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Lila was walking home after sundown and was surprised when a guy with blue skin wearing a dark blue suit and holding a fan made of feathers appeared suddenly in front of her.
"Are you lost, mistress?" he said.
"If there's anyone who is lost, it's probably you, I can tell from your accent that you're not from Paris."
"Neither are you, Miss Rossi."
Of course he knew her name; she was famous after all.
"I am a citizen of the world, Mister...."
"Argos."
"Argos? I'm not an expert on mythology, but Argos is a dog, not a peacock."
"Argos is a giant with many eyes, just like a peacock's feathers."
"That was Argus, not Argos."
"Well then I'll just say that I am your faithful puppy." He kissed her hand.
Lila giggled to play along.
"Did Monarch send you? How did you get a miraculous?" she asked. If Monarch was going to give someone a miraculous, it should have been her.
"No. I wanted the Peacock miraculous, and I saw an opportunity, and I took it," he stepped closer. "I always get what I want," he said, looking at her.
If he really took a miraculous from Monarch, then he could be a valuable ally.
"I saw you fighting Ladybug earlier," she said, "let me give you some advice: if you want to defeat someone, the best way is not to directly fight them, but to make them lose all hope so they don't want to fight."
"Damn, how did you become such a dark person?"
Because she knew what it was like to be isolated, alone, and without hope that things could be different. Being ruthless changed all of that. Now she had a modeling career and two found families, if by 'found' you meant finding the right families and forging adoption papers.
"I was born that way," she said. "The best way to defeat Ladybug is to have Chat Noir turn against her."
"And how am I supposed to do that?"
"I'm sure you'll think of something. After all, he wasn't really her partner in every sense of the word. Now, if you excuse me, I'm meeting the mayor's daughter."
"You're friends with Chloe Bourgeois?" he said with distaste.
"We're not friends; we're allies against Marinette Dupain-Cheng, just like you and I can be allies against Ladybug. Bye!"
