There was talking in the lobby. The room was wide and open. Adrien hadn't realized how big it was with all the students crammed inside. The main color of the lobby was red. It had flat red carpet and red wallpaper. The second color to make frequent appearances was gold. It was on the chandelier and trimmed many pieces of furniture. There were lots of places to lounge in the lobby. There were couches, bean bag chairs, bookshelves, and a water dispenser. There were a few students, sitting around and talking. The windows were wide and open. The doors were glass, letting in more light. Towards the back of the room was the front desk. Felix was at the front desk. He was with Marinette. Martha was behind the desk. She appeared to be listening, but her reactions were stiff.
"There does not appear to be an action I can take to fix your problem, Marinette." Martha ran her finger across a computer screen like she was flipping through a book.
"But Martha-"
"She doesn't pick the pairings," Felix adjusted the cuff on his shirt, "and she doesn't have the power to change them."
"Felix is correct."
"I know," Marinette leaned on the counter, "but isn't there someone who can?"
Marinette slipped, nearly face planting into the counter before catching herself. Neither Felix or Martha reacted to her fall.
"We could try to arrange a meeting with the principal," Felix adjusted his other cuff.
"Really?" She turned to Felix, "We can do that?"
"We can try," Felixa adjusted his tie, "but I can't promise anything. The Bourgeois have a lot of pull here so it might not make a difference."
Marinette grabbed Felix's hands and smiled at him.
"But we'll try?"
Felix nodded.
Felix noticed Adrien approaching and pulled his hands away from Marinette. He welcomed Adrien, then turned back to Marinette.
"Marinette," he gestured towards her, "this is my cousin Adrien. Adrien, this is my… Well… This is Marinette."
"Hello, Adrien, " she smiled at him, "nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you," Adrien took her hand and shook it. Her hands were soft and smooth. He released her hand.
"Lucky you," Marinette turned her gaze back to Felix, "being related to the student council president."
"Really?" Adrien turned to Felix, "You are?"
"Probably not much longer," Felix adjusted his watch, "election season is in a couple of months. Are you ready for your tour?"
Felix's phone rang. He answered it. As he listened to the person on the other end, he grew more frustrated. He asked the person to hold, then turned to Adrien.
"We'll have to postpone our outing. An unauthorized magic battle broke out and I need to go diffuse the situation. Marinette we'll talk more about your situation later. Please help Adrien get to his classes."
"Yes, sir!" Marinette saluted. Adrien could swear that for a brief second he saw Felix smile. Felix ran off.
"I see the resemblance," Marinette turned her smile back to Adrien.
"I heard that a lot growing up. Are you two close?"
"Close? Not really. We just know each other through a friend."
The conversation tapered off. Adrien tried to think of something-anything to say to her. He looked at her. She was pretty, but that wasn't much of a talking point.
"Hey, Adrien, Mari," Nino walked up and put and arm around Marinette's shoulders. He pulled her into a hug. Marinette nuzzled her head under his chin. The two seemed comfortable in that position. Maybe they were a couple. "I thought you had to meet somebody?"
"We had to reschedule," Adrien averted his eyes from the two, trying no to stare.
"Well that's probably best," Nino shrugged, "We have to be grouped into teams soon anyway."
"Really?" Adrien didn't know it would happen so fast.
"Yea, they like to get the teams together as soon as possible," Nino gestured with the arm he wasn't using to hold Marinette. "Walk with us, so you don't get lost."
As they exited the lobby, Alya joined them. Nino teased Marinette about her pajamas. She nudged him in the ribs. Adrien watched the two. He thought back to the picture in the hallway. It really captured the vibe the two of them had. They probably were dating. Adrien frowned. He knew the feeling of disappointment well, but he didn't know the reason it was settling in his stomach.
