When Chloe woke to the sounds of her alarm and got out of bed she worried she'd be sore and exhausted beyond measure. Yet when she looked in the mirror for any bruising and examined her broken arm, she saw that she was totally healed. Her original scars were still there and rather than sore, she felt…refreshed.

Chloe went over to check the time, not surprised when it said 8 AM. But the date caught her off guard, she had been asleep for two days!

"Naje, Haje!" Chloe called as the snake slithered out of the ring, one head barely awake and the other yawning, which would now go on the list of things that will haunt her dreams.

"Yes, Chloe?" Naje said, looking at her through the snake-version of bleary eyes.

"Yeah, somethings wrong," Chloe responded by grabbing the clock and showing it to him, he looked at it and then back at her.

"I see it is quite early," he replied dryly.

"No, not that! The date!" Chloe responded in surprise and confusion. "I slept for two days Naje, two days!"

But soon Haje yawned and looked at her, waking up himself with a shake of his head.

"That is to be expected," Haje calmly replied.

"You pushed yourself and you're still new to this, not to mention the wraith broke your bones. Healing was necessary and since we didn't eat before sleeping and your acclimation to the powers is still ongoing, it makes sense we would go dormant to recover," Haje further elaborated, lecturing her with the air of a professor before a class.

"In fact, I think two days is quick for a new user," Haje said with a modicum of respect, looking to Naje to confirm before both nodded in agreement. Meanwhile Chloe was beginning to pace around her room, worried about getting in trouble.

"What if my father hears about this and gets angry? What if Jean is worried?" Chloe asked as her pacing got faster and faster.

"There is no need to worry, when going dormant your body temperature rises," Haje replied matter-of-factly. "Obviously, this Jean checked on you and thought you had a fever."

"How do you know?!" Chloe replied, trying and failing to suppress her panic.

"Because we watched him check up on you. He even had a doctor brought in and it was decided you were sick due to a fever of one hundred and one," Haje replied, flexing his hood a bit in a cocky manner. Chloe relaxed a bit, if they thought she was just sick then she didn't have to worry about explaining anything.

Chloe let out a sigh of relief as she decided it would be best to get ready for the day. She grabbed a quick shower and was on her way to find something to wear when she noticed a peculiar sight on the table in the middle of the room.

"Uhmmmmm Naje, Haje, what are those?" Chloe asked, tightening the towel she wore before walking over to get a better look, a bit confused. It was a canvas, a brush, some paint boxes, and a big wooden box topped with two scrolls like that dog man had.

"Those are your rewards for completing the task you were assigned," Haje said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"As I've said, sometimes the gods reward those who perform their assigned tasks exemplary. By the looks of it, Anubis was greatly pleased with your work," Naje said with a bit of pride as if he were the one who had performed the task.

Haje slid past his cocky brother and began to speak as he examined the items.

"He even went so far as to send a message with it. But it appears Set did as well, so I'd be prepared to see how Set felt about being tricked," Haje said.

Chloe reached down and picked up the scroll, her breathing a bit quick from nervousness as she began to read it.

"'Dear Serpent of Truth, well done with completing your task. I had worried that it may have been too much for you at first, but it seems that worry was for nought. You accomplished the task with creativity and mindfulness'," the letter started, easing Chloe's nerves.

"'For that, I reward you with paints of the Underworld and the Skies. As well a brush that shall never fail. I know you loved art so these gifts shall bring your love to such heights that most mortals could never reach! Finally, the last gift is in the box on the table. Consider it compensation for your efforts.'"

Chloe blinked for a moment before rereading the scroll. Her mind was barely able to process that a God had praised her, but more so that he knew more about herself than she did. She proceeded to close and set the scroll down gently before looking at the other one from Set and opening it, preparing for the worst.

"'Well done Serpent, you have out done yourself in a way I could never have foreseen. When I received the urn and saw it was empty, I had prepared to release plagues upon your lands for this trick!'" A far less friendly start compared to the previous scroll.

"'However, I then saw what you did to the Wraith and I was truly impressed! To trap that wretched lowlife in his own body, far beyond what I had planned to do with him for his arrogant existence!'" A sudden turn in tone that Chloe genuinely didn't expect.

"'I can now smile every day hearing the melody of his screams. If ever I'm bored I can alway see his trapped agony, immortalized by you…so well done.'" Chloe wasn't sure how she felt about being praised in such a way.

"'As a reward, I prepared a gift to compliment Anubis' gift. A canvas that will store everything ever painted on it, and a set of stencils made by Hephaestus himself! Lastly, one final item in the box alongside Anubis' gift. No one can ever accuse Set of being stingy. I look forward to seeing how cruel and how elegantly you complete your future tasks, Serpent.'" The letter finished with only four words.

"'Do Not Disappoint Me.'"

Chloe was left shocked and more than a little nauseous at being complimented for being elegantly cruel, it reminded her too much of how she used to be. But the feeling of dread she felt when seeing he was willing to release plagues for being outsmarted by Chloe outpaced every other emotion. She closed the scroll setting it next to the other, but deep under those feelings she felt an iota of pride for being praised for eliminating such a dangerous threat, even if it hadn't been entirely on her own. Chloe looked at the box and reached down to slowly open it, her eyes going wide as plates at the contents within.

Inside were two bracelets made entirely of gold and decorated with gems and hieroglyphs engraved into them. Chloe reached down brushing her fingers along one of the bracelets, feeling its smooth metal and gems, almost unreal to her.

"What are these exactly?" Chloe asked quietly, still awestruck by the pure opulence of the pieces of jewelry.

"They're treasure," Naje said quietly. "It took some time before the Gods realized Numinous wielders often don't have time to support themselves as other mortals do. Can't have your Chosen Ones starving in the streets like stray dogs," he said as slithered around to Chloe's arm.

"It's a more subtle way of courting wielders for future tasks," Chloe raised her brow at that in confusion and both Naje and Haje sighed.

"Gods can be as territorial as they are arrogant. Even though I am a blessing that tells gods of other pantheons you're claimed and which Court has first rights when it comes to submitting tasks to you, sometimes rival gods will try to lure you with promises of greater rewards, or even offer blessings of protection. It has been known to cause some Gods to almost come to blows," Haje explained.

"How oft-" Chloe started to ask before Naje cut her off.

"Often enough to have Zeus and Odin fighting each other. Or Wukong and Hercules about to tear up the heavens over a wager," Naje said with a bit of humor.

"But we can worry about that later. It's better for you to do something and enjoy the day since you've rested for so long," Haje said, slithering away casually, leaving Chloe in thought.

Chloe didn't like the idea that gods were so petty. After all, Gods are meant to be all powerful, right? Chloe huffed, rubbing her forehead with a touch of annoyance before walking to get changed into something for the day.

She settled on an outfit similar to what she used to wear all the time, simply because of a lack of options. Maybe she could sell one of the bracelets and get a more practical wardrobe. She didn't bother doing more than brushing her hair and leaving it down, and completely skipped makeup altogether. She looked far plainer than she used to but could finally stand looking at herself in the mirror as she nodded with appreciation.

"Ok let's get this day started!" Chloe said, getting her phone out and shooting a text to Sabrina to see if she was free to hang out. She grabbed the bracelets and stashed them in the back of her closet. They were far too valuable to wear around, unless maybe she had to attend a gala of some kind.

She made sure to grab the paints, canvas, and stencils before making her way out the door and making her way towards the elevator shooting a smile at Jean as she did, who visibly sagged with relief at the sight of her up and about.

"I'll be going to the park! Be back later, ok?" Chloe called out to him.

"Be safe, Mademoiselle," Jean responded politely as he recovered.

Chloe entered the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor, hoping to avoid her father and get out quickly. Which thankfully wasn't hard when your father was the mayor. She was able to leave with no interference or distractions but sadly the response from Sabrina made her pause almost in disbelief.

"She's busy…" Chloe pouted as she slowly resumed walking to the park with her items in hand.

"What were you planning to do at the park with her?" Naje communicated through the bond.

"I don't know. Maybe chat, actually learn stuff about her, and be a better friend while knocking off the rust from my past life. See if I can still paint as well as I can somewhat recall?" Chloe responded looking around at the beautiful buildings and the people making her way through one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

It might seem odd coming from a girl who had been chauffeured most of her life but she loved walking more than driving. She couldn't figure out why but she knew it came from the life she had lived before shedding and she was determined to fill in all the missing pieces of that life.

After a while she finally reached the park, feeling enlived by the sounds of laughter and seeing people playing and running around having fun. Chloe looked around before heading over to a nice spot that gave her a good view of everything.

"Okay Chloe, time to see if you can still do this," She breathed softly after setting up the canvas, her paints and stencils. She looked nervously at the canvas, taking a deep breath and beginning to sketch out random things around her. The weather, a child running around, a bird in a tree, or a roller skater going past the fountain. Soon, Chloe lost herself in drawing, starting to just draw things she could think of, focusing on small things she could remember, vague impressions of people she met as she was sketching faces that she knew but couldn't name well. The exception was Roman and his smile. As she began the next sketch she dug deep, getting the impression of something more.

—-

"So what's this book series about?" Chloe was asking, looking up from the strange books to the blurry impressions that could maybe her students.

"Well, we don't wanna spoil anything, just read these two sets and tell us which you prefer. We can go from there." The voice that came from a figure that had a southern tone thicker than Roman's and spoke far more excited than she could ever remember Roman being.

"She's gonna pick our set, you redneck." That voice sounded female with an Asian accent, Japanese if Chloe were to guess.

"Stuff it you rice-"

"Hey, be polite or I'm not reading either sets! I agreed to try this hobby if you all were at your best, remember?" Chloe responded with a stern tone.

"Yes ma'am," the class responded as one.

"Good. Now, I'll give them a read but there's no promise I'll enjoy either of them, ok? Especially with titles like Galaxy in Flames and Sons of the Forest."

Chloe's confusion was palpable even hearing those names.

"But I'll try. For now class is dismissed. I'll see you all at the event tomorrow, ok?"

The class all agreed and began to file out. Leaving Chloe to turn her attention to the blurry books, their covers finally coming into focus.

—-

"Hey, earth to Chloe!" And with that, Chloe was brought out of the memory, jumping and looking around in confusion. She raised her stencil like a dagger momentarily before quickly shoving her hands into her lap and tried not to blush with embarrassment.

"Man, you must really get into the zone when you're drawing."

Chloe looked towards the voice and found Alix waving at her with a grin. The short red head was sitting beside Chloe with her legs crossed and very close for that matter. She closed what little distance there was between them as she shifted her attention to Chloe's canvas, "And I gotta say those drawings ain't half bad."

Chloe turned from Alix back to her canvas and saw that she had drawn a myriad of images. Most of them were Roman with different expressions but there were some teens she didn't recognize down in one corner, and finally a man with a stern gaze but a soft smile up in the top right corner. Both Roman and this man brought a strange warmth to her chest and a smile to her face.

"So is that guy an actor or someone you know? Cause you drew him a lot," Alix asked, pointing to Roman before she smirked slyly. "Does Ms Bougie Bourgeois have a crush?"

"What?!" Chloe nearly shrieked as she leapt to her feet. As fond as she felt about Roman in the memories she could recall, the idea of it being anything more felt…wrong.

"No! He's…" Chloe struggled to come up with an answer that wasn't an outright lie.

"Relax, Chloe, I was just messing with you," Alix said as she sat back with a sigh. "Who'd have thought I'd find Chloe Bourgeois behaving like a normal girl?"

"Who says I'm not acting normal?" Chloe demanded with a stamp of her foot.

"Uh, everyone? You know you haven't threatened to call your daddy on anyone in days?" Alix said as she stood up. Somehow, even though Chloe was much taller, the spunky girl seemed far more imposing as she invaded Chloe's personal space.

"And you're bothering me why?" Chloe asked as she tried to draw herself up even as she cringed internally for sounding like how she used to. Why was Alix making her feel so defensive?

"Because I want to know what's with the sudden change. You tried to take on a freakin' Akuma and not because it messed up your outfit," Alix said, her lip curling in nearly a sneer.

"Well, I couldn't just stand there and do nothing," Chloe sniffed dismissively.

"You mean like you normally do? You show up acting weird one day, nearly get killed trying to help, start acting like you're a different, better person, and then you disappear for two days. Most of us didn't even know you were sick until Marinette spoke up saying she saw you looking horrible. So yeah Chloe, I'm asking what's happened to you," Alix as she crossed her arms as if she were daring Chloe to try to get her to budge from her mission.

"It's complicated and really none of your business," Chloe said through grit teeth, starting to regret trying to enjoy herself in public. She could have painted just fine on her patio back at the hotel.

"In case you haven't noticed, Chloe, I'm making it my business. So do tell, what's so complicated that it made you wanna change so bad?" Alix asked as she leaned in once more

Chloe bit her lip before sighing. Maybe the truth wouldn't hurt, at least too much. "I just looked in the mirror and realized I kind of hate myself and who I was becoming." Chloe said it as a joke but the truth behind the words was there and it took all her willpower to meet Alix's eyes.

The last thing Chloe expected was Alix's expression to soften as her challenging smirk fell into a frown.

"Sheesh, Chloe, are you ok? Like really?" Alix asked far more gently as she shifted closer incrementally. "Have you talked to anyone about this?"

Chloe blinked at the shift in Alix's behavior, "Now who's acting weird?"

"I'm worried about you, you dummy!" Alix snapped, her face flushing nearly to match her hair.

Chloe blinked in confusion, especially as something about the expression on Alix's face filled her with a dizzying sense of deja vu.

"Whoa, Chloe!" Alix cried out as she lunged forward and caught Chloe as she began to sway on her feet. "Seriously, are you ok?"

Chloe gave her head a shake before looking at the way Alix was holding her, making the pair of them look like the oddest romance novel cover. It made her cheeks burn crimson and she quickly pulled away from the skater girl.

"I'm fine. I think I just need to eat something," Chloe said as she brushed her hair from her face.

"Well in that case, I think the cavalry has arrived," Alix said with a nod.

Chloe turned to face the direction Alix was looking and found Marinette approaching with a picnic basket in hand.

Marinette slowed as she neared the two of them and stood some ways off awkwardly.

"Hi Alix, Chloe. Nice to see you two. I'm happy to see you're feeling better, Chloe. Care to join me for lunch?" Marinette said somewhat stiffly, forcing a smile.

Alix seemed to pick up the fact that Marinette's attention was focused solely on Chloe and shrugged. "I'll pass, but thanks for the offer, Marinette. I've been sitting around long enough."

Before Alix left, she dropped her voice so only Chloe could hear her, "It seems like someone is Miss Popular for real, for once."

Chloe started and looked after Alix, both mystified by the girl's behavior and wanting her to stay so she wouldn't have to talk to Marinette. She stopped herself from calling out to Alix at the last moment, it would be cowardly to use someone as a shield for a conversation that was going to happen sooner or later.

"Is there actually food in there?" Chloe asked as she turned back to Marinette.

"Of course, and lots of it. Tiki told me about how taxing Numinous healing can be. You need your strength after two days of sleeping," Marinette said as she laid out a blanket and began setting out food. Despite how calmly she spoke, Chloe could sense Marinette was coiled tight like a spring.

"So Tiki knows about Naje and Haje?" Chloe asked softly as she watched Marinette set the food down. Honestly, for once she could empathize with Marinette, it felt like Naje and Haje were preparing to strike and it made every muscle in her body ache with tension. She had to force herself to settle into a cross-legged position.

"She does, and about how someone can become a Numinous wielder, especially the snakes of truth," Marinette said as she poured a glass of tea and held it out to Chloe.

"Judges of Truth!" came a tiny duo of hisses from Chloe's lap as Haje and Naje glared at Marinette.

"Oh put a sock in it, you two!" came a small voice from the picnic basket as the lid lifted to reveal a creature Chloe had once mistaken for a keychain decoration.

"Tiki!" Marinette whispered fiercely, glancing at the kwami out of the corner of her eye.

"Sorry, Marinette," Tiki mumbled before sinking out of sight.

"Glad to see I'm not the only one who has trouble keeping theirs in line," Chloe muttered, sharing a look of genuine amusement with Marinette before glancing down at Haje and Naje. "You two keep quiet. This is a conversation between humans."

"Fine, but if she attempts anything, our poisons work just as well in any form," Haje replied before he and Naje coiled into a tight bundle in Chloe's lap, staying on guard.

"I'm sorry about that, Marinette," Chloe said as she finally reached out to take the tea. "I'm guessing you have a whole speech planned out?"

"I've got several, each based on how hostile you might be, but I wasn't expecting this so I'll just try to speak plainly," Marinette said as she continued acting as hostess and served Chloe several specialty macarons. "I think you should give up this Numinous artifact."

Chloe paused with a macaron raised halfway to her mouth, fixing Marinette with a flat stare.

"Tiki has told me all about her encounters with the previous wielders. One of these people killed a user of the Ladybug Miraculous because she dared to save a woman's life! I don't know how long you've had this Numinous but it can't be a coincidence that you've made such amazing changes recently. What if you're told to come after me, to…kill me? Would you really undo all of this wonderful progress just to keep these powers?"

Chloe sat quietly until the end, at which point she nearly exploded. Fortunately, she had the presence of mind to keep her rage to a harsh whisper, "It is because of these powers that I've been able to change, Marinette. You have no idea what I've been through and I won't have you talk down to me because you're afraid we might end up on opposite sides. In case you've forgotten, Miraculous wearers aren't perfect or does Hawkmoth not count for some reason?"

Marinette drew in on herself at Chloe's word, her hands clenching her knees. Rather than continue the argument, Marinette took a deep breath and let it out slowly before looking up at Chloe.

"How did you know I was Ladybug? I've worked very hard to keep that secret," Marinette said, unable to keep a hint of fear from her voice that clearly said, 'If Chloe could find out my secret identity, then anyone could.'

Chloe nibbled her lip hesitantly. She certainly wasn't going to tell Marinette the whole story.

"Let's just say that after what I've been through, I'm not the same Chloe that you used to know," Chloe said softly as she stared into her cup of tea. Her gaze shifted to the uneaten macaron in her hand. "And to that end, there's one other thing I have to say to you."

Chloe drew herself up and couldn't help noticing that Marinette tensed in anticipation.

"I've apologized to Sabrina and Adrien for being a bad friend, but the person I have to apologize to most of all is you, Marinette," Chloe said, not feeling the same heartache she had when talking to Adrien and Sabrina, but still feeling her stomach jump nervously as she spoke. "You never deserved any of the cruel or spiteful things I put you through and I'm sorry for every mean, rude, or hurtful thing I've ever said or done. I'm not saying this to try to convince you to trust me as a wielder of a Numinous. As I said the other night, I'd rather we stay out of each other's way in that regard."

Marinette stared in shock, nearly dropping her own plate of macarons before catching them from slipping off. As she recovered and straightened up again, she couldn't help whispering almost to herself, "Are you really Chloe?"

Chloe couldn't help smiling at the shocked expression on Marinette's face, "Don't ruin the moment, baker girl."

That seemed to convince Marinette and she smiled softly before nodding and turning her focus to the meal again. They ate in relative silence for a while before Tiki whispered something to Marinette as she bent towards the basket that made the girl start.

"Uhm, Chloe, this might be a bit personal, but those scars, on your stomach, where did they come from?" Marinette asked, either nervous or feeling second hand embarrassment at remembering how little Chloe's hero outfit covered.

'Like she has room to talk," Chloe thought, 'Her Ladybug outfit is practically skintight! I should know, I used to run around in one playing pretend.'

"I'd rather not talk about it, but I'll say it has everything to do with how I came to be Haje and Naje's wielder," Chloe said, reaching down to run her knuckle along the snake's body.

Marinette nodded though she looked as if she wanted to ask more questions. Perhaps she would have but at that moment several voices called out in greeting. Alya, Nino and several other classmates were making their way over.

"This talk was…nice," Chloe said before she downed the last of her tea, "but I should get going."

"Chloe, wait, you don't have to go," Marinette said as she turned back from waving to the others.

"We might still end up enemies," Chloe said somberly. "I'd rather not make things more awkward if necessary."

"WHOOPS!" Another voice shouted, causing Chloe and Marinette to turn towards it. Chloe grunted as Alix bowled into her, sending them both sprawling with Alix laying atop Chloe.

"What's the big idea?" Chloe demanded with a groan.

"Sorry, Chloe, had to avoid a stick someone left on the path," Alix said as she pushed herself up, looming over Chloe in a way that made Chloe's cheeks warm. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No-" Chloe started to say before Alix cut her off.

"No sense in taking any chances? I couldn't agree more. Why don't we both rest here for a bit and enjoy some of Marinette's delicious snacks," Alix said in a rush before easing herself down beside Chloe.

Chloe would have snapped at Alix but the others finally reached them and then it was a flurry of conversation, including several people commenting on Chloe's canvas. Before Chloe knew it, she was thoroughly ensconced by the others, with Alix practically sidled up right against her.

"We both know you're too good a skater to have crashed from a stupid stick," Chloe whispered so only Alix could hear.

"Does that mean you watch me skate that often?" Alix shot back without hesitation, glancing at Chloe with a smirk that left Chloe speechless for the rest of the picnic.

Edited and co-written by GrayNeko