Chloe tied her shoes silently, pretending to be unaware of the excruciating silence that had settled over the group once she had joined. She had expected this, she reminded herself, she knew it would happen. A shadow crossed her vision and she looked up. Standing above her was the blue haired Luka, his hair nearly glowing in the dim blue lighting.

"I haven't met you before," he said holding out his hand, "my name's Luka."

Chloe froze.

"It's, nice to meet you?" he said after a short moment of silence.

"Ah, um, yes," Chloe said snapping out of her shock, nearly headbutting him in her attempt to stand up, "I am Chloe Bourgeois! It's nice to meet you too, I guess." She shook his hand stiffly.

Luka chuckled. "You're a strange one Chloe, but that's not a bad thing. Anyway, now that we've introduced ourselves," he spun to face the rest of the group, "let's get started."

Alya silently thanked Luka and stood up as well, clapping her hands to focus everyone's attention on her. "Okay everyone, we're all paired up. Luka and Marinette are team 1. Nino and I are team 2, and Adrien, you and Chloe are team 3. Let's play."

Luka turned out to be a fair player, but bowling evidently wasn't Marinette's thing. She sat down with Luka, embarrassed and disappointed after a very quick gutter ball. Nino and Alya got up to play their turn.

"Cheer up Marinette," Adrien said as she hid her face in her hands, "we're just playing for fun anyway."

"I know," she said as Luka rubbed her back, "but I'm embarrassingly bad at this."

"I don't know what you're so upset about Marinette," Chloe said crossing her legs, "you'd lose even if you weren't so terrible."

Marinette looked up, glaring. "I bet you can't even hold a ball with those nails Chloe, so leave me alone."

"Pa-lease," Chloe said standing up, "don't lump me in with you. I can do anything."

It was her and Adrien's turn. She took out a wipe and started cleaning her ball, refusing to touch it until it had been completely sanitized. Evidently she had left her gold ball at home. Then she was ready. She carefully slid her manicured fingers into the holes and took a step, two three. Release. The ball careened across the lane, curving sharply two thirds of the way down and hitting the center pin. Strike.

As she passed Marinette on her way back to her seat she said, "and my manicure is still perfect."

Marinette bristled, barely biting back a response. This wasn't the time or place to start a fight. She and Luka went up to take their turn again, this time Luka helped guide her.

"Release a little sooner," he said, moving her arm, "and keep your arm straight."

Adrien watched on, imagining himself and Kagami in their place. What had gone wrong?

Nino notice his friends downcast look and groped around for a topic to lift Adrien's spirits. "So, uhh, Chloe. I heard you're attending the Agreste College. What's your major."

Chloe blinked, not expecting to be addressed, and put down her drink. "I'm majoring in business and marketing."

"Isn't it a fine arts school Chloe," Alya said playing with her straw, "don't you have to, like, major in something creative as well?"

"Wrong as usual," Chloe said lightly, examining her nails, "the college has two specialties. One is for the people who work, the other is for the people the work for. I'm going to be in the latter category."

At that moment a ruckus started at the front of the store, a customer yelling at the poor counter worker.

"What do you mean you're out of size sevens!" the customer yelled, "I have an extremely important competition tonight and my old shoes fell apart this morning. Probably because of your poor craftsmanship. I demand compensation!"

"I-I don't," the attendant stammered, obviously too worn to think of a coherent answer, "I don't even make the shoe's we sell."

"You choose what you sell," the customer continued, "which is even worse. How dare you choose to sell such poor quality shoes!"

"A-ah, dear customer, the shoe's we sell are top of the line-"

"Don't you lie to me! If that were true mine wouldn't have fallen apart. I've only been using them ten years, they should've had plenty left in them. I'll sue you for fraud if you keep this up."

The attendant blanched, pressing himself as far away from the counter as he possibly could.

Marinette and Luka came up, finishing their turn. "This isn't good." She said.

"I know," the customer said, "just give me your shoes. I remember you mentioning once that you're a size seven too."

"I can't do that," the attendant said, knuckles turning white, "I have a competition as well, my team is counting on me."

"Oh sure. Prioritize yourself over the customer you wronged. Why am I not surprised?"

"Hey," Adrien said coming up behind them, "let's not get too heated. Why don't we all just calm down a bit and breath."

The customer ignored him, continuing on threateningly. "Give me size sevens."

The attendant handed his own shoe over, too worn down to argue. He crouched behind the counter, holding his head, as the unreasonable customer left satisfied.

Chloe came up behind Adrien, surveying the aftermath of the scene. "why'd you let him do that," she asked yawning, "seriously, have some pride."

"Leave him alone Chloe," Marinette said, "not everyone's as forthright as you."

The attendant didn't hear any of them, the hypnotizing voice in his head drowning out everything else.

"Pinman," Hawkmoth said, "your customers look down on you and treat you like trash. It's time to strike them down. I'll make the street's of Paris your alley and the people your pins, in return I only ask that you bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous."

A bubbling black aura surrounded him. "Yes Hawkmoth."