Scarlet Lady: Anansi
Directory | Sapotis
Today was one of those rare days where Adrien could get out of home, and since it was Spring Break, they had decided to enjoy it by doing something fun.
And, as they made time before they went out for the fireworks, they were having fun playing videogames – like the dancing game Alya and Nino were starting right now.
“It's amazing you were able to come,” Marinette said as the music began to sound out. “Did your dad make a fuss?”
“Oh, he definitely objected at first,” Adrien said, smiling.
----
“Adrien, I forbid you from going out tonight. It's too dangerous,” Gabriel Agreste said, and Adrien smirked.
“Ah, Père. I thought you might say that,” he replied, turning to the bottles he had carefully prepared for this precise occasion. “Sidebar, have you seen my collection of hair dye?”
Gabriel looked, and Adrien's smirk grew as the man broke out into a sweat.
“I forget, what's your favorite color, père? I'm partial to pink.”
“Mon Dieu,” Gabriel muttered.
----
As Marinette giggled from Adrien's story, the song Nino and Alya had been dancing to was ending, and Nino decided to end on a high note.
“Big finish!” he said, and he made a ballet pose, causing the others to laugh.
“What is that?!” Adrien said before he also broke down laughing.
“Aw, shoot, did I miss the ballet?”
“Nora!” Alya said, turning to her elder sister, who was still wearing her fighting gear, all marked with the symbol of a spider in a circle. “Is your match over already?”
“First round: total knock out,” Nora said, hopping around. “Aaaas usual.”
“I'm sure that was fun to watch,” Alya replied, feeling bad for the people that had paid to see the fight.
“And I told you not to call me Nora in front of other people, p'tite sœur!” Nora admonished her.
“That's so laaaame.”
Nora turned to the others in the room.
“Name's Anansi, like the spider,” she said, pointing at the symbol on her helmet.
“Oh! Like you're really tricky in the ring? Like the legends?” Nino asked, only for Nora to put a confused face.
“Nah, man, I'm like a tank in the ring.”
“How is that like Anansi or a spider...” Adrien wondered.
“Why're you all still here?” Nora said, ignoring Adrien's comment while taking off her helmet. “Isn't it a school night?”
“It's Spring Break, actually,” Marinette pointed out.
“We're gonna see the fireworks from the Place de la Concorde ferris wheel,” Alya revealed.
“What?!” Nora suddenly shouted. “No way, it's too dangerous with everyone becoming Akumas!”
“Oh, c'mon! I'm not a baby, I've been living with Akumas for seven months now!” Alya complained, glaring at her sister. “Besides, I have Mom and Dad's permission, I don't have to listen to you!”
“Forget it, you're staying home, safe and sound, period!” Nora replied, before waving at the others. “Baguette, Cappy, and Billboard Boy can go though.”
“Oh, gee, thanks,” Nino sarcastically fired back.
“C'mon, what does Billboard Boy know about self defense?” Nora asked.
“Hey! I fence!” Adrien replied, defensively.
“And Baguette can't lift more than a bag of flour!”
“Hey! They're heavy!” Hell, they could easily weigh more than twenty kilos!
“And Cappy–”
“Okay, first of all, we're not gonna stop living our lives just because Hawkmoth is a butthole,” Nino interrupted her. “Second, I'd do anything to protect Alya! And third --”
He turned to present Alya, who made a pose, as if for a magazine.
“Alya's a Queen who can take care of herself!”
Giving Nino a look, as if measuring him, and sat on the kitchen table.
“Fine! Alya can go... if you beat me at arm wrestling.”
“Huh?” Alya said, but then the four of them looked at each other, and it was obvious they had had the same brainwave.
“Well, okay,” Nino said, as they all walked up to the table.
“Fine,” Alya added.
Nora looked at them, confused (again).
“Uhh, what are you doing?” she asked.
“Come at us, scrub,” the four of them said at the same time, ready to accept the challenge, as they put together their right hands and clasped Nora's.
And the fight started.
“4-on-1 is obviously cheating!” Nora exclaimed, straining with all her strength against the four teens'.
“Hey, you challenged us!” Alya pointed out as they forced Nora's hand back.
“It's completely unfair!”
“You think Akumas care about fair?!” Adrien shouted.
“We have to do what we can to keep ourselves safe, even if it's not fair!” Marinette followed.
“As long as we have each other, we can do anything!” Nino exclaimed.
“We're not ashamed of asking for help!” Alya finished, and the four of them pushed even harder.
“THAT'S LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP, BITCH!” they shouted, and with one last mighty push, they slammed Nora's hand against the table.
----
“Hmm... if I send off this Akuma, whose grudge includes my own son, I'll be directly contributing to putting Adrien in direct danger... but that Ring and Earrings would look so sick on me, so, off you go, little Akuma!”
Yeah, a great set of priorities.
----
BOOM!
Tikki looked up as a red star exploded in the sky, followed by a green one.
“Aren't the fireworks beautiful, Chloé?” she asked her bearer.
“As if!” the girl yelled. “I could've been in New York with Mommy right now, but my whole Spring Break is ruined because I have to stay here and be Scarlet Lady! Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!”
She paused for a moment. The rules said she could not take the Earrings from their wielder... but there was nothing about getting the wielder to give them up themselves...
“There's still time,” she innocently suggested. “You could leave the Earrings with Marigold or Chat Noir for the week!”
“ha! As if they could match my brilliance, even temporarily!” Chloé replied.
Tikki mentally snapped her fingers.
Worth a shot.
----
The sky was illuminated by the beautiful fireworks, and the four friends, who were almost at the top of the loop, were looking up, fascinated.
“Look at that!” Marinette pointed out, as three fireworks exploded at the same time to form what resembled the French flag.
“Wow!” Adrien replied. This was the first time he had been able to watch one of these from somewhere that wasn't home, and he was enjoying it so much!
Alya and Nino, hand in hand, weren't even voicing their enthusiasm, but anyone that looked at them would have seen it quite clearly on their faces.
But then the wheel jerked, and sent Adrien to the floor.
“Ah, whoa!” Adrien shouted as he fell.
“What?” Alya asked, surprised.
“Aw, man, are we stuck?!” Nino asked as well, hugging his girlfriend.
“L-Look, over there!” Marinette said, pointing at the middle of the wheel: something was pinning it in position by using what looked like long lines of silk. One wouldn't have been enough, but there were so many that their combined strength was preventing the wheel from turning.
“A... super villain?” Nino asked, as Adrien looked out.
“A spider villain,” he answered.
“Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me!” Alya yelled, incensed. “AFTER ALL THAT GRIEF, YOU BECAME AN AKUMA, YOU STUPID–”
“Alya, don't attract her over here!” Marinette said, pulling her down to avoid being seen.
Too late, though, because the spider Akuma quickly climbed up to where they were, unhooked their car and brought it down to the ground, forcing them to hold onto whatever they could find to avoid getting hurt.
“Gotcha, my little flyweights! Yoink!” the Akuma said.
“Jesus Christ, Nora!” Alya yelled as the Akuma forced the door open.
“Nora's not here to protect you anymore!” the Akuma shouted, grabbing Nino with one of her six arms.
“Ah!”
“I'm Anansi, the Super-Spider!” the Akuma continued, pulling Nino out of the car.
“Guys! Guys!” Nino begged.
“C'mon, Alya, let's see you 'take care of yourself' without your friends to help you cheat!”
“What do you–”
And then Anansi fired her webs at Adrien and Marinette, trapping them into the car.
“Ahh!”
“Aw, gross!”
With both teens blocked, Anansi began to move away, but then jumped and struck the ferris wheel right in the middle.
“NO!”
“KYA!”
“This'll slow down M. Whiskers and the bugs!” the Akuma yelled as the ferris wheel fell from its place and began to slowly roll away.
“Aw, man, aw, man!” Alya yelled. “She's getting away with Nino, but I can't just leave you guys!”
“Go ahead, Alya!” Adrien replied, starting to pull on the spider web holding his left arm.
“We'll try and catch up!” Marinette added, also pulling off the web trapping her.
“Yeah, don't lose sight of Nino!”
“Are you sure?” Alya asked. “I can wait until–”
“IT'S FINE, PLEASE GO!” both of them yelled at her, intent on getting her away while they transformed.
“Uh, if you say so...” Alya replied, confused, before she did as bid and began to run after her Akumatized sister and her boyfriend.
Marinette and Adrien quickly began to pull on the silk threads, and while it was still sticky, they were able to get rid of it fast enough that it only took a couple of minutes before they were free.
“Ah, you know, I did promise Chat Noir I'd stay out of Akuma fights, so, I–I'll try to flag down a hero instead, yeah?” Marinette suggested, while rolling up the silk: if this thing survived the Miraculous Cure, perhaps she could try to use it as a material?
“G–Good idea! I'll uh, try to catch up with Alya and Nino! See ya!” Adrien replied, and both teens bolted to hide behind the closest alley.
----
“KYAAA!”
“RUN!”
“What's that about? So noisy,” Chloé complained.
“Chloé, it might be an Akuma!” Tikki suggested.
“No way, you don't know that,” the girl replied, but then Tikki looked at the street and her face turned to shock.
“C-Chloé! Look out!”
Chloé looked – and became shocked as well as she saw a loose ferris wheel rolling towards her!
“The ferris wheel!” she pointed out. Tikki could – just barely – see Sabrina, Lila, and someone that was probably Lila's mother holding onto each other, scared.
“It's going to crash into your dad's hotel!”
“And more importantly, my room! Spots On!”
“Ugh–” Tikki didn't even have the time to voice her insatisfaction as she became absorbed into the Earrings.
----
“Dammit, Nora, get your own boyfriend!” Alya shouted, seeing Nino hanging from a web that Anansi had crafted all over the Arc de Triomphe.
“Hey, babe,” she heard Nino say.
“Anansi, p'tite sœur! Now take a hike!”
“Wha–”
Alya didn't have the time to react before Anansi smacked her, sending her flying.
“Oh you bi–”
“Alya!”
A string suddenly coiled itself around her waist and pulled her to safety in Marigold's arms.
“Are you okay?!” the heroine asked with great worry.
“Yeah, thanks...”
“Hmph!” Scarlet Lady grumbled. “Leave this to the Hero of Paris, reporter gir–”
Then she actually saw the day's Akuma for the first time.
“Hey, little beetle!” the Akuma said with a grin.
“EEP! SPIDER LADY! LUCKY CHARM, LUCKY CHARM, LUCKY CHARM!”
As Chat Noir finally arrived, Marigold immediately started to go into planning mode.
“Okay, I'll run a distraction, Chat Noir will go for the hostage, and Scarlet Lady–”
“Welp, here you go Marimo– uh, Marigold,” Scarlet quickly interrupted, handing her the Lucky Charm while her Earrings began to beep, “good luck with that, I gotta, you know, recharge and stuff.”
“And then you'll come back, right?”
“Oh, I can't hear you, gotta turn back, byeeeee!” Scarlet said as she turned to run.
“And then you'll come back, right!?” Marigold yelled at the retreating back of the polka-dotted girl.
----
Unfortunately, the plan soon run into a snag.
“Uh, Honey Bee? I'm in a bit of a sticky situation,” Chat Noir asked, stuck to Anansi's web, as he looked down at the laughing Akuma. “That's some nightmare fuel right there.”
“Chat Noir!” Marigold yelled, still holding the Lucky Charm. “I have to make a trip, but I can't leave Chat defenseless! Lord knows I can't count on Scarlet!”
Alya looked down at the baton Chat Noir had dropped after getting trapped... and decided it was time to act.
“I'll do it.”
“Huh?!”
“I'll distract Anansi until you get back.”
“Are you sure?” Marigold asked. This was her elder sister, after all...
“No problem! I can even get back at my sister!” It didn't look like she minded, though. “For the greater good, of course.”
“Of course,” Marigold replied, a bit shocked.
----
Fortunately, using her top and the roofs allowed her to reach her destination, and after transforming back into her civilian self, she ran for her destination.
“Master Fu!” she said as she entered the parlor. “Chat Noir's about to lose his Ring, Scarlet Lady bailed, and I had to leave my best friend to hold off the Akuma!”
“Yikes!” the elder said, springing to his feet. “We have to take action!”
He picked up the Miraculous Box from its hideaway.
“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, pick an ally who can–”
“I'mma stop you right there cuz I need your Miraculous, Master!”
Fu had a brief look of shock, but nodded as he understood her intentions.
“Do you have someone in mind, Marinette?”
“I know the perfect person,” she replied, before turning to the Kwami of Protection with a n awkward gaze. “I hope you like interviews, Wayzz.”
“What's an interview?”
----
“Not so easy on your own, is it, Alya?” Anansi mocked her sister, who was huffing from the effort of keeping her at bay.
“It's easier when my opponent's so slow!” Alya yelled as she triggered the baton, hitting Anansi with the end of it.
“Ow! Why, you little–”
Anansi attempted to punch Alya with her three left fists, but before she could do that a thread coiled around the girl's waist once more, pulling her away.
“Alya!”
Marigold quickly pulled her away to somewhere where Anansi would be unable to see them.
“Did you see, did you see?! I got her good!” Alya cheered up.
“Uh, yes, I'm very proud,” Marigold replied.
While they were distracted, though, Anansi went back to her original target, the Cat Hero.
“It's just you and me, kitty-cat,” the Akuma said, grabbing his left arm with one hand, ready to steal the ring from him.
“You, me, and Cataclysm!” the hero replied, sticking his tongue at Anansi.
“And now we're pressed for time,” Marigold said, watching the events from below. “Do you still want to help your boyfriend?”
“Of course!” Alya exclaimed. “I'd do anything for Nino!”
Marigold pulled the ornate wooden box she had brought from Master Fu's.
“Alya Césaire, this is the Turtle Miraculous, which grants the power of Protection. You will use it for the greater good–”
Alya grabbed Marigold by the shoulders and began to shake her back and forth.
“Are you serious, this is a total dream come true AHHHHHH!”
“L-Let me finish!” Marigold complained.
----
After letting her finish, Alya picked the box and opened it, revealing a green bracelet and, with a flash of green, a small, floating turtle-like creature.
“Whoa, what's this thing?!” Alya asked.
“The word you're looking for is 'Kwami'. My name is Wayzz,” the Kwami of Protection replied.
“A Kwami? You're what gives superheroes their powers, aren't you?” she asked, and Wayzz nodded.
“My, Marigold wasn't kidding about how bright you are!”
“No way, you talk about me?!” Alya exclaimed again, and Wayzz held his laugh at seeing Marigold's embarrassed face.
“H-Hurry up and transform!” she shouted.
“Eeeee! Okay, okay! Wayzz, SHELL ON!”
----
When the flash of light ended, the new heroine looked down at her costume, admiring everything.
“This is soooo cool!” she said, before turning back to Marigold. “Hey, where do you get Miraculouses?! How many are–”
“Focus!” Marigold interrupted the deluge of questions. “We have to save Nino before Chat Noir turns back! But first we need to locate our fearless leader.”
While the Turtle Heroine took the time to feel her new features – including her very fluffy hair – Marigold called Scarlet Lady on her top-phone.
Then the melody of Scarlet Lady's yo-yo began to ring right behind her.
“Of course,” she grumbled, irritated.
“Have you finished off the spider lady yet?” Scarlet Lady asked.
“Obviously not,” Marigold fired back.
“Well, hurry up!” Scarlet Lady ordered. “And who's she?!”
Our hero, the new heroine sarcastically thought.
Scarlet Lady ignored her and turned to Marigold.
“Uh, nice to meet you?” she asked, feeling awkward.
“Of course it is,” Scarlet Lady mumbled. “Bumbling bee! Where are you getting these Miraculouses, huh?!”
“As if I'd tell you,” Marigold said, dismissively.
“Scarlet Lady doesn't know where the Miraculouses come from but you do?” the Turtle Heroine asked, confused.
“Chat Noir too. Off the record.”
She wasn't sure of the reason, but she needed to ask.
“Why?”
Marigold gave her an 'Are you kidding me?' look.
“She can't be trusted with anything,” she replied, pointing at Scarlet Lady, “let alone secrets of that magnitude.”
“HEY!” Scarlet Lady yelled.
Nobody cared.
I'm starting to see that, she thought.
“How dare you–”
“Just use Lucky Charm already!” Marigold shouted, irritated.
----
This time, the object was a pair of boxing gloves, which Scarlet Lady immediately handed to Marigold.
“Here, go deal with the Akuma, worker bee,” she said, while Marigold just looked like she was done.
“Whu–?! You're not coming?!” the Turtle Heroine asked, shocked.
“Please, that's grunt work,” Scarlet Lady replied with a smug look. “Better get used to it, turtle head. That's your spot in the pecking order while I call the shots.”
“Please, you don't 'call' anything,” Marigold said, rolling her eyes.
Scarlet Lady ignored her.
“So, what dumb little name have you cooked up for yourself?”
She thought it over, and came up with the perfect combination.
“Koki Marina.”
“Hm, there's gotta be some way to make an insult out of it,” Scarlet Lady said, closing her eyes. “Give me time.”
And, with those words, the last remains of her respect for the 'heroine' completely vanished.
I'm going to write such an article about you!
----
Leaving the lazy girl behind them, Marigold and Koki Marina charged towards the Arc de Triomphe, ready to stop the Akuma before Chat Noir transformed back into his civilian identity.
“Hey Anansi!” Marigold yelled.
“Come at me, scrub!” Koki Marina challenged.
“Ooo, a new challenger?” the Akuma asked.
Immediately, Koki Marina began to attack the Akuma with a speed that was unlike what she was meant to represent, while Marigold began to extend her cord around the monument.
“Ugh!”
“Nyah, nyah!”
“This isn't kick boxing!” the Akuma complained.
“Anansi!” Marigold shouted, putting on the gloves. “One round! You win, you get our Miraculouses! I win, you release your prisoners!”
“Huh?” the Akuma asked, shocked.
“Pay attention, I challenge you!”
“Eeeeeeeeee...”
“Or, uh, Koki Marina challenges you,” she lamely added, as her cheer increased.
“EEEE!”
Marigold handed the gloves to Koki Marina, who got ready for the fight.
And began by dodging a punch that struck one of the Arc's pillars.
“Made ya look!” she taunted the Akuma.
“Nyah!”
“Over here!” she said over the next punch, which also hit another pillar.
“SHUT UP!”
“Too slow!” Koki Marina yelled as another attack hit another pillar.
“Hold STILL!”
And so they went for a minute, before Koki Marina noticed the small rocks starting to fall.
“Quit hiding in your shell, and fight back!” Anansi demanded, ignorant of what was about to come.
“Okay~” Koki Marina replied, leaning on the cord and pulling.
The Arc de Triomphe began to crumble down, and Anansi realized too late that she had fallen into a trap.
“Uhh–”
Marigold quickly pulled the hostages down and near Koki Marina, who used her ultimate technique.
“Shellter!”
A sphere of green hexagons surrounded the group, which was left safe as the monument fell to pieces around and above them, while the Akuma was not so lucky and got trapped.
The moment the Shellter was brought down, Chat Noir – just running out of time with his Cataclysm – and Marigold split off, while Koki Marina checked on Nino.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Y-Yeah,” he answered.
“Glad to hear it, handsome,” she said, grinning, in a flirty tone.
“Oh! Uh –” Nino floundered, while behind them Marigold had grabbed Chat Noir and got ready to throw him as if she were throwing a javelin.
“Ultimate Chat Noir Technique! Aim for the helmet!” the Cat Hero said, and Marigold shot him at the Akuma, finally destroying the object and freeing the corrupting butterfly.
“I, like, have a girlfriend?” Nino continued, flushing, and scratching the back of his head. “I mean, I'm flattered! But she's kind of the most amazing person ever, so–”
Koki Marina smiled, holding onto the instinct to laugh or thank Nino for his kind words towards her civilian self, and nodded.
“M-hm.”
Then Nino pulled out his cellphone.
“Do you mind being recorded for the Ladyblog?”
“Ooo, can I?!” Koki Marina asked Marigold, who just huffed in amusement.
“Keep it brief.”
While Nino filmed the new heroine, another person approached the group.
“Hellooo, the real hero is over here!” Scarlet Lady yelled, pointing at herself.
“I don't remember you trying to save me,” Nino deadpanned, wisely choosing to ignore her.
Paris' real heroes watched in happiness and a bit of amusement.
“Good pick, Goldie,” Chat Noir encouraged.
“I only surround myself with the best.” Then she felt a bit awkward. “Now I just gotta stop her from spilling all the Turtle's secrets.”
“See, it detaches!” Koki Marina said, posing for Nino's video. “I can put it on my arm and back!”
----
Finally pulling Koki Marina away – which was easy, as her bracelet was beeping – Marigold took her to an alley and had the girl return to her civilian form, ready to recover the Miraculous.
“Aww, you're taking my baby?” Alya pouted, holding Wayzz protectively in her hands.
“Don't make me regret you,” Marigold countered, and Alya let go with a sigh.
“Ah, just kidding. Part of me wants to make a fuss but I don't want to be as untrustworthy as Scarlet Lady.” She shook her head. “My poor blog needs a total rehaul.”
“Alya, your blog is a huge source of information,” Wayzz wisely pointed out. “I'm sure you could use that information for something good!”
Alya gasped.
“Like finding Hawkmoth!” she said, grabbing Wayzz again and rubbing her cheek against his. “Wayzz, you genius! Are you sure I can't keep you?!”
“No! Stop bonding RIGHT NOW!”
----
With everything back to normal, Marinette and Adrien managed to return from their hero selves and tracked down their friends, who were now being chaperoned by Nora.
“Hey! Is everyone okay?” Marinette asked.
“Woe is me!” Nino dramatically replied. “After all the power of friendship talk, only Alya came to save me!”
“Aw, geez,” Adrien complained.
“Relax, I'm just messing with you,” Nino said with a wink as he pulled his cellphone. “Alya, check this out, there was a new hero and I got footage for you–”
“Oh Nino that's soooo SWEET!” Alya shouted, jumping into her boyfriend's embrace and starting to kiss him.
“MMPH!” Nino said, not knowing whether to pull her closer or push her away, because... “A-Alya, Nora's watching, like, really watching!”
Given the 'overprotective sibling' glare he was getting targeted with, he had a reason to be wary.
As soon as Alya let her boyfriend go, Nora turned bashful for a moment.
“Hey, uh, sorry for losing my cool over the match,” she apologized. “I mean, even superheroes don't work alone! Why should you have to?”
Marinette and Adrien shared a look, and the teens let the fighter bring them into a hug.
“Hey, no big deal, right Anansi?” Adrien said.
“Hey, let's invite Nora to ice skate with us!” Nino suggested, and Alya nodded.
“Yeah I can't remember the last time we hung out!”
Nora pulled them closer.
“I'm gonna skate circles around you,” she said.
The teens wondered if they were going to have to deal with the same thing again.
“It's not a competition,” Nino pointed out.
----
After some time skating, everyone went back to their homes, and Alya checked her phone for the video Nino had made of her heroine self.
“Thanks so much for the footage, mon cœur!” she told Nino. “I've got a few things to finish up, try not to stay up too late! Night.”
And she hung up her phone.
Her two projects were on her table.
The first, a list of all the Akuma fights that had taken place since Stoneheart, and what Scarlet Lady had been actually seen doing during them.
The green, for the times she had actually helped, were a minority.
Most of them were purple, after what she presumed was Hawkmoth's color.
Every time she was heard insulting someone (usually Chat Noir or Marigold), it was blue.
Yellow was reserved for whenever someone new did more work than Scarlet Lady.
If she was late (which was quite common), the orange sticker let her find it.
And, finally, in deep red, the times where Scarlet Lady hadn't even bothered to show up.
The second project was a map.
She pulled a string and pinpointed the place and time where the latest Akuma had happened.
“Alright,” she said, tying the string to the tack on her home. “Where are you, motherfucker...”
She had not done much as of yet... but from now on, the hunt for Hawkmoth was ON.
----
Troublemaker
@zoe-oneesama Heyy, hope you like this!
Also, it's finally holiday time for me!
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