About two blocks from Marinette's bakery - one yo-yo swing for Ladybug and a leap for Dragon Fyre - Dragon Fyre says "You know, if you keep encouraging her it's going to come to a head sooner rather than later." And it's getting to be more than an issue, they've had to take convoluted routes, Dragon Fyre's made herself bait multiple times now with illusionary appearances, and there've been a few close calls thanks to the girl's extreme determination.
Ladybug sighs, knowing exactly what her fiery partner's talking about - Alya Cesaire, and her Ladyblog. She wanted to do something nice for Alya, in the hopes that maybe she'd tone her determination down a little bit if she got something good, so she picked her out of a crowd of reporters and mentioned her being the one who runs the Ladyblog.
Instead…it just seemed to amp it up to about 20.
Ladybug sheepishly says "I know, but…something has to give, you know?" If she weren't so dead-set on exposing their identities, she'd think Alya Cesaire would be a good Miraculous Holder - as it is, the girl is dead-set on learning everything about them including their identities. Superhero-worship, meet dreams of being a journalist - throw in modern-day technology, and you have Alya Cesaire and her Ladyblog.
Dragon Fyre snorts, and says "She's going to get herself killed one day if she doesn't back off on the Akuma attacks, we've got to get that through her thick head. That's what's got to change, Spots."
After a minute, the red-and-black Superhero says "Your probably right, Scales." They get back to the right balcony, under the cover of one of the red-heads mirages to keep them from being seen, change back and head downstairs to grab a snack - something that's been much more regular now that Marinette's figured out Bloom's two biggest secrets, to the point that she threatened to have Cat Noir help wrestle her into the room if that's what it took.
After coming up with a plate of Macarons and Cookies - one of each for Tikki set aside, and Longg pulling out a strip of Beef Jerky to munch on with his sister - the two girls sit down and pull up the Ladyblog once more to check for anything they need to do damage control on. Honestly, if they knew how to hack...well, as much as it would be mean to change all her hard work, they have to keep their identities a secret somehow. Bloom absentmindedly says "As expected, she already posted the video…if she's not careful, she's going to get targeted."
Marinette nods her head grimly, not having even considered the option until her best friend said as much, and says "Your right…we'll have to find a way to get her to…I don't know, tone it down somehow?"
Bloom grimaces, and says "Not gonna be easy. She's determined to unmask us, remember Lady Wi-Fi?" Remember how close she could've come to unmasking you? All it would've taken, were Dragon Fyre not so good at her mirages, is to take off Ladybug's earrings...and Lady Wi-Fi's hand was mere inches away.
"Unfortunately." She hasn't been able to stop thinking about that close call sometimes, actually. The what-ifs like to plague her thoughts occasionally - what if Dragon Fyre wasn't in Paris, what if she didn't listen, what if Lady Wi-Fi figured it out. If any of those things had happened...well, she doesn't know what would've happened, and she doesn't want to know. Bloom says it's the curse of being the unofficial leader of the group, constantly worrying she'll fail them - for all that they tell each other they're equals, which is a lot, Ladybug is pretty much the leader of the group. She's the one that comes up with the plans, most of the time anyway, and she's the one that can fix everything - ergo, she's the leader of their little group no matter how much she denies being as much.
And then Tom's voice yells "MARINETTE! MYLENE AND FRED ARE DOWNSTAIRS!"
Both girls exchange relieved glances, after coming down from the ceiling since they jumped that high, and Marinette quietly says "You're getting better about that…" Not setting anything on fire when her dad yells at the top of his lungs is quite the feat, since she learned the hard way not to surprise Bloom like that. The one and only time she did, having gotten back to the bakery later than Bloom after an Akuma attack, the plate of cookies next to her burned to a crisp as Bloom jumped three feet in the air.
Bloom just shrugs, putting out the flames in her hand, and says "After the twelfth time or so, you start getting used to it." She accidentally burned the stuff in the oven the first time, for instance. The two girls get rid of any evidence of their superhero activities - hiding the plate of food and beef jerky strips in Marinette's big drawer, where nobody will notice Longg and Tikki eating - and Mylene and her father come in maybe a minute later to see Marinette sketching an outfit and Bloom adding some input.
Mylene brags about her father a bit, saying he's the best mime in the city, and Marinette smiles and says "Well, no Mime is complete without his hat. I added the pocket on the inside, just like you wanted." Fred mimes taking the hat out of the box, and puts his picture of Mylene inside the small pocket on the inside of the hat.
After the Hapreles leave, Bloom asks "Want to take a walk, Mari? Maybe get some new inspiration for an outfit?" It worked with the Pigeon-Derby, after all.
Marinette nods her head, saying "You could model it for me at school, you know."
Bloom gives Marinette the same stubborn look she's gotten for the past week - it was a battle just to get her to take the food, which Marinette played off as being the leftover stuff from the Bakery, Bloom Peters does not do charity, and is not anyone's charity case or pity party - and Marinette just knows what her answer will be. "Again, Marinette, no. I can't just take the stuff you work on so much!"
"Well, I can't just sit back and-"
Bloom shakes her head, saying "I'm good on the clothing department, Mari. It's not that I don't appreciate the offer, really. It's that I can barely keep my conscience satisfied as it is, and I'm not going to take any more from you than I already do."
How Bloom is this selfless when she's got so little is beyond Marinette - they don't know where she lives, since she's made it a habit to use Longg's abilities to go 'back home' - wherever that is - but they do know that about once a week she goes to a supermarket and stocks up on whatever won't be missed. Small things, just enough to get by for the week, but still. How she gets clothes is beyond Marinette, but she doesn't have anything that looks worn-out or full of holes and dirty.
They get to the Louvre, only to find one very upset mime there...so upset he's been Akumatized. Bloom worriedly asks "Any idea who this joker is?" Because he just shredded that billboard with a few waves of his hand - is Hawk Moth trying to recreate her magic?
Marinette shakes her head as they get around a corner, saying "There's Mr. Haprele's acting troupe's advertizement he just destroyed, but I don't see why any of them would get upset enough to be Akumatized. Their show is gonna be a hit, after all."
Adrien sighs in disappointment when Nathalie gets off the phone, saying "Let me guess, he's flaking again." As per usual, he isn't even surprised anymore. Disappointed, but not surprised.
Nathalie says "Something came up, but he's reserved the best seats in the house, front row."
"Only the best money can buy, as usual..." Except money can't buy two things more important than 'the best' - time and memories. Something his father seems to have completely forgotten after his mother disappeared. Maybe he'll get lucky and his sister will have a seat thanks to Marinette.
And then suddenly his bodyguard slams on the brakes, jolting the two passengers roughly.
When Adrien looks over, he sees his Lady standing there making a shield with her yo-yo. "Get out of the car, get to safety!" And then she looks over, eyes locking with his...and Adrien swears everything else just disappears. Just the two of them in their little world...right up until his sister comes crashing in like a meteor with the sound of a gunshot.
Dragon Fyre gets to the battlefield, only to sees Ladybug and Adrien locked in a lovesick staring contest. And Mime, as she's calling this one, acting like he's got a gun.
She quickly leaps over, throwing up a shield in the process...but not fast enough. She feels that first bullet hit her square in the shoulder, a nonexistent round going straight through her bone from the side, and barely manages to bite back a scream - because, suit or no suit, that HURT. Actually, it shouldn't have gone through the suit in the first place. Seems Hawk Moth managed to make an Akuma who's weapons can go through the suits, wonderful.
Instead of screaming at the top of her lungs, she yells "Stop staring at your dream-boy and get your head in the game, Spots!"
It's all she can do to not snap something worse, honestly - for all the injuries she's taken, both on the streets and fighting Akumas, she's never been shot before. She's also never been injured like that, something going straight through her shoulder, the socket, and injuring who knows what else. She's just really glad her suit is red, else her brother would almost certainly have something to say about it. Something along the lines of 'I'm taking you to the hospital RIGHT NOW!'
Adrien feels Nathalie grab his shoulder, even as Dragon Fyre gasps and yells for everyone to RUN, and they've just gotten around the corner when the car blows up. He looks at Plagg, and says "Looks like Hawk Moth really went all-out with this one."
Plagg nods, then says "Looks like it. Guess we won't be spectators after all."
"Plagg, claws out!"
When Cat Noir gets to the fight, he sees Dragon Fyre sword fighting Mime while Ladybug tries to attack from the side. "Need some help, M'Lady?"
Ladybug sighs, and says "Yeah, getting those two apart! Also…how fast do you think Dragon Fyre can heal?" They've seen her heal bruises, cuts, and scrapes like it was nothing, but…most Akumas aren't as dangerous as Mime. He had an RPG, after all, that's probably the most dangerous Akuma they've fought yet.
Cat Noir frowns, asking "Why do you ask?" He didn't see his sister get hurt, but that doesn't mean she isn't. And his sister is really good at hiding her pain when she needs to.
Ladybug says "Mime had a gun, and Dragon Fyre's favoring her right arm."
Cat Noir instantly starts watching the fight, and sees, yes, his sister is mainly using her left arm to fight and her right arm is barely doing anything. And then one of Mime's hands darts down to Dragon Fyre's waist, and she kicks him away at once. And then he sees a bus with a mime advertisement on it pass by, scowls furiously, and mimes driving away.
Cat Noir groans quietly when he, Ladybug, and Dragon Fyre land in a heap after Mime starts miming riding a motorcycle, thereby dumping them all on the ground from stopping the invisible car, and Ladybug says "He can only mime one thing at a time, that's his weakness. Now, we just need to figure out where he's going."
Dragon Fyre winces as she sits up, hoping neither of her partners notices her holding her side as she pushes herself to her feet, then says "He's after the acting troupe, something about suddenly losing his lead role in tonight's performance."
Cat Noir sits up, just catching the sound of Mime's motorcycle, and asks "Is it just me, or is Hawk Moth trying harder than usual?"
Dragon Fyre deadpans "Given the detail that his usual is Mr. Pigeon, that isn't that hard." But, yes, she's fairly certain this is the most dangerous Akuma they've faced yet.
Ladybug sits up, saying "Fair."
Cat Noir hums, then says "I've got an idea to catch up. Hang on, ladies." Once he's got one of their arms around his shoulders, wincing at how Dragon Fyre's grip tightens on his shoulder so hard he thinks he'll bruise, he extends his Baton and they go about a mile into the sky. And then they start falling towards the bus, a landing Dragon Fyre braces herself for - her shoulder might be pretty much healed, she thinks, but it's still ultra-sore from getting shot, and her side has barely started healing. Call her crazy, but she prioritizes not getting her head taken off by invisible weapons over healing a stab wound in her side that's been reduced to just the stab itself and no organ damage.
Ladybug heads inside the bus while Cat Noir covers them from behind and Dragon Fyre tries not to pass out - as much as she knew that landing would hurt…it was worse. Her side is currently throbbing, an agonizing pulse that makes it damn near impossible to fight when combined with her aching shoulder. Her right arm is currently semi-useless, and her left side is protesting at every other step - she hates feeling this helpless, it reminds her far too much of when she couldn't do anything as her parents were killed.
Cat Noir glances back at his sister in concern as he keeps spinning his staff to block Mime's attacks, usually she'd be trying to take down Mime in some way. Not…sitting there, clutching at her side while trying to keep her breathing even.
That's it, Sis. You're going to the hospital or my place if I have to drag you there.
And then the bus suddenly lurches to the side, a blown tire sending it out of control straight towards the Trocadero. Cat Noir leaps ahead to stop the bus with his staff, which knocks everyone else down - and off the bus, in his sister's unfortunate case - and Mime starts fighting him again. And he casually tosses a grenade at Dragon Fyre when she starts getting up, but Cat's going to assume his sister's alright since there's no screaming from the civilians.
He chances a quick look behind Mime after leaping over the homicidal Akuma, and sees her sitting on the ground behind a flickering orange shield - and then he's slammed onto his back, Mime standing over him with a sneer on his face as he goes for the ring. Ladybug nearly gets impaled on the sword he starts miming, just barely stopping in time to avoid the tip of the weapon, but then a blur of orange and red tackles the Akuma into the Seine.
Ladybug pulls Cat Noir up, and they get to the edge of the river, only to be horrified by the detail that there's red staining the water and they can't see either person. And then suddenly, the water rises up in a wave, depositing Mime onto the bank in front of them before reforming as Dragon Fyre on her knees coughing up more river water. Mime rolls over, and Dragon Fyre quickly aims a small blast at his hat. Ladybug quickly catches the Akuma, purifying it and using the Miraculous Cure to fix everything.
Everything, Cat Noir notes with utter dismay, bar the injuries to his exhausted sister. Not for the first time, Cat Noir internally curses the fact that, because of her own magic, the magical ladybugs don't affect her when it comes to injuries.
People start gathering, even as Mime changes back into Fred Haprele, whispering amongst one another about the red-head.
Is she alright?
I think she's really hurt.
Who knew Dragon Fyre could actually get hurt like that?
I didn't, but the water turned red when she hit it.
You think that's just part of her powers?
Dragon Fyre sees a clawed hand, and accepts it gratefully as Cat Noir helps her to her feet. "You alright?"
Dragon Fyre takes in the concerned green eyes - and listens to the ghost above his head saying 'get her to slip up, take her to the hospital' - and says "I'll live, Brother."
A look of irritation flashes across his face right then, but thankfully a distraction comes in the form of Fred Haprele getting apologized to.
Cat Noir walks over with her, and then she hears Fred's understudy's ghost say something that blows her fuse altogether. "Excuse me? You got him Akumatized?!" Chris, Fred's ex-replacement, nods, and she angrily asks "You damaged his stuff, you told him the rehearsal times were later than they were? You sabotaged him for months, all because you wanted his role?!"
Chris gapes at her openly, Sarah looks between the two in growing anger, and Fred asks "What?!"
Cat Noir chuckles nervously, and says "Like I've said before, my sister knows. And if she doesn't know right away, she will very soon. She gets a bit cranky when she's really had to go all-out with her magic, though."
Ladybug sardonically says "Gee, I wonder why. She only blocked RPG's, bullets, arrows, a grenade…"
And then Dragon Fyre takes a step forward on her own, saying "I'm fine, you two." Unfortunately, then she stumbles and winces, a nearby full garbage can suddenly catching fire as she does. So much for being alright, she doesn't stumble and doesn't lose control of her magic like that.
Cat Noir says "Yeah, right, I'm buying that. Ladybug, I was going to ask if you wanted to watch the premiere with me…"
Ladybug says "Go on, I'll meet you later, Cat Noir."
Cat Noir picks up Dragon Fyre bridal style before she can protest, and leaps away on his staff - he's got a while before the performance anyway, he can just tell Nathalie and the Gorilla he couldn't find them in the chaos so he went to the Tower on his own.
AN: Hey, everyone! Next chapter is up, hope you like it! As for how I wrote Mr. Mime as more dangerous than in the episode...honestly, it's not that much of a stretch. He mimed an RPG in the episode, blew up the limo! And he had a grenade, I think! It seriously felt like Hawk Moth really put his metaphorical back into Mr. Mime, because...just where was any of that for Mr. Pigeon?! Or Bubbler? Like I've said, big spectrum of potential for Akumas. Reflekta turned peope into copies of herself, getting rid of Cat Noir's Miraculous in the process. And Bubbler got rid of all the adults - which would've included HAWK MOTH HIMSELF, had Bubbler found him - and then went and threw Adrien the party that was refused. Does he think these things through at all? Somehow, I seriously doubt it.