To yellow 14: I love this power dynamic between them: Chloe is still in charge but Sabrina has much more agency. That chapter showed both the strength and the weakness of the empathic miraculous. Because Sabrina knows Chloe so well, reading her emotions lets her intuit Chloe's thoughts; because Sabrina doesn't know Lila very well, reading her emotions isn't as good of an indicator of Lila's thoughts.
To Butterfly: That's correct. There are a couple episodes after "Puppeteer 2" that get references, but that's about where it diverges. They never referenced having CCTV at Francois Dupont in "Ladybug" or "Chameleon" (in both of those cases it would have proven useful), so I'm assuming the school doesn't have it – or at least not in locations where it would have caught Lila's actions in those episodes. "Prove" is the operative word. The Heroes know 100% that Lila was working for Hawk Moth willingly (she said as much at the end of "Milady"), but trying to prosecute her for her post-Akumatization words would have been a risky proposition, especially since it could potentially obviate the blanket immunity declared for Akuma victims, leaving all of them open to prosecution.
To armadas: I've really enjoyed developing Chloe through this series. She's not as much of a "bitch" anymore, but she does still have that skill set to call on whenever she needs it. She doesn't use it on Sabrina, but almost anyone else is fair game (one of the upcoming stories, as well as a "Patrol Log," both highlight that aspect of her character). I've tried really hard to keep the characters distinct; I'm glad that comes across!
To MiraculousReader: This story is in a sense a direct sequel to "Chloe's Jagged Ride" (itself one of two direct sequels to "The Queen Is Dead," with the other being "Ladybug's Gambit") but chronologically it comes after "The Hound and the Maiden." The Prologue was set during "The Queen is Dead," but after that it jumped ahead to "present," which is just before the school year starts. And I suddenly realized just how convoluted mapping this universe out based on sequels and spinoffs really is…
To Lyger 0: Andre gave Bee-atrice to Chloe right after "The Queen is Dead" and before "Chloe's Jagged Ride." Bee is actually a Papillon (because it was a "butterfly" (Akuma) that rescued her after her capture).
Lila threw the door open and bounded out a little before nine, just as her mother was returning home from the embassy. "Ciao, Mamma!" she called, smiling widely and stepping to one side to allow her mother through the door.
"Lila, bella, I'm so sorry I had to go in today – and on a weekend, too. I still can't believe work kept me so late tonight." Her mother pulled her into a quick hug and placed a peck on her cheek. "The Ambassador was so busy with the paperwork for this new trade deal, and he couldn't get it to me until after six, and then he needed it transcribed in time for the summit to start tomorrow and…" She sighed regretfully. "I promise we will have dinner together tomorrow night, okay?"
"Of course, Mamma," Lila assured her, rolling her eyes when her mother's back was turned. If she had a Euro for every time her mother had promised they would eat dinner together only to break that promise, she would have enough to buy a yacht! She surreptitiously checked her pocket to make sure she still had the box holding her miraculous, along with a sugar cookie for Pollen.
"You have fun tonight with your friends at this party," her mother told her, dropping her bag on the floor just inside the living room before collapsing onto the couch. "We'll catch up tomorrow and you can tell me all about your classes this year. Does that sound good, bella?"
Lila nodded obediently. They wouldn't "catch up tomorrow" of course, but that was just part of their routine. Lila pretended to listen, and her mother pretended to care. She could go through the whole routine on autopilot – and did on occasion when her mother stayed late at the Embassy. Leaving the apartment building behind she turned toward the northeast and set a brisk pace, walking almost as far as the Avenue Foch before finding a darkened alley in which to transform. She withdrew the hair comb from its box and placed it in her hair as Pollen emerged from it.
"Hello, Lila," the Kwami greeted her, smiling broadly. Lila held out the cookie, which Pollen ate in two bites. "What are we doing tonight?" she asked when she was finished.
"We're doing what we're told to do," Lila replied irritably.
"Why?"
"You know why."
Pollen raised an eyebrow dubiously. "You never struck me as the type to just follow orders," she observed slowly. "Even before you were my holder I always got the impression you preferred to tell people what to do, not be told yourself."
"Maybe you just don't know me as well as you think you do."
"And whose fault is that?" She folded her arms and jutted her chin out.
"It's not like I can wear your miraculous all the time when I'm around Chloe practically every day," Lila argued. "She'd probably recognize it, even camouflaged. You know why I have to be careful!"
"Then why reveal yourself to Nadine? Why pull your friend into this?"
Lila scoffed. "You're one to talk: Chloe revealed her identity to the world! All I did was tell one friend. And besides, she'd guessed it already," she pointed out. "I had to do something."
"And that something was to pretend to be a hero and drag her along in your mission for Night Bat? What if she gets hurt?"
Lila rolled her eyes. "It's not like I'm forcing her to do anything. She wants to be a hero, and tonight she gets to go out and play hero."
Pollen frowned, looking down at Lila.
"I don't need your judgment," Lila grumbled. "Isn't 'Subjection' about getting people to do what you want them to do?" Pollen opened her mouth to respond, but Lila quickly cut in with, "Pollen, Buzz on," and the Kwami's words went unspoken as she was sucked into the miraculous.
Transformed, the trip to the Square des Épinettes took no more than five minutes of swinging between buildings. In spite of herself, Killer Bee's attitude improved and she grinned in delight on feeling the wind whipping through her hair. Watching Ladybug and her stooges run around the city for the last three years playing hero, she had always scoffed at their propensity for just having "fun" with the miraculous. Though she had never seen one up close, the few times she had been Akumatized she had realized just how much power the miraculous could grant. As Volpina, she could cause anything to be perceived as reality; as Chameleon she could become anyone she wanted to be. And that was just with the power that an Akuma could grant – power which could be taken away by the Butterfly Miraculous user. But now that she had a miraculous of her own, she didn't have to rely on anyone else for her power. With the Bee, she could immobilize anyone she wanted, just by getting close.
And yet, all of that power still somehow paled in comparison with the sheer exhilaration of swinging through the city, looping her top around buildings and light poles and flinging herself through the air as though she were flying. She landed on the sidewalk a block from the Rue Guy Môquet and put on a burst of speed. She threw her top to loop around a balcony railing and reeled herself up to rocket straight into the air, releasing the railing as she passed it. For a moment, she was completely airborne, sailing over the street. At the apex of her arc, just when she felt the moment of weightlessness before gravity took over again, she twisted around to point her feet at the roof of the closest building. She broke into a dead sprint on landing and flung herself full-speed across the gap between that building and the next one, only stopping when she threw herself off the building on the edge of the Square des Épinettes. She dove between the branches of one of the trees lining the park, hit the ground in a somersaul, and rolled to her feet in front of the statue, her arms raised in the air. Applause drew her attention to the person leaning against the statue. She cocked her head, staring in confusion. "What are you wearing?"
"Do you like it?" asked Nadine, standing up straight and twirling. She wore a blue-and-white long-sleeved leotard with a pair of white athletic shoes. In the light from one of the streetlamps, Killer Bee could see that she had applied thick red face paint to the top half of her face in an approximation of a mask. "I used this for one of my last competitions. Call me 'La Gymnaste'!"
That can't possibly be comfortable, thought Killer Bee. Or warm. But… "Well, you at least look like a hero. I'm sure the boys would be all over you if they saw this. Philippe wouldn't be able to keep his hands off you! Are you sure you want that kind of attention?"
La Gymnaste flushed the same color as her face paint. "Oh, um, you think so?" she asked, looking away with a frown. Her face brightened and she unclipped a small cylinder from her belt and pressed a button to extend it to over a meter in length. She held the staff in one hand and spun it around once before settling into a fencing stance, holding the staff loosely and pointing it at Killer Bee's chest, grinning in excitement. "Thank you so much for letting me come with you tonight!" she gushed. "This is going to be so awesome!"
"It is going to be awesome!" Killer Bee agreed, grinning widely. She took in the other girl's excited face and posture. The staff didn't look like it would stand up to the least of Cat Noir's strikes, but still. It was probably better than nothing. "Just be careful with that thing."
"You don't have to worry about me," La Gymnaste assured her. She spun her staff one more time before slamming it into the pavement with a flourish to collapse it. She returned it to her hip and added, "I can take care of myself!"
"I sure hope so. That's what we're going to find out tonight!" Killer Bee promised, nodding firmly. "Ladybug really wants to know how well you perform on our mission. If you pass this test, maybe she'll let you join the Heroes of Paris!"
"That would be so cool!" Nadine clasped her hands, her eyes widening in excitement. "Let's do this!"
Killer Bee nodded and set off to the south. "Our target is three blocks from here," she called behind her. "See if you can keep up!" She threw her top around a tree branch and launched herself into the air, sailing out of the park before looping the top around a balcony railing. She swung from side to side across the street and turned down the next street. Just before swinging down that street, she caught a glimpse of La Gymnaste behind her, running as fast as she could in a bid to keep up with her breakneck pace. Killer Bee allowed herself a small smirk: she couldn't make this too easy on Nadine…
One block from the target Killer Bee dropped down into an alleyway to wait for La Gymnaste. While she waited, she looked over to check out the target. She frowned: she would have expected more guards than just the two she saw in front of the door. A tiny flicker of light from the far side of the street drew her attention. She nodded in recognition: there was another guard over there. But those three appeared to be alone; the last few weeks' attacks had certainly thinned the ranks.
All too easy.
Heavy breathing signaled La Gymnaste's arrival. She would have run past the alley, had Killer Bee not tossed her top around her torso and yanked her backward into the alley. La Gymnaste opened her mouth to yelp in surprise, but Killer Bee clamped a hand over her mouth before she could shout. "Shh!" she hissed. "We don't want to warn the guards, do we?"
"How was I supposed to know?" replied La Gymnaste, wide-eyed. Killer Bee released her, and she took a quick peek around the corner. "What's the mission, Lila?"
"Call me 'Killer Bee,'" she corrected quickly. She stepped up next to La Gymnaste and pointed at the apartment building halfway down the street. "The leader of a major crime organization lives there," she explained. "They've been causing a lot of problems lately, and Ladybug thinks we can put a stop to them tonight if we can capture their leader."
"I heard about all those shootings in this area," La Gymnaste whispered, her eyes narrowing as she watched the two guards by the building's entrance talk back and forth, facing away from the street.
"If we succeed tonight, then there might never be another one of those shootings," Killer Bee told her. "We capture the leader, bring him back to headquarters for interrogation to find out all about his organization, and then Ladybug ships him off to the police to deal with."
La Gymnaste nodded briskly, staring at the guards. "So what do you need me to do, Killer Bee?"