Chapter Text
Jeanne Chemin, like most people, didn’t mind her job. She was a maid at the most prestigious hotel in Paris, and she worked exclusively for the VIP guest suites. The job could be hard, and some guests could be a nightmare, but on the whole it wasn’t that bad. There were good days and bad days, just like there were good and bad people to work with and to serve. She assumed the same could be said for every job really.
Few jobs, however, had the pleasure of being in close contact with the Mayor’s daughter on a daily basis.
“It will be fun,” Chloé scoffed, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder. “Trust me!”
Sabrina struggled to catch up to her friend who was racing ahead, leaving the redhead to carry all of their school bags and the bag of ‘goodies’ Chloé had prepared especially for school today.
“I do trust you Chloé, you know that, but I just think that- gah!”
Some of the books that Sabrina was juggling slipped and, in trying to catch them, the poor girl dropped everything else and ended up tripping over the strap of her bag. She hit the floor hard, knocking the breath out of her, and causing Jeanne to hurry over to see if she was alright. She had worked with Mlle. Sabrina when Mlle. Chloé had brought her class to the hotel for a work experience placement and had a bit of a soft spot for the poorly treated girl.
Chloé turned, took in the scene, then rolled her eyes. “Urgh, hurry up would you.”
“Yes Chloé,” Sabrina nodded even as she was piling books up and throwing papers back into her bag. She grabbed Chloé’s bag of goodies too then paused, checked the contents, and then pulled out a bottle of cleaning spray with an apologetic smile. “Sorry Jeanne. Here you are.”
Jeanne took it with a smile. “Thank you Mlle. Sabrina.” She hadn’t even noticed that Sabrina had picked up her spray by accident in the chaos.
An impatient clearing of the throat from Chloé had Sabrina racing down the corridor again, joining the blonde by the lift doors. She double and triple checked the things in her arms, swapping some books and papers from one bag to the other, until everything was once again in order. A ding announced the arrival of the lift and the two hurried in.
Jeanne waited until the lift doors had closed behind the two still bickering girls, counted to ten, and then groaned aloud.
It suddenly made sense now why Mlle. Chloé had been awake and ready for school on time this morning. Of course she would want to hurry to school when she had a plan to humiliate someone in mind. There was no doubt that was what it was. Chloé’s idea of fun was unique that way.
She parked her housekeeping cart by the wall and hurried to the stairs. M. Lemercier needed to be told about this.
Jeanne found him in the staff room behind the main reception, handing out the daily assignments to the rest of the staff and consulting his ever growing to-do list. She felt a little guilty for adding to it but these things couldn’t be helped.
“M. Lemercier?” she knocked on the door. He waved a hand at her to carry on and she sighed. “Gold code.”
He froze. “You’re certain?”
“She said it will be fun.”
The head butler muttered a curse under his breath and checked through his paperwork. “Alright everyone, you heard Jeanne. We have a Gold Code. Mlle. Chloé is playing a prank on someone and we could be expecting an akuma any moment. Hide the knives, switch out the valuables for the decoys, and for the love of God will someone go to the main doors and tell Mathis to be more careful this time.”
Jeanne slipped back out of the room as he began handing out extra security assignments on top of the regular ones. After the third akuma came looking for Mlle. Chloé the staff had got together for a private meeting and come up with these extra security protocols for the next time it inevitably happened.
It was depressingly routine for the staff by now.
Chloé Bourgeois bullying someone into Hawkmoth's grasp? Just another day in Paris to them.