Masked (A Hat In Time)

Gone

*Tubbo voice* It's time for Masked arc 3 baby!!

Oh BOY. This'll be a nightmare of an arc.

---

In the morning, Hattie and Bow got ready to go to Subcon again. Hattie headed over to the prince, who hadn't moved even though they'd waken up.

She crouched over the prince. Was he still asleep? He wasn't breathing...oh, right, he was a doll. He didn't need to breathe. Hat Kid pulled out her umbrella and poked him. "Hey. You awake?" she asked.

He didn't move. She stared at him. He'd fallen asleep hugging his pillow. With a small smile, Hat Kid poked him again. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

Still, he didn't wake up. Hattie decided to resort to dramatic measures. She hefted her umbrella, prepared to swing it like a baseball bat, and yelled, "WAKEY WAKEY, BIG MISTAKEY-"

At her yell, the prince lifted his head. "Huh?" He smiled at Hat Kid, apparently not noticing that she was about to deck him. "Oh, good morning."

She put her umbrella away innocently. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

The prince sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."

There was something about how he hesitated when he said it. Hattie's brow furrowed in concern. "Are you sure?" she asked.

His answer was brief. "Yes." The prince pushed himself to his feet, then gave Hattie a good-morning hug. He pulled away shortly after, headed to Bow, and hugged her too.

"Are you ready to go to Subcon?" she asked him.

The prince nodded. She pulled away and took his hand. Hattie ran over and took her other hand. Bow Kid peered into the telescope before them.

Before they knew it, the scenery suddenly changed, and they landed in Subcon outside of Snatcher's home. Hattie and the prince let go of Bow's hands.

The kids ran over to Snatcher's home and looked inside. He was talking with one of his minions. Snatcher didn't look very happy, but then again, he never did.

"Seriously?" he snapped. "After all these years, she doesn't do anything, and a few days after he's here, she comes back into my forest?!"

The minion adjusted its cloak nervously. "Um, boss...didn't Jaide warn you that the ice was-"

"Yes, she did, and I should've listened!" Snatcher snapped. The minion fell silent. Snatcher rubbed his eyes tiredly with his claws. "Listen. I just...never wanted to deal with this again."

The minion politely stayed quiet. Snatcher lowered his hand with a sigh. "I'll go negotiate," he huffed. "Stay here. Make sure he doesn't find out about this." With that, he floated out of the door of his home opposite the kids.

Hat Kid and Bow Kid entered the room. "Make sure who doesn't find out about what?" Bow asked the minion.

The minion shrugged. "I don't know the whole story," it admitted. "But the boss doesn't want the prince to know."

The girls shared a glance. "The prince?" Hat Kid asked, confused. "Why him?"

Again, the minion shrugged. "I think the boss would like it if you didn't know either," it said. "Sorry."

With a reluctant "Thanks," Hat Kid and Bow Kid made their way back to the prince.

Except he wasn't there. He was gone.

---

After a quick scour of the forest, they found that he wasn't in there at all. Near the broken bridge leading up to Vanessa's manor, they found Snatcher heading home as quickly as possible. His face was twisted into a scowl.