Behind her, shots from a respectable distance of His Honor, dressed in a workman's uniform, gloves and hardhat, seeming to earnestly work along with his fellow citizens, hauling pieces of concrete into large plastic bins, played on a digital screen.
The pair of weathered, heavily lidded, silver jade eyes stared back at the screen in a blase fashion.
"He seems quite apt for his reelection campaign, now doesn't he?" The man's cool, dulcet tone of voice observed as he viewed the footage from a quite large high definition television.
The voice, belonging to the aged, but well chiseled, handsome face of the villainous Papillon, sitting in a darkened, lavishly furnished room. He reclined in a comfortable, gentlemanly style upon a very expensive looking easy chair. "He also appears satisfied that he's pulled the wool over the public's eyes yet again.." He again noted aloud.
A sinister grin crossed the man's thin mouth as he reflected upon the mechanations simmering in his skull. "That is.. If he should still be in an.. UPRIGHT position to win this accolade.." He concluded dramatically. Then, from out of the shadows, the hulking, grey skinned figure of The Mime stepped into the glow of the television's transmission.
"Be a fine, upstanding fellow, and and demonstrate to.. His Honor.. Our feelings on this matter.." Papillon turned his head to acknowledge his mute subordinate.
Mime gave a curt nod of affirmation, before turning and staring coldly at the monitor. With a trained, steady hand, he aimed his index finger at the image of the grinning, corpulent official's face, cocked back his thumb like a pistol's hammer, and quickly depressed it.
Suddenly, the image on the monitor exploded into a shower of sparks! Leaving behind the blank deactivated screen of the moniter with a small, smoking hole in the middle. The maleavolently smirking faces of Papillon and Mime reflected in it.
"And I must tell you that it fills me with such pride to look back and see the bright gleaming faces of Paris' youth, and the future of this fine country!" The grinning, beaming face of Mayor Bourgeois announced as he stood behind the podium before a teeming mass of news reporters near the atheletic field at Notre Dame Academy, the energetic faces of the students standing close behind him on the football bleachers seemed calm and collected, despite their excitement to be standing next to such a respected public official.
Every one except Marinette Cheng, that was, who was too busy staring daggers in the direction of the Mayor's prim and spoiled daughter, Chloe edging not quite subtley to the stonefaced, seemingly uninterested, yet dashingly handsome student, Felix Agreste.
The obvious emotions boiling through Marinette's head were not lost on Alya Cesaire, her best friend, who attempted to get her attention as faintly as possible. "Marinette.. Please.." She muttered in a concerned voice.
Marinette wasn't listening, though. She was too busy seething, her teeth grinding, as the hair strand above her head jittered about in an aggrevated manner. "I can't believe it.. I can't believe he's just able to TAKE THAT?!" She muttered under her heated breath.
"So, Felix. Daddy is planning a private get-together for exclusive donors after this.. Care to come along?" Chloe whispered quite seductively into the boy's ear, with an amorous expression.
"I.. I.. Can't hear you right now.." Felix replied in an evasive voice.
Chloe didn't seem too convinced it seemed. Her expression returning to its typical irritable scowl.
This didn't seem clear to Marinette, whose nostrils were now emitting puffs of steam. "Grrr.. That stuck up little brat! Someone ought to teach her a lesson!" She muttered, her canine "fangs" quite evident in the sides of her mouth.
It was at this time that Alya began to notice the fact that Marinette was tottering dangerously off balance on the tips of her toes.
"Um.. Marinette.. Marinette.." She attempted to quietly warn.
"Shh! I'm trying to keep an eye on.." Was all Marinette managed to get out before gravity firmly took hold, and her body toppled into another couple of students in front of her. Which quickly led to the domino effect of the multiple students screaming and plummeting to the ground!
There was an immediate look of shock on all of the officials, Mayor Bourgeois, the reporters, Chloe and even Felix!
At that moment in time, feeling the many flashbulbs going off on her, Marinette just wanted to bury her head into the dirt and die.. She could not have been more embarrassed.
Neither could the Mayor, who immediately produced a handkerchief from his coat pocket and began laboredly mopping his brow.
"Marinette, are you alright?!" Alya shouted, descending the bleachers to her fallen friend.
"I wish I wasn't.." Marinette muttered, getting to her feet.
"Look, hopefully no one noticed it was you who caused it.." Alya attempted to reassure her, helping her up.
"Is everyone alright?!" Professor Delon asked, rushing up.
"Yes." "I'm fine." "I'm alright." Was the general concensus from the students.
"Professor Delon. I'm APPALLED that you've actually thought that this RICKETY OLD EQUIPMENT would hold our weight!" Chloe suddenly rushed up to the Professor, an indigant expression on her face.
"Wha.. What is the meaning of this?!" Delon asked with surprise at her insubordination.
"You know what I mean!" Chloe shouted back. Now even more dramatic than before, obviously playing to the news cameras. "This faculty is obviously NOT looking out for it's student body, and I'm going to make sure this will be one of my Daddy's main campaign issues!"
The crowd immediately became abuzz, as Professor Delon glowered.
Felix seemed very eager to leave this embarassing scene.
"Grr! Just as I thought! That little snot is making it all about herself! Just as always!" Marinette grumbled, her eyes heavily bagged from all the anger and stress she was recieving.
Trying, [and failing] to appear cool as a cucumber as he sauntered over to his daughter, Mayor Bourgeois asked through clenched teeth in a false smile "Darling, could you pleeease save the um.. "campaign platform" until the latest polls are out?"
With almost the force of a bullwhip, Chloe's head snapped to look at her father with a tremendous amount of feigned indignation. "DADDY!" Then, striking a "little orphan girl" pose for the media, emphasising her "beauty marked" side of her face, she continued in a loud theatrical voice "NOW, DO YOU SEE WHAT THESE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS HAVE BEEN GETTING AWAY WITH ON YOUR WATCH?! WHAT SHALL BECOME OF US IF THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM REFUSES TO.."
"Y..yes, Dear..." The Mayor said, snatching his daughter up in a loving embrace/light headlock to shut her up. "We all have a duty to our future and if one of our young people was hurt or killed, WHAT KIND OF MAYOR WOULD I BE..?!" Before continuing in a just as sensational way as his daughter, as the flashbulbs snapped away. "I hereby declare that my new campaign shall be run on MORE MONEY into our students education!"
During all this hubbub, Marinette tried very smoothly, in her best ninja style fashion, to attempt to sneak away from the scene before she attracted any more unwanted attention. That's when she noticed Felix doing his best to do the same!
"AH! Felix!" She called out energetically, now safely behind the bleachers.
"Hmm?" The boy responded with a start, spinning around in a startled fashion.
"Uh..." Marinette vocalized her lack of expectating his actual acknowlegement of her. She just stood there, a large blush on her face, mouth agape.
"Um.. Marinette?" Felix asked in a befuddled tone, attempting to get her to affirm that she was still alive.
[He.. He said my NAME!] Marinette's brain practically turned to popcorn from her synapses going into overdrive at the mention of this. Her heart began pumping so fast that it could power an electric drill, her ahoge was now spinning in a propellor motion that could possibly have gotten her airborne.
"A.. Are you okay..?" Felix asked, now quite on edge.
"Oh... Ohhh yes.." Marinette droned passionately, her eyes now tiny dots, her ahoge in the shape of a heart. Before quickly coming to her senses, shaking the common sense back in her head. "Uh.. Are.. Are you..? That.. collapse looked pretty bad,," She stated timidly.
"Umm.. Y..Yes.. I wasn't even in it, but good to know you're okay.." Felix evasily replied, before briskly turning and walking away as quickly as possible. "Gotta go now.."
For several minutes, Marinettte just stayed still as though she had turned to stone. The pulse in her veins now barely giving off a signal. Finally, the bottom half of her lips gave a slight quiver. "He.. He was glad I was okay.. He.. HE WAS GLAD I WAS OKAY!" Her whisper becoming a joyful shout as she lept into the air.. Only to land back down, hard on her bottom. "OOF! Hopefully I stay that way.." She mumbled with discomfort.
"MARINETTE! DARLING, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" Was the sonic boom shout Mrs. Cheng emitted as her daughter sauntered through the family's front door, she took Marinette in her arms, nearly smothering her with her bosoms.
"UGH! YES, Mom! I'm fine! But I won't be soon if you don't let me get some air!" Marinette protested in a muffled voice.
"We were watching the press conference on T.V. and saw you fall! Are you sure you're not hurt?" Marinette's father asked with concern, walking over to carefully inspect any possible bruises.
"Dad! I said I'm fine!" Marinette huffed, embarrassed and agitated.
"Well, we just want to make sure! Those bleachers were obviously so unsafe, and I'm SO GLAD that the Mayor is doing something about this travesty! MY BABY, you could have been killed!" Mrs. Cheng declared emotionally.
"I told you guys, I'm fine!" Marinette said, breaking free. "Now, I'd just like to go to my room and relax.." She said, simmering down as she walked upstairs.
Once in the calm privacy of her room, Marinette collapsed onto her bed. Her ahoge landed flat on her face.
Tikki, Marinette's Kwami emerged from her backpack she'd tossed on the floor. "Marinette, are you SURE you're alright?" She asked with empathy.
"Yeah, I'm fine.." Marinette reluctantly sighed, before adopting a love starved expression, her ahoge springing back to life and forming a heart. "I just FINALLY got to talk with the LOVELY Felix Agreste.. He ACTUALLY cares about me.."
"Um, Marinette.." Tikki began to object in a considerate fashion.
"Master Felix.. Master Felix.. Your supper is now ready.." Frederique, the elderly, long suffering Agreste family butler called out as he rapped upon the young heir's door. The servant then let out a somewhat audible groan. The boy had grown more and more difficult over the years, and it was grating on his last good nerve.
Inside, Felix stared fixated at the image of a news article on the screen of his tablet, which concerned the discovery of a large block of Egyptian hyroglyphics that were recently uncovered and brought to Paris for study. There seemed to be a sense of discomfort on his face...
"Watcha lookin at?" Plagg, Felix's black cat Kwami asked inquisitively, sneaking up behind his shoulder. "Ooh, what's that?!"
"None of your business!" Felix replied aggresively, covering the digital screen with his hand.
"Oooh! Are those hyroglyphics?! You know I LOVE ancient history!" The sprite exclaimed giddily, floating rapidly this way and that around Felix, trying to get a clear look at the image.
"Plagg, will you just get lost?!" Felix retorted, reaching out with an open hand, trying to swat the mischievous being.
Plagg took advantage of the temporary opening and took a glance at the tablet's screen. "Oh, sooo it IS! Whatcha lookin' at that for, mon ami?" He asked playfully.
Felix did not legibly respond. Only shoving the palm of his hand in Plagg's face, and then switching the image on the tablet to a local live news feed.
Coincidentally, at that same moment, Marinette, lounging on her bed with a Pocky stick in her mouth, was watching that same program on her television screen. As the off screen reporter droned his usual pre-written gab, as Mayor Bourgeois stood, shaking the hands of the other surrounding beauraucrats outside the speaking hall, and Chloe standing close nearby, as usual, playing it up by posing for the cameras.
"Um, Marinette? Why are you watching this program? I thought you didn't like the... Oh.." Tikki began to inquire, before realizing that Marinette, casually staring through half-lidded eyes, was using ther superimposed thumb and forefinger against the screen, to act as though she were crushing Chloe's head with them.
Then, suddenly, Marinette's jaw tightened, and the Pocky stick snapped clean in two as her eyes widened at the sight on the screen. "AH!" She exclaimed with astonishment, her ahoge (and pigtails) standing on end.
"What?! What is it, Marinette?!" Tikki asked anxiously. She then turned her head to the screen, only to see, to her own own horror, along with Felix and Plagg who were watching at the same time, the seemingly nonchalant street performer in the bottom right corner..
"T.. THE MIME!" They all shouted in horrified unison.
TO BE CONTINUED...