Against the World

Honor Among Thieves

"This meeting place is less than ideal Miss Bourgeois." Shadowmoth straightened from his landing and straightened a jacket cuff. He looked out over the rooftops of the night time city, distracted.

They stood on the roof of the Mayor's hotel once more. Police tape ziggzagged across the entryway to Chloe's Suite below. Queen Bee floated up off the ground a few inches upon Shadowmoth's arrival, keeping herself near the edge,"It's homey, I think the tape really adds the right kind of color, and this doesn't need to take long. Look what I have for you." She opened her right hand, presenting the black ring of the cat in her yellow gloved palm.

Naked greed shown in Shadowmoth's eyes,"Impossible!" he growled, purely by reflex,"How?"

Queen Bee smirked,"A stray followed me home. I'm assuming you want this?" she closed her hand around the ring again, withdrawing it for the moment.

Shadowmoth reached out as the ring was taken away. He restrained himself only just,"Yes!" he hissed,"Give it to me." Then, in an afterthought that carried more weight than one might have expected from a villain,"Who was the holder?"

Queen Bee made a face of disgust,"He was a nobody." she declared definitively. Then with a coy note entering her voice,"Now, shall we discuss the price?"

"Price?" Shadowmoth lifted his cane, his voice dropped as he took another step closer,"I gave you a Sentimonster. That is mine, that was or deal."

"Oh You did." Queen Bee floated higher in response to his approach,"But you could undo that at your whim. No one is going to take ANYTHING from Chloe Bourgeois again." her voice went from light and airy to cold iron as she spoke. Queen Bee landed, striking a defiant pose against the looming Shadowmoth.

"Then don't give me a reason to Chloe." Shadowmoth clenched a fist between them,"Give me my due."

"How about instead we trade? One Miraculous for another? You get your kitty, and I get that peacock. That seems fair." She held out the ring again, bouncing it in her palm, those insectoid goggles hiding her expression.

"What?" Shadowmoth covered the broach with one hand, recoiling a step,"Are you mad?"

"You should know that Hawkmoth,"Chloe grinned,"I'm always mad. Shall we trade?"

Shadowmoth gripped his cane in both hands,"you presume too much Miss Bourgeois. Your toys don't make you the equal to a true miraculous wielder. Do not seek to test my patience."

Queen Bee let out a dramatic exasperated sigh. She withdrew her hand again, the avarice in Shadowmoth's gaze only increasing as his prize was once more hidden. "I hate negotiating. A fair trade is fair." Behind her a bee drone dropped from her hive-pack and buzzed down over the side of the building.

Shadowmoth's eyes followed the drone, it was an unsubtle ploy. He kept half his attention on Queen Bee,"I could take your sentimonster right now. You seem rather attached, is that what you want?"

"NO!" Queen Bee screamed,"Why do you think I'm even here!" She pulled a small device from her jacket pocket. At the same time a series of dull thmps cut the air and a rain of hexagonal pucks scattered across the rooftop, some Yellow, some Black. Shadowmoth was on alert, but did not flee. The things were as much a hazard to Queen bee as himself, if not more. The source was explained when with a dull roar of thrusters an armored suit lifted itself over the edge of the rooftop. It was a distant cousin to Queen Bee's own outfit. An enclosed helm, bulky armored suit, powerful thrusters in place of a backpack and weapon mounts on each arm marked it out as a combat suit instead of a flight suit. It carried the signature motif of the Bees though. Yellow and black hazard striping. Someone in a moment of humor had draped several feet of police tape from it's arms haphazardly.