.
Chapter 7
burning everything i know — desperate for a change
The roof was windy and cold.
Ariel had suggested that they wait in the doorway of the stairs, but Chloe insisted that she needed to be on the roof to greet the guests of honor. She knew that Marques would kill her if she ruined her hard work, but Chloe couldn't risk missing Ladybug and Chat Noir's entrance.
Sabrina had stood by her side for a few minutes, but after nearly losing most of the flowers in her hair Chloe ordered her back into the stairwell. Sabrina tried to object, but a few well-placed words and Chloe had changed her mind.
Sabrina refused to allow Chloe to leave her sight, though, which frustrated Chloe to no end. She needed to have a private word with Ladybug and Chat Noir as soon as possible, but with her friend's vigilance she wasn't sure if that would be possible tonight. She had hoped that by sending Sabrina away that she might just have that chance,This just might be the only opportunity that she would have. With the wind whipping loudly across the roof it would be difficult for Sabrina to hear from where she stood just inside the entrance.
If she was lucky she would be able to tell them of her recent acquisition of the Bee Miraculous. In fact, this might be the only opportunity that she could tell them about her existence as a hero as well. Chloe knew that she had to keep her identity a secret from civilians, but surely they needed to know. It wouldn't do them any good to have trump card if they didn't even know what suit it was.
"Ugh," Chloe mumbled to herself. "I'll never get to tell them if Sabrina's around."
"Tell who, Chloe?" Lyssa asked as she opened the purse and poked her head out.
"Ladybug and Chat Noir."
Lyssa regarded her carefully. "And what exactly are you wanting to tell them?"
"My identity, of course." Chloe crossed her arms at the same time Lyssa frowned at her.
"Chloe, you can't do that."
"What?" Chloe said in a louder tone of voice than she had meant to.
"Is everything okay, Chloe?" Sabrina called from the doorway.
"Everything's just peachy, Sabrina." Chloe waved her hand dismissively without turning around. "Our guests of honor are just a little bit late is all."
"But they have about five more minutes before they're actually late, Chloe." Chloe huffed and chose to ignore Sabrina's point. She repositioned her purse in front of her and pretended to look through her purse as she gave Lyssa a scathing glare.
"What do you mean I can't tell them?" She asked in a fierce whisper.
"Your identity needs to be kept a secret for as long as possible, Chloe. It protects both you and your loved ones. And even though Ladybug and Chat Noir are more than likely trustworthy people—"
"They're heroes, Lyssa. Of course—"
"And if I named every 'hero' that has fallen in the history of humanity we would be here for decades."
Chloe snapped her mouth shut and looked away. While she had not known Lyssa for a long time, the kwami's steely tone cut through her. There was a tense silence between the pair before the ice in Lyssa's eyes melted a fraction and she flew up to meet Chloe's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Chloe." Chloe flinched at the feeling of Lyssa's hand on her cheek. Any ice that was left melted immediately and was replaced with gentle concern. "Even if it's true I should not have said it in such a way to you. I'm merely worried. If either of them fell to Hawk Moth it would put you at risk."
"Well then what am I supposed to do? Pretend like I don't know anything when I'm around them?"
"Precisely." Chloe groaned and used her phone to push Lyssa back into her purse.
Or at least she would have if it hadn't gone through her.
Chloe gaped as she watched the kwami stay still as the phone kent moving. She nearly lost her balance in the process. "Excuse you." Lyssa said with a cross of her arms. " I understand that you're frustrated, but that is no reason to take your frustrations out on me!"
"My phone—"
"Went through me, yes. Kwamis happen to be able to move through non-living objects. If I had not been able to, you would have certainly injured me. Thankfully, as a demi-god, that is not a concern. But I will have you know that does not excuse your behavior."
Lyssa puffed out her chest. The two stared at each other for a moment before Lyssa looked to the side. Her inhuman eyes seemed to focus on something and she immediately lost all of her ire."We'll talk more about this later," she said in a whisper before diving into Chloe's purse.
Chloe turned and looked to where Lyssa had been looking. She found Ladybug and Chat Noir landing on the roof together behind the entrance where Sabrina and Ariel were standing. Chloe was about to move around to greet them, but caught herself when she saw pink and green lights outline the entrance.
They couldn't possibly...
But they most certainly had. While it was obvious that the pair were Paris's Dynamic Duo, they weren't transformed. Their usual spandex had been replaced with formal wear that would put many of the other guests to shame.
Chat Noir wore what appeared to be a normal black suit, but as they approached it became apparent to Chloe that it was most definitely a Gabriel design. Which, in all honesty, clashed with the gaudy lime green bow tie. His hair was as messy as always, but somehow it all seemed to come together in a way that might be impossible for someone else.
his mask was slightly off. Not enough for most of the guests to notice, but any adamant fan would surely notice that his eyes were far more human than when in costume.
Ladybug, on the other hand, wore a dress that made her look anything but ordinary. Her dress was a deep red. And, while it was quite modest with its long sleeves and length, it was obvious that the tailor knew their craft well. Chloe couldn't name this designer's work, but the intricate lace on the bodice and the way that the chiffon pooled around her made the superhero look absolutely stunning.
She also noticed that her mask was not her usual mask, but the slight alterations to the color matched the red and complimented her in a way that Chloe didn't think was possible.
A small knot of anxiety twisted itself inside of Chloe at the sight of them. They both wore masks, but there was something slightly off about both of them. They were both similar to their usual ones, but between the lace added to Ladybug's and the more human eyes of Chat that crinkled slightly as they caught sight of her made it abundantly obvious that they were not magical.
And if they weren't protected by magic, then wouldn't the be in danger? Sure her father had taken great measures to ensure everyone's safety. But if the wrong person noticed…
"Hello, Chloe!" Chat Noir said jovially as they approached her, effectively pulling her from her worry. "I heard that you're going to be showing us around tonight!"
"H-Hi. Uh. Yes. That's me! Hostess extraordinaire!" She put on a mask of cheerfulness and pushed down any lingering concern. Chat raised an eyebrow, but she turned to his partner before he could comment. "Ladybug! You look really pretty tonight! And your dress! You just have to tell me where you got it."
The superheroine stopped and blinked at her for a moment in surprise before her cheeks flushed at the compliment. "Oh, uh thank you. A, uh, friend of mine made it for me."
Chloe wanted to ask if Ladybug's friend would make a dress for her as well, but at that moment Sabrina and Ariel approached the guests of honor. It took much of her self control to not snap at them for interrupting her time with her favorite hero.
"Welcome!" Ariel said as she extended a hand to each of the superheroes. "My name is Ariel and I'm the event coordinator for this evening. If either of you have any special requests please let me know. My staff and I will be more than happy to do what we can to accommodate your needs."
"We'll need cookies and camembert," Ladybug said without missing a beat. Ariel blinked at the odd request before nodding with an over-enthusiastic smile painted on her face.
"Anything else?" Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a look before Ladybug shook her head. "Alright I will get on that immediately. Would it be alright to bring it to the reception room? Or do you need it at the dinner table?"
"The reception room will be fine, Thank you."
"Then, if you'll excuse me. I will leave you in these ladies' care." With that Ariel turned on her heel and walked briskly to the roof entrance leaving the superheroes with their escorts for the evening. There was a beat of awkward silence before Ladybug took the initiative and turned to Sabrina.
"You're Sabrina, right?" Ladybug asked. Sabrina stared at her in surprise before nodding excitedly. "When the Mayor mentioned that he would have someone help us throughout the evening, I figured he would hire an assistant or something. I didn't realize that you and Chloe were going to be the ones escorting us tonight."
"Uh, y-yeah. I'm going to be taking care of the names and stuff." Sabrina gestured to her tablet. "Chloe, of course, knows a lot of them from memory, but there are apparently a lot of new people coming tonight."
"Daddy kept changing the guest list," Chloe said as she waved her hand dismissively. "I tried memorizing it, but he said there was no point so if there's someone I don't know Sabrina will tell me."
"I would have thought that the list would have been finalized ahead of time," Chat Noir said.
"Apparently Daddy's assistant forgot to invite some of the people that donated their goods and services to the auction. Then there was the fiasco of the Prime Minister wanting to attend—"
"The Prime Minister is going to be here?" Ladybug squeaked out in surprise.
"Yeah. Daddy was talking to him about the event and he wanted to meet the two of you." Or at least that was the official story. Truth be told, he was there to award the two heroes their medals, but the lie was necessary to keep the award a surprise.
"Oh. Wow." Ladybug breathed as her hand went to her signature pigtails and tightened the bows securing them in place. Her hands went to fuss with her dress as well, but before she could Chat took one of her hands and squeezed it.
"You look fine, my lady. Though, if I may, I do have one final touch." Chloe watched his other hand, which had been behind his back, come around to reveal a plastic container.
He retrieved his hand from Ladybug's grasp and opened it to reveal a beautiful red rose and baby's breath corsage with black ribbon accents. Ladybug gasped as he pulled it out and revealed a beautiful bracelet that looked to be made of white gold and diamonds.
"Chat. I couldn't possibly-"
"I can't return it now," he said with a toothy grin. "Corsages are non-refundable." He took her hand in his and carefully clasped it around her wrist.
"Please tell me that you didn't spend a lot of money on this."
"I didn't, actually. The bracelet was my mother's and the florist I went to refused to charge me when he found out who I was ordering this for."
"Chat! We agreed on no gifts!"
"You said, and I quote, 'Chat don't you dare spend a single cent on me.' Since this did not, in fact, cost me anything, I technically didn't break our agreement." Ladybug groaned and put her head in her other hand. This only made Chat's grin spread even further.
"Fine," she said with a resigned sigh. Chat Noir let out a whoop, but he was quickly silenced when his partner shot him a glare. "But, we are going to talk about this later."
"Yes, my lady." He smiled sheepishly as he turned to look at Sabrina and Chloe almost as if he had forgotten that they were still there. Chloe rolled her eyes as he scratched at the back of his head. "So, ah, where do we need to go?"
"According to the schedule some of the guests should be arriving about now, but dinner won't be served for another hour," Sabrina said to her tablet as she made a point to not make eye contact. The glow of the screen illuminated the blush on her face that she was trying to hide, but none of those in her company chose to acknowledge it. "So, depending on how much socializing you want to do we can either go to the reception room or we can go to the Astruc Ballroom and you can start meeting committee members, patrons, and donors."
"Committee members, patrons and donors?" Ladybug asked with a slight tilt of her head.
"Committee members are the people who helped set up the event. Donors are the people who have donated goods and services to the auction, and patrons are the people who will be bidding on those items," Chat explained without missing a beat. Chloe blinked and snapped her mouth shut. She had been about to give the same spiel, but had been cut off before she had even had the chance to do more than open her mouth.
She had always written Chat off as some sort of miscreant who had stumbled into the superhero life. But his blasé attitude towards his gift to Ladybug and his prompt response seemed to speak differently of him. Coupled with his designer suit it was likely that he was born into money.
For the first time, Chloe wondered who Chat truly was.
"Oh," Ladybug said without paying Chloe's display any mind. "Are there supposed to be a lot of people?"
"There are about 300 people on the guest list," Sabrina interjected. "While there will most likely be a few people who won't show up, each seat is worth about—"
"What Sabrina is trying to say is that people are invested in this event and so it's unlikely that they won't show up," Chloe interrupted. She could see anxiety start to knit itself into Ladybug's expression. Her behavior painted a different picture than Chat's. She had never really considered Ladybug's social status, but there was high possibility that she was of a class similar or lower to Sabrina's.
Hearing that each seat was worth about 2,500 euros would have likely caused her to have a heart attack.
"How about we go check out the reception room first?" Chat suggested.
"Sounds like a good idea. I imagine Ariel will have your… requests there by the time we get there." She pretended to find them odd. Likely the food was for their kwami. She'd have to make a point to give them the opportunity to feed them without anyone noticing. "Follow me."
There was a silence that permeated the group as they carefully made their way down the service stairs. It was only one flight until they would reach the floor that would allow them to take an elevator the rest of the way, but it was slow going for Ladybug and Sabrina who appeared to have minimal experience in heels.
"Tell me, Ladybug," Chloe asked as they waited for the elevator. "Have you ever been to an event like this before?"
"Not as a guest," Ladybug said vaguely. The elevator dinged and the four of them entered.
"Alright, then I'll make a suggestion: be polite, but don't say too much. Everyone in the ballroom downstairs is going to be falling over themselves to please you, but they really only want the satisfaction of saying that they did so. They are the definition of wolves in sheep's clothing. They may be putting a lot of money into a good cause, but they could care less where their money is going as long as it's going somewhere that will make them look good."
"Wait," Ladybug said as folded her arms, "When you say everyone—"
"I mean everyone," Chloe said with a scoff. To think that Ladybug thought she was leading her astray was quite insulting. "Sure there are some people who don't look for the attention as much as everyone else, but I can't think of only one person who is unaffected by it. And considering I know for a fact that Adrien isn't attending tonight, there are no exceptions." She glanced at Sabrina momentarily. "Present company excluded."
"Don't you think that you're being a bit harsh, Chloe?" Chat Noir asked. Chloe arched an eyebrow at him. Surely if he had money he knew how these types of events worked. "I mean your father doesn't seem like the type to act like that."
Chloe laughed.
"Seriously? My father has been mayor for longer than I've been alive. He might have mellowed out over the years, but he knows how to play the field better than anyone else. He hasn't stayed mayor just by chance, you know." She felt quite a bit of satisfaction when he winced.
"I suppose that makes sense."
"Of course it makes sense. I know more about this than anyone else in all of Paris!"
With that the elevator came to a stop and opened up to reveal a relatively empty hallway. Chloe lead their group in the direction of the reception room when she became aware of two figures standing in front of the doorway. She came up short at the sight.
One of the figures was a tall man wearing a white suit and the other appeared to be a lady wearing a simple navy blue dress Chloe pursed her lips in confusion. Very few people were allowed to be in the room. Key committee members, the guests of honor, her father, the Prime Minister, Sabrina, and herself were supposed to be the only people with access.
Chloe was about to call out to the pair when the turned and revealed themselves to be familiar faces: Gabriel Agreste and his assistant Nathalie Sancour. The tension in her shoulders melted away almost immediately. While he was not a key member of the committee, as a long-standing friend of the family, it wasn't surprising that he would gain an exception to the rules.
Without any preamble Gabriel turned and began walking towards the group, leaving Nathalie behind. Out of the corner of her eye Chloe noticed Chat Noir stiffen, but before she could consider it too much Gabriel was before them.
"Miss Bourgeois," he said courteously. "You're doing well this evening I presume?"
"Yes I am. And how are you doing Mr. Agreste?"
"Quite well, I suppose."
"Adrien texted me last night and said that he wasn't feeling well enough to come tonight. Is he doing any better?" Gabriel's eyes flickered to the heroes standing behind Chloe before he let out a sigh.
"I believe he is doing better. Though I suppose we won't know until tomorrow. He was resting when Nathalie and I left the house. You know how much he sleeps when he's recovering."
Chloe nodded. Though Adrien was doing very well, as a child he had been prone to getting sick. According to him, he had been born premature and it had left him slightly more susceptible. Doctors said that he would grow out of it, and it certainly seemed as though he had once he had become a preteen, but that didn't stop his parents from continuing to homeschool him years afterwards.
It was a moot point now, but she still detested Gabriel for not seeing his son's need for social interaction outside of events such as these. She and her father had pushed for him to go to the same school as her for quite a while before Chloe had gone behind his back. To this day she wasn't quite sure if he knew exactly who had been behind his son's sudden enrollment in the school. But it would certainly be in her and Adrien's best interest to not bring up the issue themselves.
"This is Gabriel Agreste." Chloe said in an attempt to redirect the conversation.. "He is one of the CARE committee members and has donated a commission to the auction if I recall correctly." She looked to Sabrina who nodded discreetly.
"It is a pleasure to meet the two of you again." Gabriel said as he strode forward to offer his hand to Ladybug.
"Likewise," she said with a shake of his hand. He seemed to linger for a moment before extending his hand to Chat Noir as well.
"We've been hearing wonderful things about the organization." Chat said as he retrieved his hand from Gabriel's lingering hand as soon as was polite. "I know it puts our minds at ease knowing that there are people willing to help those who need it. Especially the people that we aren't able to check in with after the akuma attacks."
"Your words are too kind. I am merely a committee member."
Chloe could feel an odd tension between the two that she couldn't quite understand. From what she understood Gabriel was very supportive of the heroes. Had something happened between them or was she just imagining things?
"Be that as it may," Chat said, "we still appreciate your support."
At the appearance of a forced smile on Chat's face, there wasn't a doubt in Chloe's mind that something had happened between them. Both of their words were quite polite but they seemed to be masking something. And, whatever that thing was, caused the air to grow thick with tension.
"Sir?" Gabriel turned to his assistant who was approaching them with a box in her hands. "The president of the committee would like to have a word with you."
"Can't it wait?"
"No, sir. It's about one of the items from the car dealership. It seems that one of the—"
"I see." he cut her off and turned back to the heroes. "You must excuse me. It seems as though another crisis needs my attention. Please have a wonderful evening. Nathalie, make sure that they all get a favor and then join me."
"Of course, sir."
Chloe blinked as Nathalie passed out small black bags to each of them. She stared at the nondescript bag for a moment. She couldn't remember her father saying anything about favors being passed out. She caught the secretary by the arm before she could get more than a step away.
"What are these?"
"Worry stones," Nathalie said simply. "The Gabriel brand donated them to be passed out to all of the guests who win auctions as gifts of appreciation. There's a card with more information about the CARE organization inside of the bag."
"Did my father approve of these? I believe that it was quite clear that the most advertising that a company could have at this event was through their donations to the auction, and their public sponsorships."
Nathalie rolled her eyes.
"Of course they are approved. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." Turning, she ripped her arm out of Chloe's hands. Without any hesitation she stalked after her employer who had just turned down the corridor. Chloe huffed at the brusque manner that Nathalie dismissed her. She would certainly need to have to have a conversation with her father about that woman's behavior after the gala came to a close.
"What was that about?" Ladybug asked quirking her eyebrow expectantly at her partner.
"Ah... It's..." Chat Noir glanced at Chloe and then back to Ladybug. "Nothing. Nothing at all." She held his gaze. It seemed as though they were having a conversation of their own, but Chloe couldn't make anything of it. Though it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume that the list of things that they would need to 'talk about later' was growing. Eventually Ladybug relented and turned her attention to Chloe expectantly.
"The room is just down this hallway," Chloe said and lead them to the room. It was as they had left it aside from the addition of cookies and a plate of stinky cheese sitting on the coffee table. Each had a sign that clearly marked them for the heroes' consumption only. It was unlikely that anyone would eat them regardless, but the fear of upsetting the duo would certainly help to deter any particularly sticky fingers.
"Take a seat," Chloe said as she gestured to the couches. "Do you want anything to eat or drink?"
Ladybug blinked at her in surprise. She merely shook her head and did as Chloe suggested. Chat Noir chose to stand behind her, setting his gift bag beside her own on the couch. Chloe wanted nothing more than to sit right next to Ladybug and begin fawning over her. But, with the need to be a good hostess, she found herself sitting opposite her instead.
"I-I think that we should only stay for a little while," Sabrina said quietly from her stance by the door. She appeared to be juggling too many things and nearly dropped her tablet. She was able to catch it at the last second and decidedly placed it under her arm and tucked the small bag in her clutch. She buried her blushing face in her tablet once again before continuing. "Mayor Bourgeois said that it's important to make sure that we, uh, I mean you two, are seen by the guests before dinner starts."
Chloe waved her hand dismissively. "They're the guests of honor. The party doesn't start until they walk through the door. If they need more time here they can take it."
"Well we wouldn't want to be la—" Ladybug began to stand, but was cut off by Chloe reaching forward with a hand to keep her from moving. She dimly registered Chat Noir going rigid and kept herself from actually making any contact.
"You won't be late. Trust me, you'll be begging for this time alone after five minutes of being out there." She looked down at the black heels peeking out from underneath Ladybug's skirt. "Especially if you aren't used to walking in heels."
Chloe leaned back into the couch and watched as Ladybug did the same. She absently threw the bag that she had received from Nathalie onto the floor. "Now," she continued, "as I mentioned earlier: don't talk too much. Talking about the organization and other general topics are fine, but no one needs to know about your personal life."
"Considering I don't talk about that to begin with, I should be fine," Ladybug said with a cross of her arms.
Chloe continued on. "If you feel uncomfortable, excuse yourself or give me a look. Chat Noir if you're having issues look to Sabrina. Sabrina if you can't help then get me. If either of you need to leave for any reason let us know and we'll escort you to the nearest exit."
"You know I meant to ask: why do we need escorts?" Chat Noir asked. "I think that My Lady and I are rather capable of handling ourselves."
Chloe raised an incredulous eyebrow. "For your safety, obviously." She wanted to mention how it was doubly important considering that neither of them were currently transformed, but if she appeared to know too much it might raise more questions than she had time for. "Besides, we had no way of knowing if either of you had prior experience at events like this. Considering Ladybug mentioned that she doesn't I'd appreciate you shutting up and letting me continue."
She chose to ignore his annoyed glare. "After the meet and greet you'll be served dinner. Last I checked there will be eight people at the dinner table. The four of us, my father, the Prime Minister, and the co-founders of CARE: Alphonse Marchal and Olivia Brunelle. You'll have to talk a bit more in-depth with them, but if you get the Prime Minister talking about his upcoming campaign you won't have to worry too much about that.
"Immediately after dinner my father will make a few remarks followed by a short break. Afterwards everyone will reconvene for the auction. Then there will be a short reception afterwards. You won't be required to stay past the auction, but if there is anyone that you'd like to speak with again we can work together to find them. Any questions?"
Ladybug blinked at Chloe's rapid-fire instructions. It was a look that Chloe was quite used to by now. Ladybug had clearly underestimated her. She didn't know what Ladybug had assumed about her, but obviously her display had surprised her.
Ladybug hesitated for a moment. It looked as though she did have a few questions that she wanted to ask. But, in the end, she chose to shake head instead.
"Well, if you do then don't hesitate to pull either me or Sabrina aside." Chloe glanced at the clock and sighed. "I suppose we should head out now. There's a vast difference between late and fashionably late."
"Sounds like a plan," Chat Noir said as he came around the couch and extended his hand to Ladybug. She blushed slightly as his hand moved from her hand to the crook of her arm.. The pair were nearly through the door when Chloe let out a loud noise.
"I almost forgot! There's one more thing that we need to do before we go in there!" She opened her purse and pushed Lyssa aside in order to retrieve something. She felt a glare sear her face, but she ignored it in favor of waving her phone around for all to see. "We need a selfie!"
"Chloe," Ladybug said tiredly, "Is it really—"
"Sabrina get in here too!" Chloe retrieved her friend from the door and positioned her next to Ladybug. She pushed Chat Noir back in order to be on Ladybug's other side. She ignored the short cry of complaint and situated her phone so that all four of them were easily seen on the screen. "Smile!"
Chat Noir, while slightly miffed at being pushed out of the way, was happy to go along with Chloe's request. Ladybug, on the other hand, was a bit more obstinate. Chloe didn't know why her hero detested taking pictures together, but this was an important night and there was a distinct need of commemorating it.. She frowned for a second before she forced a pout and widened her eyes at the superheroine, hoping that her face would be cute enough to get her way.
"Please? This is a really important night. And it would really mean the world to me because you're my hero and—"
"Fine." Ladybug raised a hand to stall Chloe's impending squeal. "But no more after this, got it?" Chloe let out a squeal and hugged Ladybug. Before she could respond in anyway, Chloe pulled back and repositioned her phone to capture the four of them smiling at the phone. Chloe's was bright and excited, Chat Noir's was his normal Cheshire, Sabrina's was accented with a blush. But what was most striking was Ladybug's. It was a mix of exasperation and amusement. And, while it wasn't nearly as relaxed as Chloe would have hoped…
Her smile was more genuine than any other she had seen before.
Chloe was exhausted.
The reception had been a true test of her patience. She knew that everyone there would be hungry for the attention of their superheroes, but she hadn't anticipated just how vicious they would be about it. Like vultures, the guests descended on the pair the moment that they made their grand entrance.
The most dignified of Paris lost most of their decorum and vied for Ladybug and Chat Noir's attention like young school girls around their crush. Sure they tried to mask it with flowery words and purple prose, but she could easily see through them. She was sure, if given a chance, many of them would kill each other for the chance to spend a modicum of time with the guests of honor.
Ladybug and Chat Noir, surprisingly, handled the situation with far more dignity than Chloe had expected of them. From Chat Noir's usual attitude and the knowledge that this was Ladybug's first high class event, she had assumed that they would flounder. But, despite the pressure, both remained poised under pressure.
Chloe, on the other hand, was perpetually losing her cool. Most of the guests ignored her, while maddening, it was forgivable. What was not forgivable, though, was trying to push through her or Sabrina in an attempt to get to Ladybug and Chat Noir. There were a few guests who had to be escorted to their seats by security when their excitement caused them to barrel past others and insert themselves far too close for comfort. As far as Chloe was concerned they deserved to be arrested for such behavior, but the potential for their loss of donations swayed the staff's judgement and resulted in far too many wrist-slaps.
After one guest, who was clearly intoxicated beyond what was acceptable, nearly kissed Ladybug on the cheek, Chloe called an end to the meet and greet. Without any preamble, she and Sabrina parted the crowd and forced their way over to their reserved table where security kept watch. Chat Noir was helping his partner into her chair when an irate Ariel approached them. She gave a fake smile to the slightly separated group around her before roughly pulling Chloe away and out of earshot.
"I hope that you are aware," she bit out in a hushed tone, "that there are still fifteen minutes left until the end of the reception?"
"Of course I am aware." Chloe ripped her arm out of Ariel's tight grip and crossed her arms. "But due to your terrible security Ladybug was nearly assaulted," Chloe snarled back. "The organization of this event is utterly deplorable. If I were you I wouldn't come into work on Monday because my father is certainly going to hear everything about this." Ariel stepped back as if she had been struck.
"Are you threatening me?" Ariel asked, aghast.
"I don't make threats, I make promises."
Ariel gaped at her. "I'll have you know that I've worked at this company longer than you've been alive. There is no way that you would be able to persuade them to fire me."
"Looks like you'll have to find out the hard way, then," Chloe said as she leaned into the coordinator's personal space. Ariel stood her ground valiantly, but she was the first to break away with a huff. Chloe merely rolled her eyes at the comments that she could hear her muttering as she walked away.
"Chloe," Lyssa said quietly as she popped her head out of her chosen's purse, "You really shouldn't have done that."
"Yeah, well she needed to be put in her place," Chloe said under her breath. She looked around to make sure that no one could see her kwami before sending a glare at her purse. "Besides, what am I supposed to do? Let these egotistical vultures do whatever they want?"
"No, but that doesn't mean that you should have lashed out at her. You could cause an akuma if you're not careful.
Chloe did her best to suppress a wince. She was quite aware with how easy it was to cause an akuma. She wasn't oblivious of the fact that she had caused many of the akuma over the year, but that didn't mean that she had to admit that to Lyssa.
She didn't need to know how terrible Chloe truly was.
"There hasn't been an akuma in weeks, Lyssa," Chloe said with a huff. She wasn't looking directly at her purse, but she could feel the annoyed look being sent her way.
"That doesn't mean you need to risk it by creating an unnecessarily negative environment."
"Oh, whatever," Chloe pushed Lyssa back into her purse and fastened the clasp of her purse. "It'll be fine," she muttered under her breath.
She meant to direct her reassurance to Lyssa, but she knew that she needed to hear it, too. Because, as her eyes were drawn to the retreating form of Ariel, she could feel her stomach sink by a degree. The event coordinator tried to look put together as she addressed a guest, but she soon snapped at a server trying to get her attention.
Chloe couldn't make out what they were saying, but a moment later Ariel threw up her hands in frustration and stormed off. Chloe could almost see the storm clouds gathering around her as she made her way to one of the exists of the room.
Chloe bit her lip and made a conscious effort to return to the table. As she approached the group, she found Olivia Brunelle talking adamantly with Ladybug about something. She was tempted to tell Ladybug about how she should stand to talk, especially because her conversation mate was standing, but she refrained. Olivia didn't appear to be insulted so no harm done.
With only a passing wave to Alphonse, who was deep in conversation with Chat Noir and Sabrina, Chloe took her seat beside Ladybug. It wouldn't do much to lessen the party faux pa, but at least it might keep someone from drawing attention to it. The last thing anyone needed was for someone from a neighboring table, an esteemed guest or committee member, to make a comment that would embarrass the superheroine.
Chloe had been seated for only a minute when she felt someone tap her shoulder. Looking up, she found Sabrina regarding her with a look of concern. She rolled her eyes, and took a drink of water in an attempt to clear whatever look had necessitated Sabrina's appearance.
"I'm fine, Sabrina," she said quietly enough that only she could hear.
Sabrina didn't look convinced. "What happened?" She pressed. "It looked like it got pretty heated."
"Nothing besides an adult acting like a child," Chloe said as she turned her hand to inspect her nails. "Remind me to tell Daddy about Ariel's poor skills, though. No proper event coordinator should treat a guest like that or let things get as out of hand as they have already."
"Sure." Sabrina tapped her tablet. "Do you want to talk to him tonight about it?"
"No. I think that tomorrow would be better. Daddy would kill me if I made a scene tonight with the Prime Minister here."
"Okay," Sabrina said and went back to her seat on the other side of the superheroes. Despite Ariel's concern over prematurely moving to the dinner table, none of the guests made a huge fit over it. No one tried to push past their security and, aside from a few gawking from a distance, they were allowed a small respite from the party.
Once her father and Prime Minister Bertrand arrived all of the guests for their table sat down as well. Chloe tried her best to engage in conversation, but aside from introducing herself and the heroes to the Prime Minister, she did not have much to contribute. That was fine by her. She knew only the bare minimum about the CARE organization and it was more important for the others to talk about it than for her to insist on attention.
And, if it meant that she wouldn't have to think too much about the implications of Ariel not checking in on their table, then even better.
A/N: Thank you all for the kind support! I know this isn't a ton story-wise after so much time... But, I had to set up some important stuff in this chapter in order to make things work in the future.
To be honest I had this chapter done a while ago. But I needed to get a decent ways into the next chapter before I could post this one because I wanted to be sure that I had everything I needed since, if you go back and check chapter 4, you'll realize that I had to change Recharge a bit because I made it too weak. (I'll remind all of you in the narrative, but I wanted to make sure to mention it here.)
The main reason this took so long was because I was terribly blocked on the next chapter. As some of you may know I no longer have a beta. I won't get into details, but I was hurt by a decision she made and it affected me greatly. I didn't realize that was the source of it all until a week or so ago. But, after re-working some stuff that was planned prior to my uploading chapter 6, I'm finally able to sit down and write.
So thank you all so much for the continued support. I appreciate it, as well as the lack of badgering me for updates. In all honesty if there'd been a push this past month from any of you for an update I probably would have secluded myself a lot. But you guys didn't do that. So thank you so much for that.
Also thanks to doctorlaz for looking this over for me before I published it.
And a special thanks to my gh family. I love you guys so much and appreciate the love you give me.
Anyways! As always thanks for reading and please let me know what you think! An exciting chapter is slated to come up next so I'd love to know what you think is going to happen and if there's anything you guys think I need to work on. Thanks again and see you next time!
