Chat Noir X Reader: The Muse

A/N: As promised here's another chapter! If I don't answer your comments or your asks on tumblr, it's just because I'm really busy making sure the new chapters are ready. Being a perfectionist is truly awful.

enjoy!!

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Nathalie walked with confidence as she guided you through the dimly lit tunnels. Apparently, Blanc had told her to take you to Alix, so he hadn't broken the deal after all.

Nathalie made a swift turn at an intersection and you struggled to keep up with her.

"You seem different from the last time I saw you," you said. She still looked sick, but she seemed much sharper than that feeble woman you had seen at the dinner. Or maybe it was just the pair of glasses she was wearing now.

"Most people here will leave you alone if you pretend to be as insane as they are," Nathalie said without sparing you a glance. "They think they've ruined my mind, and I want to keep it that way."

"I see..." You eyed the claw marks etched in the walls. They cut through bone and stone like they were nothing. Blanc had probably come through this path yesterday. You wondered how strong he actually was.

"Why are you here in Hawkmoth's base?" You asked, forcing yourself to focus on something else. Nathalie didn't sound like the other people you had encountered in the catacombs and now she was helping you find Alix. She didn't seem like a normal follower of Hawkmoth.

Nathalie stopped and you almost bumped into her. She whirled around. "You can relax around me. I'm on Blanc's side. I've been trying to help him get free and defeat those imposters."

Caught by surprise, you could only mutter an eloquent, "Oh." Were you so easy to read?

She resumed walking and you followed close behind. "Manon approached me and threatened to hurt my family if I didn't let her bring my memories back. I agreed, and after it was done, she asked me to decipher new potion recipes from the grimoire. Knowing what they were capable of, I refused, and she said she'd bring Gabriel's memories back instead. She showed me how weak he was after he erased his own memory, and I knew he'd die if they did that to him. So I agreed."

As she spoke, you kept looking behind you for anyone that could be listening to the conversation, but the corridors were deserted.

"No one uses these corridors, you don't need to worry," said Nathalie, as if reading your mind again. She was very perceptive.

"So you helped Manon with the potions?" You asked.

"Yes, but I changed the quantities of the ingredients." There was an evil glint in her eyes. "The potions still work, but if my hypothesis is correct, they're harming her every time she takes them."

You stored that information away. Alya would be delighted to know that. "How many potions does she use?"

"Two per day," said Nathalie. "One for being transformed for an unlimited amount of time and the other to be able to akumatize more than one person at a time."

"Do you know where the potions are stored?" You asked. Maybe Nathalie knew everything you wanted to know. You hit the jackpot.

"They are in separate rooms and Manon has a few hidden elsewhere." She glanced back at you. "I wouldn't recommend trying to destroy the potions if that's your plan. It'd take a long time to find all of them."

Your eyebrows rose. She was very perceptive indeed. You had to inform Ladybug. Maybe she had another plan or she'd want to change her strategy. And talking about plans...