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Shell Bell is dancing on literal air when they leave Milliways.
Stella is an even more fortuitous find than Amariah was, and Amariah was amazing. Stella has given her everything she needs. Stella is a Space Empress and Shell Bell is going to follow right after her, probably with slightly less Space.
The fact that Shell Bell has to torture her girlfriend to accomplish anything in this department is a mood dampener, but she went and had a look at the memories of those "tastes" Stella provided and - well. They're bordered pale, even the big one. She's spooked about looking any closer; she managed to neglect to ask Stella before she went back to her Empire if looking at pain-related thoughts hurts. She looked at the square-sized memory and it was... too close to call. Stella might not even know the answer - mental opacity could easily interact somehow with mindreading. Stella might be protected against painful reading where Shell Bell, with only a wished-for imitation, might not.
But Sherlock seems content, and so -
"We're gonna take over the wo-orld, we're gonna take over the world, we're gonna take over the wooooorld," Bell sings, dancing into the house from the bar. (She can dance now. She is not in the least danger of tripping, wouldn't be even if her feet were touching the ground, and if she does anyway, she will float.)
she_sells_seashells
she_sells_seashells
"I'd ask you to come, but I think I'll be enough of a shock all by myself," says Bell ruefully. [But I can keep up two conversations at once now!] she adds, giving Sherlock a kiss.
She consults the time. It is in fact right between salmon expeditions; under normal circumstances both of her parents will be home unless Shark has chosen this occasion to poach fish.
(Invisibility first. In case they have guests. And port.)
She consults the time. It is in fact right between salmon expeditions; under normal circumstances both of her parents will be home unless Shark has chosen this occasion to poach fish.
(Invisibility first. In case they have guests. And port.)
she_sells_seashells
[Yup. They're home,] Bell reports.
They don't faint. They do insist on hugging her. Ranae cries. Shark rants. (Just like Amariah predicted.) They hug her a lot.
[They were so sad,] she reports guiltily to Sherlock.
They don't faint. They do insist on hugging her. Ranae cries. Shark rants. (Just like Amariah predicted.) They hug her a lot.
[They were so sad,] she reports guiltily to Sherlock.
she_sells_seashells
[I feel really bad about it. But there wasn't a better option at the time.]
After they calm down about her being alive, they want an explanation of the teleportation thing. Bell explains it as gently as she can.
After they calm down about her being alive, they want an explanation of the teleportation thing. Bell explains it as gently as she can.
she_sells_seashells
[I believe I will like that.]
Bell tells them that she found an Atlantis, "not on this planet, but farther away" and that the queen of Atlantis gave her special powers. This is all sort of true if you interpret the District Four definition of "Atlantis" and the commonsense definition of "farther away" very liberally.
At length, Bell determines that her parents have begun to repeat themselves, and says that she's going to be on her way, but she'll visit again soon.
She hugs them both, and then she teleports home - back to the Starks', anyway - and hugs Sherlock too.
Bell tells them that she found an Atlantis, "not on this planet, but farther away" and that the queen of Atlantis gave her special powers. This is all sort of true if you interpret the District Four definition of "Atlantis" and the commonsense definition of "farther away" very liberally.
At length, Bell determines that her parents have begun to repeat themselves, and says that she's going to be on her way, but she'll visit again soon.
She hugs them both, and then she teleports home - back to the Starks', anyway - and hugs Sherlock too.
she_sells_seashells
"Okay," says Shell Bell, after there have been a satisfying number of hugs for the time being. "I think what I want is an accurate globe of the earth with - population indicators and marked capital cities and so on. That's a magical object, so - pentagon, I suppose. ...I have a fair few for now but let me know if and when you feel like making more?"
she_sells_seashells
"Okay." Shell Bell is not fully comfortable with that yet, but Stella and - Stella guesses - Amariah have manged it, and so can she. Eventually. With lots of mindreading and reassuring cuddles.
She wishes on a pentagon, and she has a globe of the Earth, about four times the size of her head, complete with tides going in and out in real time on the coasts of sunken continents. Panem is all labeled correctly, Capitol and Districts One through -
"Thirteen," murmurs Bell.
She wishes on a pentagon, and she has a globe of the Earth, about four times the size of her head, complete with tides going in and out in real time on the coasts of sunken continents. Panem is all labeled correctly, Capitol and Districts One through -
"Thirteen," murmurs Bell.
she_sells_seashells
It has a population marker on it. A few thousand people live in Thirteen. Fewer than any other District, but that there is a populated area.
"Very interesting. I thought it'd been destroyed. I wonder what happened instead."
She spins the globe.
There is no Atlantis.
"Very interesting. I thought it'd been destroyed. I wonder what happened instead."
She spins the globe.
There is no Atlantis.
she_sells_seashells
"All right then. I think we probably ought to land invisible. Who knows what they have going on there."
sicaria
"Agreed," says Sherlock. She provides herself the appropriate power, appropriately mutually perceptible with Bell's, and invisibles.
she_sells_seashells
Bell follows suit, and holds Sherlock's hand, and wishes them teleported into the office of the leader of District Thirteen, or whatever location most nearly matches that description.
It turns out to be very officey, very tidy, and occupied by one very severe-looking president.
It turns out to be very officey, very tidy, and occupied by one very severe-looking president.
sicaria
[That is not a person who looks pleased with life,] says Sherlock. [Then again, I can see why not.]
she_sells_seashells
They spy.
President Coin is apparently democratically elected; there is no obvious evidence to support the hypothesis that any significant fraction of Thirteen is disenfranchised apart from the underaged. They have enough of a food shortage that food scarcity is brought up as a topic in the meeting she holds with several of her staff, but not enough that anyone seems terribly worried about it or that they're discussing inequitable distributions to compensate. The residents of Thirteen all seem to have schedules printed on their forearms, which they consult when determining where to go after the meeting. Most of these schedules, when peered at, include things like combat training. Whether or not they are currently at war, Thirteen is in a state of readiness and ongoing preparation for it.
Coin's next meeting, after a fifteen-minute break during which she eats a perfunctory lunch, is about refugees, which Thirteen apparently accepts with good grace when anyone chooses their district as their destination and actually makes it over the border rather than being caught first. Bell brainphone-hmms on this subject consideringly.
Their tech is behind the Capitol, but mostly for resource reasons, not reasons of knowhow. They live underground, but going up isn't forbidden, just uncustomary. And they are all ready to descend into the lower levels and take shelter from a bombing run at any time.
President Coin is apparently democratically elected; there is no obvious evidence to support the hypothesis that any significant fraction of Thirteen is disenfranchised apart from the underaged. They have enough of a food shortage that food scarcity is brought up as a topic in the meeting she holds with several of her staff, but not enough that anyone seems terribly worried about it or that they're discussing inequitable distributions to compensate. The residents of Thirteen all seem to have schedules printed on their forearms, which they consult when determining where to go after the meeting. Most of these schedules, when peered at, include things like combat training. Whether or not they are currently at war, Thirteen is in a state of readiness and ongoing preparation for it.
Coin's next meeting, after a fifteen-minute break during which she eats a perfunctory lunch, is about refugees, which Thirteen apparently accepts with good grace when anyone chooses their district as their destination and actually makes it over the border rather than being caught first. Bell brainphone-hmms on this subject consideringly.
Their tech is behind the Capitol, but mostly for resource reasons, not reasons of knowhow. They live underground, but going up isn't forbidden, just uncustomary. And they are all ready to descend into the lower levels and take shelter from a bombing run at any time.
sicaria
[I am considering dropping a wagonload of cornucopias on their heads,] says Sherlock. [If I can duplicate them. I suppose I should check.]
she_sells_seashells
[Oh, I bet we can,] agrees Bell. [They seem... well, as decent as one could expect anyone living in Panem's shadow could reasonably be expected to be. But not so nice that I can be sure of what they'll do if that shadow changes.]