"WHAT? No! It has to be one of you guys!"
"You never said it had to be a protégé, got something against him?"
"No, but-"
"No, no, you said I could pick." Batman comes in with an energy bar, handing it to Robin while Ladybug realizes that Tiki is gonna kill her. WHY DID SHE HAVE TO BET ON THE ONE KWAMII SHE NEEDED TO BE TRANSFORMED WITH?
"What is it this time?"
"Ladybug said she'd let us talk to her bug thing if you beat her at hide and seek. We can question it-"
"Her." Ladybug interjects, "And it's not happening, the wager was for video games."
"For half an hour!"
"Um, no. I said five questions."
"Well, I know but, obviously don't wanna question it-"
"Her."
"Without, you know, going through the pleasantries. We don't wanna be rude." She rolls her eyes.
"UGH. Fine, but no hide and seek, I'm not even allowed in some parts of the cave."
"Fine. Bats you wanna pick?"
"Pong."
...
Red Robin bursts out laughing, that was the world's first video game. Robin looks so bored, staring up at the ceiling.
"That relic?"
"You're joking." Ladybird's only seen the game once, it's like ping pong in 2-D.
"I don't joke." Ladybird walks to the bat-computer, trailing along the oxygen tank she still isn't allowed to take off.
"What are the rules? How many points is it?"
"Don't let the ball get past your rectangle, it's to eleven." Ladybird tries practicing moving the little rectangle she has to use and gets the hang of it but she feels a little worried. Batman's probably played the game before if he's suggesting it.
The game starts with the little white ball heading towards her, she passes it to the opposite side of the screen and Batman returns it. The ball goes a little faster every time they hit it, Batman makes the first point.
Ladybird makes the next one, thinking she's gotten a little bit of an edge. Every time she changes the direction the rectangle goes, it affects the direction the ball goes. So a small change he might not notice could throw him off his rhythm.
It works a few times, her lead growing, until she jerks the rectangle a little too much. She could feel his demeanor change the moment she was found out- after that it was a massacre.
He won eleven to four, she wanted to ask for a rematch but Ladybird knows she's been bested.
"I'll be right back."
"Not until your lungs are free of fear toxin." Ladybird does the test again and is cleared, but Red Robin doesn't let her forget about their bet.
"How long does it take for you to do the whole changing thing?"
"Couple seconds? Dunno, be back in a minute." Ladybird is quick to find her way out of the bat tunnels and detransform. Thank goodness she always has Plagg with her.
Exiting the tunnels, Ladybird swings a few blocks down before landing in some alley.
"Tikki, spots off."
"Plagg, claws out."
Tikki and Plagg switch places, the little red goddess already has her arms crossed. There's no reason for Marinette to be changing into Lady Noir.
"What did he do this time?"
"Uh, well... ISortaKindaBetThatICouldBeatBatmanInAVideoGameAndHeWonAndNowTheyGetToMeetYou?"
"Marinette!"
"I know! But I promised, and you don't have to answer anything you don't want to. And maybe this little sign of trust could help, they'll trust me more." Tikki sighs.
"I trust you, Marinette, you're a wonderful Ladybug and Guardian, just be careful. Don't give them signs of trust that they won't reciprocate." The girl nods, letting Tikki go behind her braid before launching herself towards the bat-tunnels entrance.
Red Robin impatiently checks his watch, it's been five minutes and Ladybird still isn't back.
"You think she went home?"
"She might think we're following to see who she is." Red Hood offers, back from cleaning up with Scarecrow.
"What are we gonna ask it?"
"It's a her, apparently. We can start with any big ones from when Rob interrogated the Parisian-"
"You interrogated a Parisian!?"
"Shit." Ladybird is standing at the entrance of the cave in another suit, this one looks as if she were a protege of Cat Woman's. She doesn't look happy, launching herself up to the level they were on with a baton.
"Interrogated is a strong word, really, it was just some questions as a tourist." The girl doesn't look happy but lets it slide.
"Alright you get thirty minutes, but she can pass on any and every question she wants to."
"And if she doesn't answer any?"
"Then that sucks for you." Red Hood snorts, pulling up a timer on a monitor and sets it for half an hour.
Tikki comes out from her hiding place with her arms crossed.
"I'll have you know I wouldn't be here at all if it wasn't for my holder trusting you all."
"Right... so what's your name?" The timer starts and Tikki answers.
"Cool name, where'd you get it?" The little being shrugs, not really sure anymore.
"Favorite food?"
"Cookies."
"Awesome, we have some around here... somewhere..." The little goddess perks up at that, the promise of a cookie too tempting to resist. Red Robin walks out of view before coming back with a box of store bought cookies in hand.
"Hey! That's from my stash!" Red Hood exclaims, the younger of the two huffs and opens the thin film of a cover so Tikki could take her pick.
"Thanks!" Tikki is quick to grab a treat the size of her toros, taking a big bite with a smile.
"So you're Ladybird's kwami thing?"
"She's not a thing-" The girl defends but gets cut off by a relaxed Tikki. Ladybird's fingers drum nervously against her crossed arm. Wanting this to be over already.
"I am. We can get right to the point, but there are some questions I can't answer even if I wanted to. If I tried to say my holder's name I wouldn't be able to. Things like that." Red Robin nods.
"Ladybird, let's get you tested for fear toxin again." Batman interjects, she's fidgeting too much. She tries to argue against leaving Tikki alone but goes anyways. That leaves Red Robin and Red Hood alone with Tikki.
"How old are you?"
"Not sure."
"What are the more... routine responsibilities of a guardian? What does Ladybird have to do besides what she does here?"
"She studies the grimoire everyday, and meditates on it. She's a great guardian!" Tikki finished off the rest of her cookie before grabbing another.
"And what about the other kwami?"
"Most are in the miracle box, don't worry they're safe and happy. But Plagg and me stay with-" Bubbles come out of the kwamii's mouth, she clears her throat and continues, "-Ladybird in her room." Red Robin makes note of the little being's nonchalant reference to whatever a miracle box is.
"And they're housed within the box, right? They what? Stay with their piece of jewelry?"
"Well," Tikki bites her cookie, "It's magic so if you opened the box you would only see the jewels, but the kwamii are in there. It's a guardians job to keep the miraculous together and distribute them for the betterment of mankind but after all that's happened we're just trying to keep everything together."
"You mean the jewels?" Red Hood clarifies, grabbing a cookie of his own.
"Yeah, jewels." Tikki knows Marinette can't keep being the way she is, the Reds seem to get the idea.
"It's gotta be stressful- that much responsibility."
"She does a great job, and makes a lot of sacrifices for us. You and I both."
"In your opinion, how good or bad would it be if we got Ladybug's identity?" Tikki laughs, they got right to the point.
"She didn't tell you? There's a magic to the miraculous, to protect the user's identity. Even if you had the two pictures next to each other with all the dots connected you probably wouldn't realize what you were looking at."
"It's impossible to identify her in the suit?"
"No, but you wouldn't be able to make the connection by comparing passport photos. It would have to be undeniable, watching her transform, a conversation. It depends on if you know them, if she wants you to know." Tikki distractedly grabs another cookie.
"If she wasn't guardian, I'd probably want her to tell you. She's just a kid, but a guardian's identity should never be compromised like that. No one besides me and Plagg know. It's a lifelong commitment and it was passed onto her way too early."
"Don't you think that's an even better reason for her to have a support system?" Red Hood interjects.
"In a perfect world, maybe, but I wouldn't hold your breath. For one, you don't even trust her with half as much as she has to you. To let you see Kalkki, let alone me. And to talk to me! She has a lot of faith in you, that you all really care." Red Robin was about to speak up but a limping Robin cuts in first.
"What about civilian aids?"
"Ladybug would never put a civilian at risk like that!"
"Then who were the temporary heroes?"
"They aren't civilians when in the suit."
"What would happen if her identity became known?"
"Depends, if it's a few people then depending on how trustworthy they are she'd swear them to secrecy or get them to forget. But if her identity was leaked to the press- her whole family would be at risk so would the miraculous. If she intentionally brought someone in on it, that's entirely her right as guardian. Her job is to protect the miraculous and help the world, how she does that is up to her own judgment."
"So what's wrong with us knowing?"
"Chat Noir wanted to know, that didn't turn out anything like she or the old master had hoped and they were partners for years. What have you done to prove your worth the risk?"
"We have people we need to keep safe too, and we have each other."
"She doesn't want your identities. She didn't want Chat's, she doesn't think you need a name to have trust. In the end it's up to her."
"Alright, does the use of the miraculous have any affect on her physiology? Does she keep any of the strength or ability she has as Ladybird outside of the suit?"
"Well, she gets tired and while she's got more strength, things can still be heavy, so she has gotten stronger but that's because she's exercising while in the suit."
"So she's strong outside the suit?"
"Not particularly, but definitely stronger than she seems."
"What can you tell us about her situation at home? In school?"
"What'd you mean?"
"Do her parents feed her? Take care of her? Hurt her?"
"OF COURSE THEY TAKE CARE OF HER! Thay love her and she loves them!"
"Okay, sorry, just wanted to make sure. And they don't know about you or what she does at night?"
"No." At that, the Reds start to get technical. Their relentless questioning about the inner workings of the miraculous and how it works felt endless to the little goddess. The two didn't stop even after the half hour alarm went off, knowing Ladybird was too preoccupied to stop them.
The little goddess answers as best she can but sometimes the only answer she can give is magic. At some point, Tikki just stops answering and insists she be taken to Ladybird.
"Alright, but one more quick question: what would you say are the limits of the jewels' power?"
"What do you mean? There aren't any." The boys stop short at that.
"Bring back the dead?"
"Yeah, but it's a give and take. You bring someone back, someone else will die."
"She mentioned something about balance. Yin and yang or something."
"Exactly." Tikki floats following the Red to the medical bay where she quickly goes to her holder who's taking calming breaths. Everyone can see the dark rings under her eyes.
"Ladybug?" The haze over the heroine's eyes is shaken back to reality.
"What's wrong?" The girl's eyes shut as she shakes her head no like a child.
"Okay, that's okay. " She looks down to the ground, Tikki goes to her holder and soothes her.
"I wanna go home."
"I know, but let's calm down first. Count down from ten for me."
"No one's ever gonna take me seriously, just a stupid kid that got a lucky break with stupid earrings. Oh my Kwamii they totally think i'm crazy, or a wimp, or helpless. They're all so professional and I'm me and I can't do anything right. I'm such an bad hero I couldn't even land a punch for like a month. Master Fu would be so disappointed, I'm the worst guardian ever. So pathetic-"
"Hey!" Tikki exclaims, flying right up to Marinette's face, cutting the rambling off before Ladybird could spiral.
"Did you think the old guardian was an idiot?" The teenager fervently shakes her head no. "Exactly, and he chose you because you were who he trusted. And you're a great guardian. Just because you aren't as emotionally constipated as the bats doesn't make you less of a hero!"
"And maybe you couldn't punch the way they taught you to, but you still kicked butt before! So close your eyes and count down from ten." With Marinette's daily dose of aggressive affection, she closes her eyes and listens.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." The girl sniffles, opening her eyes before getting a hug from Tikki.
The Reds and Batman watch from the sidelines, fear toxin just heightens what's already there and the little goddess seems too well versed in how to deal with panic attacks.
The girl leaves an hour or so later, after letting herself get the cure. She had refused vehemently before Tikki had come to her aid.