Nathalie looked exhausted. She was still quite sick, and the stress of the situation wasn't helping. Her usually pristine bun had fallen loose and half undone, her usual neat suit was replaced with lounge pants and a knitted jumper. Behind her glasses her eyes were baggy and her skin was pale. Luka felt bad for essentially dragging her out of bed when she would be resting, but if it meant finding Adrien they were both willing to make some sacrifices.

After school, Luka rode his bike down to a little cafe that he and Adrien would frequent, Nathalie had picked him up from there plenty of times. That's where they'd meet, and now they sat in the furthest corner with a drink each. Maybe they were both just paranoid form the whole situation, but they hoped this didn't look sketchy to anyone in the cafe. A school aged teenager and a whole adult woman who looked like a total wreck alone at a cafe in the corner. Hopefully they just looked like family...

"Listen Luka, clearly you're the only one that's taking things seriously here. You haven't gotten caught up in all the media frenzy and conspiracy theories... so everything I'm about to tell you... it has to stay between us. Just for now, until we can be sure Adrien is safe" Nathalie began.

Luka nodded, her tone told him it was clearly serious. Nathalie sighed, looking down at her cup of coffee in her hands, she seemed... ashamed.

"Gabriel... he's hawkmoth..." she began.

Luka almost choked on his drink, the initial shock hit him like a bus. But only moments later he thought 'yeah, that checks out'. Given all he knew about Gabriel, he did fit the bill to be a supervillain.

"And... I was briefly mayura. I'm not proud of it, using that miraculous while it was broken is why I'm so sick now. I consider that my punishment for even thinking of going along with his bullshit. I know I can't take back what I did, but each step I take with aching joints and breath I take with weak lungs is punishment for my crimes" Nathalie sighed, clearly remorseful and ashamed by her actions as Mayura.

But Luka wasn't mad, because his first thought was 'Gabriel forced her'.

"But you... didn't willingly do it right? Like you didn't offer to help you were coerced into it... right?" He asked.

"Yes and no... looking back Gabriel absolutely used the fact I was so devoted to his family to have me do his dirty work. But for a while I... I don't know I felt like I had to. So I did, even when he'd not ask me to. I wanted to... I don't know. I wanted to be of use I guess..." she explained.

Luka couldn't find it in himself to be mad at her. Sure, she royally fucked up using that miraculous, causing the senti-monster attacks. But she was suffering, permanently sick because of that same miraculous. She was getting her punishment in the form of physical pain and low energy every day of her life. That, and from what Adrien told him, Nathalie clearly was the one running the household and taking care of him like a mother would. She'd fully been looped into Gabriel's bullshit, she was a glorified housewife, manager AND maid. She'd suffered enough, she didn't need to be berated for something she was clearly remorseful and regretted doing.

"He's trying to bring his wife back. At first I... kind of agreed? I don't know. I wanted Adrien to have his mother back, he was the one who took it the hardest. He was only 13, he lost her so young. I felt like... I wasn't enough I guess? I'm not his mother, but I was the only thing close to it and I felt he deserved his actual mother..." Nathalie explained.

Luka got what she meant, it was a complicated situation. Emilie dying so suddenly, Adrien being so young, Nathalie's relationship with the family. He couldn't be mad at her for being caught up in such a complicated situation and falling into the wrong side of things.

"Long story short, Gabriel wanted Emilie back, I thought Adrien deserved his mother, things got... out of hand. I couldn't stand by him anymore, and I was getting sick anyway so he didn't think I'd stopped helping him because I didn't agree with him. He thought it was because I was sick. So I've avoided his wrath... so far. If it weren't for Adrien, I'd have left that household ages ago. But Adrien... I love him, his mother asked me to protect him, I intent on protecting him like my own son" Nathalie finished.

That certainly cleared a lot up, and a lot of things were making sense to Luka now. And his suspicions of Gabriel being behind Adrien's disappearance were only stronger knowing he was capable of actual terrorism.

"Do you think he's used the miraculous to do something to him?" Luka asked.

"Honestly I wouldn't put it past him. But I have no idea where he's keeping him, I've looked down in his hawkmoth basement, there's no sign of him" Nathalie replied.

"Hmm... locating him is probably the first step. Then we could get an idea what exactly has been done to him"

"I was thinking that too, if we know where he is, we can figure out what exactly we're walking into here. How to approach getting him free"

Nathalie had been very anxious about what exactly was being done to Adrien. She knew details about him that no one else did, that she wasn't even sure if she should divulge to Luka at all. The nature of Adrien's... birth, was different to others. Gabriel had a control over him that no other parent did. She was worried he may be using that to his advantage in some way. That if he completely lost it... he'd end up the only Agreste left, wife and child gone. Nathalie beloved Adrien was still alive, as of now. That Gabriel wouldn't sink that low... yet. She didn't put the possibility past him though.

Noticing the concern on Nathalie's face, Luka could tell she knew things no one else did. And he made him worry, that she was jumping to the worst possible conclusions because she knew the truth about Gabriel.

"He's not... I mean- Gabriel hasn't done anything to him before has he?" Luka asked, pit of dread forming inside him.

"Not... that I'm aware of" Nathalie began.

The thought sickened her. She really wanted to believe Gabriel wouldn't do that. But after all she's witnessed, all the depravity he'd committed as hawkmoth, she had a sinking feeling he may actually be capable of something that horrendous. She knew that people who craved power and control were willing to do horrifying things just to feel the kick of power, and given how badly Gabriel seeking power by even trying to resurrect the dead, rewrite history itself, he was very far gone.

"Adrien never... told you anything? Or showed any signs something was happening?" She continued, wondering if maybe Adrien had said something to someone outside of his household.

Luka shook his head, a slight feeling of relief washing over her. At least it seemed like things hadn't gone that far...

"He definitely expressed feeling unsafe, hatred for his dad and a lot of self doubt from all the gaslighting he'd faced. I was always worried he'd been hit or something, so I was always keeping an eye on him for bruises and stuff. If he ever was struck or... touched... then I haven't seen it and he's never told me" Luka replied.

"I've definitely heard them get into violent fights, lots of screaming and throwing things on Gabriel's end. But if Adrien ever was physically hurt, then he hasn't told me either" Nathalie added.

They both hoped that meant it hadn't happened, but they were both very concerned that in the time Adrien had been missing... that kind of abuse had started happening. Now he was away from the public eye, he couldn't say or do anything about it. And that scared them.

Wherever Adrien was, and whatever state he was in right now... they hoped he knew they were doing everything in their power to find him, and bring him back to a home that will keep him safe.