Chapter 7

Marinette fiddled nervously with the edge of her skirt. She had checked and rechecked her new design a hundred times since she sat down on the rigid leather couch. The three cups of coffee she had guzzled down that morning were absolutely necessary after the late night she had with Chat Noir, but all the caffeine had made her jittery. At least she had made it on time, thanks to her mother's colossal efforts to wake her early enough.

Being the naturally friendly person she was, Marinette attempted to start a conversation with the girl seated directly across from her to pass the time easier. However, the polished brunette seemed to have absolutely no interest in bothering herself to make Marinette's acquaintance as she tried to introduce herself.

"Hi, I'm Marinette." She held out her hand expectantly, only to be met with a sneer.

"Celeste Reno." She replied curtly, blatantly ignoring Marinette's outstretched hand, and instead giving her a judgemental once over. "I'm sure you've heard of me. I'm only the most promising young designer in the industry."

Marinette grit her teeth to keep any biting remarks to herself, despite how tempting it was to let them loose, and instead offered a tight smile. If she could handle Chloe, she could certainly handle this arrogant, self-absorbed princess. She would have to get used to it working in fashion anyway. Adrien had shared numerous harrowing tales from his life in the industry.

"Good luck." Marinette offered instead when the office door opened and Nathalie called on Celeste.

"I don't need luck." Celeste scoffed with a flip of her long, carefully styled hair, then marched confidently through the office door on her stilettos. Marinette absently wondered how Celeste walked in the painful looking contraptions without breaking her ankles.

The haughty side glance Celeste shot back at Marinette made her grit her teeth again. She tried not to let it get to her, but she couldn't deny that she was glad to have the space to herself. At least, she was at first. The incessant ticking of the clock seemed to echo through her skull, causing the painful knot in her stomach to clench tighter, and the nervous tapping of her foot to accelerate. Images of Chat Noir that had been floating through her mind at inopportune moments all morning were definitely not helping her situation either. Before long she found herself pacing the floor in an attempt to burn off some of the nervous energy.

She should really be concentrating on her impending interview rather than the feeling of her partner's strong arms encircling her waist, the way his eyes seemed to burn as they locked with her's, the words he didn't get to say as they almost...

Snap out if it! She chided herself. Focus.

A click of the door handle, followed by the tail end of a conversation, captured her attention and she whirled toward the sound. Celeste shook Nathalie's hand with a wide grin before turning and marching in Marinette's direction.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng." Nathalie called in her smooth, professional voice.

Marinette scooped up her belongings in a rush, turned... and marched directly into Celeste, causing her to stumble back on her precarious stilettos and knocking her oversized purse to the floor with a clatter.

Though she knew it was rather pointless, Marinette apologized profusely as she helped Celeste gather the spilled contents of her designer bag. She couldn't help but notice the design in the open sketch book as she gathered it up, and paused for a moment to eye the arachnid themed dress design. It was definitely bold, she'd give Celeste that. Creepy, and could possibly give small children nightmares, but bold.

Celeste snatched the paper from her with a scowl and shoved it roughly into her bag before storming off with an indignant huff. Marinette wasn't sure what to make of Nathalie's odd expression as she observed the encounter. She smoothed her skirt and took a steadying breath before allowing herself to be guided through the door.

"Good morning, Miss Dupain-Cheng." Nathalie began calmly as Marinette seated herself in the chair across the desk.

"Good morning, Nathalie." Marinette replied, balking when Nathalie looked a little stunned. "I mean Miss Sancoeur! Oh my word, I'm so sorry. I'm not sure if you remember me, but I used to be friends with Adrien. We went to school together. Anyway, he used to talk about you quite a bit and always referred to you by your first name." She added a bit sheepishly and Nathalie softened.

"Ah yes, I remember you." Nathalie said with a slight nod. "You won a few of the design contests. I remember your derby hat. Poor Adrien was sneezing the entire photo shoot because of the feathers." A hint of a grin momentarily touched her lips. "It is nice to see you again. Adrien spoke of you fondly."

"He- wait- me?" She stammered as heat touched her cheeks. "I-I didn't realize he talked about me."

"Shall we get to the matter at hand?" Nathalie redirected as she adjusted her glasses.

"Of course." Marinette replied, clearing her throat and sitting a little straighter. "First, I would like to apologize for the mishap a moment ago. I can be embarrassingly clumsy sometimes."

A flicker of a look Marinette couldn't quite identify crossed Nathalie's face before she replied, "I'm sure it wasn't intentional. At least not on your part. Miss Reno has a bit of a reputation for instigating petty squabbles. Mr. Agreste does not tolerate such behavior." Marinette sat stunned, unsure of how to respond, for an awkward moment before Nathalie continued. "Congratulations on making it this far in the selection process. You should be proud. Do you have your design?" She held out her hand expectantly.

Marinette silently handed her portfolio across the desk and chewed her lip while Nathalie carefully scrutinized it for what seemed like hours.

"Very nice." She said finally. "What inspired your design?"

"Well, lot's of designs feature the Eiffel Tower since it is so iconic. I sort of flipped it and drew my inspiration from the view atop the Tower, overlooking Paris." Marinette explained.

"I see." Nathalie nodded as she close the folder. "The point of requiring a new design in a small time frame was to determine your capability of working under time constraints. You have done a fine job."

Marinette beamed. "Thank you."

"All three designs will be personally reviewed by Mr. Agreste, along with my recommendation. You can expect to hear back in a few days. That will be all." Nathalie directed Marinette to the door and closed it behind her.

Marinette let out a deep breath before she made her way to the street, a hopeful smile playing on her lips.