Adrienette Love Story

Chapter 28

"Good night, Mom." Marinette hugged her tightly. "You're sure you and Dad will be alright with the shop if I go on this trip with the girls?"

Sabine smiled. "Your father and I managed well enough together before you were born."

"Yes, but we've barely even gone for more than a weekend's vacation before."

"I've left before to see your uncle." Sabine hugged her shoulders. "We'll be fine, my dear. You girls should finish off the leftovers. Just try not to be too loud this evening."

"We'll keep it down."

"Are you sure you want to do all this?" Alya whispered. "For a guy you met a week ago?"

"I'm sure." Marinette smiled, glancing over at Kagami. "Both Kagami and Adrien deserve to be able to make their own choices. And I can't even remember the last time I've taken a vacation to rest. Not that we'll get to rest until we can get you both off the ship."

Kagami frowned. "So, what were you thinking?"

As Marinette pulled down her board, Kagami's eyes widened comically.

"You did all that this afternoon?"

Alya chuckled. "You should see her when she's focused on a sewing project."

"Juleka is working with their parents to plan our alternate travel plans, so we just have to focus on how we can get you both out safely." Marinette tapped the board, only half paying attention to the girls as she focused on plotting. "Since Adrien's engagement was publicly announced and it may be widely known that your parents expect your union imminently, we should try to stick as closely to these expectations and then slip under the radar. You should make a big show of heading to the airport and will be traveling together. You will go," Marinette grinned. "But not alone. And not the way they expect."

Alya nodded. "The papers picking up on it will only provide better cover."

"If Adrien was spotted at the ticket desk, it would hit socials fairly quickly."

Kagami frowned, leaning back against the chaise. "Unfortunately, Mother would never allow us to fly a commercial line. We'll almost certainly have to travel on the Tsurugi private jet, which means–"

"There goes any hope of getting lost in the crowd." Marinette glanced back up at the board, erasing that option from the plans. "What would a crew look like on something like that?"

Kagami tapped her lip with her finger, trying to recall. "Pretty minimal. The jet can technically fly itself but the towers won't allow it. They have to have a flight-capable crew for the 15-16 hour route that usually occurs overnight."

Alya's brows furrowed. "Is there any tracking on board?"

"I'm sure there are cameras. Mother is blind but someone would be monitoring them. And the flight crew will almost certainly be paid directly by Mother." Kagami sighed.

"What about someone who helps carry the luggage and maybe brings snacks and drinks?"

"I'm sure that happens, but they are often done and gone before we board."

"But not always?" Marinette glanced back over her shoulder.

"Not always,'' Kagami confirmed.

"Then our best bet is to find someone who can pose as crew and swap out with you both at the last minute..."

"It's perfect," Kagami sighed. "Except that the plane has all sorts of tech for tracking. "We would have to be on the plane with our phones... I know my mother. She'll check until we're at the destination."

"First, we get someone else to carry the phones through." She glanced at Alya. "Someone who we could trust that is a similar height and build to pull off an outfit swap."

Alya helped Kagami up, confirming they were only an inch or two different in height. She was curvier, but the flight crew would be unlikely to notice.

Marinette frowned. "Would the flight crew ever come back to check in on you?"

Kagami tilted her head. "Not unless there was some sort of delay or they had to change the route. It never happened that often."

Alya snorted. "Then whoever would be traveling with me would need a disguise. I'm not even sure we could get that in time."

Marinette tapped her marker on the board. "Adrien's investigator had someone who could hack into any video feed and create a loop to feedback to the source."

Kagami's brows rose. "If they can do that, I might have a contract to offer them when we're back to sweeten the deal."

"Yes," Marinette pouted. "But that doesn't solve the issue of the flight crew."

Kagami finally smiled. "It might not be a perfect solution, but this is the first time I'm happy that my mother forced me to work at her company. One of the projects I've been working on includes holographic imagery. The phone can carry a certain amount of recorded data for our faces. It wouldn't be able to handle a lot of expressions, but it could probably work for a short conversation."

"Could you get it by tomorrow?"

Kagami shrugged. "I'd have to stop at work tomorrow anyways to arrange my vacation time."

"Okay." Alya sighed. "When would I have to be at the airport?"

"We fly tomorrow afternoon."