Chapter 11: Stitches and Sketches
Sending an email to Jagged Stone, Marinette told him that she would be happy to create a face paint for him, while also thanking him for praising her talent. And as she finished doing it, she could not help but to imagine what kind of face paint would she design for him. Like every artist, once she started to think it, dozens of ideas showed up in her mind, one more spectacular than the other. Still, she had to restrain herself, because if she did not do it, she would begin drawing and sketching, and she did not have the time do it. She needed to study a little more. But it was not easy, because no matter how much she tried, she just could not help but to think of all that happened to her during those last five minutes, Never in her life she thought she would have someone as famous as Jagged Stone asking her for a commission. She felt like telling everyone about it, but Tikki advised her not to tell anyone, at least, not yet, while also reminding her that she had exams the following day, and on Wednesday, and she needed to calm herself and focus on what her priorities were, right then.
It was hard for her to just put aside what had happened to her, and she could not help but to feel a little like she was in a dream, from which she would wake up at any moment. She had only felt that way, twice in her whole life. The first was when she transformed into Ladybug and went into battle for the very first time. And the second, was when Adrien told her he loved her and that he wanted to date her. She never thought she would feel like that way so soon.
"I really wish I could tell the others about this." -Marinette told Tikki.
"You will, but only after the exams are over. Once they are out of the way, you can tell everyone, and I'm sure everyone's going to flip, when you tell them the news." -Tikki smiled. –"But until then, you have to keep it a secret to yourself. And I promise that I won't tell the other kwamis about it, either." -she declared, promising her.
"Can't I tell Adrien? At least him? He's my boyfriend, and I'm sure he would like to hear the news from me." -Marinette asked Tikki. –"Whoa… I said that Adrien's my boyfriend, without stuttering! I think that my brain is beginning to accept that fact, without thinking I'm just daydreaming about it." -she thought to herself.
"No, not even, Adrien." -Tikki told her. –"I'm sorry, Marinette, but look at it this way. If you tell him, he's going to be very happy about it. But by being happy for you, he might not be able to focus on studying for the exams. And then, if he gets a bad grade, because he could not focus, his dad will probably forbid him from hanging out with his friends, and that will mean, that you won't be able to see him as much as you want to." -she said. –"Think of it like this: by not telling him, or the others about this right now, you'll be helping them out. When the last exam is over, you can tell them. You just have to keep it a secret for two days, that's all."
"I don't know if I can keep this matter a secret for that long, Tikki." -Marinette admitted. –"Just thinking about it, it's making me nervous, and you know what happens I get nervous, Tikki. I do crazy things." -she said.
"Sure, you can. Remember, you being Ladybug is probably the biggest secret you have, and I know that outside of your circle of friends, who also have a miraculous, nobody else knows about it, and you haven't told it to anyone else." -Tikki declared. –"If you can keep a secret that big, I'm sure you can keep this one for 48 hours." -she smiled.
"Now you're sounding like my mom." -Marinette joked, by smiling at the kwami. –"Fine, I'll do my best to keep my mouth shut. But it's not going to be easy, Tikki." -she sighed, as the little kwami sat on her right shoulder and smiled at her.
"Of course, it will. You just need to keep your mind busy with something else." -Tikki said. –"Speaking of which, maybe you should try and study a little more. You spent most of your morning asking questions to Miss Bustier, regarding Geography." -she said, with a mischievous smile on her
"Okay, okay, I get it. I'm going to study a little longer." -Marinette sighed. –"Will you help me?"
"Of course." -Tikki said. –"But first, I'm going to need another cookie." -she said, as she jumped from Marinette's shoulder and made her way to where the secret cookie stash was.
"Gluttony, thy name is Tikki." -Marinette joked.
On the following day, it was not easy for Marinette to not spill the beans on what had happened to her, the previous afternoon. The only things that were keeping her from doing it, was her promise to Tikki and the four exams she and the rest of her class had to do that day. And because of such exams, there was very little time for conversation that morning. She and everyone were too worried about how hard the exams would be, to even dare to speak about anything else. As she and the rest of her class sat down, she realized just how heavy and tense the atmosphere was inside the classroom. Her nerves, combined with the nerves of pretty much everyone else, was making that classroom feel like the most uncomfortable place to be, in the city of Paris. Luckily, Miss Bustier's smile to ease out a little bit the tension in the room. Before she handed them the exam sheets, she reassured the whole class that as long as they had studied, they would not have any problem completing them.
"Now, remember, you'll have an hour and a half to complete each exam. Once you finish them, don't rush to hand them back. Take your time, and make sure that you haven't forgotten to write anything on them. Once you believe you have nothing else to add, you can exit the classroom. Make sure to use letters that are legible, and don't forget to sign your name on the exam sheet." -Miss Bustier said, as she grabbed the History exams and began to hand them.
"Isn't there a chance we can postpone this to another day, Miss Bustier?" -Mylene asked, slightly anxious. She had butterflies in her stomach, from all the nerves.
"I'm afraid not, Mylene. But like I said before, you have nothing to worry, if you studied, like I know you have." -Miss Bustier smiled at her. –"Just breathe in and out, like I taught you, and you'll see that those nerves will go away." -she said.
"I hope so." -Mylene thought to herself. –"I spent last night studying History until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, and if it wasn't for Pin, who helped me out a little, I would've fallen asleep, without having memorized anything." -she thought.
"Remember, there's no reason for being nervous. These exams aren't as hard as you're thinking they are, especially if you studied for them." -Miss Bustier said.
"Yeah, well, I studied, but that doesn't mean I'm going to think they're going to be easy. And right now, I think I would rather be fighting one of Hawk Moth's Akumas, than taking these exams." -Alix thought to herself, as Miss Bustier placed the exam sheet in front of her.
"I sure hope I studied enough. Miss Bustier's tests are usually not very hard, but she tends to put a couple of traps to confuse us." -Adrien thought to himself.
"Daddy still hasn't had any luck getting Jagged's new number… stop that! Focus, Chloe! Don't you dare think of anything, other than this exam, right now." -Chloe thought to herself.
"This is going to be a piece of cake." -Max thought to himself. From the whole class, he was probably the only one who believed that he was more than ready for anything Miss Bustier threw at him, in those exams.
"Okay, now that you all have the exam sheets, you may start. Any doubt you might have regarding a question, you just need to call me, and I'll go to you." -Miss Bustier smiled at the whole class, as she went back to her seat.
Doing four exams in one day was not an easy thing to do, especially when you are both a student and a superhero, who has more problems than the ordinary teenager. Such was the life of Marinette and all her classmates. Arriving home, exhausted and with a massive headache, the first thing her parents asked her, as she walked into the bakery, was if the exams went well. She smiled and told them that three of them went okay, while the fourth one was a little more complicated, but that she hoped she would get a good grade out of it. Seeing her that exhausted, both Tom and Sabine told Marinette to go up and rest, while also telling her that they would take her a little snack.
Already in her bedroom, Marinette dropped her backpack and made her way to her bed. Her head was killing her. Closing her eyes, she tried to think of happy thoughts, as a way to relax and to give her head the time to stop hurting. So, it was no surprise, when her first thought was about Adrien, and about the first time he kissed her. The next thoughts were of how lucky she was in having the family and the friends she had, but more importantly, how lucky she was for having the best boyfriend in the world. Those thoughts, combined with absolute silence and a comfy bed, made her headache disappear in a matter of minutes, and Marinette could not have been happier about it. She had tons of work to do. She still had four more exams to do, on the following day, but those were not on her mind right then. The hardest ones, the ones where she had to force herself to study harder than ever, were now out of the way. The four remaining exams were the ones where she did not have to study so hard. What she had on her mind, that she had to do was something a little different. She had to sew. She had to finish Alya's birthday present, and she had to start working on Jagged Stone's commission.
Once she felt her headache was gone, she opened her eyes and sprang out of bed, ready to work. Choosing something soothing from her playlist, she turned the volume just loud enough for the music to sound like a quiet breeze in the wind, before getting to work. With a little help from Tikki, who would bring her anything she asked her, Marinette was determined to finish that Rena Rouge hoodie, no matter what. She had put all her love into it, and she wanted to make sure that everything in it was perfect.
It did not take long for the floor near and around Marinette's sewing machine and her mannequin, to be filled with threads, discarded piece of fabric, needles and scissors, among other things. As she worked, the noise from her sewing machine made her headache come back, but just for a little bit. Stopping for a few minutes, she turned off the sewing machine, muted her laptop, where the music was coming from, and allowed her head to rest a little bit, in absolute silence, before resuming her work.
Thread by thread, stitch by stitch, Marinette, with a little help from Tikki, worked to complete the hoodie. And then, finally, after almost an hour, Marinette let out a sigh of relief, as she finished it.
"And it's finished." -Marinette smiled, as she got up, holding the Rena Rouge hoodie in her hands, and checking for any imperfection it might have slipped her eyes' or Tikki's. –"Took me a little longer than expected to finish it, but it came out way better than I anticipated." -she declared, as her eyes focused on the puller. It was not easy to find a puller that was shaped just like Rena Rouge's miraculous, but Marinette found one online, and bought it. –"I can safely say, Tikki, that this is my best work yet."
"And one done with all the love in the world, Marinette. Alya's going to love it." -Tikki told Marinette, as she rubbed her paw against the hoodie, feeling the fabric's texture. –"Plus, it's super soft and silky." -she giggled.
"I know. And since you like it, I can safely believe that Trixx will also like it." -Marinette smiled. –"But just in case, I've lined this inner pocket, right here on the left, with an even softer fabric, so she feels nice and cozy in it." -she said. –"Would you like to test it, Tikki?"
Smiling, Tikki quickly flew inside the pocket and cuddled, feeling the soft tissue Marinette was talking about. This one was both soft and warm, perfect for the cold weather. You could also say that while inside the pocket, she felt safe, just like when she was inside Marinette's backpack or her purse. Marinette had done a beautiful work with that secret pocket.
"It's super cozy, and it has the right size for us kwamis. Not too big, not too small. Just right." -Tikki said, as she peeked out the pocket.
"Plus, I sewed it so that it is virtually invisible from the outside." –Marinette said. "Nobody will even think there's a pocket there, much less a kwami, hiding inside it." -she smiled triumphantly.
"A work of genius, Marinette." -Tikki said, as she jumped out of the pocket.
"Thanks, Tikki. I'll have to ask my mom to wash it, before I can wrap it… which reminds me, I need to buy some wrapping paper. I used up the last I had to wrap up those new dolls I made for Manon's birthday." -Marinette said, as she made a mental note, so she would not forget to buy it. –"And now, let's put you here on the mannequin, and take a photo, so I can upload it online, after I give it to Alya." -she said, as she placed the hoodie on the mannequin, before snapping a photo of it with her cell phone. –"Alright, that's one less thing we need worry about. And now, on to the next thing. Start working on Jagged Stone's commission."
"I thought that after finishing Alya's hoodie, you were going to study for a little bit." -Tikki said.
"Only after dinner. I need to relax for a little longer." -Marinette declared, as she went to get her sketchbook. –"Besides, my brain is filled with ideas, and I don't want those ideas to go to waste." -she said, sitting down at her desk and grabbing her pencil, ready to work.
Like it happened every time she sketched, Marinette allowed her imagination to guide her hand. Over the years, she had found out that if she allowed anything else than her own imagination to guide her hand, when sketching, whatever she sketched would come out horribly. Which did not mean that when she allowed her imagination to do as it pleased, that everything would go as expected. There were times that even Marinette's imagination did not cooperate and whatever she sketched, came out looking horrible… and as minutes went by, Marinette realized that that sketching session was going to be one of those times. For some reason, all the ideas she had inside her mind, her hand was just not able to pass them onto the paper, coming out short of what she had envisioned them. Soon, at her feet were numerous crumpled pages, filled with sketches that had come out wrong or that she ended up not liking.
"Not having any luck? -Tikki asked her.
"I don't understand this, Tikki. I've got all these awesome ideas in my head, but when I put them on the paper, they all come out as cheap versions of them." -Marinette sighed, as she ripped another page from her sketchbook and crumpled it, before dropping it into the floor, along with the ones that were already at her feet.
"Maybe you're forcing it too much. When you do that, nothing you draw ever comes out the way you want to." -Tikki reminded her.
"Maybe…" -Marinette sighed, as she placed her sketchbook and pencil on the desk. –"Maybe I'm forcing it too much. Still, I need to do this! If I don't, I might then not have the time to do a proper work and Jagged Stone is counting on me." -she told Tikki. –"I just wish my hand was able to channel the ideas inside my mind and sketch them the way they are in it… maybe I need a little bit more inspiration for this…"
And then, something clicked inside Marinette's mind. She knew just where she could get extra boost of inspiration, she needed to continue working on the face paint for Jagged Stone. All she needed was to find it. Opening the first of her desk drawers, she began looking for something, she believed was inside.
"Please, let it be here, let it be here." -Marinette thought to herself, as she went through the drawer, looking for something. –"Come on, where is it?" -she asked. –"Maybe it's on another drawer."
"Where is what, Marinette?" -Tikki asked, as Marinette closed the drawer and opened the following one.
"Found it!" -Marinette exclaimed, triumphantly, as she held a small blue memory card, with a smile on her face.
"What's that? And before you say anything, I know that's a memory card. I mean, what's in it?" -Tikki asked Marinette.
"Last year, Mylene convinced Juleka to pose for a project that didn't end up being made. You don't have the slightest idea, of how hard it was to convince Juleka to allow herself to be photographed. It was hectic, to say the least. If it wasn't for Rose, who managed to momentarily convince her, it would've never happened." -Marinette told Tikki, not realizing she was digressing, until the little kwami raised an eyebrow at her. –"Anyways, I was the one who took the photos, and I saved them in case Mylene wanted to try to finish that project." -she explained.
"I see. Still, I don't understand what does that have to do with the face paint you're working on for Jagged Stone." -Tikki pointed out.
"Oh, I can explain that. You see, Mylene is a really big fan of David Bowie, and she came up with the idea for a short where Bowie's persona, Ziggy Stardust, would come to Earth, and live among humans, over the course of numerous years, which would be symbolized by him adopting different bodies, each with a different face paint. It was a bit conceptual, if you ask me. But before we could even begin to shoot it, we needed to figure out how many face paints we were going to use on the story… Mylene was only going to write the story, once we had determined which face paints, we were going to give Ziggy's character." -Marinette said. –"So, we asked Juleka, who had a knack for doing make-ups, and Nathaniel, to help us with that. He came up with some sketches, and then Juleka completed them, by trying them on herself." -she said, remembering it. –"Thank God, Rose convinced Juleka to allow me to photograph her, while she tried each one of the face paints. If she hadn't, they would have been lost forever… it was a fun afternoon, now that I think of it."
"Oh, I see." -Tikki smiled. –"Still, I don't get it why you… oh, wait, I get it now! You're going to use those face-paints done by Juleka and Nathaniel, as an inspiration for this new one!" -she exclaimed, after realizing Marinette's plan.
"Pretty much, yeah." -Marinette said, as she inserted the memory card in her laptop and opened it.
Marinette quickly clicked on the various photos and opened all of them, one by one, showing them to Tikki. Each photo showed Juleka wearing a different face paint. Some were more colourful than others, while there were others that were just black and white. But all of them were incredibly beautiful. It was hard to choose which one was the most beautiful. Juleka and Nathaniel had done a wonderful work, and though the different face paints were not exactly what Marinette had in mind for the one she was designing for Jagged Stone, by looking at them, they were definitely going to help shake her inner artist and come up with a beautiful face paint.
"That one over there is really beautiful." –Tikki said, as she pointed to the photo that showed an incredibly colourful mandala.
"That one was based on the Tibetan sand mandalas. It was Adrien's idea." -Marinette said, as she zoomed the photo. –"When he suggested the idea, he also told us that it came to his mind, because his dad had tons of Tibetan objects in the mansion's library, saying they were souvenirs from a trip he did to Tibet, when he was a little older than we are now." -she said.
"But this one here is very beautiful too. It's a little scary, because it's mostly black, but at the same time, it's beautiful." -Tikki commented, while pointing at one of the photos.
"I think that one was designed after a commentary from Max, about the dark side of the Moon." -Marinette said, as she tried to remember it all.
"All of them look great." -Tikki said. –"And it's really hard to decide which one is the best." -she declared. –"And I can tell you this, all these photos of Juleka, I bet that if Rose had them, one of them would become her screensaver."
Tikki's comment made Marinette chuckle lightly. She was right, when she said that. Rose was head over heels for Juleka, and vice-versa. When the two of them revealed to her and the rest of the class that they were dating, Marinette dd not find it strange or bizarre. The two of them were always seen together, so it was not a big surprise when the two went from best-friends to lovers. Making a mental note, she told herself that before dinner, she would send both Rose and Juleka a copy of those photos, so they would have it as well.
"You're right. I bet that would happen." -Marinette smiled at her. –"But enough giggles and chuckles. I best try and see if I can sketch something properly." -she told Tikki, as she grabbed her sketchbook and her pencil.
Having Juleka's photos in front of her to provide her with the necessary boost of inspiration she needed, Marinette quickly began to sketch. This time, her sketches came out the way she wanted them to. They did not look incredible, but it was a start, and she believed that once she put a little more work on each of them, they would look even better. Watching Marinette work, Tikki remained silent, as she saw coming up with ideas for Jagged's face paint. Just from looking at the way her eyes sparkled, while sketching, she could tell that Marinette was trying her best to do what she had agreed to do. And unlike what had happened before, where all sketches ended up on the floor, crumpled and deemed unworthy, these had the honour of ending up on top of her desk, perfectly lined up. The two of them were so focused that they did not even hear someone knocking at the door. It was Sabine, who had come to see how Marinette was, bringing with her a little snack for her. Only when she opened the door, and scared them both, did they realize they had company. Not able to disappear, Tikki quickly pretended she was a doll and remained inert, waiting for Marinette's mom to leave.
"Mom! You scared us!" -Marinette exclaimed, with her heart in her mouth.
"Scared us? What do you mean by us?" -Sabine asked Marinette, not understanding her. –"I don't see anyone else, Marinette." -she said.
"Uh… you know, us. Me and my imagination!" -Marinette quickly came up with a plausible explanation for that previous comment of hers.
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry, Marinette. I did knock at the door, but you didn't listen." -Sabine said, as she approached her with, holding the tray with a croissant and some cookies, when she noticed something on the desk. And that something was none other than Tikki. –"Oh, what a cute little thing. Did you make this little doll for Manon?" -she asked her daughter, without taking her eyes off the little kwami, who remained as still as possible.
"Oh, that? Y-Yes, I did. I'm going to give it to her, the next time I have to babysit her." -Marinette answered her mom, lying about it. –"Please, Tikki, don't move a muscle. We can't let mom find out about you." -she thought to herself, begging that the scarlet kwami remained
Usually Tikki, like all kwamis, was able to stand perfectly still and pretend she was nothing more than an object. But this time, doing that was a bit harder, because she still had her little heart pounding like crazy inside her chest. Sabine had scared her, and she was going to need a little time for her heart to calm down. Her hope was that Marinette would be able to keep her mother's attention on her, giving Tikki the time she needed to calm down her heart, and remain still.
"I figured that you would have finished resting and that you might be hungry." -Sabine declared, as she placed the plate with the croissant and the cookies on top of Marinette's desk. –"I see that you've been a busy little bee." -she said, as she noticed the mess on the floor.
"Y-Yes. I needed to unwind a little bit, so, I decided to finish Alya's birthday present." -Marinette said, as she pointed to the finished hoodie
Looking at it, Sabine could not help but to feel proud of her daughter. The hoodie looked incredibly beautiful. Stylish, yet practical, and immensely colourful. Marinette's talent for designing and sewing marvellous clothes kept growing, with each passing day, and as her mother, Sabine was happy to see that. She knew that Marinette still had a lot to grow as a designer and as a seamstress, and that she herself could teach her a few more tricks she knew, but there was no denying that she was incredibly talented, and that one day, the whole world would know that.
"I'm positive that she will love it, Marinette." -Sabine said, as she picked up one of the hoodie's sleeves and observed the stitching. –"I see that you have been practicing. Your stitching looks much better, than the last time I saw it." -she added, before looking at the floor. –"But I see that you still haven't learned to keep your bedroom from turning into a disaster area, when you sew something, Marinette."
"Old habits die hard. Sorry, mom."
"It's okay, Marinette. But in the future, try not to make such a mess. That way, it will be easier to clean things up, when you've finished sewing." -Sabine told her. –"But tell me, what are you doing now? These look nice." -she said, as she looked at the face paint sketches Marinette had been working on.
"Thanks, mom. It's for a commission." -Marinette said, without saying who it was for. She wanted to, but she once more decided to go with Tikki's advice, and not reveal it had been Jagged Stone who had ordered that commission, until the day after.
"Oh, you got someone asking you for some kind of mask?" -Sabine asked her, as she looked a little closer to the sketches.
"Not exactly. It's a design for a face paint." -Marinette told her. –"I'm using these photos I've got of Juleka with different make-ups to help me come up with a cool design for it." -she said.
"I see. Well, these look very good." -Sabine smiled. –"Still, I hope you don't forget that you still have exams tomorrow. We wouldn't want you to get a bad grade in one of the exams you still need to do." -she told Marinette.
"Don't worry, mom. I'm just going to work on this for a little bit longer, and then, I'm going to study a little bit, before dinner." -Marinette said. –"And then, after dinner, I'll revise a couple of things, before going to bed." -she smiled at her mother.
"Alright, honey. You know your father and I trust you will do the right thing." -Sabine smiled heart-warmly at her daughter, before caressing her face. –"By the way, I've been wanting to ask you this. When are you bringing Adrien home again? I'm just asking, because he tended to show up now and then, when you two weren't dating, and now that you are dating, he hardly shows up." -she pointed out.
"Mom!" -Marinette exclaimed, before letting out a chuckle. –"Please, don't do that. Don't be that mom that shows up on every teenager movie, who desperately tries to be the cool mom and find out more about her daughter's life." -she joked, making Sabine laugh.
"Sorry, honey. But in all honesty, I just asked, because I like having him around. He's such a nice boy." -Sabine admitted.
"Why do you think I began dating him?" -Marinette asked her with a sassy voice. –"But answering to your question, I don't know when he'll be able to, because there are weeks that he's got a really busy schedule." -she said, being honest about it. Some weeks, Adrien had such a busy schedule, that would keep him from doing the things he wanted to do.
"Well, be sure to tell him that he has to find the time to come here. We love to have him around." -Sabine said.
"I will, I promise.… Plus, I think that he will be able to come around a little more often, once he finds the time and the courage to tell his dad about us." -Marinette declared.
"He still hasn't?" -Sabine asked her, surprised. Marinette had told her that Adrien had told Nathalie that he was dating her, but not his father.
"No, not yet. He's waiting for the right moment. He wants to make sure that when he tells it to his dad, that he's in a good mood." -Marinette told her.
"I see. Well, I'll leave you to finish what you're doing, honey. Be sure to eat those snacks I brought you. And remember, don't forget to study a little bit." -Sabine said. –"I'll call you, when dinner is ready."
"Okay, mom. And thanks for the snacks." –Marinette thanked her, as Sabine left.
After Sabine closed the door, Tikki waited a couple of seconds before moving again. During all the time Sabine was in Marinette's bedroom, she was forced to remain as still as possible. Her heart was still beating like crazy, when she finally moved. Looking at her, Marinette could not help but to giggle.
"That was a close one, Tikki." -Marinette told the kwami.
"Too close, indeed." -Tikki agreed with Marinette. –"We have to be more careful. Your mom can't find out about me." -she sighed, as she tried her best to slow down her little heart. –"I shouldn't have allowed myself to get distracted that way."
"Don't worry about it. Mom didn't suspect a thing. Plus, you do make a cute doll." -Marinette giggled, as she grabbed a cookie from the plate and gave it to the little kwami. –"Here, have this cookie. It will help you calm down a bit." -she smiled, as Tikki grabbed it.
"Thanks, Marinette." -Tikki said, as she nibbled the cookie.
Finally, quarantine period in Portugal is over, and that means we've entered the State of Calamity. I don't know how long it will last, or if we'll be forced to go back to quarantine, but I'm hoping that doesn't happen, because it's getting warmer, and with that said, it's harde to stay home, even if it's for own good.
Also, let me tell you something. This chapter was what I consider to be a "guilty pleasure" for me. xD You know that I love writing scenes between certain characters, and this chapter almost like one giant scene between two of my favourite characters, Marinette and Tikki. I just love their chemistry in the series, and I just can't help but to replicate it here.
But to tell you the truth, as much as I feel that this chapter was a guilty pleasure for me, it was a really calm chapter. On the next one, I'll have to stirr things up a little... I wonder how I'm going to do that? xD In the meantime, feel free to comment, fav and leave your suggestions to improve this fic, or the following ones. :)