The Dragons Are Back (Miraculous Ladybug X The Elder Scrolls Crossover)

Chapter 22: Taking The High Road

"Adrien?" Kriinahruth called out from the roof of the school.

Adrien looked up at the red dragon. Kriinahruth rarely spoke to anyone other than the other dragons, and even then, it was rare.

"Yeah, Kriinahruth?"

"Strunsahtiid wishes to speak to you later."

"Well, my schedule's packed today..."

"Then perhaps some other day?"

"Maybe."

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"Cat Noir, may I speak to you?"

Cat Noir nearly jumped off the roof when he heard the deep voice booming behind him. He whirled around to see Strunsahtiid lying on his stomach, as if he'd been waiting for him.

"S-Sure."

"Krosis, Cat Noir, if I startled you."

"I-It's fine. What did you want to talk about?"

"First, allow me to get this out of the way." Strunsahtiid lowered his voice. "I know that you are Adrien Agreste."

Cat Noir froze up, then stammered, "H-How-"

"Through my observation of Paris via my Elder Scroll."

An awkward silence hung in the air.

"So... do you wish for me to speak?" Strunsahtiid asked.

"Okay."

"I have learned through my observation that you stopped Marinette from trying to expose Lila as a liar by advising her to 'take the high road'. I would like to ask what exactly you meant by this so-called 'high road'."

"I didn't want Lila to get Akumatized. I thought I could get her to change and that her lies weren't hurting anyone." He let out a bitter laugh. "Guess I was a real fool for believing that, wasn't I?"

"Yes. Yes you were," the dragon said bluntly. "I understand that you have been isolated by your father for much of your life, but did you really think that ignoring a compulsive liar would solve the problem?"

"I didn't think that her lies were hurting anyone, but now I know better. And also..." His voice trailed off.

"Hm?"

"My... My father taught me to deal with lies and rumors by ignoring them. Ignore them, and they don't have any power. And I'd roped her into a deal where if she started hurting people, I'd cut her off."

"That may be the case for some lies, but that is not the case for all lies, Monsieur Noir. And really, what made you think that Lila would keep to her promise of not hurting people? She's a liar. Lying, deception, and not keeping their word is what liars do. Taking the high road doesn't mean doing nothing about a problem person, it mean not sinking to their level trying to solve it. For example, stopping a racist from causing harm while not engaging in things like bigotry against them is taking the high road."

"I know. I won't let it happen again."

"Good."

The two sat there, quiet, thinking about their current situations. Cat Noir finally decided to just say something to take his mind off the topic of Lila.

"You have any tips on how to get Ladybug to like me?"

"Well, ultimately the choice is up to her whether she likes you or not, but even if she does end up liking you, it'll still be unsafe to date until Hawk Moth has been defeated. But I want to ask you this: why do you always act like a Casanova?"

Cat Noir suddenly looked embarrassed.

"Well, it's because... it's because I watched a lot of TV when I was little."

Strunsahtiid stared at him for a moment, then his entire body started to shake and the corners of his lips upturned.

"It's not funny!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he wheezed, "it's just that I didn't expect that kind of answer. I thought that you got it from a dating website or something."

"Look, you don't have a lot of options for entertainment when you're not allowed to even leave your house and your father puts about a few hundred digital restrictions so that you can't watch certain things, even if they're completely harmless."

"Yes, yes, I understand. I'd advise you to stop trying to flirt with her all the time. I recall seeing through my Elder Scroll that Ladybug didn't even realize that you really had a crush on her until the whole Glaciator incident."

"Really?"

"Yes, that's my advice. Although you might want to ask Paarthurnax just to be sure. He's much more familiar with human dynamics. I'm just giving my opinion."

"But," the white dragon added, barely keeping a smile off his face. "Just in case she doesn't fall for you, there is another girl that you, let's just say, may like, and that I feel could be a good partner for you."

"Who?"

"Marinette, of course."

Cat Noir smiled, then flung himself at Strunsahtiid and hugged his snout. The dragon tensed up.

"Thanks buddy. You're a great friend."

Strunsahtiid smiled. Even though Adrien was a bit of an oblivious idiot when it came to love and social interactions and drove him and Ladybug up the wall sometimes, in the end he was still a good kid with a good heart.