Not Quite Paradise

2.

"Adrien, please tell me you're not looking for her again," Plagg moaned as Adrien scrolled through his phone.

"Some akuma just hit her with a rose and she disappears with no trace of where she's gone," Adrien crossed his arms. It had only been about eight hours since Ladybug disappeared, but he was seriously worried that something bad was happening to her.

"At least we know she's coming back in a couple months," Plagg reassured.

"But Lila's a professional liar at this point; we don't know when she's coming back," Adrien shot back. "Maybe she won't ever come back herself. Which means I have to rescue her before Paris is put in serious danger."

He began furiously searching through Google again.

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The men hadn't left Ladybug's side since that girl turned her in, but at least they'd stopped gripping her tightly when she entered a large room decorated in earthy tones, a stark contrast to the white she'd seen everywhere.

"Well, looks like the girl of the hour made it."

Ladybug turned to see a woman entering the room. She had dark brown hair pulled up in curls, and she wore a floral-themed gown.

"It's not normal for girls to run away the moment they arrive, but I figured how he planned to send you here would cause you to panic," the woman said, setting her large hat down.

"Who sent me here?" Ladybug asked. "Who are you?"

"They call me the Duchess around here," the woman smiled, gently taking the superhero's hands. "And I assure you, Hawkmoth meant no harm."

"Hawkmoth?!" Ladybug jerked away. "No, this is bad! This is bad! He's the bad guy! Look, I  shouldn't even be here, there's a supervillain I have to face and—"

"And you'll be perfectly fine here," the Duchess cut in. "All he asked was that we take you in, and maybe you'll reconsider giving him something he believes belongs to him."

Ladybug grit her teeth together, knowing exactly what Hawkmoth's little scheme was.

"You'll be here for two months," the Duchess explained. "I just ask that you keep an open mind. Maybe gain a new perspective. Just relax, darling. This place is for emotional healing."

Ladybug didn't say anything for a good while.

"I'm not revealing my identity," she finally said.

"We figured you would make that term," the Duchess simply replied. "Luckily, we'll allow you to keep the mask, you won't have to reveal anything about your personal life. We just want you to feel as safe as you can."

One of the men handed Ladybug a mask similar to her own, only it was pure white, matching the style of the other people she'd seen here. She gave a small grimace.

But in her head, gears were turning...

Soon, Ladybug was led across the bizarre white structures and up the stairs, finally noticing the rooms that gave the windows their pinkish tint. However, once they stopped at one, the men quickly left.

"I told you we'd get her!"

Ladybug quickly saw a girl rush up to her.