This story does contain references to some fairly old S2 spoilers (plus a reference to a (relatively) newer spoiler that may or may not just be a rumor), so if you have somehow managed to avoid all spoilers (if so, impressive work) and wish to continue avoiding said spoilers, consider this your heads-up.

Marinette stared at the two Miraculous boxes in front of her and the kwamis floating above them. Master Fu had given them to her to assign to new holders- even though she and Chat Noir were doing well so far, with the Peacock Miraculous still missing and probably in Hawkmoth's hands, they would need backup at some point. And if not- if the Peacock had somehow miraculously just stayed missing- then they could use the help to have shorter fights, or maybe figure something out so that they didn't all have to go out to every fight.

She had to admit, the latter option sounded really good. Her attendance record could definitely use some help.

But who to choose?

"I want a curious holder," Trixx offered, seeing Marinette's furrowed brow. "I think with a curious holder and my powers, we could potentially figure out where Hawkmoth's hideout is and maybe strike before he can find someone to be Paon. So someone curious and smart and brave."

"Not asking for much there, huh?" Pollen asked with a snort, flopping down on top of the bee comb and crossing her arms as she rolled her eyes at Trixx. "Wow."

"Actually..." Marinette said slowly, biting her lip as she thought. Who fit Trixx's requests perfectly and would love to be a superhero? It wasn't exactly a hard question. She had thought of Alya first when she tried to give up being Ladybug, way back when she had just started. The only thing that was holding her back now was the fact that Alya was perhaps a little too curious.

If Alya had a Miraculous, what would stop her from renewing her efforts to discover Ladybug's identity?

"Who are you thinking of?" Tikki asked curiously, landing on Marinette's shoulder. "Remember, kwamis will help their holders with personal growth. They don't have to be perfect to start."

"Well...I kind of want to give the fox Miraculous to Alya," Marinette said slowly. "But could she grow fast enough to understand why she shouldn't be trying to figure out who Chat Noir and I are?"

"I can knock some sense into anyone," Trixx claimed, bouncing in place. "Tikki, tell me about the kit I'm gonna have."

"Trixx."

"C'mon! Please, Tikki, please-"

"Alya is my best friend," Marinette cut across. "She runs the Ladyblog- oh, no. How is she supposed to keep the blog going while she's a superhero? If she stopped, that would draw a lot of attention."

"Marinette's friend runs around after akuma fights to record them using her phone," Tikki told Trixx. "And then she posts things on her blog, the Ladyblog. It wouldn't be a huge problem if it wasn't for the fact that the Ladyblog is the biggest Ladybug and Chat Noir-focused blog out there. Pretty much everyone in the city reads it."

Trixx wriggled, looking excited. "Is she a reporter, then? Please tell me she's a reporter. They make the best kits."

"She's a reporter," Marinette confirmed. "But if she suddenly has to stop taking videos to be a superhero, and if she isn't seen near fights anymore..."

"We can work around it," Trixx promised, wriggling around so much Marinette was almost worried that she was going to fall straight out of the air. "An illusion could carry an actual cell phone and do all of the recording. It's the best cover, really. No one is gonna suspect her."

"And if the illusion gets bumped?" Marinette asked. It sounded too good to be true, which meant that she had to ask lots of questions. "With Volpina- er, the akuma designed after the Fox holder- all we had to do to get rid of her illusions was to hit them with something. The reporters can crowd in pretty close after fights sometimes- there wouldn't be any way that the illusion wouldn't be hit too!"

"We could figure something out," Trixx insisted. "And once she's been fighting for a bit, she'll be able to make more stable illusions that don't vanish when they get hit. C'mon, c'mon, let me have the reporter kit!"

Marinette had to smile. Trixx certainly was energetic, to say the least. "Okay. If you think you could figure something out, then I'll consider that settled. I'll slip your box into Alya's bag tomorrow. That just leaves Pollen." She glanced over at the bee kwami. Her eyes were a bit disorienting, to say the least. Instead of being even remotely similar to a human's eyes, they were completely blue. "Do you have any requests for traits in a Chosen?"

Pollen sniffed. "Well, I'm not picky like some people." She shot a glance over at Trixx, who was completely focused on Marinette's phone, where she had pulled up the Ladyblog. If Trixx had heard Pollen's jab, she wasn't showing it. "But I like a challenge. I like the problematic holders that need a kick in the butt. All the others talk about growth and everything, but their holders start out all nice and responsible."

Marinette blinked at that. "You want someone... who isn't nice?"

"It's more fun."

Marinette bit her lip, immediately nervous. She didn't really know if she wanted a teammate that wasn't nice. And what if she chose someone who couldn't- or, rather, wouldn't- change? What if she was stuck with a pain of a teammate forever?

This was too much responsibility. Why was Master Fu making her do this, again?

"The advantage you have is that if they end up being really bad, you know who it is and you could potentially take the Miraculous back," Tikki said quickly, spotting the beyond stressed expression on Marinette's face. "It wouldn't be the first time it's happened. Not all matches are perfect. But Pollen is really good at slapping some sense into people."

"If you have anyone who causes a lot of akumas, they could be a good candidate," Pollen offered. "That might make them think twice about being mean when they have to deal with the fallout."

Marinette's expression turned thoughtful. "Someone who causes a lot of akumas, you say? Hmm."

That was certainly something to think about.

It really wasn't hard at all for Marinette to slip the fox Miraculous into Alya' bag without her friend noticing. Alya had had Marinette hold her bag for a minute while she made a quick post on the Ladyblog on her phone before going home on the end of the day, and it only took Marinette a second to slip the box into Alya's bag.

Marinette could only pray that Alya would notice the box once she was alone, and not when she was with her sisters or her parents. Maybe she should have tried to slip the box into Alya's room, but that still didn't guarantee that Alya would be the one to find it.

(Her little sisters didn't exactly have a handle on the concept of privacy, and Alya complained at least once a week about her sisters rummaging through her things.)

"I think that's going to be a good match," Tikki said, peering out of Marinette's purse after Alya and Marinette had bid each other goodbye for the day and Marinette was heading back to the bakery. "How soon do you think we'll see her out?"

Marinette had to grin. "Probably by tonight. She'll be out running the rooftops- oh." Her face fell. "Oh, no. I should have told Chat Noir about there being new users! He's gonna think that Volpina came back. Oooh, I should have waited a day before giving the Miraculous to Alya. Do you think that there's some way for me to contact Chat Noir before he sees Alya out?"

"Make an akuma," Tikki suggested. At Marinette's alarmed look, she giggled. "I'm just kidding, Marinette! If you go out for a run, Chat Noir might come join you."

That wasn't a bad idea, Marinette decided as she entered the bakery and waved to her mother as she passed through. She had a decently good idea of where Chat Noir was most likely to see her, based on how long it took for him to show up when she was out and about, either for akuma attacks or for fun. It would be important to go out sooner rather than later, since Alya probably wouldn't wait long before transforming and getting out and about.

Marinette couldn't believe she had messed up like that. She definitely knew perfectly well that she would hate being left out of the loop about a new team member coming on board to join them, so why had she forgotten to tell Chat Noir?

That was so. stupid.

"At least you remembered that before Alya actually transformed and Chat Noir ran into her on his own," Tikki pointed out as Marinette slumped into her room. "And really, you aren't the only one who forgot. I should have thought of it, and Trixx and Pollen could have mentioned something as well. We all have centuries more experience than you do, and we made the same mistake."

"He's gonna wonder why I didn't consult with him at all," Marinette groaned, continuing on up the stairs to her balcony so she could transform and start tracking down Chat Noir. She paused. "...should I ask him about the bee Miraculous?"

"If you really want to," Tikki said a bit dubiously. "But I think your choice will end up being... well, interesting, at least. There should be fewer akumas at school, I think. But it'll probably be hard to explain why you chose that person."

"Yeah, Pollen is...different," Marinette agreed, pausing at her bed. She kind of wished that she could be a fly on the wall when Pollen met her Chosen, because she was positive that it would be a million levels of hilarious. "It would be hard to explain without him meeting her, but if he asks, I can try. It'll probably take some explaining."

"Well, it'll be easier to explain before Alya transforms and shows up," Tikki reminded her. "Trixx isn't active yet, but we don't know how long she'll stay that way."

Marinette shot upright. "Of course! Tikki, transform me!"

It didn't take a lot of jumping around before Ladybug was joined by Chat Noir. He looked a bit puzzled as he landed next to her.

"Um, is there an akuma out here somewhere?" Chat Noir asked, frowning as he glanced around. "I mean, I'm glad to see you outside of attacks and all, but I have somewhere that I'm supposed to be in five minutes, and if there's not an attack then I don't really want to be late for no reason, you know?"

"Right, right, of course," Ladybug said quickly, knowing full well what Chat Noir was saying. She didn't exactly like being late to things when it wasn't the fault of an akuma attack. "Um, there's no akuma, but I had to tell you something important and I should have told you first before giving anything out but I forgot and Tikki forgot and I was in a hurry and I just realized ten minutes ago that I hadn't told you because I forgot and anywaythere'sanewmiraculousholder."

Chat Noir blinked at her, clearly bemused. "Uh..."

Ladybug fidgeted.

"Can you repeat that, but, like, slower?" Chat Noir asked, tilting his head as he looked at her. "Like, not the entire thing, but just that last bit?"

Ladybug hunched her shoulders, fixed her eyes on the ground, and, in a very quiet voice, repeated herself. "There's a new Miraculous holder. The fox. For real, this time."

Chat Noir paused, frowning just a bit. "...uh, how do you know that?"

Ladybug's eyes flicked up. Chat Noir didn't look upset, just confused. Still, she was nervous. They were partners, and she should have told Chat Noir about both Master Fu and the Miraculous she was supposed to hand out.

For someone who always talked about how they were partners and equals, she sure hadn't acted like it.

"I met the guy who gave us our Miraculous," Ladybug admitted first. "My kwami told me to go to him after we recovered something that he had been looking for. And he's been teaching me a bit about the Miraculous. I... should have mentioned this all to you before, I'm sorry."

"If my kwami didn't tell me on his own, that's his fault, not yours," Chat Noir said firmly. "Maybe it's just more important that you learn some things first. But you said there's a new fox holder?"

"It's a real Miraculous," Ladybug told him first, because she certainly hadn't known that there were others before she saw Adrien's book. "And the Guardian- that's the guy who gave us our Miraculous- said that we're doing a good job, but it would be good to have a few more superheroes out so that there's less pressure on us- and also in case Hawkmoth does have this other missing Miraculous- it's a peacock, by the way- and gets someone to work with him."

"So he gave someone the fox Miraculous and told you about it- no?" Chat Noir questioned when he saw her shake her head. "He didn't give it out yet? No? Then-?"

"He gave me the Miraculous and asked me to find a new user."

Chat Noir just blinked at her.

"And I got to kind of interview the fox kwami- her name is Trixx, and she's crazy mischievous- to get a feeling for what kind of holder she would work best with, and-"

"Ladybug, breathe-"

"-she said that she wanted someone smart and inquisitive and that she really liked reporters, so-"

Chat Noir perked up. "You chose the Ladyblogger?"

Ladybug finally paused for a breath. "I- yeah."

Chat Noir looked pleased. "That's great! As long as she doesn't use that to try to figure out who we are. And- oh! What about the Ladyblog?"

"Trixx said that she would address the identity thing right away," Ladybug assured him. "And that Alya could use an illusion to run around with her phone to record things. I made sure Trixx was positive that that would work before I decided."

"Then she was a great choice, I think," Chat Noir assured her. "She's really sharp, and I think she'll fit in well." A small frown flitted across his face. "Uh, did you say that the Guardian said a few more superheroes?"

...of course Chat Noir would pick up on that. She should have guessed. Her kitty was smart.

"Well, two more," Ladybug corrected. "The fox, and the bee."

"Have you chosen someone for the bee?" Chat Noir asked. He looked curious and not at all resentful of her getting to be the one choosing new holders. Of course, he didn't know that she had chosen her best friend for one of the new Chosens. He might feel a little differently if he knew that. Chat Noir probably had friends that he would love to work with.

"I...yeah, I have," Ladybug admitted. "It's- that Miraculous- well, the kwami- it's a bit interesting. I haven't given it to her yet. I thought I might give it a couple days to let the fox settle in first."

"That's a good ide- AHH!" Chat suddenly screeched, checking his staff and jumping nearly a foot into the air when he saw the time. "I'm gonna be late! Can we have a patrol at ten tonight to talk more? I gotta go!"

"See you tonight, Chat Noir," Ladybug called, and with that her partner was off. He had a funny way of running when he was frazzled, she noticed with a snort. All high knees and pumping arms. Dork.

But at least he was an understanding dork. She had been worried about him being jealous that she was the one chosen to find new holders.

"All right, then," Ladybug announced to no one in particular. She let out a long breath. "Ten it is."

Adrien was more than a little distracted throughout the entirety of his fencing lesson, which meant that his classmates got in a few more hits than they normally would.

"Agreste, focus!" Mr. D'Argencourt yelled across the court. "I don't know what's with you today, but you're getting sloppy!"

Adrien winced behind his mask and yelled back a quick "Sorry!" before trying to focus on his opponent again. It was difficult, with how much his brain was racing. Why hadn't Plagg told him about this Grand Master person? How many Miraculous were there out there? How would it work to have not one, but two people in the same classroom trying to leave for akuma attacks at the same time? That wasn't going to go well.

He had so many questions, and so few answers. He would have asked Ladybug more, but he was running short on time- and it wasn't her responsibility to tell him about all things Miraculous. Plagg should have been one to tell him about the Grand Master.

He didn't envy his Lady having to choose new Chosens, though. That was a big responsibility, and he would probably end up stressing to no end as he tried to match people to a particular kwami. Even though he was a little concerned about having several Miraculous holders in the same class, Adrien couldn't deny that Alya was an excellent choice. If he had had to choose a person who was smart and inquisitive...

Well, all of his friends were smart in one form or another. He probably would have thought of either Alya or Marinette first, though; Alya because of her reporting, and Marinette because she always kept a calm head when there were akuma attacks. He would enjoy fighting alongside Nino, of course, but Nino did have a tendency to get a bit more freaked out during the attacks.

"Agreste! Focus, or I'm coming over there and you and your distraction can face off against me!"

Adrien yelped and jumped, tripping backwards and landing on his rear before scrambling back up to face his opponent again. He had let his concentration wander again, which was a stupid mistake. He needed to focus until the end of fencing, which was...thirty more minutes.

This was going to be a long practice.

Chat Noir's tail twitched slightly irritably as he paced the rooftops. Plagg had been frustratingly nonchalant about having not told him about the Grand Master- "But if you really want to go see him, I suppose I could tell you where to find him tomorrow, I think I might remember where he lives"- and he hadn't really felt like telling Adrien anything about the other kwamis.

Chat Noir might not envy Ladybug the task of assigning the other Miraculous, but he was maybe just a little bit jealous that she got to meet other kwamis. What did the others look like? What were they like? Ladybug had said that Trixx was mischievous and the bee kwami was interesting, whatever that meant.

This cat was curious.

"Chat Noir?"

Chat Noir spun around mid-pace, almost tripping over his own twitching tail in the process. Ladybug looked a bit nervous for some reason as she stood there, yo-yo clutched in her hands. It took him a second to realize that she was looking at his twitching tail, no doubt reading his irritation as easily as an open book. If he had been reading her earlier behavior correctly, then she was probably worrying about him being upset about... something. He wasn't entirely sure what that something was, but he suspected that it probably had something to do with not sharing the information she had with him before.

"My kwami was being a bit of an ass," Chat Noir explained a bit hastily, stomping down on the end of his tail so it wouldn't be flicking around so much. "I was asking him stuff before I came out here and he was just like-" he imitated Plagg's nasal tone "'-oh, right, yeah, the Grand Master? I suppose I could tell you where he is. Other kwamis? Yeah, I forgot to mention that, didn't I?' He is so frustrating."

Ladybug giggled, anxious expression falling away immediately. "Wow. I'm glad I got a cooperative kwami."

"What are the others like?" Chat Noir wanted to know. "You said you met two others?"

"I-" Ladybug's expression turned suddenly a bit uncertain, and then she smoothed out her features again. "I got to interview two others, yes. Trixx is really mischievous, and she was really specific for what she wanted in a holder. She seemed nice, but I bet she could be frustrating too sometimes. I'm gonna guess that she won't give Alya very many straight answers."

Chat Noir had to snort. It sounded like Trixx would get along well with Plagg. And he couldn't deny that the thought of Trixx stonewalling Alya like Plagg often did to him was incredibly amusing.

"Pollen is frustrating too, but in a different way. She likes a challenge. She wanted a holder that wasn't nice, one that she could make grow and learn. And she mentioned that if she had a Chosen that caused a lot of akumas, then that would maybe force them to take a little more responsibility and hopefully help them learn to be nicer."

Chat Noir's eyes widened and his eyes flashed towards the Grand Paris, still lit up despite the late hour. Someone who wasn't particularly nice and caused a lot of akumas? Surely she couldn't mean...?

Adrien couldn't deny that he was maybe just a little bit torn about Ladybug picking Chloe.

On one hand, Chloe didn't particularly deserve a Miraculous. Her behavior around other people was atrocious, to say the least, and she was probably their worst serial offender when it came to upsetting people to the point of akumatization. She didn't treat even Sabrina right, never mind the rest of the class or random strangers in the street. Whenever Ladybug was around, Chloe practically hung off of her, to the point that Ladybug had annoyance radiating off her in waves.

(Why Ladybug had picked Chloe when she clearly couldn't stand the other girl was an absolute mystery, but Adrien was proud of her for being able to put aside her personal feelings so she could even consider Chloe as a possible holder.)

On the other hand, Adrien was excited about his oldest friend getting a second chance at- well, at life, really, as ridiculous as that sounded. Chloe hadn't been told no by anyone (well, anyone she would listen to and respect) for far too long, and a kwami that wasn't afraid to sting when Chloe was being awful sounded perfect. Besides, Chloe was a huge fan of the superheroes, and Ladybug in particular. Maybe they would eventually rub off on her and she would get back to the- well, not to a nice person, because she hadn't been the easiest to get along with when she was younger, but at least a less nasty person.

And, if all else failed, Ladybug's point about Chloe probably causing fewer akumas when she had to deal with them herself was a good one. If Adrien knew Chloe (and he really, really did), she would not be happy about having to miss her manicures or hair stylist appointments or... whatever other appointments Chloe had during a typical month. Adrien really couldn't keep track of everything.

The new holders were going to add a whole new dynamic to the team, but Adrien honestly couldn't wait.

This will be a two-chapter story (for once)! The second part will probably be up shortly.

Please review, it really makes my day!