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My alternates tend to take over the world. Advice available. Rates negotiable.
Shell Bell puts up her sign and nibbles her most recent charity meal. Not potatoes! It is not potatoes. Or fish or clams. It is rice and curry and a fruity yogurt drink. That nice person told Bar she could use his tab for four meals, and this is meal number two.
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she_sells_seashells
she_sells_seashells
Shell Bell has one of those pendants. It's kind of aggressively handmade, but she does have a round wooden thing on a necklace.
Someone assumes she's a priestess, after an enthusiastic convert in the local Peacekeepers volunteers her comm for inter-district information-sharing.
"Um. I'm unclear. Kiro, am I a priestess?"
Someone assumes she's a priestess, after an enthusiastic convert in the local Peacekeepers volunteers her comm for inter-district information-sharing.
"Um. I'm unclear. Kiro, am I a priestess?"
seewhathappens
"Not in the formal sense. But if you want to be appointed to the priesthood for now to help with organization and coordination, I'll get you a full priest's pendant. The one you have now formally means 'working with the priesthood in an unspecified capacity on a temporary basis', which is accurate as far as it goes but underrepresents your value somewhat."
seewhathappens
A larger and more intricately carved pendant appears, on a proper metal chain, identical to those of all the other newly appointed priests.
she_sells_seashells
She swaps it in. "Cool. Anyplace in particular I should be right now?"
seewhathappens
"I believe the most helpful thing you can distribute right now is explanations," he says, and points her at the nearest group of bewildered citizens.
she_sells_seashells
She heads thataway. En route:
"Do you have somebody with a holy object on a train to District Twelve, or are you going to be faster than a train at this point? Also: is it in any way controlled information that you have another empire-section in another world?"
"Do you have somebody with a holy object on a train to District Twelve, or are you going to be faster than a train at this point? Also: is it in any way controlled information that you have another empire-section in another world?"
seewhathappens
"That is not controlled information. I'm putting together a train to District Twelve, but my strategy advisor and Sherlock agree that when I send one it should be prepared to meet violent resistance without my help, and those preparations will take time."
she_sells_seashells
"They might have hostages and that gets likelier as time goes on. You could send a train that doesn't stop to have an object chucked out of a window as a preliminary move."
seewhathappens
"There's also a concern that they might sabotage the track. The plan as it stands involves bringing a large number of holy objects and throwing them out the windows regularly as the train reaches new ground."
seewhathappens
"That depends on what exactly is sabotaged. I can clear obstructions, but not make precise small-scale repairs."
she_sells_seashells
"I suppose the Peacekeepers there are incommunicado with the other units, or this would be a lot simpler."
seewhathappens
"Someone told them what was happening and then they stopped answering calls. Perhaps they've guessed that the only people still able to try to call them are working for me."
she_sells_seashells
"Seems likely."
She sighs, and approaches the bewildered citizens.
"Hi. How are you guys doing?" she asks the bewildered citizens.
"We - hey, you've got one of those things."
"I do have one of those things," agrees Shell Bell.
"Where did you get it?" asks a bewildered citizen.
"Kiro brought it to me from the other section of his empire so it's obvious by looking that I'm helping. Do you need some help?"
"The other what?"
"He already has an empire. He's just added Panem to it."
"He's some kind of Atlantean god?"
"Yes, more or less. Do you need anything?"
"There's not going to be a Hunger Games?"
"Never again," Shell Bell asserts.
"What will there... be instead?"
"...Nothing," she says. "The Hunger Games wasn't doing anything that needs doing. So they will just go away and not be replaced."
"Oh."
She sighs, and approaches the bewildered citizens.
"Hi. How are you guys doing?" she asks the bewildered citizens.
"We - hey, you've got one of those things."
"I do have one of those things," agrees Shell Bell.
"Where did you get it?" asks a bewildered citizen.
"Kiro brought it to me from the other section of his empire so it's obvious by looking that I'm helping. Do you need some help?"
"The other what?"
"He already has an empire. He's just added Panem to it."
"He's some kind of Atlantean god?"
"Yes, more or less. Do you need anything?"
"There's not going to be a Hunger Games?"
"Never again," Shell Bell asserts.
"What will there... be instead?"
"...Nothing," she says. "The Hunger Games wasn't doing anything that needs doing. So they will just go away and not be replaced."
"Oh."
she_sells_seashells
"So what do we do now?" one of the bewildered citizens says.
"Well," says Shell Bell, "now the Capitol isn't in charge any more, and they can't kidnap teenagers or shoot poachers or bankrupt us with conveniently adjusted and timed taxes. So you can do some of the things you've always thought you might like to do if only those weren't problems. Also, Kirovalin can bring food here just like anything else and he'll give it out to whoever needs it - for real, you don't need to stockpile it or anything - so if you get tired of berries, though they are very yummy, you can ask about getting something else."
"...These things are edible?"
"Those things in particular are highly edible strawberries." Shell Bell eats one illustratively. "Eventually there will need to be temples so there's a centralized location to get non-strawberry things. If any of you know how to build things, you could help with that."
One of the bewildered citizens nods slowly.
"Well," says Shell Bell, "now the Capitol isn't in charge any more, and they can't kidnap teenagers or shoot poachers or bankrupt us with conveniently adjusted and timed taxes. So you can do some of the things you've always thought you might like to do if only those weren't problems. Also, Kirovalin can bring food here just like anything else and he'll give it out to whoever needs it - for real, you don't need to stockpile it or anything - so if you get tired of berries, though they are very yummy, you can ask about getting something else."
"...These things are edible?"
"Those things in particular are highly edible strawberries." Shell Bell eats one illustratively. "Eventually there will need to be temples so there's a centralized location to get non-strawberry things. If any of you know how to build things, you could help with that."
One of the bewildered citizens nods slowly.
seewhathappens
Kirovalin considers pointing out to Shell Bell that she is now in a position to recruit temporary help to the priesthood - she even has the disks already - but he'd rather not take the chance of spooking the people she's talking to.
she_sells_seashells
"There's trees everywhere," says a bewildered citizen. "I don't know how to get home."
"The coastline should still be the same," says Shell Bell. "Where do you live?"
They tell her where they live, and she gets them as far as the beach and points them where they need to go.
"The coastline should still be the same," says Shell Bell. "Where do you live?"
They tell her where they live, and she gets them as far as the beach and points them where they need to go.
seewhathappens
"If you want to recruit anyone as temporary help, you have the disks and can request more," says Kirovalin. "The train to District Twelve should be leaving soon."
she_sells_seashells
"Okay. Do the disks need to be worn to count? I've only got one of them actually on a string."
seewhathappens
"No; they're a reminder to the person themselves as much as to anyone else, and for that purpose they work just as well carried in a pocket."
she_sells_seashells
"Okay. What should I tell them to do with the disks when they're done helping?"
seewhathappens
"Return them to you, or tell me and let me take the disk. They may be more comfortable with the first option."
she_sells_seashells
"Okay. I should have thought of the part where a lot of people are not at home on Reaping day and may find the new flora hard to navigate, I'm sorry."