"Thank you for everything, Captain."
"Of course, matey. Though this has certainly been one of the more eventful voyages I've taken. I'll remember it for a long time."
Gabriel dropped a small bag into her hand. She peeked inside, eyes widening. "The pirate in me would take this without hesitation, but this is more than we agreed on, Mr. Agreste."
"Consider it compensation for having to deal with our unique circumstances."
"Thank you very much," Anarka replied. "I wish you all the best of luck." She bid them goodbye, walking back up the ramp of her ship.
Meanwhile, Luka put a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "Safe travels, Marinette. I hope everything works out between you and Adrien."
"Thank you, Luka." She hugged him. "I hope you find someone special too."
Pulling back, she could clearly see in his eyes that she was that special someone. Luka planted a small kiss on her cheek, stepping away to say goodbye to the others.
Marinette watched him, cheeks pink and a smile on her face.
"One more thing!" Anarka called from the top of the ramp. "This port has a reputation for supernatural activity, so keep your guard up. We'll be back here in a week, so if you're here by then, you can catch a ride home."
"Thank you," Nathalie told her as Luka joined his mother and sister. He and Juleka waved, Anarka already barking orders to her crew.
"So, what's the plan now?" Adrien asked.
"We find a place to stay for the night. We can leave first thing tomorrow," Gabriel said. "Luckily, I think I have a friend who can help us."
He began walking down the dock. Once he was out of earshot, Adrien whispered, "Father has friends?"
His own friends stifled their laughter. Nathalie turned and gave him a look, making it obvious that she'd heard.
Adrien smiled sheepishly before jogging to catch up with his father. "What's your friend's name?"
"Tomoe Tsurugi."
"Like the fencing champion?" Adrien asked in surprise.
"Yes, she's been living here for the past few years with her daughter."
"I can't believe you know Tomoe Tsurugi! How did you two meet?"
"We knew each other as children. She's from Japan, but she would often spend her summers in a house close to ours."
"Were you two ever more than friends?"
Gabriel raised an eyebrow, his expression reminding Adrien of the one he'd received from Nathalie moments ago. "No, Adrien. Why do you keep asking me questions like that?"
"No reason." Adrien was quietly relieved. He turned around to look at Nathalie. "Did you know this too?"
"That your father is friends with Tomoe Tsurugi? Yes."
"Why did no one tell me, then? I've always admired her, ever since I was little. She's a world-renowned fencer."
"I suppose it never crossed my mind to tell you," Gabriel said.
A cold breeze blew between the buildings, creating an eerie howling sound. Unconsciously, the group moved closer together.
"Uh, guys? Does anyone know what the captain meant when she said supernatural things happen around here?" Alya asked quietly.
"More missing sailors have disappeared from this port than any other in France," Gabriel explained, sounding surprisingly calm. "Many people have also claimed to see ghosts and similar things."
"Fantastic," Marinette murmured.
"Don't let the rumors frighten you," Nathalie said. The wind blew again, colder than before. "Or the wind. We're in a narrow space, so it sounds strange."
Her words didn't seem to reassure any of them, however, even her.
"It doesn't help that it's getting dark," Nino added. "And there's, like, no one around."
"Everyone's probably inside because it's going to rain soon," Gabriel told them all. "That also explains the cold wind."
Everyone jumped at the sound of thunder. "Maybe we should partner up?" Adrien suggested, doing his best not to sound scared.
Gabriel stopped to look at them all. "Very well, if that would make you feel better, go ahead."
Adrien gripped the hand of the person closest to him, which happened to be Marinette. Next to them, Alya and Nino had joined hands as well. Marinette took Alya's hand, linking all four of them together. Even Tikki and Plagg joined them, jumping onto Marinette and Adrien's shoulders.
Nathalie looked at the teens sympathetically before turning back to Gabriel. "How far is she?"
"Only a few minutes."
She glanced at the rapidly darkening sky with a small frown. "Will we make it before the rain starts?"
"Hopefully."
Lightning flashed between the clouds, making Nathalie swiftly look away.
"Might want to rethink that," Nino said, before adding a quick, "Sorry."
Thunder rumbled again, shaking the ground. Adrien steadied Marinette as she tripped in surprise.
"Whoops," she squeaked.
Adrien smiled, about to reply when he saw movement in between the buildings. "Father, I think someone's following us."
Gabriel nodded without turning around. "Stay together. Nathalie, come closer to me." When she did so, he motioned for her to take his arm. "Don't act like you saw them," he told the teens.
Nathalie knew this was the worst possible time for her symptoms to return, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Luckily, other than the pain in her chest, nothing else was present yet.
"Just a little further," Gabriel murmured.
At the sound of more thunder, Nathalie tightened her grip on his arm.
"There it is." A large mansion stood in front of them, quite similar to the one belonging to the Agrestes. It was white and surrounded by hedges.
"Are you certain she'll let us in unannounced?" she asked. "The only one of us she knows is you."
"Not to worry, she owes me a favor."
But Nathalie worried anyway, her free hand moving to rub her chest.
Big mistake.
As soon as she touched the mark, her pain doubled. She fell, wincing as her knees hit the hard cobblestone.
"What's wrong?" Gabriel asked in surprise.
"Nothing, I'm fine." She let him pull her to her feet. "I only stumbled."
Adrien had moved in front of her, and both he and his father had disbelieving looks on their faces.
Regardless, Gabriel started walking forward again, pulling her along. "Let's keep moving. When we're all settled, you should look at your wound," he told Nathalie.
Once on the path leading to the house, Gabriel moved ahead and knocked on the front door. After a moment, a serious-looking girl answered, short blue hair complimenting her expression. Despite it, her eyes were a warm brown.
"Can I help you?" Her tone wasn't cold, but there wasn't much interest behind it.
"I need to speak with Tomoe Tsurugi," Gabriel said. "My name is Gabriel Agreste."
The girl's eyes widened in recognition. "One moment, please." She closed the door and reappeared a moment later. "My mother isn't home right now, but you may come in. In the meantime, I might be able to help you."
The group came inside, just in time to hear the rain start as the door closed behind them.
"I am Kagami," the girl introduced. "You can put your luggage down over here."
After they did, Adrien was the first to step toward Kagami. "It's nice to meet you, Kagami. My name's Adrien. Thank you for letting us inside."
Kagami shook his hand with a small smile.
"I'm Marinette!"
"Alya."
"Nino."
"You'll have to hide your cats when my mother arrives, she doesn't like pets."
Nathalie put a hand to her forehead as things started to spin. Gabriel gripped her shoulder.
"Miss Tsurugi, is there a place to sit?" he asked.
"Over here."
He guided her over to the chair, helping her sit down.
"Are you alright, Madame?" Kagami asked.
"She's fine," Gabriel answered quickly. "Just tired."
Once the teens moved away, he kneeled in front of her. "Are you dizzy?"
She gave a single nod.
"I'll get you water."
He started to stand, but she reached out to stop him. Her fingertips only brushed his arm, but he sat back down.
"Don't, I'm fine! Just give me a minute." Her voice sounded weak, even to her own ears. Not very convincing.
"Last time you said that, you passed out with a fever." She knew there was no bargaining with him.
"Do you ever stop worrying?"
"Fortunately, no."
"I never got your mother's name," Kagami told Adrien.
"Nathalie. And she's actually sort of my stepmother."
"'Sort of'?" Kagami's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I hardly remember my real mother," Adrien explained. "Nathalie's been around for most of my life and she helped raise me. So the only thing stopping the title from becoming official is my father."
Kagami still looked confused. "Because?" she prompted.
"Because he's worried about disrespecting my mom or something along those lines. But despite that, my friends and I are convinced they both have feelings for each other." Adrien didn't know why he was telling her all of this, but she seemed trustworthy and curious.
"Hmm." Kagami observed the two before turning her attention back to the teens. "It looks that way. You four seem very invested in this."
"Yep," Alya replied.
Nino stared out the window, focused on the downpour. "Is this place really haunted?"
"I've never seen any ghosts, but strange things happen sometimes. This port used to be a hotbed for mermaid activity, and that's why so many sailors have gone missing. Strangely enough, one day, the mermaids just stopped coming. There must be something here that's frightening them off."
"Like what?" Marinette asked with a slight quiver in her voice.
"I'm not sure, but every once in a while, all citizens of this port are plagued with their deepest, darkest fears during the night. It happens randomly, maybe once every few months."
"Doesn't that make you not want to live here?" Alya asked.
Kagami shrugged. "You get used to it after a while, but it's quite difficult to experience it for the first time. You should hope that it doesn't happen tonight."
The four friends shared a scared look.
"Is there anything we can do to prepare ourselves if it does?" Adrien asked slowly.
"First of all, you should tell your parents. Second, just try to go to sleep. That way you'll get enough rest. If you try to stay up all night and nothing happens, you'll be tired tomorrow for no reason."
"Right," Nino murmured.
"Good. Now, do you need anything else?" she asked the group. "My mother should be home any minute."
"Water," Gabriel said, having come closer.
"I'll get it!" Adrien offered. "Where should I- ?"
"At the end of the hall," Kagami replied.
Adrien returned with the glass of water in time to see Kagami's mother arrive. He handed the glass to Nathalie, who said a quiet, "thank you".
Tomoe Tsurugi was a short woman with long black hair and a stern expression similar to her daughter's. The dark glasses over her eyes made Adrien realize she was blind.
She was being escorted by a butler dressed in red, and both were soaked from the rain.
"Mother," Kagami said. "Gabriel Agreste and his family are here."
"Tatsu, fetch me a towel." The man in red darted away. "Gabriel-san, I wondered when I would speak to you again."
Ever the gentleman, Gabriel kissed the back of her hand in greeting. Adrien watched Nathalie from the corner of his eye, half-hoping she would be a little jealous. He felt bad immediately for thinking that when he saw her hand pressed to her forehead, obviously dizzy.
"I was wondering if I could call on the favor you owe me," Gabriel began. "We need a place to stay, only for the night. There was no one on the street, so we couldn't get directions to an inn."
"No need, you may stay here. How many are there?"
"Four children, two adults." He wisely chose not to mention Plagg and Tikki.
"Tatsu, have the guest rooms prepared," she told the butler once he'd returned with her towel.
"Yes, Ma'am," Tatsu replied.
"Come introduce yourselves," Gabriel told the teens. He motioned Adrien forward first. "This is my son, Adrien."
"Pleased to meet you," Adrien said politely. "I apologize, but I need to check on my mother, she's sick."
And his father was giving him a look that told him there would be a long conversation later.
His three friends finished introducing themselves while Adrien went back over to Nathalie.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm alright now."
"Do you need help standing?"
"No, thank you."
Tomoe turned her head in the direction of her daughter. "Kagami, fetch the medicine. If you can't find it, Tatsu will know where it is."
"Yes, Mother." The girl left the room.
"No, you don't have to trouble yourself," Nathalie said quickly, standing. She didn't seem steady, so Adrien took her arm.
"As long as you are here, you are my guests. And it is my duty to take care of you," Tomoe said.
"Thank you, Ma'am," she said after a moment.
Kagami returned with a small bag, which she gave to Gabriel. "Tatsu has informed me that the guest rooms are ready. They're up the stairs and directly down the left hallway. There are enough rooms for each person to have their own."
"Thank you, Miss Tsurugi," Gabriel told her. He went over to Nathalie, Adrien still holding her arm. "Can you walk without assistance?"
"Yes." She stepped away from the two, who both looked ready to bolt forward at a moment's notice.
About halfway up the stairs, however, she looked significantly paler.
"There's no shame in asking for help," Adrien said.
"No, I'm fine." But he saw that she was off-balance and tilting just a little too far back. Adrien's father steadied her before she could fall.
"Where would you be without my quick reflexes?"
Adrien stared at him like he'd never met him before. Since when does Father joke?
"With a concussion, no doubt," Nathalie replied, seemingly unfazed. A hint of pink had returned to her still-pale face.
Gabriel ended up carrying her the rest of the way, Adrien still watching with a dumbfounded expression.
"I wasn't the only one who saw that, right?" Alya asked, reminding Adrien that his friends were behind him.
"Definitely not," Marinette agreed. "Were they . . . flirting?"
Adrien turned and faced his friends. "I don't think I've ever heard my father make a joke before," he murmured. "And I've definitely never heard either of them flirt."
"I didn't know he had it in him," Nino said.
"You should get to your rooms," Kagami advised, attempting to hide her amused expression. "If what I was telling you about does happen tonight, you will want to be prepared."
Gabriel came through the open door of Adrien's room, looking ready to have that conversation Adrien had been dreading earlier. Before he could say anything, Adrien blurted, "What did you want me to say, Dad? 'My father's-assistant-who's-basically-my-mother is sick'? Or maybe, 'My father's-friend-who's-sort-of-more-than-a-friend'? I can go on."
Gabriel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Adrien, I see your point, but I'd rather people don't get the wrong idea."
Adrien barely stopped himself from snorting. Loudly. "And what would the wrong idea be?" he asked innocently, knowing very well that he was risking another episode from his father.
"You're a bright boy, I'm sure you can figure it out," Gabriel retorted.
"I don't see what the big issue is," his son continued, biting back a smile. He liked seeing this side of his father.
"I know what you're hoping for, Adrien, but it's never going to happen. Regardless, this is hardly the time to be worrying about things like that. We all have more important things to focus on. Now's also not the time to be making jokes."
"Yes, Father," Adrien replied dejectedly, deciding not to point out that he had been doing that himself moments ago. "I was only trying to lighten the mood."
"I appreciate that, but we need to stay focused on removing the curse on Nathalie and defeating Volpina."
He patted his son's shoulder one more time, moving to leave.
"Wait, Father," Adrien began, remembering what Kagami had told him. "Kagami warned us about the supernatural activity in this port. She said that every so often, everyone who lives here experiences their worst fears during the night. It doesn't happen frequently, but it could tonight."
Gabriel looked thoughtful. "I'm sure it won't, but thank you for informing me."
"Just make sure to tell Nathalie too."
"I will."