For Fox Sake

Questions without anwsers

Adrien looked over the booth back at them, pained. Alya held back a laugh; Saving Paris he could handle, but not obnoxious fangirls.

Nino and Marinette sat on either side of Alya, Marinette looking out the window, and Nino siting on the tiny piece of booth that was basically in the aisle.

Alya's phone beeped in her hand. She looked down to see a message from Adrien.

We have to talk abt what happened. Meet me at the hotel.-Adri

k. I'll try to get some time to see you. -Alya

"Talk about what?" Nino's question surprised Alya. She looked up from her phone to see that he was reading the messages as well.

"It's nothing important." She knew her excuse was poor, but she couldn't think of anything good on command.

"If it wasn't important you'd tell me." He answered.

She looked back down at the phone, avoiding eye contact. "I don't know what to tell you. I don't even know what's going on yet."

Nino took out his own phone and started typing. She hated seeing him like this; he didn't seem happy in the least, much different from his usual positive, chill self.

He looked up from his phone towards Adrien, who looked back and shook his head. Alya looked to Nino, trying to decipher whatever the boys had talked about in their text, but Nino turned away.

He made no contact with anyone for the rest of the bus ride.

The trip back to the hotel was short, and soon the students piled out of the bus into the lobby. Mrs. Buster informed them that they were to spend some time to themselves, then come to the dining hall for lunch.

Marinette nudged Alya's arm. "Would you come with me to see if my cousin has arrived yet? Collin's pretty cool."

"Well I was going to..." Alya's voice trailed off. What could she tell Marinette? That she was going to go have a secret meeting with Adrien? There is no way that would end well. She sighed. "Sure, I'm game."

The two girls walked through the lobby to the back room where Marinette's Grandmother had been before. Alya felt weird walking to back room because it seemed to be a sort of staff meeting room, still Marinette walk straight in with the confidence of a master.

In the room were Xiang and two other people, sitting at the round table. One was an old Chinese man wearing a Hawaiian shirt. The other was no other than Gabriel Agrest, Adrien's father. The tall man stood suddenly when they entered, giving Alya the impression that her and Marinette were a place they shouldn't be.

Adrien made no mention of his father coming on the trip, and Alya wondered if he even knew his father was here.

Still Marinette's eyes were not on the rich fashion designer, but the man in the Hawaiian shirt.

"Master Fu?" Marinette asked, confused.

The man smiled and nodded. "It's nice to see you, Marinette."

"Are you related to each other?" Alya asked trying to assess the situation.

"Oh! - Uh no. He and I aren't, uh, related." Marinette stammered, and then changed the subject. "Is Collin here yet?"

"Yes." Xiang confirmed. "He is in the staffroom with his father."

"Wait," Alya said. "I thought this was the staffroom."

Xiang stood and pulled back wooden panelling that Alya had thought was just part of the wall. "No, this is my library." Behind the paneling was a wall of bookshelves filled to the brim with books, some books were even pressed in horizontally to use the most of the space. "When you find him, be sure to remember to ask my son for the book."