#Elizabeth Hatzis

[figureskatingcostumes]

Elizabeth Hatzis competing in the 2019 Junior Canadian Nationals short program.

(Source: Danielle Earl Photography)

[flashfuckingflesh]

There's Not a Big Enough Pipe Cleaner to Exorcise this EVIL! "Drainiac" reviewed!

There’s Not a Big Enough Pipe Cleaner to Exorcise this EVIL! “Drainiac” reviewed!

Julie, troubled by her mother’s suicide one year ago, is forced by her deadbeat dad to accompanying him in cleaning up an old house he purchased for renovation and resale. As he takes off to attend to “important business” at the local watering hole, Julie is stuck alone with the mop and bucket inside a mysterious, rundown house she’s suspicious of being haunted after strange occurrences and…

[waltzofthewifi]

Kota Chapter 23: Similarities

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Whispers broke out around the classroom after the substitute teacher, Ms Blackwood, introduced herself.

"Is Miss Bustier alright?" Rose whispered.

"All the akumas must be getting to her," Alix said.

"We should all write her an email to wish her better health," Marinette suggested.

"I'm sure she'd like that," Blackwood said.

Lila raised her hand. "Miss, can I sit in the front? I have hearing problems."

"Oh, alright," Blackwood said. "You, in the cap, can you switch with her?"

"Miss, Adrien's expressed concerns about sitting next to Lila," Alya spoke up.

"Okay, then Adrien can switch her instead."

Lila fumed, dragging her stuff up to the front row and plopping down next to Nino. She must have wanted to sit next to Adrien - and, thankfully, Alya had put a stop to that.

Adrien gave Nathaniel a warm smile before sitting next to him.

"Any other seat change requests?" When no one else spoke up, Blackwood continued on to attendance.

"Agreste, Adrien."

Lacy fidgeted in her seat, watching Blackwood as she taught. She seemed nice, and Bustier badly needed a break, but new teachers were always nerve-wracking.

"Haprele, Mylene."

"Here."

"Hatzi, Lacy."

"Here."

Blackwood's eyes briefly looked over her before continuing on.

Lacy relaxed a little in her seat.

"Rossi, Lila."

"Here."

"Alright, that's everyone." Blackwood dropped the attendance sheet back on the desk. "Now, Miss Bustier asked me to put you in groups of three for your next project, which you will spend the rest of this class time starting on." She pointed at Nino, Lila, and Sabrina. "You three together. Miss Bourgeois, you with those two." She pointed at Alix and Lacy.

Lacy grimaced. Alix had good grades, and Chloe had been trying harder to do her own work, but that didn't change the fact that they both were easily distracted. Just like Lacy.

There's a reason you want a diverse group, Lacy thought grimly.

Alya, Marinette, and Ivan were paired together, and then Mylene, Kim, and Max, and Blackwood grouped the final four together.

"Alright, so here's your topic-"

.

"So we're headed to your place?" Alix asked as she, Lacy, and Chloe packed up the minimal amount of work they had been doing.

"Yep, I'll tell my dad to have extra food," Lacy replied.

"Wait, I'm not going to your home," Chloe scoffed. "If we have to meet up, we're doing it at my place."

"Uh, no, I'm going to Lacy's," Alix replied. "The two of you can meet me there if you'd like."

"Whatever."

Chloe huffed and walked away.

"Are you sure?" Lacy asked. "Her place is really nice."

"Ugh, yeah, I know," Alix replied. "Places like that make me antsy."

The two girls headed for the door, and Nathaniel joined them a second later.

"How's working with Chloe?" He asked.

"Tolerable," Alix replied. "I'd much rather have your partners."

"No you don't," Nathaniel replied. "Adrien's schedule is so busy it's impossible to figure out when we can work together."

"His old man needs to lay off him," Alix said.

"Being that busy can't be good for him," Lacy agreed. "Hey, do you think Mendeleev will let me off easy on last night's homework if I say the akuma made me too nervous to work?"

"No," Alix answered. "Don't tell me you forgot again?"

"I didn't!" Lacy argued. "I remembered... just very late at night, when I was too tired to focus. I think my answers are mostly gibberish."

"So are mine," Nathaniel said. "But that's just because I didn't understand the material."

"Chemistry sucks," Lacy stated.

"Hey!"

Alya waved them over to where she and Marinette were talking near the stairs.

"We're setting up a petition to get locks put on the lockers," Marinette explained. "And we need signatures."

"Good for you," Alix said. "I need my privacy."

Lacy nodded. "Yeah, I'd feel much better keeping my camera in there if I knew it was locked." Plus, my demigod gear like nectar and ambrosia.

Nathaniel also signed the petition.

"How many signatures are you at?" Alix asked.

"Signature's for what?"

Marinette groaned as Chloe made her way over the group.

"I thought you left already?" Alix questioned.

"We're signing a petition for putting locks on lockers," Lacy answered.

Chloe huffed. "You don't need to do that. Just let me talk to my daddy, he'll make sure the school is more responsible going forward."

Marinette frowned. "There is something to be said about winning things the fair way."

Alix rolled her eyes. "That just slows us down. People are being akumatized over this, and if we can prevent that, we should!"

"Besides, we're only having a student - Chloe - make a proposition to a donor - the mayor," Alya reasoned. "That sounds fair to me."

"And I'm student with high stakes in the outcome, too," Chloe argued. "After all, I'm richer than most of the b- the students here, and I had my locker snooped in by a student before." She sent a pointed look to Alya.

"It was an investigation!" Alya argued.

"Alya," Marinette said. "For the last time, saying 'it was for an investigation' doesn't mean you can break the rules!"

"Besides, you made it up by blackmailing the principle into giving me a worse punishment," Alya argued.

"Yeah, okay, maybe that was wrong," Chloe admitted. "I'm sorry."

Alya stuttered, surprised. "Y-yeah, okay, I'm sorry too. For thinking you were Ladybug." She spoke that last part into her shoulder, but everyone could hear her still.

Lacy had to stifle a laugh. Chloe? Ladybug?

"You what?" Alix asked.

Chloe huffed indignantly.

"And for taking pictures of an already open locker," Alya finally added. "But mostly the first one."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go. Ivan's waiting for us."

"Actually, Marinette, can I speak with you?" Nathaniel asked.

"Sure," Marinette replied. She turned to Alya. "Tell Ivan I'll be there in a second."

.

Marinette and Nathaniel walked to an empty part of the hallway, near the railing.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Marinette asked.

"Um, well," Nathaniel stumbled. "I, uh, wanted to apologize."

"For what?"

"For the whole thing with Lila," Nathaniel said. "I, uh, I know I didn't have much reason to doubt her, but I saw how the class was beginning to, you know, exclude you and - and I should have said something about it. And I would have, except, I'm just not really good when it comes to speaking - or talking, or really anything, in front of people, but, uh, that's no excuse and I'm not trying to make an excuse I just hope you know it wasn't apathy or-or anything like that, I was just scared. I guess I'm a coward."

"You're not a coward," Marinette argued, almost instinctively. She put her hand on his shoulder. "Apologizing takes a lot of guts. And I know how much you struggle with groups and everything, and compared to how it was at the beginning of this year, you're doing great!"

Nathaniel blushed. "Thanks."

"Overcoming fear takes a lot of work," Marinette continued. "But I'm glad you talked to me. Letting people know you care about them is always a good thing."

"You're a good friend, Marinette," Nathaniel said.

"So are you," Marinette replied.

.

Chloe arrived at right about dinner time. She claimed she had already eaten, but still joined Lacy, her family, and Alix at the dinner table.

Chloe and Elizabeth instantly hit it off, talking about fashion. Alix and Lacy's father constantly had to ask Lacy what they were talking about.

Eventually, Alix had enough.

"Okay, everyone," she announced. "We're done with that topic. Let's talk about something else - like sports!"

After dinner, the three of them worked on their project for about an hour before Lacy stood up and announced she was done.

"Let's watch a movie or something," she said. "Like Tangled."

"No," Alix vetoed. "We watched Tangled last time. I get to choose!"

"I'm the guest, I should get to choose," Chloe argued. "And I choose... Wonder Woman."

"Finally, someone with taste," Alix replied. "Wait, did I just agree with Chloe?"

Lacy rolled her eyes, but had to admit she was outvoted.

"Alright, want to watch it down here or up in my room?" Lacy asked.

Alix shrugged. "Either way works for me."

"Your room," Chloe replied. "Assuming your bed is soft. These chairs are entirely too hard."

"My room it is."

Lacy grabbed her laptop and headed up to her room, Alix and Chloe behind her.

"You know, I'm surprised you're staying," Alix admitted.

Chloe paused. "Yeah. Me too."

Lacy looked over her shoulder. "Well, don't scare her off now."

.

About three minutes into the movie, everything lost power.

"What?" Lacy asked. "Why would the apartment losing power affect the laptop unless - akuma."

She flopped back against her pillow with a groan.

Next to her, Alix grinned. "Regretting moving to Paris yet?"

"And not get the chance to meet you?" Lacy replied. "Never."

Lacy could feel Chloe on her other side moving, and hear her nails click against the phone as she checked for power.

Eventually she gave up and threw the phone down on the ground.

"Now what?"

"Well, we could take this opportunity to tell dark secrets," Alix suggested. "What dark secrets do you have, Chloe?"

"You're being ridiculous," Chloe said. "Utterly ridiculous!"

Lacy laughed. "Maybe she is. But I have a secret."

"Ooh what is it?" Alix asked.

"I actually like movies without romance," Lacy replied.

Alix gasped dramatically. "For real? After all this time insisting that a movie needed romance to be good?"

Lacy chuckled. "Yeah. But don't tell anyone."

"Promise," Alix replied. "Let's see... I have lots of secrets, but are there any about me? Oh yeah, I'm terrified of spiders."

"Really?" Chloé asked. "I was starting to think you were fearless."

"Uh uh," Alix disagree. "I hate spiders. But I think they hate me back, so it's even. Alright, you're turn, Chloe."

"Ugh, fine," Chloe said. "Let's see - well, it's not a secret anymore, but what Lila said about my dad not actually being my biological father is true."

"I thought so," Alix said. "You probably figured that out too, right Lacy?"

"Yeah," Lacy agreed. "I could tell in the face you made when she said that."

"So it doesn't count."

Lacy elbowed Alix. "It still should. It takes trust to say something like that."

"Less trust, more boredom," Chloe replied. "But if you want to know a secret I've never told anyone - not even Adrien or Sabrina - the truth is, I have two biological mothers."

"Now that's interesting," Alix said.

"I've never met the other one, though," Chloe continued.

Wait... wait wait wait wait wait.

"Lacy?" Chloe prompted nervously.

"Huh? Yeah, sorry, just thinking," Lacy said. "You both know I've never met my mother either. And I know someone with two biological fathers."

"Okay, that is weird," Alix replied. "Who would even...?"

"I don't know." The world or Greek mythology was just Like That sometimes.

"Let's change the topic," Chloe said. "If you had any super power, what would you have?"

"I think Ladybug's or Spider-Man's would be cool," Alix replied. "The Spider-Man who's webs occur naturally, of course."

"You want to swing around Paris?" Lacy asked.

"Uh huh," Alix replied. "It looks so fun!"

"It is," Chloe said. "I did it, a little, as Queen Bee. What about you, Lacy?"

"Huh," Lacy replied. "I never thought about it." Charmspeak was the first thought, but as cool as it was, Lacy didn't know what to do with it.

"Water manipulation," Lacy settled on. "No - flight. Or fire powers. No, I'd stick with flight."

"Flight would be cool," Chloe agreed. "I should have been able to fly. I'm the bee hero, after all."

"Yeah, why doesn't Ladybug have wings?" Alix questioned. "I mean, she's Ladybug."

"Honestly, her whole suit is a little plain," Lacy admitted.

"Hey! That's Ladybug you're talking about," Chloe said.

"Yeah," Alix agreed. "She should have, like, Marinette or Nathaniel redesign it."

"Definitely," Lacy agreed.

"Whatever," Chloe said. "Ugh, Lacy can you help me with my hair? It's starting to get messy."

"How? It's so dark I have no idea where my hairbrush is."

"Finger comb it or something."

Chloe shifted so that she was sitting up, and Lacy pushed herself up and behind her.

"You don't actually have to do it, you know," Alix commented.

"I don't mind."

Lacy stumbled to find Chloe's hair, and slowly she began to finger comb through it.

"If I sing, will it light up for me?" Lacy teased.

"Of course," Chloe replied. "Don't you know my hair is magical?"

Lacy chuckled.

The bed creaked as Alix adjusted her position. "How long do you think this akuma will last?"

"Ladybug can handle it easily," Chloe said. "I give it five minutes, tops."

"I wonder what kind of akuma it is," Lacy said. "Does it just drain electricity?"

In the distance, something went bang. Lacy jumped.

Chloe snickered. "You-"

"- startle easy? Yeah, so you've said."

.

No one knew exactly how long it took for Ladybug to defeat the akuma, but they agreed it was somewhere between five minutes and an hour.

When the power was restored, Chloe texted her chauffeur to pick her up, and Alix reported that her dad would be picking her up.

"We'll have to finish the movie another time," Chloe decided, when her limo rolled up. "See you later."

Alix's dad showed up a few seconds later, and was invited in for a minute before they headed off.

"You're family settling in okay?" He asked Mr. Hatzi while Alix and Lacy finished cleaning up upstairs.

"Yes," Mr. Hatzi replied. "Lacy's made a ton of new friends at school, and Elizabeth loves her job."

"And the akumas?"

"A little harder to adjust to," Mr. Hatzi replied. "I admit, I worry about Lacy. Especially with as many akumas as there have been at her school lately."

"Yes," Mr Kubdel agreed. "Alix acts like she's not bothered, but I know better. Especially when it's one of her classmates. When Nathaniel was akumatized... well, that wasn't a pleasant experience for her, even if she never actually saw it. And then there was Jalil - her brother. I - that's not something any of us are forgetting."

"I just hope this doesn't last long," Mr Hatzi admitted.

"It will," Mr. Kubdel said. "I mean, think about it. There's almost no known way to track Hawkmoth except on the rare occasions he himself shows up. And if the only way to stop the akumas is to stop him - well, who knows how long this will last?"

"That's a very pessimistic view," Mr Hatzi. "Though I don't know enough to say if it's wrong."

"Alright, I'm ready." Alix bounded down the steps, followed by Lacy. "Let's go."

[figureskatingcostumes]

Elizabeth Hatzis competing in the Junior free program costume at the 2019 Canadian Nationals.

(Source: Danielle Earl Photography)