Actions

Work Header

Chapter 4: Maze

Chapter Text

Chloe crossed her arms, curling into her scarf and jacket. She looked at Sabrina with pursed lips. "We will be getting cinnamon rolls after this, right?"

Sabrina nodded. "Monsieur Dupré is baking them now." She glanced towards their teacher, Chloe copying her. The woman seemed to be discussing something with Madame Dupré. Probably their entry order into his hedge maze. The man had been working on it since he first moved to Paris four years ago.

Currently at two meters, it was pure boxwood hedge and he had it forming a large maze that filled up one of the three square acres he owned. He had a staff of gardeners solely for it and she could admit that it was worth it, especially when he set it up for seasonal holidays. Her, Sabrina, and Adrien visited the previous year for winter and it had been both gorgeous and awe-inspiring. Red ribbons lined the pathways, bells were at dead-ends, and mistletoe popped up randomly. They had had fun going through it.

And this year they were experiencing it with their classmates. Yes, they were more than likely to be split up —Bustier was insistent on everyone getting along with Hawk Moth's arrival— but they could still have fun.

She wondered if he went full spooky for fall or went with things that were actually fall related. A sudden thought returned to her and she looked towards where the majority of their class was, eyes narrowing. "You know, I could buy some of the treats for the tea party here."

Sabrina brushed their arms together. "I think I see cider? That has to be in those jugs."

Chloe nodded in agreement, linked their arms, and they headed over. The jams were noticed earlier, the glass sparkling beneath the sun. Apple and pumpkin were the main ingredients she noted as they got closer, joining Rose and Mylene as they looked at them. Apple jam and apple sauce, pumpkin jam and pumpkin butter. Pumpkin cider, apple cider, and a mixture of both were offered. Pear and cranberry were also options. She looked thoughtfully at the cranberry sauce. That could be used for the Halloween tea party and the pumpkin cider served for the fall tea party. All non-alcoholic, of course. If Papa wanted alcoholic for the adult parties, he could place the order himself though she doubted it. He tended to stay sober for any public occasion. 

With Sabrina providing the list of allergies and intolerance on her phone (received whenever their class had new students and she was class representative), they told the eldest Madame Dupré what they wanted to order for both parties and the elderly woman cheerfully placed them in a crate for Jean the butler to receive. Chloe in turn handed over a check that earned her wide eyes from Rose and Mylene.

It was the shyer girl who spoke. "Chloe? Are you throwing a party?"

Giving her a side eye, she debated for a moment then sighed. "Here." Digging through her bag, she pulled out four invitations with the correct names on them. Two went to Mylene, two to Rose, and both were different.

For the first, it said: "You are cordially invited to Chloe Bourgeois's fall tea party on Saturday the 19th of October, 2013." It then said the time (2:30 to 4:30), the location (her hotel, obviously), and how to RSVP (preferably by the sixth, which the calendar also declared as Alix's birthday (she'd probably be dragged there by Sabrina and Adrien)). There was also a request of semi-formal to full-on formal apparel. She didn't want to see any sweats or ripped clothing. 

For the second, it read: "You are bewitchingly invited to Chloe Bourgeois's witches tea on Saturday the 26th of October, 2013." The time was the same as the fall tea party and a week after for the RSVP, but unlike the fall tea party (which would be held in a private meeting room, usually used by outside businesses for meetings) it would be held in her personal rooms, namely the living area and the kitchenette, plus her balcony would be available in the event someone needed away for a bit (her bedroom would be locked up). Her furniture would be moved down to storage for the party and other furniture would be brought in, enough for them to sit at and less for them to move around. The apparel would still be semi-formal and formal as long as it was Halloween themed.

She personally had a ghost costume she would wear and Sabrina had gleefully accepted her offer of dressing as a female Chucky. The girl loved scary doll movies as much as they terrified her so it would be a treat for her to have. They'd dress as something else on Halloween.

Adrien still refused to tell her what he would dress as. Probably something Gabriel was helping him with.

They were both secretive when it came to costumes and it infuriated her because they didn't even give her hints! Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous of them!

Rose made an "ooh" noise as Mylene rubbed her thumb along the fall invite edges. Her eyes were wide. "Is this real gold?"

Chloe shook her head. "Metallic paint," she corrected. "A friend helped me with it." As annoying as his theories could be, she wasn't going to rat Jalil out to Alix. He still needed to help her with the historical accuracies she needed for her ghost dress and he would refuse if his sister found out he was getting lessons ("They're not dates!") from the guy who was making the Ladybug and Chat Noir sculpture.

"Can I answer now?" Rose asked, looking at her with growing excitement. 

She considered that, then shook her head. "I'd rather wait until I get back to the hotel. My RSVPs will be written off there." 

Rose bobbed her head and looked at Juleka. "Do you want me to pass out the rest?"

The offer gave Chloe some warmth and she accepted it, pulling out the rest to hand over. "Sure. And don't bother looking for Adrikins'. I had to go through Nathalie to get both approved." Her eyes darkened as she glowered at nothing. She didn't notice the three blanching nor the eldest Madame Dupré casting her a worried glance. "Uncle Gabriel's already been warned about taking it back, so he knows the consequences he'll face if he does."

Sabrina gently patted her shoulder. "Yes, he does," she agreed.

"Chloe!" 

Turning towards the voice, she dropped her scowl in favor of raising a brow at Max as he approached with Kim and Alix beside him. She sidestepped the skater as she darted to the stand, asking about cider. "Yes?" She raised the other when she saw Kim miss a step and heaved him back upright.

Max paused in front of her, adjusting his glasses. "You and I are partners for the maze," he told her. "Sabrina is with Nino, Kim is with Rose, and Mylene is with Adrien."

She could see the other two boys heading over. Marinette was partnered with Ivan and Alya was with Nathaniel. Juleka was heading over, so she assumed she was partnered with Alix. "Okay. Is there an order or do we go whenever?"

"We're going first. Then it's Alya and Nathaniel, Kim and Rose, Mylene and Adrien, Juleka and Alix, Sabrina and Nino, and Ivan and Marinette are last," he listed off in one long breath.

"Asthmatics first, huh?" She observed, crossing her arms. "Will you be okay going through the maze?"

He patted his bag. "My inhaler is with me."

"So is mine. Let's get this over with." She glanced at Alix and Kim, riling each other up. Rose and Juleka were looking more and more like they were facing the gallows. "Especially since you have to time them."

A sigh escaped. "Yes, I do."

They shared a look before heading to the entry. Bustier smiled brightly as they were told the rules of the maze (which she heard the previous year) and Chloe got permission once again to record their time in the maze.

Her phone up and running as they stepped through, she intoned, "And so begins the adventure of Chloe Bourgeois and Max Kante as they face navigational distress. Will we prevail? Will we have to make an SOS beacon? Who knows. ... what?"

Max turned his head away, lips twitching like he wanted to smile. "Nothing. I suppose you really have become different."

She eyed him as they ran into their first dead-end. "As long as you don't call me nice. It'll give me hives. And here we have our first dead-end with a very disappointed hedgehog..."