Chapter Text
Hat Kid looks at the door, wanting to leave and go collect the Timepieces. But instead, she turns her head back to the four people. “Please, tell me what is going on...first off where are we?"
“We are at the Capital. Where there is no train!" Exclaim Conductor scandalized.
“ Sigh... and you know why that was confiscated from you, you dumb bird.” Inform Empress.
“Wait. Someone took your train?!” Ask Kid, shocked. Why and who dare to take his train? Kid knows just how important the convoy is to him with the help of the film.
“YES! isn't it cruel? I need my train!” Whine Conductor. His poor train...god know where that maniac has hidden it.
“Oh, com’on! You were a veritable danger public with that train!” Protest Mafia Boss, just remembering how many of his men were hurt by it and cringe.
“BUT I NEED IT! How am I supposed to beat that damn space penguin, DJ Groove?!” Cry out Conductor.
“You can always use the metro.” proposed Empress, not interested one bit in his problem. Though the Hat Kid is another story. If she really has all of her memories than she is worth more than gold.
“A metro isn't the same thing as a train.” Said Kid, gaining the favor of Conductor as he let out an” HA!” like «See?», and making Empress less greedy. She doesn't need someone who doesn't share her point of view.
The Goat ring the bell they have around the neck as an expression of...compassion or like a reprimand? Hard to tell.
Kid smile then shake her head, getting back to business and ask her second question: “What is going on here?”
“A lot that we still don’t know all about it... ” Answer Mafia Boss.
Hat frown, not satisfied with this answer, but asks her next question. “What… Do you guys remember anything? Or you just don't recognize me?”
At that everyone stays silent and fixes her. All that staring made Hat Kid a little afraid and anxious. She doesn’t like to be the center of attention.
“I see...you really still have all of your memories.” Concluded Empress, tiring on one string of her mustache.
“We, well I don’t remember you, lassie… nor do I remember where I come from either. ” Informe the yellow bird.
“In fact, we all kind of wake up in this world and we can just...tell that our world isn’t supposed to be this way?” Say Boss, trying to express those weird intuition? Feelings? “I don’t even know when I was born.”
Goat rings their bell in accord with what Boss has said.
“Oh… then can you tell me what you remember?” Asks Kid. This is too weird. Is a time rift capable of erasing (or maybe manipulate) the memory of the people inside? She never hears of something like that!
“I know that I have a train and I make a movie and my name is Conductor. I also know that DJ Groove is my rival too… But that all for me.” Answer Conductor.
“I'm the Boss of a group Mafia cook. We were trying to find a new place to live because we need a change. If you want to be part of my family, you are welcomed but if you try to hurt one of my men, you dead.” Inform the Boss as he invites and menaces Kid at the same time.
At that MU reacts; “Pffff… Who wants to be part of your pathetic crew?”
“Don't think that I forgot what you did, you pest! I only let you live because you're useful to us!” Calmly explains Boss, glaring daggers at her. At how deadly serious is tone is sent a shiver down the spine of Mustache girl and she hugs herself, trying to warm up her body.
Look like more bad blood was spilled between them…
“I own a jewelry store, though I no longer have it... I'm also the head of a small gang of cats who are dedicated to me.” Empress said as she taps her crossed arms with her fingers.
Hat Kid almost speak back but bite her lips. Dedicated? What a joke! They were scared of her! But at the stare of the big cat lady, she turns her head, not wanting to locks eyes with the feline boss and ask the next question:
“What is this big building in the center?”
This time it was MU who answered. “It’s a school.”
Kid blinked. “A school? That castle?”
At that, the mustached girl laughs. “What did you expect? The lair of our common evil enemy?”
“I-I guess?” she responds unsure as she shrugs. “I’m wrong?”
“It’s...not wrong. It's a little complicated lassie…” Conductor reassures her, hand on her shoulder. She smiles at the bird and thank him.
“So…what is up with this “school”?” she interrogated but everyone sigh loudly like they were one person. She looks at them a little surprised. School isn’t that bad. She has good memories at the time school where she learns all the necessary. Well, when she said necessary it actually the minimum since she usually falls asleep during the lessons. But she still has a good impression of it.
“W-Well… Almost everyone has to attend this school. And when I mean almost everyone I mean the people who don’t have a «job» already... ” Explain Conductor.
At the confused look of the Kid, Mafia Boss developed. “If you don't have proof that you have actually a work you have to pass your time in school. For example, I’m a cook but I have no place to actually practice my career which means that I'm jobless.” At the weird look Kid looks at him, he adds. “Because yes, managing a whole gang isn't a job here…”
So that why Conductor and Empress lost their belongings… For Goat, she supposed that they don't have a job, to begin with.
“I have one last question.” When all the attention was on her again, she asks: “Who is the one responsible for this?”
This time everyone looks at her, confused.
Goat rings their bell in a certain rhythmic as if they are saying something. But it was through Mafia Boss the question get out. “What do you mean?”
Hat Kid is astonished. “I mean… who is the one that took your train? Who is managing the school? Who is the one that took your memories?”
She is pretty sure that there is someone behind all this. This is too unusual. Even for a Time Rift. So the most plausible explanation is that there is someone behind the Rift. Don't know how they did it but they gonna pay!
Empress sighs over dramatically and a tiny bit pissed: “Didn’t we say that we don’t know much?”
“Do you really think it time to hide the little knowledge you have, for us to get out of here, right now?” She replies coldly. She stares at her, not breaking down from her impressive glare.
They stayed into a silent stare fight when Conductor giggles: “I like that lass, she got a lot of character!” then in a calmer voucher adds; “We really don't know lassie… All we can do is speculate. But we all think that is the Principal is behind all this… The only problem is that we have never seen them yet.”
“What are you doing?! Given such important information-” Start to reprimand Mafia Boss but got cut.
“Important? Are ya kidding me? For all we know that Principal may be fictive! Just a lie of the bandaged brat who proclaimed to be the vice principal! Plus the lassie is right: if we want to get out of that trap hole we need to aide each other as much as we can…” Speak back Conductor.
Hat Kid assimilates the new facts. So there is some sort of hierarchy and the Principal position is the highest here… But the part where Conductor says that person is probably imaginary bother her. But once again, it will make sense if there was someone in shadow, tiring all the lines… Well, at last, she has a lead which is that vice principal.
“That vice-principal is a child too? What they like?” She asks, looking at Conductor since he is the only one who wants to share the information the most.
At her question, he became nervous like he was about to explain some taboos. “Errrr… They are a kid just like you. And they are covered entirely by some bandages…” He finally mumbled out and Hat Kid had to step closer to hear it.
She nods as if she has taken a decision. “Then I better get going then,” she announces as she walks to the exit.
“WA-WA-WAWAWA! Wait a moment, young lady! Where do ya think ya are going?!” Protest Conductor.
“Going to meet the vice-principal.” She answers, the determination heavily present in her voice.
”Are you CRAZY?!” MU exclaims, grabbing her arm before she can leave. Empress and Mafia also protest about her rushed decision.
She turns around to face them. “And what am I supposed to do? Wait here until you guys order me around? Besides, I still need to go see my ship. There are some things that I need to gather.” She maintains, her hands still on the door handle but seeing that MU hasn't let go of her arm she gently shakes it free.
“Wait! Before ya go… Promise that ya will come back.” Conductor intervened. Hat Kid looks at him in the eyes- if he has such things- then nods before going out into the city again.
~•~•~•~•~•~
After looking around on the roof of the skyscrapers, she finally spots where her ship crashed. In fact, it was near where she had to regain consciousness. How did she miss it before? Although she did say that she was going to meet that guy she still has to prioritize the Time Pieces before anything else.
She quickly made her way, after getting lost so many times, into the woods. And she thought that the city looked like a maze... She was so entangled in her thoughts, ruminating her conversation before, that she made it to her ship.
But someone else got there before her.
“That's really our luck! We finally seize an agent of Time but all the Time Pieces are gone missing!” A short person clamored as they jumped down by a broken window before kicking the ship out of frustration.
“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!” Hat kid cries out at that idiot as she runs to them. Even if her ship is currently broken that doesn't mean she can't repair it! She needs it just as much as the Time Pieces!
Now that she is approaching this person, she noticed that they are wearing an oversized blue-green hoodie, the hood on, with a pair of baskets and really long socks. But as she kept running toward them she was getting chills all over her body.
Only when they turn their head to her, she understands her misstep. Their face is fully covered with bandages, only their eyes can be seen. Though there is only one that is open. What she mistook as socks were also bandages.
Now that she slowly comes to a stop a few feet apart from them, they are shorter than her, maybe by an inch or two but their eyes have drawn on them: the right eyes have like a stick-tear under it and stick-eyelashes at the end. The left one has a slide-down near the nose and the slice goes up at the other end. And it is the one who is open, revealing a slip pupil just like Empress but different, glaring at her coldly.
“What do you want-” they start to question but stop in mid-sentence before looking all over her. She got a bad premonition. “...you have a Timepiece on you.” it wasn't a question but a certainty.
She looks dumbfounded at them before remembering the one that she manages to snatch back before she gets here.
They smile at her, well she guesses they smile since it is kinda hard to read their expression with all those bandages, as they extend a hand. “Please hand it over while I'm asking nicely.” They menacingly inquire.
She doesn't want to do that! But she can feel that it will end badly if she doesn't do as they have ordered…
She…