alright, can anyone tell me the definition of combustion?" The usual students raise their hands while the rest look through their notes. When Cosette shoots her hand up, Mme. Mendeleiev points to her.

"A high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction..." She glances down at her notes for a quick second. "... Between a fuel and an oxidant."

"Correct," the purple-haired teacher confirms with a subtle proud look. "The oxidant is usually atmospheric oxygen, which produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Reshma." The noirette perks up a bit. "Do you have your hairspray with you?"

Reshma's already pulling the travel-sized can out of her purse. She passes it to Mme. Mendeleiev, who makes her way back to her desk with it. "Here's a little demonstration of combustion and why any flammable substances in a chemistry lab should have a cap on them or not be brought in at all."

"Message received," Reshma mutters to herself.

Mme. Mendeleiev spritzes some hairspray inside a glass container through an open bottom and puts it upright over a bunsen burner, trapping the air inside. Then she presses a button connected to the burner, making a small flame come out of the tube, creating an explosion contained in the glass.

"That was kinda badass," Simon says to himself.

"Please," Ismael scoffs. "You should've seen Reshma on Valentine's Day with nothing but hairspray and a lighter."

Their teacher quirks an eyebrow up and asks, "Should I be concerned?"

"Don't worry, she was burning Akumas," Jean assures and shows her the photos Alix sent to the Aro Squad. "See? We're responsible with flammable stuff."

"Well, I am," Reshma corrects the thespian. "By the way, I'll need that back for after school."

Mme. Mendeleiev can read her students like a book. While most of them have mastered the perfect poker, they each have one little tell. Jean, for instance, will often tug on a strand of their hair. Aurore, while she rarely ever causes some sort of mischief, you'll know she's about to do something when she's tapping her pinkie against her cheek. And Reshma will blow her hair off her face- Exactly what she's doing right now.

"... Reshma," she says calmly. "I will only ask this once, okay? Should I be concerned?"

"I will be spending six hours with Chloé Bourgeois and Austins Armbruster, Boulet, Quinlan, and Tomassian since we were invited to Prince Ali's welcome party," Reshma says as if it were such a casual thing. "If I cannot take it anymore, then arson is something I must resort to. But, I will make sure the Prince is not in the room," she quickly adds.

Ismael gives her a sympathetic look and pats her on the shoulder. "Give me a call and I'll spring you out of there."

Mme. Mendeleiev felt sorry for the girl. Dealing with Chloé Bourgois is tolerable, but to deal with her and all four Austins at once sounds something akin to a nightmare. If she hears those boys have done something to her, she'll be sure to call on them to answer questions for a week- No. A month. "Well, Reshma, the most I can say to you is, godspeed. Now, let's continue our lesson."

Reshma groans and hits her face against the table. She is not looking forward to that party.

🦋👸🏼

Kim bolted out of the classroom the second he heard the final bell ring. And if anyone asks, he'll tell them his dad is making banh cam to go with dinner. Everyone knows he'll swim through lava just to have a bite of one. He steals a quick glance at Tikki and he doesn't know how it's possible, but she's looking worse.

"Tikki, try to stay awake," he coaxes. "I'm heading to the healer." He pulls out his phone to read the directions he's written down in his notes, but while looking down at the screen, he doesn't see where he's going and collides with Marc, knocking them both back a bit. "Mẹ kiếp," he curses before giving Nathaniel an apologetic look. "Sorry about that, Nath."

"Hey, no worries," the artist says with a wave of his hand as he brushes himself off. He holds up his phone with a sheepish expression. "I was looking down at my phone, anyway."

"Oh, same," Kim says hastily. "Hey, I'd love to talk, but I need to go! Bye!" And he was gone.

"... Bye, Kim." 'Okay, that was weird.' Just as he was about to take another step, Nathaniel felt something brush against his shoe. Looking at the ground, he gasps at the sight. "No way," he whispers in disbelief and gently cups his hand around the red kwami to pick them up. '... Are they Scarlet Beetle's Kwami?'

Despair... Disappointment-

'Ah, shut up. I'll send out an Akuma when I get home.' Carefully placing the Kwami in the side pocket of his messenger bag, Nathaniel makes his way home, unknowingly passing by a disheartened Rose as she was clutching something close to her chest.

🦋👸🏼

Despite what some may think, Rose is actually very smart. Yes, she loves pink, rainbows, and Disney-fied fairytales, but she's much smarter than people give her credit for. For example, she knows not to rely on Chloé for anything- at least until she learns to be nicer- which is why she didn't ask the blonde to give her letter to the Prince.

Yes, like any fan, she wrote a letter- not a creepy one- just a paragraph or two professing her admiration for Prince Ali and all he does for sick children. Rose could barely contain her tears while writing during study hall as writing that letter brought back some memories of when she was in the hospital for most of her childhood.

From the moment she was born, Rose had a compromised immune system, meaning she could get sick very easily, was kept housebound during cold and flu season, and had to keep a face mask and medication on her. When she was seven, she began wearing an emergency contact bracelet with her doctor's information and the name of her usual hospital inscribed on it as her dads refused to risk any chances. It wasn't all too bad, but it would always get so boring lying in that hospital bed for days and sometimes weeks.

So, when she heard about Prince Ali and his charity drives for children's hospitals almost all over the world, Rose was enamored- not romantically... Maybe... She likes Juleka- and wished she could meet him one day and just say thank you for his generosity. But a letter would just have to do.

Or it would if Austin Armbruster hadn't torn it up!

Rose wasn't even asking him to deliver the letter, she was asking Austin Tomassian seeing as he wasn't as... Hostile as his friends. And to her joy and surprise, he actually yes! If Rose were to tell the others, they wouldn't believe it, but it's true! An Austin agreed to do something nice. The blonde girl felt as if she was floating on air... And then Austin Armbruster saw their exchange and tore the letter into eights while saying something she'd rather not repeat.

... So, here Rose is, alone at the Seine riverbank and trying to rewrite her letter and keep her tears from staining it. Mildly satisfied with her work, Rose pulls a small perfume bottle out of her bag and gets ready to spritz the letter when she hears a new voice.

"Are you okay?"

Startled for a moment, Rose looks down at her blackened perfume bottle and tries to stop crying. Monarch targets people based on negative emotions, so she just needs to... To think of...

"That's a nice letter you wrote. I take it you're a fan of the Prince?"

"... Y-yeah. He's just... So nice, you know? You don't meet many high-class people like him who care for people like me. They'll do a publicity stunt, take photos, and that's it. But Prince Ali... He cares about people and you can tell he loves what he does."

Monarch was silent for a moment. Rose thought he had left, but then, a burst of purple light appeared next to her on the bench. She shields her eyes until she was sure the light was gone, and once she moved them away from her face, she nearly screamed at the sight.

Monarch is sitting right next to her. Not physically, this is more of a hologram, but OH GOD! Monarch is sitting next to her!

"U-uh... H-hello," she stammers, getting a small laugh out of the villain.

"Hi. I thought it'd be best to talk to you face-to-face," he explains. "Now, why don't you tell me what happened to get you so upset?" Rose presses her lips together in thought. "I mean, I can see your memories, so I know what happened, but it helps to say it out loud."

Hearing that, Rose smiles a bit, takes a deep breath, and blurts everything out, from her writing the letter to Austin Armbruster tearing it up. And Monarch was right. It does feel good to say it out loud. But on top of solace, she was feeling anger- Anger toward Austin Armbruster for what he had done. If she were to squeeze her perfume bottle even more, it might shatter.

"Care for my help, Princess Fragrance?"

🦋👸🏼

"Oh, thank God," Adrien sighed when he saw Reshma walk in with her parents. "More good people. We live to see another day, Alix." The pink-haired girl tries not to run over and scoop her friend up in a hug, knowing her dad is keeping an eye on her and Jalil. She opts for calmly approaching the other girl and giving her a quick hug, but as soon as they pulled apart, there were clear signs of mischief in their eyes.

"I did not realize you two were coming," she giggles and readjusts the sash around her waist for the fifth time. "I thought I would be stuck with Chloé and the Austins."

"Well, you know Chloé is already here." Adrien points across the room where Chloé is preening as the press takes photos of her and her father.

Alix checks the time on her phone. "And if I'm right, the Austins should be here in-"

"'Sup, losers?"

"Zero seconds." Reluctantly, the three turn to see the dreadful foursome stepping out of the elevator in their usual color-coded outfits. And instead of his usual glasses, Austin Tomassian wore a pair with silver frames that shaped his face quite well... Not that she'd ever admit it out loud. "Well, thank you, Austins, for gracing us with your presence," Alix says, not leaving out any sarcasm.

Austin Quinlan smirks and brushes past her, making sure to bump her with his shoulder. "Alix, let's be civil here." He slings both arms around Adrien and Reshma and pulls them in close. "After all, we wouldn't want to make Paris look bad when the Prince gets here, now would we?"

"Paris looked bad when you and your colleagues were born," Reshma says smoothly. While the Austins were slack-jawed, she plucks a flute of cider off of a serving tray and takes a quick sip, radiating nothing but elegance as she did. "Adrien, Alix, why don't we wait on the balcony? I'd like to catch a glimpse of Jagged and Clara's performance when the Prince's limo pulls up."

"Our pleasure, Reshma." Alix breezes past Austin Quinlan and makes sure to step on his foot. "Okay, that was badass."

"I learn from only the best etiquette teachers," Reshma replies with a shrug of her shoulders. "Back when I was homeschooled, I would spend thirty minutes every Wednesday after mathematics to learn how to properly behave at parties such as this. My instructors explained that I don't need to be so... What's the word? Sugary polite. I just need to sound refined with each of my words."

Adrien laughs behind his hand so as not to disturb anyone. "My mom is the complete opposite. She will drop-kick anyone trying to get a peak under her dress." This time, none of them contain their laughter, catching the attention of a photographer.

"Mind if I get a photo?" Once the three have a quick silent conversation and look at the lens, the photographer snaps a picture. "That's a keeper," they say and scurry off to take more photos, leaving the three to laugh again.

"I'm glad you guys are filthy rich," Alix blurts out and pulls Adrien and Reshma in for a hug, which they happily return. The moment was cut short when they heard a guitar riff from outside.

Adrien was glad Reshma suggested getting to the balcony so early because the press and any other important figures in Paris started crowding around, wanting to see what the two musicians had in store. And when he saw their outfits, Adrien had some idea.

Make way for Prince Ali! Say 'hey'! It's Prince Ali!

Hey! Make way, but don't go too far!

Hey you!

Let us through! It's the brighest star!

Here he comes! Be the first on your block to look him in the eye!

Make the way! Here he comes! Ring bells! Beat the drums!

Oh, you're going to love this guy!

Prince Ali! Fabulous he, Ali of Achu

Genuflect! Kid, show some respect, down on your knees!

Now try your best to stay calm!

Clean your Sunday rug

And come to meet your spectacular coterie

Prince Ali! Gentle is he, Ali of Achu!

Children he visit agree, that boy's a saint!

And over a hundred kids saved!

Because of him, their bills are all paid!

So gawk and be amazed-

By Prince Ali!

He's got seventy-five worldwide charities

Orphanages, he donates to fifty-three

When it comes to homeless children

Does he have shelter? I'm telling you, it's a world class menagerie!

Prince Ali! Handsome is he, Ali of Achu

That personality! How can I speak? I'm weak in the knee!

Well, get on out in the square!

Adjust your clothes and prepare!

To gawk and swoon and stare at Prince Ali!

He sponsors twenty-five hospital wings!

For the children, he charges not a thing!

He's got hundreds of servants and lackeys!

All proud to work for him!

They bow to his whim, live to serve him

They brim with loyalty to Ali!

Prince Ali!...

Prince A...

Jagged addresses the chaperone. "We're waiting for you!" He and Clara continue to hold the note. "A... We're not finishing! A... Come on, love!" Although trying to seem reluctant and with some coaxing from the Prince, the chaperone claps her hands with the faintest smile. "There it is!"

Prince Ali, amorous he, Ali of Achu!

Came to visit the sick kids! Oh, what a guy!

And so, good people, that's why!

He got dapper and dropped by!

With sixty cheques to pay off the debts!

With animals galore as therapy pets!

With his endless kindness, bow for his highness!

Part the way so you may see!

Make way... For Prince... A... Li~

The whole block erupted with clapping and cheering from all those who saw the performance through the. People in attendance for the Prince's welcome party gave more polite claps that were drowned out by the louder cheers. Those on the press who couldn't get an invite had taken as many photos as they could throughout the entire song, wanting to get the best possible angle. But, thanks to the angle they're at and the more updated cameras, Adrien thinks the press who did get invited will have better luck with their photos making the front page.

Other than that, the song was amazing!

However, with the citizens' attention on the musicians and Prince, they failed to notice an oddly-dressed girl sneaking into the hotel.

🦋👸🏼

"Come on... Wake up," Nathaniel gently coaxes, trying to get the Ladybug Kwami to open just one eye, but nothing was working. He even tried tempting her with any sweets in the kitchen as Nooroo suggested, but she wasn't waking up. "Is she gonna be okay?"

Nooroo feels her forehead. "I don't know. Kwamis rarely ever get sick. I can't believe she was on the ground like that."

Nathaniel is absolutely fuming. If Scarlet Beetle is mistreating Tikki, the second most adorable thing in this room, then he will send out an entire army of Akumas and have them hunt the pest down until he is found so that he can rip those earrings off of his earlobes! Feeling Tikki stirring a bit in his hand, he lifts her up so she's eye level with him and hears her weakly say, "Th-there's a... Healer."

"O-okay, that's good to know. Can you tell me where they are?" When Tikki's eyes start closing again, Nathaniel pokes at her a bit with his pinkie. "Come on, stay awake. Where's the healer?"

"... Right bank... S-Seine... M'sage shop." And she was out again. Going with what he knows, Nathaniel places Tikki in his hoodie pocket while Nooroo hides in his hood. As soon as Tikki wakes up when the healer helps her, he doesn't want to risk her seeing Nooroo. She could report back to Scarlet Beetle and it'd be over for him.

After giving his mom a quick excuse of going to return something to one of his friends, Nathaniel was sprinting to his destination, an odd sight to see, because those who know the redhead know he would rather kiss a goat than run long distances.

When he finally reaches the right bank of the Seine, Nathaniel was already tired and out of breath. The hard part's over now... Now he just has to find whatever shop Tikki was talking about.

🦋👸🏼

The Rich Squad (Dubbed by Alix), could tell the Prince was just as bored as them to be here but was hiding it behind a polite smile. Adrien noticed he seemed to zone out a couple of times when the Mayor spoke, and they can't blame him. Prince or not, he's still a kid and like all kids, he's got a shitty attention span and would rather be at the hospital meeting the kids instead of at this unnecessary party. The only thing that seemed to have grabbed his attention was when the Mayor mentioned the fireworks display at the Seine, only to have it shut down by Prince Ali's chaperone.

Once the interviews were out of the way, Alix let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Finally. I am starving, and you do not keep a kid away from fancy food this long." Hearing a chuckle, she turns and sees the Prince laughing into his hand. "See? This guy gets it."

"Sorry, I did not mean to seem rude," he apologized.

"Hey, it's no problem, your Highness." Seeing Alix, Adrien, and Reshma about to bow, Prince Ali quickly stops them. "Oh, thank God. Anyway, I'm Alix Kubdel, the Louvre museum director's daughter." She holds out her hand, which Ali excitedly shakes. "And this is Adrien Agreste and Reshma Leghari."

Reshma beams. "It's wonderful to meet you, your highness. I've actually been following your online charities for quite some time now. What you do is simply admirable."

"Uh..." Adrien sheepishly rubs the back of his head. "If the hospital you're visiting after this receives about a couple dozen My Hero Academia plushies, that was because of me." Not noticing the little glow in the Prince's eyes, he continues, "Just so you're not alarmed by a box of Ground Zero plushies getting rolled in."

"You watch the series, too?" And by that point, Alix was gone. She gets enough nerd talk from Nathaniel; she doesn't need it from the three of them. Not when there's an unsupervised chocolate fountain. Just as she's about to grab a strawberry to dunk in chocolate, her hand touches none other than Austin Tomassian's. "... Hey..."

"Hey," he awkwardly greets back and grabs a different strawberry. Only he doesn't dip it in the chocolate.

Alix doesn't have a real opinion on Austin Tomassian. Austin Armbruster is the head bitch who makes all the rules, Austin Quinlan usually has no problem getting physical, and Austin Boulet is Armbruster's sarcastic right hand. All of them are equally terrible, but there's something about Tomassian that stands out to her. Alix isn't sure what yet, though.

The pink-haired girl glances at the brunette getting food at the far end of the table... And sneaking cookies into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. 'Okay. He's a little cool. That doesn't excuse the fact that he... What does he do?" Alix is pretty sure he's spread a couple of rumors, but that's more up Austin Boulet's alley.

With a shrug, Alix heads back to the group, only to turn on her heel when she sees Chloé taking selfies with Ali and Adrien while Reshma photobombs each picture. Yeah, that's a big "Nope," Satan. Feeling something hitting her foot, she looks down and sees a pink sphere about the size of her hand. "What the hell?" She doesn't recognize it at first until she sees the black lever and panics when she finds no pin. "EVERYONE GET DOWN-"

But it's too late as the grenade explodes. However, no damage is done to the people or the room when all that comes out of the grenade is a cloud of bright pink... Perfume? While not deadly, it's hard to see through and when inhaled, people are endlessly coughing.

Austin B coughed violently into his arm, prompting Austin A to cover his nose and mouth with his suit jacket and guide him out onto the balcony. Thanks to the balcony door still being open, the perfume is slowly clearing up. And Alix can faintly see the Prince being yanked away by the back of his jacket. At first, she thinks it's his chaperone, but then Alix spots her blindly walking around and hears Prince Ali screaming.

'... Well, that's what you get for coming to Paris,' she thinks.

🦋👸🏼

"C'mon, Tikki, wake up. What shop were you talking about?" He looks up and sees Ikati Black vaulting toward what he guesses is the hotel. "Hey. Hey, Scarlet Beetle needs you; you gotta wake up and tell me what shop you were talking about. It starts with an M, right?"

Nooroo lightly shakes Tikki, a silent plea for her to wake up. "Tikki, please!"

"... Ma... Massage... sh'p."

Nathaniel racks his brain for any memory of a massage shop near here until he finally remembers. "Nooroo, you need to hide for this. If they know a lot about the Miraculous, I don't want them seeing you." Nodding, Nooroo hides in his jacket sleeve, and Nathaniel sprints a short way to the massage parlor. He makes his way inside, slowly pushes open a divider, and finds a short man brewing some tea.

"Um... H-hi?" The man turns and Nathaniel instantly recognizes him as the old man that Max helped up their first day of school. Shock out of the way, he clears his throat and says, "Uh, I was told you could help me out with... Something?" The man only arches an eyebrow. "Something to do with Scarlet Beetle," he adds and notices the man looking intrigued.

"... Explain," he coaxes while stroking his graying beard with one hand and beckoning him over with the other.

Nathaniel walks into the room and looks around skeptically, not getting much of a Kwami Healer vibe out of the place. But, if this is where Tikki said to go, then he'll see what this guy can do. Seeing the man getting on his knees in front of a mat, Nathaniel does the same and holds Tikki out for him to see.

"How did you find her?"

"I was walking home from school and I found her on the sidewalk, and she said she's Scarlet Beetle's Kwami or something," he explains, playing dumb. "... I don't think Scarlet Beetle meant to lose her," he confesses after the time he had to think the poor Kwami's situation over. "Maybe he was in a rush to find you, and she fell out of his pocket. I'm sure he would've been here, but then he noticed-" The man holds up a hand, silencing his rambling. "... Sorry."

The man only nods. "Lay her down." Once Nathaniel does, he places both his hands over Tikki, letting them hover there for a moment before getting up again to grab something off the top of a drawer in the back of the room. It was a small gong. He kneels again and gently hits it, startling Nathaniel because... He wasn't expecting that.

He feels Nooroo moving around in his sleeve and places a hand over top of him to try and calm him down. Nathaniel can sense Nooroo's worry for his friend and wants nothing more than to let him out so he can check on Tikki, but he can't risk the man seeing him. He clearly knows about the Miraculous, so once he finds Nooroo... There's a chance he'll tell Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black.

The gong is hit once more. "We are finished." Nathaniel looks up in shock. 'That's it? Could I have just played gong sound effects on my phone?' "Her health has been restored."

Nathaniel blinks and looks down at Tikki. After a few beats, she slowly begins to open her eyes, much to his relief. Noticing the confusion across her face, he shyly waves. "H-hi- Whoa!" Tikki catches him off-guard by flying into his arms for a hug and endlessly thanking him. "You're welcome," he says gently and hugs her back. "I'm just glad you're okay; you worried me for a moment." Remembering who else had a hand in helping Tikki, he addresses the man. "Thank you, sir; I'll be sure to get Tikki back to Scarlet Beetle," he says and hastily makes his way out of the shop, unaware of the Turtle Kwami coming out of hiding.

"Wayzz, what was your read on him?"

"... Complicated."

🦋👸🏼

"Kim!"

"Tikki!" Immediately, his arms were thrown around the Kwami for a sweet embrace. She looks up and feels a pang when she sees Kim's mascara running. "Oh my God, I've been looking for you everywhere; when I saw you weren't in my pocket, I just panicked and went crazy trying to look for you, I might have scarred a guy for life- But I'm so sorry, and-"

"Kim, it's okay," she assures, her eyes starting to get a little glassy. "Your friend, Nathaniel actually brought me to the healer."

Kim stays silent for a moment. "He did? He must've found you after I bumped into him," he murmurs. The Ladybug Miraculous really is lucky. If it had been Chloé, one of the Austins, or even Monarch who had found him, who knows what Tikki would have gone through? "Well, it's a good thing he found you," he croons and kisses the top of his friend's head. "You ready to go?"

"When you are," Tikki chirps. Kim darts into an alleyway.

"Tikki, Spots On."

🦋👸🏼

"Rose! Unhand the Prince!"

Prince Ali's kidnapper- Rose, apparently- shoots blasts from the perfume-bottle-shaped gauntlet attached to her arm, only for the apparent superhero in leather to deflect each blast with his baton. So far, Paris is looking pretty strange. While they battle, Prince Ali makes an attempt to sneak away, only to stop dead in his tracks when a new hero seems to drop down from out of nowhere with a ... Yoyo.

"Sorry I'm late, Ikati. Had a little situation with my Kwami."

'What on Earth is a Kwami?'

"No worries, Scarlet," assures the other hero dressed in the leather catsuit before dodging another blast of perfume. "Just watch out for that!" With a nod, Scarlet charges at the kidnapper, deflecting each blast with his yoyo until she has to resort to hand-to-hand combat. The pink-haired girl grabs his wrist, does a quick maneuver, and flips the hero over her shoulder before confronting the leather-clad hero.

He extends his baton, but Rose catches the end of it with one hand, holds her gauntlet-covered arm out in front of her, and blasts the hero with a quick hit of not her usual pink perfume. Instead, this one is a bright red color. The hero coughs and tries to fan the perfume away with his hand, but his moves become sluggish, and he sinks to his knees.

"Let's go!" His kidnapper demands and proceeds to drag him up the flight of stairs, with some struggle as she's clearly faster than him.

"Where are you taking me?!"

"Someplace for us to be alone!"

After what felt like forever, they made it to the roof of the hotel. Rose shuts the door behind them and locks it before panting, exhaustion beginning to catch up to her. She unfastens the gas mask and pulls it away from her face, revealing to the Prince... One very beautiful girl. His words became caught in his throat as he took in her soft features. And while he's sure most would be put off by the green hue to her skin, he didn't mind one bit.

"... I-"

"Before you say anything," Rose interrupts. "I... I'm sorry for kidnapping you. I knew if I approached you at the party, everyone would freak out, but..." Looking away, she scratches the back of her head. "Looking back, this also wasn't probably the best solution. I-I just really wanted to get back at this boy who just-" She muffles a scream. "He is so infuriating! When I saw him, I grabbed a grenade and went wild!" Taking a few deep breaths, some sounding a bit like wheezing, Rose puts her mask back on and turns back to him. "Your Highness, I am so, so sorry I ruined your visit. If you want, I can take you to the hospital, but I can't let you leave without saying that... For the longest time, you have been an inspiration to me. When I was in and out of the hospital, m-my positivity kept wavering whenever I saw my dads crying, the nurse's sorry looks, and..." Occasionally, a flatline or two coming from the other room..."

Noticing a tear making its way out of the corner of her eye, Ali reaches his thumb up to wipe it away. Giving the pink-haired girl a kind smile, he holds her hand in both of his, giving her the drive to continue.

"When I heard about you, a-a Prince who uses his privilege to help children like me in need- I can't explain it- I was over the moon. It was as if a fairytale actually came to life for me. And... While I knew my chances of meeting you would be one in a million, I still admired you for the work you put into your charities and always hoped to meet you one day. Just not under these circumstances." With her free hand, she gestures to herself, making Ali let out a soft laugh. This gets a laugh out of her, and the Prince is sure she can't possibly get any cuter.

"I do not mind," he assures her. "Out of all my visits, this is truly one I will remember forever. Oh, and consider yourself pardoned for kidnapping me." Rose awkwardly shifts in place at the reminder. "And Miss Rose? Never in my life have I ever heard such sincere words. My days are spent with people telling me what I want to hear, how amazing and charitable I am, but, I never get to hear from the type of people I have spent most of my life helping and advocating for. Thank you."

For a moment, the two stay in a comfortable silence... Then Rose looks at him strangely in contrast to the soft look he's giving her. Before Ali could ask if something is wrong, she says, "Um... I have a girlfriend." Immediately, the Prince chokes on his spit and she giggles. "Yeah... Just letting you know before you get the wrong impression."

"Thank you for the heads up," he says bashfully. "Well, if your offer still stands on giving me a ride to the hospital, I would love if you invited your girlfriend. Surely someone dating you must be just as wonderful."

"Oh, trust me, she is." As she gets ready to propel them into the air with a blast from her gauntlet, suddenly, her arm is jerked away from her person by a black string. Turning slightly, Prince Ali catches a quick glimpse of red right before Rose is pulled toward who he sees is the ladybug-themed hero.

'Paris is a strange city,' Prince Ali thinks as he watches the hero grab the gauntlet and hit it against a wall before Rose could blast him... Releasing a black butterfly. Then there's this sort of flashy sequence where he catches it in his yoyo and releases a white origami butterfly that gets swept in the breeze. And if that's not weird enough, he tosses what appears to be a lock-picking he tosses into the air bursts into this pink cloud. Upon closer inspection, Prince Ali finds that it is a swarm of ladybugs. 'Huh... Neat.'

And before his eyes, Rose's appearance fades away, leaving behind a blonde girl dressed in a cute shade of pink with a pastel rainbow skirt. For a moment, she looks confused by her surroundings. Then her bright blue eyes widen in awe when she lays eyes on him. 'Of course she's taken.'

From where he stands, Scarlet Beetle watches the two with a sweet smile. Ikati Black charges through the doorway with his staff bared and ready to fight until his partner rests a hand on his shoulder and points to Rose and Prince Ali. A tad embarrassed, Ikati Black puts his staff away. "If you two want, Ikati Black and I can give you lifts to wear you need to go," he offers.

Prince Ali beams. "That would be awesome! Oh, and could we pick up Rose's girlfriend as well? We are heading to the hospital." Getting a nod from both heroes, he and Rose get in Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black's arms, respectively, and the heroes whisk them away. "So, where does your girlfriend live?"

"Oh, on the Seine."

🦋👸🏼

'Keep your elbows bent, left foot ahead of right...' Easing into his ready position, Nathaniel begins practicing his attack angles, working to build up the muscle memory. While he did fare well against Darkblade's knights, it'd be best to keep practicing the basics. And... Maybe if he doesn't punk out due to fear of embarrassing himself in bunch of a front of athletes, he'll think about joining the fencing team at school, which is surprisingly still getting funds even after Mr. D'Argencourt's attack on Paris. But, as always, it Nathaniel's fault... His and no one else's.

"If you lose focus, you leave yourself vulnerable."

Nathaniel fumbles with his sword a bit at the sudden interruption and turns to where he heard the voice. Standing at the entrance of the park is a girl around his age. She has dark blue hair and appears to be of Asian descent. In one hand, she carries a katana made completely out of wood, and in the other, a red gym bag. Nathaniel freezes a bit as he wasn't expecting anyone else to train in the park.

"Also, your body needs to be lower."

'Okay, holding no punches.' "Um... Thanks." Before the redhead could attempt to fix his stance, the blue-haired girl- who somehow teleported next to him- was doing that for him. "Oh! Okay..." Nathaniel allows the very forward girl to fix his stance. Although weirded out at first, she does seem to know what she's doing.

"There. Now you're ready to fight." Before Nathaniel could respond, she was already twirling her- ... Bokken, he thinks- with the skill that says she's been doing his for years, and pointing it at him. Nathaniel looks at his own sword and pales when he remembers that he is carrying an actual sword. One made out of metal! But it doesn't look like this girl is going to leave without a duel.

"A-are you sure this'll be fair?"

The girl's stoic expression morphs into a slight smirk. "Don't worry... I will go easy on you."

A bead of sweat makes its way down Nathaniel's forehead. 'Nooroo, help me.'

🦋👸🏼

Never in his sixteen years of living has Ali ever seen a house boat. And it's so expressive, too! The front- the bow, if he recalls- is painted like a face! He almost wants to stay here, but reminds himself that the children must come first. While Rose talks with Scarlet Beetle and Ikati Black, he makes his way across a surprisingly sturdy wooden plank and onto the ship's deck, converted to look like a concert stage... Maybe when he visits the city again, he'll drop by.

So busy marveling at the ship, specifically the tree growing through the roof of some sort of greenhouse, Ali doesn't hear the door opening.

"Jules, were you expecting any cute boys?"

Slowly and slightly embarrassed, Ali turns to face possibly the homeowner and apologize for intruding until he got a look at his... her... their face. Like earlier when he saw Rose without her mask, his words become caught in his throat, but this is on a whole new level.

The statuesque vision of beauty approaches him with their lips curled in quite a seductive manner. A flicker of surprise crosses their face before disappearing as quickly as it appeared. "Prince Ali, I presume?"

"... Y-y-yes! I am the... The Prince," he squeaks out. Oh, if his speech therapy teacher could hear him now.

The blue-haired person smiles sweetly. It is an incredible contrast to what they say next. "While you're in town, is there the chance you're looking for a mistress?" And just like that, Prince Ali has stopped working.

"LUKA!" Another voice screams, but Prince Ali can't find it in himself to care, not when... Luka has him wrapped around their finger. "I told you, no seducing strangers!"

"Oh, let me have my fun," they pout.

'... Yeah, I'm definitely coming back to Paris.'