Enemies of Time and Space (A Hat in Time AU)

Chapter 15 (Purrsecution)

I had only heard stories of this lunar city until Cavus showed me. The Lunar clock city, birth place of time travel... sort of. Of course the city buildings look like clocks, of blocks, most of the place was dark and desolate, nothing but a dead city. Without the overseer of this place; and it's people now fate changers, it grew bleak, it's dimension fading away. Clearly nobody had been here since the day everyone left. Just stating the obvious.

"So what do you think we should be looking for here?" Mustache Girl asked.
          "How about something that screams power of space. We'd be able to sense it perhaps, just like a timepiece," I told her.

Moonjumper took off to the city straight away, saying, "You guys can search this dainty village area while I search the city. If you find anything before me, feel free to come acquire me."

No idea how long 'now TTA' members used to live here or what it even is they used to do but all I know is that this place is dead as can be. Should I see any activity I'd say it's ghosts! Anything is possible with the manipulation of time and space, including a bit of magicraft.

The city lay in the small distance of the sea sky, dark but with lights from an unknown source. The place we were in at the moment looked like a 'countryside' snow village in steampunk days.

I don't get it. How is this place underwater and yet the snow falls as it should? Mustache Girl let Rough Patch prowl around in the snow while she inspected the street lamps that were fully powered on. "These lights seem to be running every second without end. How do you think it's done, Hat Kid?"
          "Perhaps they are H20 powered?" I speculated.
          "Kinda like us?" she suggested.
          "...Yeah... kinda like us." That was a smart thought from her.

All home doors appeared to be locked ( Not like we couldn't just break in if we wanted to. That's a last resort though ) with not much inside but what was built with the places. The people here probably took all their stuff with them to the TTA HQ when it was built.
It wasn't long before we came across a water fountain which made no sense. And not because of everything underwater but because it was frozen! Frozen... Flashbacks of the manor shuttered my body.

In the fountain's vicinity of buildings was one that had a large sign above it, saying, 'Time's End Bookstore.'
My word, "Time's end huh? Pretty sure that's the thing Tim feared would happen someday."
          "Ahh, paranoia. I remember what that was like as a child," Mu sighed in some weird reminiscence.

Like all buildings, we tried to open the book store. With no resistance I opened it. "The... the door's open?" I questioned; even more so when water didn't flood in like it should. The interior would remain dry.
"Must've been, Moonjumper," Mu said.
          "Nah it couldn't have been Moonjumper. He went on past us as far as my eye could see."

We entered the bookstore and saw... books... Yes, what did you expect?
My detective useless acting skills were needed here as the palace looked like a crime scene. From my hat, I pulled out another hat. My detective hat. :D
It didn't have any powers like some other hats but it made me feel smart.
"Heh, just what is it you're doing, Hattie?" Mu asked.
          "I'm figuring out what happened... And who dun it."
          "I think this was just an accident in a rushed situation."
          "My intuition says otherwise."
          "Your intuition sucks."

Ignoring her...

From 'murder on the owl express' method acting, I learned that the first thing to do when you enter a crime scene, is clear the room of citizens. "Citizen, Mu, I'm going to have to ask you and your bush cat to leave the premises immediately."
          "What...?" 0~_~0

Once I kicked them out (after some high resistance) into the freezing waters, I began my work.

The place was thrashed and the bookshelves turned over. An accident like Mu said would have resulted in less mess. And I'm not exaggerating when I write that it looked like a black hole swept through this store! Without the suckage part... Cough Cough .