Squid Party

Chapter 16: Let Her Cry

("All right, everyone! Five minutes until we go on again!") announced Judd, parading around backstage. ("Five minutes and counting!")

The Smashers were back in their chairs from before. Lucas took another deep chug of his water bottle, finishing it off. Seeing he was done, a jellyfish staffer offered to take the empty container away for him.

Beside him, Ness sat vigilant and noticeably more sour than before. Arms tightly crossed, he stared into nothingness, knowing it'd only be a matter of time before a certain orange-haired individual showed up. By now, he'd put all the pieces of the puzzle together and wasn't happy with the picture.

Lucas' "hat" wasn't a hat at all; it was Orange. He should've known from the start, considering she and Blue had been used as makeshift beanies after their arrival in Inkopolis. This also confirmed she was the same hat Lucas wore during the Inkvitational. He always thought the blonde had been acting a little weird whenever it was brought up, and now he knew why.

"...Ness?"

"Eh?" He snapped out of his thoughts, looking to his side to see a concerned Lucas.

"Are you okay? You look... upset."

Ness softened. "Hey, don't worry about me. Let's just focus on you and how good of a job you did out there."

"Me? B-but..." Blushing, Lucas looked down. "I didn't really do anything. You did most of the talking..."

"What, are you kidding me? You practically stole the show!" He playfully elbowed him. "Keep messing around like that and I bet you're gonna be a household name before we leave."

"...Ah!" Feeling the heat on his cheeks rise even more, Lucas shielded his face. "I-I didn't do that good...!"

Ness chuckled. Though he'd never admit it, Lucas' naiveté was a blessing in disguise. The last thing he wanted was for the blonde to know he'd discovered his and Orange's little secret. While the praise was genuine, it also did a great job at making Lucas too bashful to assume anything.

Unbeknownst to the boys, a pair of orange eyes peered out from behind a curtain, watching Lucas with intent.

Feeling herself getting flustered, Orange yanked the veil shut. Leaning against it, she sighed. Never had something she admired been so close to something she loathed. Now that she'd had time to think and reflect on it, slapping Ness earlier probably wasn't such a good idea. She figured he'd be too stupid to make a connection, but judging from his sudden protective stance around Lucas, he wasn't as stupid as she thought...

Orange furrowed her brow. Ness or no Ness, she knew what she wanted, and was going to get it no matter what. Taking a deep breath, she emerged from the curtain.

The moment her ink color appeared in his peripheral vision, Ness jerked his head towards her like an owl, squinting hard. Orange expressed her displeasure by turning her mouth up, but ignored him and walked over to Lucas. Upon reaching him, she greeted him with a wide grin.

"How's it going over here, Squirt?" she quipped. "Need anything before we start up again? Food? Drink? Moral support? You want it? We got it!"

"Yeah, could I get a hamburger?" asked Ness.

Orange slowly turned to him in disdain. "...You'll get your turn when I'm ready for it..."

This caused Ness to scowl. "..."

"Could I have some more water, please?" requested the oblivious Lucas.

"Of course you can! Be right back!" Happily Super Jumping off, she returned within seconds with another water bottle. "Here you go! Fresh out the cooler, just for you!"

Lucas smiled as he took it. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" she chirped. "Anything else I can getcha?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

"Great!" She turned to leave. "Well, if you need anything else, gimme a holler!"

"Uh, actually..." added Lucas. "Before you go, I think Ness asked for something, too."

Ness heard the retreating Inkling quietly scoff as her shoulders slumped, turning back with a forced sneer. "...Of course. ...How could I possibly forget...?"

"Good thing Luke reminded you, huh?" he snapped.

Giving Ness some serious stink-eye, Orange lazily tromped back over, heaving an exasperated sigh before flatly asking, "...Aight, whaddya want?"

"A hamberg—"

"We don't have that," she interrupted.

Ness narrowed his eyes. "I thought you said you had everything."

Orange smacked her lips. "Listen, genius: when I said that, I meant that we got a lot of stuff to choose from, not that we literally have every single thing on the fucking planet."

"Then what do you have?"

She put her hands on her hips. "Dude, I ain't got time to be playing around with you, all right? Hurry up and tell me what you want so I can go already! I got shit to do!"

Already knowing the answer, Ness sighed and flatly rested his head on an arm. "...You got any sodas—?"

"No," spat the Inkling.

"...Fine." Not one to be made a fool of, Ness crossed his arms and reclined in his seat with a shrug. "Nothing for me then, thanks."

"And that's exactly what you'll get," she sassed.

The capped boy gave her a sharp glare, to which she responded with an oily grin. Unaware of this, Lucas had uncapped his bottle in the meantime, loosing a refreshed sigh as he quenched his thirst.

"Welp, back to running this shindig. No rest for the weary." Orange pat Lucas' shoulder. "I'll still be hanging around, so if you need anything else, just let me know."

He humbly nodded. "Okay."

With one last impish snicker, she disappeared as quickly as she came. Ness' sour gaze never left her as she vanished through the rippling fabric.

Now that Lucas had been tended to, Orange decided to give him some space for the moment. The last thing she wanted was to unnerve him from being too overbearing. She figured she could bide her time by doing a quick rundown of her directorial duties. Grabbing her clipboard from a table, she began a checklist as she made her rounds.

She already knew the sound design was in order, judging from the battle tracks playing throughout the studio for the break. The lights were dimmed, but situated perfectly and ready to go again at a moment's notice. Onstage, staffers cleaned up the mess from the destroyed water bottles earlier, the main curtain shut to allow them some privacy. More stagehands collaborated behind the set to handle the stage's mechanics and make sure their functionality was in order. A quick peek out at the audience showed they were content and contained.

Retreating further backstage, Orange walked by the idols seated in personalized director's chairs. All four were in high spirits as they chatted about the interview and their excitement over where it would go. Surrounded by makeup artists, the girls were expertly pat down with a myriad of brushes as their cosmetics were touched up. Pearl decided to forego the treatment for a simple back message, giving Orange an idea.

("Attention, everyone! We have one minute remaining until we go on again!") warned Li'l Judd. ("60 seconds and counting! Meow!")

Just in time. The Inkling referred to her checklist to see everything had been covered. ...Now was a good time as any to check up on the Smashers.

Returning to the boys, Orange was immediately stared down again by Ness. Like before, she ignored him in favor of Lucas. This was going to be the norm from now on, so whatever.

"All right, Squirt," she chuckled. "Almost showtime again. You ready?"

He laughed uneasily. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Hey, don't sweat it. You're gonna be fine, 'cuz you've got this." She motioned for him to stand. "C'mon, let's go."

Her confidence putting him at ease, Lucas coyly smiled. Standing, he allowed Orange to lead him back to the couches onstage, unaware of the bitter Ness they'd left behind.

By now, the staffers had cleared out, leaving the platform spotless in their wake. Once seated, the blonde sighed as he prepped himself for another interview. Orange wandered off as the idols reappeared not long after, resuming their places on the respective couches adjacent to his.

Realizing he was being purposely excluded, an unamused Ness trudged back onstage and flopped down next to his fellow Smasher. He didn't really care that he'd basically been abandoned, but Orange's strange fixation on Lucas was really starting to rub him the wrong way. Knowing what he now knew about her alias as a hat, his wariness was at an all-time high. These suspicions were realized as the Inkling reappeared from seemingly nowhere behind the blonde.

"Say, Squirt. How's about a little loosening up?"

"Huh?"

Ness looked to see Lucas turn in time for her to grab his shoulders. He flinched upon feeling the sudden pressure, but eventually relaxed as she gently kneaded and squeezed his tense form. Turning back around, Lucas closed his eyes with a calm smile as he leaned into her touch.

"Ah..." he quietly sighed. "Thank you. That feels really nice..."

Orange chuckled. "Sure thing, Squirt. Gotta loosen up them muscles if you wanna loosen up your mind."

Lucas slowly nodded. "Yeah... That sounds about right."

"Don't you have somewhere else to be? Thought you were supposed to be a director, not a masseuse..."

Looking up, Orange frowned at Ness' caustic remark. He caught her gaze for a moment before flippantly crossing his arms and turning away as if to make a point. In response, she used a twintail to slap the cap off his head, causing his eyes to widen in shock.

"Whoops," she condescendingly spat.

Ness stared at her long and hard as she did the same. Without saying a word, the two were able to silently convey just how detestable they found each other. After their bout of mutual disgust, they eventually broke eye contact, Ness going to snatch his cap off the floor as Orange returned to massaging Lucas. Again, the blonde was none the wiser, eyes still closed in relaxation. It wasn't until Orange regarded him did they reopen.

"Hey, Squirt," she softly began. "Show's gonna start again soon, so, y'know... If you need any more help, I got your back."

"Actually, I think I'm good now. It's not really all that bad once you get used it." He turned back around to smile at her. "But thanks all the same, though."

"Hey, no prob." She smirked, finishing his massage with an encouraging pat on the back. "Now... What're the magic words again, Mr. Magic Man?"

Lucas shyly twiddled his thumbs. "Um... I-I've got this—?"

"Yoooou've got this!" Orange excitedly finished, shaking his shoulders to instill confidence. This initially startled the timid boy, but he soon laughed it off, knowing she meant well.

("10 seconds!") reminded Judd. ("10 seconds and counting!")

Resuming her tough director persona, Orange sped off backstage. "All right! Places, everyone, places! Get the clams outta your pants and let's keep this ball rollin'! We're going live for Round Two in 3...! 2...! 1...!"

As she finished her countdown, she thrust a finger out for the cameras to begin rolling. Again, the studio exploded to life as the neon spotlights focused on the stage, eliciting thunderous applause from the crowd. The idols faced them and the cameras with radiant smiles as "Color Pulse" played them back in.

"Aaaand welcome back, folks, to our special presentation interview inktravaganza!" belted Callie.

"If you're just tuning in, we're here today with the Smashers Ness and Lucas, who, right before the break, informed us that they were both psycho!" informed Pearl.

"Psychic..." whispered Marina.

"Now that we know you guys are all psionic and stuff, tell us: how's everyday life for you?" asked Marie. "Must be pretty weird interacting with the public when you've got magic spells under your belt."

"Actually, it's not weird at all." Ness shrugged. "...Well, not much weirder than things usually are."

"Believe it or not, PSI users are more common than you'd think," said Lucas.

Callie gawked. "Wait! You mean there's other PSI users out there, too?"

"Yeah," confirmed Ness. "We're not really special cases or anything. Wielding PSI basically all boils down to willpower and coincidence. Anyone can use it if they've got the right stuff. Sometimes you're born psychic, sometimes it's acquired or awakened within you, and sometimes it's even artificially generated."

"Really, now? Did either of you have any pals or enemies with PSI?" asked Marie.

"Before I went on my journey, I didn't know anyone else in town with it," explained the capped boy. "Wasn't 'til I started slapping heads around did I see just how many users were really out there. Got both friends and foes with it now."

"Same here," added Lucas. "I didn't even know what PSI was until I started my adventure. Then it was like nearly everyone we met had some sort of PSI. It was a lot to take in."

"What about family?" questioned Pearl. "Did they flip out over it as much as we did?"

The boys tensed at the the word "family", their faces turning to blank, uncomfortable stares. Ness cleared his throat as he quickly snapped out of his stupor.

"...Well, my parents were totally cool with it. It was almost like they expected me to have PSI."

"It was, uh... quite the eyeopener, heh..." weakly laughed the blonde, struggling to keep his enthusiasm afloat.

"Speaking of journeys and adventures, why don't we start from where it all began?" suggested Marina. "How did a pair of strapping, young men rise to the grandeur of Smash Brothers from such humble beginnings?"

Ness gave an uneasy chuckle, still wary of the subject. "Well... I'm not saying it was aliens, but it was aliens."

"Gasp!" gasped the audience.

Pearl nearly fell off the couch. "Yo, yo, yo! Now y'all're throwing aliens into the mix?! What kinda crazy, whacked-out world do you live in?!"

Ness shrugged. "Can't be much weirder than a world run by cephalopods."

The crowd and other hosts laughed as Pearl smugly reclined and folded her arms. "Fine, fine... Guess I was asking for that."

"Wow, you really fought aliens, huh? Must've been outta this world," chortled Marie.

Callie's eyes sparkled. "Oh, you have got to tell us what happened! Nothing like a good origin story, if I do say so myself!"

"Uh..." Ness stole a glance from Lucas, who shamefully looked away. "Yeah, sure. I can tell you... It all started when a meteorite almost smacked into my house. I was asleep at the time, so it was a pretty rude awakening, heh..."

The resulting "ooh"s and "ahh"s from the onlookers faded into the background as Lucas tuned out Ness' retelling. He tried looking intrigued, but deep down, he felt only dread. He knew it was coming. He hoped it wouldn't, but here it was. And once Ness was finished, he'd have to deal with it.

Overseeing things from backstage, Orange noticed something in Lucas had changed. It was subtle, but he didn't seem as confident anymore, now appearing distant and distracted. Everyone else was so focused on Ness as he recounted his tale, they failed to notice the blonde's dour mood. She could only hope he wasn't suffering from stage fright again...

Meanwhile, Ness prattled on as long as he could, not sparing any details about his experiences. He hoped he could run the show's time out, but as the audience became increasingly captivated, it was clear the interview wouldn't be over anytime soon. Eventually, he ran out of things to talk about and was forced to reluctantly finish.

"So, uh... After all that, we went back home, a job well done. Later on, I got a letter inviting me to the first ever Super Smash Brothers tournament. Thought it was a joke at first, considering it was from someone called 'Master Hand', but I'm all for taking plunges, so I accepted." Seeing the idols didn't look ready to sign off, he laughed uneasily. "...And that, as they say, was history."

Thunderous applause rang out from the enamored spectators and the girls from such a riveting story. While Ness appreciated the feedback, his worried grin combined with Lucas' faint smile hinted there was more to this than they were letting on.

"Omigosh!" exclaimed a giddy Callie. "That... was... amaaazing! What a roller coaster!"

"You got that right!" agreed Pearl. "Aliens, robots, zombies, ghosts, exploding trees, possessed cars?! And all of them controlled by some whackadoo trying to destroy the universe?! And I thought things around here could get pretty weird!"

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! If that'd been a movie, I'd have given it eight thumbs up!" complemented Marina.

"Gotta say, I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through." Marie faced Lucas, making him tense up. "Heh, think you can top that?"

"Uh..." He averted his eyes. "Well..."

Ness caught on to where the conversation was going and butt in. "Hey, y'know what? I ever tell you guys about the day we met? Man, it was great! I remember it just like it was yesterday!"

"Oh." Marie raised an eyebrow, puzzled by his sudden outburst. "That's cool and all, but I was hoping to get some deets on Lucas' origins first. We can touch on how you met after that, though."

"Yes, yes! Please tell us more!" urged Callie to the blonde. "I want to hear your side of the story now!"

Ness scrambled to improvise. "Oh, I almost forgot! Didja know that my past is Lucas' future?! Our time periods are like a bazillion years apart! I kinda paved the way for him, so even through time and space, we're still connected! That's how tight we are!"

Marina gasped. "Goodness, me! Is that true?!"

Pearl almost jumped out of her seat. "Yo, are you serious?! I mean, I didn't expect y'all to be next-door neighbors or nothing, but now you're telling me you don't even exist in the same time period?! Dude, this just keeps getting craizer and crazier! I love it!"

"Wow, neat," said Marie. "Bet you guys're really glad Smash brought you together then, huh?"

"We sure are! It was almost like destiny! We never knew how much we needed each other in our lives until we met. There was this one time—!"

"Ness."

"..." The capped boy turned to guiltily glance at Lucas, who was looking down.

"It's okay." He solemnly spoke. "...I've got this."

Ness straightened, his chipper tone softening as he relented. "...Okay. Sure thing, Luke."

The idols glanced searchingly at each other, blindsided by the sudden shift in tone.

"Before I begin, I'd like to preface this by saying I'm not sharing this story because I want to, but because I'm hoping it'll touch the hearts of anyone'll who listen. I want it to make you think, make you feel, and most of all, make you a better person. Maybe you'll forget about it in 10 minutes, tomorrow, or never, but I want it to be heard and I want it to be known."

The studio quieted down as everyone focused on the blonde's serious tone. He appeared forlorn, but resolute in his decision. Heaving a deep sigh, he chose to keep his eyes glued to the floor. It was hard enough going through with this, and catching anyone's gaze would've probably caused him to lose all resolve and be reduced to a simpering mess.

"...Well, then. That's quite noble of you," finally spoke Marina. "The floor is yours, Lucas. Please... Share your tale with us."

He nodded. "Okay... I guess you can say it's very strange, kind of funny... and even heartrending."

So Lucas began his story. He talked of his family and their warm, caring lifestyle. He elaborated on his stern, but loving father, loyal dog, hasty older twin brother, and kindhearted mother.

Life was simple and good until a foreign villainy invaded his humble village, turning everything he once knew upside down. His family was ripped after his mother died, his brother disappeared, and his grief-stricken father set out to find him.

For years, he was mostly left to fend for himself as the world around him changed for the worse. People grew apart, ideologies changed, and he found himself chastised for not adapting with them. It wasn't until a chance happening led him on a grand adventure did he realize he was destined for greatness.

Much like Ness, he assembled a ragtag group of allies along the way. Eventually, they learned of the evil's source, a tyrannical king intent on turning their world into his personal plaything at the expense of those inhabiting it. He did this by destroying and reconstructing living things into monstrous creatures for his amusement. Much to Lucas' dismay, one of his many victims was his own brother.

The two were pitted against each other in an arduous and traumatizing battle. This culminated in his twin, haunted by the pain and horror he'd been subjected to, resigned to his fate and took his own life. Lucas had sacrificed so much to bring him back, only for his brother to slip through his fingers.

He may've saved the world, but it was at the cost of his world.

"...So," heaved Lucas, "that's it. Not long after, I got a strange letter. It was my official invitation to Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Master Hand caught word of everything I'd been through and thought I'd be a great addition to the roster. I almost passed on it because I don't really like fighting, but then I thought... Claus would've wanted me to go. So I went for him, but stayed for me."

At peace with himself, Lucas finally looked up with a tiny, genuine smile. His face fell almost immediately when he realized the various expressions strewn about the audience; shock, confusion, disbelief, and, as expected, despair. The studio was dead silent as his story sunk in.

Looking back at the idols, he saw they were just as stunned. Callie was biting her lip in anguish, Pearl's jaw was hung open, and Marina was desperately trying to blink back tears. Marie, the only not on the verge of an emotional breakdown, looked on in surprise.

"...Uh..." Lucas tried to say something, if only to break the awkward silence, but this only caused Marina to lose it.

"...Oh, cod!" she yelped, her sudden outburst startling the blonde. "P-Pearlie, I-I...! I just... ca-a-a-aaaan't!" Sobbing, she buried her face into her hands and ran offstage.

Equally mortified by Lucas' tale, Pearl snapped herself out of it as her hysterical co-host ran away. "Aw, 'Rina, wait! No, come back!" Jumping up, she gave chase. "Don't do this to me! C'mon, it'll be okay! 'Rina! 'RINA!"

Meanwhile, Callie had devolved into an inconsolable mess onto her cousin's shoulder. "M-M-M-Maaaaaarieeeeee...!"

"I know. That was pretty damn sad." Marie nodded at Lucas. "You're a real trooper for having to go through all that."

As if the idols' sorrow had been what they'd been waiting for, the crowd suddenly burst into tears. Their instantaneous wailing was so overblown and ridiculous, it was almost comical. Some even mirrored Marina and also ran off while bawling into their hands as parts of the crew blubbered backstage. Marie figured now was a good time to finish the interview.

"Well, I must say, that story was indeed strange, funny, and extremely heartrending. Sadly, I believe that's all the time we have for today. Is there anything else you would like to add for our viewers out there?"

Lucas beamed. "I'd like to thank you all for hearing me out today. This was really tough for me to talk about, and I was tempted to just flat-out lie... But that would've been an insult to myself, the story, and everyone in it. I really hope you take it to heart and see that just because someone had a dark past doesn't mean they can't have a bright future."

"E," proclaimed Ness, keeping his response simple as to not steal Lucas' thunder.

"Cool." Marie addressed the cameras. "Stay tuned, folks. We'll be right back after these messages."

As "Color Pulse" played them out, the feed switched to commercials. Lucas caught a quick glance of one on a monitor. It began with an Inkling in a lab coat raising a finger and proclaiming, "To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Turf Wars."

("Five minutes until we're live again!") announced Judd as the main curtains shut. ("We've got five minutes and counting!")

Ness pat Lucas' hand with a reassuring smile. "You all right over there, Luke?"

"Yeah..." The blonde loosed a sigh of relief. "Feels nice to get that all off my chest. Glad it's finally over..."

Callie jumped up, fanning her tears as mascara streamed down her face. "Makeup! Makeup, please! I need makeup! Oh, it's getting everywhere...!"

"Hey, listen," began the stagnant Marie as the inconsolable Callie pranced off, "on behalf of everyone, I'd like to say it was a real blast talking to you guys. In all my years of interviewing, I've never enjoyed myself as much as I have today. We'll be going into the final act when we come back, so I just wanted to get that out there."

"Final act?" repeated Ness.

"Yeah, remember? We still got a surprise for you two before we go off-air. No pressure, but you might wanna get prepared as best you can."

"...It's not another interview, is it?" fearfully asked Lucas.

"Nah, we're done with that part, but if you want an idea on what you'll be doing," Marie smirked, "let's just say you two're gonna settle it in Smash."

Lucas blinked in surprise. "You mean we..."

She nodded. "You got it, chief. After the break, you're gonna be throwing hands."

"Really?! Aw, hell yeah! This is gonna be awesome!" Ness' eyes lit up as he jumped from his seat with a mischievous grin. "Heh! Hope you're ready to lose, Luke!"

The blonde stood with a modest smile. "I don't see how a few hands can stop me from kicking you in the head, but okay."

Ness walked offstage. "Tsk! That's not even what 'throwing hands' means! And as if you could even touch me before I score a home run with you!"

"Sounds like wishful thinking," chuckled Lucas. "Three strikes from me, and you'll be out."

By now, the two were brimming with energy to fight after their banter. Once backstage, Ness got into a fighting stance and threw some playful punches at Lucas. The blonde dodged and retaliated with a slow uppercut as his opponent evaded it with ease. Their scuffle stopped as quickly as it came, the pair laughing it off as friendly rivals before departing.

Meanwhile, Orange had retreated to the deepest depths of backstage to try and pull herself together. She now knew why Lucas had been worried about the interview and was so glad she didn't discover the truth until now...

Her heart ached, her body trembled, and her fists were balled so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She wasn't used to feeling such extreme emotions, and she handled them just as well as she thought she would.

The inconsolable Inkling had no idea what to do with herself. She began pacing around like a caged tiger, stewing in a pit of agony. She wanted to scream at someone, throw a chair at the wall, or smash glass against the ground. Most of all, much to her horror...

She wanted to cry.

Disoriented, Orange charged through the drapes in an attempt to escape out the stage's backdoor. She didn't know where she was going or what she'd do when she got there, but she had to get away from here. Away from the stage, away from these people, away from everything, if only for a moment. She just couldn't take it anymore...

Unfortunately, her haste caused her to crash into none other than Lucas, startling them both. She looked him over like a terrified animal, flustered she'd been caught in such a tender state. The psychic curiously gauged her expression for a moment until his face became aglow with understanding. Orange felt her eyes burn with impending tears.

...No! She wouldn't cry, she couldn't cry! She didn't want to...! Lucas had her respect and condolences over what happened, but crying would only make her look like a wimp. It wouldn't solve anything...

This resolve was short-lived as Lucas extended his arms, offering himself as solace. "...If you need to let go, you can. It's okay. I'm here."

As if that's what she'd been waiting her whole life to hear, Orange grimaced as her vision became blurry with inky tears. Try as she might to blink them back, a few managed to escape as her throat closed up. It was all downhill from there as she slowly hung her head in submission.

Broken and desperate for comfort, the girl tentatively walked towards Lucas. Met with the fabric of his shirt, she was surprised to feel an arm gently rest on the small of her back. Resting her head against his midsection, she finally felt safe enough to let her tears flow.

"...I'm so sorry..." she choked out.

"Thank you," was his modest reply.

Never had she felt anything so gentle and soft, yet firm and sturdy. Not only did Lucas possess a comforting density only a human could offer, but his compassion made her feel warm, safe, and understood. She felt like a clownish nestled inside a sea anemone.

Lucas stood vigilant as Orange cried, knowing first-hand how it felt having no one to confide in when he needed it most. The least he could do was offer her a chance to let it all out. He felt a sense of accomplishment in being able to win the rambunctious Inkling's trust. Having some trust issues himself, that meant a lot to him on a personal level.

After a few minutes, Orange's sobs quieted into sniffles as she began to calm down. Picking up on this, Lucas looked her over.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"A little..." she meekly replied.

"Good." He let go, Orange lifting her head to show eyes ablaze with affection. "And please, don't ever think you have to hide your feelings like that. It just eats you up over time. ...Trust me, I know. There's no shame in needing a shoulder to cry on."

"...Okay..." She barely heard a word he said, mesmerized by his chivalry.

("60 seconds, folks! We're back on in one minute!") called Li'l Judd.

Lucas turned back towards the stage. "Wow, already? Sheesh... Guess I better get ready, then." He looked to Orange again with his winning smile. "I'll see you after the show, okay? Hope you enjoy the fight. It'll be a doozy."

"...Okay..." she droned again.

As Lucas turned to leave, Orange stayed rooted to her spot, inwardly pining for him to stay. Seeing that wasn't going to happen, her hands slowly drew up to her chest in a mix of awe and admiration. Her three hearts, which had previously been pounding in apprehension, now fluttered in yearning. She was so entranced by the boy's kindness, she didn't notice an afroed Octoling step up behind her.

"...Uh, Ms. Orange?" he timidly tried.

"What?!" She didn't snap at him in anger, but surprise, as if rudely awoken from a nap.

The stagehand cowered, mistaking her flushed cheeks as a sign of anger, as opposed to the result of crying. "Ah! I-I'm sorry! Please don't get mad! I just wanted to ask a question!"

Slowly coming back to reality, Orange put her face in her hands and sighed. "...Yeah, sure, what is it?"

"Ah, w-well... I-I was wondering..." He twiddled his thumbs, looking down with a blush. "C-could I take off and leave early...?"

"Why? What happened?"

"N-nothing, but..." He pitifully glanced up again. "See, i-it's my girlfriend. We have a long-distance relationship, but when she heard about the Smashers visiting, she came all the way from Calamari County to see them."

Getting herself back together, Orange dropped her hands to incredulously raise a brow. "Okay, and?"

The Octoling winced at her nonchalant response. "...W-well, she managed to get a ticket and she's out in the crowd right now. I-it'd really mean a lot to me if I could, uh... g-go watch the fight with her...?"

"..." Orange said nothing, silently judging him.

"She has a lot of responsibilities back home, so she can't visit as much as she used to. This might be the last time I get to see her for a while, and I really wanna surprise her, so..." He clasped his hands together. "Can I go? ...P-please?"

Orange continued her silent treatment as she looked him over. Her knee jerk reaction was to berate him for being a lovesick loser and demand he get back to work before she sent him and his thot "girlfriend" on a one-way trip to the ER... But her malicious intentions never came to light.

As dubious as the stagehand's claims seemed, Orange couldn't bring herself to put him down. Honestly, letting him go would be no issue. They had dozens more to pick up the slack, and tearing him down over this didn't seem worth it... Lucas' generosity lingered within her conscience, melting her cold indifference like ice on a hot plate.

Mind made up, she groaned and slumped her shoulders. Amiability really wasn't her strong point...

"Fine."

"I swear I'll help clean up after it's over! I'll work double, no, triple time! I—!" The stagehand stopped his pleading, aghast at her response. "Wait... What...?"

"You heard me." Orange gestured with her head. "Go on. Get outta here. Don't bother coming back, either. We got everything taken care of, so just... go."

His eyes sparkled. "R-really...? You... You mean it? I-I can go? No foolin'?"

Orange scowled. "Did I stutter?! Yes, you can go! Now scram before I change my mind!"

"Oh! Y-yeah, yeah! Sure thing! W-wow...!" He dashed off like an excited child. "T-thank you, thank you soooooo much! Yay!"

As he darted through the curtains, Orange walked over to another section of drapes, parting them slightly to see into the crowd. Sure enough, he was seen darting away from the stage and into the multi-colored audience. Orange fully expected him to dip and go watch the show on his own or let some ticketless buddies in through a backdoor. It didn't really matter if he did anything shady or not; one word over the radio and security would be on him in seconds.

To her surprise, he gleefully scrambled up an aisle, intent on reaching someone. Homing in on a row, the Octoling hurriedly made his way past several seated showgoers to meet up with his supposed girlfriend. Surprise was strewn across her face as he appeared before her, jumping up to greet him with a loving embrace.

This wouldn't have been all that interesting if not for one quirk: the ex-stagehand was a dark-skinned, yellow-eyed Octoling with blue ink, while his girlfriend was a light-skinned, blue-eyed Inkling with yellow ink. They couldn't be any further apart on the spectrum if they tried.

There was no extra seat for the former stagehand, so he turned into an octopus while in the girlfriend's arms as she resumed sitting. The two happily chatted as he curled up in her lap, tentacles lovingly wrapped around an arm as she used the other to sweetly stroke his bulbous head. Seeing them together made Orange feel something warm inside her heart.

Society had been slowly adjusting to the concept of crossbreed couples. They were becoming more common, but it was still an abnormality to actually see one. This made Orange wonder...

...If a squid and octopus could make a good couple...

...Who's to say a squid and human couldn't, too...?