Eight felt like she was floating on air as she went about cleaning the penthouse. Before today, she never thought someone could dress appropriately for labour and look pretty at the same time. Now, she was that someone. Every time she caught her reflection as she worked a huge grin would appear on her face. She just couldn't help it; she felt like a princess.

The countertops were scrubbed clean, all the appliances gleamed, and the bathroom had been so thoroughly scrubbed that Eight could claim one could safely eat off of it. She was glad Four had taken her shopping the other day for other cleaning gear. The thick rubber gloves, face mask, and safety goggles had proven useful.

The last thing on her list of things to do was cleaning the top shelves in the living room. They hadn't been dusted since Pearl and Marina had moved in and looking at the thick layer there now it was long past due. Eight started with the small hand vacuum, sucking up the worst of it before she had to empty it and use it in combination with the duster. She didn't want to spread the dust elsewhere after all. She was just finishing up with a cleaning rag when she heard the door open and then Pearl's voice.

"Eight, we're ho-uhwaaaaaaaa!?"

The stepladder was positioned almost directly in line with the entrance, so Pearl and Marina saw her the moment they opened the door. Eight had expected some kind of reaction from her new appearance, and Callie and Marie had counted on it, hence the motion-triggered camera they left behind, oriented towards the entrance. Still, Eight hadn't expected a reaction this strong.

Pearl and Marina both stood in the doorway, the former with her mouth hanging open, eyes wide as saucers, and her mantle a very bright orange. The latter had her hands over her mouth, eyes wide but less in shock than surprise, her tentacles splayed wide enough to completely expose her face.

Marita's brief but firm instruction kicked in and Eight hopped off the ladder and curtsied, something totally new she had learned to do just today. "Welcome home." Marina looked as though she were about to float to the moon, whereas had stopped working.

Marina let out a high-pitched squeal and ran inside, stopping barely centimetres in front of Eight. "Oh, Eight, you look so cute! Where did you get this outfit? You look just like a real maid."

Pearl finally recovered from her shock and hurried over, arms flailing. "What the carp, Eight? What are you doing in that getup?"

Eight reeled back, not expecting such vehemence from Pearl, who was usually such a chill squid. "Uh… well I… oh, no I didn't buy this with the card you gave me. I only used that to buy some coveralls, gloves and-."

"I'm not talking about that," Pearl snapped. "I mean where did you get this outfit and what in the Sovereign God's great universe could possess you to wear it?"

"Pearl!" Marina glared at her partner disapprovingly. Pearl flashed white once and backed off a little.

Eight collected herself quickly. She had dealt with enough angry officers and NCOs that Pearl's outburst had barely phased her but she did feel a little hurt. "It was a gift made just for me. I thought I looked pretty…"

"You do look pretty," Marina insisted. "And adorable at the same time. It's a wonderful outfit that suits you very well. Doesn't it, Pearl?"

Pearl averted her gaze and clasped her hands behind her back. "Y-yeah, you look… pretty." Eight smiled and wrapped her arms around the little squid's body tightly.

"G-geez, don't get all sappy," Pearl mumbled, gently patting Eight's back. "Just… sorry, okay?"

"Eight," Marina said. "Could you get the hot tub ready? Pearl and I really need a nice hot soak right now. It's been a long day."

Eight released Pearl and bowed her head in obedience. "Oh." She reached into one of the pockets of her uniform and pulled out a folded paper. "I was told to give this to you." She handed it to Pearl and then skipped off to her appointed task.

Marina took a moment to shut the front door and then went over to Pearl as she carefully unfolded the crisp note.

"Dear Pearl Persimmon Pygmy," Pearl wrinkled her nose at the use of her full name and then read on. "While someone should not be judged purely by the outfit they wear or by their finances, one's actions do reflect on them and the people they associate with. A little consideration towards how you look to others and how you can make others look by your presence goes a long way to establishing and maintaining effective relationships. Always bear in mind that your actions reflect on Eight now as well as her actions reflecting on you. Signed, the Squid Sisters!"

Pearl stared at the last line of flowing cursive on the paper that formed the Squid Sister's signatures, unable to believe what she was reading. The actual Squid Sisters had pulled this stunt? Had they been the ones to put Eight in that outfit? True, Eight had met them once or twice before but that was because they were Captain Cuttlefish's granddaughters, they weren't buddy buddy. How had something like this happened? Was this just some kind of prank?

She glanced up at Marina who was all starry-eyed, as she normally was with anything involving the Squid Sisters. Pearl snapped her fingers under her nose to jar her out of it.

"Talk to me, Marina. Do you think this is some kind of joke?"

"Huh, joke? You don't think it was really them?"

"I don't know. I mean, Eight's been hanging around with Four a lot lately and she knows them so it's possible." She handed Marina the letter and she began to read it.

"If it was them who wrote this, then they must have found out about what happened when Eight went to pick up your mantle gloss. It makes sense she would talk to Four about it. Besides us, she's her only friend."

Pearl raised an eyebrow. "I guess, but you don't consider Three her friend? Weren't we just talking about some kind of connection they had?"

Marina shook her head. "They have a mutual respect and a kind of bond from what they went through together, but I also think there's some distance there." She sighed. "I know Three is just a kid to you, but she's… something else to us octarians. Maybe Eight's still bothered about it."

Pearl looked into her eyes for several long uncomfortable seconds. "Well, you owe me an explanation for that sometime. Right now, I think we just need to relax."

"Yes," Marina agreed wholeheartedly. "Relax."

After a quick shower, both pop idols slipped into the bubbling jacuzzi. Marina let out a long sigh of relaxation as her body adjusted to the water's temperature.

"I needed this," she whispered.

"Tell me about it," Pearl agreed.

Eight appeared, still wearing her maid uniform. "I brought you your towels and some fruit tarts." She placed the towels on the nearby table and the treats on a counter space built into the hot tub itself.

"Thank you, Eight," Marina smiled. Eight bowed and then turned around to leave.

"Hold on a sec, Eight." Pearl called. "I think we both deserve an explanation about what and how all this happened, right?" Eight turned around, slowly, and raised an eyebrow. "I mean, how did you end up getting into that outfit? How did two of the world's biggest celebrities find out about what happened to you?"

Eight's lips turned into a thin line as she thought about how to respond. She decided that a quick summary would be best, so she told them about how she spoke to Four about her problems that same day and how Callie and Marie happened to show up and how they disagreed with Pearl's advice. From there, it was pretty simple to wrap up with everything that happened at the House of Arachne and up to them coming home today. When she had finished, Pearl looked even more tired than she had before slipping into the tub.

"Well now I really know what that letter was about," she groaned.

"It's just because they care, Pearlie," Marina soothed, gently stroking her partner's soft white mantle. "It's not like they hate you."

"But they're younger than me," Pearl grumbled. "What's more humbling than getting told off by kids who can't even drink yet?"

"Awww, but I'm even younger than them and I tell you off all the time." Marina grinned smugly and Pearl rolled her eyes.

"You're my partner, part of the duo; that's a unique position. Anyway, it's time we got out of this tub before we faint or shrivel up, or whatever it is people say will happen if you spend too much time in a hot tub."

Eight grabbed Pearl's towel and held it out for her as she emerged. The inkling's stark white body was only a shade darker than her mantle. The contrast against Marina's dark skin really highlighted just how different they were, and how different inklings and octolings were. Pearl had never thought about it much but, she supposed that perhaps, with Eight a part of her life now and somewhat reliant on her, she would have to pay more attention to those differences.

As Eight finished cleaning up, she went to the living room and retrieved Callie and Marie's camera. Pearl and Marina hadn't noticed it at all. Even if they had, the camera had been set to use the penthouse's wifi to upload the video to a cloud from where Callie and Marie could download it and watch.

Eight turned the camera off and brought it to her bedroom, slipping it into her knapsack. As she undressed, she wondered what Callie and Marie's reaction to the footage would be.

Eight's eyes snapped awake, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She had a nightmare again. Why did they continue to persist? She had come to the promised land, come to the place she had spent two entire years of her life trying to make her way to. Why did she yet have to cease having nightmares about someone who had done as much to make her feel welcome in Inkopolis as anyone else?

Eight slid out of bed and put on her slippers. She would get herself a little drink and maybe that would help her relax a bit. When she arrived at the kitchen, however, she discovered that the light over the sink was on. Pearl was standing at the counter, waiting for the kettle to boil.

Pearl's head perked up and she looked in her direction. "Couldn't sleep?" Eight nodded. "Me neither. Damn, the night I think I need sleep the most and it gets away from me." She gave Eight a sardonic smile. "I'm making tea. Want some?" Eight nodded again.

Pearl took out an extra cup and then leaned back against the kitchen island. "So, what's bothering you? Another nightmare?" A nod and Pearl hummed. "Marina said you had nightmares involving Three." Nod. Pearl sighed.

"Look, I know you fought her when she was under Tartar's control but that wasn't her fault. You know she doesn't want to hurt you, right?"

Eight nodded again, slowly this time. "Not anymore."

Pearl frowned. "What do you mean, 'not anymore?' Did you fight before that?"

"It was a misunderstanding but Three… well, it's not really Three I have nightmares of, just what I was told Three was.

"Before I met her, all I knew was what they told us about her. That she was a monster of an inkling that had already killed many of us and taken the zapfish one by one, never slowing down or stopping. That's the Three I keep having nightmares of, not the real one."

"She saved your life," Pearl whispered. "Doesn't sound like the same person to me. You probably know her better than I do. Hard to imagine you getting the two confused."

"Yes, she's kind and gentle, most of the time, but then I saw that match she was in today and I remembered what she was. Somehow, I suppose I forgot."

Pearl let out a breath she had been unconsciously holding and relaxed a bit. "I see, I get it now. When you saw that, a part of you remembered the monster you thought her to be and think that maybe there's more truth to it than you thought."

Eight paused for a moment, thinking. "Perhaps. If I knew her better, maybe I wouldn't feel that way."

The kettle beeped softly and Pearl poured the hot water into their waiting cups. Handing Eight's cup to her she said, "Well, then the solution is simple, isn't it? Get to know her, learn about her. Find out what she likes, what she doesn't like. Even Marina and I took time to really know each other. Heck, I still don't know everything about her. She keeps her past hidden from me. It used to never bother me; I thought I should respect her privacy. Everyone has stuff they don't wanna talk about, and I didn't think it mattered, but ever since Cuttlefish showed me that file from when she was in the Octarian Army, I've started having doubts."

"She was an amazing person," Eight said softly. "I never knew her before the metro but I really admired her, a lot of us did. She was a genius and she gave us hope. We weren't wrong. With everything she's done here with you, she's represented our kind well."

"Represented your kind, huh?" Pearl drank from her cup thoughtfully. "I never thought about it that way. I always thought she just wanted to make music and have fun."

"She does. That's why she's so great at representing us. It's not because of an agenda, it's who she is."

"Hey, I wasn't saying she had an agenda, and I never thought she was faking it, just… never realized what she meant to a lot of people, I guess." She grinned. "You gotta' admit though, even for an octoling, she's kinda weird."

Eight giggled. "Yes, she is, but that's part of why I love her."

"Yeah, me too. Say, why don't you take her with you when you go to Three's car thing."

"The car meet?"

"Yeah. She needs to get out some and other than you I don't think she's ever talked to another octoling- not as far as I know anyway."

"Hmmm, well, Three did suggest I bring her if I could and she did seem interested, so I can ask her."

"You do that. Callie and Marie going on their tour might be the opportunity we need to take a bit of a break. They won't bother having us do events while that's happening." Pearl put down her cup and gave Eight a gentle push. "Now come on, let's try to get some sleep."

"Okay."

"Oh, and if you see Callie and Marie again, tell them that I will have my revenge."

"Yes, ma'am."

That morning, word got out that rehearsal for the Squid Sisters' upcoming concert tour was delayed due to some of the staff and the Squid Sisters themselves suffering from "split sides."

Author's Notes:

This chapter was tricky for me to write. It's a bit short but I had a lot of fun writing it so I hope you have a lot of fun reading it.

So now Pearl has a better idea what's going on but things are obviously building up and it's clear that even after learning so much about Marina's background and about octarians in the Octo Expansion, she doesn't know Marina and Eight as well as she thought.