Chapter Text
“We are meeting with Coccinelle, leader of the Miraculous Court.” Batman stood at the head of the table in the Watchtower as he addressed the gathered superheroes. “She and her team have been operating in Paris for 4 years now, and with the capture of the villain Hawkmoth making international news, this has just come to my attention.”
Robin took note of how Green Lantern fidgeted in his seat and smirked. The imbecile had gotten a tongue-lashing from Batman worthy of the time Red Robin and Red Hood teamed up to blow up some of the League of Assassins' bases while Red Robin was benched due to having two fractured ribs.
Batman continued, “After someone’s… oversight,” Green Lantern shrank down in his seat. “Coccinelle has decided to meet with us. All of the information I have gathered on her and her team is in the briefings I handed out earlier.”
Robin scoffed as a couple of the so-called “adult” heroes quickly peeked through their briefings. He had helped collect all of the data for them and had some pertinent information relating to the Miraculous due to hearing about them in the league. So, Father had allowed him to come to this meeting. He had just turned 18 and was finally being allowed to start transitioning into a place on the Justice League.
“The purpose of this meeting is to ascertain Coccinelle’s motivations and her threat level to determine whether or not we need to confiscate the Miraculous.”
“Confiscate the Miraculous?” Wonder Woman questioned. “Surely, you see that she is a hero whom we should offer an alliance with.”
Superman raised his hands in a placating gesture. “While I wouldn’t immediately offer an alliance to an unknown, I don’t think we should go so far as to take her powers.”
“Which we do not have the authority to do!” Wonder Woman glared at Batman. “That responsibility falls solely on the Guardian, and we should not interfere.”
Batman grunted, which Robin translated as his annoyed grunt. “And we are to just trust this Guardian whom we know nothing about with powers that, according to my research, can reshape reality?”
Before the argument could continue, a blue portal appeared at the end of the table. Robin gripped the handle of his katana as he shifted along the edges of the room to a fighting stance.
A woman, who could only have been Coccinelle, stepped out of the portal, and Robin froze. She carried herself with a calm confidence that screamed she was used to being the most powerful in a room. Her black combat boots made no sound as she practically glided forward, her sheer skirt fluttering behind her. Stopping in front of the table, she pulled back her hood, revealing her masked face with her hair pulled up into a complex bun.
“Coccinelle.” Wonder Woman rose to bow towards the spotted hero. “It is an honor to have you meet with us today.”
Coccinelle inclined her head before scanning the room. “Thank you for your kind offer.” The moment her deep blue eyes met his, Robin felt as if his soul was on display for her to see. There was something about her shift in posture that made Robin think she might have felt it too. But she quickly ripped her gaze away from him, leaving him with a surprising longing to have her look at him again.
Robin shook himself out of those thoughts as his guard slammed back up. He concluded that Coccinelle must be a strong magic user to have that kind of magnetic pull. Father might have been right about keeping an eye on her, but Robin didn’t think that taking away her miraculous would be enough to stop her.
“We would like to discuss your powers and how Hawkmoth was defeated. I have not been able find much information on the subject.” Batman began.
“Jumping right in, I see.” Coccinelle’s lips tugged into a small smile. “Information on my powers is limited for a reason, as I do not want anyone with a superiority complex thinking that they deserve control over my powers simply because they think they could use them better than I do.”
Silence thickly blanketed the room as Coccinelle continued to politely smile at Batman.
Clearing his throat, Batman broke the silence. “I assure you-“
“Let’s not play games, Batman.” Coccinelle’s smile widened, and Robin was struck with the feeling of watching a predator humoring her prey. “I’m way too old to be beating around the bush with your little word games. I came here today to ascertain whether or not to work with you on occasion because working against people who have the same goal as me is tiring.”
Green Lantern scoffed. “Too old? Please, you’ve been out in the field for four years, and you can’t be older than what, 25? Where do you get off thinking you can talk to us this way? You’ve dealt with a man dressed up as a butterfly. We’ve dealt with the end of the world, so show some respect, little girl.”
Coccinelle’s glare could freeze hell, and Robin subtly moved as far away from Green Lantern as possible. The air shifted as Coccinelle began to chuckle, and shivers ran down Robin’s spine.
“Coccinelle.” Wonder Woman attempted to drag the heroine’s attention away from Green Lantern, but she had locked onto her target.
“The end of the world, how… quaint.” Coccinelle stalked toward Green Lantern, and Robin mentally rearranged his schedule to fit in a time to attend his funeral. “The height of your arrogance is astounding.” She looked down on him with a polite smile fixed on her face. “If only your intelligence matched. Maybe then we could have a respectable conversation. Your first error, well, in this conversation at least, was assuming that you know anything about me when the pages of your informational briefing are still crisp. I am an unknown with the power to bring the dead back to life without a second thought. If that doesn’t scare you, you’re more of a jackanapes than I thought.”
Green Lantern’s face began turning red as he shot to his feet. “Now see here, little girl-”
“And that was your second error.” Coccinelle’s smile widened. “Trust me, I’m older than I look, little boy.”
Lifting his hands, Superman stood. “Let’s all calm down and get back to the reason for this meeting.”
Coccinelle strode away from Green Lantern as she addressed the rest of the room. “I am here today because I would like to form a situational alliance. I give you a way to contact me, you give me a way to contact you, and whenever we cross paths on missions, we inform each other. Maybe we even assist each other.”
“We do not work with unknowns.” Batman narrowed his eyes. “If you let us examine the miraculous-“
“No.” Coccinelle stared down Batman.
“We have the resources to keep the miraculous safe. Unlike you, who lost the butterfly miraculous, allowing Hawkmoth to go on his four-year rampage.”
“Do not speak of events as if you have any inkling of what occurred.” Coccinelle stood tall, power radiating off her in a way Robin could almost taste. “If you refuse to have basic communication skills and insist that any power that you do not understand must be under your control, then we are done here.”
Coccinelle turned to leave, and Robin barely restrained himself from calling out to her to wait.
“Wait! Coccinelle!” Wonder Woman rose to her feet. “Please excuse my teammates and their disrespect. They do not understand.”
“Lack of understanding is an opportunity for learning.” Coccinelle deadpanned. “If they cannot show basic social comprehension of not speaking about things that they know nothing about, then why should I continue to subject myself to their presence, as it burdens my mental load?”
Wonder Woman strode over to Coccinelle. “Then please at least have my contact information, as that is at least something of what you came for.”
Coccinelle inclined her head. “Thank you. Hippolyta raised you well. Please give her my regards, and my promise to come visit her again soon.”
“You’ve met my mother?” Wonder Woman handed over her information.
Coccinelle laughed as she traded hers. “I practically raised the little Άγγελέ. I trained her in the ways of the ladybug when she was little. I wish I could’ve stayed with her longer, but I knew she could handle herself.”
“How old are you?” The words slipped out of Robin’s mouth before he could stop them. The weight of Coccinelle’s gaze fell on him again, and his skin began to itch. Under her stare, he couldn’t help but feel like he had been appraised and found lacking.
Coccinelle sighed. “A lot older than I appear. I lost count centuries ago.”
Green Lantern sneered. “Yeah, right.”
Raising an eyebrow, Coccinelle glanced over at Green Lantern. Then she smiled a soul-chilling smile. “願你的祖先四代都受到詛咒。”
Robin winced as Green Lantern blinked at her in confusion. Coccinelle flicked open her yo-yo and clicked a button. Seconds later, a portal opened up, and she strode over to it.
“Coccinelle.” Batman growled.
“I’d say it was a pleasure meeting you, but my mother didn’t raise a liar.” Coccinelle stepped through the portal.