Chloe left school feeling a bit more upset by the exchange then she would have liked. Yes, Marinette and Adrien helped her save the day. Yes, if not for them things probably would have gone way worse, but Marinette had no right to try and pry into things that were of no concern to her. The more she stewed on it, the more she thought back to the conversation they had had in the park and she decided that Marinette's questions had been out of line then too. Especially about her scars, ESPECIALLY about her scars!
Chloe grumbled to herself as she walked on the sidewalk, deciding it was better to cool off before returning home, even if the idea of sampling some of that wine that Naje and Haje were so desperate for did sound tempting. She'd rather not be drunk and angry, she was certain that combination had led to enough mistakes in her past life. She took deep breaths as she admired the area around her, taking in the buildings and streets before it opened up into the all too familiar park.
"Maybe I could do a bit of art after all. A bit of passion helps bring art some pop," she said with a bit of bite as she walked into the park. Hearing the people laugh and play as they enjoyed their day, especially after a gold furred fire, fire breathing deer nearly destroy the city alongside a rock star and a crocodile was a welcome balm to her bad mood.
"Hey! Watch out!" The voice sounded familiar and as Chloe turned, her eyes widened at the sight of a soccer ball soaring right at her. She quickly fell into a split, the ball going over her head and hitting a tree. Chloe frowned before turning her gaze to where it came from only to blink at the sight.
Sabrina in soccer gear was looking awkwardly at Chloe, waving slightly while Alix looked off into space and Kim just smiled like a fool.
"Hey, Chloe sorry about that, I was just showing Sabrina one of my tricks and kinda lost control," Kim said with that oblivious smile on his face. Chloe sighed as she stood up and retrieved the ball before walking over and handing it over to them.
"Thankfully, it didn't hit anyone. I don't think a mother would be as forgiving as me so be careful Mister Lê Chiến," Chloe said in a stern tone that she had often used with her students, complemented with the stare she gave him. "After all, wouldn't want to scare any kids or akumatize any mothers right?"
Kim nodded, deflating a bit from the mild scolding but Chloe followed it up with a smile, "Good, now you three can go back to having fun. I shall go by the poor tree you assaulted with that ball and draw."
"You sure you don't want to join us, Chloe?" Sabrina asked. "We could pair up and play a game."
Chloe considered the offer before shaking her head and holding up her drawing supplies. "Sorry Sabrina, I'm not much for sports sadly. Though, I will be cheering you on and maybe draw a nice image of you beating Kim," she said with a sly smirk that made Sabrina's smile widen even if it had been a 'no'. Chloe made her way to the tree, sitting down and setting up as the three began to play again.
Chloe watched them for a bit, sketching some of the things she saw, from Kim head-butting the ball, to Alix sliding and kicking it, and finishing with Sabrina smiling as she kicked the ball over Kim's head before she began to draw for the sake of drawing. She let her mind go into her own thoughts to try and see what she would come up with.
"So whatcha drawing this time?" Chloe's thoughts were quickly halted when the familiar voice of Alix spoke and when she looked next to her she saw the spunky redhead looking at the canvas.
"Just whatever comes to mind," Chloe said even as she blushed a little, Kim's broad shoulders had reminded her of the jackal messenger and Heracles and she had doodled several incredibly buff figures, including the alien monster from the movie she had watched the night of her first mission.
"Looks like you've got muscles on your mind," Alix teased. "Do I need to start pumping iron?"
Chloe's blush deepened before she coughed, "It's always good to keep up on anatomy."
In the silence that followed, Chloe realized that did not come off like an excuse for what she had drawn and more like subtle innuendo and as she glanced at Alix, the other girl had more than picked up on it as she blushed too. They sat like that for a moment before Alix finally looked away, hugging her knees to her chest.
"So, uh, what exactly is this job of yours? And who are you interning for exactly? That guy was…odd," Alix asked.
Chloe stiffened, feeling a spike of frustration that someone was prying into her personal life for the second time today. It was made more complicated with the fact that she didn't want to be angry with Alix for being concerned about her, but racing for an answer that wasn't a lie left her irked nonetheless.
"It's hard to explain in a way that makes sense," Chloe said as an attempt to try and stone wall the question but Alix only raised a brow at her.
"I'm willing to hear it," Alix responded to Chloe, which caused Chloe to frown. Why were half of the people around her too stubborn to take a hint? Chloe sighed resignedly.
"I'm kind of like a gofer. I get them what they want or need. So far I've done two jobs, one to pick up and deliver an antique urn, and the other was that one of the bosses' pets got out and I had to get it back," Chloe said in the simplest and most honest way she could. Which made the snort from Alix even more surprising.
"Wait, wait, so you mean that guy came to our school to get you to track down someone's lost dog or cat? Really?" Alix looked on the verge of laughing and Chloe's pride wouldn't let that slide.
"It was a hind, thank you very much. And I'll have you know it's a good job that pays well and my bosses appreciate my work." Chloe gestured to her canvas and art supplies as she spoke but the look on Alix's face made it clear that she had said too much.
"You had to retrieve a lost deer?" Alix asked, cocking her head to the side.
Panic had Chloe sweating, if Alix kept prying she was definitely going to start putting all the pieces together.
"You know what? A game of soccer sounds like just the thing right now. You and me against Sabrina and Kim, how about it?" Chloe asked as she leapt to her feet.
Alix eyed her suspiciously for a moment, but her competitive streak against Kim was too strong to resist and she smiled as she jumped up too.
"Sounds great, though don't think Sabrina will go easy on you. The field is where she comes alive!" Alix said before racing ahead to call out to the others to let them know.
The game had been just the thing to distract Alix, the others had all gone all out, while Chloe struggled to make sure she didn't accidentally use any of her powers in the heat of the moment. It had left her more tired than she would have expected, having to make sure she never crossed a line, the location of which she wasn't exactly sure of.
It hadn't worked perfectly though, Kim and Sabrina had both gone home on their own, but Alix was still tagging along with Chloe. Which had made Chloe very nervous that Alix would pry into things more, but thankfully she only talked about sports and her dreams of her future in roller derby. Chloe listened to her quietly, letting the little redhead carry on alongside her.
"What about you?" Alix asked, causing Chloe to stumble slightly.
"Wha?" Chloe asked, caught off guard as she tried to right herself.
"What do you wanna do in your future? At first, I thought you'd just keep being a spoiled rich girl or a gold digg-" Alix stopped when she saw Chloe's raised brow as they continued into the hotel but Chloe only shrugged.
"To be honest, it's hard to say. I wanted to try a lot of things," Chloe remembered vague attempts at trying to be her own person, especially with art, and the feeling that few were successful. "The thing that stuck with me was art, and well," Chloe blushed, feeling both proud and embarrassed about it but Alix began poking her as they got into the elevator.
"Tell me what's the other, oh Miss Artist." Chloe tried swatting away Alix's hands as she poked her, squirming and struggling to keep a hold on her art supplies before giving in.
"Teaching! I enjoyed art and teaching," Chloe said, blushing as red as a tomato.
"Oh, that's surprising. I thought it would be fashion with how much you talk about it," Alix commented.
"I did, but that was more wanting to be like my mom than my own thing," Chloe said, sighing and looking up at the ceiling of the elevator, feeling like a fool for ever wanting to be like her twisted and vain mother. "In the end I grew to despise fashion. Especially once I realized my mother cared about it more than me."
Alix was quietly somber as she considered Chloe, before leaning in very close and looking Chloe in the eyes.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" Chloe asked as she grew more and more flushed.
"Just checking to see if you might be concussed or something. You've been talking in the past tense about teaching like you've been doing it for years," Alix said as she continued to closely examine Chloe.
"Uhm, I meant that I want to be an amazing teacher like Miss Bustier and maybe...I sometimes…have daydreams about it?" Chloe said, stumbling over her words, unsure if she would be able to even utter them.
Alix pursed her lips skeptically for a moment before shrugging and stepping back. "That's fair, I have noticed you drifting off during classes, and without being on your phone like usual."
Chloe forced herself not to sigh in relief and quickly stepped past Alix as the doors opened.
"Well, it was great talking to you, Alix, but I have to get to work on my homework and get ready for the next day, so I'll see you tomorrow at school, maybe even get something to eat after. Sound good? Great! See ya!" Chloe did her best to flee to her room, leaving Alix stunned and surprised in the elevator as Chloe darted down the hallway. She even rushed past her dad, giving him a quick hello as she did before getting into her room and closing the door, letting out a relieved sigh. "That was so close! I swear this no lying thing is a massive weakness!"
She could feel Naje and Haje slither out of the ring, seeming quite upbeat in contrast to her flustered state.
"Well, now that we're back, how about a glass of that wine you worked so hard for today? A congratulatory toast, if you will," Naje said, hissing joyfully as Chloe looked at him in confusion.
"Congratulations for defeating the hind? Tempting but I really do have homework and school tomorrow," Chloe responded before Haje snorted.
"No, he means to congratulate you for that date you just set up for tomorrow, Chloe," Haje said, looking at her with a smile. Meanwhile Chloe's face went blank for a very long moment.
"Fuck."
Edite and Co-written by GrayNeko