It was December 23rd in the morning. The day before the inkbath of TarTar's wrath. It was quiet, cold, skin chilling. Keith was still unconscious. There was a transmitter going off in the main room. "Agent 3? 4? Ei-eight? Anyone?" It was Marie's voice.
Skylar lied down in his room seemingly having a conversation with himself before hearing the transmitter going off. He slipped out of bed and walked towards the main room while holding his head. His eyes had bags under them, and his hair was all messed up. He kept quiet.
Grog entered the room, hearing the transmitter- or rather, Marie's voice. Because of this, he searched for the transmitter "H-hello?"
Aria glanced at the transmitter while holding her Autobomb friend, Dave, in her grasp. After the shell that she'd been through, she really needed his comfort before the final battle. Despite this, she didn't ask for any of it. "Agent 3 is here, come in?" She replied to the voice on the other line, her voice faint.
After some time hiding in the garage, Arianna finally had the courage to open the door inside. She didn't want to answer and simply stared at the transmitter instead.
Lola waddled over to the famous agent 3, her greyscale eyes surveying what was happening. "Ms. 3? What's going on?" She asked, only to receive a weary stare from the agent as an answer.
"O-oh! we got a response?!" Callie asked, excited.
"Thank you, 3. You're our hero. We were searching throughout the place and we couldn't find you... we planned on finding someone, but 4 told us that you were safe. We decided to go through the area. We just got back an-"
"IT SMELLS LIKE ROTTING INK SACKS!" Callie interrupted.
"Who the shell is this?" Arianna asked.
Lola turned to Arianna, "Squid Sisters!"
"O-Oh.." Ari fell silent. She still felt awkward after literally attacking them a while ago.
Grog internally fangirled upon hearing the voices. "W-wowie... Y-yea! Where is Squid Sisters, and what happen?
Agent 3 covered her ears when Callie shouted. "What's happening and where's your location?" She questioned.
Skylar raised an eyebrow "The Squid Sisters huh?... Where have you been!?"
"We just left the Square. We've rallied stray citizens to evacuate the city. We heard about the fight. This girl named 'Mistress V' told us what to do," Callie explained.
"Thank you for helping us," Alice walked over to the transmission, "We'll do our best." she shut it off.
Another Transmitter went off from "Off the Hook."
"Ah... Well... O-ok then." Grog searched around the room, hearing the second transmitter. "H-hello?"
Pearl's voice was heard from the transmitter "Anyone there?" She sounded worried, "Where's Keith? What happened to you guys?" She started flooding the group with questions
Marina chimed in. "Pearl, it's alright, but like she said, where's agent 8?"
"This is Mistress V!" Alice responded, "Agent 8's sister! The boy's fine, he'll just be asleep for a few days."
"Hopefully..." Grog scratches his arm a tad.
"A-asleep?" Marina questioned.
Aria looked away staying quiet. She was engulfed with guilt and denial. "I... guess you can say that," Agent 3 finally responded.
"Remember that drone Keith gave you?" Alice quizzed Marina.
"Yes. I still have the drone. L-let me go get it." Marina stepped away from the transmitter, possibly to go grab said drone. Dave gave off a little beeping sound of curiosity, and after a good moment of waiting, Marina soon came back with the drone. "Alright, found it. What do you need the drone for though?" She asked, puzzled.
"Marina! Listen to this carefully. I want you to hide the drone by Squdmas Eve at 12:00 midnight in any part of the Metro," Alice replied.
Marina nodded, now activating the drone. "Understood. I'll see if I can find some good coordinates by sometime tonight." She responded.
"That should be good." Agent 3 commented.
Marina's mood was chipper. "Alright. I'm going to get started on finding coordinates. I'll see you all later. And remember: Don't get cooked?" she asked
"Stay Off The Hook," Aria answered.
"Goodbye!" Marina soon got offline to do her work.
Skylar stood in the background, hiding from the other agents as he spoke to his 'voice.'
Skylar: you gotta help me here...
?: Lê†'§ måkê å Ðêål, ɏê§?
Skylar: Fine...
?: Wê §hårê, £åïrlɏ †hï§ †ïmê. Ì ¢ðñ†rðl whêñêvêr Ì wåñ† †ð, åñÐ ɏðµ §†åɏ ðñ †hê §ïÐêlïñê µñ†ïl ñêêÐêÐ..." He went quiet and looked back at the agents.
Skylar: "We work in unison for the battle, then we'll see."
?: §ðµñЧ gððÐ †ð mê~"
Skylar walked back to the group with a wicked grin and sad eyes. He shot a glance at Grog, his eyes twitched and his grin only grew wider.
Grog makes a grin to try to match Skylar's grin. "So... How friend doing?"
"I'm fine wê'rê gððÐ everything's ålrïgh†," Skylar murmured, then barked, "DON'T TALK TO ME!"
Grog raises his arms in a pathetic defense, being spooked by Skylar "Alright, friend not have to shout at grog!" He pathetically whimpered.
"Oh boy, I better get you out of here, son." Alice dragged Skylar by the ear and tossed him in his room. She came back rubbing her hands, exhausted.
Alice sighed, her eyes inkshot. "You! Octoling girl!"
Arianna twirled her tentacles, spaced out. "Hm? What is it?"
"How close were you to Keith?"
"I mean... not that close, I guess..." Arianna mumbled.
"It's your choice to fight, run away or protect Keith. I'm not your mom, I'm Skylar's." Alice demanded Arianna.
"Okay, okay... I-I'll consider!" Arianna huffed, folded her arms. Arianna headed over to Grog, looking a tiny bit worried. "You good? I heard Skylar shouting at you..."
"Y-yea... grog ok... But, friend is bit... easier to anger," Grog mumbled, "Something might be wrong."
She patted Grog's back gently, almost knocking him over. "Hey, hey, he'll be fine." She folded her arms then stood there awkwardly.
Grog flinches instinctively. "A-alright... grog trust person..." Grog gave a pitiful look. "Does friend know what grog can do to help?"
"Unfortunately not... and I still don't know whether I should fight with the Agents or not..." Arianna admitted.
"Ah. Well... Grog might not have the big smarts... But grog thinks it would be good idea to look at pros and cons of fighting."
"I guess..." she mumbled, pondering.
Grog pats her back. "Well, it ultimately your decision." Grog gave her a warm smile. "Whatever friend decide, grog sure it will be good choice."
She seemed nervous, "I'm scared about making the wrong decision..."
Grog sighed, defeated. "Well... You make it this far, right? You make decision to run away from DJ, which was good, right? Follow heart, and it not steer friend wrong! Grog read that on magazine once."
"I still miss DJ," She admitted quietly.
"I don't have much advice... But... Grog want friend be happy." He sighed once again. "Sorry grog not able fix problem."
"I-It's okay..." she stuttered. "I should probably get more friends too..."
Grog made a robotic bleep. "A... Are we friends?"
"Yeah... I mean... you're another Octarian," She answered, shrugging.
Grog's face was beaming as he hugged his new friend. "Hooray!" Grog giggled like a child.
She gave a side-smile, hesitant but sincere. "I mean, it's a start for making friends..."
"So, what..." He blanks out, "What friends do? Grog... Grog not have many friends.
"I don't know... hang out..?" She mentioned, inviting.
"Alright!" Grog had a big goofy grin on his face "Where hang out"
"Where do you wanna hang out at?" Aria sked.
Grog stops for a moment, puzzled. He raises his finger. "Grog have no idea!"
They soon noticed as they were thinking, that Tina was training with her roller, ready for anything in the hours to come, her entire routine was decent, and her moves were clean. It was much better than how she used to be. The two puzzling Octarians finally had an idea. "Practice? I've only ever used the Octo Shot," Arianna commented, "Maybe try something new?"
Grog nodded. "That good idea! Let's go then!" His excitement grew.
She grinned and rolled her eyes"C'mon."
Curious, Kris decided to call someone. Someone close to him. That inkling girl was practically family to him, to his luck, that girl picked up. "Hello?"
"Hi, Kara!" He greeted.
"O-Oh! OHH! SHIT HI!" she hesitated, "I heard about what happened. I was evacuated a bit ago by the Squid Sisters. I hate to leave the market to fall, but I just hope things get better. So. Squidmas is coming, yes?"
"Mmhmm? Yeah?"
"Well once this hell is over, maybe I send some gifts over for Squidbeak, ya?" Kara asked Kris.
"Yeah that sounds fantastic," Kris sighed, "I miss you, Kara."
"Don't get fucking mopy! I'm your cousin, not your family!" She sassed, "Anyway please, win for us okay?"
"OH? You want me to win? Ohhh shit!"
"Shiiiiiit!" Kara howled, hanging up.
Kris pondered from all that was unraveled. He shook his head, believing that Kara would be alive. She was a strong girl after all. He thought about how she could help, but she's gone already. He noticed Dusk resting well, as Alice held a note over his face and planting it on top of his hat. He stepped over to the kitchen. His priority is His and Skylar's daughter at the moment.
Hiding for about 3 hours, Skylar roamed around the HQ until bumping into Kris, who was feeding Celia, he looked down and held his head again, "Sorry about that..."
Kris almost dropped his E-Liter and a tiny plate of food for Celia, barely catching both. "Yeah, it's fine." He noticed Skylar holding his head, "You alright?"
"... I could be doing better to be honest" Skylar looked up at Kris, towering over Skylar. "hey can I like... Talk with you, preferably in private?"
"Uh... I guess we can talk? And hope ya get better." Skylar grinned at Kris before taking his hand and leading him to his room, Celia shrugged it off and ate.
"Soo... What are we gonna talk about?"
"...Look, the big fight is gonna come up soon and there was something I wanted to get off my chest" Skylar admitted.
"Oh?"
"You see I'm just like, really scared about everything a-and I'm afraid I'll let everyone down. We're all probably gonna die and I'll just be there, cold and alone"
"Hey hey hey! Don't speak like that! You're not gonna let us down, and none of us are gonna die!" Kris insisted
Skylar's eyes were glassy and welled up with tears. "It's just... I'm not a good person, I'm massively flawed and I'm just scared... We're all gonna be forgotten one day and I just want to leave something behind for people to follow, y'know?... Not a legacy or anything, but just a good story that people can look back on... But now with things coming up so quickly, I don't know what to do..."
Kris didn't know how to respond at that point. Rubbing his arms he could do nothing but listen.
Skylar held his head and started weeping. "I've been lonely for so long! Everyone else is so calm about this, and I'm over here slowly losing my mind! I don't know what to do anymore! My happiness is just gone, and it's been replaced with nothing but fear! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have unloaded all this shit onto you, BUT I CAN'T HOLD IT IN!"
He patted Skylar on the back, "...Well... I don't know how to respond to that, because, you know, I'm not really a good person to talk to about stuff. But, all I can really say is, this will be over soon. I'm sure everything will work out in the end. I'm sure your happiness could be restored."
Skylar hugged Kris tight, and after a while, he stopped crying. Kris patted Skylar on the back some more, kinda clueless on how to help people like this. One thing he did know however, was to be there for a friend in need, especially his best friend.
"Kris? Promise me something?"
"Hmm?"
"Promise me you'll look after Celia with me? After the battle, that is?"
"I'll promise you that, Skylar."
Skylar, now feeling that the situation got awkward, pecked Kris' cheek and looked away. Kris was paralyzed with emotions by the surprise of that peck. "I guess there's something else I should tell you..." A small blush formed on his face.
"Uhhuh, what's that?" Kris asked, was still frozen.
"Kris, buddy, broski... I've liked you for a really long time now... Actually, more like loved you," Skylar confessed, "We've taken such good care of the kid, and we've been friends since we went into the academy, and I grew feelings the moment we graduated and became agents."
Kris was trying to find a way to respond. After all, they've gone through, he wasn't sure. Of course, he loved him back, so naturally, he responded with, "Skylar... while I appreciate the feelings... I'm not ready for a relationship thing- if you know what I mean."
Skylar went silent and let go of Kris, he walked out of his room and just left Kris there while finding a hiding spot to cry in.
Right after Skylar bolted out, Kris pitifully reached out to him. "I'm sorry."
Alice trotted through the halls and creaked the door open through Yuri's guest room. Yuri was sitting in a chair. Thoughts streamed through Yuri's head before he finally looked over at Alice with a worried look on his face.
"Are you alright?" Alice asked.
"I need to admit something? I'm scared," Yuri murmured, defeated. After a harsh pause, he raised his voice assertively. "We might all die, The runt's fucking lost it, Inkopolis is in ruins, and TarTar is actually winning!"
"TarTar's winning, but we're not AI," Alice countered, "We're free cephalopods, with racing thoughts and moral full of platinum."
"Well yes! But my point still stands! TarTar is stronger than ever, and he basically has an army at his command while we're just cephalopods! That's it!" Yuri protested.
"I don't care if we're just cephalopods. I know what he's capable of. I've dealt with him more than I wanted to, and it was worth it, why? Because I learned his weakness~" Alice informed. "We're all fighting for something. The Squidbeak Platoon fights for honor, I fight for no other than myself, That octoling fights for her own survival, and that Octostamp fights for his freedom. What will you fight for?" Alice asked him.
Yuri grew quiet before answering Alice's question. "If you want an honest answer, fine. I never said this to anyone, and I never will again, but I'll admit it. I fight for my new family: Skylar, you, Remus- we've always been there for each other, and even though I don't say anything a and things fell apart. Skylar ran away first. Remus lost himself in the metro, and you just... You got sanitized before my eyes. Tartar has taken everything away from me, I just got everyone back. I can't lose you again, Alice. I can't lose anyone again."
"Don't be a snowflake." Alice scolded, "It's a losing battle, yes, but the war isn't over."
"Using my own words against me huh?... Alright, fine." Yuri gave Alice a tight squeeze. "Just promise me you'll be safe during the battle... Please?"
Alice thought for a moment, then replied with "I'm not one for safety, but I guess for your own sanity I will." Alice kissed Yuri on the forehead, "We're going in there, and we're getting out with exactly what we want."
"... Agreed."
After a long day of preparation. Alice stepped over to Skylar's room. "Skylar are you there? I know you're sniffling."
"Yeah come in..."
Once Alice opened the door, she stood there in front of him. "I found this while I was gone in the Metro." It was a lancer sword. "Think of it as a Squidmas present." Skylar toyed around with the blade and smiled as Alice left the room. Skylar sighed, and as he put his sword away, he lied down and rocked himself to sleep.
-
At 11:45 pm, he hears faint sniffles and whimpers in a distant room. The fatherly figure Skylar jolted upward and searched for the source. It was behind Celia's door, he barged open, and a high pitch squeal escaped from his daughter.
"Shhh it's okay," Skylar hushed, "It's okay."
"Daddy?" Celia whimpered.
"Had a nightmare?" he asked.
Celia nodded. As such, Skylar sat down. "I'm sorry I haven't been around, Celia. You probably prefer your other dad, don't you?"
"No, I just miss you, Dad," Celia admitted, "I heard you crying. Are you okay?"
"Everything's fine... for now," Skylar lied, "Can you sleep on your own?"
"I'm... I'm not sure," Celia mumbles.
"...I never really had parents, Celia, just Yuri," Skylar started, "but there was one time I snuck into his room, and I noticed some diary entries in his room. I noticed a poem, and I memorized it, and... It was a song soon after."
"Oh?"
"I sing it to myself, every time I have a nightmare," Skylar admitted, "That embarrassing, ya?"
Celia didn't respond, she just laid down, still shivering.
"Ya know what? Screw it, I'll sing it for you," Skylar grumbled.
"O...okay." She whimpered.
Skylar huffed, then starting singing:
"Goodnight my angel time to close your eyes, and save these questions for another day. I think I know what you've been asking me...
"I think you know what I've been trying to say, I promise I will never leave you. And you should always know wherever you may go, no matter where you are... I will never be far away
"Goodnight my angel now it's time to sleep, there's still so many things I want to say... remember all the songs we sang for you, when we were resting on that golden day...
"And like a boat out on the ocean... I'm rocking you to sleep... the water will be dark and deep, inside this ancient heart, you'll always be a part of me...
"Goodnight my angel now it's time to dream, and dream how wonderful your life will be... Someday your child will cry and if you sing this lullaby... Then in your heart there will always be a part... of... me..."