Chapter 20: Two Kinds of Devil
Shortly after Marinette got Miss Bustier's text, the whole class went on to meet her, with some of them still finishing their desserts, as they walked. The place their teacher had asked them to meet her was at the entrance of the Exhibit Dome. On their way there, they all noticed how there were less people walking around, and quickly assumed that was because most had decided to stop for lunch. They did not mind it, because with less people walking around, it was easier for them to get to where they needed to be.
But as they walked towards the Exhibit Dome, they all realized one thing. None of them knew what Miss Bustier was wearing that day. They knew that she would be wearing her Nebula cosplay on Sunday, for the second round of the cosplay tournament. But they did not know what she was wearing that Saturday, and wondered if they would recognize her or not. But the truth was that one of them in that group knew what she was wearing, and that was Marinette, who had talked to Miss Bustier the night before. So, when she told the others what her cosplay that day was, they were surprised with the choice.
"She's cosplaying Cruella de Vil?!" -Rose asked.
"Yes. But it's her own version of Cruella." -Marinette said. –"She told me it will be something that no one has ever seen." -she told her. –"In her own words, "I'm going to let people know just how much of a devil Cruella really is."
"How much of a devil Cruella really is?" -Max asked. –"That is both ambiguous and mysterious." -he said. –"Never thought that Miss Bustier would have this side to her."
"Well, truth be told, neither you, nor any of us knew she was also a really famous cosplayer." -Kim told him.
"True." -Max said.
"Still, it's hard to imagine her cosplaying a character that is incredibly evil." -Sabrina said. –"She's one of the nicest people we know, and she's also the world's greatest teacher." -she said, whispering the last part to the rest of the gang.
"Well, cosplay is just that. Being able to become someone you're not in real life." -Marinette told her. –"Besides, knowing the outfits she has done, I know she has come up with something incredible." -she said. –"I just wonder how she's going to do to hide her face?"
"I don't think you're going to have to wait long to know that, girl." -Alya declared. –"She's right over there. Unless, there's another person cosplaying Cruella, as well." -she said, as she pointed to a Cruella cosplayer.
Approaching the Exhibit Dome, which was a white circular tent, they all saw her. They were still a good 25 meters from her, but there was no mistake about it. That had to be Miss Bustier, who was posing for photos with several people by her side, two of which, were also cosplayers and were cosplaying One could easily see she was cosplaying Cruella de Vil, because of the black and white wig she was wearing. But just like she had told Marinette, she had decided to give it her own spin, with the wig's haircut mirroring Edith Head's own haircut. But what made that version of Cruella her own, was the fact that she was wearing a personalized Pantalone mask, which covered the upper part of her face, only showing her mouth and chin. Regarding the rest of the costume, she was wearing a black dress, black stockings and red high heels. On her left hand you could see she was wearing a long red opera glove, while the right hand looked more like the dark claw of a demon. She was also wearing a cream and black fur coat with a red interior, and a matching purse with three foxtails. All in all, she looked rather stunning in that cosplay, so she was not surprised, when people began asking her for photos. She had only announced online what would her cosplay for that Saturday would be, the night before, because she had so much on her mind, she forgot to announce it earlier. Still, her fans, who followed her online, did not disappoint, by showing up and asking her to take photos.
As she posed for what seemed to her like the umpteenth photo people took of her that day, Miss Bustier noticed her students arriving. These did not approach her right away, preferring to wait for the group that was taking photos with her left. They knew that their teacher would want to exchange a couple of works with them, and it was best if no one outside of the group heard what they had to say. When the group finally left, Marinette and the others approached Miss Bustier, while pretending they did not know her, to avoid exposing her real identity.
"Huh, hello…. Big fan, here." -Marinette said, pretending to be embarrassed. –"Oh, come on, Marinette, you can do better than that! You need to pretend you don't know Miss Bustier!" -she thought to herself. –"Uh… my friends and I, we were…"
"We were hoping that we could take a photo with you?" -Adrien asked her, finishing his girlfriend's sentence.
"Oh, I would love to." -Miss Bustier said, also pretending not to know them. –"I hardly recognized Adrien with that wig on his head. That is a very good disguise." -she thought to herself. –"But because you're such a large group, maybe we could find a place that is better suited for this. How about we go inside the Exhibit Dome?"
Following her, they entered into the Exhibit Dome, where the "Fifth Element" exhibit was on display. When they entered, the first thing they saw were two giant vertical banners hanging from the roof, where you could see the pictures of Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich in their iconic roles, Korben Dallas and Leeloo, respectively. All over the tent, there were props from the movie that ranged from weapons and clothes, to set pieces and miniaturized versions of some of the iconic ships in the movie. For anyone who was a fan of the Fifth Element, that was the place to be in that convention. There were some people around, but the place looked pretty empty. In fact, the whole place made them feel like they were not in Japan Expo, but a museum. They could still hear the music that was playing outside, but the tent's material was doing a good job muffling most of it, creating a calmer atmosphere, than the one being lived outside.
Marinette and the others continued to follow their teacher. She had asked them to only address her by her cosplayer name, when there were other people around. But right then, there were only a couple of people around and if they remained in one of the corners, without talking very loudly, there would not be the need to do so. Even so, in case someone approached them, to take a photo with Miss Bustier, they knew what to do. And to not rise suspicions, they pretended to take photos with her, while talking to her.
"Okay, I suppose we'll be alright here, for the next couple of minutes. There doesn't seem to be many people here, right about now… I didn't expect you to come so promptly." -Miss Bustier said. –"But I'm glad you did." -she smiled. –"It fills my heart with joy, seeing you all here."
"As soon as Marinette received your text, we hurried to finish lunch, so we could come and see you, Miss Bustier." -Mylene said.
"I hope you took your time to chew your food properly. We wouldn't want any of you to get indisposed." -Miss Bustier said, when she noticed Alix looked a little bit pale. –"Alix, are you okay?" -she asked the pink-haired teenager. –"You seem… a little sick."
Even in full cosplay and in the middle of a convention, Caline Bustier could not help but to act like the wonderful teacher she was; always worried about other's well-being. And even if she wanted to, she could not ignore it. It was stronger than her. It was her teacher instincts kicking in, and she could not ignore them.
"Oh, she's still feeling a little indisposed, after eating some spicy instant noodles." -Max said.
"I'll be fine." -Alix said, while forcing a smile. –"The last thing I want, is to worry Miss Bustier. She already has enough to worry about with the contest." -she thought to herself. –"I already took something for the… stomach ache, and I… skipped lunch."
"Well, okay, if you say so. But just in case, if you need them, I have some stomach tablets, here in my purse." -Miss Bustier said, as she looked for the stomach tablets in question. –"Here they are." -she said.
"You have those inside your bag, while cosplaying? But why?" -Kim asked his teacher, curious, as she handed a stomach tablet to Alix.
"One of the things we all learn in these events, is that you never know, when you're going to need things, you never thought you're going to need. And that is best to have them, and not need them, then needing them, and not having them." -Miss Bustier explained to Kim.
"That's rule number one of cosplay." -Marinette said.
"Actually, no, Marinette. That's rule number two." -Miss Bustier smiled at the blue-haired girl. –"The first rule of cosplay is, or it should always be, have fun when cosplaying." -she declared.
"That makes sense." -Alya said. –"I mean, if you're not having fun while doing it, then why do it?" -she asked.
"Indeed, Alya…. I really shouldn't take off this mask, because it will be a pain in the neck to put it back on." -Miss Bustier said. –"But I'm going to take it off. You're my students, and you came here to watch me compete. It's only fair that you get to talk to me face-to-face, without any masks covering it." -she said, as she handed her purse to Nino. –"Nino, hold this for me, for a minute, please."
With a swift move, Miss Bustier reached for the back of her head, and everyone heard the sound of a clasp opening. Once they did, she removed the mask, ever so gently, so as to not blur what she had done with her face, and they were all amazed and slightly disgusted by what they saw. Using make-up, she had made it look like her skin had been peeled off, leaving the muscles, the tendons and minor blood vessels exposed. The whole thing felt like it belonged to a character in a horror movie.
"Much better." -Miss Bustier smiled at her students, though the make-up she was wearing under the mask, made it look more like she was smiling and glaring at them.
"Miss Bustier… you look terrifying." -Alya said. –"And I say that with all the sweetness in the world." -she added.
"Spooky is more like it." -Chloe said. –"You look like you had someone skinning the upper part of your face." -she said, as she looked at her teacher.
"Very bloody and very awesome. I like it." -Nino said. –"It gives a whole new meaning to the expression "Skinning the devil"." -he said.
"Why, thank you, all." -Miss Bustier thanked Alya, Chloe and Nino with a smile. –"That means that my idea worked. I wanted to show just how horrible Cruella is, and by making her look like she's a real demon, or the devil, under the skin, I think I manage to pass on that message." -she said. –"I don't usually show my face when I'm cosplaying, and I try not to do it. But it's amazing what some liquid latex, a whole lot of red paint and ink, and a pair of red contact-lenses can do, to make someone look completely unrecognizable."
"If I didn't know, it was you under that make-up, I would never guess it was you, Miss Bustier." -Juleka said.
"Thank you, Juleka." -Miss Bustier smiled at Goth girl.
"It's amazing, Miss Bustier." -Marinette said. –"You look… beautiful and ugly at the same time." -she smiled.
"That whole make-up in your face seems rather uncomfortable." -Chloe pointed out. –"I don't think I would ever wear something like that on my beautiful skin." -she thought to herself.
"I admit that it's not exactly the most comfortable thing I've ever wore on my face. But we cosplayers are used to suffer for our art." -Miss Bustier said. -"But changing the subject, I can't stress just how happy I am to see you all. I usually don't have anyone knowing it's me behind the cosplays and the masks, so, this is a first for me." -she declared.
"Well, we're very happy to be here for you." -Rose smiled at Miss Bustier. –"It's the least we could do, after you confided this secret to us." -she said. –"Also, as a bonus, we're having a lot of fun here."
"I'm glad you are." -Miss Bustier said. –"And, out of curiosity, what are you enjoying the most in the event, so far?" -she asked them.
"Hard to say." -Kim said. –"But for me, it's the whole atmosphere. It's different." -he said. –"Though being able to play all the amazing videogames I did so far, is practically tied up with this place's atmosphere."
"I think I could lose myself in that artists alley for days in a row." -Nathaniel confessed.
"One expression? I'm loving it!" -Max exclaimed. –"Last year's edition it was fantastic, but this year's will put it to shame, if it keeps up." -he admitted.
"The event is being fun, and the company has been fantastic, as well." -Marinette declared, as she winked at Adrien, who winked back at her.
"We're really enjoying ourselves." -Alya said.
"I'm not…" -Chloe sighed. –"I've been trying to, but I still can't see the appeal to all of this." -she said.
"I told her that she just needs to find the right thing to make her feel like this is the place she wants to be." -Sabrina commented. –"But it's not been easy, I admit." -she told Miss Bustier.
"Sometimes it takes some people a little longer to find what draws them to this kind of event." –Miss Bustier smiled. –"And I'm sure that you will find something that you like, Chloe, when you least expect it." -she smiled at the blonde, who smiled back at her.
Each of them told her what they had been doing, and she listened to each one, as if they were back in class. In fact, they themselves could not help but to feel like they were in class, telling their teacher what they had been up to, since the last time she had seen them.
"Well, I hope you continue to enjoy yourselves, because the event is far from over." -Miss Bustier told them. –"And if you want my advice, you should try everything, even the things you might not like, to get the full experience of this event. Who knows? Maybe you'll end up surprised you like something, when you thought you didn't." -she said. –"Because that's the beauty of these events. Trying new things and getting to know things you didn't know about, is all part of the experience."
"No offense, but that sounds a lot like what we do in school." –Alix told her.
"A little, maybe. But it's the truth." -Miss Bustier smiled at the pink-haired girl. –"Like everything else in life, one can only be sure if things are fun or not, if it tries them at least once, Alix." -she said. –"It's as simple as that."
"Well, if one can't help it, I guess it's the only way to find if we like something else." -Mylene said.
A few minutes went by, when a distinct noise was heard from inside Miss Bustier's Cruella de Vil purse, broke the conversation. She immediately recognized it as being her cell phone's ringtone. Pulling it out, she saw that it was warning her about her next appointment, which she knew she could not be late to. She was so glad in having all her class there with her, that she had completely forgotten about it.
"Oh, look at the time… I'm sorry, but I must be going. I still have one promotional photoshoot that I need to attend, and then I have to go back to the backstage, to get everything ready for the contest." -Miss Bustier apologized to her students. –"I really wish I could stay a little longer with you, but…" -she said, with a saddened voice.
"It's okay, Miss Bustier. We understand." -Adrien said.
"It was already amazing talking to you, even if it was just for a little bit." -Mylene smiled.
"Thank you for staying with us for a little bit." -Juleka smiled.
"You go and win this contest." -Kim said.
"The other cosplayers have got nothing on you." -Ivan said.
"And even if you don't win in the end, we'll still be there, rooting for you and believing that you're the best." -Marinette said.
The words her students spoke, caught Caline Bustier by surprise, and once more, she felt touched by her students. Rather than being upset with her, for having to leave like that, they understood she had to go, and thanked her for spending some time with, while also wishing her good luck, promising that they would be in the audience to support her when the contest started. All those gestures were enough to once more believing she had the best students in the world.
"Thank you." -Miss Bustier said, as she finished putting the mask back on. –"But before I go, I want a photo with you all. Just because we were pretending to take photos, doesn't mean we can't take a real one." -she declared, while taking her cell phone from her purse.
Gathering as closely as possible, the teenagers surrounded their teacher and smiled to the cell's camera as it took the photo. Once the photo was taken, Miss Bustier apologized to everyone once more for not being able to stay any longer, and hurried out of there. As they saw her exit the Exhibit Dome, her students smiled, once more feeling pretty lucky in having her as their teacher.
"There goes one amazing teacher and cosplayer." -Alya declared. –"And definitely the kindest and the most caring Cruella de Vil we've ever seen." -she chuckled.
"Yeah. For a de Vil, she's very nice." -Nino agreed.
"And we're lucky enough to have her as a teacher." -Max said.
"Absolutely." -Marinette agreed with Max. –"Every time I think that we could've ended up with Miss Mendeleiv for a teacher, I thank God for being in Miss Bustier's class." -she said.
"I agree. I admit that I wouldn't have minded ending up in Monsieur Labisse's class, or even in Miss Lemoine's class. But Miss Mendeleiv, no, thank you." -Sabrina said. –"They don't call her "The Witch", just because she looks a little bit like one, when she's having a bad hair day." -she joked.
"You're right!" -Kim laughed. –"I seriously don't envy the kids in her class. Mostly because some of them do deserve to have her as a teacher." -he said, as his infectious laugh made the others laugh as well.
"Okay, okay… I think we already had enough laughs at the expense of Miss Mendeleiv for one day." -Marinette said, as she stopped laughing. –"So, what do you guys want to do next?" -she asked them, changing the subject. –"Earlier, we agreed that we would stick together after lunch. So, are we going to do that?"
"I don't see why not." -Nathaniel said.
"I think it's a good idea for us to do that." -Mylene smiled.
"And if one of us wants to do something else, he or she can catch up to the rest a little later." -Max pointed out. –"And no, I don't have any particular place to be, before the contest." -he said.
"Well, I suggest that if we're sticking together, that we do something that is calm, or that doesn't involve sudden moves, for Alix's sake." -Mylene suggested. –"Since we're here already, we could start by seeing the exhibit, since we're here, and then, we'll decide on what else we're going to do." -she said.
"You guys don't have to hold back… because of me." -Alix said, as she burped again.
"Oh, come on, Alix. That wouldn't be fair for you." -Rose said. –"Besides, I think it would be a good idea for us to do something a little bit more calm. After all, we need to save our energies for the cosplay contest. We need to be the best cheering squad ever." -she said, enthusiastically. –"By the way, does everyone still remember the routine we came up with?"
"How could we forget it? We practiced it so many times that we wouldn't be able to forget it, even if we wanted to." -Juleka told her girlfriend. –"If it depends on us, and it will, Miss Bustier is going to have the best cheering squad ever." -she smiled at her.
"Juleka's right. She'll have it, no questions asked." -Nathaniel said.
"Either way, hear me out. I just got an idea." -Adrien said. –"I think I know what we can do, before heading to the cosplay contest… earlier, Marinette and I passed by a place where they were going to have a an anime karaoke competition. I don't know about you, but I think I would like to try it." -he told the others.
"Anime karaoke, you say, bro?" -Nino said. –"I think that's a great idea." -he concurred.
"To see who is more out of tune?" -Mylene joked. –"I'm in." -she giggled.
"A competition, you say?" -Kim said, smirking. –"I already had my fair share of competitions today. But I can always go for one more, just for kicks." -he said, with a cocky voice.
"Kim, we've heard you sing before. And you know what we usually say about it?" –Max asked his best friend. –"We usually say frogs sing better than you do, because you sound like you have stuck in your throat." -he joked.
"I do not sound like I have a frog stuck in my throat!" -Kim protested, upset.
"Trust me, Kim. Whenever you sing, everyone says "Run for the hills!", and that's what we do, so we don't have to hear you." -Chloe told him. –"Your voice, when you sing, is just horrible, utterly horrible. Sorry, but it's the truth." -she said. –"Now, I, on the other hand, have a beautiful singing voice."
"You do, I'll give you that." -Adrien agreed with the blonde. –"Still, Kim's voice isn't that bad." -he said, before turning to Kim. –"You have a voice that just isn't cut out for singing, like mine."
"Oh, your voice isn't that bad either, Adrien. I've heard you singing before, and I didn't dislike what I heard." -Marinette said. –"And just so you know, I'm not just saying this, because you're my boyfriend." -she smiled at him.
"Thanks, but my voice is far from being a great singing voice." -Adrien smiled at her. –"In a competition, I wouldn't last two seconds against Chloe, Rose or Juleka. The three of them would clobber me in a matter of seconds." -he admitted.
"I know what you mean. I love to sing, but my voice isn't cut out for it either." -Ivan admitted. –"Which is why I usually only sing, when I'm alone with Mylene, who doesn't mind listening to me, or in the shower." -he thought to himself.
"Well, I admit that I would be sad for winning against you, but when you have a voice like mine, what can we do?" -Chloe joked, making Adrien chuckle.
"Oh, I'm not much of a singer either. I mean, I know I can sing, but only when it comes to certain songs." -Rose said, with a shy voice. –"Like punk rock, death metal songs and other subgenres… all thanks to Jules, who showed them to me." -she thought to herself. –"Because when it comes to most songs, my voice is no good."
"Which doesn't really matter in karaoke." -Sabrina said. –"In karaoke, one only needs to know the lyrics to the song, and the rest is secondary." -she said.
"Part of the fun is to see who can sing it better, without looking at the lyrics on the screen, even if its voice is horrible." -Nino laughed.
"Well, I know who here is going to win this competition easily." -Rose declared, as she looked at Juleka. –"And I'm staring at her, right now." -she smiled.
"Rose…" -Juleka said, as she blushed lightly.
"I love it, when you blush like that, Jules." -Rose thought to herself. –"But it's true. You're going to win, easily." -she giggled. –"No offense, Chloe, but between your voice and Jules, I prefer hers, and I know that her vocal range is a lot wider than yours."
"None taken." -Chloe said. –"But I still say that I'm going to win." -she said.
"You do realize thar you will probably have to sing not only in French, but also in Japanese, right?" -Adrien asked her, with a teasing smile on his face.
"Uh… I haven't thought about it. Still, how hard can it be singing in Japanese?" -Chloe asked, confident she could do it.
"A lot, if you don't know the language." -Marinette joked.
It did not take long for the whole gang to agree with the idea, which to them felt like a good way to spend the time they still had to wait, until the beginning of the cosplay contest. And while they went to have some fun at the karaoke, fun was a word that seemingly had no place on the backstage of the cosplay contest. In it, the cosplayers who would represent France at the ECC would be chosen, and the competition was quite fierce. Some veterans, who were the big favorites to win, had enrolled for the chance of winning the competition and be able to compete in the European Cosplay Contest, or ECC for short, final. And among such veterans was Miss Bustier, who was competing for the fourth time and was hoping to finally win it. One of her dreams, as a cosplayer, was to have the chance to represent France in the World Cosplay Summit in Japan, where the best of the best competed for the title of the world's best cosplayer. But she was not the only one to have that dream. Other veterans also dreamed with it, and the same thing could be said about the several first timers, that were competing that year. One of the cosplayers that were competing for the first time was Marie Guilloux, but she preferred to be called by her cosplayer name, Lukka Heartfelt. She was only 19, but she was quite talented and had decided to see if she had what it takes to win a cosplay competition. To do so, she had decided to wear one of her favourite cosplays, Ashe from League of Legends.
You could tell she was nervous. Though she had been attending anime and cosplay conventions for the past three years, this was the first time that she was entering a cosplay contest, and she was a little scared. The pressure was high, and even knowing she had little chances of winning, she wanted to give her best. But to do that, she was going to need her bow and arrow, which had taken her almost three months to create from scratch, and she could not find either. She knew she had put them neat he place she was right then, before going to change into her cosplay. Looking around, she noticed two other cosplayers, who might have seen her props and decided to ask them if they knew anything. She recognized them as two veteran cosplayers, she had seen in previous events. The girl cosplaying Dark Phoenix was Camille Serreau better known as Megumi Blitz, while the boy cosplaying Legolas was Cyril Tisseur, better known as Kenzo Kun.
"Hey, did you see my bow and arrow went?! I left them here, just a moment ago!" -Lukka asked them.
"I didn't see it." -Megumi told her.
"Me neither." -Kenzo declared.
Leaving them to ask one of the stage assistants if they had seen her props, Lukka quickly disappeared, leaving Megumi and Kenzo to themselves. And once she was out of sight, both laughed at her. The two of them had taken Lukka's props and hid them, while she had gone to put on her cosplay, just because they felt like it. The two of them were dating and the lovebirds looked like the perfect couple. On top of it, they believed they were perfect couple. But that did not mean their attitude towards others was perfect. Over the years they had been cosplaying, they had picked on many cosplayers, and Lukka was the latest in a long list of names. When they first laid their eyes on her, in a previous event, and found out that she was going to try and participate on that cosplay contest, they made her their target. They did not believe she would be able to win, but they were not going to leave it to chance. If they had something to say about it, Lukka would never have a chance to win that contest.
"Does she really think she's got a chance of winning this?" -Kenzo asked Megumi.
"With the outfit she chose, hardly. League of Legends cosplays are completely out of season. Also, the way she styled that wig, shows that she doesn't know what she's doing." -Megumi answered. -"Her bow and arrow are decent, but I've seen better." -she told him.
"You're right. She doesn't have any chance of winning. Still, hiding her things, will make it hard for her to compete. And even if she can find them, I bet the nerves will get the better of her, like they always do with the newbies." -Kenzo laughed evilly. –"Anyways, we only need to worry about the others that are at our level of craftsmanship. And of course, that LettersGirl." -he said, with a serious voice. –"I don't know how, but she always manages to come up with some of the best versions of certain outfits, I've ever seen, and that makes me mad."
"I can't stand her. Making her real identity a mystery all the time. That is so cliché!" -Megumi exclaimed. –"More than once, people have tried to get her to spill the beans, but nothing." -she said.
"Who cares about who she is under those outfits and make-up?! All that matters is that we have to worry about what she's going to wear tomorrow. With that Cruella cosplay she's wearing today, the judges will be giving her a free pass for the final, tomorrow." –Kenzo stated.
"Don't worry. I'll try to sweet talk one of the judges to tell me what she'll be cosplaying tomorrow. You know they're always required to know what everyone's cosplays will be." -Megumi said. –"And once I found out, we'll know just what versions of our cosplays will have to wear tomorrow." -she smirked evilly.
"You really are evil." -Kenzo said. –"That's why I feel so attracted to you." -he said, as he kissed her. –"We're going to smite the competition, one way or another."
"You bet we will." -Megumi smiled evilly, before kissing him, only for him to push her away. –"Hey! What gives?!" -she asked him, upset.
"I told you before, don't kiss me, when I'm already in full costume. I don't' want to have to redo my make-up." -Kenzo told her.
"You and your obsession with your make-up!" -Megumi scoffed him. –"I've never seen a guy so obsessed with his make-up!" -she told him.
"Look who's talking! You spend half your time, looking yourself in the mirror!" -Kenzo shot back at her.
Both Megumi and Kenzo were good options for an akumatization. The urge to win, combined with disrespect for others, self-centeredness and lust for recognition were powerful attractants, and just what an Akuma Butterfly would be attracted to. But they were not what Madame Romani was looking for. In that backstage, there were others that were also exuding those feelings. Almost everyone was exuding at least one of those feelings, if not more than one. Which was why she was looking for something absolutely distinctive. She had used her powers to make herself invisible and entered the backstage, to look for potential victims, like she had done before, in other events.
"There's a lot of negative vibes coming from some of these cosplayers. But not enough to make any of them a worthy Akuma." -Madame Romani thought to herself, as she looked around, trying not to bump into anyone, who was moving around. –"Still, the pressure is likely to make that negativity become even more powerful. It will be like leaving a piece of meat marinating overnight. The longer it marinates, the tastier it will be. And the same thing will happen with one of these idiots." -she mused about it. –"And with so many of them, under pressure, one of them will likely snap… if the pressure is already high today, then tomorrow, when it's the finals, it will be even higher. All I have to do is wait…"
"Romani! What do you think you're doing? Where is the victim you have promised me?" -Hawk Moth asked the gypsy witch, his voice echoing inside her head.
The gypsy witch was not expecting to be contacted by her master, so when his voice echoed inside her head, she was startled by it. She knew that if he was contacting her, it was because he was not happy with her.
"M-Master… I'm sorry, but I still haven't found one worthy of one of your Akuma Butterflies." -Madame Romani apologized to him. –"But I…" -she said, when she felt her body being zapped. Clenching her teeth, she did her best not to yell, as she landed on her knees."
"Excuses… you know what I think about excuses." -Hawk Moth told her, in a cold, almost icy tone. –"And you know quite well what happens when anyone comes up with excuses for me." -he said, with the same icy voice tone. –"Should I give you another sample of my displeasure, so you understand, once and for all?"
She knew quite well Hawk Moth hated excuses, and she knew that he did not forgive mistakes. But Romani knew how to get herself out of that tight jam. She just needed to play her cards right. And if she, did it, she knew that even if her masted did not like any of her excuses, he would give her a little more time to fulfil whatever promise she would make him. Thinking about it, she tried to come up with the perfect speech to get out of that tight jam. But the thought of knowing that Hawk Moth could not give her the time to think about it, before electrocuting her again, made it hard to think that through.
"Master, please, I beg of you, feel the negative feelings that are in some of these people's hearts. They merely need the right push, and those very same feelings will be amplified. I believe that tomorrow afternoon, I will find you someone worthy of your Akuma Butterflies." -Madame Romani declared. –"Please, one more day. That's all it will take, and that's all I need to give you the perfect victim for akumatization.
Hawk Moth was tired of that sort of apologies. In the past, he killed lieutenants for a tenth of the mistakes Romani and the others had done, and part of him wished to kill them, or at the very least, one of them to send a clear message to the remaining ones. But he could not afford to do it. He had regained his former powers, yet for some unknown reason, he could not make full use of them. And until he could figure out why, he could not afford to get rid of any of his lieutenants. So, knowing he could not get rid of Madame Romani, he did what she had begged him to do; feel the emotional state of those around her. Doing so, he quickly saw that most of the people were rather anxious, but nothing out of the ordinary. I also felt the self-centeredness, the selfishness, and other similar feelings. They were not incredibly strong, but they were there. With the right push, one of them could become a strong Akuma.
"The feelings are indeed quite negative." -Hawk Moth declared. –"Very well. One more day. But to make sure that there will be a new victim for one of my beautiful Akuma Butterflies, I will send Reptile and the others to help." -he warned her. –"And if you fail to get me a new victim, or if the Miraculous Team shows up and defeats you, you will feel my wrath, like you've never felt it before."
"Y-Yes, master." -Madame Romani told Hawk Moth. –"You will get your Akuma." -she thought to herself. –"I don't feel like having those three idiots around, but I have no choice… Whatever. I'll do anything to not end up electrocuted and with my head filled with all sorts of nightmares, by the master… as they say, it's better to be at the right hand of the Devil, than in his path."
So sorry for taking so long to update, folks, but my mental health hasn't been the best these last weeks. I hate it when my depression just creeps in and takes full control of my thoughts, preventing me from doing anything other than my job. On top of that, I haven't been sleeping well, so I end up waking up just as exhausted, as when I went to bed. Still, I don't want to bother you with this, because I'm sure that you all have your own problems to worry about, so, let's stick to what brought us here, huh?
Also, I watched the "Ephemeral" episode last night, and I have to say that I'm not exactly a fan of how they handled this pseudo-reveal... again. I feel that once again they did the same mistakes they did with the "Chat Blanc" episode, but instead of using Bunnix to clean up the mess, they used Sass. I'll admit that it was pretty cool to see certain things happening and all that, but the episode could've been handled better (for instance, at least to me, they could've played the "dream" card with this one, where everything that happened would be a dream by Marinette or even Adrien, who would wake up and laugh at just how crazy it all was- It's one of those ideas that hasn't been used in the series, and when properly written it would've made for a breath of fresh air on a subject that's been done nearly four times already), and the way Gabriel found out that Adrien was Chat Noir... I mean, come on, couldn't they have depicted Gabriel not assuming that, just because his son called Marinette by the nickname he gave her, and instead have him think about it for at least a couple of hours, just to see if it was just a coincidence or not? I don't like to say it, but the writers aren't even trying it anymore.
Anyways, regarding this chapter, there isn't much to talk about, other than it's title, and a few new characters that I introduced. The title literally refers to just two depictions of the devil that we seen in it, the first being Miss Bustier in her Cruella de Vil cosplay (for those of you who never read the 101 Dalmatians novel, in it Cruella is literally compared to the Devil), and the second being Hawk Moth, and just how different they are. Regarding the new characters, Lukka (not to be mistaken with Juleka's big brother, Luka, xD) is based on a friend of mine, whose cosplayer name is really that one, and her personality is exactly the same as the character. As for Megumi and Kenzo, they are based on two other friends of mine who are also cosplayers, but unlike the characters in this fic, in real life, they're super nice and they are one of the cutest married couples I know.
As always, feel free to comment, fav and leave suggestions to improve this and future fanfics, my friends... I will try to update faster, you have my promise.
P.S. Feel free to check out Liehl-Ferz's page on DeviantArt to see the two new illustrations of my team's kwamis. This time she designed Arii (Max's kwami) and Impp (Kim's kwami), and she's working on Muriia (Ivan's kwami) as we speak.