Despite being considered by Kama as the beacon of reason; the standard that must be followed at all costs; the digital moral compass that never de-calibrated, Sal had done a lot of dumb things over the years. It wasn't a big list, and a lot of things in it happened around him instead of being caused by him, but it was still a list regardless.
Inviting Fen to hang out with his temporary persona currently held the number one spot in it.
"Yes you are going!" Callie huffed, trying – and succeeding – to push Sal off the couch. "Come help me already, Marie!"
"I'm busy." Marie waved her hand in the air dismissively while she browsed the splatnet with her phone, sitting on a couch on the opposite end of the room.
"Nothing will happen if I don't go." Sal didn't offer any resistance, and so Callie managed to push him straight onto the ground. He didn't try to get up, though, which seemed to irritate her even more.
"Yes it will, Fen will get sad!" Callie was trying to lift him off the ground by his shirt now, which proved to be a little more difficult as Sal looked lighter than he actually was.
"Fen's mood is not my responsibility until after my TV appearance."
"You're like, his second friend from Inkopolis not counting Pearl and Marina! It definitely is your responsibility!"
"He should ask the first friend then. Kama gives good advice sometimes."
Marie loudly cleared her throat to get their attention. "Oh yeah Sal, I forgot to mention it like three days ago, but I told Kama that you would be available to chat with him through texting today at like 4:30 PM. And I probably can't postpone it anymore. Oopises."
Both inklings stopped arguing and turned to look at Marie with different levels of discomfort on their faces. "What? At least I didn't completely forget about it."
"Not gonna lie, this is looking pretty bad now." Callie released her grip, making Sal fall back on the ground with a small grunt. "But… You still need to go!"
Sal closed his eyes for a moment, pondering. Of course he preferred to talk to Kama instead of going to Arrowana Mall with Fen. They had a lot to sort out, and he needed as much time as possible to make sure everything was fine between both of them. It was a serious subject, and he didn't want anything to distract him from it.
Unless… He did want distractions. He was already stressed enough already, and trying to make up with Kama would definitely worsen things. He needed something to ease the tension – before, after and during the conversation – and maybe this hangout with Fen could be just that. Not what he would call relaxing, but maybe something Sally would.
"Okay." Sal said after a while, turning around so he could look at Callie and Marie's expressions. The former had a small excited smile, while the latter was as painfully indifferent as always. "I'm going."
"Alright!" Callie raised her hands in the air, completely ignoring Sal gesturing for her to help him get back up. "You're not going like this, though. You have to wear something special for your date!"
Sal got up by himself, raising an eyebrow at Callie. "It's not a date. I have a boyfriend."
"Sally doesn't." Marie shrugged. Sal didn't look at her, but he could feel she had a smirk on her face as she added that.
"Yeah, what she said!"
"Callie… No, both of you: no. This whole thing started because of boyfriend issues, so that's what I want the least right now." Sal sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"You could kiss him as well just so you and Kama are even." Marie let out a small chuckle. "Stop glaring at me as if you're aiming a charger at my head. It's unhealthy."
"This is not something you should be joking about. This is… This is serious business. Kama and Fen already got hurt enough because of me. If I ever slip up again… They won't be able to forgive me. Hell, I don't even know if Kama will forgive me because of this whole… Big, messy misunderstanding."
"Sorry." Marie muttered quietly, but genuinely. It was rare to hear her voice without the usual layers of sarcasm, both Sal and Callie weren't used to it.
"Alright, it's decided, no kissing and no romance until Sal sorts out his stuff." Callie announced, moving her arms to emphasize. "But! It's a special occasion nonetheless, and you definitely should look equally special!"
"I don't trust both of you with my appearance. Specially Marie." Sal let out a defeated sigh. "But… I have no choice. Do your worst."
Sal Hello.
Kama Oh, hey!
Kama You messaged me earlier than planned… I haven't prepared my speech. :P
Sally didn't like how the cool air hit his exposed abdomen. Crop tops were not something inklings were used to wearing at all. If it was because of the past hostility towards octolings, or simply because no fashion designer had thought about the idea yet, she didn't know. But people were giving her weird looks. It wasn't until she had arrived at the train station that she began to feel better, as she was approached by a group of octolings who praised her for her fashion choice. She joined them with smiles (behind her facemask) and cheers, but her – or their – mind was somewhere else.
Sal No need for a speech. Let's just talk naturally like we always do.
Kama Right right. Kinda nervous but I can do it for sure.
Sal Me too.
It didn't take long before the train arrived. She was lucky the octolings were with her, or else she'd have gave in and dropped by one of the many clothing stores in the station just so she could buy something that actually covered every part of her torso. At least her pants were cute. Comfortable, soft, and made with the specific kind of fabric that changed colors to match the wearer's current ink color. The light blue contrasted with her sharp red eyes, but it was what she had chosen for the night.
Sal I believe we have things to sort out.
Kama Geez don't act so serious!
Kama I kinda wanted to talk to you about this face to face… But I understand this might be better for you at the moment.
Sally was surprised to see a small octoling girl come up to her and gently tug her clothing. Her tentacles were tied above her head, exposing her pale and round face. She was missing a few of them, incidentally, and also had a bandage over her left eye. To Sally, she looked like she was younger than 14. The octoling pointed at the handlebars above their heads, and Sally soon understood what she wanted. She gave the girl a warm smile, which prompted her to completely wrap her arms around Sally's legs. She felt warm.
Kama Well… Guess I can start by saying sorry.
Kama I'm sorry for saying that and making you break your favorite glasses.
Kama I'm sorry for not keeping you informed on what was going on with me and Fen.
Kama Sorry ruining that match for you.
Kama Sorry for staining your public image like that.
Kama And sorry for just… Being a bad boyfriend and betraying your trust in general.
The octolings started going away one by one at each station, until it was finally the little girl's turn. She gave Sally a tight hug before walking away. Sally kept looking at her even as the train had already departed. There was something about her that reminded Sally of two people she knew. She also used the same perfume as Lin did. She didn't know if that was a coincidence or not, but she couldn't stop thinking about it even as she typed away at her phone. She couldn't help but cling to the small moments, sensations she had never let herself feel before.
Sal I understand.
Sal It might be too early, but I forgive you.
Kama Woah really?
Kama I don't think I deserve it but… Thanks a ton!
Sal Whether you deserve it or not is out of the question for now.
It was only a couple of minutes before they had finally arrived at Sally's stop. Looking at the top of her screen, she saw that she had arrived much earlier than expected. There was still a whole hour before her meeting with Fen. She headed towards the food court of the station she was currently in. Kind of redundant, considering the place she was going to meet Fen at, but food would surely help her calm down. Nervousness, excitement, fear. It all seemed to go away after a small cup of hot chocolate.
Kama Yeah yeah, we can discuss this later.
Kama So…
Sal I think it's my turn.
Kama No way, you didn't do anything!
Sal Let me speak.
One cup was not enough. Three was definitely too much, so she stopped there – but not before grabbing a pack of chips. It was definitely making it harder to type, but she could clean the screen after she finished eating. That was something Sal worried about, not her. As long as she could still make out the words on screen, there wasn't an issue with it. Her mouth was met with an empty hand a few times, because she was more focused on typing than anything else. That was an important moment.
Sal I am sorry for not trusting your relationship with Fen.
Sal I am sorry for yelling at you.
Sal I am sorry for making you cry. On live TV.
Sal And I am sorry for not being the best boyfriend I can.
Phew, that was relieving. Apologies were handed out, the screen was cleaned, and it was almost time to go. Sally cleaned her hands using disposable napkins – as she wasn't sure on what to do regarding the bathroom situation – and started walking away towards the mall. Most people travelled that road by bus or train, so the sidewalks were mostly empty. Sally crossed ways with a multitude of friendly inklings and octolings who smiled and complimented her outfit. She was starting to feel a little more confident about it now! She hoped Fen would find it good looking as well. He definitely pulled out that look better than she would ever be able to.
Kama Awww that's so sweet of you. :0
Kama Apologies accepted babe.
Kama I feel like there's still more stuff to talk about though.
Sal Indeed. We have to think about the future.
Sal We both need to improve.
Sal And there is no better time to start than today.
Kama Agreed!
Kama We can discuss this better after your thing. The TV thing.
Kama Are you nervous about it?
Sally was soon greeted by automatic mall doors. The place was absolutely massive, with multiple floors, sections, stores and people. It was tempting to just browse the place for the ten minutes she had remaining, but she knew she would get lost pretty easily. One minute could easily turn into one hour in Arrowana Mall. There was also an entire section of the mall dedicated to watching the turf war and ranked matches that happened in the multiple courtyards outside the main building. Luckily, there was only one food court.
Sal Absolutely. But I won't let that deter me from doing my best.
Kama I'm nervous too. I mean, it's gotta be difficult to talk to millions of people.
Kama Though I'm also excited to see your pretty face again! On TV!
Kama Actually, can you send me a selfie?
Sal Not really.
Sal Marie is trying out all of her expired makeup on me and it's getting pretty ugly.
Kama Oh yikes!
That was a good enough excuse for now, Sal could explain it to him later. Sally walked towards an empty part of the food court and sat down. There were dozens, maybe even hundreds of different kinds of food she could order. She kind of felt like doing so, but she had to wait for Fen. She quickly noticed spotting him would be an issue, as the place was quickly getting crowded. There was still a minute left for 4:30 PM, though, so she took this small window to try and wrap things up with Kama.
Kama Hope you don't die.
Sal I'll try.
Sal Not after that stormy night.
Kama Wait what?
Kama What happened that night?
Sal What do you mean? I thought Callie had told you.
Kama Nah, she just told me you were hiding on top of a building.
Sal Oh.
Fen had to arrive just as the conversation hit a sensitive spot, didn't he? All he did was make Sal's life harder, from the very day he arrived at Inkop– No. Sally immediately cut off that line of thought, both because it wasn't her thought and because it wasn't a very nice one to begin with. Sally waved at him for a whole minute before he finally took notice of her presence, rushing to her table. She locked the phone and put it face down onto the table as he sat down.
"Sorry, this place is pretty big… I've never been here before." Fen's breathing began to slow down.
"No biggie. I'd have gotten your number and stuff, but I forgot my phone at home that." Sally nodded to look more convincing. It wasn't a lie, at least. The phone he was currently using was one of Marie's old ones. "Also, I don't think I've caught your name. You should now mine, I wrote it down for you."
"Ah! Yes, I'm sorry… My name is Fen."
"Fen… Sounds nice. So, Fen, first time here?"
"Mhm. I've come to Inkopolis about… a month or two ago? But I haven't really left my home. I'm staying over at Pearl's house, and sometimes I get l–"
"Woah woah woah! Wait a minute. Pearl as in, Off the Hook's Pearl?" Sally let out an exaggerated gasp at his little nod. That explained a lot. "Woah! You must be famous and stuff! Are you one of her childhood friends? Or are you like, Marina's sibling or something? I can't really wrap my head around the fact that someone dressed like that – no offense – knows and is close friends with Pearl."
"Is… Is there something wrong with my outfit?" Fen gulped. He was currently wearing a denim jacket, Annaki-brand boots and simple black shorts. A pair of pilot goggles also rested on his head, with his main tentacle resting in between the lenses.
"Course not, dummy. I mean like… You know how Pearl is, she always likes expensive and over the top stuff. Shiny too. I bet she tried to make you wear some of that, huh?"
"Yeah, she suggested it. But it's not really my style." He nodded.
"Well, answer my other questions now. Do you know Marina too, or?" Sally was internally cursing herself for being so passive aggressive to Fen, but it was the most realistic way to go about it. They barely knew each other, after all.
"I don't know if I can't say much – I haven't asked them – but… Let's just say they rescued me from a really bad place."
"Oh, so like, charity work? I'm sorry for bringing that up, man, didn't know it was sensitive stuff." Sally took the small moment of silence between them to check on her incessantly vibrating phone.
Kama Sal? You still there.
Sal Yes. Just thinking.
Kama Don't sweat it. Talking naturally, remember?
Sal Yes, I am aware. But…
Sal I guess there is no easy way to put this.
Sal I tried to kill myself after that match.
Oof, heavy stuff. Luckily for Sally, Fen cleared his throat right as she was about to let herself be overcome with guilt.
"It's fine, it's fine! It isn't that serious. I mean… It kind of is, but I'm not hurt by it anymore." Fen smiled. "Can we go back to talking about clothes, just for a moment."
"Of course, man. Anything you wanna ask." She locked her phone once again.
"Not really a question, but I do like your outfit a lot! I think you look really good in a crop top." Score! "…Actually, there is a question. Why are you wearing a face mask again?"
Sally smirked behind the mask. She had come prepared to answer that. "Depends. You want the cool answer or the lame answer?"
Fen blinked. "Uh… The cool one?"
"It's because my face is so pretty it distracts people from what they're doing and makes them look at it."
"Ah. I believe that," Fen let out a chuckle, "but what's the lame answer?"
"Fell on my face as a kid. Left a pretty nasty scar on my mouth. I was kinda self-conscious of it at first, but now I just like wearing masks. It became sorta like, part of my identity, you know?"
"Oh, I see! That's a really cool answer, in my opinion."
"Of course it is, everything I say is cool!" Sally laughed a bit, picking up her phone. "Now gimme a minute. Chloe's talking to me."
Kama Oh.
Kama Sal?
Kama Oh my god Sal.
Kama I'm so sorry.
Kama Holy mackerel I had no idea.
Kama I feel like trash right now oh my god.
Sal Stop apologizing.
Sal It is my fault.
Kama Sal…
Sal It is my fault. I admit now that it was very wrong of me.
Sal If anything, I am the one who should be apologizing.
Sal For putting that sort of mental strain on you. All of you.
Kama I want to hug you so bad right now.
Kama I'm kinda tearing up right now is that ok?
Sal That is not something that I should decide.
Sal Dork.
Kama I love you.
Sal I love you too.
"Aaand done!" Sally put her phone down and stretched. "Now I'm all yours, big boy. What do you have in store for us? You planned something, right?"
"I did, actually! I only planned two things, but I did plan them. The first one is getting something to drink. I mean, you can get something to eat too if you want, but I'm not going to join you because I've ate a lot because I was nervous…" He let out an embarrassed chuckle.
Oof. Spot on.
"Me too. I mean, I wasn't nervous cause I'm really cool, I just felt like eating a lot of junk." Sally got up and took a look around. "I'm thinking… Milkshakes? My boyfriend– I mean, my ex really liked them. I kinda wanna like, drink and like it more than him, just to spite him, y'know?"
Nice save. Fen seemed a little unsure – if not intimidated – but he ultimately complied and they walked together towards one of the places in the food court that sold milkshakes. Sally got a blueberry one. Fen glanced over at her before ordering, leaving his spot on the line.
"Is something wrong with it? You look kind of disappointed."
"Kinda. Tastes great, but I expected it to be a little more… Blue, y'know?" She raised the semitransparent cup next to her light blue tentacles. "I wanted to match."
"I see… Give me a minute."
Fen joined the line once again, and ordered a banana smoothie. He raised his own cup next to his tentacle. The faint, almost white yellow of the liquid didn't quite match the light yellow on his tentacles. "Not what I expected either, but it's close enough. Now we're both almost matching."
Sally couldn't help but let out a snicker. "Gosh, you're adorable."
"Ah, thanks." He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks acquiring a small yellow blush. "Um… We can drink on the go. It's going to take a while to get there, so a drink will help us have enough energy."
"Aye aye. Don't mind if talk to Chloe some more."
Sal I do want to ask something.
Sal How did Fen react to the whole… Situation?
Kama Yeah, about that… He was really sad, blaming himself and stuff.
Kama But it's okay now! I've managed to put him in a better mood.
Kama He even made some friends! Right now, he's even hanging out with an inkling he met yesterday!
Kama You think he can get his first girlfriend? ;P
Sally briefly looked towards Fen, who had managed to distract himself with the bendy straw of his drink somehow. She rolled here eyes and aimed them at the phone screen once more.
Sal Perhaps. He is indeed quite handsome.
Kama Now you know why I kissed him.
Kama …I'm sorry for that. I don't know whether you're over that or not.
Sal A little. I am aware now that it was all a misunderstanding, but I can still feel some of the anger I've felt as I took in the sight.
Sal You can keep joking, though.
Kama Heheh, thanks.
Kama You really meant what you said about his appearance though?
Sal I cannot deny he is good looking.
Sal Why do you ask?
Kama Well, I…
Kama We…
Kama Actually, this is something best talked about in person. Don't wanna disrupt whatever you and Marie are doing.
Sal Oh? I am scared.
Kama It's nothing bad, don't worry! I'm not jealous of you and Fen, heh.
Sal There is nothing to be jealous of.
Kama ;)
Sal What does that mean?
Kama Nothing!
Kama See you later I gotta go grab some food and then go turfing.
Kama Love you!
Sal Goodbye, love you two.
That last bit of the conversation certainly intrigued Sally, but she didn't think much of it. She and Fen made small talk throughout the trip, not exactly learning a lot about each other but still having fun. Sally suspected he was trying to hold the more meaningful conversation topics for when they arrived at the "special spot" Fen had picked for them – which turned out to be none other than Deca Tower. Sally was a little skeptical about if it would work, because of her lack of a turfing card, but Fen managed to give her a guest pass, meaning she could walk inside the structure but not participate in battles of any kind. That was more than enough.
Sally had never seen that elevator before, right at the end of Deca Tower's main lobby. It was simpler and much older-looking than the towers "lobbies", but it fortunately did not malfunction while they were inside. After a minute or two, the doors opened and they were greeted with an empty room with a steel door at the opposite end. Sally originally thought nothing of it, but she took a step back and audibly gasped once she realized that she was in the roof area.
"Sally? Are you alright?" Fen looked at her with a frown.
"Yeah, I'm good. Just… A lil afraid of heights, that's all." Sally was obviously uncomfortable, but for different reasons than those Fen was thinking about. She could still hear and feel the rain in her mind.
"Don't worry, let's… Uh, excuse me." Fen grabbed Sally's hand all of a sudden, and pulled her closer to the middle. Fen then sat down, and Sally quickly followed his lead. "The guard rails are kinda like walls, so you can't see down there anymore. But we can still see the stars."
"Your neck is gonna hurt if you keep looking at the sky like that for too long, silly. Let's just…" Sally leaned backwards until she was laying down on her back. Fen copied her. "There we go. And… You're still holding my hand."
"Oh, sorry–"
"Nah, keep doing it. I like it."
Sally had no idea where that had come from, but it just felt like the right thing to say. Maybe she just wanted to cling to someone, following Sal's bad past experience with the place, or maybe it was something deeper. But she really enjoyed how warm and soft his hands felt.
"So… How was your childhood like? I don't know anything about octoling culture, so… Teach me something new. I'll gladly listen." Sally asked.
"Well… Kinda rough, to be honest. We're always training to fight, and we're not allowed to do some things… Not even music is allowed down there. I luckily never got into any trouble, since… Not to brag, but I was pretty skilled at what they assigned me to."
"Oh damn, not even music? Sounds really rough, I'm sorry you had to go through that." She let out a sigh. "I know you just told me it was bad, but… Do you miss anything from there? The octoling city, I mean."
"Octopolis." He clarified. "And… I suppose I miss some things. I've never had a family, for… complicated reasons, but I've made a lot of great friends. It felt sad leaving them behind, but it was what I had to do."
Sally nodded, but didn't say anything else, so Fen proceeded. "Inkopolis isn't perfect. I still don't understand some things like… Fashion, and splatfests, and… the mentality behind turf war in general, but… It feels like home. Or what home was before the war. What home should be."
"Deep." Sally nodded, glancing over at him. "Sorry for not saying a lot. I haven't experienced anything that relates to that, so I can't really empathize. But I can sympathize."
Fen smiled at her. "…I thought those meant the same things."
"Me too, to be honest. I felt so smart when I learned what the difference was." Sally let out a hearty chuckle. "Empathy is when like… You understand how someone feels because you've had a similar experience. Sympathy is when you understand but didn't have any."
"Oh! I do feel a little smarter now."
"Heck yeah."
There was a small moment of silence in between them – a comfortable one. Closing her eyes, Sally could really focus on the contact in between them. Sal had loved the sensation back when they first held hands for practical reasons, and he was glad Sally got the opportunity to experience that as well. She felt like she could have fallen asleep right there, but Fen's voice brought her back before she could do so.
"So… How was yours?"
"Eh. It was… It kinda sucked as well." She confessed. "Parents hated me. Classmates pitied me. I didn't really escape here like you did, but it felt like doing so. Though after being trapped there for so long, being forced to be a lamer version of myself… When I first arrived here I was completely lost. Physically and emotionally. I still am, to some degree. Sometimes I don't even know what I'm good at anymore."
Fen looked at her with a sorrowful expression. "I'm sorry to hear that. I Sympathize."
"Thanks." Sally shifted so that she was sitting up, looking down at her lap. "I just feel like a… I don't know. Sometimes I feel like an incomplete song."
"Oh?" Fen blinked, then mimicked her position once again. "How so?"
"Well… Doesn't make a lot of sense when I say it out loud but I just… Y'know when you have the urge to make something all of a sudden? Well, I guess this urge made me try to compose a song. I was unsure at first, but I eventually found my way by trying similar techniques to songs I liked. But then at some point my… my brain just blacked out, I guess. Suddenly I didn't understand anything anymore, the music program was too complicated for me and what I was doing before didn't seem to sound right anymore. I was too overwhelmed to do anything and I… And I tried giving up. Two times. My friends encouraged me to go on, but… I don't know. I feel like I don't have a reason to go on anymore. My… My urge is going away."
Fen listened to the whole thing carefully, then raised a hand to his chin. Sally watched the expression on his face change ever so slightly. She could feel that he was getting somewhere, and awaited eagerly for his response.
"I see. Well… There are basically two ways to go on that. I mean… I don't know if… I've tried music a few times back at home – illegally, of course – and I've learned some things that might help you. I don't know if you're going to be able to use them as life lessons, but… I can try. Can I?"
Sally quickly nodded.
"Well… The first one is to learn the program. Take your own time going over each option and stuff. It… It's probably best in your case, since you're working because of an urge, but… I think that, if you managed to hold it throughout the whole learning process, you're going to end up doing something great when you get the hang of things."
Sally kept quiet, but Fen could see it in her eyes that she was paying attention. He gave her a while to reflect, and then continued.
"The other one is… Get a simpler program. When you're good at making songs, you're definitely going to use all those settings in one way or another. But for now? Keeping things simple and clean, and only do what you know how to do. Sometimes there's no… Big theoretically proven reason to place a new note, but it makes the song sound good. And… In the end, that's all that matters, right?"
Sally stayed quiet for what felt like an eternity. Fen looked eagerly at her face, searching for whatever emotion was going through her at the moment. In the end, she looked at him with warmth in her eyes. He couldn't see behind the facemask, but he could feel that she was smiling at that moment.
"That… Makes a lot of sense, actually." Sally finally said, slowly nodding her head. "I'll try these. I… I think I can really improve if I keep that in mind. Thank you so much, Fen."
Both of them suddenly noticed just how close they had gotten from each other. Their noses were almost touching, and they could feel each other's warm breath in their faces. Both of them blushed, but neither of them backed up.
"You've composed before, right? Or at least tried." Sally gulped, a hint of embarrassment and shyness in her voice replacing her usual confidence and small superiority complex. "I don't… I'm going back home on Friday, so there's no way you can help me finish my whole song. But maybe… I feel like adding a note, and you have just the sound I need."
Fen had done this before, so he knew where this was going next. He closed his eyes and slightly parted his lips. Sally pulled down her facemask, without regret or fear that he might recognize her as someone else. She didn't care. She grasped his cheeks with both of her hands, and pulled him closer. As soon as her lips touched, even if for a small moment, Sally felt like she was her own person. Like she could do anything, be anything.
Both Sally and Sal felt like their song was one step closer to being completed. They just needed someone to play it with.
