Masked (A Hat In Time)

Wrapping Things Up

I feel bad for announcing Mu's presence even though she has a very minor role in this story. Like, she's only here for this chapter. I don't want to disappoint anyone.

Anyway. Y'all ready for arc 3?

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Bow Kid closed the diary and set down her pen on top of it. She jumped up and pulled herself out of the many pillows. She raised her head above the surface and found the prince waiting just above her, looking anxious.

"Hey," she said. "Something wrong?"

He blushed a little and tapped his fingers together. "You just jumped in there, and you didn't appear again for a while," he admitted. "I-I was worried something happened to you."

Bow's face softened. "We have a secret room down there," she told him. "We're perfectly safe. You don't have to worry."

The prince relaxed a bit and smiled slightly. "Okay, thank you."

She moved out of the pillow pile and left her bedroom. She entered the main room and stood for a moment. Bow Kid was waiting for Hattie to come back.

They'd discussed a few things. They made a list of the things they needed to do and problems they needed to fix. The overarching priority was to get home, of course. But the Outlander had the final timepiece, and no one knew where he was. They didn't need it to leave, but they didn't trust him with that sort of power.

Besides, the more timepieces they came back with, the better. These extras could help them plan for making a trip back if they wanted to in the future.

They also decided that they should prepare to leave beforehand. That way, when they got the timepiece back, they'd be ready to go.

Another thing they talked about was getting help from some of the friends they've made. A demon with a timepiece could be a huge threat. From the way he moved in the shadows, he could easily steal anything and cause so many problems without getting caught. So Hattie and Bow decided to warn people and ask if they could keep an eye out for him.

Snatcher, Jaide, the prince, and Moonjumper already knew, of course. And now Cooking Cat was on high alert (since, honestly, Hattie and Bow didn't trust the Mafia with something like this). Same with DJ Grooves, the Conductor (who begged the kids to star in more movies), the nomads from Alpine Skyline (they seemed rather eager to accept), the Ship Captain (he was rather gruff about it), and the Empress (reluctantly).

Well, there was only one more person Hattie and Bow wanted to talk to.

Bow Kid perked up again when she saw the doors to the kitchen be suddenly flung open. Hat Kid bounded out of the kitchen happily, pulling Mustache Girl along behind her by the hand. Mu looked somewhat confused and hesitant. She kept glancing around the room.

"Hi, Mu!" Bow exclaimed.

She lifted a hand in a somewhat awkward wave. "Hey."

The three girls stood together in a lumpy triangle. They stared at each other for a moment.

"It's been a while since I was here," Mu muttered. She shot another glance around the room.

Bow Kid nodded. "Do you still have the timepiece we gave you?" she asked in a hushed, curious tone.

Mu paused. Then after a moment, she nodded. "Yeah. I haven't used it yet, so I hid it, but it's safe with me." A cocky light came to her light. "Those Mafia goons will never find it."

They all grinned. Hattie and Bow never forgot the joy of beating the peck out of the Mafia.

"Speaking of timepieces, though," Hattie said. Mu's face immediately fell. Maybe that was not the best transition onto a touchy topic. Poor Mu was probably thinking about the fight they had.