Katniss slung her bow over her shoulder and slipped her hands into the pockets of her jacket. They had started together again, which Katniss had found odd, since they were no longer trying to wring the answers out of Twilight as he wanted. She was less concerned with that than the fact that she had not been given her Mockingjay armor again, as it really did help last time. She dismissed the trivial complaint- or so it felt at the time- with a shake of her head as she read the sign aloud.

"You are now entering Northville."

Holly snickered. "They're as bad at coming up with names as you."

"It's probably all for the better," said Twilight. "If the towns are named after the cardinal directions, navigating between them should be pretty easy. If you're at Northville and want to go to Southville, you head due south, and so on."

"It's totally going to be called Southville," smiled Ryuko. "I can bet money on that."

"I was not aware that any of us were in possession of currency," Adam breathed, surprised.

"That'd be silly," giggled Ruby. "Do any of us look like we're being controlled by money demons?"

Holly looked back at the rest of the team, who were taking a moment to stretch as the paused on their journey down the road toward Northville. There were seven frowning faces under the sunbeams and one towering robot, but what they had in numbers they made up for in quirkiness.

But it's a good quirky, right? My clone's got her facts wrong. There's more of us and we're stronger than them. I'm sure of it.

She did, however, take the time to direct a skeptical glare at the Huntress.

"Ruby, when you were young, did you ever trip and fall on your head?"

"Of course!"

"Really hard?"

"You bet!"

"I thought so."

Holly groaned audibly.

"All right, team. We're nearly there. We don't really know what to expect, but chances are this won't be a walk in the park. Keep your wits about you and don't hesitate to inform your teammates if you thing something's going on. Got it?"

A collection of nods responded.

"Good. Let's rob a bank or seven."

They continued their advance down the road, toward the squat buildings ahead. The sun hovered oppressively above them, baking the asphalt and the hard, dry earth that extended out endlessly on either side of the dusty road. Only sparsely-located scrub vegetation broke up the field of bleached-white dirt. Mountains rose from even further in the distance, circling the horizon as a thin, blue silhouette.

"Reminds me of home," whispered Simon.

"I wish I had gotten to live on the surface," commented Kamina from below in the Gurren. "You know- really live. Settle down and stuff."

"I can't imagine you settling down, bro. It just doesn't sound like you."

"Believe me, Simon… I wouldn't have done it for just anybody. But… I had somebody in mind."

"Now that doesn't surprise-"

"HALTE!"

Simon instinctively yanked back on the controls, stopping Gurren Lagann's foot in mid-step, just above Adam's head.

"Hey, what are you doing under there, big guy?" asked Kamina.

"I am standing at gunpoint," said the huge man from behind the barrel of an assault rifle.

Kamina and Simon looked down, and saw that their team had not only been surrounded by a ring of armed men, but each member had an assailant with another weapon aimed squarely at them.

"Alucard," hissed Twilight from between gritted teeth, "Why didn't you warn us about them before they ambushed us?"

The vampire pulled his lips back in a fanged smirk, causing the man pointing a shotgun at his face to take a small step back.

"You didn't ask me to."

"Pretty sure I did," growled Holly.

"I only take orders from Miss Sparkle."

"Shut up, all of you," barked a man stepping into the center of the circle. He was of medium height, and middle age, and he wore a brown vest and a short, sharp hat. He brandished an ornately-carved revolver, which he briefly swept over every member of the team before lowering it. He looked up at the towering frame of Gurren Lagann. "Whoever's drivin' that thing, if you make a move every one of your friends here is gonna get a bullet between the eyes, so don't do nothin'."

"We won't," replied Simon nervously.

Holly looked up at the badge the man wore on his chest.

"So, you're the Sheriff, huh? I'm in law enforcement myself-"

"Shut up, freak. I don't know where the hell you enforce the law but it don't mean a damn thing here."

"Hey," she chuckled feebly, staring at the automatic pistol sitting just in front of her nose. "You're the boss."

"Damn right I am. I'm Northville's Sheriff and I've had it about up to here with all of this nonsense."

"If we may ask," Said Twilight quietly, "What nonsense?"

"Another buncha freaks, like yourselves, showed up in town square about an hour and a half ago. They did some… freaky things to the people in town, and they told me that Northville was their territory now. They also said to be expecting more of y'all coming up the road, and that I should bring them back to their… base of operations."

Holly tried out her best Western accent.

"So you gathered up the posse and showed up to head us off at the pass?"

"You mockin' me, freak?"

"She's got an abrasive sense of humor, sir," said Katniss.

"Well, I don't like it. And yeah, I gathered up a posse. Y'all are gonna follow me into town if you have an aversion to hot lead."

"Fair enough," muttered the elf. "Besides, we were heading toward town anyway."

The Sheriff gave a signal to his posse, who loosened their circle to surround the group from behind. Slowly and surely, Team Mockingjay resumed their march toward Northville, at gunpoint.

"Unbelievable," whispered the unicorn. "Fully-fledged arenas, with intelligent inhabitants… he's much stronger than he was before."

"Yeah, I had the feeling these guys weren't an ordinary team," replied Holly.

Katniss nodded. "I just wonder who's waiting for us in town."

"I've got a couple guesses," frowned the elf.

"If you freaks keep talkin', we'll start shootin'," the Sheriff snarled.

"Okay, okay!" conceded Holly.

After another fifteen minutes of walking, they turned off of the paved road and onto a dirt one that led between the modest collection of structures that composed Northville- A saloon, an inn, a city hall, a general store, and five or six houses. Not a soul walked the streets, but a few shutters were pulled shut hastily as they passed. The Sheriff's posse directed them toward the city hall with the barrels of their weapons. Kamina and Simon dismounted from Gurren Lagann and joined the rest of their team at gunpoint, hands raised. The Sheriff himself moved ahead to the door of the two-story structure, climbing up the short steps and passing a window replaced by heavy iron bars. He turned to address Team Mockingjay.

"All right. They've set up shop in here, so… from here on out, you're theirs."

"I understand. Sheriff, I noticed that you didn't take our weapons."

The man furrowed his brow. "Welp… frankly I was hoping that you might get rid of them."

"I don't think this will be that easy," said Twilight with gentle dissuasion. "But thank you."

The man removed a handkerchief and wiped it across his forehead, swinging the door open. Team Mockingjay filed inside. The town hall was about what one would imagine, an old, hard-wood floored building with a foyer branching off into more specialized rooms, like the small jail and a hall of records. A set of steps led to the second floor. At the bottom of the steps sat what must have once been a secretary, his head cradled in his hands, weeping. Ink ran down the front of his once-white shirt.

"So small! So small!" he cried. "We're all so small!"

"Sir, are you all right?" asked Katniss.

Ryuko raised an eyebrow. "On what planet does that look like 'all right'?"

Holly knelt down to below his eye level- which did not take much- and spoke softly.

"Hey, there, Mister. We're trying to find-"

"MAYOR'S OFFICE!" he yelped, drew a fountain pen from his pocket, and thrust it towards his left eye. Holly's quick hand intercepted the nib and removed it, resulting in him simply poking his eye instead of gouging it out. He threw himself onto the floor, curled into a ball, and began his "so small" chant again.

"What happened to him?" asked Mikasa.

"Not what," intoned the unicorn. "Who."

They marched up the steps to the second floor and located the doorway labeled Mayor's Office. Holly sheepishly knocked, and the door was opened by the man Poppy had earlier identified as Snake.

"Oh. Good," he grumbled. "The Boss was expecting you."

"Does somebody hear that?" asked Alucard.

"What?" asked Mikasa. "The sound of squeaking bedsprings?"

"No, not that. That's probably Morrigan. I was referring to the phone."

Katniss turned to the vampire. "What pho-"

"Because I called it."

"Of course you did."

"You guys can come in, you know," huffed Snake, exhaling a thin stream of smoke. He opened the door further and the warriors walked inside. The room was well-furnished, with two leather sofas, a massive desk, four office chairs surrounding the desk, and several filing cabinets. Two small, elfish feet graced the desk's top in a worldly recline.

"Take a seat," Poppy said, nearly smiling.

"You know, with that whole beating-us-soon speech I really thought our next meeting would be on more violent terms," smirked the elf.

"I already know my warriors can outclass yours. No, I'm going to have a little fun with you."

Holly, Katniss, and Twilight decided to accept the comparatively pleasant situation and sat at the office chairs around the desk. Alucard took the seat closest to his charge. Ryuko and Mikasa snagged one of the sofas, while Simon and Kamina grabbed the other. Adam sat on the floor, folding his legs, and Ruby plopped down next to him.

"What happened to the guy down there?" asked Katniss suddenly.

"I'm surprised you still have an ounce of compassion in that soul of yours, Everdeen," oiled Poppy. "I thought emotions like that tend to disappear after one time in the Games."

Katniss froze in place, her mouth contorting into something between slack-jawed and a grimace.

"You… you take that back!"

Poppy ignored Katniss' request, but continued. "To answer your question, mortal, he and several other of the Master's pitiful attempts at creating life this round are simply not strong-willed enough to comprehend me, even in this physical body. Many of this town's residents have completely lost their minds. That puts me in quite the bit of a predicament, you see."

"No," replied Holly. "I don't."

"Maybe if you mortals could think about something other than self-preservation and copulation, you would figure it out. If I move from town to town, I'd leave a trail of insanity in my wake. Even insects like yourselves would eventually realize that they could follow that trail to my location."

Twilight tilted her head. "So you're afraid of getting beaten?"

"No. That is something far beyond the power of any warrior here. But my teammates- as skilled as they are- would not appreciate being constantly attacked by the fighters clever enough to deduce my position. Therefore, I am opting to put them in the most advantageous situation possible- we shall remain here, defending, while your team acquires the coins for us."

"What?!" fumed Holly. "Why would we ever agree to something like that?"

"Because if you don't, you'll have to fight us. And me. And if you recall our last encounter, I believe you are aware that I am leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else here, even your little vampire god."

"She has a point," said Alucard.

"No, she doesn't," growled Holly, a look of sly determination spreading across her face. She rose from her seat and slammed a fist onto the desk's surface. "Because Team Mockingjay is stronger than you guys. I'm certain of it."

"How?" asked Poppy, looking genuinely stunned. "How do you possibly think you could stand a chance?"

"Because, we're fighting together. Not because we all want to win. We're fighting because we all want to help each other!"

"Fighting together? In the last round you fought as a team, you failed miserably because you could not fight together. Now you claim that it is your strength? I grow weary of your foolishness."

"Well I grow weary of your FACE!" shouted Ruby from the floor.

"Ruby, her face is my face," snapped Holly.

"Oh. Well… then… I… don't grow weary of it."

"Tell you what, elf," mused Poppy. "I am really in the mood to watch you fail again, so I'll give you two chances to screw up. If you want to prove that you're stronger than me, you can… after you've collected the coins. If you can, through some miracle, beat my team, I'll let you have them all, and win this round. But I seriously doubt that you'll be able to accomplish that."

"Twilight, you're the brains here," whispered the elf to her unicorn friend. "What do we do?"

"If we don't take her offer, we walk out that door and get shot. Sure, Alucard and Ryuko might live but the rest of us will be out of commission. And I don't think Alucard would bother completing the objective without someone holding his hand-"

"She also has a point," noted Alucard.

"And poor Ryuko would eventually get herself overwhelmed-"

"LIKE HELL I WOULD!"

"So I think our best option… is to accept her offer."

"Okay, then. I'll go with what my consultant says," groaned Holly. "We accept your offer."

Poppy gave them an unnerving smile, and pulled out one of the desk's drawers. A small, ornate bottle of amber liquid was produced, and was poured into an equally small, ornate glass.

"A toast, then," the creature beamed, "To our cooperation."

"You know, generally a toast involves multiple people with drinks," Holly pointed out.

"I am certain that I am the only person in the room," said Poppy, raising her other hand and snapping. As soon as the sound rang out, Team Mockingjay disappeared. Poppy tilted the glass back and took a sip, reeling in her seat. Snake rushed to her side.

"Boss, are you all right?"

"I am fine," Poppy hissed. "But I cannot comprehend why mortals would actively try and poison themselves with such beverages!"

Snake took a step back, removing the glass from Poppy's hand.

"Alcohol numbs you up," he grunted. "Sometimes, people don't want to feel anymore."

"Repulsive," grunted the elf-looking thing.

No. It's fascinating. Why is it fascinating?

"Then I hope you don't mind if I finish your scotch," smirked Snake. Poppy nodded him on, reclining back in her seat, but before Snake could take a sip the door to the office burst from its hinges as an excited-looking succubus exploded into the room.

"Did somebody say scotch?"