Chapter 10: Target Sighted
It was the last day of Paris Fashion Week, and the stakes were high. Throughout the week, designers had showed what they were capable of through their art. But it was time to get to the really juicy stuff. Though every designer and fashion house gets a say on what was in and out on a season, only four or five had the final word on what was going to be absolutely fashionable. On that day, the best of the best was going to show their latest collections and decide what was going to be trendy, and what was going to stay in the closet for the next six months. There was excitement in the air, mixed with smell of champagne and perfume, while the iconic song Love by Kazaky was on. Photographers were ready with their cameras, as fashion critics prepared themselves for what they were going to judge over the next few hours, and most importantly, in the backstage, models were getting ready to go on the runway. Everyone's nerves were on the fritz… everyone, except for Marinette's and her friends, who had been invited to attend the event, on behalf of Adrien's dad.
When they arrived, Adrien took them to the VIP area that had been assigned for the guests of the Gabriel brand. Feeling the trailer, he had been spending those last few days in was too small for him and his friends, he took them there, where he knew they would be more comfortable and at ease. The only persons who were there besides them were a photographer his dad had invited from Russia, so he could photograph the models that were to appear on the runway that afternoon. The other was a fashion critic, who was also an old friend of Gabriel Agreste. The two were too busy with their own things to even notice the group of teenagers that entered there.
The girls were really excited to attend the event; or at least most of them. Alya and Alix, who were not into fashion. They had come because Adrien had invited them and they wanted to spend some time with him. The boys too were not very excited about the event itself. Not even Nathaniel with his artist soul was excited to be there. Though he liked fashion, he was no expert and liked to think that each person was entitled to create their own fashion. Still, there were two things that they liked about that event. First, it was being around Adrien and keeping him company, and the second was the catering. There was a lot to choose from in the buffet near them. Finger sandwiches, various hot and cold salads, foie gras, spring rolls, quiche Lorraine, macarons, croissants, among many other things. Plus, there were also a few of exotic dishes like sliced Norwegian salmon with boiled quail eggs, Beluga caviar, fried Indonesian calamari, melon with Italian prosciutto, a table of cheeses, among others. There were also glass jars filled with milk, orange, mango, papaya and pineapple juice and ice tea. Kim, who had a light lunch before coming to the event, wasted no time. Grabbing a plate, he took a little of everything, without forgetting the spring rolls for Imp, who told him to get some for him.
"Kim wastes no time." -Alix sighed, as she waved her head.
"Don't be so hard on him. Let him have his fun. I know that you aren't exactly on cloud 9 here, Alix." -Daria told her, as he placed his head out of her pocket to check on the action.
"I came because of Adrien, nothing else. You'll never see me wearing a dress or something fashionable. I'm the kind of girl that likes these things. To me, clothes need to be practical, not fashionable."
"You say that now, but believe me, you'll change… I've had a couple of holders that also thought like you do, and later in life, did things they had told themselves would never do." -Daria told her.
"Believe me, I'm like this ever since I was 3. I haven't worn a dress since that age, and that's not going to change." -Alix told him, as Kim approached with his plate filled with pretty much everything he could place on it. –"You sure you didn't forget to put anything in that plate?" -she asked him in a sarcastic tone.
"Hey, I'm just trying to have a good time." -Kim told her, as he literally gulped down a finger sandwich in one bite.
"Cut him some slack, will you? He's a growing boy." -Imp told her.
"You're just saying that, because he's giving you spring rolls." -Alix shot at the antelope kwami, who did not have a snappy comeback.
While those two argued among themselves, the rest of the gang had taken seats in the couches that had been placed there, and were happily talking among themselves, or with Adrien.
"Where's your dad?" -Juleka asked him.
"Next to the models that are going to go on the runway in a couple of minutes from now." -Adrien answered. –"He wants this show to be perfect, especially because today he got a call that made his day."
"How so?" -Alya asked him.
"Well, it was said that it would be his rival, Amélie Dufayel, that would have the honour to close the event with her collection. But, it turns out that it will be my father to have that honour." –Adrien told her.
"That's great!" -Marinette exclaimed. She knew that opening or closing an event was one of the highest honours any fashion designer could have, especially an event as important as that one. –"I bet that Amélie Dufayel was pretty upset with that."
"I don't think she even knows that she lost that spot. According to what I heard my dad talking about an hour ago with one of the representatives of the event, they hadn't been able to find her or contact her to give her the news." -Adrien said. –"But I can tell you this. That woman is going to flip her lid once she finds out… no, no, I take that back. She's not going to flip her lid. She's going to have a heart attack, after having a rage attack."
"The way you describe her, you make her sound like she's a ravenous monster or something." -Nino told him.
"Oh, she isn't one, but she yells and screams like one." -Plagg, who was inside one of Adrien's pockets, said. –"I was in Adrien's room, and I could hear her yell from the dining room."
"I can only imagine how that woman is." -Wayzz said.
"Indeed… but you know what? I didn't ask my dad to invite you here, so we could talk about that woman all day. Do you guys want to something cool?"
"Can I finish eating first?" -Kim asked Adrien, with his mouth full, as he and Alix joined them.
"Kim, manners!" -Chloé shot at him, as Alix rolled her eyes.
"Sorry…" -Kim told her, as he gulped what he had in his mouth.
"Never mind him. What do you want to show us?" –Chloé asked him, curious.
"Well, it's kind of top secret… my dad doesn't even want anyone around it, afraid that they might spoil the surprise." -Adrien said.
"Then, it must be something really big." -Alya said.
"Come on, I'll show you… and Kim, leave the plate behind." -Adrien joked with Kim, as he stuffed his mouth with another spring roll, making everyone laugh of him.
On the backstage, things were starting to get confusing and conflicting with the amount of people walking around, getting ready for the last round, and everything had to be perfect.
"Where's your bodyguard?" -Nino asked the blond.
"It's his day-off, and I'm glad it is. I can't go anywhere with him serving as my shadow." -Adrien chuckled, while he imagined his bodyguard as a shadow, glued to him all the time.
Passing by a couple of rooms where the models were all getting ready, he spotted his father on the last one. He was talking to Nathalie, who was scribbling something in her notepad, while waving yes or no with her head. Whatever they were talking about, it must have been important because Nathalie was not smiling, and that only happened when the subject was incredibly serious. Still, he had no time to stay and find out what it was all about. If his dad found out that he was going to show his top-secret project to his friends, without his permission, he would be grounded until the end of the year. Finally, they reached their destination. It was a door just like the others in that corridor. Whoever passed by it, would never suspect that what was inside was incredibly secret and important to Gabriel Agreste. Opening the door, Adrien revealed what was inside. To their surprise, what was inside were a handful of mannequins dressed in clothes; all of them were beautiful and stylish. One with a trained eye would have identified Gabriel Agreste's style a mile away… the man had a distinguishable, if not unique style to his art. The majesty of how he matched the colours with the urban and youthful style of the clothes was amazing. Even those who did not appreciate fashion, would have to admit that the damn clothes were super pretty.
"Wow, these are beautiful." -Sabrina said.
"But wait a minute, this is denim… are these…" -Marinette said, as she got close to one of the mannequins and touched the fabric.
"His autumn/winter collection? Yup, that's his big surprise for today." -Adrien said,
"But why?" -Alya asked him. She knew it was not custom for designers to present collections ahead of time.
"I don't know. I think he just wanted to cause a sensation, by presenting his collection ahead of schedule." -Adrien shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, whatever his reason is, these are beautiful." -Marinette declared. –"I wish I had thought of these during one of my free afternoons." -she said, as she kept admiring them.
"They really beautiful." -Tikki said, as she flew around, looking at all the clothes. –"I wouldn't mind wearing a scarf like this one, if they made it in kwami size. -she chuckled, as she wrapped her tiny little hand around an orange and blue scarf that was on one of the mannequins.
"Fashionable, yet practical." -Alix said. –"I don't believe I'm actually thinking this, but I wouldn't mind wearing one of these…" -she thought to herself, as she imagined herself wearing one of the hoodies. –"… wait! I can't say that out loud, or I'll have to admit that Daria was right."
"What did you say, Alix?" -Daria asked her.
"I-I said that they're fashionable yet practical, but they're definitely not my style." -Alix quickly came up with an answer for her kwami.
"I, on the other hand love this one dress." -Mylene said, as she admired the black and white denim dress with frills –"I can't believe that your dad designed this for people who are a little chubbier, like me." -she told Adrien.
"I was also surprised when I saw these being taken here this morning. I think that anyone of us would find something here that would fit us." -Adrien said.
"I think you'd look really lovely in that dress, Mylene." -Pin told her.
"Thanks. I think I would too." -she thanked her kwami.
"Wouldn't it be great if we all had the chance to go on the runway wearing some of these clothes?" -Chloé asked her friends.
"I would really love it… but, I don't know. I'm a little bit shy about going up on a stage in front of everyone." -Sabrina said.
"Oh, Sabrina, you don't have to be shy about it." -Chloé told her. –"You just need to pretend you're in your Louve Grise costume."
"She's right. You're not afraid of anything or anyone when you transform, kiddo." -Mika told her, agreeing with the blonde.
"When you put it that way…" -Sabrina smiled.
"Still, the odds of anyone of us ever getting the chance to put on these clothes and walk on a runway are these: slim and none, and slim might have already left town by now." -Max joked about it.
"Probabilities and mathematical chancer ae your forte, after all." -Ari joked.
"Well, dreaming it's still free, so I guess we can dream about it, at least." -Marinette said. After seeing those clothes, she really wanted to try at least one of the pieces… a jacket, a skirt or even a dress, she was not picky. All of them would look great on her, or her friends.
"I can tell you this… your father's going to make headlines this evening." -Alya told him.
"And the best part is that we have front seats to watch it, girl." -Trixx told her.
"You mean, we have them, not you guys." -Alya told her.
"Oh, come on, we're like your shadows. You guys aren't going to leave us somewhere, while you enjoy yourselves, are you?" -Flint asked her.
"She's just kidding, Flint. Of course, you can see it with us." -Rose told him, calming the flamingo kwami down.
"Well, one of you will have to take me to the show, because Adrien here is going to be part of it." -Plagg declared.
"You are?" -Ivan asked him. –"You didn't tell us that, man."
"I actually forgot about it, to tell you the truth." -Adrien admitted.
"What will you be wearing, Adrikins?" -Chloé asked him, calling by the nickname she had given him, which made Marinette jealous for a moment. Although Chloé and her were now on good terms, she still did not like when the blonde called Adrien like that. It reminded her of the times she flirted with him.
"I'll be wearing one of the outfits from the summer collection. My dad created it while thinking of me, so, I'll be the one walking on the runway with it." -Adrien admitted.
"In that case, Plagg can stay in my purse. Tikki won't mind and won't either, right Tikki?" -Marinette asked her kwami.
"Of course, not. Just as long as he doesn't start eating cheese around me." –Tikki answered.
"For you, milady, I won't touch a single piece of cheese today." -Plagg joked about it
"Anyways, we better get back. I don't want to get caught here by my dad." -Adrien told the others.
At the same time, Reptile was walking around, looking for someone who's heart was the right one to be akumatized. Usually, when not finding what one's looking for in a place, the sensible thing to do is to look for it on another place. But not Reptile, he believed that sooner or later, he would find just what he was looking for right there. All he needed to do was to be patient… Still, he knew that his time was running low. He had been warned by Hawk Moth that if he did not find one suitable target for his Akuma butterflies, that he would be severely punished.
Taking on all kinds of disguises, he went everywhere, looking for the one target he deemed perfect. Over the days he scouted that event, he had found numerous possible targets to be akumatized. But, none of them had the exact feeling needed to fuel an Akuma butterfly. As passed by a group of photographers who were photographing one of the event's guests, the words that Madame Romani spoken to him on the previous night, echoed in his head.
"Tick tock… tick tock… you're running late. I sincerely hope you succeed, for our master's sake. But if you fail, I'll be glad to show you just how to do the work you're supposed to do, lizard man."
Remembering those words made him wonder why he did not slide her open on the spot, after she said that? Probably because that would upset Hawk Moth. Still, his relationship with Madame Romani was becoming bitter and bitter by the minute. The woman made his blood boil as if that one was molten lava. But, he was determined to have the last laugh, by succeeding in that mission he was given. Focusing his senses, he kept looking for someone whose heart he deemed perfect for the job. He was so focused that he accidently went against a security officer.
"Hey, you!"
"Who, me?" -Reptile asked.
"Yeah, you, where's your pass?"
"My pass? It's right…" -Reptile said, when he remembered that he was disguised as catering waiter, and had forgotten to change into someone who had access to that part of the event. –"Crud, I got so carried way, I forgot to change my appearance…" -he thought to himself.
"Well, where's your pass?"
"Screw the pass!" -he pushed the security guard, making him lose his balance and fall on his back.
"Hey, get back here!" -the security guard yelled, as he got up on his feet and started to chase him.
"Smooth, really smooth… if Romani was here, she would be calling you an imbecile for forgetting to do the one thing you're good at!" -Reptile thought to himself, as he kept running, pushing everyone that stood in its way to the side.
He needed to find a place where he could change his appearance to get rid of that security guard. As he turned the corner, he used his powers to change into someone else. This time, he changed his appearance to that of a reporter with a pass that granted him access to the area he was in. About two seconds later, the security guard passed by him, and he could not help but to smile. It had been too easy for him to get him off his back. As he began to walk way, he was startled, when the security guard called him.
"Hey buddy! Did you see a guy in a red coat and black pants pass by you?"
"Huh, yes. He went that way." -Reptile quickly pointed to his left.
"Thanks."
"Sucker…" -he sighed in relief. For a moment there, he thought that the guy had a sixth sense that told him that Reptile could change his appearance. –"And now, back to work. Master Hawk Moth is counting on me." -he thought to himself.
Amélie Dufayel was having a day to forget. The stress she had been under those last few days had put her in a bundle of nerves. These nerves made her fall asleep on that day, and because she did not have anyone at home to wake her up, she saw herself late. To make matters worse, when she called her driver, she found out that he had caught the flu and was too sick to come to work. Calling a taxi, she told the cab driver to go as fast as he could, stating that she would double the ride if he could get her to the event in 30 minutes. Putting the pedal to the metal, the driver let greed get the best of him and ended up crossing a red light and hitting another car. Neither him nor Amelie got injured, but the car was not going anywhere. Frustrated with her bad luck, she had no other option than taking the underground to the event.
"How humiliating! Having to go to one of the most important fashion events in the world by underground. Can this day get any worse?! I mean, what did I do to God to have such bad luck on this day?!" -she asked herself, as she sat next to an old man in the train carriage. –"Still, it doesn't matter… once I get there and show my latest collection, as well as the Rosenberg dress, everyone will be talking about it for weeks to come, and that Agreste will have to settle for being second best!" -she thought to herself.
Unfortunately, she was in for the shock of her life and did not know it, or even dreamed of it. When she finally arrived at the event, she had forgotten her VIP pass at home and security forbid her from getting in.
"Do you know who I am?!"
"Miss, with all due respect, it doesn't matter if I know who you are or not. I have orders not to let anyone without a pass, and if you don't have yours, I'm afraid I can't let you in." -the security guard told her.
"That is absurd!" -she practically screamed on top of her lungs, before reaching for her purse and taking out her cell phone, to call her assistant, Nina. –"Come on, you idiotic girl, pick up!"
Inside, Nina was wondering where her boss was. With all that happened during her absence, she had to be the one in charge of just about everything. Though she wanted her to show up and tell everyone what they were supposed to do. But, at the same time, she did not want her to show up, because then, she would find out that she would not be the one closing the event, but Gabriel Agreste instead, and Nina knew that she was not going to like it. In fact, she was going to explode with anger.
"Is everything ready there? What about the dresses with floral pattern? Make sure that they are ready for the models to put them on." -Nina continued to delegate tasks to the several people in charge.
Having a couple of seconds for herself, she took out from her knapsack a couple of sketches she had done herself. Her idea had been to show them to her boss on that day, taking advantage of her good mood and ask her to evaluate them. Unfortunately, she now knew that that was not going to happen. Still, she could not help but to look at them, just to give her the courage to go on with the work she was going there, when her cell rang. Placing her sketches on the table in front of her, she grabbed her cell, seeing her boss' name on its screen. Swallowing dry, she answered the call.
"Y-Yes?"
"I left my pass at home. Move those legs of yours and bring me another pass, so this troglodyte here lets me through! Hurry!" -Amélie told Nina, hanging up on her face.
"Lousy witch! Who told her to leave her pass at home?!" -she thought to herself.
Looking for another pass, she found it and then, ran as quickly as she could to the entrance of the event. She had not reached yet the entrance, when she started hearing the yells from her boss. She was calling every name in the book to the poor security guard that did not let her in. Joining him, was his supervisor, who was also losing his patience with Miss Dufayel.
"You listen to me, you brute! I don't care if I need a pass to get in there! I'm Amélie Dufayel, world-renowned fashion designer, and I demand you let me pass!"
"Miss, with all due respect, unless you can provide us a pass, the rules forbid us to let you in, no matter who you are." -the supervisor told her.
"You let me through right this instant, or I swear that tomorrow morning you'll be out of a job!" –Amélie threatened them both.
Just when he was about to repeat the same thing to her, when Nina showed up, bearing a pass in her hand.
"Finally! What took you so long, you incompetent?!" -she said, as she practically ripped the pass out of Nina's hands and showed it to the security guards. –"There! Happy, now?"
After showing the pass, they finally let her in. She wasted no time asking Nina if everything was ready.
"Everything better be in its rightful place… is the Rosenberg ready and has the model arrived? She had better be here already, because I don't want to hear any excuses from her." -Amélie told Nina.
"She has arrived and the seamstresses are making the final adjustments to it. You don't have to worry about that, Miss Dufayel." -Nina told her, as they made their way to the backstage. –"And, there is one more thing I have to tell you…"
"Give me a moment to get my head on the game, alright?!" -Amélie told her assistant, as she made a couple of moves with her arms and hands, and hummed to herself. –"Today may have started with the wrong foot, but it will end on the right one." -she said. –"Tonight, I crush Gabriel Agreste's reputation with my creations."
"That's what I wanted to talk about with you." -Nina said, a little unease. She really did not know how she was going to tell her that she was not going to close the event anymore.
"Then, talk! What's the matter?!" -Amélie demanded.
"Well, you see… because of a few reasons, regarding the time that it will take, your show won't close the event anymore." -Nina told her, waiting for her to start screaming.
"WHAAAAAAAAAT?! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" -Amélie yelled on top of her lungs.
"We aren't going to…"
"HOW DARE THEY DO THAT TO ME?! WHY DIDN'T THEY CALL ME TO INFORM OF THIS?! WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME THE MOMEMT YOU FOUND OUT ABOUT IT, YOU STUPID GIRL?! -Amélie berated at Nina. She was yelling so loud that every single model that was either on their dressing room or having their make-up done, stepped out to see what was going on.
"I-I tried to call you, as w-well as them, but you wouldn't pick up the phone." -Nina said, already shaking like green sticks.
Taking out her phone, she noticed that she had numerous unanswered calls. The reason why that happened was because she had put it on silent mode. Still angry at the news, she tried to calm herself down, but the more she tried, the more nervous she became.
"Who? Who's going to close the event?"
"It's… G-Gabriel Agreste, Miss Dufayel."
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! HOW DARE THEY GAVE THAT SWINE SUCH AN HONOUR?! HOW DARE THEY?!"
Just as she had imagined it, Amélie Dupain became furious when she heard the news and her reaction was way worse than anything she could have pictured in her head. Her eyeballs looked like they could pop out of their sockets at any given moment. Nina tried to calm her down, by going to get her some tea, but not even all the tea in the world would have made a difference. Her hatred for Gabriel Agreste was so great that if he was standing in front of her, she would shred him
"Miss Dufayel, please… try to calm yourself down." -Nina begged her. She had never seen her boss this angry before, and she thought she had seen her absolutely pissed before. –"Here… t-this tea will…"
"I DON'T WANT ANY TEA, YOU STUPID GIRL! WHAT I WANT IS THE HEAD OF THAT SWINE, IN A SILVER PLATE!" -she exploded once more throwing away the tea cup, which landed on the nearby table, where she had left her fashion sketches. The cup shattered, and the tea took less than a second to soak the sketches, destroying them.
"My fashion sketches!" -Nina exclaimed.
"WHO CARES ABOUT SOME STUPID SKETCHES?! COMING FROM YOU, THEY'RE NOT EVEN WORTH THE PAPER YOU USED TO DRAW THEM!" -Amélie snapped at her.
"YOU BLASTED WITCH!" -Nina finally snapped. She could no longer keep her anger to herself. Just like a pressure cooker, she had built up a tremendous pressure inside of her, and now it was time to release it. –"YOU KNOW WHAT?! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOU ALWAYS TELLING ME AND OTHERS THAT WE'RE USELESS, WHILE YOU SEE YOURSELF AS PERFECT! WELL GUESS WHAT, YOU'RE NOT! YOU'RE A MISERABLE HAG WHO'S NOT AS TALENTED AS YOU THINK YOU ARE!"
Hearing her say those words, was the last drop for Amélie Dufayel.
"GET OUT! OUT, IMMEDIATELY! YOU'RE FIRED!" -she yelled at Nina.
"Why, because I told you the truth, you witch?!" -Nina snapped at her. –"Mark my words, you witch, one of these days someone will give you just what you deserve, you hear me!" -she once more snapped at her former boss, before grabbing some of the still wet sketches of hers that had not been completely ruined by the tea, and walking away, furious but at the same time, relieved.
"You hear me now! You'll never work in the fashion business ever again, Nina! I'll make sure of that!" -she yelled at her former secretary, as she left. She then noticed that she was being watched by everyone else, who had witnessed what happened. –"What are you looking at?! I don't pay you to stand there doing nothing! Get back to work, and you, find me one of the people in charge with the event! I want to speak to it about this, right now!" -she ordered one of the assistants that happened to be passing by.
As Nina made her way out of the backstage, tears ran down her face. But these were not tears of sadness, they were tears of hate and frustration. Tears that were now running down her face, because yelling at her former boss had not been enough. She had destroyed something incredibly precious to her, something she had worked so hard on, and now, it was gone. Her wish was to just go back there and slap the woman so hard on the face that she would be spitting teeth and blood for hours to come. As she walked, she regretted not having slapped her senseless, and that dark wish was settling in her heart. And that, attracted one particular fiend to it, Reptile. Seeing her passing by him, he sensed the hate and anger in her heart. He would say it that they were stronger than any others he had sensed in that place, but the truth was that they had something special to it, he could not explain, but that differentiated them from all others.
"That's it! It's her! She is perfect… Miraculous Team, your minutes are counted." -Reptile thought to himself, wondering what kind of akuma his master would turn her into.