In her home studio surrounded by her friends, Sally's fingertips move on their own playing the keys on her keyboard while she nods her head happily to the tune of her play; the upbeat progression of the song translated her emotions into sound so easily as though the listener could see an avatar of the song itself wearing a beaming look admiring them. The piano play has their heads moving in rhythm by that avatar's gentle palms pressed against their heads. The seasoned veterans who analyzed her rather than fall victim to the contagious sound were Leor and Mika, who were studying her every movement and dissecting her play, possibly preparing to have her work on some projects in the future.
"Lower the tempo and give me something with a melancholy tone. Still maintain that upbeat rhythm, but find a way to infuse it with something sad that it gives a nostalgic bittersweet feeling." the pop star commanded while Leor examined the bass guitar off to the corner, looking to join in. Even if they done with recording music, Mika always wanted to work on something new, and with an opportune time before her, she saw this as a chance to help Sally hone her skills.
Around that same time, Shiva and Fuchsia were at a special lounge that only members of the high society were allowed entrance. From the dim lighting of the room to the foggy atmosphere that could impair one's vision along with the suffocating aroma of sweet smoke from the hookah pipes where maidens and gentlemen alike used to entertain conversations, this high society hookah lounge welcomed an uncomfortable Fuchsia who kept close to her older sister-surprised to see how unfazed she looked in such an undesirable environment. Prior to entering, Shiva warned her not to inhale too much of the smoke and that they would be staying in a private room away from the smoke. Like a guide in the wilderness, Shiva took her sister by the hands and guided her through the jungle of giddy and spirited people who prowled in the neon darkness, slapping the unwanted hands of those they passed by. They arrive towards the end of the establishment despite the difficult lighting in the room, they opened the velvet curtains to see two brown skinned inkling women: one dressed in white and gold with elegant fashion sense with her face covered by a veil, though it was clear from her gaze that she had been eagerly expecting them and the other, dressed not as impressive as her friend but commanded a beauty unique only to her, so conscious and aware of her surroundings that it looked more like she was looking out for her friend by being here than to have fun.
"You should really decide on a better place to hang out. This isn't good for your lungs…" Shiva said with concern as she gazed at the pair; the less spectacular inkling stood up and welcomed them to have a seat, greeting them with the utmost respect knowing that their appearance in a nation like Squirabia was a novelty.
The elegant inkling in white and gold leaned a little to tease the octoling pair-especially the younger princess who found it really awkward to be in this predicament, "Are you anything like your sister, over here? I've heard you're a sweetheart with an innocent soul. My favorite type." she winked, prompting Fuschia to shrink and nearly hide herself behind a vexed Shiva, who seemed more intolerant rather than her usual lax nature.
"I'd prefer you to leave her alone, your excellency…" Shiva said in a serious tone with a mix of sarcasm when addressing the woman, her hand up like a bar to protect her little sister from her nature.
The other inkling tried to apologize on her behalf since she knew well how uneasy it must feel walking into such an environment for the first time, "I apologize for her rudeness, she's not usually like this-"
"Handaaaaan, don't go apologizing for meeeeee." the Pharaoh whined, slapping her on the shoulder to stop like a little child; Handan refrained from saying anything else, but even Fuchsia and Shiva could tell she was annoyed with her Pharaoh's conduct. "Sheesh, you're no fun. How in the world did you ever get that city boy's attention? You're lucky you share my genes."
Shiva's face softened a little, lowering her guard, "I almost forgot the two of you are cousins…"
Handan shakes her head, "We're related but our spectrum is the complete opposite."
"Aaaaanywaaaaays! Magenta, you're here in Ravia. A surprise I wasn't expecting but when you told I surely was welcome to it. I've been visiting your old lady in the underground, yknow?"
"I'm aware." she said with no lack of seriousness, "But that's a talk for a little later, right now-"
"I heard you stopped playing that little game a while ago. What happened? I found it amusing that even royalty to such a high grade like yourself resigned to playing a commoner's sport. However, I admit that the body of an octoling looks well in anything. So? Will you take my proposal to be my bride when you become of age?"
Fuchsia blushed heavily at the comment and quickly looks at her sister with a reddened face, wondering what her response or reaction would be to such a lofty comment. Shiva's face looked stone cold, her eyes dulled as she raised her chin with a perturbed look. "Don't joke like that, Neffy."
"Come on, you're the only one I allow to call me by that hideous nickname aside from Handan!" she whined, laying on her cousin's lap and falling asleep immediately. "Besides, no man on the planet is worth your time. Wouldn't it be better if the two most beautiful women on the continent came together?"
Handan held up her hand once again to give an apology, "I'm really sorry for her behavior. Whenever she comes to these places, she wraps herself up in the environment a bit too much."
Shiva gave a tiny smirk and sighed shaking her head, aware that the pharaoh she knew would never say all these things so freely. After Nefertina falls asleep in her cousin's lap, Handan takes the chance to address the princesses in her stead. After exchanging light pleasantries with one another, Handan got to business, knowing that the appearance of both princesses on the surface in formal attire meant more than putting in an appearance. Closing the curtains behind them to help drown out the sounds of muffled music and indistinct chatter as well block out any unwanted gazes from other patrons, the attendant left the monarchs to themselves.
"I admit, I'm surprised that she actually went through with it and sent the two of you after all." Handan said stroking the hair of the Nefertina, who laid on her lap fast asleep like a feline in their owner's lap.
"She mentioned us?" Shiva asked, her gaze focused on obtaining as much information.
Handan nods, "She was suspicious of us from the moment she entered the room, which is fair since our reasoning for trying to make an alliance is a fragile one. At most, she only bought the idea of aligning with us because I offered to give leaks about the infrastructure of Inkopolis and how to attack it for their plan."
"Anything else?"
Handan shakes her head, "Some empty words were all she really gave..." she pinches her sleeve and pulls off a little strain of fabric; "This was her priority during the meeting."
Shiva's eyes widen in shock in response to the little bug on her finger, but Handan reassures her that she already deactivated several of them that were found on her and the Pharaoh's clothing when they returned; "From what I gather, they are built with high tech tracking and recording devices in such a miniature scale that it can't be seen by the naked eye. She wanted flies on the wall to observe what everyone was thinking, and probably to see if there are any traitors among us. Are you aware of such powerful tech?"
"She's suspicious of everything..." Shiva mumbled under her breath, not catching the question she asked.
"I can't blame her. She's pulling a suicidal stunt by launching an attack on Inkopolis. Even with the support of the alliance, it's a really close call. Her cautiousness is sensible. If anything, the alliance are the ones to worry. I wouldn't be surprised if she won't stop at just Inkopolis. More than likely she'll try to take Squirabia and Mollusca next."
"But that's not possible. The terrains are so extreme that it'd be difficult to invade."
"Who said anything about invading? In this era, the key to power is through the economy. Control the economy, and you control the state."
"Why else do you think Inkopolis remains at the top aside from their military might?" Nefertina said with a serious gaze, getting up from her cousin's lap; "The main exporter of goods, host of major entertainment spots, it's all linked to that country. Without Inkopolis, this continent would be in shambles."
"If my mother took them down and assumed control, she could rebuild the economy how she wants by either picking up where they left off or tear it all down. This is bad."
One thing that was known by all the countries was that although Octaria lost in the war, they had the superior technology but the inferior leadership. If it wasn't for their flawed execution on the battlefield, they might've very well taken over the world by now. Who knows what kind of punch they packed now after all those years isolated underground and able to work in the shadows. Nefertina cited that as her true reason for entering an alliance with the octos; she just wanted to know what state-of-the-art technology they possessed, but as she imagined, that would be quite difficult to know. As far as they knew, their only real orders were to feed information and wait for her big entrance, only Squirabia, Mollusca and Ixia knew the real details. To alter the mood in the room, Shiva shifted to Octaria and what was currently occurring with the resistance without spilling any vital secrets since there was no telling who might be listening. The plan the resistance had was more than simply intercepting the war machines and deactivating them. They had spent years of research into preparing for this moment. From discovering what type of material is used to create those machines to finding out where they are mined for, the resistance already had an advanced anti weapon for handling the big machines, but the problem was, even then, if the drills ever pierced the ground above them, Octaria would suffer major damage. For that, Candice built an ark to carry her people and would board them on the ark the day of the attack to protect them from harm, however, such a plan provided major flaws. One was an option for protecting the people. Naturally, digging to the surface meant that the ground above would gave in, sending rubble below and essentially destroying Octaria. The destruction of the country was her biggest concern and the main reason why she wanted to speak with the Pharaoh and Handan, believing them to be great allies who could take in the Octarian refugees should Octaria indeed fall, to which Nefertina gladly accepted.
"I see you're hard at work and ready to face the world officially, not as an athlete performing for the entertainment of the masses, but to command as a ruler. You almost have the air of a queen!"
"I have a plan that I'd like tun by you..." she said nervously, wondering if it was the right move to discuss the plan she'd spent months devising that would hopefully change society for the better. On the biggest stage possible where the whole world would be watching, she would finally advocate for the liberty of the octarians. She wanted equality in all forms, and wanted to promote harmony in the new era to follow. If her mother wanted to divide and conquer, she wanted to coexist in peace. From the economy and social issues of Sanyrier to the hopes of Shiva and octaria, the royals in the velvet room shared their opinions and brought their heads together to think of a way to help encourage growth rather than recession among the next generations. The entire time, Fuchsia looked lost listening to the mature conversations, already stunned at how professional her sister looked and in turn finding it inspiring. As the discussion comes to an end with Pharaoh Nefertina, Shiva finally dropped a hint about one of the things that'd given her anxiety ever since she stepped foot in Ravia: the location of the family heirlooms. Shiva hinted about it when she was flying into Squirabia and then again in the car ride by mentioning the gauntlets specifically for Fuchsia. Their next objective before the big battle was to obtain the heirloom, which she let her sister be at ease by reassuring her they were in safe hands.
Dressed to fit in with the public, Maya and Julian donned the garments the locals wore but made sure not to stand out too much. Spending some time browsing the high end shopping plaza close to the site of the conference, they were taking the time to scope their surroundings and mark down any notable points of entry the enemy might try to take, also taking into account the rooftops. While Maya saw this as strictly part of the mission, Julian couldn't help but see it as an opportunity for something else, especially seeing Maya dressed in a cloak and turban that he thought brought out her beauty even more, though she was able to do that with anything she wore.
"Must feel nice to do this again, huh? Us being alone like this..." A bubbly Julian teased walking beside Maya, who kept her gaze forward while Julian wore some round shades on the claim that it would be better in keeping his identity concealed. Maya scoffed and leaned away from him and folded her arms, almost pouting at being stuck with him. Despite her standoffish attitude, he was genuinely happy to beside her again like old times, especially after that talk they had the other day, which was the last time they even spoke. A chance to show how much of an improved man he was and capitalize, he found it exhilarating that he had to work from scratch to earn her love again, just like he did when they were younger and he was the new agent in the crew. "Any store you have a preference for?"
"Anywhere once you're not there." she said shooting a glance up at the towering building they were about to enter; "I really don't like what you're up to. You're acting weird. This is a mission, okay?"
"What's wrong? Worried you'll fall for me again?"
"No. More so that I'll break those stylish shades when I inevitably punch your face in." she said without a change in her tone, walking forward to leave behind.
"...Wait, you think these are stylish? That's a compliment, right? Right!?"
"Shut up!"
The two proceed inside and blend in with the crowds. During this mission, they proceed as planned and do plenty of walking scoping out any openings at the hotel since visiting there would warrant unwanted attention from security. From little food stops to boutiques, Julian did everything in his power to win Maya's heart, though she showed little interest in most of the stops they took since she was mostly concerned with gathering enough knowledge of her surroundings to formulate a plan. However, as they finally finished their gathering and due to the annoyance of Julian pestering her to have some fun, she gave in and followed him around to keep him happy, appreciating the efforts he went to make her smile and even laugh. After some hours pass, Julian is carrying bags and Maya is wearing some fancy jewelry. The two arrive at a floor with an open balcony that had a nice view of the city and stop to take a rest from Julian's spending spree. The view of the other districts of the city all clamped together like a portrait with the faint but visible sight of the desert dunes out on the horizon complete the picture. Maya feels a sense of relief overlooking the city from a view other than the top of the roof, appreciating the median view with people below didn't look like ants, and there was something to look up to than just the sky.
"You're really putting in the effort…" Maya said swishing the earrings Julian bought earlier from side to side, the design of the crescent moons for her two ears wore well with the sun necklace he also bought that now decorated her chest.
Julian looked at her with a relaxed grin, happy that he could see her look so peaceful unlike before where she still carried that luggage known as burden. "You're my sunshine, Maya. I always knew that from the time we first met that if I didn't spend my life with you, I'd regret it." he leans against the railing and looked off into the distance, the light in his eyes gone as he gave it to the sun shining above. "I know I've made mistakes, but what I'd give to see you look at me the way you did back then. It gave me such a different feeling that I can't describe…" Maya kept silence, not even blushing because she knew that Julian was coming from a dark place to reminisce on such things. "In my time of recovery, I've learned to value many things. My health. My relationships. And most importantly, my ideals. The me from back then, that spent his time being a puppet for the higher ups is no more. After all of this is over, can we spend more time together like we did back then? When we took breaks from our missions to enjoy the starry sky, or when we'd adventure the untamed lands of the other world…"
Maya grimaced while rubbing her neck, "Sheesh, where was this guy all those years ago? First you start trying to mature and form a relationship with your kids, then you're helping me, and now this? Honestly, this is a little too much."
"It took some time to grow up, sorry." he beamed with a blush, almost burying his face in his arms to hide his face from her.
Maya snickered, finding it amusing at how innocent he was being. Even though they'd been through so much, it was clear that they both still deeply cared about each other, though it was obvious Maya would never say so. "Well then, maybe I'll answer that request of yours when this is over. For now, I want to protect my children and protect my home. But, I know my fight won't stop here."
"Yeah…" Julian muttered; "The fight extends beyond here. This is only the beginning, but if you're in it for the long run, then so am I."
As the pair stare at the view of Ravia, their son did the same thing while roaming a marketplace down below. The stalls and shops are packed with curious potential customers viewing the products on display, sellers doing their hardest to reel them in and take their cash-especially from the tourists clueless to the outrageous prices. Left, right, and then left again, salesman try their best catch Azule's attention, but thanks to his focus he's able to keep his head forward. However, the denser the crowds got and the louder the environment, the tougher it became for him to keep his awareness. Soon, he found himself lost and swayed by the sea of customers that carried him from seller to seller.
"Looks like you've been carried here by chance!" a girl said in front of a stall that sold clothing apparel from hats and shirts to even endorsed gear, spotting some sports jerseys on display; a newcomer to Ravia, Azule was lost and decided to ask for guidance from her. "Hey, not that I get a closer look at you, you look oddly familiar…"
"Hm?" Azule narrowed his eyes to take a further inspection on the lady's features, noticing that her sea anemone hair and huge framed glasses were indeed familiar, however he couldn't put a name to the face.
The lady holds her jaws trying to remember Azule when an urchin rolling in a wheelchair approaches, "Oh! Spyke, you're back." she said happily, waving to him; Azule's heart dropped, eyes widening as he looked in his direction.
"Spyke…?" Azule muttered catching a glimpse of the orange urchin dressed nicely in traditional garments rolling over to the shop; "Spyke!" he calls happily, getting the urchin's attention immediately.
"Hm? Wait a minute…!" Azule rushes over to hug him, hunching over with a squeeze expressing his happiness in seeing an old friend for the first time in so long. "It's really you! Little blue, Azule! Look at you!" he pointed in surprise as Azule lets go, all to the reaction of Annie giggling at their reunion."I see you've gotten a tad bit taller? Or maybe I'm just sitting down!" he laughed, welcoming him to Ravia, and more specifically, their little shop. When they last saw each other, Spyke told Azule that he would be moving west to start his life anew with Annie and open up their own business; some months later, and here they were making their living on their own. Spyke explained that their current setup wasn't actually their real location and that this was because of the tourist attraction in Ravia, their real shop was a little further away from there but they figured it would do good for their exposure if they opened a stall and sold a limited supply of their products to promote business for their main location. Spyke vowed to show Azule there some time if he wanted, to which Azule accepted, excited to see what Spyke had done with his life. As they watch Annie take in customers, Azule notices that Annie looks a little bit different from when he last remembered her, to which gave him surprising news: Annie is 3 months pregnant with twins.
"WHAT!?" Azule shouted in disbelief, nearly scaring off the customers with his outburst, but luckily Annie was able to save them from the loss.
"I can understand the surprise reaction but please don't do that again." Spyke warned, sensing a dark aura forming around his wife.
Azule apologized, "I'm just amazed. First, you're married and now you're about to become a father...that's amazing!"
Spyke's race reddened a little and he forces a cough to hide his embarrassment, "Well, a lot happened...A-anyway, we should probably do our best to help her. Can you help anyone that comes in? I'll handle register duty with her."
As such, Azule went to work and helped them out and even did his best to advertise the shop and attract more customers with his very loud voice. However, the results were mixed at best. Many customers were turned off by Azule's novice methods to attract them, and the ones that did take the bite ended up purchasing mostly due to the charm of Annie. During his impromptu shift, Azule did his best to learn about the products. He found an interest in the sports sections since the shop had gear from several professional and amateur teams, including some of the high school teams. One in particular that caught his attention was a team with the nickname "Gunners" who looked to be pretty popular among buyers. Even if he was there to focus on the conference, his heart was still focused on the competition. After a wave of customers made an exit with bags full of gear, Azule sprawled out on the floor to catch his breath, receiving a compliment from Annie on his hard day of work and a thanks from Spyke. Closing shop for a break, Annie gave Spyke a nudge to take Azule out for a refreshment before she reopens.. Spyke was unsure of making a guest help out around the shop, but Azule didn't mind-interested in helping out in any way he can. Day turns to evening, and before they knew it-their mission for the day was accomplished. Thanks to Azule's second half performance, they were able to turn the tide and bring in more customers than previously since the crowds got denser in the latter half of the day. Before Azule knew it, he'd gotten several missed calls from his parents who must've been worried sick about him. Bidding them goodnight, Azule was accompanied by Spyke to head to the nearest busy route where Azule walk home safely. Both vowed to spend more time together tomorrow after Spyke mentioned that he wanted to go somewhere with Azule and show him around. When Azule gets to the hotel, he's met in the lobby by both of his parents, who looked like their nerves were on edge. If it wasn't for him responding to their messages and giving them a call after missing them several times, they would've probably searched the entire city for him. Getting hugs from both of them, they pinch his cheeks and make him promise to always keep in contact with them. While it may seem overbearing to an outsider, Azule knew they were only reacting this way because deep down, they truly were scared they might lose him again. Burying his face in their arms, he snuggled in the warmth that'd been absent for so long. Hopefully, he could spend time with them before the day of rapture as well...
