Chapter 38)

Luka observed Dupain-Cheng Bakery through window. He needed to wink several times, just to be sure, that his eyes were not deceiving him. But what he saw was reality…
At Dupain-Cheng family table was quite a company. All these people seemed to have so a good time together, that he almost needed to vomit. Especially if observing HIS Marinette being snuggled to Adrien Fucking Agreste. Another two girls, Kagami and Chloé, both with extra big crush on model boy acted, like if they were best friends, if not sisters. Old Chinese looking man was probably an Marinette's relative from her mother side, seemed to be of less importance…
World must be definitively mad, decided Luka, green with envy now. He came here with his guitar to sing new song he already composed for Marinette. Something must be done, but he had no idea, what. He escaped back to ship Liberty, this time being unnoticed, what made him feel depressed…
He escaped just few minutes before he could make a very special discovery, what would make him probably even close to suicide…

XXXXXXX

Some of journalists looked like being offended by Chat's words. Dan Gainor said it: 'No one hurts journalism more than journalists.' They simply were unable not to look on themselves through rose-coloured spectacles…
-What a shame!- thought Chat Noir amusedly. -But some of these cretins painfully need to hear it. However they are probably unable to think better of it.-
He knew, only way to get these pieces of information into dumb journalists' skuls would be usage of 5 kg sledge-hammer…
"Be nice, Kitty!" Ladybug palmed his head slightly, like if whe knew his mind.
"As Chat Noir said, we have some good news and some bad news," said Master Fu, being transformed again. "I'm Guardian of Miraculouses. Call me Master Dragon, if you wish!"
"Master Dragon, we never observe you to fight against akumatized villains together with other heroes," said Nadja Chamack. "How should we understand, you're here now?"
"My old bones are too frangible for fighting," smiled Master Dragon. "So I choose younger warriors to do, what has to be done."
"Recruiting child warriors is a crime," objected Nadja Chamack. "At least Chloé Burgeois is too young to be involved in such kind of violent activities."
Nadja tended, same as many journalists, consider her point of view to be the only acceptable and used her position to 'format' public opinion by selection of information…
"Culture, that created our Miraculouses, really long long time ago, had a bit different point of view," Master Dragon widened his smile. "And Chloé Burgeois maybe obtained her Miraculous by accident, but she approved herself finally. Better, than any of us expected. Well, I needed for Miraculous holders persons with pure hearts, first of all."
"Chloé Burgeois being pure heart?!" Alec Cataldi emited fake hysterical laughter. "That's joke of year, oldie man!"
When Queen Bee moved to bald-pated journalist with evident intent to stomp into his smile, Tigresse grabbed her shoulder:
"This worm is not worthy of your attention, Queen Bee. You're thousand times more valuable he could dream to ever be."
"Thanks Tigresse!" said Queen Bee and showed Alec a cuckhold sign.
"That was not very nice, Queen Bee," said Master Dragon with smirk. "This way dunce blockhead is unable to understand, how much obtuse he is."
Chat Noir decided to intervene:
"As I told, we have good news and we have bad news. Good new is, none of us died, however we were probably allured into trap. Bad new is, Hawkmoth escaped and we even did not observe Mayura today."
"So you failed again?" asked Prefect Clouseau. "Your Miraculouses should be confiscated and let this job for perfectly trained professionals to be done well. Such powers should be used under proper supervision."
"By confiscated you mean stolen by government authority?" said with hard expression on transformed face Master Dragon. "Or rather should I say robed? Your professionals are simply not capable to work with magic, like Miraculous is."
"By the way," broke into that speech Chat Noir. "As far as I know, your well-trained Police professionals did never reveal identity of criminal, known as 'Fantômas', so I don't think, you are in position to criticize."
"That was my predecessor's, Prefect Juve's failure, not my own," answered Prefect Clouseau. "But anyway…"
"Forget it!" Master Dragon almost lost his temper. "No way to give these powers into hands of governmental bureaucrats. Our order created Miraculouses several Milenias ago and that long we look after their users. We're independent on any governmental authorities, we are NOT subordinate to any government authority. We MAY support sometimes law-enforcement agencies or officials, but ONLY by OUR OWN free choice."
Prefect Clouseau was consternated and for a moment speechless. Chat Noir decided to use that moment:
"On such named 'LadyBlog' we found anonymous notice, that we could find Hawkmot on one place. We erased that notice and stormed that place."
"Why did you erase that notice?" asked Nadja Chamack. "Wouldn't be wiser to ask Police for coordinate action?"
"We decided better to avoid presence of people without skills and abilities to protect themselves from magic threat," answered Ladybug, who decided not to let all falshood on Chat Noir. "We didn't want bystanders and rubbernecks to be akumatized or hurt another way."
"Thank, M'lady!" smiled Chat Noir. "But I'm better storyteller, so let me continue. Carapace made video documentation, you probably observed that video. We found Hawkmoth on that place. He knew about us and initiated firebombs and escaped through secret passage. I followed him, but I lost orientation in flame and smoke, so I used my powers in panique to save my life…"
"You panicked?" Prefect Clouseau decided to be asshole. "See yourslef, professionals with your equipment would hardly…"
"I'm unsure, how many of your cops are able to run into flames the way Chat Noir did," interrupted him firefighter chief. "But I can assure you, anybody, escpecially newbie, could panic in similar situation and I see no shame in it. So if you want to blame somebody, you should rather blame Hawkmoth. Thank to use Cataclysm the building in flames collapsed, hopefully with nobody innocent inside that building. That way spread of arson was decelerated."
"Thank you, sir!" said Chat Noir. "Tigresse checked place for case, to avoid any innocent to be harmed and she found nobody there. Unfortunatelly, shortly after I left that building, we discovered no clues to where and how Hawkmoth escaped. On news we found, that akuma known as 'Volpina' whooped it up with spaceship full of Aliens. Rena Rouge used her Mirage to create another starship, just full of Klingons. We though, that way nobody with common sense would believe, these extraterrestrials are true. Well, I suspect, common sense is not that much of common…"
Some of newsworkers were visibly offended by Chat's words, but he laughted aloud, seeing their elongated faces…
"So for now, all we can say, Mayura is somewhere out there," said Chat Noir pensively. "We have no idea about her motivation, nor identity."
"Armand Claudy, Le Parisien. Is she really woman?" asked one journalist.
"Well, we didn't cath her to check for being REALLY sure," said Chat Noir with wicked smirk. "But from observation I could confirm, she's either really woman, or a really persuasive transvestite. She's for sure somehow connected with Hawkmoth, maybe member of family, mistress, or maybe his employee. Unfortunatelly we have no clue to motivation of any of both main villains, what's not helpful, if we wish to find their identity."
"If you don't know anything, why are you even here?" asked Prefect Clouseau. "To waist time of these good people…"
"They're journalists, no good people," said Chat Noir. "We're here now because Mayor Burgeois asked us to come and we decided to accept for once. As we're quite busy with our duties, so we decided to pick out Queen Bee to be our press secretary and PR manager. Her identity as Chloé Burgeois is anyway public secret and she appreciates being in publicity. So she could be the perfect choice for that. If you'd wish in future some interview or another help from us, contact her and be really nice to her. She's authorized to cease requests from the public or from press…"
"That's IMPOSSIBLE!" screamed Alec Cataldi. "She's known for being biased…"
"Well, you can consider me as biased too," said Chat Noir. "I think, you're just such pain in ass, Alec. One of our demands is, if anybody wants interview with Paris heroes, do NOT send Alec Cataldi there!"
Newshounds started gabble over each other.
"Fine, since you have no more questions…" started Ladybug.
"Are you and Chat Noir couple?" asked Nadja Chamack obligatory question.
"That's our business," answered Ladybug. "That's irrelevant…"
As protests from journalists aggravated, Chat Noir made wide grin into TV-camera and made his usual two-fingers salute:
"Have a meowelous day, all of you!"
With that all group escaped from scene…

XXXXXXX

On rooftop close to the place they dismissed. Chloé returned to Le Grand Paris, Alya with Nino back to Nino place and Master Fu asked Marinette with Adrien, to meet with him Kagami's mother.
"I owe to you, Kagami," he said. "I was unable to do anything for Adrien's mother, but maybe I could something for your mother, at least I'd try to check her blindness. I may need help from Tikki for that."
"That's really kind from you, Master Fu," said Kagami. "But my mother is blind quite a long time and it would need more, than just common miracle to heal it…"

XXXXXXX

Chloé observed news in her room, when somebody knocked. As she expected Butler Jean, she opened with:
"Yes Jean-Claude?"
"Sorry Miss Burgeois, none of us is Jean-Claude," answered one of two 'ostentatiously inconspicios men. "We are from DGSI* and we need to talk."
(*DGSI – Direction générale de la sécurité intérieure – The General Directorate for Internal Security – French secret service for home affairs)

TO BE CONTINUED…