Fei's staring at the three undercover heroes in utter shock as the celebrate Cheng Shifu's birthday - Bloom Peters was easy enough to figure out, between her inexplicable exhaustion and apparently boundless appetite, but Marinette and Adrien? Whole other story.
It took a while for her to piece together Ladybug's identity, and it was actually Bloom's friendship with her that gave it away. Similarly, it was Adrien's concern for the red-head that gave away his identity as Cat Noir - well, that and the stink of Camembert Cheese.
Still, the two 'normal' teenagers keep subtly shoving food at the red-head, in the form of passing it along and it miraculously ending up right in front of Bloom. And Adrien 'joked' that Bloom was kinda like the sister he never had…while looking at her with so much care that she's honestly amazed nobody else can see it. And Marinette says she's the best friend a person could have, shoving a plate of food under her nose.
Bloom grins, and says "I'd take a bullet for you two, and we all know it…s'cuse me…" She's only awake because Longg kept some of her magic for later and returned it to her when they got back to the restaurant. Ergo, she needs to eat an entire feast tonight to wake up tomorrow - because that magic will wear off soon enough, and then she'll be out like a light once more. Still, keeping her cover means needs must - and if she needs something like a magical adrenaline shot to keep it up, then so be it.
Fei honestly can't believe her two partners can't see the absolutely frozen expression on each other's faces right then, even if they're there for barely a moment - something happened involving a bullet, and Bloom's dropping hints trying to get them to get a clue.
That or she's just too exhausted to filter what she says. There's always that possibility.
"Come with us, to Paris."
Fei stares at Bloom in confusion, asking "What?" It's been two days, she's obviously still recovering if her pale complexion and the sweat on her forehead is anything to go by. Yet here she is in the Kung Fu School, offering a chance to start over.
"You heard me. There isn't much here in Shanghai for you, Fei, no matter how much you want to say there is. Your father's school is burned to the ground, Mei Shi is now a Kwami-like creature advising you, and the Sacred Cave is empty and you have the Bracelet back. What's keeping you here?"
Fei opens her mouth, then shuts it after a minute, completely at a loss. What is keeping her in Shanghai? Why should she stay?
Add to it the detail that Hawk Moth knows about the Prodigious, knows its in Shanghai, and he'll absolutely come back one day. Potentially with an army, if he can make one.
After a moment, Fei sighs then says "Alright, then. I'll come with you." Better to train with her allies than to isolate herself an ocean away and get blindsided. "So," she leans forward, "tell me about this Hawk Moth guy." Bad idea, she learns - Dragon Fyre, or Bloom Peters, absolutely despises Hawk Moth.
Fei gets into the Massage shop Dragon Fyre directed her to, with a letter to give to the old man that runs it. When he sees her, eyes landing on the Prodigious around her neck, she tenses but hands him the letter saying "A good friend of mine said I should come here. And to give you this…Master Fu." Dragon Fyre and company didn't steer me wrong in Shanghai, they wouldn't do so now...right?
He takes her in back, makes a pot of tea, and starts reading the letter after offering her some sandwiches.
'Master Fu, it's Dragon Fyre. By the time you read this, you'll probably know we've been exposed to the world. In the biggest, most dramatic way possible, to boot. Hawk Moth tried to steal the Prodigious, and Akumatized the Magical Guardian of the Prodigious. And then he lost control of that Akuma, resulting in the mess that's probably all over YouTube by now.'
Yes, he's seen the video featuring a floating fireball fighting the being that called itself Yan Luo Shi. Ladybug is a favorite around the world, Cat Noir close behind, people were thinking Dragon Fyre was edited in until several dozen witnesses said otherwise, and the Mayor just about had a heart attack.
'In light of all that, I asked Lady Dragon, the new RenRen of the Prodigious, to come to Paris and help us fight Hawk Moth. I figured gathering allies can only help us, and Lady Dragon would be a target here or in Shanghai. At least here, we'd be able to help her the next time Hawk Moth turns his focus on the Prodigious.'
Once Master Fu's finished with the letter, he looks up to see Fei Wu sitting there, a blue creature much like a Kwami sitting on her shoulder. After a moment, he says "I cannot claim to understand everything you've been through, Lady Dragon, but I can say you're among friends here. Welcome to Paris."
Fei looks down, and says "I don't have anywhere to go…and I don't want to impose." She's nobody's charity case, even if she has to start over in a new city from scratch.
Master Fu nods his head patiently, and says "I see much of Dragon Fyre in you, Lady Dragon. She, to, is in difficult circumstances. And, just like you, she refuses to simply take something without giving back in return somehow." That would be when he offers the sixteen-year-old a job as his assistant, in exchange for a place to stay and three meals a day. She'll keep the place clean, and keep out any troublemakers, and he'll move her into the guest room upstairs…and get her a phone, in case he needs to contact her for some specific reason. Or if the three Miraculous Holders need to do so, or vice versa.
Fei could just about cry - Dragon Fyre knew this would happen, she knew he'd do this. He probably tried to do the same to her, honestly.
Ladybug asks "You think she'll show? Or maybe she's still with Master Fu?"
Cat Noir asks "Maybe she got lost? The quarry is a little ways away from the city, after all."
And then a red and gold eagle lands, turning back into Lady Dragon.
Dragon Fyre grins, and says "Welcome to Paris, Lady Dragon. And our quarry. This is where we spar, train, etc. We meet up here whenever we can."
Lady Dragon hums, then asks "Are we gonna spar tonight, then?" If so, she's well-prepared - she might not get a fancy weapon like the Kwamis give out, but she's trained in Kung Fu for years, and she can turn into a bear. Bears, as she's learned, are well-armed.
Dragon Fyre grins, and says "Lucky you, your first night here is one where it's my night for Patrol. You get these two for dance partners. See you two tomorrow?"
Ladybug says "See you soon, Scales."
"Meet up with you tomorrow, Super-Sis!"
Lady Dragon looks between Ladybug and Cat Noir, and asks "You two don't know who the other is?"
Ladybug says "Nope."
"And you don't question things like why both of you are so sure you'll see Dragon Fyre tomorrow?"
Cat Noir says "We know who she is, she knows who we are. If she wants to meet up, she'll track us down one way or another."
Ladybug says "Besides, it's safer if we don't know who each other is right now. Hawk Moth can read minds, if he gets an Akuma on someone. Dragon Fyre has her magic to protect herself, but she also has a Miraculous Hawk Moth doesn't need."
"And the same doesn't apply to you two?"
"Yeah, on both counts. He wants our Miraculous' at any cost, and we can't burn an Akuma to ashes just by looking at it. It's safer if we don't know who the other is, just in case." They don't like it - they hate it - but they can live with it until something changes. As much as Ladybug wants to tell her Kitty why she keeps rejecting him - beyond 'there's this guy I like, but I can't tell you who so Hawk Moth doesn't clue into who I am' - she can't, and she hates feeling like she's leading him on. And Cat Noir wants to tell her he's actually Adrien Agreste, that he's crazy about her, that his own father is the very monster they're fighting day after day, but he can't.
"And yet…you two trust each other? Despite not knowing who the other is?"
Ladybug scowls at her, and says "We put our lives in each other's hands on a daily basis, sometimes literally. I've watched both Cat Noir and Dragon Fyre take hits meant for me without hesitation, let themselves get hit by mind-controlling Akumas, and even give their lives a few times so that I could fix everything. I couldn't ask for two better partners, and I don't need to know their civilian names to know I can count on them whenever I need them. Understand?"
Lady Dragon nods, and Cat Noir walks up behind Ladybug and wraps his arms around her while purring contentedly. After a minute spent nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck - even as she squirms because it tickles! - the blonde looks up and says "I adore you, M'Lady, you know that right?" Kwamis, he loves this woman - and, maybe she doesn't love him yet, but she needs him and it's good enough for him for now. She's always said she couldn't do this without both her partners, and it warms him to his very toes whenever she does.
Lady Dragon, meanwhile, can only stare in absolute shock - Marinette clearly had a crush on Adrien, and Cat Noir clearly adores Ladybug. The detail that they don't know who the other is yet they still managed to fall for each other…it not only blows her mind but instantly clarifies an off-handed comment Bloom made about her two partners driving her up a wall.
They quickly come to an agreement that Lady Dragon will lay low for now, unless she's needed - she'll still come to training, she'll help out if necessary…but Hawk Moth won't know the Prodigious is in Paris unless there's no choice but to call on all their allies. While she despises taking a back-row seat, she and Mei Shi both acknowledge the wisdom in having an ace in the hole.
Besides, she can still help - getting civilians out of the way of Akuma attacks definitely counts.
Two sets of brown eyes watch an impossible video that's already gone viral, one curious beyond belief and the other shocked speechless.
That's impossible, the Dragon Flame was said to be lost…
"Can we go? She must be like us, right?"
"No, whoever they are, they're probably long-gone by now. This video was posted days ago."
"What if those four creeps get there first? What if they take her like they tried to take me? I'm only here because you saved me, what if they can't fight back?" Just like when 'Ogron' and his goons took her parents.
"If they manage to find this…Dragon Fyre," and isn't that just the biggest punch to the gut, "then I get the feeling they will be sorely disappointed. We'll check this Ladyblog, find out more about them, and then we'll go investigate."
"And if something like that happens again? Or they show up here?"
"If they show up on this continent, then we'll take a look and see what we can find. I'm not risking your safety, though, not so far away on something that's already done and over with. They may not even be in Shanghai anymore."
It was undeniably powerful, though, they could feel it all the way over in the States.
AN: Hey! Next chapter is up! Hope you all like it! Can't believe they just left Lady Dragon in Shanghai with no means of communication or any way to warn her if HM made another attempt at the Prodigious - it was supposed to be more powerful than any Miraculous, I'm not even sure if you could combine them like you can two Miraculous' and he knows exactly where it is and that it's very real.
You don't think he wouldn't have gone SM and tried to take it once more?! Scarlet or Shadow, Fei would be in a world of trouble if he did as much.
Enjoy! More updates coming soon!