among her own kind

[she_sells_seashells]

Shell Bell finds Milliways once when she is eighteen. She has been there for two days now, setting up her sign ten minutes out of every waking hour, wiping down tables for her quarters in the staff area, eating buttery potatoes (she has been told that this is a complete nutrient package, for humans). Her wand is holding a bun of hair in place on the back of her head. Her shells are stashed safely in her room; she's budgeting carefully and she'll pay her tab when she leaves.

No one's talked to her due to the sign yet. They don't always. She sets it up anyway, like clockwork, so everyone gets the chance.

Comments

[prima_sequentem]

"Harsh," says Elizabeth.

[she_sells_seashells]

"Yes. Rather. And of course there are the other effects of malicious totalitarianism - the only reason I'm reasonably confident about the lack of rebellion is that Bar will loan me archives of Capitol newspapers, not just the District Four Gazette, and there aren't any prolonged, suspicious 'resource shortages' that I'd expect the media to cover for unrest with even there. You can see why we'd like the Capitol in question to go away."

[prima_sequentem]

"Completely," she agrees.

[she_sells_seashells]

"Do you," Bell says, all smiles, "need advice about a criminal organization?"

[prima_sequentem]

"Probably not," she admits. "But I might want to get your perspective anyway, just for fun."

[she_sells_seashells]

"What's fun worth to you?"

[prima_sequentem]

"Highly variable."

[she_sells_seashells]

"Can I get a range of examples, maybe?"

[prima_sequentem]

"Well, let me put it this way," she says. "If I want to give you whatever has the most value to you at the least cost to me, I need to know more about the kinds of things you take in trade."

[she_sells_seashells]

"In the past, when it's not just straight-up money? Magic wand," says Bell. "Audio recording device and instructions on how to use it. I took water purification tablets once but I wouldn't find more of those specifically useful. A nifty little bag that I'm not sure if it's magical or just high-tech. I've been optimizing for objects that are small, because I've needed to hide them, but that will be less important going forward."

[prima_sequentem]

"And let's see... what would constitute a suitably qualified ally?"

[she_sells_seashells]

"The last person I asked bills herself as 'a hero' and carries a magic space hammer," Bell volunteers. "You'd need to have something exceptional for humans to make up for unfamiliarity with our world, I think, or just be a fantastically quick study."

[prima_sequentem]

"I wasn't intending to be the ally in question. But I could probably find you one or two," she says.

[she_sells_seashells]

"That would be worthy of a finder's fee in the form of my undoubtedly entertaining advice," Bell says.

[prima_sequentem]

"I think that sounds like a fair deal."

[she_sells_seashells]

"Lovely. Suitable allies are anyone who's willing to come to Panem for a while and help us and who stands a chance of actually doing so. We're currently in planning stages, which might not last longer than the time I spend here but that could be months Milliways time. We'll build a plan around what we find here."

[prima_sequentem]

"I have someone in mind already. As a bonus, it's going to piss off my fiancé tremendously if he ever finds out."

[she_sells_seashells]

"...Pissing off your fiancé is a bonus?" Bell asks.

[prima_sequentem]

"Sometimes, yes. In fact it was a crucial component of getting engaged to him in the first place."

[she_sells_seashells]

Bell is curious about that but doesn't want to ruin anything by prying more than she has. She settles for looking puzzled.

[prima_sequentem]

"Yes?"

[she_sells_seashells]

"I don't think I follow, but it's a peripheral matter, so I wasn't going to inquire."

[prima_sequentem]

"Inquire away. He's actually part of the criminal network story, albeit peripherally."

[she_sells_seashells]

"I don't plan to even think about causing the existence of my love life until after I have taken over the world, because Panem as-is is no place to get too attached to people. But I'm led to understand that engagements don't usually involve the kind of antagonism you're describing."

[prima_sequentem]

"My fiancé thrives on antagonism. He's the predatory type; you have to give him something to hunt down and kill or he loses interest. Metaphorically speaking."