The activity around Inkopolis square intensified as dinner time approached and everyone tried to get in just one or two more matches before having to head home or find some other means of sustenance. Just outside the square, emerging from a small, nondescript door of an equally nondescript office building, were Pearl and Marina.
"Ah, it's good to get out early for a change," Pearl said as she stretched. It had been a while since they had left for home with the sun still so high. Indeed, although the sun was well past its apogee it had yet to take on the colour and tone of evening.
Marina covered a yawn. "I'm glad too. I didn't get much sleep last night."
"So I heard," Pearl said, disapproval oozing through her every word. "Marina, I'm not gonna' act like your mom, but as your partner and best friend, I'm saying you should take better care of yourself."
Marina smiled apologetically and placed a hand atop Pearl's head. "Sorry, Pearlie. I promise, I'll try to get more sleep tonight."
"I'll hold ya' to that." Pearl grinned and grasped Marina's hand. "Come on. We're off early, we might as well get home." Marina nodded and the two started back towards their condo.
Nobody bothered them as they walked. Although the square was so busy, few people travelled the route between it and the upscale condos and apartments. Even fewer recognized them and those who did offered a simple wave which they both returned.
Pearl let her mantle turn a pleasant, gentle yellow. As much as she loved being a celebrity, sometimes it was nice to just be able to walk home looking and feeling like everyone else. Marina noticed the change and gave her hand a squeeze, telling her she was also enjoying this simple walk home. Amazing how the most mundane things became so treasured when one's life was in the spotlight.
"How do you think Eight is doing?" Marina asked suddenly.
Pearl shrugged. "Dunno. Since Three is the one that asked her out this time she's probably feeling less pressure. Maybe she was able to loosen up enough to have some fun."
Marina touched her top lip thoughtfully. "Maybe. Eight was so happy about it. I hope she really did do what we told her and enjoyed herself instead of coming home early to do chores." She sighed, her tentacles making a motion akin to shrugging. "But that girl is so dutiful and Three would probably praise her for that sort of thing."
"Probably right. We can only hope that she has a good time. I don't have any messages from her on my phone since she said she was on the last bus to Wahoo World."
"Same." Marina took out her phone just to check it again. Pearl raised an eyebrow as Marina's face adopted a worried frown before she put it away.
"What is it?" Pearl asked.
"Nothing. Just a little anxious, I guess."
Pearl laughed. "What have you got to be anxious about? We both want things to work out for Eight but worrying about it isn't going to get us anywhere. We won't find out anything until we get home, at least. I think if she's not there, then things went well. Come on, just relax."
"Trying," Marina said, her voice rising in pitch. "I wonder if I'm starting to develop my maternal instincts. I am eighteen."
Pearl mantle flickered red once. Marina had become pretty protective of Eight since her arrival on the surface and the two of them acting like sisters was old news. Pearl didn't know anything about how Octarians developed compared to Inklings, but she doubted Marina was only starting to develop maternal instincts. Pearl was pretty certain she had them since they met.
"Nah, you're just a worry wart." Pearl teased. "Instead of being nervous about Eight, why don't we focus on what we're going to do for dinner? If Eight's not going to be there to cook for us, that means we have to feed ourselves." She grinned. "'Course, we could always just order out."
Marina's beautiful smile returned, her eyes twinkling. "Actually, I was thinking we could make dinner together. It has been a while and I've honestly missed it."
Pearl found herself smiling along with her and she felt a sense of nostalgic longing. Back when they had first started living together in Pearl's old studio apartment, it was while they tried cooking together that they learned the most about each other. Talking about their ideas for new jams, about what Marina thought of all the new experiences she had each day, arguing- lots of arguing. Some of their most intense confrontations had been about dinner or breakfast.
But you sure learn a lot about someone when you argue with them a lot. 'Course, sometimes you have to get close to someone to argue with them. Eight hadn't realized that yet, obviously, but she would eventually. Oh, to be a teenager again.
Pearl felt her arm go taught as Marina came to a halt and she had to backpedal. When she looked up at her, wondering what was wrong, she noticed the concerned expression on Marina's face.
"Isn't that Three?"
Pearl followed Marina's gaze and squinted, letting her cross-shaped pupils narrow her vision to a single small point barely the size of a pinprick and focus on it. "Yeah, it is Three, and she's… carrying Eight on her back!"
They looked at each other, startled and worried, then they broke into a run. Pearl, despite her much shorter legs, managed to keep up with Marina for the duration of the sprint but by the time they reached Three, she was out of breath.
"What happened?" Marina cried.
Eight hung limply onto Three, her arm draped over her shoulders while Three held her up by her legs. Eight's dark skin was flushed darker and her eyes had an odd bleariness to them.
"It's my fault," Three said in her rough voice. "I didn't restrain her."
"Restrain her from what?" Marina was checking Eight over, running her tentacles delicately through her fingers and peering into her eyes as if checking for concussion.
Pearl had recovered enough to at least stand up relatively straight and met Three's eyes as the younger inkling looked directly at her and said, "Wahoo Flu."
Pearl blinked a few times, frowning, before her brain completed the pathways linking the phrase to her memory. "Ah, okay, that makes sense." She managed a weak but earnest smile of reassurance for Marina. "She just tired herself out going on too many crazy rides too fast. People who aren't used to it get what's called 'Wahoo Flu.' She's just worn out."
Pearl saw Marina's eyes refocus and then her worried expression morphed into an angry frown which she directed at Eight. The younger octoling looked away like a guilty toddler.
"I can walk," she squeaked. "But she insisted on carrying me. It is not as bad as it looks."
Marina crossed her arms. "Well, fortunately we're almost home. I can take her from here, Three."
"I'm alright," Three said. "You've had a long day too, and it's not far."
Pearl smirked as she saw Eight all but bury her face into Three's back. Poor girl was probably dying of embarrassment, but she was also probably a little happy about being carried by her crush. It was adorable.
"Well, let's go," Pearl said. "No sense having you carry her if we're just gonna' stand here."
"But you're walking when we get into the building." Marina lectured.
Eight mumbled a "yes ma'am", and then they resumed their walk.
"Did you manage to go on most of the rides at least?" Pearl asked.
"She tried," Three answered instead. She left it at that. For Pearl, and indeed, most denizens of Inkopolis, that alone was enough to understand what had happened. Pearl elaborated for Marina and Eight's benefit.
"Wahoo Flu usually happens because people new to amusement parks try to ride all the rides in one day without resting in-between. Even for people who are used to it, it still sometimes happens if they push themselves too hard."
"Still nothing compared to the metro," Eight mumbled.
"Don't pull that card on us," Marina said crossly. "You don't hear Three and Four comparing their fight against DJ Octavio to everything, do you?"
Pearl laughed. "Maybe you should have fought him instead of Four, Marina. You're a way better DJ. You wouldn't have just beaten him, you would have humiliated him."
Marina and Eight both grimaced and averted their gazes. Pearl frowned and looked at Three who didn't meet her gaze. Pearl huffed, annoyed.
"Fine, leave me out of your exclusive little club. See if I care."
Marina let out a small whine. "Pearlie, please, don't be like that."
Pearl said nothing. Honestly, she wasn't as bothered by it as she made it sound. She knew everyone had their secrets. Even so, it still hurt a little to be kept of this weird little loop. Besides, how threatening could an abusive DJ be if a couple of kids were able to take him down?
They arrived at their condo and Marina had Three deposit Eight on the ground once they were in the vestibule.
"Why don't you join us for dinner," Marina offered. She stole a quick look at Pearl, and she shrugged. She had no issue with it, but she doubted Three would accept. Indeed, Three looked a bit taken aback. "Just as thanks for bringing Eight home and taking care of her."
Three frowned, glanced at Eight, who was looking away shamefully, and then back at Marina. She spoke a handful of words which Pearl could only guess was Octese. That was another thing that kept her out of the loop: she didn't speak the Octarian language. She had no idea how or why Three knew it so well.
Whatever it was she said brought a very pleasant smile to Marina's lips and her eyes glittered in that way they did when she felt touched in a positive way.
"Be that as it may, I insist."
Three's expression changed very little but there was one loop Pearl was in that the octolings weren't: she could understand not only Tuk'yan, but also the other subtleties in inkling body language, including the kind that only appeared in the mantle. The way Three's was shifting just under the surface clearly showed she was thinking hard, and then the tone of her mantle lightened ever so slightly when she reached her decision.
"I accept. I have some things I'd like to ask you anyway."
Pearl was intrigued. She had been hoping for some quality and much missed bonding time with Marina but this dinner might at least manage to be interesting. What could she want to ask them about?
"Wonderful." Marina buzzed them in and they waited for Three to sign in at the guard office before joining them in the elevator. She then held Eight steady as the elevator began its ascent and then when it stopped.
Marina opened the door to the penthouse and held it open for all of them.
"I hope you don't mind if Pearl and I cook. We were looking forward to it tonight and Eight doesn't look like she's in the shape for it anyway."
Three pulsed grey and then, catching herself, she simply said, "I've had her cooking."
Pearl facepalmed. Three would have been better off not saying anything. Seriously, girl, learn some cursed tact. Fortunately, Eight didn't seem to have noticed. Head hung low, she ambled like the undead to a couch and plopped down, shifting to lay on her side with a soft groan.
Marina vanished into her room to change and Pearl did the same. She chose a simple t-shirt and sweatpants. Probably more casual than someone should wear when entertaining a guest, but she doubted Three would care and after a long day, she needed some comfort.
She beat Marina back to the kitchen and found Three sitting on the other couch, staring off into space. The subtle shifting and rippling of her mantle indicated she was deep in thought. The slight glance she received, however, indicated she was still aware of her surroundings.
Pearl displayed a medium blue, telling her to relax, and then went to the fridge.
Funny how I always seem to use Tuk'yan more when Three is around, even subconsciously.
"What to make?" She said to herself as she opened the fridge's double doors. Unlike when it had been just her and Marina, it was fully stocked. Having a third person to look after the home and run errands while they were busy really was becoming quite handy. It meant they had a lot of options as far as what they could make for dinner.
She glanced to her right as Marina finally appeared in the kitchen. A black sweater with white jagged designs and maroon leggings. Pearl ignored the raised eyebrow at her own choice of clothing and moved a little to the side to let Marina see into the fridge as well.
"Should we have fish?" She suggested. "I'm pretty sure we have some."
"With cream of mushroom?"
Marina shrugged. "Why not? As long as it's not salad dressing."
Pearl rolled her eyes. "I only did that once as an experiment. Be thankful I didn't buy the swordfish."
"Once was enough." Marina grinned and patted Pearl on the head in that condescending way she hated. The worst thing about being so close to someone was that they knew how to get under your skin. Again and again and again.
Just wait till you reach this stage, Eight.
Dinner preparations proceeded quickly from there. Marina worked on the fish while Pearl got the cream of mushroom ready. About halfway through, Three entered the kitchen area, asking for a glass of water. Marina kindly directed her to where the glasses were kept and Three took her drink back to the living room.
Pearl watched her go and smiled a little when she saw Three hand the full glass to Eight.
"Eight," Marina called. "Come set the table."
"I can do it," Three offered.
"No." Marina was using her firm, big sister tone. "I appreciate the offer but Hachiko's doing it."
From any other teenager, Pearl would have expected a long and annoyed groan, perhaps some mumbled curses, but Eight dutifully rose, a little shaky at first, and did as she was told.
"You sure that's a good idea?" Pearl whispered to Marina.
"She needs to be up and moving to recover, now that she's had a little time to rest. Besides, this will help her remember not to do this in the future."
If you touch the stove and you get burned, you're less likely to do it again. Pearl wasn't sure she agreed with that philosophy, but Hachiko was Marina's charge, even if Pearl was technically her legal guardian.
Despite her weariness, Eight set the table perfectly. Not a single plate, utensil, or napkin was out of place. Her maid training had made setting the table second nature.
When she was done, Marina told her to wash up.
Eventually, they all sat down at the table and, after a quick blessing and giving of thanks, they dug in.
"So, fallout aside, how was Wahoo World?"
Pearl directed the question at Eight, who was slow to attack her meal.
"It was fun." Eight replied. Had she been in better condition she would probably have yelled it out. "More fun than I could have imagined. The first ride was one shaped like an umbrella with chairs dangling from it."
Pearl nodded. Three most likely had led the way, getting her to start with the gentler rides and working their way up.
From there, Eight reiterated her experience. All the rides she had been on, only some of which she could remember the names of and had to rely on Three's knowledge for those little details, but Pearl also joined in, making a game out of guessing what ride Eight was referring to.
When Eight's story trailed off, Pearl figured that must have been the point she succumbed to overexertion. She pretty much knew where things had gone from there anyway.
"So? Did you two kiss at the top of the ferris wheel?"
Eight jolted and her eyes went wide in panic. "Eh? What? No, we just - we talked. Yes, that was all. We talked."
Three, by contrast, hardly reacted at all. There was a rippling of ruddy-brown but that was all. Her stoicism seemed to calm Eight down as well; although, the octoling's cheeks were blue. Clearly something juicy had happened on that ride.
Pearl shrugged and returned to her dinner. It came out pretty well and it was nice to make a meal together with Marina again.
Marina cleared her throat. "So, Three, what question did you want to ask us?"
"And it better not be one aleady covered by our FAQ," Pearl added. "You can find that online."
More maroon ripples and a slight narrowing of the eyes but she said nothing verbally or otherwise before launching into her question, looking directly at Pearl.
"You are no longer protected by child privacy protection, right?"
Pearl arched an eyebrow. This was not at all the direction she expected the conversation to go. "Ye-es," Pearl answered slowly. "I lost it when I turned twenty, same as everyone else."
"Then, since you are a celebrity, how did it affect your life?"
Pearl tapped her fork against her plate, thinking. How had it affected her life? She didn't really live any differently now than she did before, and she had met Marina when she was nineteen. What did it matter to Three though? She wasn't exactly living in the spotlight. And then it clicked.
"Ah, right, Callie and Marie are turning twenty next year."
Three winced and the underlying colour of her mantle turned slightly reddish. She probably hadn't expected Pearl to figure that out, at least not so quickly.
Pearl flashed grey. "I guess it didn't affect me as much because I've kinda' been in the spotlight since I hatched. Part of being in the Pygmy family."
Three pulsed green. "And how did you learn to deal with it? Did you have people following you around to protect and watch you?"
Pearl groaned and lolled her head back as she said a long, drawn out yes. "We always had servants going with us everywhere. Couldn't so much as go out onto the front lawn without someone watching us." She grunted. "I hated it. Made my home feel more like a prison sometimes."
"It was only because they cared about you, Pearlie."
Pearl glanced at Marina and huffed. "I know, but - ugh, I don't deal with confinement well." She heaved a sigh and looked back at Three. The girl's mantle was rippling a lot now, no doubt processing all the information and running all kinds of scenarios through her little head.
But why is she asking this kind of thing? On Callie and Marie's behalf? No, they'd know exactly what to expect; Three might not, but why would she want to know in the first place? Is she afraid that hanging out with them so much will pull her into the spotlight too?
Three's alias, Maiya, was a highly skilled turf war player, one of the best in terms of pure statistics. Her particular stats were often reiterated on their news segment. All such skilled players suffered at least some harassment from the gossip media when they reached twenty. In Pearl's opinion, they should extend the law to at least twenty-five, by which time most girls had already finished second puberty.
But then those gossipers wouldn't be able to track growth progress, would they? She snorted inwardly.
Three came out of her thoughts and spoke again. "What kind of things might happen to them? They already have to keep their guard up a lot. People always trying to sneak photos."
Pearl nodded. "Yeah, but nudie photos are not allowed prior to twenty, or sex tapes, or things like that. There are also less severe punishments if you're caught home invading." She grinned. "Unless you do what Marina did and break their arm."
Marina flushed. "He spooked me from behind. It was instinct."
Pearl laughed and patted Marina's arm. "I wasn't making fun, 'Rina, I was praising you."
Three crossed her arms and her mantle turned a deep, contemplative blue.
"And dating?" Three asked.
Pearl nodded. "Yup, your whole love life is put up for everyone to see. People ask about your relationships, your breakups, who's fault it was, things like that. Once you're a public figure, nothing's private anymore, even if it is by law. Sometimes you can deal with it but other times it gets to you. It's not an easy thing to live with."
She heaved a sigh. "It can create a lot of drama in a group though. People's social lives competing with their professional ones, getting your schedules to line up, things can get heated."
"But there are things that help," Marina chimed in. "Sharing your burdens with someone else, helping each other, supporting each other." Pearl felt Marina's fingers intertwine with hers under the table. "Sometimes you need someone else to believe in you, someone who doesn't care what the tabloids print, because they know who you really are."
Understanding dawned in Three's eyes, her mantle making waves of guard red against the backdrop of blue. Whatever Three had been weighing in her mind, that red indicated she had come to some resolution.
She bowed her head to the two of them, displaying waves of blue and green, sincere gratitude.
Pearl waved it off with a gentle pulse of slightly darker green. "Don't mention it." Pearl glanced over at Eight who looked concerned and very confused.
Yeah, this is probably another aspect of surface culture she never knew about. Barnacles, how are Marina and I supposed to explain this?
"Is there a particular reason you asked this?" Marina asked. "If there's something in particular bothering you you're free to talk about it with us."
Three displayed a pulse that quickly shifted from red to violet. "No, sorry, I can't say. You will probably find out soon anyway."
Marina frowned, worry in her eyes. Pearl needed to brighten the mood up.
"Don't worry about it," she said, loudly. "We're just happy to help. Besides, not like it's all bad news, right? You two just had a great day out; you must have some good things to talk about."
Three flashed grey and then looked at Eight. "You could tell them about all the new foods you tried."
Eight blinked. "Huh? Oh! Oh, yes. There were these things called candy apples. They were like regular apples but dipped in stuff called caramel."
Eight went on like that throughout the rest of dinner and even through dessert. Her weariness seemed to have worn off now and even though Three rarely spoke after that, Pearl thought that Eight seemed happy just to have her there.
Three stayed for another hour after dinner; although, the only thing she really said was that her iya was doing well with her eggnancy so far, which was good to hear. As one got older, the risks associated with eggnancy increased.
After that, Three had to leave.
"Don't be a stranger," Marina said. "Feel free to pop in any time."
"Thank you," Three said. "Thank you for dinner. It was very good."
Three sounded like a child reciting words her mother directed her to say. It was actually kind of cute, Pearl thought.
Finally, Three looked at Eight and gave her a simple nod. Eight returned the gesture, and then, Three was gone.
Eight sighed heavily and rubbed her eyes.
"Long day, huh?" Pearl asked grinning.
Eight nodded. "Yes. It was very long indeed." Then she smiled. "But it was all worth it. I think our relationship has progressed."
"And you-," Marina began, her big sister tone coming back into her voice. "Will progress yourself into the bath. It's early to bed for you tonight, Hachiko."
Eight frowned. "But… but Marina, I feel fine now."
"March!"
Eight yelped and then scurried into the corridor like a stung cockroach.
"Sounds like someone else ought to be going to bed early tonight." Pearl said.
Marina grunted. "Don't push me tonight, Pearlie. Please."
"I'm not pushing you; I mean it. You should go to bed early; you're exhausted."
Marina rubbed her eyes. "I suppose I am. I'll have a shower after Eight's done in the bath."
"Or, you could just have one together. It's never bothered you two before."
Marina grimaced. "Maybe, but…"
"Oh, just go." Pearl gave Marian a firm smack on the behind, making the octoling help in surprise. "And make sure you wash behind your ears."
Marina pouted fiercely but she relented and headed to her room to get a change of clothes. Pearl grinned in triumph.
Then she turned and stared out the large windows onto the Inkopolis skyline, the glow of the setting sun reflecting off their glass facades like distant mirrors.
There was one aspect Pearl hadn't mentioned to Three that tended to cause a lot of drama and splitting apart of many groups as they transitioned from teen entertainers to adults, and that was maintaining relevance.
While Pearl sincerely doubted the Squid Sisters would ever be wanting for work, they couldn't continue exactly as they had. While Marie's solo career was varied enough she could maintain a healthy core of fans even as they too transitioned to adulthood, if the Squid Sisters as a unit wanted to stay popular, they would have to find a way to maintain their connection to their audience, and those sometimes turned ugly and backfired.
In larger units, disagreements about the direction the group should take and the varying lengths the members were willing to go to maintain their popularity and relevancy caused fracturing. This would, inevitably, cause the group to break up.
Pearl didn't see Callie and Marie reducing themselves to the degeneracy of all too many past-teen idols, but then, nobody ever did.
Three was probably right to be worried. The road ahead for the Squid Sisters was going to be a rough one.
You better make it through, Pearl thought. You better stay relevant and as popular as you are now. I won't accept our rivals falling. We'll reach you no matter how high you are.
Eight tried not to grumble as she searched through her drawers for some fresh clothing. Since it was late, she should probably wear clothes she could sleep in.
The so-called Wahoo Flu and Marina's harsh tone had been the only blights on an otherwise excellent day. True, there was that incident with that other octoling at the park and her argument with Three, but even that resulted in a huge step forward for their relationship, so it was easy to see them in a positive light.
Eight gathered her clothes in her arms then snatched a towel and washcloth from the hallway closet before entering the bathroom, only to discover the tub already being filled and Marina standing next to it.
Their eyes met and Marina gave her a soft smile. "I thought we could bathe together. We've both had a long day."
Eight blinked and then, without realizing it, she too smiled. Yes, it had been a long and polarizing day. She would leave it and focus on tomorrow instead. And, hopefully, she would discover just what Three meant soon without having to guess.
Author's Notes:
I know people have been clamouring for more Pearl and Marina interactions so that's one of the purposes of this chapter. It also sets up a few other things that will be coming in the future. Plus, I know people like it when Pearl acts like Eight's mom XD.