Scene #4555: MIRACULOUS: The Diplomat

Owner	Pose
Chat Noir	The Grand Paris Hotel It's already dark out in Paris. The inter-world meet-and-greet being jointly hosted by Gabriel Agreste and Mayor Andre Bourgeois is a semi-open event spread out between multiple levels of the hotel. The entry lobby and surrounding sidewalks have been set up with tables both for sitting and laden with an assortment of food. There are booths here and there where local restaurants and bakeries are dispensing samples as well, though they seem to be separate from the main event itself. Quite a number of off-worlders have been issued invitations, seemingly at random. Come to our city! Meet our people! The implicit message, of course, was also to 'spend money here'. But as a gathering partially aimed towards the upper crust of society both here and elsewhere, there's also a VIP section on the next floor up. A formal dinner and -- for those who would care -- a sneak preview of Gabriel Agreste's plans for a future fashion week in Paris. A number of off-worlders have been issued invitations to this specific event, with no rhyme or reason seemingly behind it. It's like somebody just shotgunned vaguely active metahumans invitations across the board, peppered in among relatively normal wealthy socialites and politicians. Most probably, the locals took notice of off-world superheroes helping Ladybug and Chat Noir. PRESENTLY... nothing bad has happened, but the whole premise smells like either a trap or an invitation for troublemakers to come make trouble. What kind of lunatic just shotguns invitations to superpowered people? You're bound to wind up with one who wants to take advantage of you sooner or later. A world with superheroes and villains must know this. So why go through with it? Over the last few minutes, the son of one of the hosts -- Adrien Agreste, a carefully groomed teenager wearing a black suit with a green vest and tie -- has been standing on a raised platform at the head of the hall apologizing for his father's unintended absence, and thanking everybody for coming on his behalf. He's very well-rehearsed. As the young man exits the stage, joined rapidly at the stairs by a blonde-haired in a black dress and a blue scarf -- yes, girl who will probably succeed at her spot check for once, /that/ scarf -- everyone begins to seat themselves while the evening's meal is wheeled out from adjacent chambers on silver carts, an unnatural strobing light flashes in the distance. It's easy to miss at the moment because it's /way/ out there, but for the observant it's possible to ascertain that the violet flashes of illumination are occurring at irregular intervals and approaching the hotel at a leisurely clip.
Shielder	Someone might be very letdown he wanted a superpowered individual and got Mashu instead. The small, pale-haired girl doesn't look too intimidating, and for that matter really isn't. Nerdy glasses and an unassuming outfit, she looks like she could stand to eat a bit more, and when she talks, whether to ask or answer questions (she's never been to Paris, much less a reception like this, so she'd have been asking a lot of stupid questions in childish amazement), she stutters, lacking confidence. Maybe she's not a guest after all, and is just the daughter of one of the myriad more important-looking people in the room. Or she's Shirou's younger sister or something. The two probably did arrive together. Seating herself when food is about to arrive, Mashu is in no position to see suspicious flashing lights outside. Instead she finds herself asking random guests if they know where Ladybug and Chat Noir is, because they were pretty cool and she was looking forward to meeting them again.
Lexicon	One of the invited VIPs was identified as the leader of a country called Britannica, part of a region called System. What arrives in a nondescript rental car is a brunette in completely ordinary clothes-- a fuzzy coat with too-long sleeves and a simple white sundress, and a distinctive hat. At the door she checks her coat as well as a spear-like device with a gemstone on the end, and as that device is placed in storage with umbrellas and the like, the gemstone begins to glow. As Lexicon steps into the ballroom where the event is being presented, she's surrounded in silver light, such that the girl who actually arrives is quite different: A silver-haired girl in a black strapless evening gown, crimson eyes with glowing symbols in the pupils, and a confident walk. Propping her hands on her hips, the DCC skims the room's occupants. Once she finds one she recognizes, though, Lexicon makes straight for Shielder, "--Hey! I haven't seen you in a while. You were invited to this, too?"
Emiya Shirou	So when invitations reached Dun Realtai of all places, events conspired to end up with Shielder and Shirou being the ones who ended up going. For representing Dun Realtai though... Shirou's not really so happy. Sure, he's arrived and sample some of the food, and much of it was quite something! Sure, he's stunned by the riches and the luxury - most of it far too fancy to his taste. What has him kind of down is that, in choosing to represent Dun Realtai, he had to dress up. This boiled down to a choice: show up in entirely civilian clothing, colorful cloth in notably old-style cuts that looks really weird on a man from the east.... ... or the suit of fine, sparkly-polished, articulated plate mail he chose instead. Because you can do that and get away with it when you're a squire of the Round Table, dammit. Shirou's not going to be caught dead wearing the former choice, but even so, wandering around in a party in full armor (minus helmet) for show might not be much better. RICH PEOPLE AND APPEARANCES, so troublesome! "This is your first time at a party like this, right?" He asks Shielder, at least sounding pretty upbeat right now!
Ladybug	Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who is CERTAINLY not Parisian superhero Ladybug sits with most of the rest of her class. She wears a rather conservative outfit, fitting for a minor to wear though the overall craft is much higher than some store-bought ensemble from even a teen botique. Not as overdressed as Juleka (who looks like someone filed off the most recognizeable parts of an EGL outfit), or as oozingly purchased high-fashion as Chloe (or the 'extremely fashionable but one clear rung down from Chloe' Sabrina), Marinette is simply dressed well for the occasion. Alix and Nino, downstairs, enjoy the buffet, because Alix wore ripped jeans and boots and Nino tried to breeze into the VIP in one of those tuxeudo-print t-shirts that look comically silly. Marinette sits nearly as far away from the head of the table as possible (unlike Adrian, Chloe, and Sabrina), but this gives her easy access to the floor, where she meanders about before dinner. As people are seated, Marinette asides to the curious Shielder. "I don't think Ladybug was invited to this, it seems more like something the /mayor/ is doing?"
Chat Noir	"Did you say you're looking for Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Adrien Agreste, the boy who had been up on the stage just a moment ago, leans across the table to speak at Mashu. He's a small ways down the table from her, but not by much. His expression is one of polite interest and friendliness, but it has a certain measure of distance to it as well. That's probably no surprise for some of the people here. They're the local nobility, or merchants, or... whatever. They're used to dealing with each other in a very specific way. Another girl, dark-skinned with reddish-brown hair seems to sit up and pay attention at this exchange. She's focusing /very intently/ on Mashu. The blonde girl next to Adrien issues a greatly exaggerated exasperated sigh, as if it's plainly obvious what the answer to Mashu's questioning is. She rattles off, "Ladybug and I are best friends! Of course she'll show up to daddy's party." Chloe Bourgeois casts a nasty look down the table at Marinette. Adrien just looks vaguely uncomfortable about all of this, turning to look towards Shirou. He asks, "Are you from a world that's in a different time period than ours, or--" The flashes have gotten close enough that it's impossible not to notice them through the windows. If it were lightning the thunder would've been audible close by a long time ago-- but it's not. Something is going on outside. Somebody near enough to the great windows along the building exterior could see civilians starting to flee. The screaming starts shortly afterwards, echoing up from the floor below. The surrounding lights begin to flicker. Looks like the people on this floor have time to prepare. "Everybody stay ca--" Adrien begins to say, pushing his chair back to stand up. Half the attendance flips out and scatters towards the surrounding doors, beelining for ways out, creating an immediate chaotic traffic jam through the main doors. The rest look for somewhere to shelter in place.
Shielder	Mashu only saw Lexicon very briefly, and she was pretty dizzy at the time. Luckily she can remember people by their voice, or at least she remembers she thinks she heard that voice before. Close enough? "H-Hi! Yes. I'm not really sure why, but... i-it's a very nice city, so I can't complain too much!" All the while she tries her darnest to put a name on that voice. She still can't believe Shirou wore armor to a party. She's never BEEN to a party, so she can't be sure, but nobody else is wearing full plate in the hotel that she can see! "Yeah! I didn't think I'd ever be important enough to be invited to one, even by chance!" When excited, she stutters a bit less. Not surprising. She lowers her head a bit when Marinette delivers the bad news. "A-Aww. That's too bad. T-This is their home city, right?" Before she can answer, Adrien approaches, asking her to repeat herself. And before that can happen, she gets reassured! If the answers conflict, go for the best one. "R-Really, you think so? That'd be cool!" Things could not possibly go poorly now! Things proceed to go poorly. The guests flee, and probably even push poor Mashu around like a ragdoll in their zeal to escape. It's a good thing she's not as frail as she looks, but it takes her a good fifteen seconds to get out of the mob and reach one of the windows, to look outside and see what's happening. W-What's happening? Why is there s-screaming and running and flashing lights?!"
Lexicon	"Sorry," Lexicon catches on to the confusion immediately, "I forgot, you were pretty out of it when we found you." Lifting a hand, she gestures to herself, "I'm Lexicon, I was with the group that found you in that installation. I don't know how clearly you remember me but I gave you some of my energy, too." That hand shifts and she produces a small sphere of silvery light above her fingertip, which at least should look familiar. It's dismissed back into vapor, though, when Shirou and Adrian join the conversation, and she glances aside across the room. A brow quirks. What's going on outside? And then the screaming. Lexicon's eyes close and she drops her hands in an exasperated fashion, "Oh for FUCK'S sake..!" Wait, wasn't this the noble guardian divinity of Britannica? Her dress disappears in a silvery flash, replaced by her more distinctive white bodysuit, and metallic Processors start appearing around her limbs and hips. The wing parts flare up, pushing out square-ish wings and allowing the DCC to rise up above the crowd where she raises her hands, "HEY!" Her voice, tinged with frustration, booms out over the panic, "CALM THE FUCK DOWN! Stop shovin' each other an' evacuate in an orderly fashion!" Turning in midair, she casts a glance at the locals-- Adrian being closest, "Any idea what this lightshow is about? Judging by the mass freakout, I gather it's a pretty fuckin' big detail to leave off the invitation."
Emiya Shirou	Shirou gets a good look at the fancy girls, blinking a few times and focusing elsewhere as soon as possible lest his hormones show through. He quickly responds to Shielder with, "It's the same here, believe it or not! Really fancy, fancier than I expected." Yeah, just feeling more and more awkward now. And here comes Adrien! Who gets a quick nod and a friendly look. "Pretty much that!" Shirou agrees, although he's speaking Japanese, despite the western-style armor. "I'm from this century, different world... but I'm living in a medieval town, squire to a genuine knight. It's compli--" His humble tone at least offsets the braggy aspect of 'squire of a genuine knight', but he too turns sharply at the sound of some kind of hubbub! His blood runs cold. What could make THIS many people panic?! "Not good! I'm going to see what's happening!" Shirou's off with a start, running quite fast for a window and if he has tos queeze through, he will...
Ladybug	Marinette glances out the windows at the flashes, but doesn't pay it an extreme amount of attention. Paris is the city of lights! Why would she fret overmuch? Instead, there's just a souring of Marinette's face when Chloe pops off from the head of the table about how Ladybug is her best friend. Shirou gets a long look, before Marinette brings a hand to her mouth to giggle quietly. "It's fine. It's unique! A fashion all your own." And then the shouting starts, and people - especially Lexicon - are trying to get the civilians under control. Marinette stands up quickly, but doesn't begin fleeing. "It could be an Akuma. The monsters, really people who've been changed by an evil power. I'll try to make sure everyone gets out. Try the window exit!" She suggests, before turning. "Oh, oh no! They may be downstairs!" She dashes off into the crowd. W-Welcome to Paris? Now with supervillains?
Chat Noir	OUT THE WINDOWS... People are fleeing from something inside the hotel. Purple flashes of light issue from the windows below, illuminating the streets in brief, eerie light. There are people on the streets who /aren't/ fleeing at the moment, but rather, sort of shambling in towards the hotel. Their eyes are glowing violet, though it may be hard to see at this distance. There's not many of them in /one/ place, but there's a lot of them overall. Ohhh boy. This is the second floor-- jumping down is possible, but probably not a great idea. It probably won't accelerate progress much compared to fighting through the crowd trying to get out-- they're going towards the source of the light, whatever it happens to be. Judging by the people outside, it might be they're being flushed out into a trap. Adrien Agreste has several conversation threads snap abruptly as everything goes to the pits. To begin with, Chloe is flipping out and doing her usual thing, which is normally advantageous for him but in this specific circumstance she's not /taking off/ like most of the others. His eyes cut towards the surroundings. This place is packed. Maybe he could transform under a table...? Adrien's train of thought is interrupted by Lexicon addressing him directly. Frustration registers on his face for a moment. He replies, "It's probably one of Papillon's akuma. Whenever somebody gets upset, he can sort of hijack them and give them superpowers, to go cause trouble. He's doing it to get hold of our city's heroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir. Or, the things they use to become Ladybug and Chat Noir." Not all of the crowd heeds Lexicon, but some of them do. A few savvy guests form a separate line into an adjacent ballroom that had been closed off, filtering out into the surrounding hallways and heading for emergency exits. The flash of violet lights can be seen through the doorways now. Then the shuffling begins to reverse-- violet eyed people are wandering into the room against the traffic. They don't seem to be /doing/ anything yet, but there's clearly something wrong with them. Then the flashes are just outside the door. Adrien makes a split-second decision, encouraged by Marinette. He practically drags Chloe one-armed to one of the windows and waves his class over, "Everybody out onto the ledge. We're only on the second floor so if we fall it won't kill us. It's a stupid place to be so nobody's going to look for us out there but it's safer than inside. If you're brave enough climb down or head to the fire escape to the left side of the building. Whatever you do though, stop /between/ the windows, not at them." The class of teenagers, at least, begin to obey. That is how the Grand Paris Hotel gained a gaggle of teenagers and upper crust guests perching on the outside of the building-- those who /didn't/ begin careful evacuation at Lexicon's order, at least. A lance of purple light flies over Marinette's head, through the door towards Shirou's back. There is a tall man standing outside the room, dressed in a gaudy bright purple suit. A butterfly-shaped mask is bonded to his face, and he's holding a walking stick from which the purple beam is emanating. "Hello there, /friends/." The Diplomat greets them, with sincere cordiality that can't be anything but subtly sinister because his idea of friendship is mass mind control and the mechanism behind it is purple lasers.
Lexicon	"Papillon, huh," Lexicon's eyebrows form an incredulous straight line, "If he's pullin' shit with these 'akuma' of his than he must have caught wind that important people were gathering for this diplomatic shindig." She whirls back on the doorway, narrow eyes noting the presence of light flashes growing closer. But at least people have for the most part listened to her and the escape is going a bit more smoothly. At least until-- "What the?" People start filtering back into the ballroom. Lex floats back and up slightly, eyes darting from person to person. It's pretty clear that something isn't right. The appearance of the gaunt man in the doorway immediately attracts the DCC's attention, gaze locking on him. Her teeth bare and her midair stance drops into something more aggressive. The hand held behind herself for balance spreads open and silver light traces digital code strings in circles, forming rings, and then a complex wireframe that manifests into a white and silver axe haft. Her fingers close around it, and the end of the weapon hisses as it produces a large, curved blade of white light. Lexicon's stance changes, her posture straightening as she lifts the axe up and rests it across her shoulders. Other hand resting on her hip, she addresses the masked figure, "Masquerade party isn't 'til tomorrow. I can get you the events schedule."
Shielder	"A-Akuma?" Demons? Demons are showing up to ruin this dinner? Why? It was going so well, too! ... she thinks it was going so well, anyway. She's never been to one, no frame of reference. According to some of her history books you could rate this event a success because nobody's been poisoned or had a knife jabbed into their backs, so that has to count for something. As Lexicon reminds her, she seems ashamed to have forgotten for a moment, and nods, despite the current emergency. "O-Oh! Yes! T-Thanks for that, it... if not for you and mister Merlin, I don't know if I'd have..." There's more people she needs to thank, really. Ladybug and Chat Noir were among them. The best way to repay them may be to protect their world. Almost by instinct, the girl leaps between Shirou and the door at the sight of the beam of light, with barely a second to spare to act. Her clothes flash away, replaced by that purple and black armor, a generic sword hanging on her waist in a bland sheath, and that massive shield of hers, immediatly put in the way of the light. It'd be hard to say if the light bounces off her shield, or if that momentary flash from some sort of barrier around her is what does it, but the end result, at least, is that the man doesn't earn himself another slave right then and there. It isn't effortless; Shielder's presence weakens a bit at the expense of mana. "Those people are--" Whatever she has to say, it's self-evident. Purple-eyed people have flood back into the room. They're innocent! She can't just... they can't just FIGHT them, can they? "We... we need to find a way to knock them out of it somehow!"
Chat Noir	"Oh, um..." Adrien is one of the last people at the windows. If he goes out there, he realizes he's not going to be able to transform at all. Maybe he can make an excuse of going to evacuate more people. But there's a flash of light and the akuma itself, and so, before he can complete his thought and tell Lexicon that there was no deliberate deception with regards to the invitations, he scrambles out of the way. It's uncomfortably cool out on the ledge, and very few people are making the choice to circle towards the fire escape. He slides along the wall, looking down at the sidewalk below. It's not a terrible fall, but it would break something for sure. A glance to one side, and then the other. There's nobody blocking his way back into the window, but Chloe's right next to him, feet dangling off the edge from having sat down. It occurs to him a moment later that he hadn't warned any of these newcomers that all of this damage was reversible. That in fact, hurting these people for real was undesirable. It's a part of his standard MO, so he just... does it, without needing instructing. A lot of these guys fight for real though. That Shirou guy does. "I'm here for Ladybug and Chat Noir." The Diplomat replies to Lexicon, stepping through the doors and looking around with some disdain, particularly towards Shielder whose efforts spared Shirou a mind control ray to the back. "They're not /here/ yet, so I'll just have to keep making noise until they are. Hold them down! Especially the one with the /shield/... she doesn't want to be our friends." The charmed party guests move forward clumsily, attempting to grasp at the assembled dumbly. They're stronger -- and actually, more resilient -- than they look, if you give them the opportunity to get ahold of them. Maybe that means most of this guy's power is tied up in them, instead of the surroundings. The Diplomat raises his walking stick again and fires another beam of purple light, this time directly towards Lexicon. Shielder can't be in two places at once-- fortunately, this guy can't shoot two people simultaneously. But it looks like he intends to mix it up to make her life harder. Especially with the zombie-guests trying to grapple them all from all directions.
Emiya Shirou	Shirou's expression twitches a bit more. A girl's giggling at him. He's not sure whether to interpret that as teasing or not, but... Well, that was then. THIS IS NOW. It's very much now. "Akuma?!" Why is a japanese word being applied to weird goings-on in Paris? Thankfully he overhears an explanation from Adrien but it just makes him scowl a bit. Sounds very... magical girl'y, almost. Scarily so. "Geeze, what a mess!" Shirou doesn't really get a chance to get outside though, because he soon has to backpedal away from rushing people. His lips move in a murmur of his favorite magic chant, "trace on," but just as he's reading to conjure his weapons--! Well, he's a bit too late. He whips around, Kanshou and bakuya half-formed in a panic-- and gets a load of Shielder's back and splashes of purple light dispersing! Shirou shudders where he stands. How much energy did she just TANK like it was nothing? Scaaaaaaaary. Then he looks around-- "HWAGH!" And is promptly being grabbed at and rushed. What in blazes?! He can't fight these people, but they're COMPLETELY getting in his way! Nevertheless, Shirou's bowled over and dragged into a pile with a whunk-clunk-thunk of metal on the ground. He hisses and grunts in a bit of a panic, trying to sort of CRAWL out of the mess with a surge of slightly enhanced strength!
Shielder	Whether or not these people are sturdier than they look won't much change Mashu's perspective! She doesn't want to hurt innocent people, even if they're trying to pull her apart or pin her down. Probably more the latter, in this case, but with a mob you never know how fast it'll escalate. The Diplomat still has his mind control stick, too. Mashu chooses, quickly, between covering herself, and covering Lexicon. She pulls her arm back, before the charmed guests can reach her, and hurls her shield with all of her might towards the digital divinity. It would slam into the ground, planting itself in front of her like a holy cross, preventing the deadly pink ray from reaching her and trying its hand at twisting her mind. Or at least, it'll do a very good job at trying to stop it. That does leave Mashu without her massive slab of protective steel, though, and quickly enough the guests are grabbing onto her arms and legs to pin her in place. That's going to have very unfortunate consequences depending on what they intend to do once they have her locked in place, but her hesitation, her fear to hurt them, seems to prevent any sort of counterattack for now. "You're wrong! I want to be everyone's friend! But not like this!" Throwing in some sappy arguments for the Diplomat can't hurt.
Ladybug	There's an almost awkward laugh - the sort of 'polite cough into your hand' style, from an extremely confident person, before an inquisitive voice rings out over the din. "The Diplomat? You're not dressed for the function. Perhaps try... Black, next time, and no-one will confuse you with a..." Ladybug is perched upon the top of one of the large wooden doors in the Grand Paris, sitting crosslegged on the thin strut as if it was a bench and twirling her yo-yo with an idle motion of her hand. "A pimp? Is that the American term for it? The cane, and the purple... Really! Why don't you release these people, Diplomat? It will make things easier - for everyone!"
Lexicon	"--Shit!" The situation near Shielder and Shirou is getting more pressing, but at least Adrian's getting the VIPs out of the room-- those that hadn't fallen under the Diplomat's control. She casts a glance towards Shielder's position, a brief look that nonetheless leaves her open for the akuma's mind control ray. As it fires, she glances back towards him, raising her free hand for all the good it would do. CLANG Sheilder's massive cross shield intercepts the beam as it had before, sparing the party from the possibility of dealing with a mind controlled Silver Soul. For a long moment, all the Diplomat can see is the cross-shaped shield, embedded in the floor. It shivers, than lifts up as Lexicon hauls it out of where it had stuck, "Tryin' to turn me against 'em, huh? I'd call that a smart move, but considering it didn't work..." Her wings flare up again and the DCC lifts off, hurling herself across the ballroom with Shielder's shield held up, glowering over the edge. In her other hand, her axe is held aloft. The entire reason behind making use of the shield is to protect herself from follow-up attacks. And also an intent of slamming the Diplomat into the wall with it. Whether the akuma is there or not when she strikes the wall, though, Lexicon quickly wrenches the shield free and hurls it over her shoulder, "Thanks! You can have this back!"
Chat Noir	The enhanced strength that Shirou possesses wouldn't be enough to get him out of this mess without the element of surprise-- they don't expect him to be able to do that at all, and he can tell. When he tries to burst out he manages it. He manages it, but-- but they're still right there, and they're not actually slow shamblers. Two drop to the floor and grab at his legs, and another two try to pluck him up from underneath the shoulders! The ones at his legs are easier to get away from, the ones at his shoulders he'll have to do /some/thing about. "Hmph! Being /everybody's/ friends means you're not really on anybody's side, now doesn't it? If you REALLY want to be my friend, you'll just quiet down and SUBMIT!" The Diplomat sweeps the beam he's directing at Lexicon around towards Shielder again, now that she's bereft of a shield. Hey, do you know who probably can't be mind controlled twice? It's these guys who are holding you down. They probably can't be mind controlled twice. The beam isn't focused on Mashu for very long though. Lexicon drives forward with the shield against the Diplomat, trying to slam him between it and the wall. Contact is made-- she can feel herself plow into him and see the beam go wide. But she doesn't slam him into the wall. There's nothing between her and the shield when she strikes. The Diplomat reappears atop a chandelier, grasping at its chains with his free hand and looking rattled. His eyes fall squarely on Ladybug, narrowing dangerously. A gleaming silhouette of a butterfly appears over his eyes for a fleeting instant. He shouts, "Purple is the color of /royalty/, you disrespectful little gnat!" Before leveling the stick towards Ladybug and firing the beam in her direction.
Emiya Shirou	Well this is one of the most embarassing situations Shirou's ever been in! Just MOBBED by PEOPLE he can't really fight... all seemingly under mind control! The redhead's angry here to say the least, and frantically trying to pry himself loose! He bursts forward but then SLAMS hard to the ground again as his ankles are nabbed. Damn, is there NOTHING he can do?! With Ladybug appearing seemingly from NOWHERE though, he's hoping the tables can be turned and fast! "At least... nobody's gotten HURT yet...!" He irritably barks, relieved about that much for now.
Shielder	"I can be on everyone's side!" answers Mashu, who doesn't really understand that's not how the world works. But certainly the hero who empowered her must have felt that way too, that he wanted to be the best he could be for everyone, because she feels that resonate deep within. Lucky for her, the guests aren't trying to remove her limbs or anything nasty like that. They're just holding her! How lucky is she, anyway? Really, just a C? That must be a pretty high C, because the Diplomat could have done literally anything else, like throw his stick at her, and she'd have been defenseless. Instead he uses... magic! Again! The beam impacts with... something around Shielder. A bubble? A barrier? Whatever it is, it isn't very magic-friendly. What little light of the beam makes it to Mashu's eyes just sort of makes her dizzy for a moment, before she shakes her head. Lucky for her the beam didn't stay focused on her, so she won't have to find out if continued exposure would break past her defenses. Unlucky for her she's still without a shield and pinned down. "L-Ladybug, watch out for the beam!" It's a good thing Mashu is here! To state the obvious. She struggles, trying to momentarily overpower her captors to reach her sword. She doesn't look it, but she has the strength of thirty men while transformed. With great effort she might reach her blade, unsheathing the generic, bland blade. Is that even a Noble Phantasm? Probably not. But she flicks it, managing a clumsy throw towards the chandelier the Diplomat is hanging onto. Unlikely to hit him, but likely to break the decoration and make him fall with it, or at least distract him!
Lexicon	The impact is satisfying, but the lack of that equally satisfying crunch against the wall tells Lexicon everything she needs to know. She's already discarded Shielder's signature Shield, cast it back towards its owner, and the DCC is already turning towards the Diplomat's new perch, "Purple's the color of /hacks/. You want authority, pick a color with some divinity to it." Shielder throws her sword, which Lexicon notes out of the corner of her eye. So she opts instead to keep the akuma's attention on herself and perhaps Ladybug so he won't notice it coming. Her wings materialize, square-shaped panes of light, and the DCC hurls herself airborne. She doesn't charge, but she does point her axe, "Ditch the purple and pick up a respectable color! You want to look like someone that matters, try silver!" Not at all biased, the Silver Soul of Britannica. Not one bit. "Wear purple if you wanna look like a total scrublord!"
Ladybug	Ladybug did not, in fact, appear from nowhere! There is a few windows open, and she had slipped in from outside! She is also incredibly sneaky, just appearing places inexplicably or from near-animation error arrivals. She zips her yo-yo back to her hand, looking down at The Diplomat. Gnat, huh? Where the heck is Chat Noir? Well, Lexicon picks up her chatter where she leaves off, giving the Akuma some lip about his purple clothes as she drops backwards, between door and wall, heeding Mashu's advice. "Got it!" There's just... a sea of people. Purple-eyed mind controlled people. "Get his staff! His staff! I bet his... ... power comes from it!" Ladybug slips around, but there's so many people. For a pretty simple Akuma, this was a nightmare. Her class was outside, Chat Noir was nowhere to be seen... This day was the pits! "Just... Try and get him! I'll try from over he-aagh!" Ladybug gets swamped with the grasping pile of empowered diplo-victims, flailing around a bit trying not to hurt people as she struggles free.
Chat Noir	Under ordinary circumstances things would get more complicated before they got better. This Diplomat seems to have the ability to teleport, so he could flee quite easily-- certainly, he did not cross the intervening space between himself and the chandelier. Outmaneuvered, you'd think he would rely on this reflexively. But he's so focused on zapping Ladybug that he doesn't even notice the sword coming for the chandelier that he's standing on-- or the chain that he's holding onto. The beam goes wide again, but it's the blade nicking his fingers as it cleaves through the chain above that really distracts him. The Diplomat howls in alarm, first because of unexpected pain and second because he just realized he's falling, and so is his platform. As he falls he angles the stick towards Lexicon, who is nearest and trying to get his attention. But really, the Diplomat isn't in any fit state to be aiming properly. "Silence, worm!" He snaps, as an inaccurate blast sails past Lexicon's wings. This proves to be a mistake. The stick is angled unfortunately when he -- and the chandelier -- hits the ground at an incredibly odd (and lucky, for the attackers) angle. It CRACKS in half from the impact. All of the uncooperative shambler-guests suddenly snap out of it, and lose their super strength. A vile-looking butterfly, purple-black in color and emanating negativity, flutters up out of the broken stick. An aura like matching purple-black fire recedes around the Diplomat, who is really just a rather average-looking well-dressed man underneath. He looks disoriented, exhausted, and confused. The sickly butterfly isn't quicker than normal. But it cheats. It hovers there in the air for a heartbeat and then plunges through the floor, leaving behind a momentary ripple in the air where it phased through.
Lexicon	"Wow, you don't even know who you're insulting!" Lexicon's taunting is uninterrupted by being provoked, though she's distinctly grabbed her axe handle with both hands now. The chandelier starts to fall. She bobs to one side to avoid the clumsily aimed beam. And then she charges right at him, swinging her axe into a ready position. When the stick is broken and the spell with it, though, Lexicon halts herself in midair, crimson eyes skimming the damage and the victim in front of her. Her gaze locks onto the butterfly as it flutters up, and then it makes its escape through the floor. Teeth are bared for a moment, and then Lexicon simply lets go of her axe. As it drops, it dissolves back into her Inventory. Her eyes close, "Well. Is everyone all right?"
Shielder	Mashu winces as her blade nicks the man. She wasn't trying to do that! In fairness, she's also being held down and only barely managed that toss, so it's a miracle the sword went into the right general direction at all. Or skill. Certainly not skill Mashu could replicate herself, though. That was all muscle memory, and not even hers. The man falls and his staff breaks, the spell fading. Mashu is freed! She immediatly dashes for the man, wanting to make sure she didn't injure him more than she thought, and to see if any injuries at all transfered to his body after whatever had corrupted him went away. It's a shame they didn't catch the butterfly, but there'll be another chance to do that later, surely? For now, she wants to make sure everyone's alright, much like Lexicon. Then if she has a spare moment she can go fangirl at Ladybug a little bit, but one step at a time. So much for enjoying the party and food, though!
Chat Noir	Outside, Adrien Agreste is miserable, cold, and worried. He's debated the merits of simply risking a broken limb and finding someplace to crawl into transform. He's put up with Chloe getting too far into his personal space, and resisted the temptation to return to the room behind them exactly as he is. The sound of the battle had put him more on edge than he's ever been, knowing that his choices were rapidly closing in around him. Like trapped walls meant to squash the victim between. But then the sound of battle had faded following a great CRASH. The victims below had lost their glow, and come to alertness. But... But there hadn't been the cry that was expected, and necessary, to finish things. Adrien returns to the window once he can't stand it anymore, looking into the room. There's the akuma, broken object on the ground... and still broken. One of his hands is bloody, though not as injured as it was while he was still transformed. The room is a mess. The people around are getting their bearings, and finding their way out. The damage has not been repaired. The akuma has not been caught. Ladybug-- Ladybug looks like she was trapped in the crowd. Had Marinette gotten people out in time? Had /she/ gotten out in time? Did it matter, with the akuma still on the loose? The look of raw fear on Adrien's face is easily mistaken for the fear of a civilian who has just gone through some Shit. But it runs a lot deeper than that. "Everyone-- everyone back inside. Slow and steady." Adrien stays by the window an awfully long time, helping his classmates and random bystanders get back in to safety. Very few of them stick around afterwards. Chloe Bourgeois is one of them. Gears spin in Adrien's head. The butterfly is a kind of spirit so they can't stop it from getting in anywhere... when it multiplies it'll get tons of people. How do they stop it before it gets too bad? He swallows harshly. At least this is one they can /fight/. Slap around. Actually hurt. The first one... "I think everybody's fine." Adrien says, approaching Lexicon and Mashu. "Thanks for all your help. I'm sorry we were so..." Somewhere in the background, Chloe is busily trying to take a selfie with Ladybug. "... Useless." Paris has seen an akuma get away before. There's little in the way of celebration left tonight. What people are prioritizing now is getting out of the open-- getting someplace warm, and safe, and as secure as can be when ghost butterflies are soon to be on the prowl. They don't think to explain to the outsiders, for now. Adrien thinks of doing so, but decides it should come from Chat Noir, later.