The debate was heated and voices rose in the room so that sometimes Ladybug and Chat Noir did not even know who had the speech, the guards were agitated, mutually interrupted each other, spoke at the same time, once in a low voice, another time much louder ...
Ladybug and Chat Noir were invited to leave the room after having given all the information they had concerning Wang Fu and his life after fleeing Tibet (for this part only Ladybug had spoken, Chat Noir knowing almost nothing about the former guardian) and they had also presented their arguments in favor of the old Chinese, to emphasize his intentions to correct his mistakes and to make the best possible choices.
Ladybug was pacing outside the temple, she had an intense need to breathe some fresh air and to move so as not to let herself be invaded by pessimistic thoughts.
Chat Noir ends up planting himself in front of his partner, grabbing her by the shoulders.
- You're going to wear down the ground, Bugaboo, come on, he said to her, removing his hands from her shoulders and opening his arms wide to invite her into an embrace.
She didn't hesitate a single second before accepting his invitation and snuggling up to his chest. He placed a delicate kiss halfway between her forehead and her hair and gently stroked her back in slow, reassuring movements.
As the young heroine went through what seemed to her the longest ten minutes of her life, the temple door opened and the two heroes moved away from each other to see Lama Zhongshì signify to them that the council was ready to deliver the verdict.
Chat Noir intertwined his partner's fingers with his and gave her a soft, confident look.
Together they nodded with a slight movement and re-entered this incredible monument to join the center room and the members of the council.
-Unanimously, the council decided to grant your request.
They accepted! She recorded this information and let out the breath she had been holding so far
-However…
But there is a "but"… It was too good to be true, she thought,
-The ritual of restitution requires that we be in possession of the miracle box which was linked to the former keeper.
"That's no problem, I can get it to you quickly," Ladybug exclaimed.
The Grand Gardien gave her a reassuring and compassionate look before breaking Ladybug's hopeful momentum against all odds.
-Unfortunately, the Miracle Box must be complete for the ritual to be performed.
Chat Noir saw his partner's jaw and fists tighten. Sadness and anger mixed in her eyes, so that a glimmer of determination he had never seen before now shone in her two large bluebell eyes.
Determined, too, to show her his unfailing support and his fighting spirit, he faced the council and spoke:
-And you will have it! Hawkmoth's reign of terror has lasted long enough. We have already lost enough in all of this fighting. Master Fu has placed his trust in us, and we will be worthy of it. We're going to move heaven and earth to find Hawkmoth's cocoon and we are going to extricate him from its chrysalis, he exclaimed, with his head held high and an unshakeable conviction in his eyes.
Ladybug nodded, fully approving her partner's words, then turned to him, presenting her closed fist:
-Together my kitty, we'll kick Hawkmoth's wings!
-And we will fly in Mayura's feathers! He replied, proudly crushing his fist against hers.
The guards looked at Ladybug and Chat Noir in awe. Admittedly the two heroes were young, but they were courageous, lively and solid of mind, and above all united by confidence and by a very great motivation.
"You'll get there," whispered the Grand Gardien.
-And we will be there to protect and help you, Awa added, turning to her three companions of virtues.
The three men nodded, perfectly approving the lioness's words.
-We desire all four, if you accept it, to donate to you a strengthening of your cardinal virtues. In order to protect and guide your spirits whenever they face a difficult situation or when it becomes necessary in your mission.
Without consulting each other, in perfect symbiosis, and with one and the same voice, Ladybug and Chat Noir accepted the offering of the four Guardian members of the Council.
Lama Zonghshì left the room to let the four virtues holders transmit their energetic aura to the young heroes.
"Let's all take the hand," asked Andrew, the guardian of the Anglo-Saxon Miracle Box.
They all took hands to form a circle.
The two young heroes closed their eyes, following the instructions of Andrew the holder of Prudence virtue's, he called on his power of reinforcement: - Protectorate, he breathed.
He was followed by Awa, holder of the force: - Fortification.
-Integrity, breathed in his turn Axel, the Justice.
-Moderation, concluded Juan, the holder of the virtue of Temperance.
A pale yellow glow rose briefly above the heads of each of them before they all converged towards the center of the circle to form a single orb of almost blinding light.
The glittering orb enveloped Ladybug and Chat Noir in its vivid light and then gradually dissipated until it was completely gone.
The sensation that had invaded the two Parisian heroes was powerful and incredibly invigorating. They felt strong, determined and at the same time confident, appeased.
-Master? There is one last question I would like to ask you before I go, Ladybug asked while savoring a Khabse (Tibetan donut)
-I am all ears, young Guardian.
- For what reasons the Chinese Miracle Box didn't have a tutor at the time when Wang Fû was one of your students?
-That's a very good question. I thought Fû gave you this information, but it seems he didn't have the time or the possibility. The answer is simple. We are the hypocenter, or home if you prefer, of all Guardians and Miracle Boxes. When a guardian gives up his Miracle box without having designated a successor, or if he dies before having been able to train someone to succeed him, his Miracle Box is automatically teleported here in order to find a new guardian. .
This is what happened with your Box.
His Guardian was a young man who died in action during the First Opium War between China and the United Kingdom in 1839. He never had the opportunity to train a successor. So we had to take care of it when the Miraculous Box was returned to us, Wang Fû was one of six young apprentices aspiring to be offered the tutoring of this Box.
-It's unbelievable, Chat Noir exclaimed, his mouth full of delicious donuts which he gulped down almost as greedily as Plagg did when he devoured Camembert.
Seeing his partner's stern and annoyed look, he quickly swallowed what his mouth contained and politely apologized before asking: - How many Miracle Boxes are there in circulation?
-Taking into account the one under my responsibility as well as the one for which Ladybug has tutoring, there are 12 in total.
-Thank you for all these answers and these learnings, and thank you for your welcome, Master. It's getting late, or rather, very early in Paris, Chat Noir and I unfortunately have to take leave of your generous hospitality.
-You are welcome here in Lhasa, whenever you want young heroes.
"Chat Noir ? Do you hear me ?"
Lama Zongshi's voice echoed softly in Chat Noir's head, surprised he froze briefly before remembering the abilities of the holder of the Miraculous Bear. He concentrated, wishing he could answer him silently.
"Yes, Master."
"She's stronger than you might think, yet she's fallible, as we all are. Take care of her, share her burden and support her, you are her pillar. "
"I will never give up on her. She is the sun that lights up my darkest days, I love her, I will support her and I will protect her at the risk of my own life, be sure. "
Accompanied only by Su-Han this time, Ladybug and Chat Noir descended Mount Gephel, under a sun high in the sky and a more pleasant temperature than at dawn, even though here in the mountains the temperatures were the highest. highs never exceeded 16 °C ( 60,8 °F)and were therefore mostly cool throughout the year.
Ladybug was relieved, she was relieved of some of the weight that had weighed heavily on her shoulders for several weeks: the guilt that Master Fû had lost her memory, the uncertainty of her first steps as a Guardian, even her self-confidence. She seemed to have regained strength in those last few hours. So she and Chat Noir weren't alone anymore. They could count on the members of the Order.
It was a rather strange thing to explain, but in his grip on his partner's hand, Chat Noir could feel a dazzling difference from the sensations he was having this morning. She held him delicately, her grip was soft, relaxed, just by holding her hand he could feel that she felt better, less anxious, more serene. He could almost swear that her breathing was also much slower and quieter than the past few weeks. At least, that's what his sensitive feline ears told him and that's also what he felt when he looked at her. The mere thought that his beloved had a lighter heart swelled his own with deep comfort and relief.
-Do not forget that you are at home here in the temple, Su-Han whispered, greeting the two heroes who disappeared moments later in the luminous orb of a portal.
6:30 am Paris wakes up,
Ladybug and Chat Noir, however, would like to get back to their bed and sleep.
They had 4 hour of mountain walking in their legs, a full night's sleep missing, and their heads heavy with various information to assimilate.
They say "superheroes never rest".
Well, it was rather true.
But if these few sacrifices were made to learn and invest even more in their mission, if they were made to become better and stop Hawkmoth and Mayura once and for all.
Then they would both be willing to walk hundreds of miles and sacrifice dozens of hours of sleep.
One last kiss filled with hope, one last heartwarming embrace, and the two young heroes parted ways to return to their respective homes.
Adrien let go of his transformation and collapsed on his bed. He could most certainly sleep 1 hour, and with luck, maybe even 2 hours.
But that was in theory, because in practice he was Chat Noir, the one who attracted bad luck. And although his bad luck seemed to be balancing out since he had found his other half, the Lucky Ladybug, his bad luck had not gone away.
In fact, this morning she was knocking on his door. In the literal sense. Because yes, we were literally knocking on his bedroom door.
6:49 am. Nathalie, it's 6:49 am and it's the weekend, he thought exhausted, glancing at his alarm clock.
-Adrien, did you sleep in daytime clothes? Nathalie wondered as she entered the room, a look of disapproval appearing gravely on her face.
Holly Shit.
-I… I fell asleep. I was exhausted last night.
-You seem particularly tired lately, Adrien. Your father would be furious to see you like this.
-Father never sees me, Nathalie, replied the young man, more aggressively than he would have liked.
She would have liked to tell him he was wrong.
Yet she knew he was telling the truth.
Gabriel only saw one thing, no, two things, lately: Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous.
Adrien sadly lowered his head. Even Nathalie did not dare to contradict his words. His father did not see him, or almost
He didn't value him, or almost
He didn't speak to him, or almost, or rather, he only spoke to him if it benefited him, if it benefited his little person and his business.
Nathalie's voice took him out of his dark thoughts to explain the reason for her very, too, early morning burst into his room.
-Your photo shoot initially planned for tomorrow morning has been moved to this morning.
-What time do I have to be ready? He asked his father's secretary.
-Be ready as soon as possible. The photoshoot is at 8 a.m. She added when her tablet vibrated in her hands.
Nathalie widened her eyes, Adrien's agenda for the weekend had just been filled in by Gabriel. Well filled.. heavily filled.
She looked up at the young boy and met his questioning gaze and swallowed hard.
-You also have a photo shoot at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. today. As well as three other sessions on Sunday. At 9 a.m., 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.
-Nathalie, are you sure that Father didn't make any mistakes? He asked, confused.
She wished she could tell him there was a mistake, she wanted to tell him that he could go back to sleep and recover from this tiredness that he seemed to have accumulated.
But she knew full well there was no mistake. She knew he would have to rack up this weekend, even more exhaustion.
-I'm sorry Adrien, there is no mistake in your planning. Take a shower.
I'll ask to have a take out breakfast prepared for you.
Your driver will leave at 7.45 am. Be on time.
Adrien was fidgeting nervously in the back seat of the car.
6 photoshoots in 48 hours. It was something new and strange.
Nevermind, the positive point is that at least he came out of the 4 walls of his room.
It had already been a week since he had been deprived of outing and school. A week that his only interactions with the outside world were in a black leather costume and under a feline hero mask.
He still had a whole week to go before he could resume his daily student life and regain some semblance of freedom, at least the little freedom his father allowed him in normal times, not a lot anyway.
At least this weekend he was going out.
He could take a step back from the dark and cold Mansion and enjoy the mild Fall and the wonderful color palette that season offered.
He was even going to be able to chat with other people, even if it boiled down to the makeup artist, the props, the designer and the photographer.
It was the positive point he clung to, to spend his 6 photoshoots without collapsing: Being away from the Manor and getting some fresh air.
This motivation was short-lived. When he arrived in front of the Louvre where the photoshoot was taking place, he saw another person already posing under the photographer's lens, a person who would make this shoot uncomfortable and endless.
Lila
Of all the models he had the opportunity to work with from time to time, Lila Rossi had to be his partner of the day.
-Adrien! My Adrien! How happy I am to work with you this weekend.
This week-end.
No, it was a nightmare, he was going to wake up, right?
- Ouch! Adrien began to moan in a low voice.
Plagg seemed to have read his thoughts and had just pinched him hard between two ribs.
It was a nightmare, a nightmare that he wouldn't wake up from because it was real.
He had been trying to make his father understand for weeks, most often through Nathalie or a conversation through screens, that it was difficult for him to work with Lila, and that he wished no more to have to model in duet with her. But her father persisted in wanting to make Lila his main female muse and to ignore his complaints about the behavior of the young Italian.
In addition, a few months ago, Adrien had granted his friendship to Lila in exchange for yet another lie to repair the damage she had caused, more precisely, the expulsion of Marinette from school. From that day forward, Lila clung to him like a tick stuck in cat skin.
Lila was a harmful parasite.
A parasite that harmed Marinette, this wonderful and sincere friend, a parasite that harmed Ladybug, his lady, his girlfriend.
The young woman was also a real magnet to Akuma. Not only did her lies provoke anger, sorrow or even a desire for revenge in the people she knew and therefore offered a large number of potential victims for Hawkmoth's Akumas. But she, too, was a target the great villain highly appreciated sending evil Lepidoptera to.
He and Ladybug also suspected Lila of being akumatized of her own accord. Unfortunately they didn't have enough evidence to confront her. They were therefore wary, and cautious when it came to Lila Rossi. This implied for Adrien to be vigilant also in his civilian life with the young woman from whom he wanted to stay as far as possible.
But for this weekend, this approach would not be possible. He should therefore remain on his guard.
-Hello Lila, he breathed in a neutral and polite way.
-We are preparing the promotion of the new capsule collection, "Outwear" that your father is releasing exclusively this winter, isn't it great to be part of this new project together ?!
An exclusive "Outwear" capsule collection?
He was not even in possession of this information.
He turned to Giuseppe, the photographer, seeking approval for this information.
-Yes, today we're going to showcase the Cappotti e Scarpe, from Gabriello's new collection, the man of Italian origin happily exclaimed.
Coats and scarves…
His father never made any outerwear in his collections.
Were there other things that the great Gabriel Agreste did not mention to his own son?
Adrien entered the interior of the Louvre and he followed the props and makeup artist who led him to a room that had been transformed into a dressing room especially for him and Lila.
Luckily, he only had to put on coats and scarves and could therefore keep his civilian clothes. Which was really a good thing contained in the gaze of Lila who didn't leave the young man and weighed on him intensely.
He could never have said a word to Plagg in his presence and informed him that he would have to abandon him for a while. Fortunately, there, he didn't have to worry about his Kwami who was still very secure in his shirt that he shouldn't take off.
The first photo shoot in front of the Louvre went off without a hitch.
The second session, that of 2 p.m., took place on the banks of the Seine and had been more complicated for the young man. Not only was there a strong, cold wind that was unpleasant, but there was also Lila who was increasingly invading his personal space excessively and without his consent. He had gently pushed the young woman away several times so that she remained at a respectable and professional distance from him.
The third session took place at the top of the Eiffel Tower as the sun was setting. The space was quite small and Lila and Adrien found themselves, to the latter's dismay, inevitably very close. The young Italian took the opportunity to again invade Adrien's personal space more than necessary, even allowing themselves, during a snapshot where they both had to let their eyes turn to Paris and its illuminations, to pass her arm around Adrien and flank him a sonorous kiss on the right cheek. This last gesture made Adrien react.
-Lila. Can you stick to what the photographer asks please!
-I'm sorry Adrien, I thought it might be good for the photo, the Italian falsely apologized.
-Only Giuseppe is the judge of what is good for his photos, Adrien replied seriously.
Giuseppe approved of Adrien's words and asked Lila to make sure to get his approval before taking the initiative to change position or submit a change from what was originally planned.
The photographer ended their last photo shoot after this intervention. He had enough pictures and the rendering was quite satisfactory.
Moreover, Adrien kept yawning and the makeup covering his dark circles began to wear off. It was out of the question for Giuseppe to have a tired and limp model in his photos.
-Adriano, please, riposatevi per domani! Ordered the photographer.
- I'll try, answered Adrien sincerely.
Adrien knew that once back at the Manor, he would first have to have dinner, take a shower and then find his girlfriend with whom he had a daily meeting at 10pm. Appointments that he refused to cut short, to the detriment of his hours of sleep.
He entered the entrance to the Manor with a goal in mind for that very evening, to find a quiet, private place where he could safely fall asleep in Ladybug's arms. He was sure that this idea would appeal to his girlfriend who, after more than 30 hours without being able to sleep, must certainly be as exhausted as him.
To be continued…
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Thank you and Miraculous kisses.