Shadow's Adventures in Paris:
A Liar's Just Desserts
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"Boulangerie Patisserie" Said Shadow with his usual bluntness, holding a box of macarons in front of him.
The door opened to reveal a girl about Marinette's age. As soon as she laid eyes on Shadow, she instantly dawned a kindhearted smile.
"Oh, hello there." Said the girl, politely. "I thought that Marinette made the deliveries. I'm sorry to say that I don't recognize you. Did the Dupain-Cheng's hire a new delivery boy?"
Shadow stared at the polite girl for a few seconds.
"Look, Tom and Sabine have a lot of deliveries for me to make, so if you could just pay me so that I can get back to work, I'd very much appreciate it."
"I wonder if my tone was too impolite? Marinette said I should try to be more 'nice'."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you waiting. Unfortunately, I may have left my wallet inside." She reached her hands out toward the box that Shadow was holding. "If you could just wait right here and let me go get it."
"Hmph… Fine." Shadow pulled the box away from her. "But please hurry up."
For a split second, she looked annoyed but her face quickly changed back into a smile. It was so quick, that any normal person might have missed it if they weren't paying attention.
"O-of course. Please excuse me." She closed the door, but Shadow could hear very little movement. After a whole three minutes, the girl opened the door wearing a look of disappointment. "I'm sorry, but I can't seem to find it. I think my mom must have taken it with her to work."
"Well, I can't let you have this," Shadow raises the box for a moment, "without payment."
"But you don't understand, it's my mom's birthday and I promised her I would get her something simple but special." The look of desperation on her face matched her tone almost perfectly. "Can't you make an exception, just this once? I promise, I'll pay you back some other day."
"If your mother has the money, just wait for her to come back and then call the shop. I'll come back and deliver it to you then. I'll even wish her a happy birthday."
"Uh… Well…" She appeared to be thinking it over. She then sighed in what sounded like defeat but then smiled gratefully. "Okay. Thank you. I'll call you then."
"Alright, then."
And with that, Shadow turned around with the box and left to continue the rest of his deliveries and then wait for the call. As promised, the call to the shop came and Shadow returned to the address where he was greeted by a much older woman.
"Boulangerie Patisserie. Macarons for Lila Rossi." He said to her.
He held the box out in front on him with one hand, his other remaining behind his back. If he were dressed appropriately, he would resemble a very young butler.
"Oh, let me just call her." Said the woman before calling into the apartment. "Lila, your macarons are here!"
"Coming, Mom!" Came a voice Shadow recognized.
Before she arrived, Shadow mentioned the required payment and the mother was happy to oblige. When Lila came to the door, she was wearing a smug expression for a split-second before dawning a look of surprise. Shadow took notice of this sudden shift in emotion.
"Oh, thank you so much!" She said, shaking away the surprised look in favor of a more grateful one.
The mother left while they spoke.
"Glad to finally be paid, no offense." Shadow said to Lila as he raised the box over to her. "And may I deeply apologize for being so rude to you earlier. Tom and Sabine mentioned that I offended you last time."
"Thanks. No harm done." Lila grasped the box, only to be caught off guard when Shadow firmly gripped the edge with his hand.
"Quite odd how I don't remember some of things that you claimed I had said." As Lila attempted to pull the box out of Shadow's grasp, her expression began to slowly change. It was at this time, Shadow brought out his second hand and held onto the opposite side with it. "According to Tom and Sabine, I called you 'a stupid girl who couldn't understand simple tasks'. Said I 'threatened you'. 'Expected you to pay me extra for wasting my time'."
Lila's face instantly turned into a look of fear.
"Mom, help! He won't let go of me!"
"They even mentioned your name, 'Lila Rossi'. Said that you were one of Marinette's friends."
"Mom?!" But nobody came. "Mom!"
This time, he actually reached and grabbed her wrists, holding her in place.
"On my way over here, I decided to call up Marinette and ask about you."
Sabine lent him her phone in case of emergencies.
"Help! Somebody help me!" She screamed, hoping someone would hear, but none answered her call.
"She had a lot to say about you. How you seem to be a pathological liar. How you always get your way. All the trouble you've caused with your lies."
"This monster is attacking me!"
"I take it that's why you were so surprised when you saw me at the door both times. You were expecting Marinette, weren't you? You thought that Tom and Sabine would never give me another chance after what you said to them, but you didn't expect me to play along with your charade and ask to sincerely apologize, didn't you? Believe me, Lila, I know your type. Cunning, manipulative, confident in their own abilities, think their untouchable." Lila soon accepted that no one was coming, and stopped struggling. Her face now held no fear, no sadness, no gratitude, nothing but annoyance and impatience.
"I've met plenty like you back home. But don't mistake my actions as petty, I just want to make something perfectly clear. I won't be staying in Paris for much longer, so you can say all that you want about me, but if you ever so much as try to mess with Marinette while I'm around," her impatient stare did not falter one iota as Shadow leaned in close with a glare and moved his hand back behind his back, "then there will be consequences."
"No one has ever caught me lying before. What makes you think anything you say will make a difference? Like you said, I'm untouchable."
She grinned at him like a villain who was sure that their plans were undoubtedly going to succeed.
"You only think that because you've never met me. You're not the only one who knows how to get what they want." He slowly pulled his head away. "You're also not the only one who can lie." Lila looked confused until Shadow suddenly and without warning, slapped himself in the face so hard, he knocked himself over, thus releasing Lila completely. "AH!" Shadow exclaimed before he hit the floor.
Lila's mother opened the door and beheld the sight before her, Shadow on the floor, holding his cheek and Lila, holding her macarons with one hand.
"What happened?!" She asked a downed Shadow and a stunned Lila.
"Ah-ow!" Shadow pushed himself up so to look at their shocked faces, and hissed as he rubbed the red patch on his face, being sure to prevent the flow of chaos energy from healing it. "I-I'm sorry!" Shadow dawned a look of fearful regret. "I didn't mean to offend you! You have every right to be upset with me! It wasn't right of me to threaten you before! I was upset, but that is no excuse! I am deeply, truly sorry!"
"Lila!" Exclaimed her mother, dropping to her knees to tend to Shadow. "I can understand being upset, but that is no excuse to slap him as soon as my back is turned. That is so unlike you."
"W-wha—?!" Lila then took out her phone and saw that somehow, only a minute had passed since she last looked at it in her room.
"It wasn't her fault." Shadow lied. "I deserved this, at least, for the way I acted towards her."
"Let me get you an ice pack."
"No, please. I've overstayed my welcome enough. Let me just go home."
Shadow got up, but grasped at his face with a hiss of pain.
"I'll be quick, I promise." She then ran back into the apartment to get the ice pack.
"See?" Shadow said to Lila. "I can lie, too."
"What just happened?" She asked.
Shadow went back to pretending to be in pain when Mrs. Rossi came out holding an ice pack. Shadow accepted the unneeded aid and gently pressed it against his face. He winced at the pain until the pack was firmly pressed against his face.
"Thank you. I promise I'll return it as soon as my face is all better."
"Oh, don't worry about that. We have another in the freezer. Just keep it, it's the least we can do"
"Thank you, again." Shadow said with a smile.
"Shadow?" Lila said, with a shy look. "Are you really sorry about what you said to me?"
"Yes, I am." Shadow bowed at the waist.
"Then I think I can forgive you, if you can forgive me for hitting you. I was just really upset about what you said to me."
"Of course, and you had every right to be so. Lila, I have to be honest, you truly are quite a girl." Shadow straightened with a fake smile. "So willing and quick to forgive my cruelty. Thank you, Lila."
"You're very welcome." Lila returned it with her own fake smile. "I can understand how you must feel. I've had a few bad days myself. And maybe, once we've fully moved past this, we could even be friends."
"I would like that very much." Shadow nodded. "I understand that you're already friends some of my friends, Marinette and—"
"Adrien, yes."
"Well, maybe we can talk some other time. Unfortunately, for now, I have to get home. It was a pleasure meeting you." Again he bowed.
"The pleasure was all ours." Said Mrs. Rossi.
"An absolute pleasure." Said Lila.
He waved goodbye to the both of them and left. Both Shadow and Lila waited until their faces were out of view of Lila's mother to finally let their smiles fall into a scowl of disdain and a smirk of satisfaction. Lila went to her room to stomp on one of her treats. She felt like she wanted to throw something when something appeared in the corner of her eye. Looking through her window pane, she could clearly make out the black butterfly with glowing purple lines on its wings.
She smiled maliciously and approached the window only to see the butterfly become entrapped in a strange glowing bubble and then vanish in a flash of green light. She ran to window and looked around, but there was no sign of the akuma. She let out a wail of dissatisfaction and proceeded to mutilate more of her own macarons, completely unaware of the dark figure walking across her rooftop, bubbled butterfly in one hand, juggling a yellow jewel in the other, chuckling sinisterly.