A lone octoling quietly snuck out of a manhole, looking around the area he was in. He noticed how dark it was before realizing he was in the alley. Though he was a bit scared, he couldn't help but to feel excitement as he finally got to see how inkopolis looks like. "Wow~ Everything here looks better than back at Octo Canyon" the octoling said to himself before stretching. Before he could wander, he was quickly shoved against the wall, his arms behind his back. "Owww" he said, before hearing a voice behind him.
"Yooou don't beloooong here, Octoling" the other said checking him, before the octoling smirked a bit. "Yeah and you really want to rough me up, don't ya~".
"H-hyuk?! No I'm noooot!" The inkling yelled moving away quickly. "Hmm Then why were you doing such act?" The octoling replied, turning to face the other. He noticed he couldn't really see his face, but could see his tentacles were a cyan color. 'Interesting' the octoling thought to himself, seeing the other sputtering a bit. "Hey hey What's your name?"
'Why is this octoling so cheerful?' The cyan inkling thought to himself before glaring at the smiling octoling. "Whyyy should I tell yooooou" The cyan inkling replied, "there's no waaaay I'll tell you my naaaame!"
The octoling watched the other begin to leave before he started to follow him, grinning. "Hey What if I told you my name? Would you tell me yours~?" The octoling said, and before the cyan inkling to reply, the octoling added, "I'm Aloha What about you?" The cyan inkling stopped, losing his balance a bit when he felt the other bumped into him. "Waaaaatch it!" He said getting small sorries from Aloha. 'This octoling is strange' The cyan inkling thought to himself bitterly. 'If I tell him, maybe he'll leave me alone." He turned to look at the other, seeing him smile. "It's Maaask."
"Mask?" Aloha asked tilting his head. Mask took noticed, seeing the other's tentacles moving slightly, before sighing. "Yeees, nooow leave!" Mask spat, turning to quickly walk away. Aloha quietly followed, humming slightly before exiting out the alley. "Wow~" Aloha took in the sights and the night sky. He heard a song in the distance, before looking excited. "This place is amazing~ "
"H-Hyuk?! Yoooou followed me?!" Mask quickly look around, before grabbing the octoling's hand, dragging him away before he was seen. "Why didn't yooooou leave!"
"Eeeh~? I wanted to look first! It was hard for me to sneak away y'know!" Aloha pouted, as Mask only glared. "Yooooou still haaave no right to be here, octoling!" Mask replied, already getting a headache from the other. "It's Aloha! A-lo-ha! I have a name", Aloha replied getting angry and before Mask could reply, he added,"besides I really wanted to look and see here. And also buy something as a memento."
'A memento?" Mask thought to himself, as Aloha looked down. "You're still holding my hand, y'know. Didn't knew you like me ". Mask took noticed, quickly letting go of the other's hand with a slight blush. "Why you-" before Mask could finish his sentence, his phone went off playing Bomb Rush Blush. He quickly denied the call, looking back at Aloha whose face looked amazed. "What was that? It sounded amazing!" Mask stood there wondering if he should tell the other or not. Sighing, he answered,"It's Bomb Rush Blush by Callie from the Squid Sisters."
"Calie*? Squid Sisterss?" Aloha tried to say, earning a look from Mask. "It's Callie. And yes, they're starting to get famous around here."
"Wow! They sound cool!" Aloha replied, as Mask could have sworn he saw the octoling's eyes sparkle. He was starting to get a headache from Aloha as he sighed bitterly, but silently agreed. He liked Callie's songs. Looking back at his squidphone, he noticed how late it was starting to get and if he really wanted the other to leave, he guess he should find a 'memento' for the other. "Yooooou said you waaanted a memento? If I help you get ooooone, yooou better leeeeeave".
Aloha nodded, as he pulled out something from his pocket. Mask first thought he was going to attack him, before seeing the paper bag the other pulled out to cover his Octo tentacles and part of his eyes. "I thought to bring this, just in case" Aloha said as Mask saw his smile. He noticed the other could see through the bag with the cutout holes before sighing. "Fiiiiiine, I'll take you somewhere for your 'memento'."
The two of them walked around the area going to different shops before stopping at one. As they walked inside, Aloha skipped around looking at all the trinkets and charms they had. One caught his eye, as he turned to look at a squid charm whose color was cyan. Picking it up, he noticed it kinda reminds him of Mask's color before smiling turning to Mask. "Mask! I found something I want as a memento!" Aloha said, as Mask turned to him, noticing the cyan squid charm the other was holding. "Are yoooooou sure yoooou want thiiis?" Mask asked as Aloha quickly nodded, heading to the counter. He saw how others paid for what they buy from other stores he and Mask stopped by as the cashier greeted him.
"Hello! Is this all you wanted to buy?" The cashier asked as Aloha slowly nodded. He wasn't very much accustomed to the Inkling culture, only knowing some of it from the strange papers he found and read back in Octo Canyon and some knowledge of their language from the strange one he seen. "Then that'll be 78, please!"
'78….78…' Aloha thought to himself taking some coins out of his pocket. He kinda knew this was their currency, seeing it always falling down the drain where he hangs out, though he wasn't sure how much 78 is. That is, until Mask silently counted, giving the correct change to the cashier. "Thank you very much! Please do come again!" The cashier said, putting the charm inside a small bag, handing it to Aloha. The two of them exited the shop, Mask turning and surprising Aloha. "Where did you even get that money" Mask asked as Aloha tilted his head. "They fallen from the drains by where I sit? It's very..weird" Aloha said, trying his best with his words. 'Inkling language is hard' he thought to himself as he noticed Mask eyeing him suspiciously. "It is true! No lies!" Aloha added, hoping it'll get to Mask. He was no thief!
Mask began to sigh, seeing it was useless to fight with him anyways. "It's time fooor you toooo leaaaave noow" Mask said, as he turned away. He was about to leave, until Aloha spoke up. "Um, the funny thing..I don't know how? You dragged me so."
'Uuuuugh' Mask thought to himself, wanting to leave the octoling already. Though other the other hand, if word breaks out that he helped an octoling, things will be hard for him. "Fiiiiiine! I'll help you get back."
The two of them quietly walked, Aloha occasionally taking a look at his charm. It made him feel happy, and he was thinking of maybe adding some features to it. He took a small glance at Mask, wondering if he was mad at him or not. He couldn't help but to feel at fault. "Sorry" Aloha said catching Mask's attention. "Huuuuuh?" Mask asked, looking at Aloha, seeing his tentacles move a bit. 'What is he talking about? And why do octoling tentacles move like that?' Mask thought to himself, sighing. Being near the octoling was exhausting, but he felt like if he didn't know what was wrong, it'll bite him in the future. "Whaaat are you sorry foooor?"
"Me, being here and you doing these" Aloha said, holding the charm close to him. Mask stayed quiet as the two continue to walk where the manhole Aloha came out of. "It's nooooothing to be sorry. Yooour just..are veeery strange to me", Mask replied, adding, "I never heeeeard of an octoling like..yoooou." Aloha stayed quiet, understanding what Mask was talking about. Inklings and Octolings have been enemies after the Great Turf War, but he found others strange back home. Other octolings who were smiling and were just happy changed once they wore those weird goggles. Aloha always noticed this, which he sometimes skip the training they always have. "I know" Aloha replied, as they both made it to the manhole. Deep down, Aloha didn't want to leave. He didn't want to become like the others; serious and no fun. Though he also knew he wouldn't survive here either.
"Thanks Mask" He said, as he turned and smiled at the other. "I do hope we meet again. You were fun" he waved before disappearing into the manhole. Mask silently stared at the manhole before turning around. He had no business with the octoling, but at the same time, he wonder what would happen to the other. He sighed before leaving the area and walked to his home.
He too wonder if he'll ever see other again.
