Chapter Text
Marinette had always been a mature child. Growing up she worked in the bakery doing various chores, helping out whenever she could. As such, her parents had left her alone while they delivered baked goods to customers. They were always very busy, leaving Marinette with little to no supervision.
On their most recent delivery, Marinette had been tasked with cleaning up the kitchen. Wiping down counters, doing the dishes, and putting away some of the smaller ingredients. She was only ten after all.
It was still early morning by the time she had finished. The bakery would open slightly later than usual, due to the delivery, but it would not be that big of a deal. All the regular morning customers already had their usual orders baked and ready to sell. New customers could pick from the various pre-made goods from any of the glass display counters. Anytime her maman and papa were too busy the customers would be directed to the ten-year-old girl, after all, Marinette knew how to work the counter.
While cleaning the kitchen, she had ended up tripping over thin air, spilling flour all over herself and the kitchen. Marinette had quickly finished cleaning up the flour and then ran up to her room to change into a clean outfit. There, she had noticed a small black box with red markings sitting on her desk.
It wasn’t there when Marinette had left her room earlier. She curiously ambled over to it. Marinette was also fairly positive that there was no special occasion. Marinette picked up the box for a closer look. As with any child, curiosity got the better of her. The box was about the size of her hand, and hexagonal. Instead of the normal four sides, it had six. The red markings looked like they could be from Chinese culture, so it could have been a gift from her maman. It wasn’t anything her papa would get her.
Marinette opened the strange box only to be blinded by a ball of light. Once Marinette could see again, she saw a floating, red, polka-dotted bug-mouse? Of course, like any reasonable child Marinette’s age, she screamed. Throwing the box that she had previously been holding, it bounced off the other side of the room. The creature ignored the fact that Marinette was currently freaking out, and decided to come closer and opened its mouth.
“Hello, I’m Tikki and I’m your kwami,” they said.
“Giant bug-mouse! There’s a giant bug-mouse in my room,” Marinette mumbled frantically, waving her hands just as, if not more frantically. “Why is there a giant bug-mouse in my room?!” She started walking backward as the flying thing flew closer.
“I’m not a bug or a mouse, I’m a kwami.” the bug- no, kwami, the kwami declared.
“Right, cause that makes it better!” Marinette cried out as she grabbed an empty container off her desk, quickly putting it over the b-, kwami.
“If that makes you feel better,” the kwami said with a sigh.
At this point, Marinette was thinking that she might not have gotten out of bed this morning. She patted her face a few times as if trying to wake up. As such, it caused the kwami to giggle,
“You’re funny,” the kwami said through giggles. “I’m very real, Marinette.”
“How do you know my name? Wait, who are you? What are you?” Marinette asked in a little less frantic voice. She had too many questions and not enough answers.
“As I said before, I’m a kwami, my name is Tikki. I know your name because you were chosen to be my holder!” The kwami said.
“Your name is Tikki,” when the kwami nodded their head she continued. “You’re a kwami,” receiving another nod. “What’s a kwami?”
“A kwami is a god of a concept that came into being,” Tikki fazed through the container causing Marinette to take a step back. Instead of going towards Marinette, Tikki grabbed the forgotten box from earlier. “And each kwami is tethered to a miraculous.”
Tikki moves back towards Marinette, handing her the box.
“So you’re a god of some sort?” Marinette asked, cautiously taking the box from the kwami’s hands/paws/flippers- no, appendages.
“Correct,” Tikk said with a cheerful smile. “I’m the ladybug kwami, Goddess of creation and good luck!” It could be weirder Marinette thought with a shrug. Wait…
“Who decides to randomly give a ten-year-old child a GOD!”
“That is something I cannot exactly explain right now,” Tikki trails off. “None of the Kwamis can.”
Marinette blinked a few times, staring at the ladybug kwami. This was both too much and too little information. Now she has to try and figure out what to do with this new knowledge.
Marinette was smarter than most kids her age. She loves puzzles, riddles, and any kinds of trick games. Maybe that's why Marinette was thinking so much about the way Tikki decided to say that.
Tikki had just given her some very useful, if not strange information in the form of a trick statement. The definition of cannot is that whatever the person is talking about is not possible. If Tikki said they wouldn’t be able to explain then that would mean Tikki could and decided against it. Therefore if the Kwamis cannot say something does that mean they can be controlled?
Tikki had just said that the definition of kwami is a god. That would mean someone or something could control the kwamis. It is a little unnerving to think about. If something can control the kwamis, does that make them slaves?
“...inette? MARINETTE!!!” Tikki called, bringing her back to the real world. Blinking a few times Marinette released that she must have been staring, too deep in her train of thought.
Shaking her head to get rid of the unpleasant idea, “Sorry, you were saying?”
Tikki looked at her curiously, “As I was saying, to transform just say spots on. To de-transform say spots off.”
The ladybug kwami looked at Marinette making sure she heard it this time. Once Marinette nods her head, Tikki continues, “The magic glamour the miraculous has makes it so others can’t figure out who you are. If they see you transform or de-transform they will know your civilian identity. The only other way is if they were told by the user themselves or if the grand guardian tells them.”
Marinette tilts her head with a puzzled look, “Grand guardian?”
Tikki’s eyes widened, realizing her mistake. The kwami clears her throat, “If your identity is found out then that person is unable to inform anyone who doesn’t already know.”
Marinette narrowed her eyes, about to ask why her question was glossed over when she heard someone call, “女女 (Nǚ Nǚ), we’re about to open. Could you come down and help with the regulars?”