People scattered along the streets, shouting for help or warning others to "get away, there's a madman in there!"
From this, Ladybug could tell this restaurant was the place. Police were heading inside in pairs or groups of three, only to be thrown right back out with a few scratches and bruises. As the heroes landed by the entrance, one of the officers tumbled past them, flopping with a groan onto the pavement.
"Me-ouch."
"Chat," she warned, glaring at him and his apologetic grin. This was definitely no time for jokes.
Looking through one of the glass windows, she gasped at the sight of a chef dragging his own body against the unclean floor. There, standing on one of the tables, pride bursting through his smirk, was an insane looking man in a bright purple waiter's uniform. He cruelly threw a few wet wash towels on the chef's back, somehow making one of them float above the hat and twist until his victim's head was soaked.
Was this the evil Tikki mentioned? No, from what Marinette had recently concluded, such a task would not be as easy as she had originally considered. The villain's behavior was terrible, but not the pure evil the kwami had alluded to. Honestly, Chat seemed like a worse opponent than this guy.
Determined, however, to understand just what was going on, Ladybug motioned for her partner to follow her.
"Don't you think you're a little unarmed to go in?" Chat questioned as they stood by the entrance door.
She peered over her shoulder, saw his worried expression, and sighed, knowing he was right. Her Lucky Charm was one step ahead of them and in her left hand was its helpful choice in weaponry. "A fork. Charming..."
"And I thought you said no jokes." Chat snickered at her displeased glare in response before they made their way in.
The villainous man laughed as the two entered, holding a glowing hand up and shouting, "Finally, you two have made it. Your reservation to die in this fine establishment will be catered to in a moment."
Chat flicked an ear to the side, clearly confused. "Don't you mean dine?"
"According to the record I have here," —a soggy book floated towards the waiter, open to a random page that he seemed to be reading through— "your reservation is to die!" At his call, dozens of plates shot up from the various tables and flew towards them.
The duo quickly ducked under one of the tables, watching as dishes shattered into pieces and shards on the marble floor.
"Any bright ideas?"
Ladybug stared at the fork in her hand before she shook her head. She gave herself a moment to wonder what the fates her magic was guided on were thinking. Clearly, a red fork wasn't any more helpful than a silver one. This couldn't have been all for a joke, right? There had to be something this thing was useful for.
"Uh... Ladybug?" Chat shook her shoulder to grab her attention again.
She yelped when the table they were under was lifted and thrown away by the chef, whose eyes were as purple as the magic their villain was using. Thankfully she needn't tell her companion what to do next, both of them splitting and scrambling in opposite directions to move as far away from the brute as possible.
"Oh, come now! Is that all you two are good for? Running about and making more of a mess for my servant to clean up? How unsatisfying," the waiter mocked, amused by his opponents' retreat.
Chat found it rather difficult to keep his balance on the wet floor, slipping and sliding along until he reached another table and hopped onto it. Fearful green eyes searched for his lady under the nearby tables. Where did she go? Did she have a new plan?
He saw a flash of pink by one of the booths, barely obscured by a dividing wall. He was about to ask about the last Lucky Charm until she sprung out and whacked the chef away with a red mop. The mind controlled man crashed into one of the center tables, knocked out by the impact.
"You useless oaf!" The villain screeched, stamping his foot down on the booth table repeatedly. "Honestly, if you can't even clear up a spill with your dopey face, what good are you?" He growled and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Well, time to wipe the floor with you instead, tough guy," Chat declared, bounding from one tabletop to the next, closer and closer.
Ladybug groaned in annoyance, but had the same idea, carefully moving towards psychic to end the fight. "Who are you, anyway?" She asked.
The waiter gave a short whine, backing up against the wall when the realization that he'd clearly underestimated the heroes finally hit him. "Me? I am Order Up! I control this restaurant now! That incompetent chef had enough fun bossing me around! Now, thanks to Hawkmoth, I'm the one in charge!"
"Hawkmoth?" Both heroes said, momentarily looking to each other after. There was a small, fleeting second of familiarity before they turned their attentions back to Order Up. That was weird.
"Yes, Hawkmoth. He granted me these powers in return for the permanent demise of you two. That's what I'll deliver to the table!" Suddenly, he held his hands up high and the door to the kitchen burst open with forks and knives aimed for the duo.
"Chat! Catch!"
He made a wild grab for whatever Ladybug threw his way, surprised to find a thick, red bamboo pole in his hands. In his peripheral, he saw Ladybug swing the mop stick, twirling it around like she had done with the broom. He copied her and was amazed to find their shielding away was working.
With each hit against their weapons, the forks snapped hard against the floor and the knives fell at bent angles. The magic in them immediately faded on impact. The rare one or two utensils that reached their targets left a few cuts and scrapes, but the result was clear as their numbers ceased.
Ladybug turned to Order Up, only to find he wasn't on the table anymore. "Where'd he-"
"Look out!" Chat yelled and forced her to duck with him. Another dining table was suddenly flying through the air, this time by magic.
The villain growled and made another table speed towards them.
From the quick decision, Chat prepared his Cataclysm and held his paw out to intercept it.
"Wait, don't," Ladybug called, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the way at the last second.
"Well then, what do you suppose we should do?" He hissed, gripping the bamboo pole tight in both hands until he instantly realized his mistake. The pole disappeared and white orbs zoomed around the messy floor, gathering forks and plates and fixing them.
"Not that, obviously." She sighed and looked to Order Up, who was stalking towards the still unconscious chef. She noticed the villain's uneasy steps and her face lit up with a plan.
"You got something," Chat crooned, eager to learn what his part in the grand scheme would be.
"Just keep him distracted for me, kitty, and, whatever you do, keep off the wet floor," she explained to him, sprinting past the evil waiter and into the kitchen.
"Don't have to tell me that," he mumbled as she disappeared, crouching down to all fours and zipping towards Order Up. He launched himself at the chef, landing on the knocked-over table and in front of the purple perpetrator. "I don't think so."
Order Up stumbled away, catching his footing on a repaired plate and grinning when he noticed it. Summoning his psychic power, he levitated the renewed forks, knives, and plates once more and aimed them right at Chat.
All the black cat had to do was keep the villain distracted. What better way than to run around until every fork and knife were jammed onto walls and plates were broken against every other surface? No other he could think of. Speed was key in this and Chat was thankful for having a special boost thanks to his magic.
He panted and collapsed against a dining chair, wiping some sweat from his forehead. This wasn't the same exhaustion from using his power. This was adrenaline finally wearing into his normal body. He eyed the peeved psychic, who tried to magically pry a few embedded utensils out of the wall. Unable to contain it, Chat Noir laughed at the frustrated violet villain, seeing the twisted scowl as absolutely hilarious.
"What's so funny, you mangy cat?" Order Up roared, stomping his shoe against the dry floor.
"My name is Chat Noir, thank you, and to answer your question, your face is. Maybe you should try tossing something that isn't tables and tableware," the hero suggested, holding his stomach to contain his hysterics.
The waiter glared and bared his teeth in a quiet growl.
What are you doing, you fool? Don't just stand there! Kill him! Use a shard to stab him or something!
At the demand, Order Up searched the floor for a suitable weapon. His eyes widened when he found a perfectly unused, unbroken red fork. A purple eyebrow rising for a second, he shrugged and tried levitating it. When he found it didn't follow, he resigned to doing things manually and ran towards the smirking hero.
Chat lifted his shoes up onto his seat as a wash of suds and water flowed onto the marble floor beneath them. His amusement returned when Order Up slid and fumbled, losing traction against the slipperiness and falling gracelessly to the wet floor.
The villain groaned, the landing close to knocking him out. His head hurt terribly and that grating laughter helped little in making him feel better. He blinked when a shadow appeared, a halo of light from the lamps adorning the restaurant surrounding the silhouette.
"That takes care of that mess," Ladybug declared, holding a spotted and red bucket at her side and a victorious smile on her face. She peered up at her partner, sharing a few giggles with him. Looking around the place, her smile disappeared and with a reluctant sigh, she picked up the mop stick and reattached it to its head. "Now to clean up the bigger one."
Don't let them take the tie! Get up! Move! Finish this! Do something!
"Th-The tie," mumbled the waiter, squirming in pain.
Hearing this, the two heroes observed him, confused as to what he was talking about. Chat took a rather cautious step towards the defeated man and pulled at the black tie.
"L-Let go! No!" Order Up shouted, yanking back his accessory with a wild fear in his eyes.
The tug-of-war lasted for a solid two minutes until the fabric finally tore in two. Chat stumbled back, eyes wide as dark energy flowed between both pieces. He was ready to let it drop when a strange little black butterfly fluttered out and made its way toward the exit.
Despite the shock, Ladybug made a quick grab for it, clasping her hands around the small bug. "Gotcha," she chimed.
Suddenly, a pale glow pierced through the gaps in between her fingers. She opened her hands and gasped as a white butterfly flitted around her once before returning to its previous path.
"Huh? What happened?" The waiter, now back to his normal self, sat up and yelled, seeing none other than Chat Noir looming over him. "M-Monster! The monster!" He cried, scurrying back and away from the cat boy.
Ladybug stopped him, crouching down next to him and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's okay! It's okay now! Everything's fine. Chat Noir's not going to hurt you. Trust me."
When his gaze landed on her, Chat could see a faint blush form on the waiter's face and he visibly bristled. Why, he couldn't understand. Ladybug wasn't his really. He had no claim on her life, especially not in anyone else's point of view. They'd never be over his monster status, it seemed. For a moment, he came to the conclusion that perhaps she would never accept his love because she was afraid he'd snap at her again. He mentally brushed the thought away. He would not be jealous or upset over such trivial things.
"Chat... Noir?" The man peered up at the destructive hero, a wave of realization crossing his face. He turned back to Ladybug with a smile and nod. "You both saved me. Thank you."
"No problem. It's what we're here for."