"Listen, I normally don't do this, but I appreciate your sentiments. I can't blame my friends for how I act."
The taller Octoling shook her head, trying to get him to sway his opinion. "No way! So long as you know what's wrong, you can start to ax out whatever else is causing you troubles."
"No, no...while it is true that they may not have been listening, it was my own stuck-up nonsense that caused it in the first place. Now I'm starting to realize why Sandbar and I argue so often."
Both Octolings got anxious. Their intentions to make him stay somehow had become less and less viable. Of the two, Marsha was the more restless one. "Hey, hey! You're supposed to-mmph!"
A quick swipe of the hand, and Brooke covered her friend's mouth to keep her from speaking. "What she means is...we are glad we were able to help you. We also apologize for taking those pieces of art from the Academy, and will gladly return them."
"Mm..." Trident rose to his feet. And without a word, went into the kitchen.
Both Octolings, and the imprisoned Inkling gave a perplexed set of stares.
About ten minutes passed before the Octolings could smell delicious food coming from the kitchen.
"This way." Trident called to them both. It didn't take long for them to arrive as the smell was captivating enough to draw their immediate attention. "In exchange for letting my friend and I walk free, I present to you slow roasted Salmonoid fillet with steamed veggies. Do you accept?"
Their drooling was enough of an answer. Brooke pressed a button that disengaged the bars around the cage Ravine was in. Having dined on nothing but rations exchanged between them for so long, the real food was undoubtedly welcomed by the two octo girls. In an instant, they were ravaging the plates made for them.
Now free, Ravine ran out and embraced her fellow squid with a tight hug. "Hehehe! That'th my dude! Alwayth coming up with plansth!"
He accepted the hug, and wrapped his arms around her to return the gesture. "Yes, well...I can see they haven't eaten decently in a while, so I figured why not help them out?"
She let him go, looking astonished at what he said. "Are you seriouth? They're our enemyth!"
"Yeah, but not willingly," he explained while watching the two girls nearly destroy their plates from afar, "they didn't choose this life. And while there are Octolings that live perfectly in society alongside us, there's still many of them who are victim to DJ Octavio's control. It's...sickening really."
"...You're not even upset that they captured me?"
"I was, but they did it to lure me in. Since the Elite Octolings are all female, they pretty much only know each other. Honestly, there's no real solution while they're all under DJ O's control." He folded his arms and closed his eyes. He was putting some hard thought on something. "Do me a favor, and gather up the art they stole. I have something I need to do."
Both Octolings meanwhile, had gotten their fill. They were knocked out cold from how much it sated them.
Ravine took a moment before moving. There was no doubt she was confused, but she always knew Trident had some sort of plan ahead. So she didn't bother arguing, and went to collect the pieces of art.
Once she was gone, Trident slipped his hand into the sleeping Brooke's pocket, swiping her Octophone. He used it to find a piece of music, but the rounded shape made it awkward for him to hold compared to the more sleek Squidphone. "Ugh, what is with these phone companies and their irritating designs? Every year it's just a re-release of the same thing with no differences."
Once he found the music track he was looking for, he turned it on, and set the phone on the table.
"There..."
Once they had both gathered the stolen artwork, Ravine and Trident exited the mansion together.
"I totally saw what you did back there," she said with a beaming smirk.
"Um...what?"
"You went on GooTube with her phone and turned on the Calamari Inkantation. When they wake up, they'll probably use their intenseth training to sneak outta there." She gave a tiny giggle. "You didn't have to do that, but you did anyway. Why?"
A pause lingered in the air before the cyan boy gave his response. "I...don't know. But I feel like it boils down to sympathy for them. They clearly want someone they can latch onto for comfort. Sadly I know I'm not capable enough for that, but when they get to Inkopolis, I'm pretty sure it won't take long for them to make friends."
"Mm, makesth senseth! Though, I'm kinda jealous..."
He gave her a concerned look. "Why?"
"Becauseth! You never cooked food like that for me...or any of usth! I wanna taste your skills too!"
Trident blushed. Taking the compliment in stride. "Well...yeah I suppose I could make some stuff for you...all that is. Just tell me what you'd like and I can try my best."
Ravine responded with a teasing smile, "Well how about you make me a nice dinner at your place, then we'll talk~" She then added a wiggle of her eyebrows.
This caused the redness on Trident's cheeks to deepen by a shade. "Wh-what...?"
"Just teasin'!" Ravine stuck out her tongue and ran ahead of him. "C'mon! We need to get back to Sandbar and Tory before they think we ran off together or something!"
In response, the boy grumbled to himself. "...Grr...stupid Ravine and her stupid games."
This case was closed.