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Bell and Sherlock haven't worked up to star-manufacture yet, but Bell has a couple dozen declawed "starter" stars from Stella in that shimmery black color that Alice makes. (Sherlock's coins are a pale pearly grey. Shell Bell thinks they are much prettier.) She uses several of these to place revised versions of Stella's ground rules - on Earth, and on the Moon - and then one to scoop up the whole Capitol and put it quite literally on the Moon.
She is even kind enough to hexagon everyone who lives in the Capitol but is not there at that moment back into their homes before making the transfer. (People who do not live in the Capitol but are there anyway she wants to investigate. Most of them will probably go home without incident. Some of them may be... problems.)
she_sells_seashells
she_sells_seashells
Eventually Bell gets bored of waiting for someone to determine that, yes, as far as they can tell, the Capitol is on the moon and someone should tell the president. She teleports to the secretary's office and appears to her. "Hello! I need to make an appointment with Coin," she tells the secretary.
"I - have - a cancellation for fifteen minutes from now," stammers the secretary.
"Yes, that will do," says Bell.
"...And... what shall I put on the schedule?"
"Hmm," says Bell. She peers at the secretary's desk to see if there's a format for her to copy. "Put meeting with the Empress of Atlantis re: the Moon."
"...Okay," says the secretary.
"Thanks!"
And she turns invisible again and returns to lurking in Coin's office. [Fifteen minutes,] she reports to Sherlock.
"I - have - a cancellation for fifteen minutes from now," stammers the secretary.
"Yes, that will do," says Bell.
"...And... what shall I put on the schedule?"
"Hmm," says Bell. She peers at the secretary's desk to see if there's a format for her to copy. "Put meeting with the Empress of Atlantis re: the Moon."
"...Okay," says the secretary.
"Thanks!"
And she turns invisible again and returns to lurking in Coin's office. [Fifteen minutes,] she reports to Sherlock.
she_sells_seashells
[I may be toying with them more than I otherwise would because I have an audience,] muses Bell. [Not that I'm objecting.]
Coin's schedule-printing device beeps at her that it has a revision.
She puts her arm in it.
It prints meeting with Empress of Atlantis re: the Moon.
She frowns at this. "If you're here already, spying on me," she says, "we may as well move this the remaining few minutes earlier."
"I thought you wanted me to go through your secretary?" Bell asks, becoming visible.
Coin's schedule-printing device beeps at her that it has a revision.
She puts her arm in it.
It prints meeting with Empress of Atlantis re: the Moon.
She frowns at this. "If you're here already, spying on me," she says, "we may as well move this the remaining few minutes earlier."
"I thought you wanted me to go through your secretary?" Bell asks, becoming visible.
sicaria
[And you are so delightful when you are toying with them. Besides, I think it is good for her.]
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"Anyway," says Coin, rolling her eyes. "What about the moon?"
"It has the Capitol on it. If your people have noticed I guess they haven't figured out how to tell you. Am I a secret from the people of District Thirteen? Were they not aware of the plan to populate the Moon? Because I was hoping to get some of that promised personnel help for the trials. It won't be hard work. I'm going to conjure some nice lie-detecting orbs and write up a set of trial questions and then all we need are some humans to operate the appeals system."
"It has the Capitol on it. If your people have noticed I guess they haven't figured out how to tell you. Am I a secret from the people of District Thirteen? Were they not aware of the plan to populate the Moon? Because I was hoping to get some of that promised personnel help for the trials. It won't be hard work. I'm going to conjure some nice lie-detecting orbs and write up a set of trial questions and then all we need are some humans to operate the appeals system."
she_sells_seashells
Coin regards Bell fixedly, and then she presses a button on her desk.
"Yes, President Coin?" says a voice through a speaker attached to the button.
"Is there, by any chance, a meeting ongoing right now on the subject of how to convey to me the news that something has happened to the Capitol, which may involve the moon?" she asks, gritting her teeth.
There is a silence, and the response is: "...How did you know?"
"Lucky guess," Coin says, closing her eyes and releasing the button.
"Yes, President Coin?" says a voice through a speaker attached to the button.
"Is there, by any chance, a meeting ongoing right now on the subject of how to convey to me the news that something has happened to the Capitol, which may involve the moon?" she asks, gritting her teeth.
There is a silence, and the response is: "...How did you know?"
"Lucky guess," Coin says, closing her eyes and releasing the button.
she_sells_seashells
"So!" Bell says, clapping her hands. "What kind of stuff do you want? How does personnel allocation normally work? Can I just dump some cornucopias in your dining hall and then hack into your scheduling system and make it print 'report to the Empress of Atlantis at 0800 hours' on some random cafeteria workers' arms, or would you rather handle this in a less whimsical manner?"
"Less whimsical. Yes, that," grinds out Coin.
"Less whimsical. Yes, that," grinds out Coin.
she_sells_seashells
Bell either thinks that there is such a thing, or is just not having as much fun anymore; she and Coin settle into a much more businesslike conversation about how to render residents of Thirteen redundant and then funnel them neatly into jobs as Bell's staff.
They conspicuously dance around the question of whether the Atlantis Bell has declared herself Empress of stretches borders around Thirteen.
They conspicuously dance around the question of whether the Atlantis Bell has declared herself Empress of stretches borders around Thirteen.
she_sells_seashells
[I think I'll have enough on my plate that I can wait for Coin to be up for reelection and then run against her fair and square on a platform of Having All Those Nice Things The Atlanteans Have,] Bell says, while they discuss alternative designs for the cornucopias that will make more sense to locals. [As many times as necessary.]
she_sells_seashells
[Yes. Yes I am.] They are now talking about conjuring a device to scrub radiation from the air. Bell chooses this occasion to ask innocently about whether she's allowed to know about whether there are nukes yet or if that's just residual power plant radioactivity. (She is not, according to Coin, so permitted.)
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[Yes.]
Bell makes Coin a radiation-scrubber anyway, and says, "I think I've earned at least thirty people, which is about as many as I'd conceivably want to interview in a day anyway."
Coin says, "You're trying to move too quickly. Figuring out how to announce you and your actions so far will take longer than a day, let alone figuring out who we can spare."
Bell shrugs. "Okay. How long do you need? If I start thinking you aren't going to produce personnel eventually I might have to take the stuff back, but I can give you a while to plod along bureaucratically if that makes you more comfortable, the Capitol isn't going anywhere and I can make some progress recruiting from the other twelve Districts."
Bell makes Coin a radiation-scrubber anyway, and says, "I think I've earned at least thirty people, which is about as many as I'd conceivably want to interview in a day anyway."
Coin says, "You're trying to move too quickly. Figuring out how to announce you and your actions so far will take longer than a day, let alone figuring out who we can spare."
Bell shrugs. "Okay. How long do you need? If I start thinking you aren't going to produce personnel eventually I might have to take the stuff back, but I can give you a while to plod along bureaucratically if that makes you more comfortable, the Capitol isn't going anywhere and I can make some progress recruiting from the other twelve Districts."
sicaria
Sherlock considers the problem of the nukes, and then makes a wish.
No perceptible change ensues. But now, if one of them is ever about to launch or go off, it will turn into a large stuffed rabbit instead.
No perceptible change ensues. But now, if one of them is ever about to launch or go off, it will turn into a large stuffed rabbit instead.
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[I love you, you're fantastic,] says Bell, who was just barely able to catch that going by.
"A week?" tries Coin. "Even if I neglect all lesser priorities completely that's optimistic, but never let it be said that I cannot compromise."
Bell considers what she would do with one week. Write up and deliver various announcements; hire some people - she can probably use Shark, for that matter, if he can get used to the idea of the whole Empress of Atlantis - from Districts. Oh, and make herself a crown. She needs a crown.
"I can do that," Bell says.
"Good," says Coin.
"A week?" tries Coin. "Even if I neglect all lesser priorities completely that's optimistic, but never let it be said that I cannot compromise."
Bell considers what she would do with one week. Write up and deliver various announcements; hire some people - she can probably use Shark, for that matter, if he can get used to the idea of the whole Empress of Atlantis - from Districts. Oh, and make herself a crown. She needs a crown.
"I can do that," Bell says.
"Good," says Coin.
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"Shall I go make an appointment for a week's time with your secretary?" Bell asks.
"Yes," says Coin. "That would be helpful."
"Can do."
Bell goes and makes the appointment (meeting with Empress of Atlantis re: hiring agreement) and then fetches Sherlock and teleports them back.
"I'm going to design a crown," she says brightly.
"Yes," says Coin. "That would be helpful."
"Can do."
Bell goes and makes the appointment (meeting with Empress of Atlantis re: hiring agreement) and then fetches Sherlock and teleports them back.
"I'm going to design a crown," she says brightly.
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"Oh yes. I've had about five years to think about it, after all," she says, grinning.
She closes her eyes and calls up all the fleeting mental images that she can remember now of sea-gems and shapes and colors. She discards most of the early ones, and fuses the others together, and -
Square.
"What do you think?"
She closes her eyes and calls up all the fleeting mental images that she can remember now of sea-gems and shapes and colors. She discards most of the early ones, and fuses the others together, and -
Square.
"What do you think?"
she_sells_seashells
[I wonder if I should start referring to you as my Imperial Consort?] muses Bell, kissing back quite happily.