During the two weeks that Yulia stayed in hiding, Lynn and Marina, despite their previous fight, were getting some decent progress. Marina, who now worked with her grandfather, had finally finished the first petition, which, in her opinion, would show the government that the Octolings had not been forgotten. She and Pearl had decided that they would each get a few of their friends to go around some of the major cities and gather signatures. However, before these friends could start promoting the petition, they had to get the people educated. Unfortunately, most Inklings slept through the Great Turf War lessons in school, so many of them were undereducated, meaning that the friends paid to gather the signatures would have to be willing to teach the people, too. These teachings seemed to have an impact on the people, as Lynn, who constantly took trips to the library now, was often told by the librarian, whom she had grown fond of and added to the list of elders that she respected, that tons of people requested to look at the book about the Great Turf War. There was constant buzzing in the city. Still, this seemed to mostly be among the city's younger inhabitants, as the older folk didn't seem remotely interested, but there was no denying that there was an impact. Marina had guessed that the petition would be able to be launched within days, and Tavi couldn't have been more proud of her.
Lynn, on the other hand, wasn't having as great a time as Marina was. She had finally started making large dents in the wall, which was great. What wasn't so great was that she now had to lug the individual stones to dispose of them, as she wanted the Octarians to feel as welcome as possible. Lynn had figured that the safest place to store the stones would be near the cliff by her cabana, as it was already a rather rocky area. Thus came the task of lugging the stones, walking back, and destroying the wall some more. Instead of just a few hours, Lynn would now be out for entire nights at a time, and Tavi worried himself sick about her.
During the say, Lynn had more issues to worry about. Remember whenever I said that Fantine had a trick up her sleeve? Well, apparently that trick was reporting Grizzco's shady actions to the authorities. Remember, Fantine is a Salmonling that has seen a lot of Grizzco's criminal actions, including the Slosher blowing up on Yulia and her coworker. In an act of revenge for how Mr. Grizz had treated both herself and their daughter, Fantine had tried to close his entire company down. Thus, whenever Lynn started seeing police officers conversing with her father, it worried her. However, there was no action being taken against him. For now, it was just conversation. Observation.
The real problem for Lynn showed up on the last night of Yulia's two weeks. The Salmonling was doing her usual lugging whenever she saw a figure on the beach, just staring at her. It was too dark to make out what the figure was, but as Lynn moved, so did it. Her mind immediately raced to someone that the government had sent out to spy on her, but she tried to shrug it off as best she could. However, the real panic started to set in whenever the figure started moving closer. She was busted! She was gonna get arrested!
"O...Oi!" Lynn said, getting ready to hurl the stone in self defense. However, when the figure revealed itself, she had almost dropped the stone right on her bare foot. It… It was a Salmonling!
"Oh, Leimomi! My precious Leimomi!" the woman cried in her native tongue, running up to Lynn and embracing her. Lynn, in a state of shock, quickly shook her head. "No… No Leimomi! I'm not Leimomi! I'm Lynn!" she replied.
"Please… Do not use the name that your father gave you. I have called you Lynn for far too long. To me, you are, and forever will be Leimomi," the woman replied. Lynn wasn't shocked anymore… She was just plain confused.
"Woman… Do you really think that you are my mother?! Do you really think that I am Leimomi?! I'm sorry, but you're wrong! My mother is dead! You… You are delusional!" Lynn really hoped that Pearl's family couldn't hear her yelling. Hearing her yell in her own language like this probably would make them think that she was the delusional one.
"Why do you not believe me? Your father, that wretch who runs the company, used me so long ago, promising to marry me...until he heard that I was sick. Not only sick, but sick and pregnant. Whilst most Salmonlings rejoice at pregnancy, your father was enraged. He ran here so he would not have to deal with you."
"That is true…but if you are my mother, why did you leave me?"
"I did not want you to see me sick. I did not want you to have to watch me wither away and die. I wanted you to be happy. I wanted you to have opportunity. I could have left you with my parents or brother, but I wanted you to be raised by your father, whether he liked it or not. Thus, I brought you here. If only I would have known…"
"If only you would have known that I would be neglected? Brought up learning a language I would never speak and a culture I would never be a part of? Mistreated and called stupid by my father?"
"Y-Yes… I am sorry for that. But I am a dying woman. Can we just forget about the past for now?"
"I do not believe that you are my mother. My mother would not have done that to me."
"Leimomi… Do you not remember this voice? The voice that had talked to you so tenderly when you were but a babe? Sickness has destroyed some of it, but for the most part, it remains unchanged."
Lynn tried her hardest to remember. Her mother's face she had long forgotten, but there was something about that voice that was kind of familiar...NO! This is what the woman wanted her to think!
"P-Please… Do you remember this?" the woman asked, slowly moving her cloak to reveal a tribal tattoo on her right arm. It was long faded due to years of neglect, but Lynn remembered gazing at it as a child, getting lost in the intricate design. From that moment, she knew that this woman was not lying.
"I do not know how to feel. I was finally starting to establish my life here, and then you come and tell me that this life has been a lie. You tell me that my name is not actually my name. You are my mother, and I wish I could run and embrace you, but I can't. I'm torn," Lynn said, looking away from her mother.
"Leimomi… I have suffered the same fate. My real name, Akela, which means graceful and noble, has been lost in time. Now, I am cursed to be known as Fantine, as the people claim that it sounds like the name of a grieving mother. Your real name means child of pearl, as I still loved you despite what your father had done. Whenever your father was forced to take care of you, he changed it. You were not a pearl to him."
"Woman… You drift too far. I think the sickness has been affecting you in more ways than one. Why did you seek me out?"
"I came here to find you so I can die in peace. My time is limited. My life will end in a matter of days. I wanted to spend these last days with you, daughter. I want you to be the one to bury me. I want you to be the one who builds my coffin. I have watched you grow up, even though you never saw me. I have nothing else to live for. I am not afraid anymore."
"You came to establish a relationship with me….just to have me lose you?! Are you out of your mind?! As selfish as that may be, you are my mother, and I must honor your decision. Honor is everything. I have no extra room in my cabana, but I will sleep outside if I must," Lynn mumbled, leading her mother away. Little did Lynn know Pearl and her siblings, had watched the whole thing from the balcony. Pearl promptly told Marina.
"Mother, I believe that we need to have a conversation," Julien said to Marlene as Yulia was finishing putting her stockings on.
"Really, now? All right, let me hear it," Marlene replied.
"As you know, I've recently turned 16. I think it's about time that you've recognized the fact that I've come of age, Mother."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What I mean is that I'm a grown-ass man and I want to see this big honkin' world! I want to go and meet some LADIES, Mother! I'm not a little boy anymore! I'm a man! I'm FULL of testosterone!" Julien said, putting his hand on his hip in a sassy way. Suddenly, Marlene had put her arm on the table, challenging her son.
"If you're really a man, then you should be able to beat me in an arm wrestling match. See what the testosterone does for you then," Marlene teased. Her son flushed.
"MOTHER! I'm a lover, not a fighter! I have no need for brawn! As much as I'd love to let you slam my arm into the table, it's simply not part of my personality!" Julien replied, panicking. Marlene had a tendency to lift both sick patients and heavy equipment, so there was no denying that she was strong. Julien obviously wasn't a threat against her.
"Of course, son. I understand. At this age, your hormones are probably driving you crazy. All you desire is to feel the tender, loving touch of a young lady, don't you?"
"Yes, Mother!"
"You wish to embrace a lady yourself?"
"Yes, yes!"
"Well, good luck finding someone down here. I suppose that I can let you go with Yulia, so long as YOU come home at curfew, too. I understand that I've had you locked away. I understand that you're not a boy anymore. Go ahead, leave home," Marlene said, walking into the kitchen rather bitterly. Julien felt sick.
"I hope Mother will be all right…" Julien said, looking at his mother. "B-But...whenever she sees you carrying both me and my intense burden across the border and into the promised land, she'll be more than elated! The boy...no, the MAN whom she loves so dearly will be making it big!" he cried smugly, his dark eyes sparkling.
"O-Of course, Julien," Yulia chuckled. "Though, before we get going, I want to check on Myrtle and find my beloved Dennis… He thinks I'm dead, and I feel horrible for him. I'm sure that he's in great grief," Yulia explained, opening the door.
"WAIT! I'm going with you, too!" Giana cried right as Yulia was going to walk out the door. Yulia nodded, and she and the two Octolings walked out of the house together.
"Well, where do you think Dennis is?" Julien asked as the trio started their journey. Yulia seemed relatively lost, as she hadn't really been in the area before. Whenever Commander Briney was carrying her here, her blurry vision was focused entirely on his face.
"He's definitely with his father somewhere. I feel like they would be in Cephalon HQ, but I don't want you two going in there. I don't want Octavio hurting you guys," Yulia said rather protectively.
"C'mon, Yulia, he won't hurt us. We're his people! Our dads work as his commanders!" Giana replied.
"Your dads may be his commanders, but I doubt he's intimate with any of them. They don't choose to join him, he drafts them. He's forced these men to leave their wives and children to stay in his underground bunker and protect him. Do...Do they even get paid that much?"
"They make more than the typical Octarian wage, but they still don't make a lot. Mother makes more than my dad as a nurse, I think," Julien replied. Giana stayed silent, only nodding a little.
"Of course. I doubt he treats them fairly. They're probably just disposable to him. I hope that Octavio thinks that I am dead. If he were to find out that I had escaped, I hate to think of what he would do to his commanders. However, my blood stains the floor of the room and the uniform of your father, Julien. I'm sure that it was enough blood to convince Octavio that I was murdered," Yulia said calmly.
"Oh, Yulia! No more talk about blood and murder! We can go to Cephalon HQ together and you can go in yourself. We'll stay off to the side so you don't worry about us. Then, you can find your beloved Dennis and we can all be on our merry way," Julien said as both he and his cousin grabbed one of Yulia's hands as a way of comforting her.
After walking for a while, Julien broke the silence once more. "So, Yulia, we don't really know you that well. I know that you've vented to me about your job, but there has to be more! What's some stuff that you're into?" he asked, his cousin seeming interested as well. Yulia blushed. Yulia was so absorbed in her plan that she had...forgotten that she even had interests.
"Well, I live a life unlike a lot of Inklings my age. While most of my friends enjoy friendly fighting and competition, I live a quiet, more scholarly life. I prefer to stay in my little cabin, decorated with merchandise of my favorite hockey team, the Inkopolis Squaps, reading and learning. I've also been reading the words of several Octarian philosophers from the days before the war, when our races were combined and thriving. It's common knowledge that the Octarian people were brilliant thinkers compared to the Inklings of old, who really preferred to spend all day eating, sleeping, and having fun. I say of old because the tides have certainly changed since then, especially with the war ruining society. I do not know if the Octarians remain scholarly, as I do not know you guys well enough, but the Inklings, while still seeming less intelligent, have definitely improved...I guess. My best friend, Pearl, constantly makes fun of me for reading philosophy books, saying that they were written by old, cranky farts who are dissatisfied with life and don't have anything better to do. People say that I need to get out of the house more...but I don't have a lot of friends. I'm physically weak. I cannot do much. Whenever my boss tried to get me to lift a heavy weapon, I fell straight to the ground. Perhaps this was the reason that my parents conveniently left the day before Lottie hit."
"Woah, woah, woah! You're going on a tangent! Lottie? Your parents? I don't know anything that you're talking about!" Giana said, gently squeezing Yulia's hand.
Before Giana or Julien could say anything else, Yulia once again blurted out the entire story about how her parents happened to leave for a tropical archipelago the day before one of Inkopolis's worst hurricanes happened to hit.
"Surely the people on the ship knew that the hurricane was coming. Surely at least one of them was able to make it out all right," Julien tried to comfort.
"My parents would not have left without each other. My mother gave up everything for my father, and my father took extraordinary care of my mother in return. My parents had a love for each other that went beyond the definition of love. In fact, if they loved me even a quarter as much as they loved each other, I would be content. I was only necessary to be an heir to the company. They would have been just fine without me. I was just an add-on, an extension. I hindered them. In the end, they probably chose to die together instead of live without the one they loved with every fiber of their being. At least they don't have to deal with my shenanigans anymore," Yulia mumbled to herself as her trembling hands started to sweat. "They deserve to be together in their afterlife, away from me."
"Yulia, you snap that beak shut right now! If your parents had heard you say this stuff, I'm pretty sure that they'd die of laughter. I still may not know you that well, but I'm certain that you're not so horrible that your own parents would want to abandon you," Julien said, striking another sassy hand-on-hip pose.
"When my parents left, I lost everything. I used to be on top of the food chain. Tentatek's headquarters are right on top of the Inkopolis News Station, so everyone who goes to admire the news ladies sees the company and knows who my parents are. I was going to inherit my dad's position. I was going to be successful. My family had money and was well respected. After my parents died, I lost everything. I can't inherit anything because the government can't confirm that my parents are actually dead. They claim that they're sending a ship to look for bodies or survivors, but they just ended up turning the ship into a turf war stage. It makes them money, so they've decided that teenage entertainment is more important than helping hurricane victims."
"Yulia, please.." Giana said sadly.
"I was at the bottom. I wasn't recognized anymore. I was poor. I was living by myself in a huge mansion that constantly reminded me of my dead parents. Pearl's family, the Houzuki family, took control of the house and also took me in, letting me have a cabin in their camp. It's small, but it's all I can afford. They said that I didn't have to pay rent, but I still do because I feel awful. With Grizzco's rubbish salary and my rent, sometimes I can't even afford to buy food. I have to accept it from my friends. I-I just don't want to be a beggar anymore," Yulia whimpered. In fact, the night before she had left for the canyon, she had a breakdown. She was surprised that Marina even wanted to talk to her after that breakdown.
Yulia had remembered her pained, anguished cries that had come from the cabin. Marina, like a good friend, had come to see if Yulia had wanted to go to dinner with Pearl and herself, but Yulia had suddenly started throwing a fit.
"I can't take it anymore, Marina! I don't deserve to be getting things for free! Please, just take my money!" the teenage Inkling shouted. The generally calm, affectionate Yulia was being very unlike herself. She was usually incredibly slow to anger.
"Yulia, calm down. You're 16 years old. Pearl is 21 and still lives with her parents. You work harder than any adult I know! You… You just need to quit your job at Grizzco! Just working the Ranked Battle waiting rooms is enough! They really want you to work more, you know. If you would just ditch Grizzco and work there, you'd get breaks every two hours and get paid as much as the average adult! Some people feed their entire families with that money! Lynn even offered to hang out with you while you work, Yuls! Plus, working the waiting rooms, I'm fairly certain that your boss wouldn't, y'know… abuse you there," Marina said, handing the stacks of cash back to Yulia.
"Oh, please, Marina! Mr. Grizz doesn't abuse me! He just keeps me on track! I can't stray away or else it'll hurt the company!"
"Yulia! Being told that doing Salmon Runs is your only reason to live is abuse. Keeping a sixteen year old girl up until odd hours of the night for pretty much no money is abuse. He's using you! He's exploiting you!"
"He loves me! He wants to make the world a better place!"
"He loves money. He loves profit. He doesn't even love his own daughter, why the hell would he love you?"
"Please, Marina! Just be quiet for a minute! You always tell me to be calm, but you know that I cannot control myself!" Yulia cried, shoving her head into her book, Anatomy of a Steelhead.
"Y'know, Yulia, you know a ton about Salmonids. Maybe instead of beating their faces in, you could teach people about them! I'm sure that the folks down at Museum d'Alfonsino would love to have you come in! Their pay would probably make you more money than a week at Grizzco! You could bring Pooky along! Even… I know Lynn hates going into her Salmonid form, but I'm sure she'd do it for you," Marina added, looking at Yulia's very large collection of old books about Salmonids, written at a time where Inklings actually cared for Salmonids instead of robbing them. If you would just take my advice, you wouldn't have to ask for so much. Though, Pearl and I will always help you out, no matter how much money you have. You know how much Pearl loves you," Marina smiled. Yulia nodded.
"I promised to always be there for you, and I'm not breaking that promise. It took me two months to get you to even talk to me, and I consider being so close to you a privilege. I'm not going to lose it over a job. Tomorrow, Lynn and I are taking you to Grizzco and you're resigning. Grizz won't say anything with me around. Now...come on. Let's go to dinner," the kind Octarian said, holding out her hand. Yulia took it, wiped her tears, and the two walked off together. Of course, Marina and Lynn never took Yulia to Grizzco, as the whole Callie dilemma had changed the course of action.
"Yulia…snap out of it! Pull yourself together! Let's talk about how successful you're gonna be when you get us out of here! Everyone's gonna see you carrying me into the promised land! You're gonna be a celebrity! We're gonna go in there and beat the snot outta that no good boss of yours!" Julien said, giving a sassy hip shake.
"Oh, Julien… I do not wish to be violent! Mr. Grizz may have wronged me, but I do not have enough strength to hate him. I just need to take deep breaths…" Yulia said, sitting down for a minute.
"All right, Yulia," Giana said as she and her cousin sat on either side of Yulia, "why don't you tell us about those Salmonids you mentioned earlier. We don't have them down here."
"Oh, if I told you everything I know about them, I'd be here for ages! I know more about Salmonids than my friend who is a Salmonid knows! Then again, she shows absolutely no interest in caring for herself, so that's actually not very surprising. I know their anatomy their diet, any diseases and illnesses that can spread, how to cure those diseases, and how to disarm them harmlessly! Especially Maws… I've been eaten by them so many times that I know how to make them throw me up without setting off a bomb! Seriously, I know so much about Salmonids that I could teach a class on them…" Yulia smiled. "Well, Marina said that the local museum would probably pay me to teach a class..."
"Exactly! Show the Grizz man that you don't need him anymore!" Julien added. Both he and his cousin, who had no idea what Salmonids were, were very concerned, however. Yulia…had been eaten? What was that about setting off bombs? Oh well, they had decided not to question it.
Yulia went on and on, discussing in great detail Salmonid diseases and their cures, before all three of them had made a unanimous decision that Yulia had recovered and was well enough to move on.
"I'm sorry for that breakdown, you two. I've just been thinking a lot lately. Now that I'm here in Octo Canyon and not in Inkopolis, I actually have time to. If I were being honest, I think I'd almost rather be down here. Back at home, when I wasn't working, I was reading…" Yulia said, shrugging.
After a bit more walking, Giana, who was leading the way, as she was really the only one who actually knew how to get to Cephalon HQ, broke the silence once more. "So, Yulia…did you have...a special someone back in Inkopolis?" she asked. Yulia flushed and blushed at the same time.
"W-Well, about that…I had a bit of a reputation in Inkopolis, and I kinda deserved it. I had the tendency to be kinda...flirty. My father wanted to keep me as innocent as possible, but his plan backfired. Once I had gotten attention from a boy, I realized how much I enjoyed it. I-I would get them to pay attention to me, but once they got sick of me, I just moved right on to the next, knowing that they weren't interested in anything permanent. The girls started to call me a lolita. Whenever I'd work with boys at Grizzco, the girls would ask me if I could control myself. It was all friendly teasing, but...still. You'd think that the teasing would get me to stop, but I just...couldn't. After my parents had disappeared, I just felt so lonely. All of that attention really helped me in a way. But…oddly, the person that I was closest to dating wasn't a boy...It was my best friend that I mentioned earlier, Pearl."
Julien and Giana were all ears.
"Now, I honestly was never attracted to girls, but Pearl was just...different. She had been there for so much of my life. We had some not-so-humble beginnings, with Pearl practically beating me into submission or threatening to slam my face into the sidewalk if I didn't obey her every command, but once her mom made her finally apologize, she suddenly became like an overprotective big sister. It could have been because she wanted me to keep my hands off of her youngest brother, but I like to think it was because she cared for me. We often did things that a lot of ordinary best friends did not do, like cuddling and even little kisses. Even whenever she started her music group, Off the Hook, she still made time for me. W-We never really established a relationship, but still…we were practically in one," Yulia stuttered, blushing pretty hard.
"Well, Yulia, never be ashamed of your love life. We all show love in different ways," Julien said, smiling. Yulia smiled back.
"All right, we're almost at Cephalon HQ. Are you sure you want to go in by yourself? What if you see Octavio? He'll probably try to hurt you again…" Giana said as Julien put his arm around Yulia in a protective way.
"I'm sure. I just really want to see Dennis again! He won't let Octavio hurt me, I promise. I know I'll be all right," Yulia said confidently. Once they had arrived at their destination, Yulia crossed the bridge and once again descended down the long ladder.
"Say, boy, I never did hear what your mother thought about me going and offing that Inkling. I assume she was happy?" Yulia heard Octavio say from below.
"Yes," replied Dennis, "she was. She was happy that you murdered her in cold blood!"
"For the last time, boy, I did what I had to!"
"So you're saying that if I killed your precious little Sellie and said I did what I had to, you'd be okay with it?! Face it, she's your favorite. She's the only one you care about."
"Oh, stop it! Both of you! Please!" Yulia cried, not shouting, but not speaking softly, either. Both Octavio and Dennis looked at her, utter shock on their faces.
"What the f-" Octavio started.
"OH MY GOD!" Dennis cried, his voice drowning out his father's profanity as he went to embrace the Inkling, nearly bringing her to the ground. "I thought he killed you! I thought you were gone! I-I'll never let you out of my sight again…" Dennis sobbed, burying his face into Yulia's hair. "Y-You're injured…"
"Dennis, I'm all right. I've been taken care of," Yulia replied, gently running her fingers through the boy's hair as she looked Octavio straight in the face. "As for you, sir, I know that you are disappointed and wish to see me in pain, but there will be a time when the tides will change on you. You will welcome me in your arms as one of your own."
"Shut it, Li'l Mama," Octavio replied.
"If you truly hated me, sir, you would not use such a nickname. Nicknames are a symbol of affection, after all."
"Shut. It."
"As you wish, sir. I am obedient."
"She's going to be the hope that Octo Canyon needs, dad," Dennis said, turning to his father, "and if you want to hurt her, you have to hurt me, first."
With that, Dennis helped Yulia up, and together they climbed the ladder, leaving Cephalon HQ, meeting up with Julien and Giana, who were waiting. The cousins had heard of Dennis, but had never met him in person, so brief introductions were given. They had decided to get themselves some food...and they knew just the place!
Lynn now had more than the wall on her hands. Fantine, as she mentioned many times, was dying. She was living out her final days. Lynn had taken the sick woman into her house and given her the bottom bunk where she slept long hours and hardly got up, while Tavi took the top. Lynn just slept on the couch. If Lynn offered to cook her mother something, she refused, saying that she wasn't hungry. Lynn was very loyal in caring for her mother, making sure that she was always as comfortable as she could be. Lynn constantly made sure that her mother's gills were wet, as drying out was very uncomfortable for a Salmonling. Lynn usually preferred to "soak", or sit in Pearl's hot tub with the lid closed, secretly wishing that Emperor would discover her in the nude, but that obviously wasn't an option for Fantine, who could hardly walk. Lynn was taking excellent care of her mother, much better care than she had ever given herself.
Taking care of her mother wasn't the only thing that Lynn had promised to do for Fantine. Lynn had also promised to build her mother's coffin. Now, Lynn had never built a coffin before, so this dinky little one she was making wasn't going to be a masterpiece, but that's not what Fantine wanted. All she wanted was a coffin handmade by her daughter, who was supposedly a master woodworker. Whenever Lynn wasn't taking care of Fantine or knocking out that damned wall, she was working on the coffin.
Lynn, who was so cruel to her mother just the previous night, didn't want to admit that she had quickly grown attached to the dying woman, but she did. I will not go so far as to say that it is impossible for a child to hate their mother, as it certainly is, but there was something about Fantine's tenderness, especially Lynn's memories of Fantine's tenderness during her toddlerhood, that could not make her hate the woman. From the moment that she had rested her head on the pillow, Lynn decided to love her.
Lynn had one faithful companion throughout this struggle, and it was Tavi. While Lynn worked on the wall-which was every night, as Lynn refused to let a dying mother distract her from that awful thing- Tavi took care of the sickly woman, which honestly wasn't a very hard task, as Fantine slept through most of the night. During the day, he was there to support Lynn emotionally, as the Salmonling was going through a lot.
"It's important to just be there for her," Tavi explained as Lynn was working on her mother's coffin. "Let her know that you're there. If she wants to talk to you, don't tune her out. Listen to what she has to say. She'll probably share some memories from when you were a baby. She may talk about your father. Even if it hurts, just listen. It's also important to let her know that she doesn't have to try to hold on because of you. You need to tell her that whenever she feels as if she can't hold on any longer, she can go. It may be hard to let her go, considering that you just found her again, but it's one of the most important things that you can do," he taught, gently rubbing Lynn's back. Lynn wasn't crying, but she was obviously distraught. It didn't help that she was also worrying about Marina's petition, which had been sent into circulation that day.
Whenever Myrtle saw the four walking into her restaurant, her jaw nearly hit the floor. Much like when she first saw Yulia, she jumped the counter, immediately seating the three Octolings. Yulia, however, she had started giving an intense checkup to. Whenever she moved Yulia's scarf aside, however, she jumped back rather hard.
"Honey buns, your neck is bruised pretty bad...AND THAT'S WHAT THAT BRUTE DID TO YA ARMS?!" she cried, looking at the long rows of bandages along Yulia's arms. "Ohhh, I'd love to fight him with my bare fists!"
"My… My neck is bruised? Where?" Yulia asked.
"Oh, honey… It's bruised everywhere! I can't believe it don't hurt!"
Myrtle then reached for the Inkling's neck. Once Myrtle's fingers brushed it, Yulia backed away, once again covering it with her scarf. "N-Now it hurts…" She whimpered.
"Lemme see those arms, bub. I need to make sure that Mar's doin' that job a'hers. I hold that woman up to very high standards, y'know," Myrtle said, slowly grabbing one of Yulia's arms and gently undoing the bandages.
Yulia freaked out a bit as she saw the condition of her arms. Apparently the wounds had opened up at some point, as her arms had some blood on them, but they seemed to be healing again.
"I-I'LL KILL HIM!" Myrtle said angrily. Yulia tried to calm the woman down, and Myrtle eventually did calm down, sitting Yulia beside her friends as Myrtle took a little break to sit beside her companions.
"So...Dennis...your mother was pleased with my apparent death?" Yulia asked.
"You should have seen the disgusting look on her face. I told her almost two weeks ago and I can still remember how happy she looked. She seemed excited. She said something about the cause of Marina's death being gone once and for all…" Dennis replied.
"She...thinks that I'm the one that killed Marina?"
"She thinks that all Inklings are responsible for killing Marina due to that Squid Sisters concert...but she knows better! She can't hate Inklings! She can't hate the Squid Sisters! She's half Inkling herself! Her sister was up there performing whenever Marina decided that she needed to live a better life!" Dennis said incredibly loudly, everyone in the restaurant able to hear him.
"So that's why they took Callie…" Yulia said, Dennis nodding. "My dad chose to take Callie instead of Marie because he knew that Mama would never hurt Callie. He never planned to harm her, he wanted to harm Inklings through her. It was people like you that he really wanted to hurt," he explained.
"I can see that...but I must learn to not be afraid of him anymore! If Octavio hates me, I can do nothing. Without him, the Octarians cannot be free," Yulia said calmly.
"Who needs him?! He'll never change his mind! He's stubborn, just like his father! He thinks that exterminating the entire Inkling population will free us, but it won't! You're the one who can rescue us, Yulia," Dennis said. He was incredibly hot-headed and easily got fired up, but was able to cool down just as easily.
"I do not want to be the one to free the Octarians. I believe that you guys can free yourself. I just want to be the confidence boost that you guys need. I know that you are an independent species that can rescue yourselves without the help of an Inkling, especially a weak one such as myself," Yulia smiled as she said this. It was true. She didn't want to be honored as some kind of saint. She wanted to be honored for rescuing Callie, but not for saving the Octarians. As for the Octarians, she was doing what she believed was right.
"Yulia, you're not a tool! First you claim that your parents only wanted you for the company, now you say this?! I don't understand. Do you not understand that you're alive? You have feelings, you know. I know that deep down, you're someone who wants to be shown love and appreciation, especially since that scummy boss of yours doesn't give you any," Julien said, slamming his fist on the table. "It's okay to want to be recognized for something every once in a while, especially things like this!" It doesn't make you a bad person, Yulia!" Giana added. Dennis and Myrtle agreed.
"You don't look like you get much love or appreciation either, Julien" Yulia replied.
"Y-Yulia...nonsense! Mother and Father happen to love me very much! I think you're just getting hungry… That's it!"
Upon hearing the word hungry, Myrtle sprung into action, running into the kitchen as fast as she could. Yulia just shook her head.
"I don't really eat much. I used to eat once a week before Marina started yelling at me about it…" she shrugged.
"Yulia...how are you still alive?" Giana asked. Once again, the Inkling just shrugged. "You just get used to it when you're not able to afford food. Just a bowl of rice was good enough for me. If I was lucky, I could go to my favorite restaurant and order shrimp tempura. That's my favorite food, shame it's so expensive."
As the four waited for their food, a man who Yulia instantly recognized as Chyna's dad came into the restaurant, calling Myrtle out into the dining area. He made eye contact with the Inkling, and instead of being afraid or even angry, he gave her a small smile. Chyna had definitely told him about her.
"Ohh, Mr. Wells! Hello, hello! How's that sweet li'l baby of yours doin'?" Myrtle asked whilst simultaneously stirring some kind of batter.
"The baby's doing just fine, but I'm here to order some food for Chyna. She's catching cold again. We don't want her out of the house in case it gets worse. This should cover it," the man said, giving Myrtle some crumpled paper and dented coins.
"T-Thank you, Mr. Wells. I'll get right on it," Myrtle said, obviously feeling bad about taking the money. She quickly rushed back into the kitchen. Mr. Wells then moved to the table where the Octarians were sitting, not taking a seat himself, but smiling.
"...Julien, is it? Whenever you get home, make sure to thank your mother for me. She has been nothing but lovely to our entire family. Chyna would have surely died without her help. Her body is so weak that she can't fight off common colds. I know that your mother only gets paid for helping Octavio's men, so the fact that she's willing to care for Chyna for free is unfathomable to me," Mr. Wells smiled.
"Of course, Mother would do anything for Chyna. She's like a second child to her," Julien replied, also smiling.
"As for you," Mr. Wells said, looking to Yulia, "I do not blame you for Chyna hurting herself. This recent injury wasn't as bad as some of her other ones. Ever since we adopted that baby, Chyna started to feel as if she had to be the breadwinner of the family, considering that I have to take care of my sick wife. I wanted to be mad at you, but I know it's not your fault. Chyna doesn't take her personal safety into consideration whenever she does these odd jobs. Her poor mother begs her to try to find a more stable job, but she doesn't listen. Chyna knows well enough that the fall could have killed her. If my poor little Chyna was to die...my wife would die of grief. I couldn't survive with just the baby…" Mr. Wells said before Myrtle came out with a bag of food.
"Tell the family that I said hello," Myrtle smiled, gently patting the man's shoulder as he thanked her, quickly walking off.
"Gosh, I just don't understand why the family took that baby in," Giana said. "They can hardly afford to take care of themselves, let alone take care of a baby."
"Surely they thought that they could afford a second child. Though, if they wouldn't have taken him in, who would have? If they couldn't do it, they wouldn't have. It was the family's choice, and I guess we ought to support it," Yulia replied calmly.
"I suppose so. I just hope she stops taking these odd jobs whenever she gets to the promised land. Maybe she can work at a nice convenience store or something," Giana replied. Yulia shivered at the thought of the convenience store. As amazing as the parfaits, onigiri, and steamed buns were, Yulia felt disgusted. She had flashbacks of that fateful day when she was getting food for Lynn...the day that she let Mr. Grizz ruin her entire life.
"O-Of course. I bet that she would flourish there. She seems kind enough to work the registers," Yulia smiled. "She'd have access to the delicious food, too," Yulia chuckled. Conveniently, Myrtle slammed a lobster tail in front of her face, served with some kind of salad. The other Octolings got something similar.
"You better eat this," Myrtle said before bounding off into the kitchen.
"I have to ask...where does Myrtle get her food? There's no way that lobsters and such could live down here," Yulia said, looking at the giant hunk of seafood with an intimidated face.
"Rumor has it that Myrtle has permission from the commanders to go up to Inkopolis through the pothole while the people of Inkopolis are asleep. They make her swear to come back and threaten to kill her if she doesn't. Not like Myrtle would want to stay there, though. She has a real calling for making sure that every Octarian has food in their stomachs. She stays all day, the one day a week where her restaurant is closed, and comes back when we're all asleep. As bouncy and lovable as she may seem, Myrtle is an incredibly shady person. For all we know, she could use Inkling in her dishes!" Julien teased.
"Julien Joseph Briney, I do NOT!" Myrtle, who had been walking by, said as she playfully slapped the back of the boy's head.
"Anyway...what are your plans for now, Yulia?" Julien asked, rubbing the back of his head. Before Yulia could even answer, Dennis spoke up.
"I want to take Yulia to my home. I want her to confront my dad in his weakest form. I want her to spread the same hope that we have to my siblings. I want her to look my mom straight in the eyes and let her know that she survived the Octo Samurai," Dennis said, a confident look in his eyes. The look on Myrtle's face, however, was one that could not have been replicated in a million years.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Myrtle cried, grabbing Yulia protectively. "You're not letting my little bubbawubba go to that house of yours and get beat to a smithereen!"
"Come on, Myrtle!" Dennis argued back.
Dennis, being extra hot-headed today, was about to start a shouting match with Myrtle. Yulia, however, quickly got between the two to stop them.
"Please, you two. Shouldn't I be able to make my own choices here?" Yulia asked mildly, both Dennis and Myrtle looking at her.
"Oh yeah, Yulia. I guess we didn't think about that. What do you want to do?" Dennis asked. His face was red, but he calmed down relatively quickly.
"I'd like to go with Dennis. I can't be Octavio's enemy, Myrtle. If he continues to hate me, there will not be positive results in the end. I want there to be a revolution, but I do not want there to be war. If the people went to war with Octavio, they would be going to war with a son, a husband, and a father. I don't want anyone to suffer, not even Octavio," Yulia said softly, fiddling with her food. "The Great Turf War was absolutely horrible. I don't want to start a second one."
Myrtle wiped sweat from her forehead, sitting down. "All right, all right, bubba. I guess I gotta let ya go. I'm seein' that you're firm in your beliefs, here. I'll let Dennis take ya. Please, boo. Just take care of yourself. Don't get yourself in too much trouble with the boss man. If he starts to get mad at'cha, just let him cool down. Same with the lady, too," Myrtle went on, giving Yulia a gentle hug.
"We'll be with you, too," Julien said confidently. Giana agreed. Myrtle seemed reluctant, but she agreed to let Yulia go. She bounded off to the kitchen, but pretty much everyone could tell that her heart was broken.
"Well, we should get heading out. We should get today's business done before curfew. I don't want to break curfew the first night Mother sends me out," Julien said. Having finished eating, the Inkling and the three Octolings left the restaurant.
