Chapter 36

"How the hell are you doing this?" Craig scratches his head in wonder and disbelief as Octavio once again jumps four of his pieces in their checkers game.

Octavio just leans back, head resting in his hands, and says "A king never reveals his secrets." Craig glares at the octo king, then moves a piece.

Octavio goes to do the same, when the kettle behind them shakes. The two look over in curiosity as they see a mass of magenta ink appear on top of the kettle.

Callie shakes the ink off of her, then grins widely. "Agent 8 is back! Let'g go grandpa!" Craig chuckles and says "Alright Callie, I'll come." Secretly, in his head, he thinks "Let's me leave behind these rigged games."

As the inkling goes over to his granddaughter, Octavio coughs to get their attention. "If I may, I'd like to come as well. I need to see my grandniece." Craig smiles instantly and nods. Octavio sighs gratefully and follow the inklings out of the canyon.

-Inkopolis Square-

The small group got about what they expected when they stepped into plain sight. Inklings all over the square instantly recognize the famous figures in the group.

"Look, it's Callie!" "Hey, isn't that Captain Cuttlefish?" "U-Um, that's one big octoling." "Shush! That's the king, you dimwit!"

Octavio was glancing around discreetly, gauging the reactions of the inklings. Most of the younger inklings, ones between 14-30 were looking at him in awe or respect. The few that were older than that looked on in fear or hatred.

He sighs as he realizes that fact. He could escape the scorn of the younger generation, but the older inklings will never forget the war. He could tell that much and he didn't expect them to forget. He couldn't forget himself.

The trio walk slightly faster, trying to get away from the sudden crowd around them. Most stayed clear of their path, but a few tried to get an autograph from Callie. The glares Cap'n and Octavio sent were usually enough to send them scurrying away.

Eventually, Callie reaches an apartment complex. She opens the door and ushers the old friends inside, thankful that the crowd finally dispersed. She looks around for any crazy fans, then shuts the door behind her.

She sighs in relief as she can finally move around without being hoarded by fans. She turns to the older duo and says "Follow me." The trio then begins to scale the stairs to their destination.

Octavio could hear a loud commotion before he even enters the apartment. They eventually reach a single door, a tirade of voices coming from behind it. Callie knocks, waiting for an answer.

Eventually, the door is opened by a familiar brown-tentacled octling. "Oh, hi Callie! Did you get Cap'n like you wanted?"

Callie nods enthusiastically and says "Yep, he's right here." Cap'n waves to the famous octoling. Callie then gestures behinds her and says "I also brought a friend."

Marina goes to say hi, but then freezes when she realizes who it was. She had no knowledge of the civil war and, as such, didn't know that Octavio was innocent of his crimes.

Octavio's own eyes widen as he finally recognizes the octoling. That color tone was recognizable from anywhere. "Combat engineer Marina Ida. So this is where you ran off to."

Marina glares at Octavio slightly and says "Yes. Is that a problem your highness?" Marina's voice was slick with venom, despite the almost calm expression she had.

Octavio mentally flinches at the tone, but outwardly shows no sign of being affected. "No, it is not. I will let you live here if that is your choice."

Marina's retort dies in her throat as she processes what she heard. Was her king, the one who controlled his own people with his music, OK with him living with inklings? No way was this was correct… or was it?

The pop octoling steps off to the side, mulling around in her thoughts. Octavio and Cap'n take this as a chance to get inside and slip by the distracted octoling.

Callie puts a hand on Marina's shoulder and says "What's wrong?" Marina snaps out of her thoughts, but she still heard Callie's question.

She looks at Octavio and says "I… I don't exactly know. Octavio controlled us, used us, and he always wanted a war. Now… he suddenly is fine with me being with inklings? I don't get it, and I certainly don't understand how a treaty was put into place."

Callie looks at Octavio with a serious expression. "Remember that time when me, Marie, and Ika disappeared for a few weeks. I guess me longer?" Marina nods. She could remember the night she found Callie, battered and half-dead, splattered all over the studio window. It still shook her how much her idol had been beaten.

Said inkling looks to Marina and says "That was because we were helping Octavio. He's been controlled by an evil chancellor the whole time, threatening Octavio with the possibility of turning all the octolings into mindless slaves with a sound."

Marina frowns as she considers this. She did see some times where the Octavio the public had known contradicted some of his own actions. And the final battle did seem too easy for the agents…

Callie, seeing she was getting through, decides to go with one more push. "Marina, if anything will convince you, then look who tagged along. If anyone would have a grudge on Octavio, it would be my grandpa, but he is fine with Octavio. He's even happy to be with him."

Marina's unique eyes widen as she realizes what Callie said was true. According to the stories, Octavio should detest Cap'n Cuttlefish, and vice versa. And yet, the two seem to be enjoying the other's company, almost relishing it.

Marina finally makes up her mind. "I will let him slide. But, if anything fishy happens, then I will personally boot him back to Ceph City." A flame suddenly seems to materialize within Marina's eyes.

Callie smiles nervously and says "O-Of course! You do that…" An angry Marina was a terrifying sight and this seemed close to anger.

The two then rejoin the agents, who were all present in Pearl and Marina's apartment. They did notice a few missing, namely the agent Octavio came to meet. He looks around, his face slightly distrat as he doesn't see the familiar mop of red that he is accustomed to.

Pearl notices the expression, then grins. "Don't worry Octobro, Eight's in the other room with her new friend. I can call her out." Pearl then turns to the adjacent room, voices suddenly registering in Octavio's mind, and yells "Hey Eight! Someone's here to see you."

Octari looks out of the room as she hears Pearl's voice. "Alright! Be there in a second!" Octari then turns to Dedf1sh and says "Try these on. It'll go better than the old clothes you have on right now." The sanitized inkling nods, then goes to the bathroom to change. She had yet to meet anyone yet, Octari sneaking her into the apartment with her bag, so she wanted to look nice doing it. Her current clothes were worn and slightly tattered, a sign of long age.

Octari walks out of the room, saying "What'd ya need Pe-" Octari's words fade as her gaze lands on the giant octoling in the room. He towered over the others, and as such was hard to miss.

Octavio spreads out his arms and says "Come here, my little princess!" Octari's eyes suddenly fill with tears and she chokes in a sob. She beams brightly and yells "Uncle Octavio!"

Octavio's breath leaves him as he gets slammed into by an 18-year-old octoling. Octari clings onto Octavio's robe tightly and says "I missed you so much!"

Octavio gently brushes his hand along Octari's tentacles. The gesture, familiar even through her semi-amnesia, helped calm her down immensely. "I missed you too, princess."

Octari smiles as she looks up to Octavio. "I had such a cool adventure! I lost my memories in the process and my tentacles changed color but it was fun! I even made a new friend."

Octavio chuckles as he hears the excited octoling tell of her adventure. He knew the important parts, so he got a kick out of hearing he stories. He was slightly worried about her tentacles though.

What was once pure red was now faded into dark blue on the bottom. A color combination like that was unheard of and Octavio couldn't help but worry about how her body was handling it.

Eventually, he couldn't stand it anymore. "Octari, I need to see something." Octari raises an eyebrow and says "Oh, what's that?"

Octavio looks around, then his eyes land on an empty cup. He looks to Marina and says "Mind if I use this for an ink test?" Marina just lets him do it.

Octavio hands the cup to Octari and says "Spit in that." Octari looks at her great uncle in confusion, but obliges. She spits, ink flying out of her mouth into the cup.

Octavio picks up the cup, his body tensed beyond belief. He sighs in relief as he sees the normal red ink that Octari had. Octari just shakes her head and says "Not gonna question… whatever that was."

"U-Um… Octari? Is it ok for me to come out now?" Octari's eyes widen as she realizes she forgot about Dedf1sh. "Oh, sorry F1sh! You can come out now!"

Octavio's eyes widen in disbelief as he hears the voice. That belonged to… no, she couldn't be here. She was gone… killed in the war. But he couldn't deny that sweet, timid voice he instantly recognized.

Dedf1sh walks out of the bedroom, one arm clutching the other for support. She hides slightly behind her long hair and says "H-Hello…"

The room goes silent as they all take in Dedf1sh's appearance. Octavio was having the most trouble. Her skin was different, along with her eyes and tentacles, but he was certain it was her.

Octavio stands up shakily, saying "Could it be… could it really be you?" F1sh tilts her head in confusion, her shyness suddenly disintegrating. "Huh? Do I know you?"

Octavio doesn't seem to register the comment as he moves close to Dedf1sh. The female octoling had to look up just to see Octavio's face, but then he kneels. He puts a hand under F1sh's chin, looking her in the eyes. He suddenly smiles widely, his eyes filling with tears. "I-It really is you… Octavia."

The agents' eyes go wide as they recognize the name from the story, Octari's most of all. Dedf1sh simply tilts her head and says "Octavia? That isn't my na-" Dedf1sh's sentence freezes as a sudden flash, similar to the ones Octari got, hits her head.

Octavio walks into a room in his palace, drawn by the music present. He looks around, his eyes eventually landing their gaze on the small octoling in the corner. She had headphones on and was messing with a DJ booth.

Octavio grins and says "Well, looks like the princess is becoming a DJ just like her daddy." Octavia jumps slightly, then giggles. The octoling had only just turned 14 a few weeks ago, so she was a little midget compared to her dad.

"I wanna become a DJ, just like you! I wanna be a cool queen when I grow up!" Octavio laughs and goes over to the smaller octoling. He picks her up easily and tosses her in the air, Octavia laughing delight. He sets her on his lap as he sits on the booth's chair.

He looks to his daughter and says "So, what was that song you made? It was certainly an interesting song." Octavia beams at the praise and says "I call it Crush 14! It's my first song!"

Octavio laughs and says "And I am certain many more will come. Now let's go eat before your mother gets angry." The two walk out of the room, the DJ booth continuing to play Octavia's song.

Dedf1sh's eyes widen as she suddenly retrieves a memory. It was the first she's gotten since breaking free of the phone's control, and already it gave her a load of information.

Dedf1sh looks to Octavio in slight disbelief. "D-Daddy?" The delight felt by Octavio could be felt by every agent in the room.

The king opens his arms, just as he did Octari, and beckons her closer. Dedf1sh, or now Octavia, hesitates. Her eyes tear up, then she collapses into the older octoling's embrace. "Oh daddy! I can't believe I found you!"

Octavio picks the octoling up as easily as if she were a feather. He mutters comforting comments into her ear, ignoring the cold and sickly feeling he was getting from her skin.

Octavia, after a torrent of tears falls onto Octavio, eventually pulls back. She smiles nervously and says "I-Im guessing you have come questions?" Octavio nods, putting her down in the process.

Just as Octavia puts her feet on the floor, she is instantly swung around by another Octoling. "I can't believe it! My aunt is alive!" Octari puts Octavia on the floor and, her eyes practically sparkling, says "How did you survive that attack?! I heard stories and I know that no one survived!"

Octavio then strides up to the two and says "Or so we thought. Octavia, why don't you tell us what happened."

Octavia rubs her arm self-consciously, then sits down. "I… I can't. The sanitization took away my memories. I'm guessing I only remembered you because you are so close to me…"

Octavio's eyes suddenly narrow dangerously, a bright green glow underneath his sleeve. Craig's eyes widen when he sees that. Octavio doesn't notice and says "Who did this to you?! I need to… speak with them."

Octari then jumps in, grinning widely. "Oh, the phone did it! But I already defeated him, so no need to worry. We just need to fix aunt Octavia now!"

Octavio's glares eventually diminishes, but the anger was still there. He looks at Marina and says "Marina! Do you know any way to reverse this sanitization?"

Marina looks down, suddenly feeling much like Octavia did. "I-I think so. It's just a theory based on what I found out about the sanitization process."

Suddenly, switching to what Pearl called 'lecture mode', Marina says "The sanitization process is done by removing the normal ink within the subjects body, then replacing it with the blue sanitized ink. This ink acts as a suppressant and lowers all vital signs, which eventually causes physical changes. This is probably how Octavia lived so long and still looks young. The main part is what the ink does to the brain. It essentially breaks the will of the subject, destroying their ability to make their own decisions. This allows them to be controlled, such as by the phone, but it can also be restored if Octavia is anything to go by."

Octavia nods in confirmation to this. "It's true. I can't really feel, smell, or taste very well. My sight and hearing is amazing as a result, but not much else. Everything just feels… cold."

Octavio looks at his daughter in worry, then says "Is there any way to cure it completely?"

Marina nods and says "Since the process is done by replacing the ink, we just need to get the ink back. To do this Octavia will need to go through an ink drainage, then a transfusion. Luckily we have two family member right here. Plus, since her tentacles are still red on the end, that means the ink won't hurt her."

Octari's eyes sparkle as she suddenly gets an idea. "Does that mean sanitized ink can't hurt me either?!"

Marina smiles nervously and says "No, that ink can still hurt you. It isn't like normal ink, so it doesn't behave the same either." Octari just turns around and grumbles, the words 'girl power station so much easier' barely audible.

Octavia looks to Marina, hope in her eyes, but also fear. An ink drainage was painful, but she also doubted that the phone used the necessary tactics to do it safely. "How long will this surgery take?"

Marina looks up, presumably thinking, then says "Probably a couple hours. You'll need to stay hospitalized after to recover, plus to receive the ink transfusion. Even then, it could take weeks or months to get results."

Octavia looks down, slightly distraught at the time table. At the same time, she was feeling an extreme amount of hope. If this operation did work, then she could become normal again. She hoped with all her being that it would work.

She looks back to Marina, a determined smile in place. "Let's do it." Marina smiles, then nods. The agents, silent through the exchange, now begin asking Octari and Octavia questions. While Octari was happy to answer any, a little prideful in the answers, Octavia was constantly flustered by the comments. She often hide behind her hair, hoping beyond hope it would stop the torrent of voices.

Octavio smiles as he follows behind. The agents, surrounding Octavia as they were, completely blocked her from public view as they moved to the hospital. "Good. It's better we keep this between us for a little while."

Craig falls back to his friend, then smiles and says "Seems that your bad luck finally ended, old friend." Octavio smiles as he watches his daughter suddenly laugh at something Whinter said. "Aye, that it did. That it did."

-Author Notes-

Things are going to become calmer for a while now. I have some things planned for a later arc, but we'll enjoy the fun the expanded agency now has. Besides, they have two new worlds (The Underground and the Metro) to explore.

Also, in case you didn't catch it, the 'bad luck' Octavio had was the many years he was under Octavius's control, plus him losing the great war. Now, things are finally turning around for the old king.

I hoped you enjoyed! Oh, and also, if you can, please leave a review! The lack of comments makes me wonder if I am doing something wrong. I hope not, but I can only tell if someone says so. So if you can, please review! See you in the next chapter!