(9) Occhiolism

\ˈōk-kē-ə-ˌli-zəm\ (noun) The awareness of the smallness of your perspective.

Riley Winter...fired?

Opal rubbed her eyes and stared at her diamond-shaped tablet screen, convinced she'd read it wrong. It was less than an hour until the New Year, surely she'd had too much sparkling grape juice and it was clouding her senses, that was all. Pinching herself for clarity, she tuned out the bustle of Club 24 and read Riley's latest tweet again.

"Readers: got let go 2 days b4 Xmas. No more TBD articles. Very sudden, too upset to tell u all sooner. Thx for all ur support. :'( "

"Something wrong, Doctor?"

Stunned, Opal slid the tablet across the bar counter to where Olive was sitting. She watched as the other agent's jaw dropped. "But...isn't Riley Winter a really famous journalist?" she asked, sliding the tablet back. "Why would they let Riley go?"

Opal shook her head, still in shock. She'd only wanted to take a moment to check Twitter while Otto was off to the dance floor, not have her holiday evening ruined. "I don't know. I'm a doctor, not Riley's boss." Suddenly angry, Opal shut the tablet off and pounded her fist on the countertop. "Why? Why would they let Riley go?" she echoed, her voice choked. "All the other writers at TBD are too sensational, they don't understand quality journalism! Why?!"

Olive didn't answer for a long minute. When she did, her face was filled with honest sympathy. "Hey. I'm sorry you lost your favorite journalist. But look on the bright side. Maybe now Riley Winter can get a new job at another magazine, one where they'll treat Riley better. And who wouldn't want someone who once won a Pulitzer Prize?"

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Opal nodded. "I guess you're right. Thank you, Doctor."

"Anytime," Olive laughed, turning back to watch Otto challenge some poor upstart to a dance-off. Opal did too, and tried to focus on the excitement for the new year. But she couldn't get that tweet out of her mind. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the feeling it was some sort of bad omen, a harbinger of worse to come.

Also, why hadn't Oscar shown up to join them at the club yet, like he'd promised?

The next day started like any other.

Opal arrived at headquarters just before nine in the morning and unlocked her Medical Bay door, stifling yawns as she set about opening up shop. One by one her nurses dropped by to clock in their hours, likewise stifling yawns after staying up all night before. Ms. O had yet to warm up to the idea of giving all her agents New Year's Day off, besides just sending everyone home early the night before.

Or so it seemed. There was another reason Ms. O hadn't canceled work today, but so far only one other agent knew the reason why, and it wasn't Opal. Yet.

After an hour or so of struggling to keep her eyes open, Opal finally got fed up with her sleepiness and got up from her desk, intending to head down to the lab. She'd heard Oscar had invented a Coffeenator a couple years back—a gadget that could make you feel more awake in place of that horrid grown-up drink—and with her head still reeling from last night's news of Riley Winter's unjust firing, Opal felt she could succumb to the temptation of an easy fix just this once.

In the lab she was disappointed to find Oscar still absent, but thankfully one of the scientists on duty helped her find the gadget she was looking for. But no sooner had she stepped out of the lab, freshly rejuvenated and ready to get back to work, than a puzzling sight stopped her in her tracks.

Frozen in place, Opal watched as a squeeing Olive actually bounced down the stairs, corkscrew ponytail flopping up and down, the missing Oscar at her heels wearing a smile that looked a little too strained. As if that wasn't puzzling enough...was that a skirt she was wearing? Didn't Olive hate skirts? And where was her red necktie? Opal continued to watch uncomprehendingly as Oscar directed Olive across the bullpen and into the Break Room, where a wide array of drinks was waiting on the infinity table.

And then, understanding hit her like a wall of oatmeal.

She's getting promoted.

But not here. Somewhere else. Which means Otto…

Another movement at the top of the stairs caught her eye, and she looked up. There was Otto coming down, alright, but who was that young boy behind him?

His new partner. Ms. O didn't waste any time, did she?

Earlier preoccupations forgotten, Opal watched with a concerned eye as her significant other, a slight stoop in his shoulders and an obvious grimace on his face, led the newbie down the stairs and steered him toward the Tube Lobby. Though she was notoriously terrible at reading people, Otto was a blessedly open book to her, and this was no exception: he clearly didn't like the change.

The gears in her mind whirred at an alarming rate, terrorized into action by the force of impact from the metaphorical oatmeal wall. Feeling a growing unease in the pit of her stomach, Opal shot a glance back at the Break Room. Olive and Oscar were standing to the side of the table talking, Olive clutching a muddy glass and Oscar clutching his lapels. It was hard to tell from here, but Oscar's smile still appeared rather strained, whereas Olive had done an about-face from her earlier mood and now looked quiet.

Two possibilities, the doctor decided. One, she's figured out the change will make things hard on her relationship with Oscar. Two, she's figured out it'll make things hard on both her closest friends, Oscar and Otto. Either way, this is really big. Bigger than Riley Winter's firing, bigger than anything we've ever seen before. And even though I'm a doctor, one thing I'm not is prepared.

Deep in her gut, the unease hardened into a thick, Gordian knot.

The day wore on.

Opal tried not to think about Otto or Olive's promotion or Oscar's strained smile, instead doing her best to focus on work. Her friends might need her, but right here and now her patients needed her more. She could wait to sort through and divine the meaning of her intangible thoughts and emotions later, when there weren't more tangible concerns like odd viruses and disease manifestations to concern herself with.

And yet, she couldn't help but notice Otto's by-and-large absence from headquarters.

Not Otto himself—he was in and out on cases all day, just like any agent normally was—more it was his essence that was missing. Socially inept as she was, Opal might've missed it if she weren't so fine-tuned to his wavelength, but it was as if the brightness he brought to work every day had dimmed, somewhat. It probably means nothing, she reasoned with herself. He's got a new partner now, probably just busy showing the new guy all the ropes. There is a significant number of ropes in the Macramé Room, after all. Not that things appeared to be working out with the new partner, though. The one time she caught a glance of Otto at his desk, he was clenching a fist and glaring at the sight of his bewildered partner in an activated water suit. And it took a lot to make Otto glare like that.

Just like it took Olive for his brightness to shine the way it should.

Well, his work-oriented brightness, at least. Opal knew she brightened his essence in other, more intimate ways, just as he brightened hers. But the fact was, their intimacy meant nothing in the grand scheme of their work. Rule number one, no one was to know of their relationship, and rule number two, stay cautious because they're kids and because work comes first.

Opal pondered this in the back of her mind, and was still pondering it near the end of the day while closing up the Medical Bay for the night. Will all that on her mind, she almost didn't notice the little pow-wow happening in Ms. O's office.

Almost.

Curious, Opal crept forward and watched as a blonde Robot Princess in a blue dress suddenly morphed into one Agent Oscar, who promptly took some weird wire contraption off his head and handed it to Ms. O with a grin. Examining it with a small smile, Ms. O said something and handed it back to him. Meanwhile, Olive and Otto—standing next to each other, gosh had it only been yesterday they were still partners and this wasn't abnormal?—looked impressed, and Opal recognized the scheming gleam in Otto's eye. They exchanged a high-five, said a few things to Ms. O and Oscar, then turned around and started for the door.

For a moment, Opal almost scampered back into the safety of her office, before remembering she'd already locked it up and didn't have time to unlock it again. Grimacing, she instead stood still and braced herself to be called out for eavesdropping.

She was noticed, alright. "Oh, hey Doctor!" Otto called, sounding as chipper as ever.

Opal was puzzled. This chipperness didn't fit with the scenario she'd put together throughout the day. "Otto," she greeted with a wan smile, stepping forward to meet the two former partners at the top of the stairs. "Congratulations on your promotion, Olive. You two both look as though you've been busy."

"Thank you!" Olive giggled. "And boy, have we. Otto's got his work cut out for him with Agent Ohlm, doncha?" She elbowed him playfully. "Nothing my seasoned partner can't handle, though."

"Former partner," Opal corrected under her breath. Then aloud, "So what was the meeting about?"

Olive opened her mouth to reply, but Otto put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Olive, you've had a long day. Go on home and get some rest, I'll fill her in. Besides," he winked, "I haven't gotten to see my girl all day."

It took all Opal's willpower not to let her hands drift up to fiddle with the badge chain. Embarrassed as she was, she didn't want a sign from her to interfere with her Otto time.

Cocking her head, Olive didn't quite meet his eyes. The giggle in her voice had disappeared. "Um, yeah sure. See you tomorrow," she said, setting off at a trot down the stairs.

Otto watched her go for a moment, then turned to Opal with a grin and took her by the arm. "Now then, shall we?"

Over the better part of an hour, the two of them strolled through the upper halls of headquarters while Otto filled her in on what had happened to him that day. How he'd run into Odd Todd via mail package...how the boy villain wanted to recruit him to the odd side to take a stab at Olive, disguised as a plea to keep her from leaving for Montréal...how he kept trying to tell Olive about Todd and failing because of her training, or because of a run-in with Ohlm...how he finally set up a meeting time at the Bears basketball game...how Ms. O had devised a plan out of the situation to get rid of Odd Todd once and for all…

"...And that's where you come in."

"Hm?" Opal blinked. "What do I come in?"

Otto chuckled. "Did you see the headband gadget Oscar invented?" At her nod, he continued. "See, tomorrow, before Olive leaves for Montréal, we're gonna get the whole squad together and use a bunch of those headbands to disguise ourselves as creatures. I'm gonna bring Todd here and make him think I've defected to oddness by releasing a bunch of creatures from aaaaaall over the Hall of Doors, but really it's gonna be all you guys. That's why Oscar's busy right now moving them all out of their rooms downstairs. And once Todd thinks I've gone too far, he'll hopefully realize he needs to escape—and, with a little bit of luck, never bother us again!"

Opal nodded thoughtfully. "I'm a doctor, not a wild creature." She met his eyes mischievously. "But do you think I could be a flying goldfish?"

"Hmmmmmm...absolutely!" They laughed. "So you like the plan?"

"It's risky, but it could work. Odd Todd's obviously underestimated you once again, so it shouldn't be hard to convince him you can't stand to lose Olive. He doesn't know about you and I, though, does he?"

"He shouldn't." Otto's grin faded a little. "I am gonna miss her, though. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for her and she deserves this, but...it'll be different, I guess."

They'd wandered back out onto the walkway by the Interrogation Room, and out of the corner of her eye Opal caught a movement in the darkened, empty bullpen below. Olive was standing in the South Control Room and slowly running a hand along one of its colored pipes, looking lost in thought. It was clear she needed time to say goodbye before heading home, so Opal didn't call Otto's attention to the sight. "Of course you'll miss her. You two were the best partner team I've ever seen at Odd Squad."

He stopped and met her eyes with his own, two tiny obsidian gems in the darkness. "You really think so?"

"I know so." She beamed and leaned in to kiss the tip of his nose. "Everyone here knows it."

Raising an eyebrow, Otto returned the gesture. "Yeah, well. Olive's right, I've got my work cut out for me with Ohlm if we're gonna be the new best partner team."

Opal laughed softly. "I know you can do it. Hey, so you should get some rest before the big plan, too. Doctor's orders. See you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, my flying goldfish." And with one last cockish grin, he turned and jogged to the stairs.

She watched him go. Once he was through the doors to the Trophy Hall and out of sight, her contentment vanished.

He'll never admit it to anyone, not even himself, how much they need each other. More than he needs me. More than… Tears were threatening to prick at her eyelids. Opal barely noticed them. What she noticed was Olive, down below, making her way to her old desk to look at pictures on the computer.

This is my chance.

An idea had taken shape in her mind during her promenade with Otto, and now as she quietly crept down the stairs and over to where Olive was sitting, it solidified like a razor-sharp sword, readying itself to sever her gut's Gordian knot in half.

Odd Todd may have been right about one thing: Olive and Otto can't and should never be separated. It'll be better for us all.

Eyelids burning and brimming, Opal took a deep breath. "You two were a good team, you know."

A/N Apologies this was a little late (like less than an hour late, but still). Meanwhile, I'm surprised no one has yet asked who Riley Winter is and why I haven't named Riley's gender, though I'd love to hear your guesses. If anyone knows and leaves a review about it, I'll give you a shoutout :)

Happy Halloween, everyone!