Mira gave her guests another quick look. All of them were easily recognizable if you know what they 'were', but just seeing them sit there didn't make them look out of the ordinary at all. Some may have found that they looked like squids that didn't have a sliver of fashion sense, but then again, finding inklings that couldn't tell you the difference between shirt and pants was just as easy as it was to tell the two pieces of apparel apart.
She snapped out of her daze as she noticed that Kim was staring at her, dying to ask her something.
"What is it?" She said without any noticeable anthousiam.
"I did not know that you also used these 'pen' things."
"You didn't?"
"I first saw one when I was repacking Seven's handheld box."
"A few things here. First, just use names, numbers are for missions only. Second, it's a suitcase. And third, while it was a surprise to see that humans also used pens, I thought you would know what they were."
"If I may, ma'am." Devon chimed in.
Mira let out a sigh and put her arm on the table so she could rest her hand on it. "You may."
"If I recall correctly, these 'pens' were taken out of commission because of health concerns."
"So you're telling me that you guys stopped using pens because you thought they might be used to stab someone with?" She could barely contain her laughter even thinking about it. "Do you know how many you'd need to splat someone?"
"Well… estimating the total ink that can come out of such a pen to have around the same impact as…" Devon started rambling. Four could see how Eight listened to her and even corrected her on some details, but she couldn't understand how someone could keep listening. Even Will didn't seem to mind, although it was hard to tell if he could follow what was going on.
The jelly with the apron came back, this time with a tray that had four glasses on it. One was filled with a clear, colorless liquid, the other three were a clear green color and had bubbles emerging from the bottom. The waiter put the glasses on the table and took off after grabbing the menus, extending their arm to reach the ones that lay in front of Devon and Will.
The two octolings were still going at it, so much so that they didn't seem to notice that their menus had been replaced by their drinks. And although Mira knew she shouldn't zone out as often as she did, she couldn't seem to keep her attention focused on the conversation.
"...taking into account the spread of the nozzle…"
"...do not forget about the maximum capacity…"
"...the position of the target has to be factored into…"
Whatever they were talking about, it sounded an awful lot like the talks Sheldon would give when introducing a new weapon, but he at least kept it simple, so that others could understand what he said.
"...in conclusion, the sum of the ink that one needs to annihilate a target would depend not only on the application, but also the resilience of the target itself, making a definitive number of pens needed depend on who is the one to do it and who is the one to be done."
"I really hope she never phrases something that way EVER again."
The other three didn't seem to mind or just didn't pick up on it. They were however not able to start on a new topic as the inkling came back with four plates. He held them up and since no one seemed to show who the plate was for, he put them at the center of the table. "There you go, enjoy."
They all looked at the plates. One had a pizza with tuna on it, one had fried shrimp, another had deep fried vegetables, and the last one featured some fried nuggets of something that was now completely indistinguishable.
Will was the first to try something. He slowly picked up a piece of the pizza and took a small bite, carefully chewing on it. After a bit, he took another, larger bite before guzzling down the piece. In the meantime, Devon had tried one of the nuggets while Kim was chewing on the shrimp. Mira just had picked the plate of fried vegetables and started eating like she had done the last time she had visited, completely seeming to ignore the others, caught up in her own thoughts as she saw that they liked the food she chose for them.
"What am I going to say to Maya this time? With all these people now under my roof, I can't exactly invite her to come over either. Perhaps I could ask her if she wants to hang out this evening?"
Before she knew it, she had already sent her friend a message asking if she already had plans for this evening. The reply soon followed, consisting of a simple: 'No'. The reply wasn't the only thing that was sent to her however, as she soon found that she was asking what she wanted to do.
Mira:
So… any plans today?
Maya:
Nope
You suggesting something?
Mira:
Idk
Maya:
Perhaps some Turf War?
Mira:
Sure, having lunch now, be there soon.
Maya:
Sure thing, I'll text the others.
Mira:
See you guys there.
Mira let the smartphone slide back down into her jacket's pocket with a sigh of relief. "Maybe she can forgive me another time…" She hadn't realised that Will had already finished the pizza, Devon was on her last nugget, and Kim was chewing on her last bite as well, all the while she had barely started on her deep fried salad.
Will patiently waited while Kim and Devon strook up another conversation, continuously switching back and forth as they threw in some Octarian, making it next to impossible for Mira to follow. Not that she tried to, as she was now making short work of her own plate as not to have the rest wait on her for too much longer.
As if the waiter had waited on her to finish, he came up to their table.
"Do you want to place another order, or will that be all?"
Mira looked at the others, who all seemed to have emptied their plate, but not interested in the prospect of more food at all. "I think we're done."
"Sure, let me just get your bill. Do you want to pay with cash or use a card?"
"Cash is fine."
"Alright." He whipped out a small pad and made a receipt come out. "Here you are." He ripped it off the rest of the paper roll and handed it to her. He then held out the device as well.
"Looks fine." She said as she glanced over it before taking out her wallet and out of that the card that she needed. She stuck it into the device he was holding, punched a few numbers, and took it out again after a confirming beep was heard.
"Thanks, I hope you have enjoyed your meal. Have a good day." He turned back around and wanted to walk off again, but hesitated as he turned around again. "Where are they from? They look so… different…" He had started staring at her company again.
"Overseas" Mira simply replied, clearly sounding like she didn't want to have this conversation.
The waiter let out a suspicious "Hmm..." before turning around once more and walking off after seeing that the lone green squid at the bar was holding up their hand as they required another drink. Mira looked at the waiter until he was out of earshot and let out a relieved sigh. "That was a close one."
They had made their way down relatively calm streets, the only people they met not giving them a second thought as they passed by. Mira however couldn't help but feel stressed every time someone crossed their path. Only when the front door was closed again could she relax somewhat. She let out a sigh as she leaned against the door before making her announcement.
"I'm going out for a bit. You guys stay here."
"Where are you to go to?" Kim asked.
"A few friends invited me over. I'll be back by dinner."
"We will wait for you here."
"Understood." Devon replied.
Will simply nodded as to show he too had understood her.
Mira opened the door again, leaving her apartment after having taken her dualies and inktank that lay next to the door, where she always kept them at the ready for when she felt like leaving for a match. She headed straight for the square, where she suspected the others were already waiting for her.
While on her way, she couldn't help but feel a nagging feeling that everything could go wrong at any moment. She knew that if Marie or even the captain were to know about what she had just done, they would lose it and she would get scolded big time, but she had social duties to fulfill. They could say whatever they wanted, but she had friends that she wanted to stay friends with.
As Mira came closer to the square, more and more people were present, mostly inklings, but also jellies and even some crabs and the like. She never was the biggest fan of crowds and even tried to avoid them if possible, but the city centre just bloomed with life, making the confrontation unavoidable. She was happy when she spotted her three teammates in the distance, and almost ran at them, relieved not to be alone in the mass of people.
The three all stood ready with weapons and inktanks, Maya, Jake, and Jish wielding a roller, blaster, and charger respectively. Maya and Jake seemed eager, while Jish seemed to foresee the babysitting he would have to do, keeping their team secure was his job after all, but Jake made that hard with his constant pushes.
"Sorry guys, had a late lunch." Mira came up to them, wheezing.
"No problemmo." Jake almost sang to her. "You're here now, let's go and splat some butt."
"Just please for once, listen to me and stay back when you ought to." Jish told the overly enthusiastic boy with a clearly frustrated undertone.
"Did you guys hear something?" He joked, resulting in Jish letting out a sigh, wondering why he still put up with him.
"Anyway…. shall we?" Maya jerked her head to the tower behind them.
"Sure." Mira immediately started walking over to it.
"Let's do this thing!" Jake followed.
Jish followed in silence, shaking his head in disapproval of his brother's behaviour. The four of them walked inside.
In the rotation for that time was Splat Zones, which their team was great at. Jish covered the central area, where Jake would guard it as Maya and Mira picked off any enemies that dared to try and flank them, themselves flanking the centre as needed. During the best match of that evening they got immediate control and never lost it, leaving the team captain of the opposing team in tears of frustration. Perhaps the highlight of that evening would have been an angry brush user breaking his weapon after repeatedly hitting a wall with it out of pure displeasement.
The four of them left the tower, all happy with their, sometimes crushing, victories.
"I got over twenty splats that match!" Jake triumphantly proclaimed.
"And how many did I get from taking out people swimming up to you?" Jish criticized him.
"At least it worked." He laughed back, clearly not worried about his inability to watch his own back.
"There were a surprisingly small amount of people trying to come from the sides." Maya noted. "Maybe they were simply scared at the sight of my roler." She giggled as she held up the weapon on her shoulder. "Any more action on your side, Mira?"
"N-no, not really…"
"Are you thinking of something, you seem out of it today. Where are your guests from this afternoon at Grizzco?" She asked while the two boys had a 'friendly' discussion about whose tactics were better.
"It's not that… I'm just worried that-"
"You had guests? They were lucky, you never invite us over fo- argh, What was that for!?" Jish had stood on Jake's foot.
"You know why." His gaze almost piercing through him.
Mira let out a sigh. Jish was the first person after Maya who she had told about her difficulties with others, and while Maya seemed to forget it more often than not, he seemed to always take it into account and tried to stick out for her if need be. even though he was rather blunt in his approach. Jake on the other hand was a lot less thoughtful. "But then again, he seems to lack the capacity to think at all sometimes."
Maya let out an obviously faked yawn. "Oh cod, I'm tired. Great matches get me tired y'know." She looked at the rest before taking a few steps back. "Do you want to walk with me Mira? Because I'm going home." She turned around, fully expecting her to follow, which she did. The brothers were left, now back to their strategy discussion.
"So…" Maya started after they were out of earshot of the two. "...what's troubling you?"
"I said it's nothing." "Please don't start to dig deeper, not now."
"I may be gullible, but even I can see that you aren't feeling too fresh. What do you have to hide? You know you can tell me everything."
"You have no idea, do you?" "I said I was fine, it's just… I have a lot to take in."
"Come on, out with it. You know I won't laugh."
"it's no laughing matter, more like headache inducing."
"Try me."
"Why won't she just back off? I get she wants me to be happy, but this is just making it worse."
"Please, don't make me."
"How could it be so bad that you… you don't want to talk about it because it would hurt again, isn't that so?"
"Ehhh, yes? Yes it is."
"I'm sorry I asked then, but you just seemed occupied, so I thought I'd ask."
Mira just sighed and continued walking, Maya stayed silent for a while as well, thinking that her friend would need that silence to work out whatever seemed to be troubling her.
"Sooo… I hope you have a good think over whatever it is that you're thinking about… I'm taking a right here, see ya!" Maya turned off and went into a different direction. "And don't forget to let me know when you want to do something together again." She called out from over her shoulder.
"I won't forget." Mira couldn't help but smile. Not only had she successfully steered away from having the NSS as a subject in their conversation, but she also felt happy for having had some fun, the turf wars always made her feel better, even in the worst of circumstances.
Mira happily made her way back to her apartment, her mind not even attempting to think about how badly the situation she could walk in upon could be. She was humming as she walked, still looking around from time to time. eventually she noticed that an individual seemed to have been behind her for a suspiciously long time, taking every turn that she had done. To test this, she made a turn that wasn't on her route. The figure followed.
After a few of these turns and even a few times where she walked back on herself, it was clear that the figure was indeed following her. She slowly increased her pace until she was practically running, her pursuer right behind her. "Now just round a corner and then…"
When Mira indeed found a corner to turn, she did so, completely ignoring anyone who looked at the inkling that ran by with dualies ready in her hands. She came to a complete stop in a mere second and rolled back the way she came, firing a single shot after turning around.
The person behind her expertly dodged it and held up their own weapon, almost slamming it into her face as she came to a stop in front of them, staring straight into the barrel.
The two of them sat on a bench next to a memorial. It had been a shock to find out who was following her, but a relief as well since it meant that that hadn't simply been the place she would have been splatted.
"So, to get things all worked out here. You followed me to ensure my safety?"
"Correct."
"But why? Don't you think that I could fend for myself?" "Not that she had clearly beaten me there, but still…"
"Clearly you are capable, but it isn't only your wellbeing I am concerned about."
"Then what is?" Mira said, slowly growing more frustrated.
"The others you are lending your beds to."
"And why is that?"
"I single handedly saved and got saved by one and the other has also had to endure suffering beyond your imagination."
"So you are trying to be nice? After all I have heard about you, I wouldn't have thought you were capable of that."
"And that alone proves your inability to understand others."
"Like you're one to talk."
"At least I know what my others are going through, but that is besides the point. I was simply following you to ensure that you kept your mouth shut as well as to get to know more about you and the ones you call friends."
"What's wrong with my friends!?" She couldn't contain her frustration any longer.
"It is something personal I don't feel the need to get into right now, or ever for that matter."
"And you thought that the best way to get to know me would be to stalk me from afar!?"
"Well I-"
"Even I know that you can just go up to someone and talk to them instead!"
"Quiet down, You're making a scene." There was no one else apart from them around, as almost everyone was now enjoying dinner.
"And what? You thought you could go around spying on other squids? And I'm the one that needs to chill?"
"You cannot seem to handle a few guests."
"I had to take them because you wouldn't."
"They haven't asked me anything of that sorts." They stood up. "Now, You remember my invitation?"
"What are you rambling about?"
"I asked you if you were interested in going to the museum with me tomorrow." A clearly annoyed voice now.
"And why would I want to go with the squid who stalked me and then almost took me down after?"
"Not that I want to go either, but I already have the tickets, and ordering some more for you and the others wouldn't be that hard."
"How do you think I could take those three to a museum of all places?"
"I saw them with you in that restaurant, you did a fine job I must say."
"When didn't you follow me?"
"The times you were at home."
"Please don't say that you were waiting around my house for me to leave."
"I had better things to do, and besides, you go out on a regular pattern anyways. All I had to do was tap your phone and-"
"You did WHAT!?"
"This conversation isn't getting me any further." They took a few steps before morphing into their squid form.
"Where do you think that you're going?" Mira stood up as well, but before she could reach them, they had jumped away, over a row of buildings that she didn't want to risk getting caught on. "You better show up to that museum, so I can personally puncture that inkbladder of yours."
When Mira came back, she had gone past a pizza parlor and brought back five boxed pizza's. She suspected that they were all hungry enough to share the last one. "Or I just have one leftover in my fridge for an easy snack."
When she entered, she put the boxes on the table, doffed her inktank and laid her dualies beside it. Only after did she notice that there were only two people in the living room. The two octolings were bent over Will's checkerboard, both taking turns to move a single piece, Kim only touching the white ones and Devon only moving the Black ones. She sat down to watch.
The board seemed to have eight rows and columns, alternating between black and white squares to make them clearly visible, it seemed that they were exactly the same amount and kind of black and white pieces. She found out that the reason some stood next to the board was that when one were to put their piece on the same square as the opponent, they would take their piece off the board.
"So… what is the goal?" She tried to ask in general, as both seemed to be in a state of utmost concentration.
"This game is about defeating the opponent their piece that bears a cross, ma'am." Devon answered as she pointed at a white piece that had a small white addition mark on its top.
"Anyway, I brought dinner." Mira continued, now opening the box on top, making the already clearly present smell come off even more.
"Perhaps we should continue our match after the dinner." Kim stated as she sat back, only to move back forward to the table to grab a slice of her own.
"But I wonder…" Mira said after Devon had also helped herself. "Anyone know where the human is at?" "I said to myself to call him by his name, why is that so hard?"
Both of them stayed silent as they turned their head to the door that led to the rest of the house. It was then that she could hear an ever so faint sobbing being emitted from what appeared to be the bathroom.
With a sigh, Mira got back up and opened the door. The hallway was empty, and all the other doors were closed. As she walked over to the door to the bathroom, the sobbing became louder and could now clearly be heard. She could even hear him speak, although she had no idea what he was saying. She hesitated in front of the door.
"What should I do? He will have to at least eat something, but if I go in there he'd expect me to comfort him. How would I even go about doing that? I don't even know how to comfort a cephalopod, let alone someone who I can't even understand.
What would he have to whine about anyway? Did Kim or Devon say something to him? Did he hurt himself? Why would he be so sad?" It puzzled her. Not knowing what else to do, she went back to the living room.
She returned to the bathroom door with a still closed box of pizza in her hand. She slowly opened the door and found Will leaning on the sink while looking in the mirror. His face full of tears as he was shaking ever so slightly with every sob.
"Umm, Will?" Mira carefully tried to make herself known, which worked, as he turned around.
Will tried to rid his face of the tears using the back of his hands, but since they were already saturated with older tears, he just spread the fresh ones out a bit, making it look even worse.
"I brought some dinner…" She held up the box.
Will said something she couldn't understand as he turned back to the sink and turned open one of the tap's valves, making water run out. "Why would he need that, I only use it to clean the bathroom, he's not going to clean this place, is he?"
The answer soon revealed itself as he used his hands as a makeshift bowl and put them under the running water without even flinching. This wasn't the most shocking however, as he then proceeded to throw the small puddle into his face, rubbing it afterward, still not showing any sign of pain as he washed his face.
"What in the name of the Great Zapfish!?" Mira stood with an open mouth as she watched him clean his face with water, not only not seeming to feel pain, but also not affected at all.
He looked up and tried to speak to her, only to realise that she couldn't understand him anyway.
"Doesn't that hurt?" She tried to give him simple questions he could answer by nodding.
He shook his head in response, understanding what she tried to do in an attempt to still communicate.
"So, you can just stick your hand in water?"
He nodded this time.
"And you don't just dissolve?"
He gave her a look that mostly consisted of questioning and a hint of surprise.
"And how about ink?" Her curiosity and excitement were now clearly showing.
He turned off the water and now let the tap spew out ink, it being a red color with a hint of purple, just like Kim. He stuck his hand under it, and just like with the water, seemed not to be affected.
"But what if…?" She walked up to the sink and turned the color dial, making the ink that came out change to a light orange.
He still seemed not to be affected, which made Mira's excitement grow more and more.
"Just wait until I tell the others about this. They're going to be blown away!"