Hey guys! I'm off hiatus and updating both Paper Faces and Legends regularly now, fingers crossed. Things are starting to come together in this story - I'm not sure how many chapters are left, but I'm excited! Writing the masquerade was every bit as fun as I thought it would be. Thank you so much for your encouragement and comments, they mean so much to me. I hope you enjoy!

They arrived in style, just as Marinette had promised.

Comfort, however, was a different story. Marinette had convinced the others that hiding the materials for their plan in her bag would be too obvious. In reality, she had shoved costumes for both herself and Chat into its depths and clumsily covered them with some old fashioned makeup and a coin purse she'd found in an abandoned building. The rope Nino had found was wrapped around her calf and held a candlestick in place, making every other step feel clumsy and awkward. Alya wasn't much better off, with the thinnest knife they'd found secured around her forearm. The sleeves had already been so tight that they held it in place and Marinette had wrapped the blade in fabric to protect her friend against being cut, but Alya still flinched a bit every time she moved. Nino, too, was holding back a grimace with every step - his shoes had been the best hiding place for the matches. Adrien had the easiest job, carrying only a few folded squares of parchment on the inside of his suit.

As soon as they'd finished getting ready Adrien had gallantly offered to be Marinette's escort, smiling at her as if their incident earlier had never happened. She wished she could forget it as easily - even now, with her hand on his arm as they approached the grand ballroom, all she could think about was the look he'd had on his face. To distract herself she glanced over at where Nino was trying to keep up with Alya's insistent lead, wincing with every step. They made quite the pair, even if they didn't realize it. Her gaze drifted away from them and toward the other guests making their way toward the ball. Some were obviously wearing the clothes they had found themselves after the time shift, while others had managed to scavenge around and find something more formal. Chloe, to no one's surprise, was wearing a large, elegant, golden gown that accentuated her blonde hair and fair complexion. If it wasn't for the sneer on her face, she could have easily been a princess straight from a child's storybook.

Adrien leaned down toward her, catching her off guard. Her heart nearly leaped into her throat. "I forgot to tell you," he said, softly enough that only she could hear, "that dress looks really nice on you."

Marinette felt heat flood her face while her heart stumbled and her stomach twisted itself into knots. It took her a moment to remember how to think properly, and when she finally did she managed a stuttered, "Th-thank." A pause, and then her eyes widened at her mistake. Hurriedly she added, "You. Thank you." Another beat of awkward silence before she remembered she should probably compliment him back. "Ah - I mean - you look really nice. Too."

He laughed, and the sound was enough to melt her. "Thanks. This really great fashion designer made the suit."

She blinked, then managed to return the grin he was shooting down at her. This wasn't so bad. She was doing just fine. She hadn't even -

Distracted by his warm smile, she nearly tumbled down the stairs that led to the ballroom. Adrien just barely managed to catch her and set her right, and as much as she wanted his hands to linger, they didn't. Instead he offered his arm and she took it in silent mortification, finally tearing her attention away from him and toward the ballroom.

The sight of it nearly made her stumble again. It looked like it had been loosely designed to resemble the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, with high ceiling painted gold and arched mirrors on either wall. Crystal chandeliers were aglow with real candles, reflected dozens of times and making the entire space feel large and warm. Golden statues were scattered about the edge of the huge room along with musicians, live entertainers, and tables piled with food and drink. The lilting string music mingled with the sound of running water coming from the fountains located in each corner. The entire scene was stunning enough to make her almost forget that it was the result of an akuma.

Almost.

"Wow," she heard Alya breathe. "This is better than anything we could have put together for a school dance."

Marinette hummed in agreement. She felt Adrien pause beside her and glanced up at him to see that he seemed to be taking in the beauty of the room for the first time, his eyes widening slightly. Tugging his arm slightly to keep him moving, she silently wondered what had managed to keep him distracted for so long.

"You guys remember the plan?" she murmured as they finished descending the stairs and stood at the edge of the crowd. Many already looked mesmerized by the warm and romantic air of the event, almost seeming to forget the time travel and mind control that had put them there.

"Find a secluded corner," Nino piped up, then dropped his voice when the three of them shot him a look. "Set up the signal, and let Ladybug and Chat Noir take care of the rest."

Adrien's bright gaze was sweeping over the space. "Maybe behind one of the fountains?"

Marinette nodded, too short to see over the crowd but trusting her partner could lead the way. Just as they were about to make their way forward, though, all the musicians joined together into one song. The people who had already flooded the ballroom immediately divided into two parties - those who stayed on the floor to dance, and those who desperately shoved toward the edges of the room to avoid humiliation. The four of them got caught up in the sudden surge of people, and Marinette would have been shoved over and trampled if it hadn't been for Alya catching her under the shoulders.

"What now?" Marinette heard her mutter. "Four people moving through the dance would be way too obvious."

Nino grunted in agreement.

Marinette frowned, watching as couples came together on the floor. "We won't just walk across. We'll dance."

"We don't know how to dance," Alya reminded her.

"We'll fake it," Adrien suggested, looking down at Marinette with a smile. She felt her face grow warm under his approving gaze.

"Er, yeah. We don't have to look amazing while we do it. We just have to get to a fountain."

Nino looked at the two of them doubtfully and Alya heaved a huge, annoyed sigh. Marinette was just preparing herself for their protests when she felt Adrien's warm hand low on her back, gently nudging her onto the floor. She momentarily forgot how to breathe, moving forward with stiff steps that had nothing to do with the candlestick tied to her leg. Alya and Nino were forced to follow, and judging my Adrien's smirk that had been his plan all along.

She forced herself to suck in a breath as she turned to face him. She was suddenly very aware of the candlestick and the fact that her skirts were just a little bit too long. Her bag jostled uncomfortably at her side. No one else had kept theirs out on the floor with them and she earned herself some strange looks, but her resolve was deeper than the spike of embarrassment she felt. She kept her eyes glued on Adrien's chest as they began to move, mimicking the movements of those around them. Marinette realized with a start that some seemed stiff and jerky. They're being controlled. Adrien seemed to notice, too, and his brow furrowed.

"Why not just control everyone?" he murmured when they stepped in closer to each other. His hand grasped hers and she swallowed hard, trying to process his question.

"Maybe even akumatised, she realizes that mind control doesn't make for a good party. After all, you only need a few examples for everyone else to follow."

Adrien hummed thoughtfully, spinning her once. Marinette caught a glimpse of Alya, and despite the situation they were in her friend looked impossibly smug. The four of them were about two beats behind the majority, but frankly the entire hall was a mess with people attempting to dance, so it didn't make much of a difference. Marinette tried to avoid looking directly at Adrien's face, instead focusing on the slow but steady path they were making toward one of the corners of the room.

As soon as they'd reached the fountain Marinette practically flew out of Adrien's arms, desperate to find some space so that she could focus on something other than that bright green gaze and easy smile. She moved around the fountain and ducked down, Adrien following suit. A moment later, they were joined by Alya and Nino.

Marinette tugged up her skirt and untied the candlestick. Alya tugged the knife out of her sleeve and let out a huge sigh, unwinding the fabric from the blade and handing it to Marinette. Adrien passed her the parchment and she set to work immediately, tracing out the shape of a ladybug and cat while Nino twisted the rope around the base of candlestick and then used the knife to cut of thinner strings to secure the makeshift platform. When Marinette caught sight of it she beamed. "It's perfect."

Nino grinned. "Wait 'til I put on the finishing touch."

Taking off his shoe, he emptied out the matched and chose one. It took a few tries, but he finally got the candle lit. Marinette carefully folded the paper and placed it around the candle, creating a lantern. Her cutouts on the side shone brightly.

"It's perfect," Alya declared.

Marinette nodded in agreement. "If Ladybug and Chat Noir are here somewhere, this will help them find each other." And something else, she added silently.

"We could put it on the fountain water," Adrien suggested. "They would see it better that way."

They placed it at the base of the fountain. Alya stepped back and nodded approvingly. "Now all we can do is wait."

"And make sure it doesn't drown itself," Marinette added. She glanced at the other three. "You guys go ahead. I'm going to stay for a minute and make sure it doesn't go out."

The others consented, and in a moment Marinette was alone.

Sucking in a deep breath, she reached into her back and pulled out the costume she'd made for Chat. Shoving it under the bowl of the fountain, she added a note on top with a brief explanation of her plan. Her real plan. She'd used her typical Ladybug signature, hoping it would be enough to convince him it wasn't a trap.

"Maybe you should stay and wait," Tikki whispered from the depth of the bag.

Marinette shook her head. "If he's in the same situation that I'm in, then he'd be in his civilian form when he came over here. We agreed to keep our identities secret."

"How will you know he's found it?"

Marinette gave a soft chuckle. "He's Chat. Showy, dramatic, and loud. I'll know."