MIRACULOUS ALLIANCE
EPISODE 11: SILENCER, PART I
"Hello Robert, it has been a while." Mayor André Bourgeois said as he met with an old...acquaintance called Bob Roth. "And young mister Xavier-Yves is here as well."
"Er...my peeps call me XY. Xavier-Yves is way too..." the tacky musician known as XY said as he looked at André with a great deal of annoyance on his face. Granted, it was how he always looked but...
"I am sorry, XY!" André corrected himself. "It is...pleasant to see you again, Bob."
"You too Andy. Say, is your daughter not joining us? Wasn't she quite a fan of my boy?" Bob said as he patted his son's back.
"She...has different matters to attend to today." André didn't want to let Bob Roth now that Chloé no longer liked XY's music. That Chloé has changed a lot since they last saw her. Not that it was not important for the matter at hand.
"I see. Oh well, is dinner going to be on the house this time? Favor among friends?" Bob Roth asked. He then busted out in laughter. "Just joking, Andy! Just joking." However, André doesn't seem to laugh. "What is up, André? Normally you laugh along with my jokes. You are looking down. Are you feeling nervous for the upcoming mayoral campaign?"
"That's just the thing. I am not going to run for next term." André admitted.
Bob's eyes went wide and like always, XY showed disinterest. "What? The André Bourgois, the guy from whom the mayor's scarf would have to be pulled from his cold, dead hands before he would give up the position? Why would you do that?"
"Because I am no longer what is best for Paris." André answered honestly.
"Since when do you care about that? You always cared for what was best for André Bourgeois." Bob asked.
"I always cared for Paris. I just used to care a little more for myself. But I no longer put myself first. Times have changed. I broke free from an abusive and abysmal marriage. The arrival of superheroes and Akumas which have made me think...I wasn't always a good man. Sure I support the heroes of Paris whenever they asked me, but I have dabbled in a few questionable actions. Worst is, the people knew and only kept voting me in place because the competition was worse then me." André said as he sighed. "I decided to give up politics and focus on my hotel chains and being a father."
"But what about the 'competition' you talked about? What if they get into power?" Bob asked.
"Oh, didn't I tell you? A new candidate is joining the race with the next elections. One I'm certain whom will win. One whom was a better person then I ever was and I feel confident leaving Paris in good hands." André said.
"Then why did you call me here? If you are not doing a campaign, then what do you want me to do?" Bob asked.
"Oh, I am still planning a special TV appearance for you. But it is going to be to announce my retirement and I want to throw one last party. And since you've always been there for my campaigns, and it is a habit at this point I still call you in for special events." André said.
"Can I not convince you to keep running, old friend? You have done so much for me and my son, and I in return did a lot for you..." Bob asked.
"I have made my decision. It is time to move on to better things in my life, mostly trying to set a better example for my daughter. As a father yourself, I thought you would understand that. It is one of the reasons I thought you'd listen." André responded.
"Well, when you put it like that. Yeah, I would do a lot for my boy. A shame, but I understand. I'll make sure you are going out with a bang." Bob said, reluctantly accepting the ordeal.
"Thank you, Robert. Now if you excuse me, I need to attend to a few matters in my hotel, you and XY make yourselves comfortable." André said, as he then left the scene.
"Shame that he's leaving. It was so much easier to get away with stuff with him in our corner. Oh well, I got other ways to cover our tracks." Bob said as he turned to XY. "Son, we need to talk about this special TV appearance you're going to be making. You know this'll be a major promotional event for you. You got any new material to premiere? New ideas?"
XY scoffed. "Of course not, Dad. You know I never have any ideas." He and Bob bursted out in laughter at this.
"So let me hear what you've ripped- er, what you've come up with this year." Bob asks XY. He listens to XY play his song on a laptop but then signals for him to stop. "Isn't it a bit similar to what you were doing last year?"
XY raises an eyebrow and had a pensive look on his face (which actually makes him look dumber). He then plays last year's song. "Oh, yeah. Guess I ripped off my own music." He and Bob both start laughing again.
"Never mind. No one will know the difference anyway. Image is key. What kind of visuals you got going? Any concepts?" Bob asked his son.
XY looked at his father with a dumb look on his face that wasn't that much different from his pensive look. "Any what, now?" he asked.
Bob sighed deeply. "Forget it. I'll use the same plan that's made me the rich man I am today. If you're short on great ideas, borrow someone else's." He and XY laugh so hard that other guests begin staring at them.Oneguest even went as far as twirling his finger near the side of his head, a universal sign that he thought father and son were a bit coo-coo for cocoa puffs.
It was an average day at the Collège Françoise Dupont. Unusually quiet since no Akuma made itself known yet. But today the heroes were talking quietly among each other. "So, you think that this Youth Center idea I have...is it something like managing an orphanage? It is similar yet different from that." Adrien said as he showed off a few notes he had made in terms of his project. Of course everyone was supportive.
"I get it. It will need places for them to stay and sleep, even live if they have nowhere else. Though it may need a recreational area for certain activities as some others may just need to be there to blow off some steam or to retreat to if things look bad..." Marinette added.
"The question is, where are you going to put it? You need a location and a building." Nino asked.
"Er...didn't think that part through yet. It's not like I can just have a house built. Even for us rich people that can be expensive." Adrien answered.
"You need a budget first. And you may have some impressive savings, but you can't blow it all at once, since you need an emergency fund to fall back upon." Chloé noted.
"Probably need to study something related to caretaking...something like a teaching degree, teachers learn how to deal with kids, right? Or a form of psychology? That's something that we need to check." Alya said as she dialed away on her phone.
"Maybe right now is not the best time to look into it. Maybe you guys can come over to my place and we'll talk with my Uncle, since he managed to start up a hospital from scratch and..." Adrien said, but he stopped mid-sentence as some of their friends approach them. They are the members of Kitty Section; Rose, Juleka, Luka and Ivan.
"Hey guys, aren't we interrupting anything?" Rose asked, with her usual chipper tone.
"Not at all." Adrien said. "Is there something you want to ask?"
"Hello, Adrien. Nino. Alya. Ma-Ma-Marinette..." Luka greeted. Marinette rolled her eyes at that comment. Luka is never going to let that bit go, will he? He turned to Chloé. "Angel..."
"Angel, he calls you Angel?" Alya asked with a smirk.
"What, good friends can have nicknames for each other, right? I call Adrien Adrikins and you call him Sunshine..." Chloé argued.
"Oh, but Angel sounds really special. You keep saying that there is nothing beyond friendship?" Alya's smirk grew wider and her eyebrow twitched.
"Adrien, do you still have that spray bottle?" Chloé asked.
"She has a point you know, unless their first name is Angel or something similar, you don't just call people that unless..." Juleka smirked at her brother.
"Et tu, sis?" Luka asked, clearly feeling as embarrassed as Chloé.
"Hey, you tease me about my relationship with Rosebud all the time, let me have this." Juleka said with a fake pout.
"I almost miss the days you weren't as outspoken." Luka huffed.
"Anyhow!" Rose said as she broke it up, and sported a grin that was too wide even for her. "We wanted to ask you guys for help."
"You know that Bob Roth, the one whom owes Jagged Stone and XY's record label?" Ivan asked.
"Yeah, and if you ask me the guy is an arrogant tosser..." Chloé huffed. Even when she was a brat, she didn't like Bob Roth much, only the fact she used to be a fan of XY's caused her to behave around him.
"Well, he had made an announcement online. Here, let me show you." Ivan said as he showed them a website on his phone. He played the clip of Bob's announcement.
"We're looking for new talent. Stunning musical and visual skills are a must. With a brand new style that everyone will die for. You have two weeks to send in your videos." the Bob in the video explained.
Rose bounced up and down in excitement. "It's a perfect opportunity to showcase Kitty Section." she squealed happily.
"And the stage clothes you designed, Marinette." Luka added.
"I don't know. Something about Bob rubs me the wrong way." Marinette said. "I want to give you guys a chance, but I have a bad feeling about this."
"I agree with Marinette. My father knows Bob Roth, and the guy is...I dunno what to say. There is something slimy about him." Chloé shuddered.
"I know you guys are worried for us, but this can be our big chance. For all of us. We could make it big as band. You can draw attention to your designs, Marinette. And Adrien...don't you mind be part of the band again for this? This is a chance for you to establish yourself as your own person separate from the Agreste brand." Juleka said.
"Well, I kind of missed playing with you guys..." Adrien said.
"Nino, you want to be a director? Directing a video clip of an upcoming band should look good on the resume, right?" Ivan asked.
"That actually sounds good." Nino said as he nodded. "I don't see why we shouldn't at least try. And we are among some of the best connected kids in Paris, so there should be nothing to fear, right?"
"Well, I always wanted to play with Kitty Section again. But more importantly, I could perhaps work a message into it somewhere about my Youth Center project, raise awareness and get the project off the ground!" Adrien said with a wide smile.
"That's a wonderful idea." Alya agreed.
Marinette couldn't shake the uneasy feeling. But it was important to her friends, as well as her boyfriend. She felt like she couldn't let them down. "Fine, I'm in. It was already making the band some outfits anyhow."
"And I'll help...you know, to support my friends." Chloé added.
"Or maybe one friend in particular...cough-Luka-cough!" Alya noted.
"I am going to slap you silly, Alya!" Chloé huffed.
"If we all pitch in, two weeks is more than enough time to make an awesome video. Everyone in?" Marinette said. She may have doubts, but if she is going to be part of this, she is going to do it right.
"Here we go!" Rose said as she puts her hand out. The members of Kitty section, including Adrien and Marinette, put their hands together.
"Do we join in, because we are not really band members and all..." Nino asked.
"Marinette is a designer but she's part of the team. You guys are too. Join in." Rose assured them. Nino, Alya and Chloé added their hands onto the pile, with Chloé's on top of Luka's. The two blushed at the contact, looked each other in the eyes and then turned away, acting like nothing was wrong. Alya smirked but it vanished once she got a dark glare from Chloé.
As one they then raised their hands in the sky and shouted: "Kitty Section!"
A few days later they had gathered up the necessary materials and made the necessary preparations to get the video clip going. Nino was setting up his computer while Alya checked some of the editing software they would be using. Nearly everyone was there already aside from a few.
A trio of students, consisting of Kiva, Scott and Reece, arrived on the scene. "Hey guys, we aren't late for the whole thing, are we?" Reece asked.
"No, you're just in time, we only need Rose now. She should be here any minute now." Juleka assured them.
"I am not sure if we would be here, we didn't help that much." Scott wondered.
"Hey, the three of you helped Rose out with the lyrics. We love her a lot, but if it was up to her alone, she'd be singing about unicorns and rainbows all the time and we wouldn't have the heart to deny her. She has that adorable kitty pout..." Ivan noted.
"That's true..." Kiva said. "Say, I brought snacks for everyone, anyone wants some mini-meatballs?" Suddenly Kiva found several fire extinguishers aimed at him. "Oh come on! I only put soccer balls on fire! And I don't know how I do that. Seriously, it'd be a pain if I put any type of food ball on fire. It'd be a major dampener for my cooking hobby."
"Say, now that you're here...Scott, want to help me with the direction?" Nino asked.
"You got it!" Scott said, giving the thumbs up.
"Reece and I will put up the snacks and drinks!" Kiva said happily.
Shortly after, Rose arrived on the Couffaine houseboat but she didn't look too happy. She actually looks pretty sad. It was always sad to see Rose like that. She always looked like a kitten whom has been kicked. "Hey Rosebud...oh, what is wrong?" Juleka asked her girlfriend.
Rose whimpered as she pointed at her throat and shook her head. She looked like she was about to cry. "You lost your voice?" Juleka asked sadly. Then came the waterworks and Rose hugged Juleka tightly and cried her eyes out. "Sweetheart, what happened?"
Rose let go, wiped her tears and signed for someone giving her something to write. Marinette let her borrow her pen and a blank page from her sketchbook. Rose started to write: 'My parents brought some very good news which got me excited so much and I screamed in happiness a bit too loud and now my voice is gone and now I have ruined everything. We got no lead singer and Kitty Section will miss its chance...' Rose then cried again, her tears staining the note she has written.
"It must have been some very good news if you screamed that hard. It must be something really good, and it is not something to be ashamed about. This is unfortunate but...don't feel guilty, Rose." Marinette assured her.
"We will be able to think of something." Adrien noted. "Anybody else here who can sing? My own singing sounds like if someone tortures a cat."
"I already do the designs and another buttload of things, I cannot be lead singer." Marinette said.
"Not me. I can make sick tunes but I can't sing to save my life." Nino said.
"I can sing but I don't have as good a singing voice as Rose, it'd be a major downgrade." Alya admitted.
Everyone started thinking but it was Luka, whom was looking at his Angel (still insisting it is a friendly nickname). Chloé looked pensive as everyone else as they were looking for a solution. Luka knew the time he took Chloé to karaoke. He smiled and didn't hesitate: "Chloé can do it." he said, without a doubt.
"What? Me...but I..." Chloé stammered and blushed.
"Oh, that's right. I can't believe I forgot how nice Chloé's singing voice is. It's perfect." Adrien said.
"Is it?" Alya asked in surprise. They never heard Chloé sing before so they became curious.
Chloé sighed. "I...I don't want to...Rose..." Rose grabbed Chloé's hands. Her eyes were still teary but she smiled and nodded. Chloé looked around. Looks of curiosity, support, admiration...that last one mostly on Luka's. She sighed, she took a deep breath and started singing:
Tout est chaos, à côté
Tous mes idéaux, des mots, abîmés
Je cherche une âme, qui
Pourra m'aider, je suis
D'une génération désenchantée
Désenchantée
She had just given everyone a preview of what she could do and they looked at her, most of them wide-eyed. Adrien had a soft approving smile and Luka's looked outright adoring. Then the others started clapping. Chloé felt flustered when a silent Rose grabbed her hands and jumped up and down in happiness. "Chloé, that was beautiful. You can really sing." Marinette said.
"You...you really are an angel." Kiva blurted out. "I mean, that voice..."
"Please Chloé, you have to fill in as lead singer. With your voice, we'll be certainly blowing everyone's socks off." Ivan asked.
Luka moved towards Chloé and grabbed her hand. "What do you say, Angel?"
Chloé blushed harder then ever. Well, she at least would get a chance to spend more time with her boyfr-good friend. Definately good friend. Good friend...with a beautiful smile, handsome feature. Gah! Bad brain, bad brain! "Well, I don't want to let my friends down. But only until Rose is better." Everyone cheered because the show could go on.
"Ok people, someone get her caught up with the lyrics, I'll take care of the music. Scott, Alya, ready the camera!" Nino said as he stood behind the computer, his companions giving a cheeky salute. Soon everything was back on track.
Chloé was now wearing a long yellow jacket, with white fuzz at the sleeves and the coattails, and a kabuki/cat mask which covered the upper half of her face. Soon, Nino would start the music as the band members starting to play their instruments. Luka shredding away as the lead guitarist, Juleka rhythm guitarist, Adrien on the keyboard and Ivan banging the drums. As the music filled the air, Chloé opened her mouth and started to sing:
Looking for the fittest, we're the natural selection
The prime example of beauty and purr-fection
In the foodchain we're at the top
Don't believe us, look us up
We can be found in the Kitty Section!
You best don't get caught up in this game
You'd lose too easily and that's a shame
Trapped like a cornered rat
At the mercy of this cat
And after that you'll never be the same
BE THE SAME!
KITTY SECTIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONN!
Baring teeth and claws, please give us some applause!
KITTY SECTIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONN!
Of predators and prey, you're not getting away.
No escape, no objection
KITTY SECTION!
"And...cut!" Nino said. "Well, that was pretty awesome. You really rocked the stage there."
"Maybe. I thought since it will be a one time thing anyhow, I best cut loose a little." Chloé said as she pulled off her mask and sat down. "But I didn't mind to take the stage. It was for a good cause after all. We are fulfilling Luka's dream...I mean, Kitty Section's dreams!"
"I think such a voice needs to be shared with the world. It's not like I ever could pull of something like that." Adrien said as he sat down, leaned back and put his hands behind his head.
"Wait a minute...Last Christmas you were part of a musical routine. You could sing just fine there." Chloé suddenly realized. "Adrien..."
Adrien looked sheepish. "Er, you see...I thought you'd appreciate being closer to Luka so I may have fibbed a bit in that regard. I didn't think you'd actually take so long to recall..." He pushed the tips of his index fingers together. "I may be a bit of a Luchloé shipper?"
"Adrikins, you best start running, now!" Chloé growled.
"Marinette..." Adrien begged.
"Sorry, I'm not getting in between a sibling rivalry." Marinette said flatly.
"Traitor!" Adrien said as he ran for it, Chloé high on his heels.
After that comedic performance was done, they did a few more takes, edited everything and it was soon ready to be entered in the competition. This would be their masterpiece. If everything worked out, Kitty Section would really take off, and several others like Marinette and Nino would have something to add on their list of accomplishments. But most of all a group of friends got together and got to take part in something they could all enjoy.
Chloé remained behind a bit longer, to say Luka goodbye for the day. "You were wonderful today. I mean, you are always wonderful of course but..." Luka blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "This is why I prefer to use music instead of words. Words always seem to never be enough."
"It's ok. I think you were great on the guitar too. When going up in the music, I always hear your guitar-play over every other sound." Chloé sighed. "Shame it is only a temporary gig."
"It doesn't have to be. Rose also liked your music. She wouldn't mind you filling in for her again or do a duet with you in the future. And honestly I wouldn't mind either." Luka said. He went silent for a few second, pursed his lips and said. "I always have a good time when you're around Chloé. I feel...free."
"I feel good around you. I feel...welcome." Chloé replied.
"Chloé...your heartsong. Once it was discordant, but then it found its a beautiful one at that." Luka grabbed Chloé's hands. "You have grown in an extraordinary girl, Chloé. Clear as a melody, sincere as a musical note...I..." Luka leaned in closer...but the mood got ruined.
By the sound of garbage cans falling over. The two turned around to see Alya stumble from behind one she accidentally knocked over. "Er...there is a good explanation for this. I just have to think of one yet. You know what? It's getting late, I'm going home. Bye!" Alya then shot off in the distance.
"I love them all, but my friends are all crazy!" Chloé muttered. "Sorry, what did you want to say, Luka."
Luka sighed. The moment was gone. "I hope we get to hang out soon again. Good night Chloé."
"Good night Luka!" she said as she stood on her toes and pecked him in the cheek. As she walked home, Luka touched the spot where Chloé touched her, a dopey grin on his face.
He walked back onto the boathouse, where his little sister was waiting for him, a smirk apparent on her face. Luke raised a finger, pointed at her and said: "Not a word!"
Several days later, the Kitty Section crew would regroup on the Couffaine houseboat. They would get together and do more rehearsals in case Bob Roth would select them and they would get their first audience. Everyone was just so hyped. That day, when Chloé came onto the scene she handed Nino a dog leash. "Whut?" the DJ muttered.
"It's for your girlfriend. You'll find it is really short." she muttered as she stepped onto the stage, readying herself for the next rehearsal.
"I'm not late!" Marinette shouted as she stumbled upon the boathouse. She panted for a bit. The others didn't budge, they were used to Marinette's tardy and klutzy entrances.
"Hey Marinette...Say, have you heard any news about the contest? The rest of us didn't." Luka greeted.
"No, I haven't. I may be a bit worried as well. Maybe they didn't like our song? No, I shouldn't say that, you did a good job. We all did a good job, right?" Marinette said uneasily as she hugged herself.
"It is not us. We put our hearts and our souls into it." Chloé assured them. "I doubt there is anyone more passionate about this in all of Paris then Kitty Section and the crew!"
"They must've received a ton of videos. They probably haven't made their pick yet." Luka noted, trying to ease everyone's worries.
"I mean Bob Roth is a big name, so of course many people would have applied." Juleka added.
"Uh, oh. You better take a look at this, guys." Ivan said, sounding nervously as he gestured outside the boat window. Everyone looks outside the boat window and see a large screen show a broadcast from TVi studio.
It shows XY wearing a cardboard version of Marinette's costume designs and mask. And singing Kitty Section's Song!
XY SECTIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONN!
Baring teeth and claws, please give us some applause!
XY SECTIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONN!
Of predators and prey, you're not getting away.
No escape, no objection
XY SECTION!
"That son of a bitch!" Chloé shouted.
TO BE CONTINUED
ARTIST'S COMMENTS
In this universe Silencer takes place before Heroes' Day.
I am further my Luka/Chloé ship and I regret nothing.
Some funny jokes I had fun writing if you ask me.
The Kitty Section song is to me and while I like all the members of Kitty Section, I don't like the 'I love Unicorns' Song. Sue me. So hence the new song.
The other song, of which Chloé sang the chorus to show her singing skills can be listened here: watch?v=tmPws7…
Also, my avatar character's running gag keeps going. Say, does it say something about my self-esteem if I make myself a buttmonkey in my own story?