holy place

[she_sells_seashells]

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.

Comments

[seewhathappens]

"She says her name is Sherlock Stark," he reports to Shell Bell.

[she_sells_seashells]

"She was a victor a couple years ago. And her twin brother the year after her. ...The way Cerulean talked about going to the Capitol I wouldn't be at all surprised if victors had a less pleasant time of it than is usually discussed and it could easily be Snow's fault in particular."

[seewhathappens]

"I see."

To Sherlock, he says, "Having consulted my advisors, I retroactively declare that you were working in an official capacity at the time. Here is a holy symbol identifying you as affiliated with the military but outside their command structure." A rectangular wooden badge materializes. "Do you accept this position?"

[sicaria]

She catches it out of the air.

"Yes. Got anyone else for me to assassinate?"

[seewhathappens]

"If I do, I'll let you know."

[she_sells_seashells]

"I assume you must have some sort of actual justice system not usually administered by assassins, even if you have a low enough crime rate that it seldom comes up," Shell Bell says.

[seewhathappens]

"Yes," says Kirovalin. "But there is also room for assassins, in times of war. On another advisor's suggestion, I've recruited her."

[she_sells_seashells]

"...Another?"

Meanwhile:

Scattered throughout the country, some people attack Peacekeepers for various reasons.

There is a panicked near-riot of miscellaneous civilians within the Capitol outside some official government buildings.

The Reaping lady is being carried off by some District 1 teenagers without much regard for her well-being.

A few people without tongues are trying to escape the Capitol and some people with tongues are trying to stop them.

Someone in District 5 turns out to be violently allergic to strawberries.

A member of the Hunger Games orchestration organization is getting into some kind of scuffle with his co-workers.

[seewhathappens]

"With or without the official title, you're certainly advising me."

Kirovalin makes decisions about the appropriate response to each incident. A blessing for health will help the person with the allergy; people attacking Peacekeepers may be left alone or asked to stop or interfered with directly by obstructive flora; more obstructive flora can assist the people trying to escape the Capitol; the scuffle amid the Hunger Games orchestrators bears further watching; the panicked citizens can be listened to, and perhaps asked to calm down if he judges it more helpful than otherwise...

[no_return]

Somebody's already on the case with the Reaping lady.

"You guys aren't thinking of harming your fellow citizens, are you?" he inquires, following. "I hear you can get in trouble for that."

[alicornucopia]

"She's from the Capitol," someone says derisively.

"Aren't you the Career for this year? She wanted to cart you and your girl friend off to get killed," someone else adds.

The Reaping lady whimpers.

[no_return]

"Yes, I am the Career for this year," says Jewel. "And I didn't hear our new god-emperor saying 'I welcome you all as new citizens, except anybody from the Capitol, fuck those guys'. Way I heard it, seems like you're about to break the law." He picks a cloudberry off a newly sprouted bush and eats it. "Also about to kind of annoy me. Up to you which one scares you more."

[alicornucopia]

"He wasn't talking to her," says the first guy.

[no_return]

"Hey, Kirovalin," he says. "Are they allowed to beat up this lady?"

[seewhathappens]

"No."

[alicornucopia]

Well, that's sort of hard to creatively interpret.

"She's a fucking Capitol murderer," snarls one of the people carrying her.

[no_return]

"You really think she's personally murdered anybody? Look at her," says Jewel, gesturing illustratively. "She's not an organizer, she's not the President, she's just the girl who reads out the names. It's not her fault. She's just kind of clueless and pathetic. I'm not gonna hurt somebody for being clueless and pathetic, and I'm not gonna stand around and watch you do it either."

[alicornucopia]

The guys look at each other, and then at more or less the same time they drop her and stomp away.

She sniffles.

[no_return]

"You okay?" says Jewel.

[alicornucopia]

"Of course not!" she exclaims.

[no_return]

Jewel shrugs slightly. "Anything I can do?"

[alicornucopia]

Sniffle. "They might come back. ...Assuming you were telling the truth about not wanting to hurt me."

[no_return]

"Yeah, I was. There's people I'm pissed off at, but you're not one of 'em."

[alicornucopia]

She sits on the floor of the new forest and picks at a new imperfection in her outfit.

[no_return]

Jewel sits, too. He eats berries. They are tasty.