Adrien's sitting in his seat on his father's private jet, hoping to hell and back that his father doesn't notice him staring at Nooroo's dejected little form on the table - what did he do to him, he's got no mouth! - in the reflection on the window. Plagg nearly went feral at the knowledge, said Gabriel had ordered Nooroo to be silent in some way - something none of them would ever consider doing, their Kwamis are their friends not their slaves! The very sight of it makes Adrien want to be sick, but he shoves it down just like all the other emotions he represses until he's out in the city with his sister.
Gabriel glances over, and says "The opening of this store is essential for the future of the Agreste Family, Adrien." Repressed irritation tries to make an appearance, but Adrien quickly quashes it before he can even feel it - the Agreste Family is so important to him…more like his reputation. Not the actual members of the family. If he was so important to Gabriel, the man would stop making Akumas that attack the school while he's in it - or worse, have some fixation with himself. Hell, if Adrien was so important to Gabriel, Hawk Moth would give up and return the Butterfly Miraculous!
And then Gabriel puts a hand on his shoulder, saying there'll be other fun times with his friends. Forcefully controlling his urge to shrug off the man's hand, Adrien plasters a smile to his face and reminds himself that every moment spent in this company is one he knows there's no Akuma victim on a rampage. And then he says he's looking forward to spending some time with him, even calling the man 'father.'
As soon as he leaves, though - there's some organizational details to sort out, apparently - Plagg flies out and says "I got a message from Sugarcube, they're on the plane now. We're to meet up at a restaurant, the Thousand Delights." The Cat Kwami would like to give Nooroo some kind of reassurance, some kind of promise that they're working to get him back...but, apparently good ol' Gabe ordered him to remain within a few feet of the man at all times in case he needs to be Hawk Moth.
Adrien raises an eyebrow, that's the restaurant Marinette's great-uncle owns. Thinking back on Cheng Shifu's Celestial Soup, though, he's not surprised she picked that meeting spot. It's delicious, and his sister is a foodie.
Longg picks his head up from where he's currently resting on his Hatchling's head, instead of his usual spot in her ponytail, and says "Got a message from Plagg. He said they'll meet us there." Being able to send messages to one another - like telepathy, almost - is something that started with the invention of cellphones. Goodbye messenger doves, hello phones and instant messages via Kwami-thoughts! It certainly makes things like covert plan-thwarting and potential rescue operations much easier.
Marinette hums in response, all the acknowledgement she can give surrounded by civilians who don't know about Kwamis or any of the Miraculous, and Bloom conversationally says "Can't believe your parents actually agreed to this, Mari." Point of fact, they both thought she'd have to…convince them, via magic.
Marinette wouldn't have blamed Bloom, would've understood that it's literally the world at stake - and that she wouldn't have hurt them, and that the guilt of doing as much would've eaten her alive enough even without that - but…it never came to it. Marinette's parents weren't against Marinette going to Shanghai…they were ecstatic. They were planning on a family vacation there, when Marinette was ready to connect with her mother's family's roots, and were just waiting for her to ask ever since they had enough money for three round-trip tickets stored in a tin hidden behind a massive sack of flour.
The fact that she sprung it on them so suddenly, though, meant she'd have to go alone since they couldn't close the Bakery so suddenly. Luckily, that's where Bloom stepped in, offering to keep Marinette company and watch her back for trouble.
Sabine and Tom Dupain-Cheng were even more ecstatic at that.
Ergo, here they are on a plane, side-by-side seats on a plane instead of sneaking on board with the cargo like Bloom had suggested - she sincerely thought she'd have to sneak onto the plane to get to Shanghai, but Marinette gets her kindness naturally it seems.
Marinette shrugs with one shoulder, careful not to dislodge Tikki on the other, and says "Neither can I. I thought they'd at least insist on going with, to…" No, instead, they're far away from the shitshow that's about to go down in Shanghai, safe in Paris and in their ignorance of Marinette's double-life. She dreads the day they find out about her being Ladybug - it's bound to happen eventually, all it would take is one of them getting Akumatized for the other to figure her out. Nobody else knows her like her parents, after all. And, once it happens, they'd be in constant danger.
Bloom nudges Marinette in the side gently, guessing her thoughts easily, and says "They're fine. They're safe, Mari. We won't let him get any ground. You'll get that birthday with your great-uncle, we'll stop him…and maybe get the butterfly back, to." Unless something goes horribly wrong, if there's an opportunity to get the Butterfly Miraculous back, they will eagerly grab onto it with both hands.
Marinette nods, a determined look crossing her face, and then the flight attendant passes by asking if they want any of the complimentary snacks. They both take a bag of pretzels each, and a glass of apple juice. Bloom raises hers in a mock salute, and asks "To Shanghai?"
Marinette grins, and says "To Shanghai."
Adrien's walking through Shanghai, having gotten Gabriel to give him permission by forcing up feelings of loneliness at the suggestion of staying at the hotel, with his bodyguard when three boys recognize him as Adrien Agreste. He humors them with some photos, right up until a familiar hand on his arm takes his attention. Even as his sister's voice says "Alright, boys, you've had your pictures."
Adrien grins, relief going through him at once, and pretends to be amazed as he whirls around asking "Bloom?! You're in Shanghai?!" He knew she would be, but his Bodyguard is in the dark about his double-life. It wouldn't do for Hawk Moth to be clued in by confusion from the Gorilla.
Bloom gives him that teasing grin, and says "Yep, we both are. Seeing as how you're so recognizable even in another country, though…" She hands him a black roll of fabric, which he opens up to reveal a black hoodie with a green pawprint on the front. A Cat Noir piece of merchandise, something Bloom is quite obviously enjoying the obviousness of. And then she hands him a pair of black sunglasses, and he sees the lenses themselves are…Cat-eyes. Plagg's cat-eyes, to be specific. The same eyes he has when he's transformed.
As if his Lady wouldn't know him now.
Bloom grins at his expression, and says "Guess we'd better change up your look a bit, sunshine." And then she ruffles his hair pseudo-teasingly, purposefully messing it up into a Cat Noir-like style.
The Gorilla, meanwhile, just grins and nods his head in approval - he genuinely likes Bloom for the simple fact that she makes Adrien happy. She actually cares about Adrien, not Gabriel Agreste's son or the famous model, and that alone is all he needs to know about her. And, if she wants to head to the Thousand Delights restaurant…well, he's never turned down some excellent food.
Adrien grins internally as Cheng Shifu agrees to surprise Marinette - who's also in Shanghai at the moment! - and let him wait out of sight to surprise his friend. He also can't wait to surprise his Lady, who'll also be in disguise to preserve their identities.
About thirty minutes later, Bloom's voice comes through the walls saying "We're back, Cheng Shifu! And we brought not only a Magical Ingredient but a new friend! Meet Fei Wu!"
Fei Wu stares warily at the intimidating, potentially crazy red-head that stopped her from taking her friend's stuff - she doesn't know why she was brought to the Thousand Delights restaurant, but from the glint in her eye it isn't good. And then, her dark-haired friend with the big aviator glasses smiles and says "I'll show you around, c'mon."
Fei swallows nervously, trying to determine if this is some kind of revenge for trying to steal her things - the over-sized Aviator glasses make it near-impossible to tell, though.
And then the red-head calls over "There's a surprise waiting for you in back, red. I'll be back in a few minutes."
When the two girls head to the back room, they find a figure in a dark hoodie, a pair of shades with glowing green cat eyes to give the illusion of watching them. And then the figure steps out into the light, revealing a messy blonde fringe mostly hidden by the hood and a Cheshire grin on his lips. He takes the other girl's hand, pressing the back of it to his lips briefly, and says "Good afternoon, M'Lady. How are you enjoying Shanghai?"
"It's lovely. I'm just glad I've been learning Chinese for a while now." She learned it to be able to communicate with her Great-Uncle better, only to learn he'd been practicing English so he could do the same. It nearly made Bloom burst into hysterical laughter, honestly.
Fei can only stare in shock as the two figures start bantering - they clearly know each other, so why the disguises? The girl she tried to pickpocket is in a black jacket and red shirt, black jeans with red spots artfully ripped in them, a red cap with oversized aviator sunglasses with red frames covering most of her face.
"Who are you two?" Fei knows she doesn't have a prayer of getting out the door, if these two didn't stop her the red-head with the grip of steel would.
The two stop their banter, and Cat-eyes stares at her for a moment, then says "The better question is, who are you. My sister wouldn't have brought you here for no reason."
Fei glances between the two of them, then asks "You two are related? I don't see the resemblance."
The dark-haired girl - he called her 'Bugaboo' - snickers and says "Wrong girl."
Now Fei's even more confused. "The red-head?! My point still stands."
And then said red-head walks in, and asks "Are we up to speed on disguise identities?" It was the only way she could think of to preserve her partners' identities while still making this work. They both agreed that she'd disguise them perfectly...and then they both privately agreed to use that and come as their own civilian selves. Willful ignorance coupled with the real need for secrecy due to mind-reading powers, add in Bloom's own magic. The result is this.
They both shake their heads, and the girl Fei tried to pickpocket says "I'm currently disguised as Marinette from Paris. She agreed to switch places for the meetup while she looks for her Magical Ingredient. You?"
The blonde gives another Cheshire grin, and says "Currently, I'm going by the monster's own son, Agreste Jr. We dropped him off at the hotel early, since he's out on some 'organizational details' according to the kid."
The woman stiffens in shock, then her shoulders slump slightly as she says "Kitty, you need to pick a different civilian cover story next time. Any other cover story. Posing as his own son is downright dangerous."
He sighs, and says "I know, Bugaboo, I'm playing with fire. But-"
"No, Dragon Fyre plays with fire. Every single day. This…you're dancing with the devil! Almost literally!"
Dragon Fyre clears her throat, and says "He'll never know, Spots. Ever. Back to the matter at hand…" They all turn to face Fei, and the orphaned girl swallows nervously.
"Who are you three?! What in the world is going on?!"
The red-head - Dragon Fyre, she presumes - says "I'm going to cut to the chase. We're here to protect the Prodigious."
Fei instantly drops into a fighting stance, uncaring anymore if she makes it out unscathed or not - she might not have the bracelet, but she is the Guardian. And she'll fulfill this part of her duty, at least.
'Bugaboo' sighs, and says "Relax. I'm guessing you're the Guardian, then. We don't want to use it. We want to keep it from a man who will."
Fei listens to the most unbelievable story of her entire life - a magical terrorist named Hawk Moth wants to steal the Prodigious, use it to take their Miraculous' and then make a wish that would change the entire world. They even have pictures - including one of the Bracelet. Apparently, he bought it from a pawn shop owner named Cash, and- wait. Wait just a damn minute. "You said he bought it from Cash?!"
Dragon Fyre nods, and says "He did. About a month ago."
Fei gasps in horror, she's been trying to get enough money to pay Cash off, for the answers to what happened to her father. But…if he had the Bracelet all this time… And then she finds herself all but shoved into a chair, even as she feels the world come crashing down around her. Cash killed her father, didn't he? He took everything from her.
And then there's the most wonderful warmth spreading through her, distracting her from the rage consuming her, and she looks up to see a pair of orange eyes. Dragon Fyre says "I know the feeling, Fei. My own parents were killed right in front of me when I was ten, and they left me for dead with magic I couldn't control in a city I had no real place in. You want revenge, but you need to calm down for the moment." Because there's a magical emotional predator currently in Shanghai, and he has no issues in transforming and Akumatizing someone.
After dinner, a delicious dinner that even their Kwamis get to sneak a part of - which Fei instantly notices, despite not being able to see the Kwamis themselves - the four kids 'head in back' to talk for a while…and promptly sneak out the back window, with some help from Dragon Fyre.
AN: Hey, everyone! Yes, we have hit Shanghai! Coming up next chapter, the start of the absolute shitshow that's going to go down. And, if anyone's seen the special...it's absolutely a shitshow. If anyone can guess what's gonna happen with the big guy, I'll be thoroughly impressed.
Enjoy! More updates coming soon!