Roses and Knives

Chapter 19: New Powers

Athother incident has occurred in Paris that has led to Cat Noir is being chased by two black panthers.

Cat Noir: "Come on, guys, you wouldn't eat one of your cousins, would ya?"

Cat Noir leads them into the back of a van by jumping away at the last second. Ladybug shuts the van doors, trapping the panthers inside. Civilians cheer Ladybug, Cat Noir standing on the edge of a roof.

Cat Noir: "Couldn't we have used Rena Rouge to help us? I was almost lunch for them."

Ladybug: "You heard Azazel. We can't have anyone helping us anymore. Unless you want to lose an arm you'll just have to suck it up."

Cat Noir: "Do we have any way to prevent him from just doing what he wants?"

Ladybug: "I'm working on something with an acquaintance of mine that might shift things into our favor."

Cat Noir: "What is it?"

Ladybug: "It's not something you need to know."

Cat Noir: "So what's my role, then? The guy who's always left in the dark? What else are you hiding from me?"

Ladybug: "None of your god damn business, that's what."

Ladybug swings off leaving Cat Noir by himself.

Cat Noir: (to himself) "I hate secrets."

Ladybug lands away from the scene and Cat Noir.

Ladybug: Spots off. (detransforms and runs in the direction of Master Fu's place.)

Tikki: "Uh, if you want to get to that movie on time, you better go the other direction."

Marinette: "Sorry, Tikki; we'll just have to miss the trailers again."

Marinette arrives at Master Fu's place and tell him about her victory.

Master Fu: "Perfect. Now come and tell me what's bothering you, Marinette."

Marinette: "Huh? How do you...?"

Master Fu: (laughs and turns to Wayzz and Tikki) "Hold on. You both stay here."

Wayzz and Tikki: "Oh, Master, please!"

Master Fu: "Kwamis must never know the recipe that can modify their powers. Ever!"

Marinette: "Modify their powers?"

Master Fu: "Imagine what would happen if one of you were captured by a villain, just like Hawk Moth's kwami, Nooroo or Azazel's kwami Kaitto."

Wayzz and Tikki: (scared) "Ohh!" (both fly away and into the shop's mattress)

Master Fu: "So, what's on your mind, Marinette?"

Marinette: "Master Fu, Cat Noir is asking more and more questions. He's tired of being left in the dark."

Master Fu: "Tell me, Marinette; do you put the noodles in the water before the water boils?"

Marinette: "Uh, no."

Master Fu: "Exactly. That's because there's a right time for everything." (pours some tea and hands a cup to Marinette)

Marinette: "Uh, what are you cooking exactly?"

Master Fu: "When fed with a specific blend of ingredients, the kwamis can grant special power. Each power's specific mix is listed here, encoded in the Grimoire. I've deciphered most of the ingredients; for example, to trigger aquatic powers you need a branch from the dragon king's garden — that's seaweed; then secret kept in a shell — that's an oyster pearl. But the last one still puzzles me: a tear of joy. I can't figure it out, and it's required for almost every blend. Oh! Maybe it could be some dancing ant honeydew." (puts drops from a bottle into his potion with an eyedropper, producing a small blast) "I think I may have finally got the right mix." (Marinette smiles.)