A/N: Hadn't planned on writing this at all but someone mentioned that they wanted to see what the kwamis were up to during the spa day and my imagination just took off!
I would like to mention that my knowledge of the Bath spa is entirely limited to what I could find on their website and extrapolation from the assorted hot springs that I've visited in the past and so it might not be entirely accurate.
Plagg had not been looking forward to the spa day, not at all. There had been all sorts of talk of swimming and massages and couple-y activities that were sure to make Adrien and Marinette all mushy and gross together. They seemed to be looking forward to it, for sure.
But what was in it for him? Cats didn't like water, and he would no doubt be instructed to stay in Adrien's cramped, smelly bag with only a few pieces of cheese to tide him over during the hours and hours that Adrien and Marinette spent having fun. To make matters worse, Adrien's bag would no doubt be in a locker in a very warm locker room, thanks to the heat from the spa.
Plagg liked heat, sure, but there was such thing as too much, particularly when it came to being in confined spaces.
And when it came to cheese. Particularly cheese that was not meant to be warm, not unless it was being baked.
So it was a grumpy Plagg that got dragged along to the spa, and he was still sulking when they got there and checked in.
But then Adrien said the most glorious words known to mankind: "No, you can go out."
There was more, of course- blabber about not getting spotted (what did Adrien think he was, an amateur?) and something about a kitchen (Plagg was definitely going to have to check that out), but Plagg didn't catch it. He was already too excited.
He didn't have to stay in Adrien's bag. He could get up to all kinds of fun.
...he had no idea where to start.
Adrien and Marinette left, and Plagg wasted no time in following. Tikki floated along behind him, watching for any other spa visitors.
Well, good. That meant that Plagg didn't have to pay any attention to his surroundings. He could explore to his heart's content, and Tikki would do all of the work of keeping them unseen.
"Ooh, it's warm down here," Tikki said happily as they turned into another hallway. "Not too much, like in a sauna. But it's lovely."
Plagg was already reconsidering his position on going in the water as he flew through the mist above it. It was lovely and warm, not cold at all, and he loved warm things.
There were some cats that liked water, he supposed. He would at least stick a foot in, just to see if it felt as lovely as it looked. And if it was...
Well, going in and splashing Tikki might be fun. She definitely wouldn't go in the water on her own, not unless he taunted her into it. Of that, Plagg was certain.
"Oh, and look at those windows! It's such a lovely view."
Plagg looked. There were nice wide ledges bathed in sunlight, perfect for naps in the sun.
"And they have signs everywhere! I don't think we could get lost at all."
Plagg looked at that, too. There was a sign pointing towards the dining area, and if he perked up his ears and sniffed, he could hear the chefs already at work- and yes, he could definitely smell cheese.
Plagg had changed his mind. This wasn't horrible at all.
It was heaven.
Tikki dipped between the sheets of water spraying out from a shower-like structure above her, enjoying the steam and droplets of warm water that hit her. After a damp, chilly winter, this gentle warmth was heaven.
(Not that Adrien and Marinette's apartment had been cold or anything! It had been fine. But Marinette walked to work, took the bus all over, and ran all over on her errands to the fabric store, and that meant a fair amount of time spent outside. Besides, she and Adrien had both been keeping their windows open more and more often now, and while the air that came in wasn't cold, it wasn't warm, either.)
Tikki flew around the fountain again to go through one more time, glancing over to check on Plagg as she did. Her counterpart was lazing on the sill of one of the spa's large windows, high up enough that no one would be able to see him from below but still well within the warm, swirling steam. He had claimed his spot early on and hadn't moved since.
That was probably for the better, honestly. Tikki had expected to spend nearly the entire time keeping Plagg from raiding the kitchens, but she had been able to relax as well and play in the water as much as she wanted.
Humming, Tikki spiraled through the warm water, splashing as she did. Normally she wasn't big on being in the water- after all, water normally tended to be cold- but this was properly fun.
Maybe not she-could-do-it-for-six-hours fun, but definitely enjoyable for the time being.
Across the pool, their humans were splashing each other. Tikki considered splashing Plagg- or, well, either dripping on him or squirting a mouthful of water at him- and then thought better of it. Plagg wasn't making a nuisance of himself right now, and it would be better to keep it that way.
Adrien and Marinette moved on, and Tikki considered exploring some of the other pools. Plagg didn't look like he was going to go anywhere anytime soon, and now Tikki was curious about what other cool things the spa had.
On one hand, she had assured Adrien and Marinette that she would keep an eye on Plagg and keep him out of trouble. On the other hand, hard-working kwamis deserved a day off too, right? Plagg knew how he was expected to behave, and he was too lazy to do much anything except sleep in the warm, sunny room.
Decision made, Tikki zipped off to go look at the signs around the room. She could go explore on her own, at least for a little bit. Plagg couldn't possibly get up to that much mischief if she was only gone for an hour or two, right?
Giving a little wriggle of happiness- oh, Tikki loved this place already- she zipped off to the next set of pools. This day was going to be so. much. fun.
Plagg woke up from his nap with a yawn and a stretch. He rolled over and pawed at the air, sending the steam above him swirling. He let out a little purr of content, stretching again and then slumping back down on the warm ledge.
This was the perfect place to nap. It made every other window ledge ever pale in comparison. All he needed was some snacks, and he would be set for life.
Still, even a cat god got restless sometimes, and so Plagg floated off of his lovely ledge (he would have to return, though, unless he found something even better). He glanced around on instinct, looking around for Tikki. She had to be around here somewhere, considering the fact that she had told Adrien and Marinette that she would supervise him.
Not that he, an ancient god, needed supervision. Not at all. But Tikki had said that she would be there, and-
And-
Plagg didn't see Tikki anywhere in the room. The fountain that she had been zipping around earlier was devoid of kwamis (though there was a group of middle-aged women clustered under the spray), and there was no spot of red zipping around in the steam. In fact, Plagg couldn't sense her in the room at all.
Huh. Tikki wasn't supervising him? Sweet.
That meant that he could do whatever he wanted.
Plagg hovered, excited. Where should he go first? There were pools and steam rooms and the dining area and all sorts of options, with places to lounge and splash and eat. He spun, indecisive.
There were too many options.
"All of this deciding is making me hungry," Plagg complained aloud. Then he perked up. "Oh! I know, I'll go to the dining area first for a little snack, and then I'll explore, and then I'll have a second snack, and then I'll take a nap followed by a proper meal.. That would be perfect!"
And so off Plagg went, humming merrily as he flew along.
The kitchens were not hard to find, and it was even less difficult for Plagg to slip in. A couple chefs bustled around, preparing fancy-looking plates to go out to the few customers in the dining area. They were the kind of dishes where the flairs and garnishes took up three quarters of the plate, leaving only a small bit of food in the center.
Plagg was of the opinion that it didn't matter what the food looked like, as long as there was plenty of it.
He prowled, searching for the cheeses. Most wouldn't be out, of course- the humidity from the rest of the spa probably wasn't great for the cheese- but maybe he could snitch a bit from a plate, or when it was out to get some to use on a dish.
If he really had to, Plagg would even go in the fridge to snitch a smidge. No one would even notice that it was missing, certainly.
Plagg saw blue cheese and perked up. A log of goat's cheese was passed to a server and his mouth watered. The aroma of a sweet, buttery cheese floated up to his nose and Plagg practically swooned.
Oh, but they had good taste in cheese here. They were fancy cheeses, not plain old grocery store cheddar. Plagg was in heaven already.
A chef turned their back to pick up the next order slip and Plagg took his opportunity. Diving down, he snagged one of the slices of cheese cut from the block and ready to go on sandwiches. The chef turned back around and Plagg hid with his treasure, flying out of sight behind a pile of bowls and other cooking equipment. He took a generous bite and chewed, humming consideringly.
It was good. Buttery and creamy, with a pleasant flavor. Plagg chewed, finished up his slice, and stuck his head out to see if he could maybe steal away another slice. The chef was wrapping the cheese up, though, and sticking it back in the fridge. Plagg heaved a sigh of disappointment- that was all of the cheese that he was going to get for now, apparently- and after craning his neck to get a look at the label (Wyfe of Bath), he headed back out. With his hunger satisfied for the time being, Plagg headed out to explore.
There were outdoor pools. There were indoor pools. There were Experience Rooms, whatever that meant. A hall led down to the massages area, and Plagg gave it a wide berth.
He did not need to go there.
Figuring that there might be even better places to nap outdoors, Plagg went there first. Only a few people were lounging in those pools- calmly, not splashing at each other like some gross couples that Plagg could name- but the cooler air outside coupled with the spring breeze meant that the pools were only pleasant, not blissful like the one indoors.
Well, at least that meant one fewer place for him to explore.
Plagg phased back inside, heading down the hall towards the so-called Experience Rooms. What he was supposed to experience Plagg didn't know, but hopefully it would be a good nap.
Good naps were always a fantastic experience, and particularly when they were done on a full stomach.
It didn't take long for Plagg to whizz down the hallways and find his destination. He spent a moment deliberating which of the rooms to go in first, and then decided just to go in order. Plagg zipped through the first of the doors-
-and was transported into a distinctly differently-styled room, not modern like the rest of the spa at all.
Plagg blinked, glancing around the room. It was styled after a Roman bathhouse, he could tell that much. He could also see at least seven details that the builders had gotten wrong with their styling.
They weren't necessarily critical details, but if any ancient Romans came in they would be able to tell that some things were off.
Granted, there was a definite shortage of ancient Romans in the modern-day world, so Plagg supposed that the spa was probably off the hook.
Another room, another architectural style. It was too damp for Plagg's taste, so he didn't linger long. The room after that was a weird glowy red. He didn't understand the attraction, but there was a handful of people sprawled out on the benches, basking in the glow.
Plagg had known that humans had strange taste, but this was new. Maybe it was just the fact that it was warm that made the room appealing or something. He did a short lap of the room, just to see if he was missing something, but nothing stuck out.
Strange, strange, strange.
Plagg zipped across the hall and found several people standing around that room- which was normally lit, thank goodness- in what looked like very odd, artsy showers.
Adrien would probably like this room. He appreciated his showers, after all, even if he always flushed and protested whenever Plagg brought it up. But Plagg knew that Adrien took forever in the shower, fussing with his hair and filling up the room with steam until the water turned cold and he had to get out.
But since Plagg was not weirdly obsessed with showers, he didn't see any reason to stick around any longer and zipped back to the hallway to dive into the second to last room, expecting more steam, more heat, more lovely warmth.
Instead, he got slapped by biting chill.
Plagg yowled, backpedaling as fast as he could to get out of the awful, awful room. Who had had the great idea of making an awful cold room in a spa? How was that meant to be nice and relaxing and fun? It was terrible, terrible, terrible. His whiskers were already frozen. Ice was starting to form in the droplets of water that covered his coat.
Oh, these experiences were just getting worse and worse, they really were. Plagg eyed the final door nervously, wondering what kind of experience was hiding behind it. Rotten eggs? Giant attack squid? Hail and an indoor tornado? A tsunami?
The door swung open and Plagg reflexively flinched away. A couple came out, both looking rosy-warm and relaxed. A rush of gentle warmth hit Plagg, along with the sound of quiet, relaxing music.
...that did not sound like a tsunami, or a squid, or any of the other terrible, terrible options that Plagg had dreamed up.
Bracing himself, Plagg darted through the door before it could close. He found himself in a warm, misty room, dark and lit only by what were probably meant to be constellations scattered across the rounded ceiling. Comfy-looking benches were placed around the room, artfully arranged to minimize disturbance and the probability of someone tripping into them, and only a couple were occupied. Plagg landed on one and found it delightfully warm.
He could get used to this room for sure.
Above him, constellations glittered and music flowed from hidden speakers. Heat and steam filled the space, wrapping around him like a blanket. Plagg yawned widely, then curled up in a comfortable ball.
Before long, he was fast asleep.
Tikki had been having a wonderful morning. She had flown all over the spa, relishing in the warmth and all of the different forms it came in. There were all sorts of pools, of course, and a couple gorgeous (if not entirely period-accurate) steam rooms. She had poked around the massage area, mostly out of curiosity, and watched as staff gave different people different kinds of massages.
Even if Tikki couldn't get a massage herself, it was still fun to hang around. It was pleasantly warm, it smelled nice, and she got to try to guess what treatments people were getting based on what she had read in Marinette's brochure.
Most of them looked very nice and relaxing. Tikki still had some reservations about the getting-hit-by-sticks one and the massage that appeared to involve dripping melted candle wax onto the customer's body, though.
But now Tikki was back at the main pool. It had a few more people now, and so she had to be more careful as she flew across the room to Plagg's napping spot to check on him.
Plagg wasn't there.
Tikki let out a squeal of distress, all previous relaxation completely forgotten. She had promised Adrien and Marinette that she would keep an eye on Plagg, she had promised, and now he was nowhere to be found. He could be anywhere, getting up to all sorts of trouble, and she wasn't there stopping it.
This was bad. This was really, really bad.
Tikki forced herself to calm down after a minute of spinning around. She had to think about this logically. Where was Plagg most likely to go? Was there something in the spa that would be a big draw for him?
The answer was immediately obvious. The kitchens. Plagg had practically been drooling after Adrien mentioned it and the cheese that was sure to be there, and Tikki had been surprised that he hadn't immediately made a beeline there once Adrien and Marinette had entered the spa. He was probably there right now, absolutely stuffing his face and getting in all sorts of trouble.
Tikki let out a frustrated snarl and zipped off in the kitchens to pull Plagg away. He could nap all he wanted, as long as he was out of the way of the humans, but he could not be responsible for eating pounds and pounds' worth of fancy cheese.
It wasn't hard to find the kitchens, and it was even easier to slip in undetected. Tikki choose a high cupboard for her lookout point, peering down at the workers below. It didn't take long for her to spot a chef working with cheeses, rolling a log of goat cheese in toppings. She focused on his area, sure that Plagg would make an appearance as soon as the man's back was turned.
And then he didn't. Several cheesy dishes were prepped and sent out, all without incident. A chunk of cheese was left out and unattended for several minutes, and yet none of it vanished.
Tikki frowned. Was Plagg...not there? But where else could he be?
This time, no obvious answer stuck out.
"Oh, what if he's getting in trouble and Adrien and Marinette hear about it?" Tikki fretted. "They came here to relax, not to chase Plagg down! I have to find him!"
So Tikki shot off, determinedly heading back to the pools. She would check every corner of the spa to find him, and then she was not going to take her eyes off of him for the rest of the visit.
Tikki checked the pools. She checked the massage area. She checked the gift shop and the check-in area. She checked the locker room, too, just to see if maybe Plagg had gone back there.
He hadn't.
"He must have gone to the Experience Rooms, then," Tikki decided, frowning. "Fine! I'll find him there then for sure!"
Plagg yawned as he woke up. He shifted, planning on going right back to sleep, but then something moved next to him.
He froze.
The distinct silhouette of a human was seated on the bench near Plagg. They stretched and then lay back, forcing Plagg to zip off before he got squished.
Well. So much for that particular napping spot.
Eh, it didn't matter. Plagg could feel his stomach grumbling, which meant that it was time to go visit the kitchens again. He zipped away, phasing through the walls to shortcut his way back to that delicious, delicious cheese.
This time, his haul was larger. He got more of that delicious Wyfe of Bath cheese, plus a generous scoop of goat cheese and an armful of blue cheese crumbles. When he started seeing puzzled frowns appearing on the chefs' faces when they looked at the cheese, Plagg decided that it was time to move on- for now, at least. Besides, his stomach was pleasantly full and in prime nap condition.
So Plagg headed back to the first pool, finding his lovely sunlit ledge and settling down again.
Really, this day was turning out wonderfully.
This day was turning into a disaster.
Tikki had checked almost all of the Experience Rooms, with the exception of the Ice Room. She didn't want to go there, and she knew that Plagg wouldn't, either. That meant that she had swept through the entire spa, and still no Plagg.
What was she supposed to do?
Tikki slowly flew back to the main pool, antennae drooping. Oh, she shouldn't have flown off exploring for so long. If she had checked earlier, maybe she could have caught Plagg before he zipped off. If she had come back when she had initially planned to instead of taking her time exploring, then she probably would have been fine.
At least Tikki hadn't heard any commotion that could be attributed to Plagg. That was a relief.
The hallway opened into the main pool, bringing steam and the sound of quiet conversation and laughter with it. Tikki made sure to stay high, out of sight of the bathers below.
And then she spotted the little lump of black sprawled out on a windowsill.
"Plagg," Tikki half-snarled, making a beeline for her counterpart. "When I get my paws on you-"
Plagg popped up as she approached, yawning. "Tik? Is it time to go?"
"Is it time- no, but where have you been?" Tikki demanded. "I've been looking for you all over the place!"
Plagg blinked at her, puzzlement written all over his face. "...I've been sleeping?"
"All this time?"
"There's plenty of lovely places to sleep in this place," Plagg said, nodding. "I like it! D'you think that Adrien and Marinette would come back here soon?"
"No, it's too expensive." Tikki glanced around. None of the people below had noticed them yet, and she intended to keep it that way. "And where have you been? I've been all over looking for you."
"Exploring the place, just like you." Plagg yawned again, grinning in the way he knew would get on Tikki's nerves. "I behaved just fine without you hovering over my shoulder, thank-you-very-much."
"Well, I didn't hear anything about any issues when I was flying around," Tikki allowed. "...let's just enjoy the rest of the time we have, all right? And Adrien and Marinette don't hear any of this."
"Mm-hmm. Sounds good to me." Plagg rolled back over, already bored of the conversation. "D'you wanna swing past the kitchen again before we go? I saw some of those lovely dark chocolates that you love so much in there."
Tikki held out for a couple seconds, and then gave in. She had seen the chocolate, too, but hadn't had a chance to taste, and it had looked delightful. "...oh, I suppose."
At the end of the day, Tikki and Plagg returned to Adrien and Marinette, looking as innocent as could be. And when their Chosens asked how their day had gone, well...
Adrien and Marinette didn't need to know everything.