Squid Party
Chapter 18: The Boy from Nowhere
About an hour later, an exhausted Orange trudged down the studio's main hall. While pretty strong for her size, she still found herself sore after so much physical labor onstage. It felt nice to do good, but now she remembered why she usually resorted to yelling and threatening other people to work for her...
As far as she was concerned, she more than deserved an audience with Lucas after this. In honor of the blonde's humility and good heart, she tried her best to be more of a team player instead of a tyrant for once. As customary of her short fuse, she got a little peeved at some of the inept crew, but managed to hold herself together and not explode on anyone. Hopefully, Lucas was doing better now; she needed his company more than ever to help cool down.
On her way to the green room, she started running across the occasional staffer. This was to be expected, since most of them had been dismissed from the stage, but what wasn't expected was their sudden desire to interact with her. It was mostly to express thanks for her services onstage, but sometimes delved into friendly chit-chat. To the average person, this wouldn't have been out of the ordinary, but for her, it was beyond strange.
Due to her infamous temper, many tended to avoid her unless they needed her services or approval on something. Even in this case, they'd address her with fear and humility, like a peasant would a queen. Now, she was being approached and talked to by locals she didn't even know. Despite being an interesting change, it made little difference for the time being.
It wasn't long before Orange found herself facing the green room's door again. In the pit of her stomach, uncertainty brewed. She hated that this kept happening. Talking to Lucas was no issue, but starting conversations with him was always so awkward. There were only so many ways she could show up randomly and say, "Hey, Squirt."
That brought another issue to light: Lucas' response. How would he react to seeing her again so soon? Would he be happy? Surprised? ...Annoyed?
And what about Ness? She huffed and rolled her eyes. Of course he'd be in there, too, ruining any chance of a decent conversation...
She rubbed her temples with a sigh. Thinking had never been her strong point. At the end of the day, there was nothing else to do but to fucking do it.
Knocking on the door, she readied herself for disappointment, expecting Ness to answer. Instead, someone gently cooed, "Come in!"
It was Lucas. His sweet, little voice was like music to her ears.
Orange smoothed out her shirt and spruced herself up to be presentable. It sounded like he was alone, so she had to make the best impression she could while she had the chance.
Taking another deep breath, she grabbed the doorknob and let herself in. She cautiously peeked inside in time for Lucas to look up from his magazine with a worn, but sincere smile. Orange's hearts melted upon seeing he was still reading it upside down.
"Hello, Orange," he greeted.
"Hi, Squirt." She looked around the room. "Uh, where's Fishbait?"
"He's having a jam session with Pearl. They're playing out in the lot, but it's a bit too loud for me, so I just came back in here. They'll let me know when they're done."
"Good, good..." Still wary, she aimlessly strolled in, shutting the door behind her. "Just thought I'd stop by and, uh, check up on you."
Lucas nodded. "I appreciate it. That fight really took a lot out of us... After Ness and Pearl are done, we're going back to the resort to take it easy until tomorrow."
"Oh..." While it was definitely in Lucas' best interest to get some rest, it was still disheartening for Orange to hear. Regardless, she forced a smile. "Well... Congrats on winning."
"Thank you!" he chirped. "I heard you cheering backstage, so it sounds like you had as much fun watching as we did fighting."
"Wh—?" This knowledge caught her off guard, making her ink turn yellow. "Yeah, well...! I just get pumped from watching people fight, okay?! I-it's not that big of a deal...!"
Oblivious to her sudden defensiveness, Lucas gasped. "Ooh, your hair! It changed color!"
"Uh, yeah..." was her elusive reply as she glanced at a twintail. "Yeah, it kinda does that sometimes..."
Now intrigued, Lucas put the magazine down. "I knew you could change colors, but I thought it was only for Turf Wars. Is there any reason it did that?"
"Uh..."
Orange hesitated. She didn't have the heart to lie to Lucas and his hopeful, little grin, but how would the truth affect him? Would he find it weird? Unsettling? Creepy?
Biting her lip before she made things either better or worse, she finally responded. "Yellow means... I'm... happy..."
"Happy?" repeated Lucas. "How come?"
Orange winced. Apparently, his curiosity was on par with a cephalopod's.
"Well... I'm happy 'cuz..." Looking away, she timidly rubbed an arm. "It's nice to know you heard me cheering..."
"So, I made you happy?"
Oh, if only he knew. "...I guess you could say that, yeah..."
"That's amazing! ...Actually, hold on a second." He eagerly reached over to grab a notepad and pencil from an end table. Regarding her again, he smiled coyly. "If you don't mind, could you tell me more?"
"More? About what?"
"The colors! I didn't know they factored into your emotions like that! Ooh, wait! Why don't you sit down with me and we'll talk? Think of it as your own personal interview." He laughed sheepishly. "You'll probably handle it a lot better than I did, ha ha…"
"Heh. Sure thing," chuckled the Inkling. Uplifted by his newfound interest, she joined Lucas on the couch as he beamed.
"So, about the whole colors thing," he began. "I'm guessing they all have different meanings and correlations. Does that mean you're like living mood rings?"
"Kinda. It has to be an extreme emotion, though, not just run-of-the-mill feelings."
"You're always orange, so what does that mean?"
"Determination, gusto, moxie. That kinda stuff."
"Is that your favorite emotion?"
"I guess you could say that, but all cephalopods have a default color that has nothing to do with how they're feeling."
"When you say 'default', what do you mean? Were you born that color, or is it your favorite?"
"A bit of both. We're all born a random color, which often reflects our personality. It usually becomes our favorite."
"So, your colors are like carrying a part of yourself all throughout your life... This is all so interesting!" Lucas made some quick notes before regarding the girl again. "How many colors can you access?"
"All of them. Every shade, every hue. Dark, bright, metallic, everything. Only thing we can't do are patterns, so stuff like plaid is out."
"That's still really cool! Does every color have an emotion tied to it?"
"Usually, but it depends on the situation." Orange watched him furiously scribble on the parchment as an idea stuck. "...Hey."
The Smasher looked back up. "Yeah?"
"Since we got a minute, why don't I teach you a little Inklish? You said you wanted learn it, right?"
"Oh! Yes, please! I'd love to learn at least a few words."
"Okay. It's easier than you think. Let's start with something simple." She pointed to his notepad. "Write your name, and I'll write it in Inklish so we can compare the two."
"Okay!"
Flipping to a new page, Lucas excitedly wrote down his name and handed her the pad and pencil. Orange was dumbfounded to see he'd written "Squirt". The little dork had actually conformed to the mock name she'd given him, making her want to melt into the floor from shame.
She sighed, self-loathing on her breath. "...No, dude. Write your real name."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Taking back the items, he crossed out "Squirt" and wrote "Lucas" underneath before giving them back. "You've been calling me that for so long, I guess I've gotten used to it."
Orange had just finished writing his name in Inklish when she shuddered, more shame pricking her conscience. She didn't have the heart to tell him the name was born purely out of spite. She may've gone from using it as a form of mockery to a term of endearment, but the guilt remained. Maybe it was best he never knew; ignorance was bliss, after all.
"...Yeah," she finally murmured, unable to look Lucas in the eye, "that's my little nickname for you. I told you before, I ain't one for formality..."
"That's fine. I think it's kind of cute!" quipped the psychic. "I hope us calling you 'Orange' isn't demeaning or anything. I mean, it's just the color of your hair... Since we can't pronounce your name, are there any aliases you'd prefer?"
"Well... My code name is Agent 3, but that's strictly business, so that's out." Orange returned the pad, still averting her eyes. ...He really thought that name was cute?
"You're an agent? What of?" Lucas held the pad up and studied it as he comically squinted in an attempt to read the foreign language. It was almost like he was trying to read a tiny piece of paper.
"I'm Agent 3 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon," answered Orange, smirking at his efforts. "We go on missions and scout for any threats in the outskirts and neutralize them before they reach the city."
The boy looked to her. "If you're Agent 3, who're Agents 1 and 2?"
"Callie and Marie, respectively. They used to be the only ones until they enlisted more help."
"Any other members?"
"Green and Magenta are both Agent 4 and Octavia and Octavian are both Agent 8. Blue is also Agent 3 like me."
"Wow... You'd never know just by looking." Lucas thought for a moment. "Wait, why're there two of some Agents?"
"Helps the Cap'n keep track of us. If his name wasn't obvious, he's in charge of assigning us missions and drawing up strategies. He's getting on in years, and we're always looking for new recruits, so he thought it'd be easier to start numbering us as teams instead of individuals."
"Doesn't that get confusing?"
"Not really. There's always a main agent and a backup agent. Depending on our skill set and the situation, he deploys us as needed. I'm for all-out assaults on strongholds and Blue's for taking out smaller groups. Magenta goes on stakeouts while Green handles interrogation and imprisonment. 'Tavia and 'Tavian deal with espionage, but 'Tavian also doubles as the team medic. Sheldon's the weapons expert and Callie and Marie dabble in a bit of everything in case someone's unavailable."
"Wow, that's quite the system you've got there." Lucas raised his notepad hopefully. "Care to tell me more?"
The two spoke in great length as Orange tutored Lucas while he casually interviewed her. She taught him how to read and write simple Inklish words, as well as several slang terms and their loose connotations to his language. Meanwhile, Lucas kept the ball rolling by asking about the Inkling's interests, lifestyle, and adventures.
After a good half-hour, most of the pad's pages had been filled with words, doodles, and games of tic-tac-toe as the two bonded. Orange never thought she could have so much fun just passing a notepad back and forth. All the while, she and Lucas grew closer and closer, both physically and mentally. She'd gone from sitting a moderate distance from him on the couch to huddling up right beside the boy.
Every time Orange inched a bit closer, she tensed, ready to get defensive in case her advances were deflected. Despite her lingering fears, this never came to pass. Lucas warmly welcomed her company, no matter how much or little she offered. He didn't object when she drew near or express confusion when she pulled away. For once, Orange felt like she could truly let her guard down.
And it was wonderful.
Occasionally, Lucas would notice her fiery eyes shine with a wondrous emotion he couldn't quite put his finger on. Had he possessed telepathy, he would've seen it was pure adoration. She admired his kindness, respected his strength, and, now that she'd gotten a good, long look at him, realized he was quite handsome...
Her inner swooning was interrupted by a text message from her phone. Quietly scoffing as Lucas jotted something else down, she yanked it out. Lo and behold, it was Blue, because who else it would it be?
"hey orange where u at?" he asked.
"busy ill call you back," she answered. Before she could put the phone away, he responded.
"dont have to, i just got a question"
"i said im busy"
"its rly important"
"NOT NOW IM BUSY!1"
"plz? it wont take long, i promise."
Knowing Blue would just keep texting and probably even try to call her, Orange sharply inhaled through her nose. Smothering her anger for a second, she faced Lucas with a forced grin. "...Could you excuse me for a moment?"
"Sure, sure. That's fine," he nodded, still scrawling across the pad.
"Thanks. Be back in a sec." With that, she swiftly charged out.
Closing the door behind her, Orange furiously pulled up Blue's number and called him. Fucker didn't know when to quit...
He answered a few rings later. "Hello—?"
"You don't listen to instructions very well, do you?" she darkly growled.
"You didn't have to call me. I just had a quick question. All you had to say was 'yes' or 'no'."
"And I kindly told you, no less than three times, that I was busy! What part of that don't you understand?! How would you feel if I texted you during a Turf War?!"
"...I'd throw the match so I could talk to you," he feebly answered.
"Really? Well, the next time you text me and I'm in the middle of fighting Octarians, I'll be sure to stop what I'm doing and text back," she spat. "I mean, I'll be dead before I can send it, but hey, priorities, right?"
"Orange, don't be like that. I just—"
"Wanted to ask me something, I know, so what is it?"
"Well, it's about the interview... And about Lucas... I knew you were busy, so I didn't wanna say anything earlier, but..."
"Yeah?" she flatly asked, already knowing where he was going with this.
"During the first act, I noticed he was wearing this, uh, hat... "
"So?"
"And this wasn't an issue or anything, but something about it seemed familiar. Like I'd seen it somewhere before... At the Inkvitational..."
"Get it the point already, man. I ain't got all day."
He heaved a sigh, as if it pained him to finish. "...Orange, was that hat you?"
"Yes, and don't bother trying to lecture me, 'cuz I don't wanna hear it. It's in the past and everything worked out, so don't start."
Blue made a subtle, yet clearly disgruntled sound. "...I figured as much. Was hoping I was wrong, but... Orange, listen... I won't lecture you, but I would like it if you heard me out."
She rolled her eyes. "In other words, you're gonna lecture me anyway. In that case, you got five seconds."
"I'm not mad at you for breaking out to go to the Inkvitational... A little disappointed, but not mad. ...Although, you really shouldn't have taken advantage of Lucas like that."
Orange was just about to hang up when her eyes went wide in fury. "...Excuse me?"
"Going out so soon after the accident risked your body destabilizing, which might've been fatal. I know you wanted to go, but tricking Lucas into taking you was really uncool. That could've been a disaster for everyone..."
Try as she might to contain it, the girl began teeming with rage. "...Are you... serious right now...?"
Sensing her impending fury, Blue tried to backpedal. "Like I said, I'm not mad and I forgive you, but—"
"YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!" she roared. "AND JUST WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I'M THE ONE WHO DECIDED TO BUST OUTTA THERE?!"
Blue fell silent. "..."
"WELL?!"
"I said I forgive you..."
"YOU'RE NOT ANSWERING MY QUESTION!"
"..."
Seeing Blue was too spineless to explain himself, Orange continued her tirade. "DID YOU EVER STOP TO THINK THAT MAYBE—JUST MAYBE!—I ACTUALLY DIDN'T TRY TO BREAK OUT ON MY OWN?!"
"...Orange, please calm down. It's been such a nice day for all of us. Let's end it on a good note."
"WHY?! SO YOU CAN BERATE ME OVER THINGS I DIDN'T EVEN DO?! DID ME COMING BACK TO HELP WITH THE STAGE MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?!"
"Of course it did, and we're all very grateful you had a change of heart—"
"SO I GUESS BY 'GRATEFUL', YOU MEAN GRATEFUL WHEN YOU'RE NOT ASSUMING SHIT WITHOUT EVEN TRYING TO GET ALL THE DETAILS!"
"That's not what I'm saying..."
"YES, IT IS! Y'KNOW WHAT?! JUST BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING I MIGHT'VE DONE DOESN'T MEAN I ACTUALLY DID IT! AND NOW THAT I'M CALLING YOU OUT, YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE BALLS TO DEFEND YOURSELF...?!" Orange stopped, horrified as her voice cracked. Defeated, she scowled. "...You know what..? Fuck you. Just... fuck you..."
"...Orange?" On the other end of the line, Blue's expression twisted into one of confusion. She sounded like she was about to cry...
"...Don't call me anymore 'til get your shit together and stop blaming me for everything..." managed the unstable girl. "I don't wanna see you, I don't wanna talk to you, I don't even wanna think about you. Just... Just leave me alone..."
Blue snapped back to reality. "No, wait! Orange, hold up! Where are you?! We can talk this out! I—!"
Orange hung up, promptly turning her phone off afterwards. As the device powered down, the wallpaper taken at the Inkvitational faded into nothingness, leaving the blank screen to reflect her somber face.
She stood there looking at herself for a moment before slowly pocketing the phone. Gnawing her lip, she raised a hand to cover her mouth as she stewed in anger. Instead of her frustration growing into uncontrollable rage, it fizzled out into melancholy. A few sniffles later, her eyes were burning with tears.
Alone and vulnerable, she began to quietly sob.
"Orange?"
Lifting her head, she glanced over to see Lucas step out of the green room. There was no doubt he'd heard her yelling, probably waiting until it was over to check on her.
She said nothing, but her glistening eyes told him all he needed to know. He stepped closer, but not too close, leaving her enough space to decide on whether she wanted to close the gap or not.
The Inkling chose to do just that.
Lucas lifted an arm to console her like before, only for Orange to turn into a squid and suddenly Super Jump to him. He scrambled to catch her with both arms as she plopped her inky body into his grasp, burying her face into his shirt. Her trust more than earned, she wrapped her tentacles around his midsection and squeezed.
She tried coming up with an excuse to explain her tears for when Lucas inevitably asked, but he never did. He didn't seem worried about what made her cry, or even how to get her to stop; he just wanted to be there for her.
"Thank you, Squirt. Thank you so much. I..." she sniffled, shaking her head in disgust. "...D-dammit. Fucking crying all over again..."
He stroked her gelatinous head with an understanding smile. "Remember what I said earlier? If you need to cry, then cry. Suppressing one emotion leads others coming out at the worst times. It makes you say or do things that you really shouldn't have and can have devastating, everlasting effects."
While Orange had no mouth to smile with, her eyes softened to show contentment. "...Going through so much left you with a lot of wisdom, huh?"
He gave a halfhearted laugh. "You don't know the half of it."
"Well... Thanks for sharing it with me. I could've used a lot of it years ago, but better late than never, I guess."
"Sure."
Closing her eyes, Orange nestled into Lucas' chest again, spreading the rest of her tentacles out to affectionately wrap around his arms. Much like her primal ancestors, she wanted to latch onto him like a hapless fish and never let go. Patient and understanding as always, Lucas said nothing about her sudden clinginess.
The pair stood like this for a few moments, comforted by each other's warmth and the ambiance of faintly murmuring staff in the distance. After a bit of quiet reflection, Lucas looked down at the squid. His face was sheepish and coy, as if he was about to ask something embarrassing.
"Hey, Orange?"
"Yeah?"
"Um... If it's not too much trouble, could we still go to McDonald's?"
Orange lifted her head with a surprised expression, making Lucas immediately regret asking.
"I-I mean...! Only if you're feeling up to it! We don't have to if you don't want to! It's not—!"
She stopped him with a gentle tentacle to the nose, much like a shushing finger. "I thought you'd never ask."
Slithering out of his grasp, she plopped onto the floor before returning to her human form. Once reformed, she flashed a radiant smile, her hair turning a soft pink. Lucas reacted immediately.
"Ooooh!" he crooned. "You're so beautiful!"
"W-what?" Orange recoiled in shock, startled by his choice of words.
Lucas excitedly pointed. "Your hair! It got so pretty and pink all of a sudden! What emotion is that?"
"...O-oh. Y-you mean the color..." Orange wasn't sure if she was more relieved or disappointed by her misinterpretation. "Uhhhhhhhhh..."
Her eyes danced around on the floor as she struggled to think of an answer. There was no way she'd tell him pink meant affection... Feeling the stress start to get to her, she snapped her head back up, cheeks hot and flushed.
"I-it means I'm hungry!" she blurted out in a panic. "Y'know...! Like...! M-my ink is getting low, so it's a warning that I need to eat!"
"Oh no!" Darting back into the green room, Lucas quickly returned with a plate from the catering table. "Here! Have this Schwoofle to regain your strength!"
Orange's lie had majorly backfired, her ink brightening to a vivid fuchsia from Lucas' confused act of kindness. First off, he'd mispronounced Schwaffle as "Schwoofle". Second, what he'd actually grabbed was a Crusty Seanwich. Third, his genuine fear and eagerness to help out was beyond precious. Just when she thought he couldn't get any sweeter, he did. He was too pure, too good for this world.
"Y-y'know what?" she stammered, flustered by her emotions. "L-let's just go to McDonald's. I'm hungry, you're hungry, so we can just chow down there..."
"Are you sure? I don't want you to overexert yourself."
"N-nah, I'm good, fam. You wanted me to take there anyway, so, uh, no time like the present, right?"
"Is there one nearby?"
"Yeah, there's one right down the road. We can just walk there." Still seeing a tinge of fear on Lucas' face, she added, "It won't take long, promise."
"Well... Okay," relented the blonde. Returning to the green room, he put the Crusty Seanwich back, returning with the scribble-filled notepad and worn-down pencil. "Let's go, then."
Orange gestured to the items. "Whatcha bringing those for?"
Lucas' lips curved into a shy smile. "If you don't mind, could we continue our teaching session when we get there? I think I'm starting to get the hang of this Inklish language."
The Inkling was initially taken aback by his request, but softened immediately. "Of course," she gently answered. "Anything for a winner."
"Winner?" Looking down, Lucas shyly shuffled about. "Well, u-um..."
He suddenly found his arm snagged, causing him to look up at a grinning Orange. "Oh, stop 'well, um'ing already and let's get outta here!"
Laughing heartily, she eagerly tugged on him. While hesitant at first, Lucas eventually gave in to her urges of, "C'mon, c'mon!" and "Let's go, let's go!"
Gleeful of his company, Orange turned on her heels as she led him down the hall like an ecstatic tour guide. Lucas noticed her hair turn from fuchsia to yellow again, signifying happiness.
This made him happy, too.