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“We've finally arrived!”
Sarah laughed at her best friend's exhausted groan, taking her bag from where she'd stored it away, as the train slowly pulled into the station. “We didn't travel for that long, Luna. With the TGV, it took only a fraction of the time it would've taken with a normal train and the travel was surprisingly smooth anyway!”
“Says you, with you butt-cheeks made of iron! You can sit for days in front of the laptop, if you have another one of your stories to write!”
“So it's just training. Sit down more often and a mere four hours won't be a problem any more.”
That face spoke volumes of what Luna thought of her idea. No wonder. The smaller girl was more energetic than her. Always running around, going hiking or climbing. The complete opposite to herself, who travelled mostly by train to get to interesting places she could write something on her blog about. Just like this time.
“By the way. I know you have problems with sitting still for long. So why did you want to come along?” She moved through the small aisle, where others already gathered in front of the doors, to be let out into fresh air. Luna was right behind her.
“You really think I would let you go alone to Paris? Girl, that's like one of the most romantic cities in the world! There's no way I can let you out of sight there. Next thing I know you've hooked up with a cute guy and move there permanently! I'd never see you again!”
She rolled her eyes. “Really? I've just broken up with Lukas! I'm not interested in any relationship right now.”
“You never know! Just see it as a precaution. You might thank me later.”
“Well, at least I've got my bf with me now. So that is one benefit of you thinking that.” The doors opened and they followed the crowd outside, sucking in the metropolis of France's air. It didn't smell any different than Heidelberg or Frankfurt or even Berlin, but the feeling is what counted.
“What we gonna do first?”
“Checking in into our hotel, obviously! You want to haul our bags around while sightseeing?”
“Nothing I haven't done before!”
Sarah could imagine that. The hiking bag Luna used for this trip was the same she had with her on all of her other adventures. They were only here for three days and didn't plan anything big, like attending a gala or going to a concert. Not famous enough for the first and sadly not the right time for the second. She would've loved seeing Jagged Stone live!
Really, the only reason she even came here, was the one year anniversary of the first Akuma attack, being held tomorrow. Why make a festivity out of a terrorist regularly disrupting the lives of those living in the city? Because it was also the first day of their heroes' appearances!
There was no way Sarah would miss this! She had been a fan of Ladybug and Chat Noir right from the start.
It took a few days for the news to travel as far as Germany. Especially since the mayor of Paris seemed reluctant to let any information out, but in the end there was no way to control every single person's social media uploads and tourists came hope to tell their family and friends about their crazy time in the city of love.
Sarah had latched onto every piece of information she could find, discovering the Ladyblog in the process. Good thing she had French in school and was almost fluent in it, back then. She made a segment in her own blog, with the translated posts and subtitled videos from the Ladyblogger and everything else she could find on her own, while being so far away from the action. (She didn't forget crediting the originals, of course. No good blogger pirated other people's hard work!)
It went up like a bomb! Dear God, she had never imagined, that one day she would be the owner of one of the biggest blogs in Germany! And not just the Paris' heroes part of it! ...most found her through that, though.
So there was no way she could stay away, if there was a whole day dedicated to those very same heroes! She had a stream planned, where she would walk around the festival, showing her followers what it was like and everything.
Their hotel wasn't far from the train station, still in the more well known parts of the city. A perk of having a little extra money due to not travelling out of Germany too often. (The new ticket that was valid in whole Germany was a gift sent by heavens. The time spent on the train might have been increased, since she didn't use the ICE and CE that often any more, but it cost only a comparably small monthly fee, no matter how much you travelled.)
On the way there, they could already see preparations for the festivities. Black, red and green decorations adorned the streets. Ladybugs and black cats being the main symbols. People gathered on plazas, some cosplaying as heroes. Children laughed, as they pulled their parents with them to get sweets and stuff from stalls.
“Looks like people are already exited for tomorrow.” Luna commented, as they were passing another cluster.
Sarah feigned a gasp. “How do you know about that? I thought you weren't interested in any kind of parties?”
“I do follow your blog, as I've told you before. It's hard to miss the giant date you put onto the front page. Then, after some digging, it was easy to put things together.” A playful smile graced Luna's lips. “Truly a detective's work, don't you think?”
“You mean the date from the poster that was on the front page too?”
The smile faded a little, got strained even. “There was a poster there?”
“Yes, oh great detective! Right beneath your clue! So there was no need for you to use your unparalleled combination skills.” Luna punched her in the shoulder and they laughed freely. It was great to get away from home for a little. No boyfriend (or ex-boyfriend now) to think about. No annoying neighbours glaring at them for being too childish for their age. Just the two of them. Two young women, barely over the edge of adulthood having fun in a foreign city, where no one would ever recognize them.
Or at least that was what they thought.
“Oh my god!” Was the scream disturbing their peace, before a teenage girl, with reddish-brown hair and lightly dark skin bolted over. She had big glasses and equally big hazel eyes.
Sarah recognized her immediately. How couldn't she, after watching so many of her videos?
“Y-you're the Ladyblogger!” She stammered out, not trusting her eyes. This must be a dream!
“Yes!” Alya-fucking-Césaire, the creator of the Ladyblog, replied excitedly. And even in German! “And you're Sarah from 'Sarah's travels'! I can't believe you're here! I've been following your blog for so long.”
“The same for me! I've been there ever since you started yours.”
“Really? Gosh, that's amazing! I knew you were translating my work, since you put a link to my block on all of the posts about Ladybug and Chat Noir, but you've been following me from the start?”
“...oh no! There are two of them now.”
Sarah rolled her eyes at her bf's 'suffering' comment, patting her back comfortably. “This is Luna. My childhood friend and travelling companion for this trip. She's appeared in a few of the videos about nature and such.”
Luna raised a hand in greeting.
“Oh I remember those! 'There's not a path out there she hasn't hiked on yet!' right?”
“Jep, that's me alright.”
“Nice to meet you in person then. I've also got... huh? Where's she gone to now?” The youngest girl turned around searchingly, her eyes scanned the crowds around them. “She was here a minute ago!”
Then, her phone chimed, quickly followed by Sarah's, who recognized the ringtone as the one she'd set up for the recently installed Akuma warn app. (Better be prepared when you go to a city regularly attacked by supervillains, you know?)
“Damn! It's on the other side of the city! I'll never make it there, before it's over!” Alya sighed disappointed, then turned back to Sarah and Luna. “I assume you two are here for the festival. Have you anything planned for tomorrow?”
“We want to attend the mayor's opening speech, of course. But after that, it's just some looking around. See what Paris has to offer.”
“I'm at the opening speech too! Maybe we'll run into each other again after it.”
“Sure wouldn't say no to that. My followers would go crazy, if the Alya Césaire appears in my stream.”
“Same with mine if the owner of 'Sarah's travels' and one of her guests are there with me.”
“So see you tomorrow?”
“Absolutely!” They shared phone numbers, then Alya waved goodbye with a mumbled. “Now where could that girl be?”
“That was... something.” Luna shrugged, before getting back on their way to the hotel. “But she was nice. I like nice people.”
“Then good thing we'll meet her again. I would've loved to see that fight though. An Akuma attack while I'm in Paris and I couldn't even be there!”
“And I'm glad for that fact, cause keeping you away from danger will be a lot harder if you run right into it.”
Sarah nudged her friend playfully with her elbow. Secretly she knew she was right though. If there was a chance of being close to real-life superheroes, she would take it, no matter what it would mean for her. ...which sounded surprisingly suicidal, now that she thought about it.
Let's just not think about it then! She decided, going towards their destination with a smile on her face and a pep in her step! She was looking forward to the next day!
“...all of the people helping to keep this city safe. They are an inspiration for us all, reminding us, that there is always something we can do to make it safer for everyone...”
Dear God, the speech was boring! It almost sounded like the mayor was reading from a piece of paper someone else gave him. And it was way too long, even for such an important day. Sarah almost regretted deciding to stream the whole thing, otherwise she could've just left halfway through. ...well, the promise of meeting Alya again was also a reason that kept her here.
Still, how could someone be so lame? It looked like he wasn't even trying to give it any accentuation. Just rattling the words down, since it was his job, or something.
“You don't regret to be here yet, right?” Luna whispered, to not be picked up by Sarah's phone.
“'Here' as in 'here in Paris' or 'here at this speech'? If it's the second, then yes I do.”
She snorted. “No wonder! I've never heard something so dry and I love walking under trees when it's hot.”
“Do you regret coming with me?”
“Never! Someone has to entertain you after all.”
They kept conversing quietly, not really listening any more. The people surrounding them weren't paying attention either, being busy on their phone or ...was that teen with the glasses listening to music? Huh. That was one way of getting through this.
“...and now, that all formalities have been taken care of, I would like to finally start these festivities. I wish all of Paris' citizens and all those visiting us a great ti-!”
“Just a minute, Mayor Burgoise!”
A surprised murmur ran through the crowd. Sarah craned her neck to see where it originated from. Many others doing the same prevented that, though.
She didn't have to wait long though, because two very distinguishable figures stepped onto the podium. She almost lost the grip on her phone, her mouth falling open in shock. The chat in her stream went still for a second, before going crazy like never before.
Her own brain needed the same time to reboot, before she grabbed onto her friend to keep herself from jumping up and down and blur the footage. She would never forgive herself if she did.
“Oh my God! Those are Ladybug and Chat Noir! Oh my God! I can't believe it! Real-life Ladybug and Chat Noir! And I get to see them!”
All around them, people had started to whisper in excitement, at the unexpected turn of events. This was so much better than the mayor's speech!
Ladybug was the one to take the place in front of the microphone, as she was the voice of the pair of heroes, but as always, her partner stood right beside her. A strong and calming presence at her side, that met every daring look with a challenging gaze of his own.
“Citizens of Paris and those from afar who want to celebrate this day with us. Thank you so much for all the support you've been giving us the past year! We truly appreciate the faith you continue to have in us, in this fight against Hawkmoth.
“One year ago, when the first Akuma appeared and Chat Noir and I were bestowed with these powers, I promised you, we'd do everything we could to keep you save, no matter who wanted to harm you! Now I want to renew that oath!
“In the name of all of the heroes of Paris, I tell you, no matter how powerful the enemy might be, we will do everything we can to defeat them, so you can keep living peacefully! Just never give up hope! If we loose that, the fight will only get harder!
“Keep on fighting! We needed you in the past and we'll need you in the future! Every single one of you! Hero's day has shown that! You can make a difference! So don't only see this day as a celebration for us, but a celebration for yourself!”
See? That's how a speech was supposed to be! Upbeat and inspiring, not monotone and boring! Mr. Burgoise sure could learn something from her.
The crowd seemed to agree, as it cheered loudly, calling their heroes' names. But not only the two standing on the podium right now. Sarah could also hear the many other heroes, who'd appeared over the year among them. The part-time heroes might not be as popular as the original pair, mostly due to their limited appearances, but all of them had found their own base of fans all around the world. She felt it herself, whenever she was able to put some footage of them on her blog. The fanbase practically craved for it.
Now Chat bowed down to speak into the microphone. “Thank you for your attention, everyone. We wish you all a purrfect day!” With that, the two of them swung into the air and disappeared again.
“OMG guys!” Sarah retracted the arm holding her phone and pointed the camera back to herself. “I cannot believe this just happened! Ladybug and Chat Noir live! This is a dream come true!” She let the chat run it's course, answering a few of the most asked questions, or those pinned by her moderators, then she sent a quick glance to the clock, before turning to Luna. “You think they've recovered enough to take our next little surprise?”
“Probably not.” Luna shrugged, but couldn't hold back a sly smirk. “At least we can't be charged with murder, since we aren't even in the same country as most of them.”
“True. Well, we don't want to let her wait then.”
It was a good thing Sarah had texted with Alya the evening before, to make a script for their little blog crossover. She hadn't been sure what the girl was comfortably with, since they were still like strangers and the French etiquette was a little different from the German one.
As expected, her viewers went wild! There was no halting the chat any more! ...Sarah probably should apologize to her moderators later. The Ladyblog was in a similar situation, more people recognizing her, than she ever would've dreamed of.
They alternated between talking French and German, so both blogs had a time where they didn't have to wait for their streamer to translate the conversation. The hot topic was, of course, the little stunt Ladybug and Chat Noir just pulled.
“Not even I knew they would do that!” Alya explained, maybe a little sulkily. “We talked only a few days ago and they didn't tell me.”
“Maybe they wanted it to be a sur-.” Luna commented, but was interrupted by Sarah's shocked exclaim. (She would buy her a coffee later as an apology.)
“You talk with them?”
Alya was clearly amused by her reaction. “Of course I do! They are the local heroes and I'm their main blogger. They come to me, whenever they want to announce something important. How else do you think I get the insider information I post?”
...well, now that she said it, it did make sense.
“They just always seemed so unreachable to me, from Germany. It must be different to have them right in front of you.”
“I've never known it any other way with them, but I am a big fan of Majestia, so I at least get what you mean. It was really cool getting to see her for the first time, when we went to New York.”
That prompted a whole new topic of conversation. When they finally finished, having taken to wandering around the central part of the city while they talked, they promised each other to keep in touch.
“How about we get some lunch, then we can walk around and look at all the things Paris prepared for today?” Sarah asked her friend, after ending the stream with a promise to come back later. She nodded, eager to get some food.
It was a bit after the big lunch rush happened, so they easily got a place in a restaurant recommended by an elderly pair, they asked for directions. It was close to the Eiffel Tower, so they could bask in it's presence while eating.
“Anything specific you want to see?” Sarah asked, once the food had arrived.
“We're here because of you. I'm just a tag-along.“
“That doesn't mean you can't enjoy it too! You already had to endure me simping over the local heroes for a whole hour. Now it's time we do something you want.”
Luna took a moment to think about that, then she took out her phone and wrote something. “How about the Jardin de Plantes? It's a botanical garden.”
“Sure do miss your greenery, don't you?” Sarah laughed, already having expected that decision. “Let's see which metro can take us there.”
In the end, they couldn't even finish their lunch, because at that moment, something crashed from the sky into the building on the other side of the street. Only seconds later did her phone chime and her heart, that had jumped in shock before, sank into her stomach at the sight of the ugly twisted thing slowly separating itself from the impact crater.
Akuma!
She'd always asked herself, how she would react, if she was faced with one of Paris' regular villains. She'd been confident, she would realize the danger and get out of the way as fast as possible, since there was not much she could do anyway. ...she had never expected to freeze!
She couldn't move her legs! Couldn't look at Luna! Couldn't even twitch her fingers! She was completely locked up in fear at the sight alone!
Later, she would learn that it was part of the Akuma's power. Making everyone who looked at it freeze up and it took the strongest of willpowers to keep moving. A willpower she definitely did not have. But in that moment, she regretted ever having come to Paris. Not because she had to experience an Akuma attack. Or because she felt like one of her worst nightmares had come true. No, she regretted it, because Luna had tagged along with her, which put her in the same danger she was in now.
The whole thing only lasted a few minutes. Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared, apparently having followed it already. They destroyed the object holding the corrupted butterfly in record time, then Ladybug repaired the damage done in the attack. Only after that, was Sarah able to move again.
Her first thought was to search for Luna, but she, unlike her blogger friend, had been smart and immediately taken the table as shelter. Her gaze had never hit the Akuma in the first place!
“What was that about wanting to be in an Akuma attack, again?” She said, slowly coming out of her hiding place, so she wouldn't hit her head anywhere. “I hope that was enough excitement for you.”
“More than enough. You'd have to drag me in the direction, if there should be another, while we're here.”
“Good. At least you've finally come to your senses. How about we finish this.” She motioned to their only half eaten lunch. “And then go somewhere much nicer, with plants and birds and all that stuff? Maybe then we can attack this whole thing lat-” She stopped, eyes jumping to somewhere behind Sarah, becoming huge in the process.
Hoping it wasn't another Akuma, she turned around, only to freeze once again. This time, it was the good kind though. The one she had done way too many times in the last twenty-four hours.
“No way.” Her traitorous lips formed, the words slipping out, while her brain needed a moment to process the sight of the red and black spotted heroine, standing right there! A calming smile was directed at them, as she asked.
“You two okay? You weren't talking in French earlier, so I assume you're tourists, here for the festivities?”
“Yes we are.” Luna took over, after it was clear Sarah would need a moment longer to get her bearings. “Your German is incredible, by the way. I wouldn't believe you're from France, if we met somewhere else.”
Ladybug laughed delighted. “Thanks! I'll pass it on!”
Finally Sarah's brain decided to log back in. Regrettably, it made her blurt out the first thing it came up with. “I'm not sure yet, if this is one of the best or worst days of my life, but it definitely has perfectly good reasons for both sides.”
“Sure hope my presence is not a reason for it to be a bad day.”
“Quite the opposite, to be honest!” There was a sparkle in the heroine's eyes – Sarah didn't quite want to call it nervousness. There was no reason for that, right? Ladybug always spoke with confidence, when she was giving interviews. This conversation wasn't even being recorded, so why should it be any different? If nothing else, she should be even more relaxed than usual!
Nah, she was probably just seeing things. Wouldn't be the first time!
“Really? ...I'm not one to judge, but I can't imagine being exposed to the power of an Akuma is something I'd call 'worth the visit'.”
She couldn't prevent the slight wince at the reminder, but she immediately honed in on how the girls smile fell away.
...oh. So it hadn't been her imagination after all. That was... unexpected. Surprising even.
She shared a quick look with Luna, seeing the same realisation in her friend's expression.
“You know, no matter how many Akumas I would have to face, it would always be worth it to see you and Chat Noir kick their asses in person!”
That brought at least a little light back into Ladybugs eyes. “We try our best.” It was weird seeing her like this. On the videos, she was always so full of life, swinging and dodging and coming up with plans to defeat Akumas, or talking about what the heroes had planned to help the city. She was a beacon of hope for little kids, who were afraid of who would turn into a monster next, because they knew she would protect them. They knew she wouldn't stand down! Not until she breathed her last!
Even for adults like Sarah, the girl was an amazing figure. Someone you could strive to be like. Or just someone to admire.
Seeing her like this... it felt wrong. It was so different from that picture she usually portrayed. A little hopeless. Unsure. Down. Nothing like the national hero she knew from the videos the Ladyblog posted.
A beeping from Ladybug's earrings startled all of them. When Sarah calmed down again from the sudden leap her heart had taken, the calm and collected superheroine, that always had a reassuring smile on her lips was back.
“Gotta go! Have a nice stay here in Paris! Hope you enjoy the festivities!”
A swing and a tug of the yoyo later and Sarah and Luna were alone, staring after the red blur jumping away over the rooftops.
Her first reaction should have been, to jump at her best friend and ask her, if this really had just happened. Instead, she met the almost shocked expression and blurted out the fact, she had to hold back the whole time.
“She's so much smaller in real life.”
Sarah was still thinking about that fact the next day, when they checked out of the hotel and searched for a place to get breakfast and pass the time until their train departed at noon. The food looked incredibly good and she couldn't help but take a photo and post it on her blog, with a promise to review it, once they were on their way home.
Sadly, Luna was a quiet eater – always had been – so conversation was a no go. Which meant she had plenty of time for her thoughts to run wild. Lucky her.
Those very same thoughts had occupied her mind since the Akuma attack yesterday. More precisely, since their conversation with Ladybug herself.
She just couldn't get out of her head, how small the heroine was. She'd barely reached Sarah's nose and the blogger wasn't even that big herself. You wouldn't imagine a full grown adult with that size. So she couldn't help but jump to the thought of Ladybug being a teenager instead.
It made sense in too many ways, explaining mannerisms she'd pushed away before. Like the way the heroine talked in interviews. A young adult may still use some teenage language, but usually not things only recently created. And even if she stayed on top of that, to better connect with the younger generations, there was no way she wouldn't fall back into regular speech at some point. Even her German had included that, which made even less sense, since she hadn't been talking to teens at the time.
Then there were the delays in her appearances, whenever an Akuma happened during school hours. Of course there was always a slight difference, no matter if the distance was the same or not. No one knew who she or Chat Noir were, so they couldn't contact them directly, to make them aware of an attack. But it was still noticeable, if you really looked into it. (Sarah might've had a phase in which she tried to find out where the Akuma were coming from, by comparing different times. She couldn't sleep and there was nothing else to do on the nightly train ride to Berlin.) That specific delay even disappeared on French holidays, so it couldn't be something work-related. (She explained it to herself with a teacher job, or something like that, back then.)
Having come to the conclusion, that yes, Ladybug - and probably Chat Noir too – was a teenager, Sarah couldn't help the shiver running down her spine. The taste of bile coated her tongue, despite the amazing pieces of croissant she was eating.
Ladybug and Chat Noir were children. They were out there fighting against a terrorist day-in day-out and they were even younger than her. She couldn't imagine herself doing that, especially a few years ago, when she was still living with her parents and going to school. Her only problem being how good her grades were and what kind of future she wanted for herself.
This was wrong! This shouldn't be!
“Are you okay?” Her eyes snapped up from where they'd been focussed on a piece of baguette, meeting the worried gaze of Luna. “You've been staring at that for five minutes straight.”
Sarah dropped it on the plate, not able to take another bite. It was the last piece anyway. “Just been thinking.”
“Better return to the present then, cause we've gotta hurry now.”
That gained her attention and she fumbled a second with her phone, to look at the time. “It's still another half-hour before we even need to go to the train station. There's no reason to rush.”
“You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?”
“...what?”
She didn't get an explanation. They paid for their food and took the next bus, getting to their destination long before their train even arrived.
“Now we have enough time to appreciate the architecture of this building, instead of the beauty of the city” She said sarcastically, sending her friend a raised eyebrow. “Great job!”
Luna only shrugged. “You'll thank me later.”
They spent a moment awkwardly standing in the middle of the busy main hall, Luna not allowing Sarah to find a seat for them to wait, but still tight-lipped about her odd behaviour. Then, all of a sudden, there was an arm on her shoulder and the red-brown curls of one Alya Cèsaire entered her field of view.
“Trying to just sneak back to Germany? I'm hurt!”
A huge grin spread on Sarah's face, as she turned around, immediately deciding she owed Luna something huge for this. “I should've predicted you guys doing this.”
“Well, I couldn't let you go without at least introducing my own best friend, after getting to know yours.” The Ladyblogger shoved another girl, about the same age, in front of her. She looked mostly confused, but seemed used to being manhandled like this. “That's Marinette, my BFF.”
“Alya!” Said girl whined at her friend in French. “You didn't even tell me what we're doing here!” Her bluebell eyes finally settled on Sarah and Luna, immediately shimmering with recognition. “Oh! It's you from...” Her mouth fell shut before another word could come out.
“Yeah, right?” Alya exclaimed excited. “From that blog I showed you once! I'm surprised you recognized them!”
“Y-yeah... from that blog... was pretty stunning... hard to forget... ha ha.” Marinette shrunk back a little, almost like she was trying to hide behind her friend. “Couldn't even understand a word though, since I never learned German, as you know.”
“Oh, I know.” Alya just shrugged it off, like that was normal behaviour, so Sarah decided not to worry too much about it, “So, I hope you'll keep in touch when you're back home. It's cool to know another famous blogger. Maybe we can even do a collab some time. Raising money for charities or something.”
“Sure!” Sarah immediately latched onto the new topic. She'd always wanted to collaborations with other bloggers or streamers. And raising some funds would be a great opportunity for that. It also finally expelled the heavy thoughts she hadn't been able to shake off before.
It was half an hour later, when Marinette, who'd kept a little to the side, before being joined by Luna, interrupted them again.
“I hate to break this up, but Mum is asking where we are, Alya. Remember, I need to help out in the bakery, since there's a festival going on.”
“Oh right. Completely forgot about that, sorry.” The Ladyblogger turned back to her German colleague. “We'll chat! Have a good trip home!”
Sarah gave her a thumbs up, before grabbing her bag. It was about time to get to their platform, so the timing was perfect. While spinning around though, she caught sight of Luna grabbing onto Marinette's shoulder.
“Enjoy the festivities! You've definitely earned it!” She said with a wink. The younger girl only stared at her with big eyes.
Huh? What was that all about?
It wasn't until their train was pulling out of the station, that Sarah remembered to ask her friend about her odd behaviour.
“Didn't her voice sound familiar to you?”
“Um... no?”
“...huh. Must be my imagination then.”
Instead of an answer, she only got more questions.
In the future, she'd always ask herself, what that knowing smile was, her best friend would wear, whenever the Parisian superheroes were brought up.