The bell of the boat-house rang, interrupting Luka's concentration. He had to stop using the miraculous to keep translating the grimoire because of the fight of yesterday, but that didn't mean he had to stop working. He left the book open on the page he was working on at his desk, then got up to answer the door.
It was the evening, so it was not a weird hour for a visitor, but Juleka was out with Rose and his mom was napping, so he wondered for the few seconds it took him to reach the door who could it be. The blond hair he saw through the circular window was enough of a clue.
''Chloe'' He greeted calmly, trying to conceal his surprise with the girls presence. She was carrying a tiny box and looked a bit nervous.
''Hi'' She said, awkward. They hadn't talked since yesterday, mostly because he fell asleep as soon as he got home after the non-fight. But he knew that wasn't why she was acting so shy.
''Come in'' He invited, opening the door for her and moving out of the way. He guided her in silence towards his room, where he usually attended his ´´guests´´. His guitar laid on a corner, unused for the past few days.
''I brought you something''
''Sorry about yesterday''
They both blurted out at the same time. Luka laughed nervously then grabbed the box Chloe brought.
''Thanks'' He said as he opened it. There was a teal mask inside, decorated with shiny sequences that created the illusion of scales. ''Wow this is really nice, for the gala I assume?'' He asked, trying to lift the mood and erase the still awkward tension between them.
''Yeah, now you are properly equipped for the mission'' She said, crossing her arms and avoiding his eyes. So she was still mad at him for ignoring her presence basically after yesterday. Well, this was Chloe after all, he thought.
''Hey, sorry about ignoring you before. It was a tense moment and I had a lot, and I mean A LOT on my head at the moment…'' He tried to excuse himself. He knew he had been a bit mean, but he had the right to make some mistakes, right? If this was how it was going to be with Chloe then…
''What? I'm not mad at you!'' She said, looking at him in surprise. Well, the feeling was mutual. What?
''I was just.. All of you work so hard and you did a lot even though you are not Ladybug… I just feel… useless'' She said, looking at the floor now. ''I know I just busted in the team with no invitation basically, but I feel like I must be able to do more, you know? I've made mistakes in the past and this felt like the perfect chance to…'' She stopped herself from finishing her sentence, probably feeling that she was being too candid already.
Luka realized while she talked that she was feeling exactly what he was before the heroes came to this same house with Sass and a job for him. He couldn't imagine what would it be like to know what would fill that void, that need of purpose, but not being able to do anything to achieve it. And also wanted to repent for her older actions, adding some guilt to the boiling pot of emotions that was the blonde right now. He smiled.
''Silly Chloe'' He said and she lifted her head to look at him, offended. Or pretending to be. He wasn't ever totally sure with her. ''You don't have to prove anything to anyone'' Chloe shook her head.
''But I've messed up! I revealed my identity to everyone, and now I can't be Queen Bee to help fight Lila! I provoked so many Akumas before I-'' He tenderly put a silencing finger on her mouth.
''And you waited almost two years without knowing if you would see your kwami ever again, without getting a word from Ladybug and still behaved, or so I've heard'' He said, a bit scared of inflating Chloe's ego, but deciding that she kind of needed it right now. Besides, not being cruel was basic decency, no matter how much he was starting to like the girl, she didn't exactly deserve praise for acting like a human being.
''Where did you hear that I'm nice now?'' She said, even more offended than when he called her silly. Was it because she didn't like the others talking behind her back? He chuckled.
''No one has said you are nice, Chloe'' He teased. ''You sure have a low bar for what being good entails, if Juleka's off comments about you not bullying her anymore are any indication'' He chuckled at her surprised face. A flicker of worry passed through her eyes,the corners of her mouth lowering for a brief moment. But then she smirked, rising her eyebrows.
''I was born low on goodness, need to use it only when strictly necessary'' She joked back, good mood finally returning to her. At least she acknowledged it, he mentally shrugged.
''What do you think of this style, Marinette?'' Adrien heard his father ask, still looking at his work station. The girl left her spot on the sewing machine after asking for a second, and went to the man's side to look at what he was sketching.
''Hmmm I like it, but it looks too much like me. We won't be transformed, so we need to conceal our identities as much as possible'' Commented the girl after a bit. Gabriel nodded then started moving his pen again.
''Wait, I thought we were going to use a special glamour or something?'' Asked Adrien, sitting up again in his couch. He didn't have a lot to do other than practice his out-of-the-suit cataclysms and give his opinion when asked here and there, so he was spending the days in the workshop where his father and his girlfriend worked tirelessly to create the outfits for the gala.
Luka said in his message after the not-fight against Lila that there wasn't much more he could do for now, except keep in mind that he should not fight the golem if he had a choice. Adrien knew that already, since the golem was made for him specifically, he probably had better chances against their other enemies. The new guardian did a briefing for everyone, explaining to each of them who they should be fighting against next encounter, whenever that was.
''Luka hasn't found anything useful yet, but I wasn't really counting on it, it's just a backup'' Said Marinette as she returned to her spot with the fabrics she loved so much ''We know already that if we are not recognizable as ourselves, we can fool people too, right, Banananoir?'' She teased, and Adrien let out a chuckle that just transformed into laughter as he saw his father's raised eyebrow.
''Sorry if I'm prying too much, but why don't you use the fox miraculous to make illusions of Ladybug and Chat Noir for the gala instead?'' Asked his father, and Adrien realized they hadn't told him much of their plan yet except for the part that the heroes needed to attend. He probably needed to know at this point, just so he would react accordingly to whatever happens.
Marinette seemed to be thinking the same thing, because she looked at him with the question in her eyes. He shrugged, then went back to lay down on the couch, letting his lady do most of the explaining. It was her plan after all.
''It needs to be us who make the speech, and Rena Rouges illusions only last a few minutes. Besides, she will be busy making Adrien and Marinette appear for a moment in the gala, instead.'' She started explaining, knowing full well there was no way back. It wasn't like they didn't trust Gabriel, he knew their identities and had other means to screw them over if he wanted to a long time ago. It was out of habit, not trusting anyone but themselves with their problems. It was already kind of weird to be a part of such a large group, even if he enjoyed it a lot, it had been just him and his lady for so long that their dynamics had a tendency to secrecy by default now.
''I suppose that the illusions of your real identities won't be in the party for long, then?'' He asked, and Marinette probably nodded because he just continued ''I only made up and excuse for Adrien to not attend, I guess it's useless now'' He commented with a slight annoyance. The model realized that they probably should have told his father sooner about their plans. This could have backfired badly, he cringed.
Marinette explained to him her idea of just making it look like they went to Adrien's room for privacy or something like that. He wasn't looking at her, but he knew she was blushing red, both for bringing up such a topic to the man and for remembering that it was a good excuse because of how plausible it was. Had there been no Lila to deal with, that's probably what they would have done after chatting with a few people, he thought with a smirk.
The rest of the plan was simple enough. The heroes would take a moment at the venue's scenario to give a speech, basically asking for the citizens patience and trust. They would call Lila out on her lies, but not out her identity as Pavona. Adrien had a hard time convincing Marinette of giving the girl the same chance she gave his father. After all, he did terrorize the city for two long years, as opposed to Lila whose crimes were a little more subtle. The model paid close attention to his father's expression as Marinette shared that part of their plan, and he was not disappointed by what he saw. Gabriel looked at his son's eyes as he filled his lungs, a little smile decorating his face.
''Then Lila would have to react one way or another, either as herself or as Pavona, and we have prepared contingencies for both'' Said Marinette. Adrien was kind of nervous of his father's opinion on all of this. Not because he needed his approval (Well maybe he still did a little, but not in hero matters) but because he was smart. If he found no obvious flaws in their idea, then their chances could only be good, right?
''Are you expecting this… Pavona, to interrupt the gala?'' He asked after doing his share of thinking in silence, while the couple waited not without some anxiety.
''Yes, that's why we need to be there as heroes already, to respond as quickly as possible before she can do too much damage. I don't know how well my miraculous cure works while fighting against other miraculous users instead of Akumas and Sentimonsters…'' She said, expressing one insecurity about her powers he had never heard before. Tikki took that moment to come out of the bundle of fabrics, where she had been lounging this whole time with Plagg.
''It works a little different with direct damage provoked by wielders and not a controlled being, but you can clean it up, Marinette, you just need to be there as it starts'' Explained the kwami, a tone in her voice implying that this wasn't the first time she assured her charge on this topic. Marinette still looked doubtful, probably because she had never done that before. Adrien knew she would not be 100% sure of it working until she saw it herself for the first time.
''I see'' Gabriel nodded holding his chin ''And will you explain the reason why these last battles have happened to the people of Paris?'' He asked. Marinette shook her head, her answer ready.
''No, I don't like the idea of everyone knowing too much about the jewels, so I won't mention the miracle box if it's not necessary. I will say that this was not you- Um Hawkmoth, and it's a new villain altogether, I think that should be enough for now'' Answered the aspiring designer.
''What about the attack on Lila Rossi's house?''
''That's the part that I will use to explain how unreliable Lila is, I'll just say a half truth: That she misinterpreted a situation and that Chat Noir meant no harm to her, that her house getting destroyed was an unfortunate accident. At the same time, Nino and Alya would have leaked a document with proof of all her lies, for anyone interested to check after the speech'' Plus the fact that some of the people that Lila lied about would be present in the Gala. Jagged Stone and prince Ali will have their own role answering some questions innocent people in the crowd (Aka, more Illusions courtesy of a recharged Rena Rouge) would ask about them being friends with the girl. By the end of the party, Lila Rossi's reputation will be in shambles, and even if she got the chance to try and spill their secrets, Marinette and Adrien were already seen in the middle of the party.
''And all of that on live television. She will be furious'' Commented Gabriel once he had no more questions. That was the dangerous part, thought one might believe her after the Gala anymore, but the girl surely had the firepower now to cause a lot of mayhem. They had been training and planning for that, specially if she attacked that same night, which was the most likely scenario.
Luka would be there, ready to go transform into Viperion and use his powers as soon as any battle broke out. Alya and Nino too, though those two would be tasked with helping civilians first, as their powers were the most protective ones. Ladybug and himself would have to face their enemies in the meantime.
Adrien was most nervous about that last part. He read Luka's notes, knew the powers of their enemies and they also knew who they were. Still, his confidence in his fighting skills was somewhat hurt by his latest missions. Worst case scenario, he would have to transform into Destruction one more time…Though he hadn't told those thoughts to anyone, and probably won't. Specially to Marinette. For her sake, however, he would do his best to win without using that last card.
Gabriel Agreste watched as his son said his goodbyes to Marinette, then went to his room to sleep. It was 1AM and if the girl wasn't a superhero, Gabriel would have been a lot more stressed about letting her go without company. His son didn't even care that she was Ladybug, he wanted to go with her anyways, but the girl rejected his offer. The man understood why as the emotions coming out of her were something that resonated a lot with him. It was something that didn't really have a name, but he knew for sure that all that girl had in her head that night was her work, the dress, fabrics, art, creation itself.
It wasn't like Adrien couldn't possibly understand it, but when one was so in the zone like that, talking was not really a desire; That was even more true after a long day of being in company of others. She probably wanted to spare the boy a long walk in silence.
As soon as he heard Adrien's bedroom door close, he turned around to face Nathalie. She was holding her tablet as she always did, but instead of porting that little smile she got the habit of having on her face lately, the woman was frowning.
''You are worried'' He pointed out, and she merely nodded, already used to his supernatural empathy. He sighed.
''Me too, their plan is good, I admit, but it's not flawless'' He commented and Nathalie nodded, confirming to him that she was thinking about the same thing.
''So many things can go wrong…'' She whispered, hugging her device tighter. He had a sudden impulse after seeing her like that, something he had been feeling a lot lately around the woman but was exacerbated by her sadness. He decided to listen to it and, without overthinking it any longer, he hugged her.
Her surprise lasted less than a second, replaced quickly by relief as she relaxed in his arms. She responded to the hug, surrounding him with her arms though she never let go of her tablet, he noticed, amused.
''All we can do is hope for the best, and prepare for the worst'' He whispered, still not letting go of the embrace. It not longer was something he did to make her feel better, but it was surprisingly making him feel things he hadn't felt in a while.
She didn't respond, burying her head in his neck instead. He knew she understood what he meant, though, a bit of her sadness coming back to fill his brain without invitation.
Agent A. as he referred to himself these days, and by days he meant the last five years, made his last patrol of the night around Lila Rossi's house perimeter. The butterfly miraculous powered him, and the suit let him leap heights and move faster than he thought was humanly possible. Then again, these powers had nothing to do with humanity.
He finished his round and met with his partner, Agent T. The usually quiet man was waiting for him already, still transformed into his Dragon persona. They didn't name themselves anything special, they would not pretend to be heroes or villains like these kids did. Their job was to get as many artifacts to Mr. M. , not to play with them.
T. doubted his deal with the girl would give them many more than what they already got, and he wasn't stupid, he knew she didn't intend on giving up the box just like that. She oozed ambition, and no matter how good she was at lying, that wasn't something you could cover up that easily. Not to him, at least. He knew her kind of people. He worked for them, after all.
''Took you long enough'' He said, teasing his partner who had probably been waiting for him for a couple minutes already. The dragon was faster than the moth, who would have thought.
''The girl is dying'' Commented T. like he was talking about the time. A. was no longer surprised by his stoicism, only when he showed real anger he concerned himself with his partner's actions. Lately that hadn't been as rare as before, he thought a bit worried. He barely knew the man, this being only their second job together, but he was pretty sure by now that he hated the so called heroes of Paris for some reason.
''Are you worried about her?'' He teased again, not really expecting any interesting response. His only modes were apathy and anger, nothing else. And stuff like his little mockery was not enough to elicit the second. T. shrugged, then started walking towards their base. Before leaving the deserted alley, they dropped their transformations and took their jewels off, not wanting the little creatures to bother them any more than necessary.
''We can take the box once she's gone'' He said, and this did merit an angry glare from T. He was not worried about the girl either, neither of them could care less if she died tomorrow. But T. really wanted to know the identities of the other users.
He saw the use on knowing who the heroes were, since it would make it a lot easier to take their jewels from them, but he had no idea of why T. wanted to know who Hawkmoth was, too. Agent A. prided himself in being a cold hearted and logical ´´worker´´, he didn't really care who these people were and just wanted to get paid. But T.? T. was here for something else. Revenge, maybe, thought the agent, shrugging mentally.
Well, if she died soon, he would get paid soon, then probably be asked to come back to Paris for more. He didn't mind, starting over and stalking those kids some more until they broke. But the Rossi girl had being extremely useful, it was a lucky coincidence that she wanted to ruin the heroes reputations while they needed an excuse to take their powers away without alerting the population too much.
Oh well, that was what happened when you tampered too much with things you didn't understand. He felt at the pin he had in his pocket now. He didn't understand it either, he thought, as he let go of it again.