#; interlude

Slate,

Meet me in the Capitol Gardens when no one is looking, make sure you are not followed. I will be at the west end, near the arch covered in ivy.

-FS

The note, a product of her disdain for the simplicity that accompanied every new entry, left her yearning for a more revealing composition. She longed to share more about herself, to provide him with a glimpse of who she truly was through her words. However, the risk of exposing her connection to the rebel victor to the prying eyes of the Capitol hindered her from doing so. To maintain the freedom to forge her own allegiance and carve her unique path, secrecy must be used, a vital safeguard for the life she meticulously constructed over the past few years.

After numerous attempts, a discarded pile of crumpled papers in a nearby garbage can bore witness to her struggle. Eventually, she settled on a note, placing it delicately into a black envelope. Including her discovered photo of Beryl and a seal of ornate wax, she entrusted the message to a loyal member of her household staff. Crossing her fingers, she hoped the photo would compel Slate to reveal himself in the gardens of the Capitol.

The wind's embrace prompted her to tighten her shawl around her shoulders as she waited in the chilly night. Concealed in the shadows of the arch, her dark attire seamlessly blended with the nocturnal darkness. Anxiety coursed through her as time ticked away. The possibility that Slate might choose not to meet, driven by fear of potential revelations, hung heavily in the air. Even if he did appear, comfort eluded her, for in either scenario, a life-altering shift loomed on the horizon.

Nearly an hour elapsed before the calculated cadence of footsteps reached her ears, signaling the arrival of the sought-after figure. Peeking from the side of the arch, her dark eyes surveyed the silhouette before her. "Slate?" The unfamiliar name felt peculiar on her tongue, seldom uttered aloud. "Slate Skylar?"

          Now? 

          Now, you were downright terrified of what was to come. 

                    ( We aren’t dead...what are they planning? )

          You gently bit your lip as you thought about what could happen next, everyone who was poisoned got the antidote and the bracelets were long gone. You knew that the punishment was not related to the last motive, yet...

          There was a vibration in your pocket as you pulled your phone out. All previous thoughts were disregarded as you opened the screen and saw SysAdmin appear. She seemed dull. 

          “Listen up, you dense motherfuckers. Get to the plaza in 15 minutes for a mandatory meeting. I’ll even provide a map since you incompetent fucks can’t seem to notice things right in front of your face.”

          You noticed something off about SysAdmin, however you could not tell what was wrong with the AI, though you would admit that the reminder of the failed trial was not needed. A sigh escaped your lips as you made your way to the plaza.

Current Time: 1600

           Once everyone assembled at the plaza, you waited for the Wardens to arrive. There was a quiet mumbling between everyone as you waited in anticipation for Marionette and Chat Blanc to appear. What you were not expecting was that the entire staff came with them. Most of them looked irritated, yet Hime seemed to be excited. You couldn’t help but glare at the little she-devil as memories of past punishments flashed through your mind. You knew better than to verbally lash out at her, especially given the presence of the Wardens. 

           “Good everyone managed to get here. Give yourself a pat on the back and let’s get started,” Marionette spoke up to get everyone’s attention. Just like SysAdmin, you could tell that something was off with the Warden. Unlike with SysAdmin, you were able to pick up on her colder and harsher tone as she stepped forward.

                    ( Is this because we got the killer wrong? )

          “For those who have not noticed, all Duelists should have had their decks returned to them. For those who are interested in getting into the game, you can buy starter decks and booster packs from Hang. We are putting the finishing touches on the Turbo Dueling track and Action Duel Arena. Expect that to be available in the next few days. This is your reward for finishing the motive.”

          She took a step back to be at Chat Blanc’s side once more. You saw that the others seemed to be interested and in some cases excited about the new development. 

                    ( That can’t be it. Ther— )

          “Did we say we were done with you dipshits?” Chat Blanc snapped as he glared at the group. The excited chatter quickly died down after; it seemed like he made a full recovery. You were not sure if that was a good or bad thing for you. “There still is that little part about how you guys all fucked up the trial. You are all a bunch of fucking hypocrites and should be thanking us that you still have your pathetic lives instead of killing you for failing a trial. But no matter, there is still that little detail about how to punish you. Hime if you would?”

          Hime stepped forward, clearly pleased with herself. 

          “Of course!” She tapped her chin as if in thought before grinning maliciously. “You are losing all help provided from any staff.” 

                    ( EVERYTHING? )

           Your eyes went wide in horror by what Hime was saying. It was hard surviving the last motive with the hospital gone, and now it sounded like it was never reopening. You heard that some more people got hurt trying to explore the jungle a few days ago and while the injuries were not too terrible, the thought of no doctors still scared you.

          “You know it would have been temporary if you didn’t make it sound like we were the villains.” It was Aisha who spoke up, her voice was quiet and unsure. “I want to help you guys, but not if this is the thanks we get. My surgeon, my nurse and I have worked day and night for you, yet your thanks is horrible, so we are not reopening the hospital.”

          “The General Store and Grocery Store will remain open. However, everything will cost credits to buy except for basic food, water, and hygiene. You will have to go through me if you want anything else.” This time it was Hang who spoke up. Her voice was stronger than Aisha, yet she couldn’t make eye contact with anyone in the crowd. 

           “Now there is one last thing.” Chat Blanc glanced among the crowd looking for one specific person. Once he found them, he started walking towards them. He unzipped one of his pockets and pulled out a small box. You saw the Warden come towards you and you got out of his way, and you noticed a few others did the same. Once Chat Blanc reached Felix Agreste, he made eye contact with him. 

          “Felix, this is yours.” With that he handed the small bag to the other gently before turning around and walking back to Marionette’s side.

          The wind brushes over his neck and curls, causing his feline ears to twitch at the cold. It’s new, all of this. The murder isn’t new — he lives his life stepping over bodies he’s littered the ground with, laughing as another explosion rocks the city — but the feeling of being almost completely cut off from all the people around him. Yes, many people here speak English, but just as many do not. The global translator is useless to him, as it does not change their lip movements, does not change how they communicate with him.

          He breathes out a sigh and looks over the railing once again. They’d finally gained access to the roof, but for whatever reason, he was the only one up here. That was fine with him. All the other prisoners were just too hard to talk to and he liked his alone time anyway. He felt bad for leaving Gavin after all that had happened, but he’d finally passed out, so he’d snuck away for some fresh air.

          He was drawing in a deep breath when a hand grabbed his chin and an icy pain stretched quickly from one side of his throat to the other. It takes him a belated second to realize he’s just had his throat slit clean across. Pale hands fly to his throat, blood seeping through his fingers as he tries to keep pressure on the wound. It’s not like it’ll help, he realizes. A slit throat and no one around to help? He was as good as dead.

          — or so he thought. He thinks it’s just a figment of his imagination, the blue glow, but before he can blink more than once, he’s in the entryway of the hospital wing. The blue glow is a warmth, comforting, and he swears he sees a small blue creature with a feathered tail smile at him before his eyes roll back and he passes out.

The execution just happened but it seems someone couldn’t wait for a motive to murder. Fortunately, the would-be victim, Michael Jones, was saved by a small, mysterious creature. 

The only evidence the creature really existed is a long blue feather with an orange spot left behind on Dorm Three’s roof.

Aisha, Kaneki and Hinami have ordered the Hospital Wing on lockdown until further notice. Only those with injuries that are major will be permitted inside and no one currently admitted will be allowed outside.

Aisha will send out an announcement to the prisoners announcing the attempted murder and subsequent lockdown of the Hospital Wing. 

Your muses will now have to deal with the knowledge that someone was trigger happy enough to attempt murder so soon.

The night remained young, yet the majority of Capitolites had already flooded into the expansive event space, their faces illuminated, hands adorned with either flesh or drink. Amidst them, she found contentment; the games were behind, and in this moment, she could let her thoughts roam freely. No longer would her conversations revolve around the tribulations of the games; instead, the focus shifted to the illustrious victor captivating the Capitol's citizens.

This interlude was among Daffodil's preferred moments, a brief hiatus from her duties where she could unwind with friends. As the realization dawned on her, she scanned the room, eager to engage in lively conversation with someone intriguing. While she had exchanged words with a few acquaintances, she yearned for a companion with whom she could truly have some fun.

Her eyes alighted upon the entrance of a close friend, excitement radiating from her countenance as she gracefully maneuvered through the crowd.

"Enna, my darling!" she exclaimed, arms outstretched in a welcoming gesture. "I am so glad to see you here!"

“All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes, a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

“Just because you are soft doesn't mean you are not a force. Honey and wildfire are both the colour gold.”

― Victoria Erickson, EDGE OF WONDER: Notes From The Wildness Of Being

          He slowly closed his eyes and placed his paws in the paste he made earlier and placed it ontop of the metal chain and started chanting. He only had one chance at this, if he failed then things could get very ugly. As he chanted on the door of each person who held a Miraculous Stone the following characters were being inscribed in bright green writing.

我呼籲偉大的古代力量打破腐敗的心靈所形成的印記。 打破你的羈絆，釋放你的靈魂，帶來新的重生 。

          Once the last character was drawn, the Miraculous Stones started to glow and heat up. The temperature was not unbearable and a moment later there was a flash of light. Once the light faded the characters stopped glowing and the Kwami were released. The Miraculous Stones once again lost all heat and fell back into their useless state.

          Clearly there was someone or something out there rebelling against the Wardens…the question was who.

While Trixx and her partners released your pets, another entity released the kwami of the prisoners with Miraculous Stones.

The kwami do not possess their powers besides levitation. They cannot move through walls.

You still are unable to transform. 

The reason for the kwamis being released right now is unclear. The timing seems to correlate with the pets. Is that the case?

The strange characters on the doors of the Miraculous holders no longer glow but they did not disappear.

          You were shocked when the one who appeared on the screen wasn’t anybody you’d ever met. Hell, it wasn’t even a creature you’d ever met. Upon the screen was a tiny creature that resembled a fox, big purple eyes shining with the barest hint of mischief. It snickered and waved to the screen.

          “Hey there, everyone. Remember me? Fox emoji? Human wardens? Helping you guys? Ring a bell?” The creature frowned when the camera wobbled, dipping a bit low. It floated lower and sighed. “Hey, hold that thing still! What are you guys good for anyway?”

          There was the sound of faint voices, possibly bickering, before it was silent again. All that was on the irritated face of the fox creature.

          “Anyway, I’m Trixx. That doesn’t actually matter, so scratch that. Hey, do you think Plagg’s listening? Hey, Plagg, you suck!”

          “Trixx!” a muffled voice groaned. Trixx just snickered.

          “Anyway, we can’t talk long. You know, evil Wardens and all that. Anyway, we know you guys kinda got the short end of the stick since you’re all stupid.”

          “Trixx!”

          “Whatever, whatever. Anyway, we wanted to give you guys some comfort after all that, so we’ve got a present. Right about now, my sidekicks—”

          “Trixx!”

          “—oh shut up! Anyway, you guys are getting your pets back! Uh, we’re gonna scale down anything over six feet because we’re only Kwamis, guys. We’re not like all-powerful beings who can warp time and space. That’s Tikki and Plagg and they’re nuts right now.”

          There was some skirmishing and then the camera dropped, hitting the ground by one of the large metal gates.

          “Seriously, you guys are useless!” Trixx said, flying down and sitting on the ground. “Anyway, pets incoming! Oh, and don’t forget that your Wardens aren’t totally  and there’s bigger forces at work and good beats evil and all that good stuff. See ya!”

          The video cut out and you were left with no further explanation, other than the obvious: someone or some things were out there trying to help you.

Congratulation! Thanks to some outside help, you’ve been gifted with the return of any pets you may have had. Sounds great, right?

This extends to pets only. Things like cats, dogs, dragons, etc.

Things like Personas and creatures who could double as a muse are not pets and therefore do not count.

These creatures do not retain any magical abilities.

As Trixx said, she and her cohorts have shrunk down any creatures whose main body length exceeds six feet. These pets have been shrunk down in various sizes, but their main body is not over four foot.

When we say “main body” we mean the basis of their body, without things such as tails, wings, horns, tentacles, etc.

Height does not equal length. A quadpedal creature will have their length counted, not their height. A creature whose body extends six feet, whether vertically or horizontally, will be shrunk.

The creatures helping you have brought you a maximum of four pre-existing companions. If you didn’t have a pet before the verse, you’re not being granted one. They’re only bringing what you already had at home here.

A pet’s minor destruction of property (such as a dog digging a hole or eating a flower) will not mean a punishment for you. A pet’s major destruction of property (say that dog breaks through a wall or chews up a bunch of books in the library) will.

As they say: your pet, your responsibility.