Owner	Pose
Adrien Agreste	After the events at Mercy Hospital and the media silence from the Agreste Corporation, the press conference was announced with two hours notice to all major media outlets. A section of the lobby of the Bedford Apartments Adrien Agreste resides in has been converted into the media area. At the appointed time, Adrien is led from a meeting room which had been turned into a green room by a very large stoic man who is clearly security. The large man stands to one side as a serious woman steps forward to the microphone. "Mr. Ageste will read a prepared statement and then will take some questions. Do not interrupt," she states in a monotone and a very thick French accent. A moment and then she nods and steps back so that Adrien can make his way forward. "Thank you," say Adrien. His accent is easy to hear but not as thick as the woman's. "A few days ago, there was an unexplained incident at Mercy Hospital, and speculation over whether I am or am not a metahuman. Firstly, I am not a metahuman and have no special powers or abilities. I was a victim of an attack by a Paris based powered person who preys upon the negative emotions of people in the area. I had a close friend put into the hospital and was very worried about the situation. I apologize to everyone who was affected by my actions during this time." Adrien pasues, eyes coming up from the card he was holding. "I will take some questions." Oh God. Here we go. Adrien maintains the soft smile of 'I'm here and engaged and oh so contrite about my actions'. Not really that hard for him at the moment, because he is contrite.
April O'Neil	April O'Neil stood near the back, all the fancy reporters got the chairs in the 'pit' and she was relegated to the back of the crowd. She had her ipad out and was holding it in front of her chest while listening to the preparations of the press conference, she was trying to review the situation and get the best ideas as to what exactly was going on. When questions started to be asked of the crowd, April cringed, she hadn't been assigned to this task specifically she'd come here because of her cousin. April shot her hand up into the air along with the others, waved her hand around a little and even stepped up onto the tip-toes of her black heeled boots! "Mister Agreste!" April said outloud. "Do you expect further attacks on your person such as what took place at Mercy Hospital?"
Vorpal	And her cousin came here because of the invitation. Adrien, bless his heart. Goodness knows HeroWatch did not qualify anyone for an invitation to a press conference that wasn't meant to become a three-ring-circus. "Mister Agreste!!" he says, almost sounding close to his cousin. The family seemed to breed red-haired reporters, just in case the world ran out of them. "Tommy Hunter, HeroWatch." And he sensed how almost everyone in the fancy seats turned around and fixed a glare on him, as one man. You could almost hear the mental question of 'What is HE doing here?' because, let's face it, admitting you were HeroWatch media at a hero-related event was like identifying yourself as a Cosmo writer at a Healthy Body Image workshop. Nevertheless, he pushes on, "This Paris-based villain, does this attack on you imply that he has relocated stateside?" Okay. That's not too yellow journalism of a question. It might actually be a serious question!
Marinette DuPain	Dressed in a pair of black slacks, a white silk empire stule sleeveless blouse and white ballet flats, Marinette wasn't far from Adrien's side. Her hands were clasped ligjtly in front of her and there was a sweet, gentle smile on a face framed by black-blue hair that has been left down. Aside from a flicker of hardening, there and gone again in a heartbeat, at April's question... She's the model of composed warmth and innocence.
Adrien Agreste	So many hands. Adrien turns his gaze from Miss O'Neil to Mr. Hunter, answering both questions at once. "I can't say if this Paris-villian has relocated or if he'll try to target me again. All I can say is that I truly hope not. The situation was unpleasant and disruptive, not just to me but to those around me and the victims I attacked, to whom I again wish to offer my sincerest apologies."
Marinette DuPain	A petite, pretty little blonde in the front row raises her but doesn't wait for acknowledgement, just as she doesn't introduce herself, assuming name time amd reputation will do that. "Mr. Agreste, why do you think you specifically were targeted by the 'villain'?"
April O'Neil	April glanced over to Tommy and she gave him a small smirk/smile before she looked back to ipad to record Adrien's response on a app she used to store notes, typing in a mad style with one hand that she'd mastered years ago as a kid growing up with a tablet computer. April gently nodded her head and she looked back up then. once more raising her hand after others had spoken. Since April wasn't here on-behalf of Channel Six News, she was not offering any workplace tag with her questions and she hadn't even said her name yet either. Unprofessional! "Do you have any other tidbits of information about the person who attacked you? If they were seeking to feed off of negative emotions, then they could strike anyone at any time. Afterall, we all know the professional sports team sin the the tri-state area aren't exactly going to make it far in their respective playoff runs. Did your attacker say ANYTHING to you?"
Vorpal	Tommy is recording everything with his phone, which has good enough quality for the HW website. "Mister Agreste, as a victim of this man, do you remember anything prior to falling under his thrall? Perhaps it would be helpful if you could share with the public so they know what signs to look out for, in case an attempt is also made on them?" Okay, second useful question out of the way. He really didn't want to get to the third question, the one his 'editor' had 'suggested' he use. But he knows he's going to have to get to it, because it's something that another reporter would ask. His feelings for Adrien notwithstanding- as his father says, journalism and friends are sometimes at odds. He gulps.
Adrien Agreste	Adrien looks to the little blonde with a slight rueful note to his otherwise flawless smile. "I can't say exactly. You may have to ask this 'villain'." Adrien's eyes slide to April as she calls out her next question. There's a moment of silence for that series of questioning, Adrien keeping his whole body perfectly still. It's a skill mastered by years in front of a camera. "My time under this villain's influence is hazy at best, but all the ..." Adrien pauses, like he's trying to translate a word properly into English when Tommy asks his question. "...fear and sadness and hopeless desperation in that moment was amplified. Your concern about what happened to me possibly happening to others is a sound one. People have loved ones hospitalized every day. People lose family members, there are car accidents, and robberies, and all manner of things that could bring a person down. What happened to me could, maybe, happen to others. The only thing I can say is that I am going to just try to keep having hope and cherish what's good in my life in hopes I never fall so low so fast again that I can be made into something dangerous," Adrien says, chin lifting faintly, eyes sweeping the crowd to make eye contact as he is able. "Fear and sorrow and isolation and sudden loss, Mr. Hunter. Those things that make one feel as if there is nothing left to fight for while simultaneously wanting nothing more than the ability to change all of it. That's what should be watched for. The trouble is that one can not look for these in themselves all the time. Friends, people who know you and love you, who see the real you, can help you, keep you from falling into that place where a devil's deal seems like the only course of action left. And to those friends, it might still happen anyway. You must not blame yourselves should this happen, despite all you try to do," Adrien adds, eyes settling on Tommy and staying there for the duration of the final part of that statement, talking almost directly to the young reporter.
April O'Neil	April attentively listened to his response to her question and to her cousin's. She glanced over at Tommy for another moment before looking back to her tablet computer. He said he wasn't a metahuman, that he'd been attacked for other reasons entirely... April's head slowly shook side to side, she didn't have anything... it all seemed to check out from her perspective. She lifted her blue eyes up to watch him and listen to the remainder of what he was saying, actually feeling sorry for what he said and how he seemed to 'feel' about it all. April lowered her tablet down to her lap for a moment and watched the other reporters. But after a moment she raised her hand again and eyed Adrien. "Do you have anything you'd like to say to the person who attacked you?" She inquired then.
Marinette DuPain	It's a slight change. One someone would have to be keen to see. Adrien's answers being a softening of Marinette's eyes and brighten her smile just a little. There's the faintest, likely subconscious, shift of her body towards him. A minute lift of her chin in pride. His unrehearsed, heartfelt answers, are so much bettee than the crap they gave him to read.
Vorpal	Tommy maintains eye contact until the end of the statement, and then he looks down, as if reading from notes as April asks her questions. "That he can say in front of the cameras, you mean?" Tommy whispers quietly to April, so he isn't heard. But he has an idea of what he'd say to Hawkmoth. Come to think of it, he voiced his message to Hawkmoth when Adrien was akumatized. He wonders if he ever heard it... He hopes he did. "A question from my editor, Mister Agreste." There. He can ask the question AND throw his editor under the bus. Good. "Is the Agreste corporation planning to offer any reparative action towards the victims of this unfortunate event?" You can tell in his face that he HATES the question. It is dirty and underhanded, and it implies Adrien is somehow responsible, as opposed to the person who... you know... unleashed the soul-possessing butterfly that put him under his control. He looks quickly at Marinette with a 'please don't kill me' look in his eyes.
Marinette DuPain	It's the first, very visble, movement from Marinette. Her eyes narrow, her jaw clenches and her hands curl into fists at April's question. She forces herself, by biting down on her tongue, not to speak. It's clear -she- has quite a bit to say to Hawkmoth, however. And then her eyes snap over to Tommy. Her back tenses and her shoulders straighten. She has to fight to keep that smile in place and even then, it's tighter than it had been previously. One can almost hear the 'What the hell, Tommy!?' simply in her stance.
Adrien Agreste	Adrien looks back over to April, brows lifting in surprise, as if he couldn't school his expression fast enough. And then there's the fall of his perfect light smile, toward a frown. Hidden behind the podium, Adrien's right hand closes into a fist after his thumb rubbed his ring. Adrien lowers his gaze, turning his face from the cameras, composing himself before he looks back up. "Yes. I would say ...I'm sorry. I'm sorry you feel the need to prey on others as a way to make yourself feel more powerful or ..better. I'm sorry you are so lost in your own darkness that preying on others when they fall is the only thing that you think might save you. It's not. I hope you realize that." And, that I'm coming for you, you twisted son of a- Tommy's question pulls Adrien's attention before the hardness that was starting to creep into Adrien's eyes can fully realize. "...You would have to contact the Agreste offices directly for that answer, Monsiuer Hunter," is Adrien's very flat clearly highly rehersed response.
Marinette DuPain	An older gentleman two rows in is the next to speak up over the din of constant questions and murmurings loud enough that name and station are drowned out. "You've told us what this villain is drawn to, Mr. Agreste, but was the any clue as to what was happening to you before it happened? Any sort of sign people can watch for?"
April O'Neil	April O'Neil recorded the response and she gently nodded her head. She'd look back down to her computer now and this time she'd remain silent as another reporter spoke up. If there was nothing more given about the villain then it was hard for her to generate follow-up questions, but then again... Adrien had seemingly been through a lot and she could sense his emotions underlying beneath his socially presented-self here today. April looked up again to watch the man's response to the other reporter's question.
Vorpal	He could feel the anger flying at him from across the room, and the withering scorn of some of the other journalists as an extra condiment. He taptaptaps something on his phone. A text message to April. <<Hey, wanna go and get something to eat and pow-wow after this ASAP? I'm totally in the shitlist.>> "Nomorequestions," he says and quickly reaches down for his messenger bag to put everything in it so he can zoom out with Ape. He shouldn't have let his editor know where he was going. He already had enough strikes against him for not producing enough dirt. He couldn't afford to get kicked out... He had the distinct impression that if he asked for an exclusive, he might get a yo-yo to the forehead. He types on his phone: <<Woolfies'?>> He had been thinking of asking April about the opportunities at the channel. He had thought about asking about the Planet's media presence opportunities for an internship, but he didn't remember if Lois remembers him jumping over her as she went into a coma. Probably not a good idea to chance it. Just in case.
Adrien Agreste	Adrien looks at the older gentleman. The smile hasn't returned, and his brows pull together faintly. "Sign?" Adrien repeats the word to stall for time. How he wants to glance to Marinette, to his Lady, for a sign on how to answer. Does he tell the world of the akuma? Risk someone trying to play the hero, destroy the akuma without Ladybug near to purify it, thus potentially making a bad situation so much worse? "I'm sorry. I... I'm done answering quetions. Pardonne moi," Adrien says, words ending in a rush as he backs away from the microphone. The serious business woman steps forward to thank everyone and close the press conference while Adrien turns away, green eyes briefly seeking Marinette as he heads back to the green room.
April O'Neil	April looked over at Tommy when he said he had no more questions, but then the press conference appeared to wrap up as Adrien was done? That little 'tingle' inside April's mind told her that there was a lot more underneath the surface of this event, and those who were involved in it, but... this situation was no such place for real answers. Real answers would be gathered elsewhere, through other means. April went to close up her tablet pc and slipped it into the black messenger bag laying against her right hip.
Marinette DuPain	Catching the glance, Marinette nods and then turns without a word to anyone and follows Adrien back towards the green room. That she made it througj that without taking off anyone's head is a miracle.
Vorpal	And Tommy is out of there -stat- because he feels too flushed to meet anyone's eyes. He stands outside for a moment, fidgeting. Its times like these that he wishes he smoked, if only to have something to do with his hands and look cool... As he slowly got cancer. Okay. Maybe not. Internally, he's seething against his editor. In fact... He reaches for his phone. He's going to give him a call. Oh yes. He is. He... has no signal. "What the hell?" Reporters nowadays are like Lady Wi-Fi, they are absolutely powerless without their signal. "Maybe over... here?" he moves his hand with his phone in a matter not unlike that of the Ghostbusters when they're scanning the area with the PKE meter. Tommy has never met a Ghostbuster, though. Which goes to show you that some things are universal.
Adrien Agreste	Adrien glances at Marinette as she digs an elbow into his side. At her whispered words, he turns to Gorille and very softly orders Tommy Hunter brought into the Green Room, which prompts Agreste security to fan out, find the red hair, and very politely but very sternly ask (read: order) the young reporter come with them. The green room is the meeting room and is blissfully free of everyone, Adrien having ordered Gorille to bar anyone else entrance. Nathalie had complained, but Adrien put his foot down. (Look, Mari! Boy has a spine today!) The young reporter was a friend and trusted and Adrien was /going/ to speak to him and it could be done here in the safety of the green room or it would be done at a street cafe where God only knows whom else could be listening. Unhappy Nathalie was unhappy but rather pleased to see Adrien sticking up for something, so she let the matter drop. After demanding to go to school, Adrien had stopped insisting he have things for himself. Except for cheese. Camembert was pricey.
Marinette DuPain	It had made Marinette smile that brilliant, warm smile to see Adrien standing up for himself and putting his foot down. It was something he needed to do more often, honestly. Now, she sits on the edge of the conference table, seats? what are those?, swinging her legs which are crossed at the ankles, back and and watching Adrien while they wait for Tommy. "Hey... Are you alright?"
Vorpal	"Yeah..." Tommy says cautiously. "I could feel every eye in the room radiating pure hatred at me from sixty feet away. I am convinced I am now incapable of bearing children," the redhead says. He doesn't sit down. Not until he can ascertain which surface he will shed less on. Explaining random purple fur on upholstery from someone who apparently doesn't have fur can be inconvenient.
Adrien Agreste	In the meeting room, the conference table shoved against a wall, Adrien is leaning to the mirror of the portable vanity that was brought in, cleaning his face with a baby wipe. "Not every eye, mon ami. Not every eye. Your editor is a jerk, and I'll make sure Nathalie is aware of this when Hero Watch calls for their information. There may be medical bills for the victims, so I will talk with PR about helping pay for as much of those as possible. Honestly, it wasn't ever anything I ever thought about in Paris," he adds since the three are alone.
Marinette DuPain	Without hesitation, Mari hops from the conference table and walks over to hug Tommy. "I'm sorry. It just... it caught me off guard." And she was already agitated because Adrien was agitated and the stupid script they handed him was stupid and... Press conferemces are a pain in the ass and should all be handled Tony Stark's way.