"Are you ready?"

"I need like two more minutes to psych myself up."

"Why are you psyching yourself up? We need to do this now."

"I'm about to let you punch me in the face. Of course, I need to psych myself up!"

"Just breathe out when he does it. It might help it hurt less."

"Oh, thank you so much for your wise words of advice."

"You're welcome. I have a lot of experience."

"A lot of experience getting punched in the face?"

"You'd be surprised how often it happens to him, actually."

"Okay, whatever. Let's get a move on. We need to meet up with the others in time."

With a thud, Chat's fist connected to Nino's cheek, sending him reeling backward toward the back wall of the cell. He stumbled and groaned as he hit it, sliding down the stone but trying to get back up on his feet as fast as he could. "Ow!" Nino shouted, angrily stalking toward Chat. "What the hell, man?!"

"You should watch yourself, friend!" Chat retorted, shoving him lightly. "That was me still holding back."

Nino ran into him at full speed, trying to push Chat backward. He dropped his voice to a low whisper. "Go easy. They're not even in here yet."

"What? I thought we were trying to put on a convincing show," Chat whispered back, laughter in his voice.

"Then maybe try shouting a bit louder and get their attention before you actually kill me," Nino said. He pushed himself away from Chat, moving back to the opposite side of the cell.

Chat smirked, cocking his head to the side for a second. He charged with a loud shout, rushing Nino and pinning him to the back wall. Max and Kim had begun shouting for the guards to come and stop them before it got too bloody. Soon, the whole hall of cells was in an uproar.

As the door at the end of the corridor opened, Nino reared his arm back to land a punch, and Chat allowed it to hit him square on the nose. Chat wiped his nose, feeling a little bit of blood trickling down from it. Thankfully, it didn't feel broken, but it would manage to make their fight look more believable to the guards.

"Knock it off you two!" One of the guards shouted at them, banging on the metal bars. Nino just charged Chat again, sending him straight into the bars where the guard was leaning.

"Come on, hit me again you cocky piece of shit!" Nino shouted at Chat. "Hit me! I dare you!"

"That's it!" The other guard took out his keys, wrenching open the door.

Chat saw the guard heading toward Nino. Knowing what would inevitably come next, he placed himself between them, rearing his arm back as though to land another hit on Nino's jaw. The guard grabbed his arm instead, pulling him away and tossing him to the other side of the cell. "I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson, aren't I?" he asked, cracking his knuckles. "This should be fun."

The guard's first punch sent Chat to his knees, and then it was a kick in the stomach. It felt like nothing, really. At least, Chat told himself that. Better him taking the additional beating then Nino.

The guard left Chat lying on the ground, spitting at his feet before walking out of the cell and slamming the door shut. The sound of the locking clicking into place was followed by a few moments of silence and rest resting footsteps. When the door at the end of the hall shut again, Chat let out a deep sigh of relief. He looked to Nino, quirking a brow. "Cocky piece of shit?" he asked, repeating his words back to him. "Was that just for show or did you actually mean it?"

Nino dusted himself off. "It can be an apt description. Some of the time," he said. "Did you get it? That better have been worth it."

"Are you seriously doubting me right now?" Chat asked, holding up his hand, a set of keys dangling from his fingers.

Nino laughed, running his hand down his face. "Okay, "cocky piece of shit" is definitely right."

Swiping the keys from his hands, Nino reached through the bars and unlocked the door from the inside. They unlocked the door to Max and Kim's cell next, the former releasing a deep breath Chat guessed he had been holding for a while.

"Thanks, you two," Max said. "Effortlessly done."

"Yeah," Kim said. "Real stellar performance."

"High praise coming from two performers yourselves," Nino said with a smile.

Chat tapped them on the shoulders, nodding his head toward the end of the hall. "We need to get going before they realize their keys are missing."

The others nodded in agreement. As they walked briskly down the hall, cries of the others trapped in their cells filled Chat's ears. His chest tightened hearing a chorus of the words "I'm innocent, too" and "don't leave me here" and "I have a family to get back to." How many people had Cash wrongly imprisoned just because they crossed his path while he was in a bad mood? It felt wrong to leave them here, but a riot hadn't been part of the plan, and it might put Alya, Kagami, Fei, Marinette, and whatever their plan was in great danger.

If they really were planning on usurping Cash tonight, these people would be free sooner than they realized.

—————-

Marinette made sure to make note of how many turns they made and which direction as She was led through the corridors. They had blindfolded Her, tied Her hands behind Her back, but Her mind was still free to form an escape plan. As long as they didn't knock Her unconscious, She still had that.

The guard's grip on Her arm was still painfully tight. Marinette feared the limb might go numb if he kept Her tethered for another minute longer. Their pace began to slow soon, though, and She began to recite the number of turns they had made in Her head.

The constant stream of right, left, left, right, left, right, right, left was almost interrupted by the door loudly squeaking on its hinges, making Her jump slightly as She was dragged into a new room. The blindfold came off then, and Marinette was subsequently pushed to the floor. The guard didn't cut the ropes from Her wrists, however, and when She looked around the room it was clear She was not the only one in the same position. A few of the other girls in the room She recognized as palace servants. Cash was kidnapping people from his own household, and he kept his subjects desperate enough for work that they would be willing to take a job that others had continually disappeared from.

"Make yourself comfortable," the guard said, walking back toward the door. He slammed it shut behind them, leaving Marinette and the others almost in complete darkness.

She tried to adjust Her uncomfortable position on the floor, but with Her hands bound behind Her, it proved to be rather difficult. Marinette winced as an awkward twist of Her wrists caused shooting pain in Her arms and She stopped Her movements completely.

"Are you okay?" A soft voice asked Her.

Marinette craned Her neck to look behind Her, barely making out the figure of another person just a few feet away from Her. "Yes," She said, whispering. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"Let me help You," the girl said, scooting her way over to Marinette. "We could be here for a while so you should get comfortable."

By allowing Her to lean against her shoulder, Marinette was able to get Her legs out from underneath Her, crossing them and leaning forward, so Her hands were smushed on the ground. Now that they were closer, Marinette could make out the girl's face much easier. Her cheeks seemed to be smudged with dirt, and her pink hair was almost shining against the darkness of the room.

"I'm Alix," the girl said. "I'd shake Your hand but-" she turned around slightly, showing her bound hands and wiggled her fingers "-you know."

"Lina," Marinette said. Even if this wasn't one of the guards or Cash, She still needed to keep up Her secret identity. "Were you working for Cash as well?"

"In the stables," Alix said. "I was disguising myself as a boy, thinking it'd keep me safe for a while longer. I guess someone found out."

"You knew?" Marinette asked, raising a brow. "You knew they were kidnapping their workers and you still took the job?"

"Sometimes beggars can't be choosers," Alix said, shrugging her shoulders. It surprised Marinette to see how nonchalant she was being about the whole situation. "I'm sure you're learning that now, too."

Marinette slowly blinked. She found Alix to be a bit odd, to say the least, but her presence was at least calming in a situation that would otherwise scare Her out of Her mind. Marinette tried to move Her wrists around and pull them out of the rope once more but still could not free Her hands. The bindings were roughly scratching against Her skin, no doubt leaving deep, red marks there.

As Marinette threw Her head back, sighing in frustration, Alix seemed to do the same, though her's was only an exhale, no hint of nervousness or anxiety beneath it. She kept her eyes to the ceiling, tilting her head back and forth as though there was a happy, little tune playing in her mind. Marinette rolled Her head to the side to watch Her, deciding that it wasn't just Alix's odd demeanor that gave Her comfort. There was something else about her that Marinette liked. Something that She couldn't quite put Her finger on.

"Why are you so calm about this?" Marinette asked.

"Oh, me?" Alix hummed, tilting her head to the side. "Well, we're going to get out of here, aren't we?"

Alix said it with such surety that it caused Marinette to freeze. "We?"

"Well, yes," Alix said. "You have an escape plan, don't you?" She looked pointedly at Marinette, who just raised a brow. Alix sighed. "Oh, come on. I see that look on your face. You have a plan to get out of here."

"Well-" Marinette shrugged "-maybe not a complete plan."

Alix nodded in understanding. Those words seemed to appease her and she grew quiet. The conversation looked as though it would end there. Nothing else either of them had to say would change their course. However, Marinette was still bothered by one thing. "We just met," She said. "And you're already planning on trusting Me?"
"Of course," Alix said. "I want to get out of here. You seem like just the person to follow."

"You might be putting a little too much confidence in Me," Marinette said, scoffing.

"No." Alix shook her head. "I think it's just the right amount."

Marinette sucked in a deep breath. In all honesty, She had been thinking so hard about what Her next moves would be since She was brought into the room that She felt like Her brain might implode. Now, Alix was putting her trust in Her to come up with a plan to get them both safely out of here, along with everyone else. The pressure was immense.

But it also cleared Her mind.

Marinette pushed away every other thought, focusing on what She knew and only that. There was a higher chance of them getting out of this while they were still in this room. Marinette remembered the way, and there was the possibility that they could knock everyone unconscious before transporting them to the ship. There were likely to be fewer guards stationed directly outside since they were still within the palace as well. All they would need to do was get out of the room and find their way to the others.

It was simple to say in Her head, much harder to actually follow through.

"Is there anything here that we could try to use to untie each other?" Marinette asked. Alix frowned, looking around the dark room with uncertainty.

"Let's face back to back," Alix said, shuffling around on the floor. "I've got nimble enough fingers. I might be able to undo the knots while restrained. Or, at least, loosen them enough so you can break free."

Marinette turned to face away from her as well. She could hear Alix's tiny grunts of frustration as she fidgeted with the ropes. Only a few moments after they had begun the task. A loud clang from outside signaled that the door was being unlocked. They halted their escape, scooting away from one another just in time. The guards that entered were none the wiser to their previous activities, and Marinette let out a sigh of relief when their eyes glossed over them.

However, the person who had entered the room after them did not.

The light from the hall outside spilled through the open door, illuminating a direct path toward Alix and Marinette. They were right in the line of sight of their captors, the only two clearly visible. While the others cowered in fear, there was no point for either of them to move away.

Marinette's gaze hardened, cold, angry eyes boring into the guards. And Cash, who stood there with his hands folded neatly behind his back as he surveyed the others in the room.

"Not the best haul we've had but there are still a few gems here, I suppose," Cash said, sounding as though he were completely bored of the whole thing.

As his eyes landed on Marinette, She did not cower. No fear moved within Her, nothing forced Her to shy away. Even the closer he moved, She did not step back. Marinette wished She could break Her hands free from the ropes and punch him in the face. Cash crouched down in front of Her, his hand hovering just inches from Her face.

"You were brought to us just today," Cash said. "How lucky we are."

Marinette's eyes narrowed at him as his hand reached closer. Cash must have known that moving any closer would have earned him an injury. Her teeth being the only weapon available to Her now, She would have struck like a snake. He drew back, standing back to his feet.

"Ready the boats," Cash said. "I want them shipped out of here before the sun rises."

One of the guards responded with a simple "yes, sir." Marinette took a deep breath through Her nose. They wouldn't have much time to complete their plan. There were too many factors now, and assuming She could still possibly find a way to meet up with the others, there might not be enough of them to complete everything.

Just as it seemed Cash would be leaving, Marinette's annoyed sigh brought his attention back to Her. He turned on his heel, storming up to Her once more. "Didn't anyone ever tell You that anger is unbecoming of a lady?"

"I am not a lady, my lord," Marinette said, nails digging into Her hands behind Her back. How She wished they were free... "I am just a peasant girl."

"For how much money I could get for You, You'll be whatever I want you to be." Cash took a fistful of Her hair, yanking Her head backward. Out of the corner of Her eye, Marinette could see Alix fidgeting restlessly. Cash paid no mind to either of them, nor the rage practically radiating off their bodies. He thought he held all the power here. Marinette could not wait to prove him wrong. Cash continued to smile though, lips curled into a sickening grin. "I could pass you off as a noblewoman. Perhaps... even a princess."

As he released Her, Marinette fell back on the floor, glaring up at him. Cash turned and walked away without another word. When the door slammed shut behind him and the other guards, Marinette immediately turned to put Her back to Alix again. "Get these ropes off of Me," She said through gritted teeth. "We're finishing this now."

"I'm right with you," Alix said. It only took her a few seconds to undo the knots and Marinette quickly freed her as well.

The others trapped in the room had their eyes on them. Marinette searched their faces, trying to come up with a reason as to why She couldn't free them all now. Hopefully, they would understand. It would be just a few hours before She came back.

Alix grabbed onto Her hand, dragging Her along. "We should go out the window. It'll be an easier route-"

"No," Marinette said, ripping Her arm out of Alix's grasp. "We need weapons. We're unarmed. We should take out the guards outside."

"Are you crazy?" Alix asked. "Even if we manage to do that, how are we going to find our way through the corridors?"

"I memorized it," Marinette said with a shrug. Thankfully for them, the room was not empty. A table on the far side of the room held a vase, heavy enough that it would hurt to be hit on the head with it. Marinette tossed it to Alix, who caught the item easily with a confused look on her face. "It's the fastest way to Cash."

"How have You managed to survive this long when You're this reckless?" Alix asked, already walking toward the door.

"Well," Marinette said, pursing her lips. "I've always had someone by My side giving Me a look that says "Don't do that, it's stupid." Unfortunately, he's not here right now."

Alix positioned herself out of sight next to the door, back pressed up against the wall. She had the vase ready, raised above her head. Before she could even open her mouth to ask what the plan was, Marinette raised her fist, knocking on the door. She stepped back as it swung open, coming face to face with a confused and angry guard. Marinette smiled at him. "Hi."

Only a millisecond passed before Alix brought down the vase on his head, sending him crumpling to the floor. The second guard stationed there was trying to push his way in, reaching for Marinette. She slammed the door closed, right into his face, before pulling it open again so Alix could land a kick square in his chest. The force knocked him across the hall and into the opposite wall. Marinette stared in shock and surprise, looking between the now unconscious man and Her new friend.

"Wow," Marinette said, mouth hung open in surprise. "You are... incredibly strong."

Alix smiled brightly, a pleased look on her face. "Thank you!"