#logo boulangerie

[studiopapierchiffon]

BAKA • artisan bread

Conception d'un logo et d'une identité de marque pour une boulangerie-pâtisserie inspiré par la carte de tarot du Fou (le Mat dans le tarot de Marseille)

Le Fou représente l’innocence, l’aventure et le nouveau départ. Il est souvent illustré comme un personnage joyeux, avançant sans crainte vers l’inconnu, un baluchon sur l’épaule et un chien à ses côtés, symbole de loyauté ou d’instinct. Parfois, il est au bord d’une falaise, suggérant qu’il s’apprête à faire un saut dans l’inconnu.

[ct-multifandom]

Big day for annoying people (me)

The two new eps of ML were good? Like wow it’s been great so far except ep 3 was comparatively a flop imo. Werepapas was so, idk, enticing lore-wise but I don’t have much to say that other people haven’t except that they’re clearly NOT neglecting past plot points, making the tone too silly goofy all the time, nor retconning important stuff like some people worried they would. We have been FED. I’m sure Felix is involved in that ring bs somehow, but idk if his intentions are pure or not.

Warning for the only salty thing I’m gonna say on this post: I’m so tired of going into the fandom tag and seeing people whining about “bad writing” problems that literally never happened based entirely on their own incorrect predictions they made up to make themselves mad. Ugh anyway. This post is gonna be about small details I latched onto in Daddycop!

We got to see glimpses of Sabrina and Max’s rooms this ep! Max’s room looks like a Star Trek spaceship but the books on his bookshelf are kinda giving those reference books at the library of like, archived government documents or research papers iykwim whereas the books in Alya’s room look like manga. An interesting thing I noticed in Sabrina’s room is that she has a line of framed certificates on the wall, maybe academic awards or something similar

Did they ever say if Markov can see Kaalki or not? I’m sure they will eventually but idk which option I like better. It’d be cute if they were friends but it’d be pretty funny if he had to watch Max talk to the secret floating ghost who lives with them now and not question it

List of things Sabrina dumps in the trash: yellow nail polish, the brooch Chloe gifted to her/bribed her with in season 1, the cat ear headband from her Chat Noir cosplay when she and Chloe were roleplaying as him and Ladybug in season 3, a beret, maybe the one Chloe tried to bribe her with in s1, Chloe-style sunglasses, a Queen Bee doll, a photo of them together in the old animation, and a mug/tumbler? Maybe a gift from her as well idk maybe they’re selling Queen Bee-themed Stanley cups over there.

:((((( Aw Sabrina nooo I hate seeing her so sad and the way she lied to her dad so he would think she’s happy and has friends

I think this might be the first time the show referred to Fire Captain Hessenpy by name?

Marinette’s scooter has the T+S logo on it and a sticker that says Boulangerie Paris

Between eps 2 and 4 I’m getting the sense that Sabrina uses Miss Hound as an escape kinda like CN where she feels like she can become instantly likeable, trustworthy, helpful, and useful through the inherent credibility of being a superhero. She has anonymity, can sort of start over on a blank slate, and is automatically implied to be a good person since Ladybug entrusted her. I’m guessing we’re gonna see more of that blank slate idea with other characters and what they’ll do with it, but it’s telling that Sabrina decides to transform to resolve people’s minor inconveniences, especially when she’s feeling bad about herself. It’s like she’s proving a point to herself but also giving herself something productive to do.

The GIRLS Ahhhhh let’s go lesbians

Noticing a clear absence of Alix. Ik the special implied she has to keep hiding in the burrow from Lila but she’s all normal-looking in the intro and they can’t shelve her forever. I feel like something is gonna change to make her be able to return.

^^^ ALSO she’s the only hero with zero design updates and my theory is that the purpose of that is so she can do contrived time nonsense like going back to earlier seasons and going forward without contradicting anything or revealing which time period she’s actually from

I gotta say the side character writing has progressively been better and better throughout the show. Atp they really feel like actual people with their own opinions and motivations. In the early days they felt more like lovable NPCs who talked occasionally but now they’re real characters? With free will? I feel like I just watched Pinocchio get turned into a real boy

The pro-healthy eating censorship/propaganda/whatever in this show is so funny omg. Juleka: I brought fruit tea Mylene: wow that’s so much better than the sugary soda we had last time LMAO. To balance out Rose holding a bag of popcorn they gave Zoe two burlap sacks full of oranges which tbf I’d rather snack on those during a movie than popcorn but still. I saw a vid recently about gravity falls adding random bowls of fruit next to characters eating junk food because they were getting flagged as promoting unhealthy habits. I keep thinking about that moment in Ikari Gozen when Mari asks Kagami out for “juice” when any normal teen would’ve said “coffee” like nope no caffeine in my good Christian miraculous

Love Kagami being a pretentious film nerd go hang out with Nino

RED ALERT YOU GUYS Mylene has an inclusive pride flag pin on her overall strap. Like the rainbow flag with the trans triangle and the black stripe. It’s not subtle or anything it’s just right there wow. Damn

The pin above it reminds me of Timebreaker’s logo. I wonder what some of these pins mean

Ok last season they seem to have established that Sabrina became friends with Marc and Nathaniel who were both explicit Sabrina Supporters since their akuma episodes, so it feels sort of convenient that they were written out of the narrative for this ep. I do see the whole Girl Squad thing and how she feels excluded when all the girls in the group hang out together without her, doing traditional girl things like movie night sleepovers, so I do think it’s totally valid. Her having absolutely zero friends is hyperbolized though.

On that note I have to wonder if the school might have several lunch periods because none of the male characters expect Adrien and Nino were there. Or maybe they just stage the scene with whoever is convenient. They might have flexible lunch schedules and all the other characters are off somewhere else.

Rose mentioned a girl whose name I didn’t recognize and after rewinding i can’t tell what she said. Aglie? New character? Maybe she’s that black girl with pink hair who was sitting with Adrien, Nino, and Sublime at lunch

KAGAMI AND ONDINE ARE CANONICALLY FRIENDS this is like the Superbowl for me. I’m so excited for Sleeping/Princess Syren I need to see her.

God the girls were so messy in that scene where they didn’t want to invite Sabrina lol I kinda love it I can’t even be mad

Zoe, your lab safety is atrocious. Not only are you taking your goggles off while still in the lab, but then you *leave the room* and *touch someone* with your gloves still on?! Diabolical. What are they even doing, soldering computer chips?

Marinette when I catch you Marinette

Roger’s relationship with Sabrina is actually so cute even though he’s kinda misguided as a person GOD when he’s on his way to console his crying daughter and Lila enters his mind space and he’s cradling his arms like he’s clearly seeing her as his baby 🥺 nobody talk to me

Alexa play I bet on losing dogs by mitski. Myyyy baby my baby…

We got a glimpse of the baddest bitch in Paris Xavier Ramier I’m so happy

Sabrina shapeshifted her necklace into a brooch. Huh. I guess you can just do that

The power of believing in herself allowed her to yassify her own character design into a cuter and more fashionable superhero! This is basically just like real life if you think about it

Her ball has a doggy nose on it awww

Lila telling Roger to turn around so she could back him up and fire the anti akuma was badass okay

I’m not sold on the loud ass makeup they have a lot of the characters wearing so I’m glad we got to see the girls with clean faces at the end there. Wow they look so normal! I’m also loving the pajama designs. I had to pause and look at all of them.

Zoe had to stop and hit Sabrina with that rizz stare to make sure Sabrina wouldn’t be coming up with any platonic explanations for her behavior

I never thought I’d say these words, but I think a love triangle between Sabrina, Zoe, and Max would be fun. Imagine Zoe is into Sabrina, Sabrina isn’t exactly catching the hint and sees Zoe as a really nice friend, Sabrina kinda likes Max, and Max is like damn these bitches gay. Good for them.

The end card is so baby omg

I TOLD YOU GUYS Sabrina was gonna get a makeover and people were like uH No iTs JUsT An aNimATioN eRroR oF a ScRApPEd DeSiGn girl why the hell would they leave a scrapped design in the intro, and there’s no way they would accidentally not notice that much less repeat it

Mark my words white haired Caprikid is not an error either he’s real and he’s gonna collect all the chaos emeralds to get that way

A new diabolical twink has hit the scene. Ray’s pompous ass immediately reminded me of Preminger from Barbie. He looks like he rides horses. Like he tells people he’s into sports but then you find out the sport is just horse riding. Immediately invested. Who is this diva. I want him to get hit by a bus.

Ooooo Zoe was up to some Delinquent Shit in America this is so juicy. I looove when suspiciously perfect characters get revealed to be secretly fucked up that’s the best. I’ve always loved those types of headcanons, that she was expelled from her last school and moved to a different country all of a sudden for her mom’s PR. If you think about it, that’s exactly what happened to Chloe damn. Daughter commits PR disaster, do zero parenting about it, relocate daughter far away to start over with little consequence! I wanna see some parallels. I feel like she made it sound like she moved because she was getting bullied at her old school, but what if that was a lie, or at least a partial lie? You know shit’s serious when the exposition is in the post-post-endcard scene

The pacing of these episodes has been satisfying compared to previous seasons, especially 5. They aren’t trying to shove too much in, but there’s still a lot happening and fiiiinally a nice mix of plot and fighting. I was getting irritated by how rushed a lot of the fights were last season like might as well just not have them at all

Late edit: back to the pajamas because I forgot to analyze them, I have noticed that Juleka’s pants have bats on them :) frickin bats. They also have like… a crescent moon with something sitting on it? idk what that is. It’s like a pattern of cute spooky Halloween imagery. But the pants and her black lace tank top versus Rose’s sparkly pink unicorn onesie is adorb.

Zoe has a yellow tank and seems to be wearing her usual leggings under running shorts um? Outside clothes in bed? And her pink slides give the whole thing a sans undertale vibe. Oh what the fuck why do the feet of her tights have individual toes lmao. The horror. I hate it.

I can’t tell what Mylene is wearing except a black t-shirt that might have something white on it. OMG EDIT 2 ITS IVAN’S T-SHIRT FROM HIS OLD DESIGN YOU GUYS SHES WEARING HER BF’S OLD BAND TEE AS PAJAMAS. This is headline news myvan nation. She has maybe pink shorts and her slippers look like Uggs.

Kagami’s silk pjs look luxurious. I love how her clothes this season went from just preppy to being very obviously EXPENSIVE like she’s blending in with the gang but she’s still clearly rich af.

Sabrina’s pjs are a classic set with her usual argyle pattern on them. 10/10 would give her a warm glass of milk and read her a bedtime story. I wonder what she needs eye drops for because she told Roger she needs to pack them.

Excited to see more yay! I love the little details. It’s kinda a bummer that Sabrina spent most of her hero focus ep sobbing but we ball (see what I did there) and the end was so cutesy. So excited to probably watch episode 11 before episode 6

[samstrachowski]

La Boulangerie Provencal Logo

[sofiia-designs]

BW logo and color logo for bakery (La boulangerie Provençal)

[newdleboy]

                    MIRACULOUS LADYBUG AU

MK and his dad moved to Paris; his dad (Shixing) opened a noodle shop there. They picked Paris because of the popularity of Chinese cuisine. MK also designed the logo for the noodle shop!

The name of the shop: Pigsy's Noodles (小猪的面条), was chosen as a way for Shixing to reclaim a horrible nickname he had growing up.

He helps out with the shop by delivering orders. He used to miss school occasionally to do this when the shop was new. Now that it's a little more established, he's not the only one doing deliveries.

His other dad, Tang, is a professor in Chinese Mythology, leaning heavily on Journey to the West. Due to this, MK has a lot of knowledge on these myths! He'll happily tell anyone who wants to know.

Tang did not initially come with them to Paris, due to a huge argument that he had with Shixing. Their relationship is now incredibly strained and MK is doing what he can to try and fix it.

MK can come off as kinda spacey and like he doesn't listen much as he's usually wearing his headphones. This is because he gets overstimulated very easily.

Had a really hard time making friends at first; he just wasn't sure how to talk to everyone.

Deffs got akumatized in the beginning because of it; his akumatized form was called Jammer. His music made everyone around him start fighting because if he couldn't make friends, no one would have friends. The akuma was hidden in his headphones and he was of course eventually defeated by Ladybug and Cat Noir.

He's doing much better now, a little more outspoken and chaotic than he was when he first arrived now that he's more comfortable with his peers.

Eventually holds the Monkey Miraculous, and goes by the name Kid Monkey. He replaces Kim because of the fact that his secret identity is not known by Shadow Moth and that puts them at an advantage!

Probably got re-akumatized a few times before getting the miraculous - he's a very emotional boy!!!

Most likely spends most of his free time at school in the art room doodling or painting. (I have a wip playlist for what he listens to when he is in there and focusing!)

MK speaks three languages: Mandarin, French and English!

When MK is doodling, it's usually flowers or scenery/ background drawings, but he can draw people really well. He's drawn most of his classmates at least once - usually gives them the drawing afterwards!

Plays a lot of video games in his free time out of school if he isn't wandering around Paris on his scooter. He makes a lot of effort to at least try and figure out his way around. Still gets lost almost all the time. He knows how to get to exactly three places from his home: The noodle shop, school and the Boulangerie Patisserie. He really likes baked goods!!!

[gastronominho]

American Cookies apresentam o Crookie

Sobremesa viral das redes sociais ganha versão na rede paulista de doces

Sobremesa viral das redes sociais ganha versão na rede paulista de doces Recentemente, as redes virtuais foram tomadas por uma nova sobremesa, que logo viralizou: o Crookie. O doce é um croissant recheado com massa de cookie, criado pelo francês Stéphane Louvard na boulangerie Maison Louvard, em Paris. Mas para que mais pessoas conheçam o Crookie, a American Cookies apresenta a sua versão do…

[boulangeriestmethode]

Cap sur le bio

Par Isabelle Huot, docteure en nutrition

English text below

La demande pour les aliments biologiques est en croissance. Désirant adopter une alimentation éco-responsable, les consommateurs recherchent de plus en plus les aliments certifiés biologiques. Manger bio est-il nécessairement meilleur pour la santé ? On fait le point !

Le bio en quelques mots

Pour porter l’appellation bio, l’aliment doit répondre à un cahier des charges spécifique.

L’appellation garantit l’absence :

d’engrais, de pesticides et d’herbicides chimiques ou de synthèse

de semences issues d’OGM

d’antibiotiques et d’hormones de croissances pour l’élevage

de farine animale dans la diète du bétail et de la volaille

de bâtiments fermés qui favorisent la surpopulation animale

de colorants chimiques, d'additifs de synthèse, d’agents de conservation et de colorants artificiels dans les produits transformés

En mettant ces normes de l’avant, les agriculteurs et éleveurs valorisent:

l’entretien des champs de façon mécanique ou thermique

le renforcement des sols via des techniques écologiques, comme la rotation des cultures et l’usage d’engrais naturels

les thérapies alternatives ou le retrait de l’animal si l’usage d’antibiotiques est nécessaire

une diète biologique aux animaux

de grands espaces pour l’élevage

Il va sans dire que la santé des consommateurs, la santé de la planète et le bien-être des animaux sont au cœur des valeurs de l'alimentation biologique.

Les organismes de certification

Au Québec, pour obtenir l'appellation “biologique” sur un produit, le CARTV (Conseil des Appellations Réservées et des Termes Valorisants) a accrédité 6 organismes de certification : Ecocert Canada, Letis S.A., Québec-Vrai, Pro-Cert Organic, QAI et TCO Cert.  Recherchez les logos “Aliments du Québec - Bio” ou “ Aliments préparés au Québec - Bio”.

L’alimentation biologique, un meilleur choix pour la santé ?

Les avantages de l’agriculture biologique pour l’environnement sont bien établis alors que les bénéfices pour la santé sont moins clairs.  Si certaines études montrent un léger avantage sur certaines vitamines et antioxydants, les données sont peu nombreuses. Chose certaine, choisir de manger bio c’est un geste qui s’inscrit dans l’alimentation durable et qui est assurément un excellent choix pour la protection de l’environnement.

Un vaste choix

Au Québec, on compte plus de 3400 producteurs qui ont des produits certifiés biologiques et ce, dans toutes les catégories de produits. Ayant à cœur la santé de la planète, Boulangerie St-Méthode innove en lançant une gamme de 3 pains certifiés biologiques. Les pains La Récolte de St-Méthode au Kamut, intégral et multi-céréales avec blé germé, certifiés par Ecocert et Aliments préparés au Québec bio, sont sans OGM et végétaliens. Une gamme qui plaira assurément aux consommateurs soucieux de l’avenir de la planète.

En résumé

L’alimentation biologique est en pleine croissance

Manger bio nous permet de réduire notre empreinte écologique, de s'assurer du bien-être des animaux et de protéger l’environnement

La certification biologique implique le respect d’un cahier des charges rigoureux

6 organismes de certification sont reconnus par le CARTV

Boulangerie St-Méthode innove en lançant trois pains certifiés biologiques sous la gamme La Récolte de St-Méthode

Spotlight on Organic Foods

By Isabelle Huot, Ph. D.

The demand for organic foods is on the rise. Striving to adopt an eco-friendly diet, consumers are increasingly seeking out certified organic foods. Is “eating organic” necessarily better for your health? Let’s have a look…

Organics in brief

To be designated organic, a food product must meet several clearly defined specifications.

The organic label guarantees an absence of:

chemical or synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides

GMOs in seeds

antibiotics and growth hormones for breeding

animal flour in livestock and poultry diets

closed buildings that contribute to animal overpopulation

chemical colours, synthetic additives, preservatives, and artificial colours in processed foods

In applying these norms, farmers and ranchers favour:

mechanical or thermal field maintenance

soil reinforcement via ecological techniques, like crop rotation and the use of natural fertilizers

alternative therapies or animal withdrawal if the use of antibiotics is required

an organic diet for animals

large breeding spaces

It goes without saying that consumers’ health, the health of the planet, and animal well-being are all core values of organic agriculture.

Certifying bodies

In Quebec, the CARTV (Conseil des Appellations Réservées et des Termes Valorisants / Reserved Designations and Added-Value Claims Council) has accredited 6 certification bodies to label products as “organic”: Ecocert Canada, Letis S.A., Québec-Vrai, Pro-Cert Organic, QAI, and TCO Cert. Look for the “Aliments du Québec – Bio” or “Aliments préparés au Québec – Bio” logos.

An Organic Diet… a Healthier Choice?

The environmental advantages of organic agriculture are well-established, while the benefits on health are less clear. While certain studies show a slight advantage regarding certain vitamins and antioxidants, data is limited. One thing is sure, choosing to eat organic is a practice that goes hand in hand with a sustainable diet… and is without a doubt an excellent way to help protect the environment.

A Wide Choice

In Quebec, there are over 3,400 producers of certified organic products, covering every product category. Deeply committed to the health of the planet, St-Méthode Bakery has innovated by launching a range of 3 certified organic breads. The Kamut, Integral, and Multi-cereal with Sprouted Wheat breads in the La Récolte de St-Méthode range—certified by Ecocert and as Aliments préparés au Québec Bio—are GMO-free and vegan. It’s a range that’s sure to please consumers concerned with the future of our planet.

Summing up

Organic foods are on the rise.

Organic eating means reducing your eco-footprint, ensuring animals’ well-being, and protecting the environment.

Organic certification involves respecting a rigorously defined set of specifications.

The CARTV has recognized 6 certification organizations.

St-Méthode Bakery has innovated by launching three certified organic breads in the La Récolte de St-Méthode range.

[viexon66]

there’s a boulangerie near me and it’s very French. There’s nothing more I love than being able to buy a freshly made baguette nearby. their logo is a classic black and gold.

I’d do it more often if I had more money.

[bergaudnicolas]

[carni-val]

The Early Bird Catches the Butterfly [Henri “Papillon” Charrière] - Pt. 1

pairing: Henri “Papillon” Charrière x OFC

summary: When the early bird and the night owl meet at the break of dawn, how long can they survive together in the light of day?

author’s note: Here is yet another contribution to the Papillon fandom. There will be a part two to this coming out next week. I hope you all enjoy this!

Charlie Hunnam Masterlist | Papillon Masterlist

Part 2 | Part 3

It all started at Amélie’s Boulangerie. The morning sun began to stretch over the horizon marking the beginning of a new day after a particularly long night. Papillon, still dressed in his clothes from the night before, found himself stumbling through the streets of Paris, his new home.

He had woken up half an hour ago between a half-dressed cocktail waitress and a half a bottle of the most expensive wine he’d ever had before.

Not a bad way to wake up.

He was one of the few people left behind in the extravagant party hall and he decided he’d better get home and freshen up for a new day.

He was just getting settled in the city, learning the ins and outs of the new business he had found himself shuffled into, like a single card in a deck in the hands of a blackjack dealer. He felt tossed around by people who wanted his attention and people whose attention he needed if he was gonna make a life here.

Nevertheless, it was a fantastic party with fantastic alcohol, fantastic women, and fantastic new contacts. That’s what Papillon reminisced on while he ran his hands through his messy hair, fixing it to his liking in the reflective surface of the silver platter that was left behind on a table nearby. He smoothed out his clothes and headed off into the quiet morning, fully intending to go back home.

He lit himself a cigarette, a habit he’d picked up in the countryside, one that only got worse when he moved to the city. It was hard not to when everyone around him was doing it. It’s how men bonded. It’s how the men he wanted to be like bonded.

Letting out the smoke in a controlled stream, Papillon took in the morning air that was disturbed by nothing but his presence. It was serene, quiet. Papillon assimilated to the tranquility, sauntering with one hand in his pocket and the other gripping his cigarette. The quiet clacking of his shoes against the pavement echoed in the air around him and he let himself exhale another puff of smoke.

He could finally hear himself breathe. Papillon didn’t realize how much he’d missed that sound until now. Sometimes the constant chatter, the boisterous laughter and the crashing of glass that was somehow always a guest at every party got too be too much after a while.

Papillon scoffed, he never thought he’d feel that way. He hated the countryside so much but he rarely had mornings like these to remind himself what he’d left behind. Still, he would never trade this life for that one.

There was a light breeze that ruffled Papillon’s hair, that sent the lapels of his blazer flapping about momentarily and carried the smell of warm pastries and coffee to his nose. His stomach rumbled at the intrusion and it had Papillon searching for the source of the smell.

He didn’t have to look very far. To his left, just a few feet away sat Amélie’s Boulangerie.

It was a small little cafe perched at the corner of the street. It was a white building with the company’s pastel pink logo in the front.

Papillon had been down this street thousands of times and never caught sight of the bakery. Maybe because he was always out here at night and Amélie’s Boulangerie was reserved for the early birds.

Coffee and a pastry did sound delicious right about now though. Papillon found the placement of the bakery to be convenient. After owls like himself prowled around the area in the late hours of the night, it was nice to find something that made it easier to get up the following morning.

Taking a final drag from his cigarette and flicking the remainder of it into the street, Papillon headed towards the bakery, the delicious scents only getting more and more pungent.

There was a little bell that rang when he opened the door and it rung throughout the small vicinity of the place. There was a counter with a register on top and a glass case full of fluffy, delightful pastries all the way from croissants to danishes to tarts.

Papillon’s stomach grumbled again as the smell of the baked goods and the coffee blended together perfectly in the air.

“Coming!” he heard from somewhere behind the counter.

Papillon craned his neck, noticing a door behind the counter that was slightly ajar. He stepped towards the glass case getting a better look at the products that were on display. His eye caught some croissants and even some danishes. Maybe he’d buy some for later.

It was just as Papillon was standing straight up again that she came bustling out of the back, hastily dusting off the white apron tied around her waist. Her dress was almost as pink as the sign out front and her smile was as bright as her eyes. Her curly hair was pulled back into a low ponytail that did little to perturb the rebellious way they sprung about wherever they pleased.

Papillon’s eyes locked onto her form as she made her way to the register. She was shorter than him, but the confidence in her smile made her presence fill up the entire room and it sent the left side of his mouth upwards.

“Good morning,” she greeted him kindly once she stood in front of him.

“Good morning.” His voice rumbled in his chest now, like a cheshire cat purring in delight as his crosshairs were immediately set on her.

“What can I get for you?”

“Let me get a croissant and a cup of coffee,” he replied, digging into his pocket.

Papillon watched as she typed the prices into the register before reporting his total. It didn’t matter. The bill he handed her was enough to cover that and then some.

“Throw in a couple of those apple danishes too,” he added.

Papillon didn’t miss the way her brown, doe-like eyes widened slightly at the sight of the bill — they were almost the colour of whisky: brown with a touch of translucency when the morning light hit them

She played it off, typing in the price of the rest of his order before she opened up the cash compartment of the register and handed his change back to him.

“Please, make yourself comfortable” she offered, gesturing to the long, empty counter with a few seats perched underneath it.

Papillon thanked her as he did just that. He watched her glide around behind the counter, grabbing a plate from one cabinet and a cup and saucer for his coffee in the other. She hovered around the intricate, metal coffee machine for a little while, making sure his coffee was going right into the cup before turning around with a white plate in her hand and pulling out the fluffiest croissant from the display case.

Papillon’s lip quirked up at the gesture and his smirk only widened when she had placed the cup of coffee and croissant right in front of him.

“How do you take it?” she nodded towards the coffee.

“Black is just fine,” he assured her.

She smiled at him, “I hope you enjoy it.”

“Thank you,” Papillon told her sincerely.

She grabbed a brown bag from underneath the counter and some wrapping paper before heading over to the display case again. Papillon watched her over his coffee cup as he drank, noticing how she, once again, picked out the best of the selection. This was evidently the perk of being the first customer of the day.

“Nice to know there’s another early bird around here,” she said as she placed the first danish down onto some paper to wrap it up in.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” he mused before taking a bite of his still warm croissant.

“How else would you put it?” she asked as she began carefully wrapping up each individual pastry and putting them in the brown bag.

“Late to the party but early for breakfast,” he replied.

“Still early,” she quipped with a small smile.

Papillon breathed out a laugh before he could stop himself. He pulled his cup of coffee up to his mouth, drinking for a prolonged amount of time, almost embarrassed that he’d done that.

“This is good coffee,” he commented.

“Thank you,” her voice was warm. “I hope the croissant is just as good.”

“It’s even better,” he assured her.

He watched as her smile grew at the compliment, “I’m glad you like them.”

He did, but Papillon wasn’t sure what he liked more: the coffee, the croissant, or her.

Papillon still hadn’t figured out the answer to that question despite being back several more times. It became a routine now: wake up the morning after a party, fix himself up — he now carried a comb for his hair, he’d pop a stick of gum in his mouth — and head off to Amélie’s Boulangerie. He’d have a few minutes to himself on his morning stroll over but once he was in the bakery, all of his attention was on her.

He ordered the same thing every day: black coffee with a croissant and some dessert for later. Those apple danishes he ordered the first time he came around were better than any other dessert he’d ever had. They were perfectly warm and stuffed with filling that oozed out the other end whenever he took a bite. Once he finished them, he was desperate to go back for more.

She eventually learned to be ready for his arrival, coffee and croissant practically waiting for him on the counter when he walked in, right in front of his usual seat.

“Why don’t you sit and have a cup of coffee with me?” he told her one morning.

“I wish I could,” she told him with an apologetic smile, “But I still have some cleaning up to do in the back.”

Papillon relented.

However, the next day, he ordered two cups of coffee and two croissants.

“Meeting a friend?” she asked him.

“She’s already here,” he quirked a brow at her.

She gave him a look, trying to counter his know-it-all smirk, but the glimmers of joy were sparkling through her eyes. She shook her head once before turning towards the coffee machine.

“Sit down,” she told him and her tone of voice told him she’d give in just this once.

And once was all Papillon needed.

She made two cups of coffee this time; hers diluted with some warm milk. She put two croissants on two plates, putting the fluffier one in front of Papillon.

She sat next to him and he couldn’t stop the smile forming on his face. 

Each of them had a sip of coffee before Papillon said, “See, isn’t this nice? Taking a break from all the hard work.”

Every time Papillon came in, he always noticed how she’d come rushing out from the back, sometimes covered in flour, other times wiping her hair away from her face as she was huffing out her breaths, and other times she would be sweeping up the floor in the front. She never stopped working.

“It’s okay,” she shrugged, feigning dissatisfaction. She bit into her croissant to hide her smirk and Papillon mirrored her action.

“Give it a few more minutes. It’ll be good for you to sit down for a little while,” he advised her playfully. “Is this your bakery?”

“It was my grandmother’s,” she told him, “My mother ran it for a little bit when my grandmother died, but she passed away a short while ago.”

Papillon’s heart softened, “I’m sorry.”

She put on the best smile she could before changing the subject. “I don’t get many well-dressed men coming into the bakery at this hour,” she commented, “Where are you coming from?”

“A business meeting that ran late,” he replied.

“A business meeting,” she parroted, skeptical. “Seems more like a party,” she nodded to the clock in the corner. It was just approaching seven in the morning.

“A little bit of both,” he shrugged, meeting her skeptical stare with a nonchalant one.

“Must be an interesting line of work,” she commented. “I’m sure time slips away from you at these business parties.”

“It happens, yeah.”

“That would explain why you come in before we’re even open,” she told him before sipping on her coffee again, watching his reaction over the rim of the cup.

Papillon’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion as he looked towards the door. “The door was unlocked.”

“I forgot to lock it that morning,” she confessed, eyes stuck on the beige liquid in her white coffee cup. “You came in and I didn’t have the heart to turn you away,” she played it off, shrugging nonchalantly.

“Is that what happened?” Papillon questioned, that cheeky smirk appearing on his face again as he kept his eyes locked on her and her now shy look.

“Exactly,” she confirmed. “You looked out of place, like a lost little puppy and who am I to kick a lost puppy to the curb?” Her spark shone through despite her timidness.

“Is that why you kept the door unlocked?” He was careful as he inched forward a little closer to her, the smell of the bakery clinging to her.

“Like I said, I just didn’t have the heart.” If she noticed him moving towards her, she didn’t say anything, didn’t bat an eye, or twitch a limb.

“Come out with me tonight.”

Her brows raised slightly in surprise. “Where?”

“A business party.”

“I didn’t think outsiders would be allowed at business parties.”

“They usually allow a plus one.”

She paused, eyeing him, eyes flickering between his smirk that was quickly becoming a full-blown smile and his eyes. “You think it’s that easy?”

“I’m willing to bet my chances are good.”

“Is that what you do at these business parties? Gamble?”

“I choose not to get my hands dirty with that,” he feigned innocence although she was surmising he was anything but. “So what do you say?”

“I don’t even know your name.”

“Papillon,” he answered without missing a beat.

“Papillon,” she repeated. He didn’t know if she was clarifying that she’d heard him right or if she was getting the feel of his name on her tongue.

He watched her as she took her time, finishing her cup of coffee and the last few bites of her croissant all while contemplating her answer, but Papillon was sure she already had one.

“Okay,” she nodded.

Papillon downed his cup of coffee to hide his grin. “I’ll pick you up here, nine o’clock, Miss…”

“If you’re here on time tonight, I’ll tell you,” she propositioned.

“And if I’m late?”

“If you’re late by even a minute, I will go home and keep the door locked tomorrow morning.” Her voice held a taunting tone to it.

Papillon’s grin couldn’t be held back any longer. “I’ll be here at 8:30 then.”

And he was. Papillon sauntered in front of the shop that evening. The lights were all turned off inside and the door was locked. The building effortlessly blended into the background, not to be seen by the crowd that was bustling before him.

Papillon found himself leaning against the door as he fidgeted with a cigarette he’d pulled from the case in his pocket, trying to flip it up and catch it with his mouth. He was unsuccessful, but caught it with his hand instead before it fell on the ground.

His eyes would graze over the busy street, filing through each face as he looked for her. Couples were linked together arm-in-arm and friends paraded around the town living larger than life, but none of them were her.

A few more minutes had gone by before he heard her voice from beside him.

“I’m impressed, Papillon,” she said.

He turned to look at her. She stood taller now in her heels and she wore a dress that hugged her figure beautifully and an A-line coat to top it all off. Her hair was out of its ponytail and swayed in various directions, and curly bangs rested on her forehead now and framed her face. She must have kept them pulled back as she worked with a meticulously placed bobby pin holding them back. Her jewelry sparkled under the red light that drenched the street from the sign of the movie theatre nearby. There were small little studs in her ears and a dainty necklace resting against her collarbones.

Papillon wanted to spoil her rotten.

He looked to his watch. 9:01.

“So what happens if you’re late?” he looked up at her.

“It’s up to you,” she shrugged nonchalantly and put her hands in the pockets of her coat. Papillon noticed the beginnings of a challenge glimmering in her eyes. “You can take me with you or leave me here.”

The two stared at each other as her body swayed subtly but playfully. It did nothing to curb the temptation spreading through Papillon’s chest.

She knew. She knew he wouldn’t leave her here. Although neither of them would say it out loud.

There was a growing smirk on both of their faces that broke as Papillon stepped closer, deciding to overlook her tardiness.

“Does this mean I get to know your name now?” He played it cool even though he was enraptured by her.

She smiled before she placed a hand onto his forearm and leaned up to his ear. He met her halfway, leaned down and stayed still so he didn’t miss it.

She said it, faintly of course because that was all part of the game, and it was almost as sweet as the desserts she made.

Josephine.

He pulled back, their smiles mirroring one another.

Papillon took Josephine’s hand in his to pull her close, then under his arm. They joined the crowd of people and Papillon held her tight to make sure she didn’t get lost in the ebb and flow of bodies. She held onto him tightly, a firm arm wrapped around his torso as she let him lead the way, the both of them laughing whenever either of them stumbled into one another or received some unkind words from people they bumped into.

Soon enough, they were in the clear. However, they only had a minute of calm as they stood in an alleyway and Papillon knocked on the backdoor to this business party. Chaos resumed as the door opened and Papillon pulled her in.

Josephine didn’t miss the way Papillon greeted almost everybody at the party with stunning confidence that had the other ladies in the party eyeing him with lust evident in their gazes. It was the same confidence that piqued her interest. He looked so sure of himself.

She was surprised to find him outside the bakery on time tonight. She purposely showed up a little late because she was skeptical that he was completely serious about taking her out.

Still, she showed up, constantly questioning whether she should turn back and go home the entire way over. Josephine had gotten her hopes up for the first time in a long time and Papillon had yet to disappoint.

The music from the live band a few feet away from the entrance was booming and filled the room with pulsating energy.

Papillon noticed the surprise on Josephine’s face when she saw the bare-breasted women serving champagne on silver platters and the dancers on stage next to the band.

He helped her take her coat off, hanging it with the others in a nearby closet before leading her further into the party.

Papillon soon released her hand to grab two flutes of champagne a waitress was carrying by. He handed one to Josephine and the two of them tipped their glasses to one another before taking a sip.

He threw an arm over her shoulders, holding her close as they walked around the party. Papillon had to make his rounds and say hello to a few people. He even introduced her to some. Josephine was really good at talking to people; it was one of the first things Papillon noticed about her.

However, when she began to refuse anymore alcohol and was less enthusiastic in conversation, he asked her, “Should we go?”

Papillon just had to check in with Castili, drop off the stuff, get paid and they could be on their way.

Josephine nodded up at him and smiled gratefully. Papillon grabbed onto her hand and led her through to the back past the band and the dancers. The door shut behind them and muffled the music, giving them some relief from the conglomeration of noise.

They passed through the dressing room of the women that perused the party and they all greeted Papillon kindly. They were dressed in glamorous costumes with fluffy boas and shiny embroidery along the material on their bodies.

Papillon was just as kind in his response as he led Josephine all the way down the end of the hall and stopped at a door.

“Just give me a second in here and I’ll be out in a few minutes, okay?” he told her.

“Sure, okay,” she nodded, glancing at the women around her.

He noticed her timidness coming back and he felt bad to leave her behind out here but he’d prefer that she stayed out her rather than get acquainted with anyone behind that door.

“Nenette,” Papillon called over to the raven-haired woman.

She came through the crowd and appeared right in front of him.

“You mind looking after my friend while I talk to Castili?” he asked her.

“Sure, no problem,” she smiled up at him.

“Thanks,” Papillon smiled gratefully at her.

He then turned to Josephine, “It’ll just be a minute.”

She nodded in return, putting on her best smile to assure him that she was okay.

When Papillon disappeared in the room, the two women introduced themselves to one another.

“Is this your first time here?” Nenette asked her.

“Yeah. I didn’t even know parties this fancy existed,” she chuckled.

“Oh they’re a lot of fun,” Nenette assured her, “It’s good that you have Papi here with you. He’s a really good guy.”

“Yeah, he is,” she replied with a smile of her own.

“How did you two meet?”

“He’s a customer down at my bakery.”

“You have a bakery?” Nenette perked up.

“Yeah, you should come!” Josephine offered, “I’ve sort of started an early bird special since Papillon started coming around so early. I’d love to do the same for everyone else around here.”

Nenette’s smile faltered slightly but she nodded nevertheless. “I’ll tell some of the other girls about it,” she assured her just as the door to the room opened again.

Papillon was smiling at Josephine before his eyes shifted over to Nenette. He thanked her and Josephine said a goodbye to her before Papillon grabbed onto her hand and led them back the way they came.

They stopped at the door momentarily while Papillon wrapped her up in her coat again before they were back out in the alleyway.

Josephine let out a sigh of relief now that she could hear herself think again. “You do that every night?”

“I have to,” he shrugged, offering his arm to her. “It’s still business even though it’s a party.”

She wrapped her hand around his bicep and the two of them sauntered down the alleyway together. “What exactly is it that you do?”

“I’m in banking and investments,” he replied without hesitation. “I find profitable items that other people store away and bring it to my company’s knowledge.” It was a lie he had crafted and told hundreds of times but this time, it didn’t feel right.

“Oh wow,” she mused, “Sounds important.”

“It is,” he nodded, now throwing an arm around her.

“So you’re some sort of detective,” she smirked up at him.

Papillon’s chest rumbled with a laugh that Josephine joined in on and that made the bad taste in his mouth more potent.

[transparentgentlemenmarker]

Ce matin, petit détour par la place centrale de Loèche Haut-Valais Suisse , l’antique Leuca celtique, dont le nom a été tardivement germanisé en Leuk au 15e siècle, lorsque l’ancien francoprovencal a été remplacé par le Oberwallisertytsch. Il y a là l’une des plus belles et des plus anciennes maisons patriciennes de la petite cité médiévale, jadis riche et opulente en raison du traffic franchissant le Col de la Gemmi. Il s’agit de la maison Albarini, du nom de l’ancienne famille patricienne dont elle était la propriété et qui date de 1540.

Il s’agit d’une grande bâtisse dont la façade fait un léger angle; elle comporte trois étages sur rez.

Comme la majorité des anciennes bâtisses du Valais remontant au 16e siècle, elle comporte des encadrements de fenêtres et de portes en tuf, rehaussés de peinture jaune pour contraster avec le crépi clair.

Le rez-de-chaussée de la maison abritait au 20e siècle une petite épicerie et une boulangerie, comme l’indique encore l’inscription en lettres gothiques sur la façade.

Quant au nom de Loèche, LEUCA en celtique, il désigne tout simplement un lieu particulièrement lumineux, baigné de lumière radieuse, celle du beau soleil du Valais central. Le celtique LEUCA est en effet une racine indo-européenne liée à la lumière, que l’on retrouve dans l’anglais LIGHT, dans l’allemand LICHT, dans l’ancien grec LOGOS et dans le latin LUX, dont on a tiré lumen, lumière et luminaire. Le plus grand dieu des Celtes était d’ailleurs LUG, le dieu de la lumière, dont les chrétiens ont fait Lucifer, littéralement « le porteur de lumière », celui qui apporte aux hommes la lumière et la connaissance (grec logos). l’Eglise chrétienne, faite de pouvoir éliminer ce vieux dieu païen et de pouvoir éradiquer son culte dans les forêts et les campagnes de la Gaule, a fini par le diaboliser en l’assimilant au Diable et à Satan, dieu des ténèbres obscures.

Ce qui est un comble pour le dieu de la lumière par excellence !

[imminervaa]

BOULANGERIE & SALON DE THE ARCHIBALD 🥐

A bakery and tea room with organic breads and pastries.

I have recolored 22 meshes - YOU MUST DOWNLOAD ORIGINAL MESHES

Store front by Simmerberlin 

Bread display 1 & 2 + baguette in bag + paper bags + frame with prices + chocolate lollipops holder by Mamangateau 

Counter by Ung999 

Coungter display by SYB 

Console by Severinka 

Sign by Wondymoon 

Sign 2 by Cyclonesue 

Wall deco by Anye 

Barstool by Wondymoon 

Armchair by Leosims 

Coffee table by KHD 

Plate by Ung999 

Napkin holder by RH 

Painting by MXIMS

Plate and bowls by Chicklet 

Shelf by Nynaevedesign 

+ Banner street and Archibald logo made by me

A big thank you to all great creators! ✨✨✨

DOWNLOAD RECOLORED SET HERE (MEDIAFIRE)

Happy simming and stay safe! ❤❤❤

[joeyhdesign]

Logo for “La Boulangerie Provencal”, a French bakery, made in Adobe Illustrator

[packagingbyfrescoes]

FRESCOES

If you are in the business of sweets, cakes, chocolates, brownies or dryfruits and looking for an affordable yet attractive box packaging solution for your Food items or gifts, FRESCOES, Kolkata (Designer/ Manufacturer) is THE SOURCE FOR Ready-to-deliver CREATIVE PACKAGING.

Navayug Creations specialises in designing and production of gourmet gift boxes to suit any corporate or personal gift giving occasion. Choose from chocolate only boxes, decorative dry-fruit/ sweets trays, or try our hamper style options which will delight even the most discerning of connoisseurs. Beautifully styled with embossing and printing on paper, cardboard or wood, these gift boxes are a pleasure to give or receive.

PRODUCTS

Gift Boxes, cases, trays and platters, folding and rigid bakery confectionery packaging, cake cakesicles brownie macaron boxes, cupcake boxes, chocolate boxes, candy & sweets boxes, punch boxes, rigid boxes, paperboard boxes, plastic clear boxes, Dry Fruit Boxes, Dates Boxes, Festive Boxes, Food trays, Hamper Boxes, trays baskets Jewellery Boxes, Wedding boxes, Invitation Boxes, Gift Bags, Chocolates, wedding INVITATION cards, gift packaging, dryfruits, gift boxes, wine boxes, transparent window boxes, paper bags

DESIGN

Traditional, Modern, Classic, Trendy, Elegant, Vintage, Unique

MATERIALS

Imported high-gsm papers, fancy boards, handmade papers, cardboard, wood, acrylic, leather, fancy leather, silk, velvet fabrics, brocade, embellishments and laser-cut motifs.

APPLICATIONS

The Gift boxes are suitable for day-to-day sales, take-away, take-out, WEDDINGS, Engagement, Baby Announcement, Baby shower, Birth Ceremonies, Rakshabandhan, Eid, Diwali, Christmas, New Year, Valentine's, Birthdays, Corporate Gifting, Festivals and other functions.

PERSONALIZATION

We work with you to customise our beautiful boxes with your branding, logo and messages.

INDIA_WIDE SHIPPING

Manufactured in Kolkata, India, the boxes are high quality and durable to be shipped all over India.

TOP QUALITY

Best food grade biodegradable eco-friendly PAPERS and Cardboard is used with latest printing technology and skilled labour of West Bengal.

CLIENTS

Resellers, Sweet shops, Dry-Fruits Vendors, bakery, Caterers, Home bakers, Home-made Chocolate stores, Corporate Houses, Wedding Planners, Cakery, Patisserie, Boulangerie, Cafe, Trousseau Packers, Restaurant, premium Hotels, Retailers, Export Houses, Food consultants, Tea houses

PRICES

Affordable and Wholesale Factory Rates.

CUSTOM-MADE

For large quantity orders, design, colors and papers can be customized to suit your requirement.

STOCKS

Huge stocks of attractive bakery and gift packaging are maintained for instant delivery at your doorstep so that you can deliver your gourmet goodies safely to your customers.

DEALERS

All over india. Whatsapp for details.

CONTACT

Get in touch with us for a review of your packaging and assistance in finding the best packaging solution for your business.

To contact us call 09230088873 or email frescoes.boxes@gmail.com

[crazyrandomfucker]

Fated twins

Chapter 6: Bubbler and Bubblerette

Summary: It's Adrienne and Adrien's birthday and their best friends want to make them the best party ever. But monsieur Agreste intercedes and boom! Hawky gains two siblings to akumatize.

______________________________

-At Marinette's room-

A phone rings and Marinette lazily wakes up, shutting her phone's alarm off and watching her brother giving the final details to the Agrestes' gifts. He had knit Adrienne's a scarlet wool scarf and crafted a black leather bracelet with yellow, green and purple iron strings. He had to went earlier to bed and woke before the sunrise to get them done, contrary to his sister, who simply stayed awake until 3 am finishing the gifts. She had knit purple dahlias and attached them to an ordinary black iron hairpin to make a flowery hairpin for Adrienne, and for Adrien, she knit a light sky-blue scarf. Marin put his gifts next to Marinette's once he finished. Both pair of gifts are incredible and really impressive, but Mari prides herself for being the best of them when it comes to knitting, while Marin pride himself to be the best jewellery and ornaments crafter of the twins. They wrap the presents with different coloured paper and boxes and then they head downstairs for food. Marinette daydreamt a bit through the breakfast, but Marin remembered her to get ready quickly if she wanted her plan to work.

-At Adrien's room-

Adrien wakes up shutting his alarm off as always, but today is special for the models. It's their birthday and both of them wake smiling knowingly. Adrien sees how his ceiling opens and an extendable pole comes down with his sister firmly grabbed to it. The extendable pole was one of the hidden mechanisms in their rooms, such as the piano hidden under Adrien's floor or the makeup closet hidden in one of Adrienne's walls, and she used the pole to amuse herself mainly.

"Happy birthday brother!!" says Adrienne excited as she pulls a small package from thin air and hands it to her brother. "Happy birthday Adrienne!!" says Adrien equally excited, accepting the gift and handing his sister a different package.

They open their gifts at the same time, revealing Ray-Ban sunglasses. The twins suddenly burst into laugh realizing that, another time, the both of them had thought of giving the other the same present. Adrien's sunglasses were Wayfarers Ray-Ban sunglasses with a black frame and green and blue glasses, while Adrienne's were the classical aviator Ray-Ban sunglasses with a silver frame and the glass had a metallic green colour that faded to metallic turquoise.

"Wow, we surely overdid it this time, we almost got the same colours this time" says Adrienne laughing. "Yeah, if it wasn't for the frame it would almost be pretty similar, though mine really look like something Chat would wear" says Adrien. "Excuse me? Mine totally look like something Kitty would wear. But I did pick yours thinking of Chat, too bad he can't wear them~" replies the girl. "Oh you sly cat" says Adrien, then he tackles Adrienne and tickles her.

After a bit of sibling tickle battling, the models finally begin to get dressed and ready for their day. Once they're fully dressed, they head to the bathroom and brush their teeth. Plagg and Plague float in holding a piece of camembert and brie respectively with a red lace on each of them. they offer their presents to their holders, fully knowing that they would refuse it and they'd win a free morning snack. And so they did.

Once they are finally ready for school, they go downstairs to have breakfast. Their father apparently had acknowledged their birthday and Nathalie had two pastel blue boxes with a yellow lace. She gives the gifts to the teenagers along with Gabriel's denial of permission to hold a party for their thirteenth birthday, which saddened the models as much as the plain fountain pens they got from their father.

-In front of the school-

Adrien gets out of the limo and hurries inside the building quite frustrated towards his father attitude. Adrienne instead, walks slowly towards the school, but notices how everybody is really well-dressed. And then she is greeted by the designers twins, who run to hug her as soon as they see her.

"Happy birthday Adrienne!" say at unison the twins, almost crushing Adrienne with their hug, which ends before she runs out of air (because her crush was hugging her). "Oh, th-thank you so much!" says the model, then she notice the change in the designers outfits. "Why is everybody dressed so nice today?" "You're new here, so you don't know it yet, but the Lahiffe siblings are known to hold the best parties for their closer friends" says Marin. "There's no way they wouldn't throw a super awesome party for you and Adrien" says Marinette. "But our father has forbidden us from throwing a party or attending one" says Adrienne happy and sad at the same time. "Oh no" says Mari, covering her mouth surprised. "How can he?" "Don't worry Mari, we're already kind of used to it" says Adrienne. Marin covers Marinette's mouth before she begins shouting unnecessary comments. "That shouldn't be something you get used to. So have this to cheer you up" says Marin, offering the gift he made for her. Adrienne almost melts at the gesture, but manages to open really excited her gift. Then she falls in love again when sees the scarlet hand-knit wool scarf. "This... This is simply magnificent..." says the model while a small tear falls from her right eye. "I love it so much! Thank you Marin!" says Adrienne, giving him a sudden hug with an intense red blush on her face. "And I made this for you, though you may want to wear it on spring rather than autumn" says Mari, giving her another package. Adrienne opens it really excited and lets a small yelp out of her mouth. "Wow Mari! This is so cute! Aren't these purple dahlias? They're so pretty! I love it so much!" says the girl, hugging Mari excited. "I don't care which season we are on. I'm so going to wear this as soon as I get a mirror". "I'm glad you like it! I wasn't sure what to give you as a present, until Marin and I had a little stupid designing competition and came up with these" says Mari. "No way, you did this? Marin, don't tell me you also knit the scarf" says Adrienne, getting a nod from the Dupain-Cheng twins. " I knew Mari told me you both wanted to be designers, but these are wonderful! I might try to steal you two away to design just for me" says Adrienne. "Girl, you'd end up fed up with our widely known combination of clumsiness and bad luck" says Marin jokingly, who doesn't notice how Adrienne blushes at the thought. "Hey dude! Hey girls!" says Alen as he and Alya come closer, with a change in their outfit as well. "Hi Marin" says quickly Alya. " Hi girls! And happy birthday Adrienne!" says the reporter girl, pulling Adrienne to yet another bone-crushing hug from the reporter twins. "Oxygen, please..." says Adrienne, they release her laughing. "We've got you a little gift. It's not something really special, but we thought it was cute" says Alya, handing her a small box. Adrienne opens the box and sees a fluffy black teddy bear doll for her mobile phone. "It's so cute!!!!!!" "We hope Adrien likes his Ladybug's one. We know he's a real fan of her, but we weren't one hundred per cent sure" explains Alen. "Oh I'm sure he will" says the model. The bell rings. "Well, I guess that's our call. See you later girls"

Alya and Marinette head to their class and the others go to their class as well.

-Adrienne side-

After their morning classes, Marin leaves to finish some designs requests he has and Alen helps Mme. Mendeleiev to carry some documents, leaving Nina and Adrienne alone. Nina gives Adrienne a small package that has chocolates inside, knowing how desperate her friend was to eat something sweet because of the strict Agretste's diet. Adrienne almost leaves her breathless with a bear hug and the girls go outside. Nina points to Marinette and Alya, who were hiding next to the entrance stairs, and they decide to go investigate. It turns out that lovestruck Mari hasn't had the opportunity to give Adrien her gift and she's half panicking because she doesn't know what to do. Alya gives Nina and Adrienne the look™ and they help her encourage Mari.

-Adrien side-

Adrien is a bit worried thinking how his friend Marinette looked more nervous than usual today, but Nino puts a paper bag, as his present, in front of him and all his thoughts disappear. He knows exactly where is that paper bag from and what it may be on the inside. He carefully opens the Dupain-Cheng patisserie-boulangerie bag and gawks at all the delicious croissants there're in front of him. He takes a bite and melts right away in pleasure. Tasting something so good after years of not eating a single sweet or pastry was like had come to his mouth.

"Man, you do know what to gift. This are wonderful" says Adrien, having another bite. "Dude, I knew you hadn't had the pleasure of tasting the best croissants in Paris. You know it's from Mari's place? Her parents are definitely the best bakers in Paris" says Nino. "No way, Mari's the daughter of the Dupain-Cheng... wait, I should have realised that earlier, didn't I?" says awkwardly Adrien. "Probably. Did you know she and Marin designed their now widely known logo? And they also know how to bake like total pros" says Nino. "Wow, I had no idea" says Adrien, hiding his croissants inside his bag.

The boys leave the school and they stop at the front gate. Adrien receives a message with his schedule, reminding him of the photoshoot he has and the depressing morning he had experienced.

"So, about the party, what did your father say?" asks Nino, making a few bubbles with his bubble wand. "He told us we weren't allowed to hold, throw or attend to any party" says Adrien looking down. "Seriously? Has your dad always been such a downer? Or do you think that at least he remembers what it is to be young and want to party?" says Nino. "No, I'm pretty sure he was a downer then too" says Adrien. "Well, at least I tried". "It's your b-day dude" says Nino doing overexaggerated gestures with his head. "Insist"

-At the girls side-

"You can do it! You can do it!" whisper the girls to Mari. "I can do it! I can do it!" whispers Mari, feeling a bit more confident.

-Adrien side-

"You know, I'm going to have a little convo with your pops" says Nino, holding Adrien's shoulder. "Don't waste your time. He's not going to change his mind" says Adrien.

-Girls side-

Mari stands up, but her legs start to shake and she sits again. "I can't do it..." repents the designer. "No you don't girl! You've been stalling all morning. Now is the time!" says Alya and tries to push Mari, but she's holding firmly to anything within reach. "Wait, your father won't let you have a b-day party?" asks Nina. "Yeah, not even a formal one" answers Adrienne. "What a jerk!" says Alya as she manages to finally push the scaredy cat known as Marinette. Mari tries not to fall and ends up kind of running to where Adrien are Nino are, just to fall in front of them. "Uhm... Hi boys" says awkwardly as she stands up. The boys look to each other confused. "Hi" says Adrien awkwardly half confused. "I- Umm..." tries to speak Mari, letting slip a small giggle. " I wanted to ummm... give you a make- I mean I wanted to give you a gift I made- I mean-". "Out of the way" says Chloe pushing Mari. "Happy birthday Adrikins" says before she jumps to hug Adrien and give him a kiss on the cheek. "Yes, umm... Thanks Chlo" says Adrien awkwardly as he pushes Chloe away. "Tell me, did you get the gift I send you?" says innocently Chloé. "Uh... No?" "What?! Oh, those delivery guys. I bet it was too heavy for them and they had to go back and get another guy to help! Oh, those slackers. I'll make sure they'll get it to you by tonight" says Chloe before she leaves. "Come on girl, you can do it, don't be a pushover, literally" says Alya. "Yeah girl, you can do it. You're one of the most amazing people I know" cheers Nina. "Mari, get up, give my brother his gift and maybe even kiss him on the cheek" cheers Adrienne. "Though maybe not on the one Chloe kissed him". After laughing a bit on the last comment, Mari gets up. "I can do it!" A limo arrive and Adrien fist bumps Nino. "Sorry man, I have to go, photoshoot" says the model boy and gets into the car. "Shoot, I forgot that. Sorry girls I've also have to go" says Adrienne leaving. Then she turns to Mari "Mari! You can come by later to give him the gifts or leave them on the mailbox!".

When the limo is gone, Nina goes to meet up with her brother to plan how can they convince Gabriel Agreste to let their friends have a party. Meanwhile, Mari begin to feel down a bit, thinking of when could she possibly go to give her gift to Adrien, not to mention, what would she do, what would she say? And if that wasn't enough pressure, she also had to give Adrien the gift Marin had made, fully knowing what sort of competitive relationship had the boys.

"Why can't I just mean what I say?" says Mari. "You mean why can't you say what you mean?" asks Alya. "Exactly" says Mari. "Well, it looks like we've got some business to care with Adrien and Adrienne's father" says Nina to his brother. "Yeah, we've got to convince that old man to be reasonable" says Nino.

-At the gates of the Agreste's manor-

Marinette is scrapping what she supposes the mailbox is, without being able to open it even a millimetre.

"This mailbox won't budge Alya" says Mari. "Ring the doorbell girl" says Alya. "Are you kidding me? What if Adrien answers?" says Mari, as she panics because Alya has just rang the doorbell. A camera comes out of the wall and looks to Mari. "State your business" says a feminine voice. "Um... I'm one of A-Adrien's classmates and I" says Mari, then she shows the present to the camera. "I have this gifts for him I couldn't gave him at school" says ad gives a big awkward smile. "Put it in the mailbox" says the voice, as the mailbox opens. "Thank you" says Mari and places the gifts in the box, which then closes itself. "I hope he likes it!" "Did you signed the note right?" asks Alya, receiving an astonished look. "Giiiiirl" she facepalms. "Okay, you'll just have to tell him tomorrow".

The girls leave and Nathalie carefully places the packages next to her, making a note to herself that she needed to give the gifts to Adrien. She pulled out of her bag a couple of wrapped boxes that she was going to gift Adrienne for her fourteenth birthday, but suddenly, she was phone-called by Gabriel.

"Who was that Nathalie?" asks the man demanding. "A friend of Adrien's, she was delivering the gifts for his birthday" says politely Nathalie. "Did you remembered to buy him and Adrienne a present for me?" says the man. "Oh- uh... But you didn't ask me to" says Nathalie. "Of course I did!" "Yes! Of course sir. I- I'll take care of it" declares Nathalie. "Good" says Gabriel and hangs the phone. "What am I going to do?" asks desperately Nathalie to herself.

But she lies her gaze to the set of presents left by the girl and the she turns her gazes to her set of presents. Nathalie lets out a resigning sigh and silently apologizes to Marinette, because Adrien was never going to know about her gifts, but he would know of his father's ones. As for Adrienne... The special spa kit and the set of business she had bought for Adrienne would be the ones to pass as Gabriel's presents for the poor girl. The bell rings again and she answers to it immediately. She sees through the camera a boy with a red cap and a blue shirt with a girl next to him.

"Uh... Hi" says Nino.

-Inside the manor-

The Lahiffe siblings stand in the main hall next to Nathalie, Nina playing nervously with her wand-like pencil and Nino awkwardly opening and closing his bubble's soap container. Nathalie gets a message and turns to the siblings.

"M. Agreste will be here in a minute" says Nathalie.

The siblings can't help but to quietly look to what surrounds them, thinking about how cold everything seems.

"Adrien and Adrienne are not home yet" interrupt their thoughts Gabriel, calmly going down the stairs. "Uh. We were coming to see you du- Ah, sir" says Nino nervously. "Me?" asks Gabriel raising an eyebrow. "Yeah that's right sir" says Nina. "Look, we know you don't want Adrienne and Adrien to have a Party, but it's their birthday". "Couldn't you make an exception dud- I mean, sir" says Nino. "It's only once" pleads Nina. "No, that's final" says Gabriel. "But that's messed up! They never screw up in class" says Nino. "They always do whatever you tell them" says Nina. "Yeah. They do photoshoots, fencing, dancing, piano, Chinese-"

The Agreste twins enter the building and see their best friends trying to convince their father. Adrien and Adrienne put a hand on their shoulders, making the siblings notice their arrival.

"Nino, you're here" says Adrien. "Nina, what are you doing here?" says Adrienne. "Anything for our best buds" say the siblings. "Show some awesomeness sir, please" says Nina. The models look at each other and Adrienne put a hand on the siblings shoulders. "Forget it Nino and you too Nina. Everything's fine" says the model girl. "Listen her young man and young lady" says Gabriel with a subtle anger in his tone. "I decide what's best for my children. In fact, I've just decided you are a bad influence for them and you won't be welcomed in my house ever again. Leave now!" "But father! They were just trying to do something cool for us!" say the model twins at unison. "I'm sorry, but they have to leave. Goodbye" says Nathalie, placing herself in front of the teens.

The Lahiffe siblings bite their tongue and turn to leave, but the models twins stop them before they exit the manor.

"Nino wait" says Adrien and stops him by holding his shoulder. "I' sorry man, it's just that our father... He's pretty stubborn" "Nina. I'm sorry that my father has behaved like that. Don't trouble yourselves, it's just best to stay out of his ways" says Adrienne. "Dude! It's not fair Adrien!” says Nino. "Harsh girl. We're cool, unlike that father of yours" says Nina as she and her brother start to leave. "Thanks anyway guys" says Adrienne.

-At the park-

Nino sits down on a bench, looking down and his sister sits next to him, playing with her wand-like pencil while looking annoyed. As they think about how unfair the whole situation for their friends is, the siblings observe how a man refuses to let a young boy play and he pulls the boy out of the park while saying that there's no playing when there are chores to do. At the sight, the siblings grunt and at a mysterious villain lair, a certain butterfly traces a plan.

"Desperate to help their friends but feeling powerless" says Hawk Moth as the window of his lair opens and butterflies awake. "How frustrating, but it won't be long before frustration turns to anger! Fly away and evilize them my little akuma" He takes two butterflies and corrupt them, sending them to cause havoc.

The horrific akumas fly to the park and they slip into Nino's bubble wand and Nina's wand-like pencil. As soon as the butterflies enter the objects, butterfly masks appear in the Lahiffe siblings.

"Hawk Moth is my name and Bubbler and Bubblerette are now yours. I will help you with these horrid adults and all you need to do in return is help me get a pair of magical earrings and a destructive ring" "Yes Hawk Moth" say at unison the siblings.

A dark and slimy aura covers the siblings and they turn into akumas. Bubbler now had blue skin with black circles on his eyes and two black dots on his face. His outfit was mainly a black skinsuit with something like a big red bubble as an armour for his chest, with his signature eye thingy on the middle of it, and back and with also little bubble for his arms and legs in the primal colours. He had on his back his bubble wand and the bubble soap container, but now they are a lot bigger and the bubble wand is a bubble sword more than anything. Thought, the funniest feature on the akuma probably was the red bubble helmet with an antenna on the top. Even thought, Bubblerette was even weirder. She had red skin and a yellow skinsuit, but on top of that she was wearing a dress made of black and blue bubbles, with her signature mouth-like thingy on the centre of her chest. Her weapon was a wand with the side of a baseball bat, with a pencil end on the top hidden by a big golden star.

The now akumatized siblings look one to another and nod after settling some sort of visual communication. Bubblerette begins to draw circles in the air with her wand and purple bubbles begin to appear in the air. At the same time, the Bubbler jumps and flies through Paris, leaving a trail of purple bubbles behind him. As soon as the purple bubbles touched an adult, the adult was captured inside the bubble and the bubble turned green, floating to the atmosphere.

-At the Dupain-Cheng 's living room-

Marin is sitting on the couch while he wraps his latest request on a red gift paper, casually sipping a bit of the green tea his mother gave him before. He finally wraps the last one and adds a little sticker on each request with his sister and him's logo. Then he stretches a bit and opens the main window to have a bit of fresh air. His mother pats him on the back and gives him a proud look. Marin smiles and turns to go deliver the request, but he hears his mother shout and turns to see how a bubble takes her outside the building and begins to ascend, only to see his father ascending as well. He opens his eyes wide open and moves towards the window, but a purple bubble from above dives and enters on the living room. Suddenly, Bubblerette's face appears on the bubble.

"-adults are away now. You may take this as a gift from the Bubbler and the Bubblerette!" says the bubble. "Well, I want a refund!" says Marin and pops the bubble, revealing Bubblerette in front of him. "What!" says as he jumps. "Hey Marin!" says Bubblerette. Marin looks at the mouth-like thingy on the dress. "Nina? Is that you?" "Now's the Bubblerette my fellow Angel". "Nina what the hell?" "It's Bubblerette" "Why are you an akuma and what do you have against my parents?" "Boy, parents are the worst. You know, Agreste father won't let his children have a party? Even after my brother and I asked him in person!" "No way. But they do every stupid thing he says and they're top of each classes!" says the designer showing a clear disapproval. "And don't get me started with their extracurricular activities like dancing, fencing, Chinese, piano... Why are you looking at me like that?" "... I just remembered how awesome you are dude" says Bubblerette with her jaw half dropped. "This doesn't mean that I support either you or your behaviour! You sentinent marble sculpture!" says Marin lightly pissed. "Well, I don't care about that." says Bubblerette. "Now go and put on your best outfit, you're going to a party whether you like it or not". "I have to deliver this requests, so I can't party now" "Did I forgot to mention that you don't because I sent your customers to the ionosphere and you'll be next if you don't go and change right now" threats him the akuma. "After all this years putting off with Cleón I'm pretty much immune to threats so you'll need more than that to convince me" replies Marin deadpanning. "Ugh. You're lucky that I need you and that I have you in high regards" says Bubblerette glaring at him. "Okay, if you come to the party I'll allow you to deliver your requests after the party". "Hmmmm... Fine, but you're going to bring down also my parents or there's no deal" says Marin. "Fine, they are pretty legal, but go change now or I lose it!"

Marin goes to his bedroom, picks his best clothes and changes his outfit (Bubblerette obviously follows him and he has to get changed on the bathroom). Once he has finished, Bubblerette whistles in approval and picks him up in bridal style. Then the akuma carries Marin to the Agreste's manor, landing on the middle of the entrance, where there are a lot of his classmates and some of Marinette's.

-Near the bakery-

Marinette is almost at the bakery when she sees the purple bubbles floating everywhere, capturing all the adults and leaving the children behind. Then she watches utterly horrified how her parents fly out in those bubbles and quickly hides on an alley to transform into her superheroine self. Once she has on her Ladybug suit, she rushes to the bakery but stops to calm the crying younger children and assign some teenagers to take care of them. When she finally arrives at the bakery, Bubblerette jumps out of the window carrying Marin bridal style and Marinette just loses it. She leaps and begins to chase Bubblerette but covers quickly when she sees the akuma entering to the Agreste's mansion and notices another akuma. She tries to figure out who they are and where is their akumas hidden. Suddenly, she realizes that the akumas wear the logos she has seen so many times on Nina and Nino and the answer comes easily after that. The akumas must be in the bubble wand and in the pencil wand, she's certain of that.

First - Previous - Next

[gwennhadu-bug]

Bon Route (part...3ish?)

@alyanette-april 4: Travel

Remember that Alyanette college road trip AU I have in the freezer? I pulled out a chunk of it again! This doesn’t directly follow the first posted installment, but it makes for good, long, dialogue and plotless reading on its own. And honestly, you can start to see why I keep this in the freezer, but how could I not post it for the theme of “travel”...??

“Road trip!” Marinette chirped , following Alya’s rough tug out to their waiting van.

The T&S Boulangerie van was an old white Renault van with their logo emblazoned on the side. Tom had splurged for an automatic van, deciding that it would be less likely to jostle any catered goods on the inside. Alya and Marinette had filled the back with the materials for Rome, of course, as well as their own suitcases. The front seats were ready for a long trip with a blanket and pillow for the passenger, bin of snacks, and plenty of music. Alya had done her research and was as ready for this as she figured she could be.

Marinette’s parents had flown out the night before and it wasn’t hard for their daughter to sneak home, explain the secret plan to their cover shift manager, get the van, and drive it to Alya and Marinette’s apartment early that morning. They still had a few fresh croissants aromatizing the van when the two girls left Adrien and Nino’s place. Marinette jumped into the driver’s seat and Alya buckled in next to her. “Alright, Mari. Recapping our plan… Day one, we’re driving to Chloe’s in Geneva. It’s about a 6 hour drive, but since we need to stop every 2 hours for safety, we’re stopping in...Auxerre, and Saint-Albain. So accounting for the time it takes to stop, we’ll probably be there around...15 or 16 o’clock. An entire evening with Chloé, like you wanted.” She rolled her eyes and added, “For some reason.”

Marinette started the van and didn’t immediately reply. She drove down the street, rolling over the old stone roads and into the busy traffic. With expert confidence, Marinette weaved in and out of the slow or stopped cars, through the old, small side streets. “We owe it to her. She moved away two years ago, Geneva’s only 3 hours by train, and no one but Adrien has visited her once!”

“Because we’re broke university students and she’s a salope,” Alya responded. “This is your right turn.” Marinette turned on to Boulevard Saint-Germain with a pleased sigh. This was a main road, not a side-street, and the van wasn’t as terrifyingly large here. “Take Pont de Sully, then we’re taking a sharp right to Quai Henri IV.”

“She’s not a salope. She’s gotten so much better. She got so much better through all of lycée, you know that!”

“She just learned how to use underhanded compliments instead of outright insults. And don’t you remember all that shit she pulled in lycée? Especially when you first got together with Adrien? No, she was still a salope then.” The car loudly rolled over Pont de Sully and Alya took the opportunity to look out at the Seine. Early morning light reflected over the river, lighting up their city that she wouldn’t see for almost two weeks. Marinette took her sharp right onto the next street. “Okay, we just follow this road until the A4 ramp towards Orly Airport and merge onto Périphérique.”

“Got it,” Marinette answered. Their road took them parallel along the Seine and with early morning Paris traffic, they had plenty of time to admire the city and chew on breakfast. Cars impatiently honked, like they always did on this road, so Marinette dutifully ignored her fellow Parisians’ complaints. “She wasn’t ever nice, I’ll agree. But Alya, you saw her at her worst; before you moved in, she was a pretty sweet girl in Primary school. She just got worse as we got older and closer to college. Maybe that’s why I actually believe she’s improved...I know what she used to be.”

“You sound like Adrien,” Alya complained.

“Is that a bad thing?”

Maybe not to Marinette it wasn’t. Maybe not to the girl who still loved him madly and deeply despite her claims otherwise. Alya sighed, not wanting to answer that. But their conversation didn’t feel finished. “When it comes to Chloé, I think it’s bad. He coddles her too much.”

“Adrien has never once coddled Chloé! He is always trying to make her a better person.”

“Marinette, Chloé has spent the majority of every year since I’ve met her trying to make my very best friend, which is YOU, by the way, miserable. I won’t apologize for not trusting her.” She turned away from Marinette, looking out her own window at the city instead. Eventually, she spoke up again. “Here’s your exit. Okay, follow this for 2 kilometers, then take the A6B exit.”

Marinette seemed a little visibly stressed at this point. She had told Alya many times as they prepared that she had never driven outside of Paris...beyond quick catering errands for her parents within tight, slow-speed city driving, Marinette didn’t drive much at all. But neither of them wanted Alya as the first driver at 7 am in an unfamiliar vehicle. Picking up on that, Alya kept quiet except for instructions. “Keep going here….yes, just keep on A6B. 8 kilometers here.”

“Eight kilometers?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a while…” Marinette agreed, her voice cautious. She seemed distracted by all the graffitti to the point that Marinette chirped in surprise when the van zoomed into a tunnel. But soon enough they were back in a small, one-lane road, speeding through the suburbs of Paris. Buildings were suddenly newer, smaller, and farther apart. Trees began to appear.  “Okay, I think I’ve got this,” she finally said, a little more confident.

“Good, because our next exit is coming up in about a kilometer. Just stay to the left- follow the signs towards Lyon.”

Marinette leaned forward to read their approaching exit sign more clearly. “A6?”

“That’s it!” Alya looked back at Marinette and smiled, seeing her friend with a proud smile on her face.

“This is officially the farthest I’ve ever driven,” Marinette announced.

“Then I need to document this,” Alya said. She opened up her camera and panned the outside ‘scenery’ of graffitied highway walls and scrubby brushes. “We have just left Paris and are about to get onto highway A6. Marinette just announced...mind saying it again, Mari?”

“This is officially the farthest from Paris that I’ve ever driven!” Marinette turned to Alya and grinned, then dramatically flipped her blinker to the left and veered towards their exit.

“That’s amazing! But it was only thirty minutes!”

Marinette laughed. “I didn’t say the longest. I said the farthest.”

Alya grinned at Marinette’s wide smile. “Well, buckle up sugar, because our next turn isn’t for another 158 kilometers. Road trip!”

“Road trip!” Marinette screamed out. She laughed in delight. Next to her, Alya closed the recorder app. She could get more footage later on. “What about you, Alya? What’s the farthest you’ve ever driven?”

“Rouen. Two hours away, just past Giverny, with Alix. But I’ve gone on a lot of road trips with my family before I was 18. My longest was...When I was Ella and Etta’s age, my family took us from Rennes to Provence. God, they were both babies at the time. Do not drive twelve hours with toddlers, Marinette.” Alya’s eyes were wide and she shook her head. “I don’t remember much about that trip, but I remember that. Nora and I were basically babysitting the whole drive. Well, she was. I probably just complained about it.”

“So the real lesson is don’t take toddlers and you on a twelve hour road trip,”

“Excuse me,” Alya laughed, “I was ten! Give me a break, young lady!”

“Are you sure you won’t be complaining the entire time on our road trip?” Marinette teased, raising an eyebrow.

Alya couldn’t hold back her smile. “I’m sure,” she answered. “You are much better company than twin toddlers, Mari,” Alya added, reaching out to rub Marinette’s forearm.

Marinette’s smile in reply was wide and comfortable. “That’s not a very high bar, but I’ll take the compliment anyway. We don’t go on vacation very often. Maman and Papa hate leaving the boulangerie...I can only imagine how much Mami had to fight them to leave for this week,” Marinette said with a heavy shake of her head. “When we would go places, it was by train or plane. To visit family, usually...Flew to China, took a train to Central-Pays...I’ve been to Italy once before; it’s a lot faster by train. But this way we have all our stuff.” She turned to look at Alya for a moment. “And I have you!” Marinette added in a squeaky voice of delight before looking back at the road.

“You could go on a train with me too, Marinette,” Alya laughed.

“Sure, but this is much more cinematic. We get to look at all the scenery!” The two of them were still on the edges of the Paris Metropolitan area, passing signs for communes like Evry. “Like Disneyland!” Marinette explained, waving her hand at the brightly colored exit signs that they promptly drove right past. “Have you been to Disneyland?!”

“Of course I have; I’m not an animal,” Alya scoffed. “It’s been a second, though.”

“We should go together some time!”

Alya smiled, looking out at the Disneyland signs. She could imagine Marinette skipping and singing along to the music in Disneyland, wearing mouse ears, holding her hand, watching fireworks with Alya…”We should,” Alya agreed, feeling like she was digging her own grave with every romantic fantasy.

“But that one we’ll take the train for. After all, we’re not animals,” Marinette laughed.

“This isn’t exactly scenery, by the way,” Alya told Marinette with a giggle. “It’s ugly stores and graffitti and crummy houses.”

“It’s different than Paris,” Marinette defended. “Look! There’s...nature and stuff out that window!”

“Nature and stuff?” Alya repeated with a laugh. “Oh, my god, Girl. You know we’re going to be driving to the literal Alps today, right?”

“Exactly!” Marinette replied, hopping up and down in her chair. “Nature and stuff!”

“We’re not at at the alps yet. We’re just getting into the rural part.” Alya looked over at Marinette with a gentle, loving smile. “This part is going to be boring.”

“Please, Alya. It won’t be boring. You’re in the car.”

Alya felt her throat tighten and Marinette looked straight ahead. “I should record more for montage-ing.” She pulled out her phone, recording the fields and farms that they now drove through in silence. “Let’s, uh...put on some music,” Alya decided. She had made a playlist for their road trip, but suddenly got a wicked idea. “I know exactly what to listen to until we get to Auxerre.” She opened up her music app, flipping past the dozens of playlists Nino had made for her or sent her, finally deciding to use the search function again. “Weeee are going to listen to Clara Nightingale’s Miraculous album.”

“Yes!” Marinette gasped in amazement. “Oh, god, I don’t think I’ve listened to that since college!”

“Marinette, I live with you. That is a bald-faced lie. You mean no one else has listened to that since college.”

“It’s not like I know the words anymore, though. It’s such a- YES!!!!”

Alya laughed in delight. The moment the first note of the first song trilled out in peppy, poppy major key, Marinette was singing along to the instrumentals and drumming on the steering wheel. And that adorable liar knew every word.

The two girls sang along to the pop anthems of their teenage years, crooning our to one another dramatically, drumming the dashboard and steering wheel, even rolling the windows down to sing at passing cars. At least until they passed pastures of cows: the windows rolled up real fast right then.

When the titular song, “Miraculous”, played, Alya screamed in delight. “Marinette! It’s your song!”

“Oh, god,” Marinette laughed. “That was an insane day. I’m glad it just ended up being Everyone's song.”

“Don’t lie, Mari. You would have loved to have a song with Adrien back then. The Ladybug to his Chat Noir,” Alya fluttered her eyelashes, adding, “they did get together, after all. For a little bit.”

Marinette squinted as she drove forward. “Was that ever really official though? I mean, you never reported on it.”

Right, because Ladybug and Chat Noir had both specifically asked Alya not to. “Do you mean the relationship or the breakup? Because they were caught kissing like, a lot.”

“People kiss!” Marinette sputtered.

“I don’t know many people who kiss their friends like that,” Alya laughed. If she kissed her friends like that, Marinette would absolutely know. “And That DID end up on the Ladyblog. I know because you nearly had a conniption.”

“I just want to make sure you’re reporting factual, hard-hitting news! Not… gossip!”

“Yeah, I know, we had this exact argument two and a half years ago,” Alya laughed. “There’s nothing there for me to report on anymore. Hardly anyone sees the Miraculous heroes out together.”

Marinette was quiet for a moment, letting Clara Nightingale sing her sad song and fill the car with music. Then she said, “would you report on it? If some of them got together? Romantically?”

“I’d secure an exclusive interview and do it that way.” For some reason, Alya’s answer amused Marinette. “That’s what I always try and do,” she continued. “The Ladyblog functions the way it does because the Heroes trust me, so I need to keep that trust. It’s more important to maintain a trusting, professional relationship than to run a gossip piece.”

“That’s very mature of you, Alya.”

“It’s cause I’m a fuckin adult now,” she said, putting her feet up on the dashboard and grinning wildly at Marinette. “Adults are mature and shit.”

“You’re usually more of the ‘and shit’,” Marinette giggled.

“Hey! Pétasse!” Alya yelled, throwing a crumpled croissant napkin at her best friend.

Marinette squealed in giggles. The song continued in the background and Marinette exclaimed, “This is your part!”

On cue, Alya performed the tiny segment of the dance where she had been filmed...at least the part that involved her arms. “It was pretty cool. But I still think you would have been amazing as Ladybug.”

Marinette blinked in surprise. “Really? You weren’t just saying that?”

“No, girl. You totally have the Ladybug spirit and look down.”

“That’s high praise, coming from you...wasn’t she your celebrity crush?”

“Putain, she still is!” Alya laughed easily. She wasn’t dumb; she knew she was just as likely to land someone like Ladybug as she was to land a straight girl like Marinette. Even if Ladybug saw her as Rena fairly often...that was too big of a fish to try and catch for real. Ladybug wasn’t exactly the warm and cozy, ‘talk about our feelings’ type and still demanded no one tell each other their identities. It was largely why she didn’t let her feelings for Ladybug deepen. But that didn’t mean her attraction hadn’t. “Have you seen her new outfit? And the way she’s grown into it?” Alya whistled low.

She looked over at Marinette and saw her friend’s face was quickly turning scarlet...probably embarrassed by Alya’s gay talk. So she upped the ante, staring right at Marinette. “I mean, damn. She looks mature now, not an innocent little girl. Someone who can consent and downright control. Those little black spanx she got now? Over that ass?” Marinette turned even redder. Alya grinned. “And her fucking legs. Ladybug is strong as hell, but her legs...she redefines thick. She could crush a watermelon between those thighs. And let me tell you, I would love to be that watermelon crushed betwee-”

“Look, our exit sign!” Marinette squeaked, her voice several octaves higher than it normally was.

Alya grinned, pleased that she won their unofficial game of chicken. “Coq a l’ane,” she muttered at the abrupt subject change, smiling as she noticed the sign for Auxerre. She turned her recording back on and pointed it out the window. “Take a look at that! We’re only 5 kilometers from the exit to Auxerre! It’s 9:30 am, and we are making great time. What do you have to say, Marinette?”

Marinette grinned at the camera, her face slowly returning to its normal coloration. “I am ready to get up and stretch; that’s what I have to say!”

“And see the town?”

“Yes, and see the town. It’s supposed to be very pretty, right?”

“Sure is!” She could have kept filming Marinette- god knows she was prettier than the scrubby brush and trees around them. But she turned the camera frontwards anyway, hoping to catch more of the signs as they went. The music played on in the background, Alya and Marinette singing along again as Marinette took the exits into town.

Past a round-a-bout, trees hung over the street (Marinette squealed in delight) and the scenery quickly changed to include more buildings of varying ages. Alya recorded the sights of the town as they drove through, as well as a few shots of her very excited friend. She took a third exit at a roundabout, following the road until they drove next to the Yonne river. Marinette looked from the river to the other side and gasped. “Marinette, the car! You took your foot off the gas. There are people behind us...the car!”

“Oh...oh, shit. Right!” She gassed the car again and quickly found a parking place, then bounded out of her seat before Alya could even narrate what was going on. Marinette bounced up and down.

“She is so cute,” Alya laughed. She got out of her own seat and took a nice, slow pan of where they were. On one side of the girls, the beautiful, narrow Yonne river glittered with boats moored along the edges. Across the river were charming white houses with red-brick roofs and trees, trees, and trees as the horizon line. Blue skies and puffy clouds soared overhead, not tall buildings or intimidating history. On the other side though, it was a sight to behold. The buildings stood side-by-side, only visibly unique from one another by their white stone French coin corners. They were all topped in gorgeous tudor woods of bright colors- reds, yellows, and browns. A cathedral towered just above that view. Gothic, like the cathedral the girls grew up with, but so unfamiliar and so unique and so, so much larger and more impressive in this relatively small town. “And this is Auxerre! What a pretty medieval town!” Alya narrated.

Just on time, Marinette came bounding back into the camera’s view. “Auxerre!” she cheered. “Look at the cathedral! And the river! And the tiny, tiny buildings! Let’s explore, Alya! How do we park?”

“Marinette, we already parked.”

“No, I mean...where do we register to park here?”

Alya giggled. “Mari, we don’t. It’s free. We just leave the car and walk.”

“Oh. That seems...wrong.”

“Welcome to literally anywhere but Paris!”

“Okay, then. Let’s go!” Marinette rushed forward and grabbed Alya’s hand, pulling her towards the bridge over the Yonne river. She was giggling the entire time as if this poor girl hadn’t gotten out of the city for years.

Once Marinette pulled Alya to the center of the bridge, they both turned to face the city and gasped. Alya put up her phone, recording the view. Just across the river and reflected into it stood a wall of two-story medieval buildings. Stone, tudor, and charming. The cathedral and nearby clocktower stood above them, providing a beautiful postcard view...and one that could fit on said postcard. Yes, the city sprawled to the sides, but not in any overwhelming fashion. It was all Right There.

Alya dictated to her camera a little bit of information about Auxerre, then turned to film Marinette. But her friend was sitting cross-legged on the bridge, sketchbook in hand and tongue partially out of her mouth as she sketched the skyline. She smiled softly and turned off the video. It might be awhile.

Alya sat herself down next to Marinette and looked over at the city across the Yonne. It wasn’t a small city by any means; one of the largest in the area. But compared to their home, it was a hamlet. And Marinette was truly inspired. Alya loved to watch Marinette work. Their work ethic had always been one of their earliest connections; few other girls in college would spend hours working on their professional dreams. And as they got older, Marinette was the good influence Alya needed and vice-versa. Even now on vacation, Marinette couldn’t stop her mind from creating and taking inspiration.

They sat together as dozens of people crossed the bridge around them for almost twenty minutes; Marinette drawing under the morning sun, Alya watching the city, the water, and reviewing her videos so far. Finally, Marinette sighed in satisfaction and shut her sketchbook. “Let’s keep exploring.”

“Excellent. And we’re not leaving here without buying a good Burgundy wine!” Alya stood up and offered a hand to help up her friend.

“Fine with me, Alya!” Marinette cheered. “To the clocktower?”

“Absolutely. It’s calling to you, isn’t it?”

Marinette turned to Alya and smiled the way she did when she was in love with an idea. “I’ve not seen anything like it before. I can’t wait to meet it!” She squeezed Alya’s hand and turned to the city, tugging her friend along.

They wove in between people, down alleys, past old shutters and painted doors, around cafes, and up to the clocktower. Alya filmed the entire time, recording all the details of their exploration and the girls’ comments on the old town. She filmed the clock tower, then eventually their visit to the cathedral, Marinette’s scathing commentary on the outside of one of the local boulangeries (as well as her apology after seeing the interior and buying a baguette), their experience buying some fresh, local Morbier cheese and sliced meat, and finally handed the camera over to Marinette so Alya could pick out the Burgundy wine.

Exploring Auxerre, Alya felt like she and Marinette were free for the first time in a long time. They had no home to take care of, no careful relationships to dance around, no schoolwork to feel guilty over. And everything was new. Every building they saw, it was the first time for both girls, and every shared experience was taken while hand-in-hand. It ended up being nearly two hours later before the girls finally realized they ought to eat their lunch and get back on the road. Still, they meandered their way back to the van, pointing out tiny details in the city and the old stones beneath them.

Having parked near a patch of grass, they did not have to go far to eat their picnic lunch. Marinette carried the fresh purchases over to the grassy knoll while Alya rummaged in the back for their cooler.

Trixx poked her head out, taking a look at their new city while finally away from Marinette. “Wow, pretty place! Did you like it here, Alya?”

“You know, I did. Marinette got a real kick out of how trusting all the citizens are. She fits right in with that part...And the streets are really fun to explore.”

“Didja get me ice cream?”

“No, not this time,” Alya laughed. She bent over and picked up their cooler and shut the van back doors. Turning back around, she could see Marinette fussing with their fresh food and talking to herself. “Let me get you some cream before we go over, though.” She kept her eyes on Marinette as Aya bent into the cooler, pulled out a small pop-top jug of cream fraiche, and handed it to her hungry kwami. Trixx took it in both hands, knocking the drink back as she floated in the air as guzzled. Soon enough, she handed the remaining half back to Alya with only a semi-satisfied pout.

“It’s not ice cream.”

“I told you it wasn’t! Just...trick yourself.”

“I can’t trick myself, Rena. It doesn’t work like that. Pah. You’ll just have to make it up to me with some really great ice cream in your next stop.”

“Hey! You don’t even get ice cream every day in Paris. Don’t get greedy, ya little punk!” She took a single finger and pushed Trixx back into her shirt, making Trixx giggle in fake protest. Then, Alya looked back up at Marinette. She had finished laying out their fresh food, only waiting on the fruit, butter, cutlery, cookies, and drinks in Alya’s cooler. Marinette’s back was turned to Alya, the sun directly overhead, as she looked at the shimmering river.

Alya carried over the cooler quietly, not wanting to disturb Marinette. But still, when she was closer, Marinette looked over her shoulder, readjusting her cascading raven hair, and smiled softly at Alya. “This was a great place to stop,” Marinette cooed. She patted the grass next to her.

And Alya absolutely did not want to continue her vlog. She wanted a moment alone with Marinette, to enjoy their picnic, their quiet moment away from the town and all the Auxerre people who had been so kind. But regardless, she pulled out her camera, recording with great animation all the fresh Burgundy region delicacies they bought for their sandwiches. At Marinette’s absolute insistence, the wine remained corked, since they planned to drive.

Lunch consumed half their baguette, most of their Morbier, all of their meat, and only about fifteen minutes of their time. And then they packed all their leftovers into the cooler and headed back to the van.

“I’ll take the next leg,” Alya promised. She filmed their approach to the van but nearly dropped the camera when Marinette tossed her the keys. “Auxerre to….Saint Albain, two hours away. It’s 12:30 now, so if all goes well, we should pull in about 2:30.”

“Wait, we need gas,” Marinette corrected, “so don’t pull onto the highway just yet.”

Alya handed her the camera. “We’re supposed to film the road trip side to this all, so make sure you get as many hilarious shots of me as possible.” And so, the start of the second leg began with Alya lurching forward in the van and pulling through a local gas station.

Marinette dutifully recorded the monotony of Alya putting the nozzle of gas in the van, also catching her amused smile when she saw the camera turned on her. “You’re recording this, Mari?”

“It’s a crucial part of the road trip experience! It isn’t all Clara Nightingale sing alongs and climbing clocktowers,” Marinette explained.

Alya smiled and leaned against the car. “I guess you’re right. I’m not sure if I should be proud you’ve learned to be so thorough in recording from me, or a little embarrassed.”

“You should be proud! I couldn’t have a better teacher,” Marinette gushed. Alya looked down, hoping to hide her blush. Enough Buzzfeed watchers were already shipping Alya and Marinette and she didn’t want to give them any more ammo.

That was a lie. Alya was captain of that fan club and absolutely hoped this trip included as many moments between them as possible. But still. It carried a little weight of embarrassment back at the office.

“So you learn to record everything in your life from me and I learn to be a little more coordinated in my outfits from you. That seems symbiotic,” Alya decided aloud.

“And you’re lucky you have me, Alya. You do well dressing for yourself sometimes, but the level of sophistication…?”

“Is this a crack at my flannel plaid?” Alya asked, putting a saucy hand on her hip.

Marinette laughed. “It absolutely is! You look like a Canadian lumberjack!”

Alya shook her head. “You will pry my flannel out of my cold dead hands. It’s my mating display for fellow gays!”

“Oh, please. You don’t need to dress a certain way to attract girls,” Marinette disagreed.

The gas clanked with completion. Scoffing at Marinette, Alya unplugged the nozzle and hung it back up. “Like you know squat about that. I’m actually queer and need all the help I can get.”

“I just think you can get a girlfriend in any outfit, Alya,” Marinette explained, fussing with Alya’s collar with one hand, holding the camera loosely with the other. She returned to behind the camera, leaving her best friend breathless. Marinette returned to the passenger seat, camera still in hand, giving Alya just enough time to compose herself and return to the driver’s seat.

They pulled away from the gas pump and to the pay station, Alya rolling down her window as the young man gave them their price. He leaned a little farther out, looking at their van. As Alya fiddled around for the card with Mami Dupain’s stipend on it, he said, “So, you ladies are from Paris? Where are you two taking this big van?”

“Rome,” Alya replied, handing the attendant their credit card.

“Rome! Ahh, what do they say there? Belladonna. You’ll fit right in, my belladonna.” He ram the card and winked at Alya. She forced a smile and heard Marinette giggling behind her.

As she accepted the card back, she said, “Yes, I hear the eligible crowd is much more on our level there in Rome than you find in gas stations.”

“Uh...well, bonne route,” the attendant said, clearly a little shaken at Alya’s clap back.

Marinette was giggling even harder. But still, both girls chorused ‘thank you’ and the van eased back onto the main road, headed for the highway. “That poor boy did not know what he was doing when he hit on you. La pauvre! But he totally proved my point, before you killer him,” Marinette laughed, “you’re hot stuff! You can get it!”

“And that’s why I need the plaid!” Alya fired back. “I don’t want dudes like that to hit on me. I want girls to hit on me! I can get guys all I want. But a gay shirt says ‘you’re barking up the wrong tree’ and I like that.”

“Then why not something else, like...like an American undercut?”

Alya looked over at Marinette questioningly, then back to the road. They were approaching a roundabout with their exit towards the autoroute clearly marked, fields visible after their exit. “You think I could pull that off?”

“Well, I would never tell you to cut your hair, Alya. You have the most beautiful hair of anyone I know. Color, texture, softness...don’t cut it,” Marinette gushed. “But you could make any hair style look amazing.” Out of the corner of her eye, Alya could see Marinette panning the camera to show off her hair. “Now flip it, like a shampoo commercial.”

“Girl, you don’t need to ask twice.” Alya tossed her hair; the bounce was restricted by her headrest, but it made Marinette giggle, and that was more important than any video clip.

“What about me? Do you think I could pull off an undercut?”

Alya imagined it in her mind's eye. And as Marinette appeared before her with short hair, pushed to one side with that gorgeous fringe, the other side shaved, looking every centimeter as someone who wasn’t straight and every centimeter hot as hell, her throat tightened and legs squeezed together. Alya cleared her throat as casually as possible. “Yes. Yes, you could absolutely pull it off. You should. You should get one.”

“A few kids in my major have fun haircuts like that. I’ve had this length for years...maybe I should do something dramatic.”

“Yes. It will be amazing. Yes, girl, do it.”

Marinette sounded newly confident and she replied happily, “maybe I will!”

“Just be prepared to have to crawl through suitors because damn, you will look hot.”

“That’s the idea of a haircut, right? Attracting people?”

Alya laughed thickly. “Babe, you have never had a problem being attractive. You are the prettiest girl I know.”

“You’re my best friend. Unfair and biased.”

“Nuh-uh, girl. Gay’s honor; I’m saying that as someone very sexually attracted to the female gender. You are attractive as hell.”

Marinette flushed pink and Alya wished she wasn’t in the driver’s seat. She loved to watch how her face changed with a pleasant blush. “Well, Thanks, Alya.”  She fiddled with the camera and Alya knew she’d have to edit that part out. The car was silent for a moment, neither girl exactly knowing how to follow that kind of remark. Usually when Alya said something like that, there was more than fields and empty sky around them. Here, all they had was the toll booth.

They pulled into the toll booth kiosk and Alya grabbed their ticket, ready to be punched when they got off the highway eventually. Taking the opportunity, Alya changed the subject. “Alright, back on the road for another two hours!” Alya cheered.

Marinette looked up from the map and shut the app. “Yep, and we just stay on A6 until we get to Saint Albain. No exits, even. Just….lots and lots of fields.”

“Aw, not all fields. There are some forests.” Alya grinned impishly.

Marinette didn’t reply, but shut off the camera and pulled out her sketchbook. She flipped a few pages and said conversationally, “I liked Auxerre. That was a cute little city.”

“Yeah, it was,” Alya agreed. “It reminded me of the small towns around Rennes.”

Marinette gasped lightly in recognition. “Oh, I bet it did. They’re both very medieval. The tudor, the small streets…” she flipped past her Auxerre drawings and to a new page. “I think I could live in a city that size.”

“Yeah? Wow, I can’t imagine you anywhere but Paris,” Alya admitted, eyes forward.

“I usually can’t either. Paris is my home. It’s my inspiration, it’s who I am, and it’s what I do. But sometimes those rent prices...you know? I wonder how much more comfortable it would be to live in a smaller town where you get to know more of it. Mainly with less tourists.”

“I thought you loved tourists! You’re like the only Parisian I know who doesn’t get mad at them!”

Marinette shrugged. “Everyone in Paris, almost everyone, is there because they love it. We have that in common, so...I can excuse some bad manners. I mean, most of those manners are just people not understanding our culture. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like having more people who know what they’re doing. But they still deserve to experience the city I love!”

Alya sighed. Was it even possible for Marinette to be so loving? So kind? To absolutely everyone?? “Damn. You are something else, girl. You are incredible. If you do leave Paris for a place like Auxerre, the entire city’s level of kindness is going to sink like a rock. Murder will sky rocket! People will fight in the street for no reason! Ladybug and crew will have to work overtime and the Fashion Headquarters of the world will move from Paris to whatever buttfuck city you’re in.”

Marinette giggled, hiding briefly behind her sketchbook. She opened a blank page and started sketching. “I don’t know if I’d ever really move, though. Especially since it really is Fashion Headquarters and no matter what you say, that isn’t changing. But traveling more like this would be nice. Would you ever move?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. My career isn’t tied to Paris or any city; it’s actually best if I get a wide variety of experiences for my writing. I’ve lived in Paris way longer than any other city, so it’s weird to imagine leaving. And I don’t think I could leave you. Or our other friends.” It was really just Marinette. No part of Alya could imagine living without Marinette. She didn’t even want to return to a world without her as a roommate...she wanted to spend the rest of her life bumping sleepy elbows as they brushed teeth, taking turns doing dishes and making dinner, and cuddling much too close on the couch for movie nights.

Fuck, she probably should move out of Paris one day.

“Where would you move?”

“New York City would be fun! Or Los Angeles!” Alya answered automatically. They had played this game before. But life as university students gave the girls different perspectives than they had in lycée and collège. “But definitely a bigger city if I can afford it. Although I can see the appeal of a smaller town, depending on who is with me.”

“Who is with you?”

“You know, if I get in a serious relationship.”

“What do you mean ‘if’? Gas station man and I both just proved you are totally going to find love.” Marinette leaned into Alya’s space, grinning as she crooned in a low, sexy voice, “Belladonna, Belladooooonnaaaaa,” And it was absolutely unfair that her breath on Alya’s cheek and that low voice could make Alya squirm and make her foot push down just a little bit more on the accelerator, but what part of life was ever fair?

“Weirdo,” Alya said, trying to laugh it off as she put her entire hand on Marinette’s face and pushed her away. Her favorite tinkling giggle replied. “I’m just saying, you’re my most stable, longest relationship and that isn’t exactly what I meant.”

“At least you have dated. You were with Victoria for awhile...seven months, wasn’t it?”

Ahh, yes. Victoria. The third Marinette clone in the two years since they started university. Her second longest relationship after Nino, and also one of the most hollow.   “I’m not marrying Victoria,” Alya sassed back.

“Oh, that’s not what I meant. I just meant that you’ve actually had real, important relationships. I’ve dated Adrien and...oh yeah, that’s it. One lycée romance and nothing after that. Just some first and second dates.”

Nine first dates, to be exact, and five second dates. And if she was pressed, the stubborn part of Alya’s brain could probably recall every single one of those boys’ names. “Marinette, if there is one thing on Earth that I know, it’s that you’re going to be just fine in the romance department.”

“Alya, that’s so sweet, but you don’t really know that…”

Alya turned towards Marinette and looked at her seriously, just over the top of her glasses. “But I do know that, Mari. You are incredible, amazing, and absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. You make the world a better place and you make every person you know a better person. Any b-boy,” Alya cleared her throat twice, determined to cough out all the emotion that was trying to betray her. “Any boy would be lucky to have you as a girlfriend.”

Alya was very glad that she could keep her eye on the road and avoid the intense look Marinette was giving her now. “Thank you, Alya,” she said softly. “You’re the best hypewoman a girl could have.”

Gripping the steering wheel a little too tight, Alya replied, “Yep, that’s me. The best damn hypewoman around. I’m printing business cards and everything.”

“I’ll design them for you!” Marinette offered, turning the page in her sketchbook and making the broad strokes Alya recognized as the start of a new design. “Alya Cesaire...Hypewoman. What other titles do you want? Journalist, obviously. Hmm...Ladyblog Editor in Chief… best friend in the world...wearer of amazing hair...Actually, we’ll run out of room on the card if I list all of your great qualities. That’s what the resume is for, right? We’ll just focus on the hypewoman part.”

“I expect 5,000 of these printed and embossed for all my future employers.”

“What, you don’t plan on a life-long career at Buzzfeed France?” Marinette asked, mirth in her voice. “But I was so looking forward to your article on ‘Which Character from Asterix am I Most Likely To Meet In A Shady Bar’!”

“You’re a shady bitch, Marinette. You know that?”

“I thought I was incredible and amazing! Alya, where is your consistency?”

“You’re all three things!” Alya laughed.

The girls continued to talk about cities, moving, and life and slowly, the conversation grew sillier and sillier. Topics flew by almost as fast as the fields and forests. 

They had a long drive ahead of them and many, many more conversations to have.