My eyes opened feeling refreshed from yesterday's battle. Seeing what was in front of me, I lip couldn't help the quirk forming.
A sleeping dark haired, attractively toned back greeted my sight. She still had bruises from the previous battle but seemed at peace as she slept.
I fully sat up, stretching my abs to their fullest. Getting up from the soft bed, I put on my shirt smoothly, readying myself to head out.
A low groan escaped from behind me as the mattress shifted. Jessica turned toward me, her dark hair falling across her face as she squinted against the morning light filtering through the curtains. "Leaving already?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep and fatigue Her hand reached out lazily, as if to pull me back to bed.
I'd gotten all I needed from New York, plus tax, so it was about time I headed back.
"I need to head back to Paris for important business," I replied smoothly, my tone gentle and reassuring as I buttoned my shirt.
"Don't worry, this wasn't just a one-time thing. I'll be back eventually." I offered her a small smile, hoping to ease whatever concerns were forming behind those half-lidded eyes. "Or you can just come with me."
The Bat Miraculous was still in my pocket resting.
I'd contemplated giving it to Jessica for just a second, in case Hawk Moth came to Paris anytime soon, but having already stolen the miraculous from the museum, it was clear, he no longer had a reason to come.
Making sure I looked decent, I completed getting dressed. Jessica was still staring at me in an almost blank, half-sleep stare. Walking to her side of the bed, her head followed my steady movements. Standing before her I leaned down, cupping her cheek gently, and planted a kiss onto her lips.
"Goodbye, Jess," I said, my thumb brushing against her cheekbone. "Take care of yourself. And try to stay out of trouble until I get back."
With that I headed out with no response back.
--
It didn't take me long to pack up my important items from the luxury apartment I had stayed in. Sass was resting on my shoulder, eating a block of fried tofu I had handed him.
I was on my phone looking through my account Max was managing. It was resting at a solid zero just four days ago—now, as if a dam had broken, it stood strong at 432k.
A confused expression was worn on my face, I continued to scroll through my account with only 6 videos. Could it have been from "saving" that celebrity? I expected something similar but I didn't believe people cared that much about a single person.
With a flip of my finger, I checked my notifications. Huh. Seems I was tagged by Alya, that girl I'd saved, and Aurore?
I clicked on Alya's first, I saw her blog channel, with a crisp 5 million followers floating above. She'd recently posted about that same incident—judging off the title it seemed to be a review of the saving incident and one of her more popular videos at 6 million views.
Heroes were definitely more common in this world, but it seemed just as popular for everyday people. Alya somehow managed to gain such a following, although it seemed sort of inevitable, with the extremely few channels that managed to get superhero interviews, and her charming video format style.
The girl I "saved" was similar, with more than double of Alya's followers and views, making posts about the event and even sneaking in advertisements, unlike Alya.
Aurore, which still is a surprise to see, had 1.2 million followers and made a simple comment, paragraphs long. I couldn't be bothered to read it, but it seemed to have contributed to my growth slightly, so I decided to like the post.
The plane intercom crackled to life overhead, the static breaking through my thoughts. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have now landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. The local time is 3:47 PM. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened until the captain has turned off the seatbelt sign and the aircraft has come to a complete stop at the gate. On behalf of the crew, we'd like to thank you for flying with us today and hope to see you again soon."
Stepping off the plane, it was already mid-day when I'd finally arrived back. With a wave down of a taxi, I began to head towards my destination.
Max had worked overtime while I was gone, and with the stock of products I issued him to create and his own projects, he'd definitely be busy. Although he was indeed top priority when it came to the people I'd need to meet, I still decided to come here first to pick up someone.
Getting out of the taxi, I strode to the entrance, kindly opened for me the instant I arrived. I went up the elevator that seemed to take only a moment before I was greeted with the entrance to the penthouse.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A couple of seconds went by before an orange haired girl opened the door, peaking her head out.
"Oh, Luka, one moment." She closed the door, and in three seconds flat, blonde hair could be seen bundled together with a white hair clip as the door was swung open, a bright smile on full display.
"You're back!" she exclaimed, wrapping me in a big hug to my chest. She smelled like a mix of honey and vanilla.
"I am. I need you to come with me," I replied with a soft smile.
She tilted her head, curiosity dancing in her blue eyes. "Where?"
"It's a surprise."
With no more hesitation, she spun on her heel and headed back into her room to get ready. "Sabrina, don't just stand there-pack my purse! The white one with the gold chain and make sure my compact is in there!"
I was out on the balcony waiting. Chloe came quickly after, even changing her clothes into what seemed like casual date attire. A yellow turtleneck sweater, with an off-white dress that reached her ribs, and silver-yellow jewelry complementing her bag.
"You know it wasn't necessary to get dressed, right?" I said, giving her outfit an appreciative once over.
She shook her head carefully, one hand smoothing down her dress. "No way am I gonna embarrass you in casual wear. This is the bare minimum for going out with you. besides I have a reputation to maintain, you know."
"Well, it won't matter much," I said with a slight smirk, watching as Sass came up to my side, his small serpentine form anticipating what was going to occur.
"Sass, scales slither."
The familiar blue light washed over me as I transformed into my superhero outfit. Chloe's eyes widened, her mouth forming a small 'o' of surprise. Sabrina was there too, standing near the doorway with Chloe's purse, but she blended into the background so much I doubted witnessing this added anything to her character.
"Chloe, I need the assistance of Queen Bee. Can you get her for me?" I asked, extending a hand toward her.
Still a bit stunned but quickly recovering with the confidence I'd come to expect from her, she managed a dazzling smile. With a instinctive flick of her hand across her hair, she summoned her Kwami in a burst of yellow light. "Pollen, buzz on!"
The transformation swept over her, replacing her carefully chosen outfit with the sleek black and gold yellow suit of Queen Bee. Now that she was ready, I turned and leapt into the sky from the building without hesitation, the wind rushing past as Paris spread out beneath us. Queen Bee followed by my side, her figure buzzing as she kept pace. We were fast and swift, cheerful citizens of Paris easily able to see our figures blur by as we darted between buildings and over rooftops.
It was time to head to Max's place to get our upgrades.