Eight was a bundle of nerves as she got into her dress, her fingers fumbling with the shoulder straps. She was actually glad Pearl insisted she be introduced as herself rather than as her maid to her family. The bundle of anxiety she was right now would not have looked good and there was no way she could have maintained any kind of professional facade. No, she was just too nervous.
Eight examined herself in her mirror, checking the fit of the dress. She had worn it only once before, during her first week on the surface when Pearl and Marina had taken her to dinner at a fancy restaurant as a way of helping her to unwind after her long ordeal in the Metro. Dark blue, the dress came up to just under her arms with thin straps that went over her shoulders. The skirt came down to just above her knees.
Pearl had commented that it was out of season but still looked good on her. Eight wasn't entirely sure what that meant in terms of fashion but she supposed it was getting colder. The idea of changing seasons was still something new to her.
"Eight?" Marina's voice came in from the other side of her bedroom door. "Are you almost ready to go?"
"I think so." Eight picked up the shoes that went with the dress and opened the door.
Marina stood there in a simple but elegant teal polo shirt and black pants. In contrast to Eight she seemed perfectly calm, even delighted. She looked Eight up and down and smiled with approval.
"It still fits. That's good. Make sure you bring your coat. It's a bit chilly today."
Eight obeyed, going back to her closet to retrieve the plum-coloured garment from her closet and slipped it on as she returned to Marina. From there, they headed to the front door where Pearl was waiting.
Pearl was dressed more nicely than Eight ever recalled seeing her. A white jacket over a pink dress and matching pink dress shoes with little white bows on the straps. She even had matching bows tied to her tentacles. Hands on hips, the expression she wore wasn't quite a scowl but she was obviously not happy.
Marina chuckled. "Now, Pearl, if you look unhappy to go you'll make Eight nervous."
Pearl rolled her eyes. "She's got no reason to be nervous. Mom and Daddy will love her. I'm the one that takes flack every time I go back home. I'll have to explain to Mom why I haven't been dating lately."
Eight felt a bit struck by that. "This is something that she bothers you about?"
"Yeah," Pearl sighed. "I only ever had one steady boyfriend and we broke up a few years ago. I haven't even looked for anyone since. Mom thinks I need to get over it and start looking for a real life partner now that I'm in my twenties."
Marina silently motioned them out the door and they made their way to the elevator.
"Is there something significant about being in your twenties in regards to dating?"
They entered the elevator and Pearl crossed her arms. "Well, it takes a while to find the person you want to make a life and family with, especially for someone like me." She paused as the elevator began to descend.
Eight watched her closely, noticing that her mantle was moving a lot beneath the surface. She didn't know the exact meaning but if Three was anyone to go by then it meant she was thinking about something.
"Marina told me once that octolings don't get to choose their mates."
"We do not," Eight admitted. "Assuming we can lay eggs at all, the best breeders among the coming generation are selected through medical screening to become nurses. Usually the ones who can lay the most eggs, in order to stretch resources as much as possible. There, they are trained in childcare and child rearing. They help the breeding mothers care for their children, gaining experience for when they become mothers themselves."
The elevator stopped and the doors parted. They passed the guard station and out onto the street where a long white car waited. It looked, to Eight, like a bus that had been squashed. There was also an older inkyar in a black suit holding the back door open.
Pearl entered first. Eight expected her to have difficulty with the dress but she moved as if it were the most natural thing in the world. That meant Pearl had done this before; she had done it a lot.
She knew that Pearl was from a rich family, but she didn't really have any frame of reference or context regarding what being "rich" meant. From an Octarian perspective, every inkling was rich.
Marina ushered her in, ahead of her, and Eight did her best to mimic Pearl's earlier movements, but the skirt of her dress still caught and dragged and she wasn't nearly as elegant.
Inside the car (or squashed bus) everything was covered in white synthleather. The seats, the walls, even the ceiling. Hidden lights illuminated the interior with agentle blue glow. The driver's compartment was kept separated by a short bulkhead with a long narrow window along the top. The large passenger compartment had seating all along the right side with a small bar on the left. All of it screamed opulence.
Once Marina assumed her seat, the chauffeur, she was sure that was what he was, shut the door and returned to the driver's seat.
"You were saying?" Pearl asked as they got underway.
"Huh? Oh, yes. Ahem." Eight took a second to gather her thoughts and trying to remember where she was in her explanation.
"Well, after the nurses reach a stage where they are deemed good for motherhood, they are paired with a male that will provide the best combination of genes and they mate. During eggnancy, young nurses will tend to her, ensuring her needs are met and that she remains fit and fed."
Pearl hummed even as she stared out the window at the passing cityscape. "What about ones that don't get selected to breed? Do they still have a chance?"
"Only if they can lay eggs. If an Octarian female shows particular qualities that would be desirable, such as being a superb warrior or being exceptionally brilliant, then of course we would want to sow those traits into the next generation. They can be recommended to bear young as well, but they won't get to do so very often. Such people are also needed at their jobs. Alternatively, if a male comes across a female that has desirable qualities, then he may petition to have her accepted."
Pearl snorted. "So he gets to pick but she doesn't? That's pretty backwards. Can't she say 'no'?"
Eight tilted her head, puzzled. "Why would she want to do that? I am certain whoever she is would be overjoyed at being chosen."
Pearl's head whirled to face her, her mantle a bright yellow-orange with ripples of maroon. She looked shocked.
"What do you mean? Who would be happy to be forced into mating with someone they might not even like?"
Eight leaned away, not quite fearfully, but Pearl's expression was intense.
"W-well, um... e-everyone? Most at least."
"Are you nuts?"
"Pearl, don't bully her," Marina chided. "Surely, you of all people understand the concept. You're the one who told me of arranged marriages."
Pearl gritted her beak. "Of course I understand, but nobody likes arranged marriages. What I want to know is why an octoling would."
Marina shook her head solemnly. "Pearl, you have to understand, most octarian females dream of exactly that. Most of us either can't lay eggs at all or can only lay duds. Even most of the ones who can, can only lay one healthy egg per clutch and will likely never have children. They are all considered expendable, gears in the machine. It's a hard and difficult life with little fulfillment or joy. But, becoming a mother? There is no greater sense of fulfillment.
"Those who become mothers, even the non-breeders, live in luxury during their time in the core domes. They are fattened prior to mating then they spend about a year in the breeding pools to lay and care for the eggs. After they hatch it's usually another two years before they are separated from their children and sent back to work. It's a brief but very treasured time in their lives."
Pearl looked very uncomfortable, disturbed even. "Marina-"
"You can see why I don't like talking about my past. It's not like I'm trying to keep things from you; it's just unpleasant. I'm here now so you don't need to feel sorry for me."
Pearl moued. "I'm not pitying you, just…" She let the sentence trail off and then looked back out the window. An uncomfortable silence descended, with Eight literally in the middle. Eight thus decided to sit back and enjoy the scenery passing by.
Since coming to the surface, Eight had never been outside Inkopolis before, save for quick touge runs with Giyari's crew, but those had been at night. The tall towers of central Inkopolis gave way to low-rise buildings and suburban neighbourhoods, and then green.
Eight stared out the window in awe, moving to the large bench seat along the right side of the car to gaze out the longer window. She thought nothing could have more greenery than Peace Park, and yet, she was there, looking upon endless expanses of it. Trees and rolling green hills as far as the eye could see, occasionally dotted with buildings.
They passed places along a road lined with iron fences and then the car slowed, turning towards a large iron gate made from the same type of steel black spikes that comprised the fence. Overtop the gate was an iron facade emblazoned by a crest: an inflated arrow shape, pointing down, over an oval. It reminded her of the crests the Octo Lords of ages past had used.
The car drove up the long cobblestone drive flanked by perfectly trimmed bushes and groomed lawn. Ahead, the drive formed a loop around a tall terraced structure decorated with small bushes, and sculptures.
At the top end of the loop was the residence and that definitely reminded Eight of the Great Octo Lords.
The building was enormous. Stretching for at least one-hundred fifty metres to either side of the extruded stone area in front of them, as if the latter were part of a much older structure that had been extended more recently. A wide, curved, stone staircase led up to the large double doors flanked by stone pillars on either side.
The building was high as well. If every row of windows indicated one floor, then there were at least three, but they seemed further apart than normal so the house itself was probably closer to four or five stories. And this whole house belonged to just one family?
The car came to a stop and a valet approached at a brisk-but not hurried step. He opened the door and Marina thanked him as she emerged. Eight came next, and then Pearl.
"Welcome home, Miss Pearl." The valet said.
"Hello Drav," Pearl greeted in return. "Everyone home?"
"Yes, everyone is waiting for you inside." Pearl's mantle rippled but she said nothing in reply.
Eight wasn't used to Pearl being referred to as "Miss." Even though she was technically her maid, she had never been so in a formal setting and so had never needed to refer to her as such.
Her maid training kept threatening to kick in but she forced it down. She was here to be introduced as Hachiko, not as Pearl's maid.
Drav led them through the large double doors into a vast atrium with a three-story ceiling and a massive crystal chandelier dangling above them. Maids waited there, all lined up. One helped Pearl out of her coat while another held her purse for her until she was done and offered her a pair of pink slippers with a silver crown embroidered on them.
Eight and Marina were also tended to and offered slippers. These were a light-brown colour, like beach sand. Eight found them very comfortable, plush on her feet and quite cozy, if a bit big on her.
They were led into another chamber, this one with a shorter ceiling but still much higher than she was used to. Pristine white couches occupied one half of the room while the other half had a large table draped with white tablecloth. The large windows allowed in ample daylight, but the recessed lighting in the ceiling was on anyway.
Ahead of them, Pearl stopped suddenly and Eight tensed, instinctively expecting conflict. Then Pearl surged forward and yelled out in a voice more high pitched than Eight had ever heard from her outside of song.
"Daddy!"
Pearl pushed past the valet and ran to one of the armchairs. Eight just barely caught a glimpse of a figure sitting in the chair before Pearl got in the way and hugged them tightly.
Marina giggled and whispered in octese, "she makes such a fuss about coming but then she acts like this once she's actually here."
"Easy there princess." Came a tenor voice from Pearl's direction. "I'm not as young as I used to be and neither are you."
Pearl laughed heartily. "Daddy, you always say that."
"When it stops being true, I'll stop saying it."
The valet left and Marina gestured for Eight to follow her. They approached Pearl and the armchair just as the former got out of the way, revealing the smallest inkyar Eight had ever seen.
Inkyar were typically at least a third, shorter than their counterpart Inkyora, but she hadn't realized Inklings could get this small. Even Pearl dwarfed him, being roughly twice his height. His mantle was the same bright pink as Pearl's tips, and his eyes were a vibrant sapphire. He looked his age but still quite healthy.
"Good to see you again, Marina."
"Likewise," Marina replied, bowing.
Then he met Eight's eyes and she tensed. "You must be Hachiko. It's good to finally meet you."
Eight curtseyed almost purely by reflex. "Nice to meet you. I am Hachiko Turfer. It is an honor to finally meet you."
He chuckled. "My my, we are a proper lady, aren't we?" He stood and put a hand to his chest as he bowed. "I am Laren Pygmy, head of the Pygmy Family. I formally welcome you to our home."
Eight blushed, feeling embarrassed at being treated with such formal respect. She was used to being on the bottom of the hierarchy, as she had been in the army. It felt especially unusual for a male to be treating her so. Unlike the matriarchal Inklings, Octolings held the relatively rare and valuable males in higher regard.
"Th-thank you," she managed to say and took a single, respectful step back.
"Well, please take a seat. The others should be here shortly." He climbed back onto his chair and Pearl took the couch adjacent to him. Marina gestured for Eight to sit first and she sat beside Pearl with Marina taking the final seat at the end of the couch on the right. Eight wondered if they were perhaps observing some kind of custom by keeping her in the middle.
"Much as I'd like to learn more about you, Hachiko," Laren continued. "I think it best to wait for the rest of the family so that you need only say it once. Few things are more annoying than having to repeat oneself."
"Tell me about it." Pearl huffed. "We have to do it at work all the time."
Marina laughed. "Pearl, I don't think it's quite the same thing as doing multiple takes for pre-recorded messages. It's not the director's fault if we flub our lines."
"Given a certain someone's lack of eloquence, I imagine there are a great deal of retakes."
Eyes all turned in the direction of the new voice, and Eight's eyes went wide.
The inkling girl striding into the room with an elegant step and a comfortable but lovely blue dress, looked almost exactly like Pearl but her tentacles were long and tied up at the back by a light-blue ring, and where Pearl was pink, she was an icy blue. Was this her mother?
She heard Pearl click her tongue. "'Least I have personality. You'd be as boring as watching paint dry."
The other inkling rolled her eyes. "As cliché and unoriginal as always. It's fortunate you can write music and have Marina to add some real wit."
Based on that interaction and her admittedly limited knowledge of inkling family dynamics, Eight quickly guessed that she had been wrong and this wasn't Pearl's mother. She couldn't imagine anyone treating their mother with such disrespect.
She tensed as the inkling's gaze passed from Pearl to her. Her training kicked in, making her stand and curtsy.
"I am honored to meet you. I am Hachiko Turfer."
The other inkling raised an eyebrow in surprise, then gave a small bob. "Likewise. I am Diamond Pygmy."
"Pearl's twin sister," Marina added.
"Indeed," Diamond said dryly. "But I must ask where you learned such good manners, Hachiko. Certainly not from Pearl."
Eight heard Pearl's beak clack and she wondered if a fight was about to start when Laren interrupted.
"Girls," he said with a gentle but firm tone. "Don't start. You're too old to be squabbling like this."
"Tradition, Daddy," Diamond responded, sitting daintily upon the opposite couch. "What would the house sound like without our arguing while Pearl was here?"
"Quiet, I imagine."
No sooner had he spoken that another set of rapid footsteps could be heard approaching the room. A pair of tall figures slid into view, both inklings with long tentacles. They had the same sapphire blue eyes as Laren. One had a deep blue mantle while the other's was a fiery red. They both ran in their direction, looking very excited.
"Brace yourself," Marina whispered in Octese. That made Eight very nervous indeed.
"Pearlie!" They both cried joyfully. Eight half jumped out of the way as they both all but lept on Pearl, burying her beneath them.
"Ah! Hey, calm down!" Pearl shouted. Eight looked at Marina, wondering if she should help, but Marina just giggled.
"Ruby, Sapphire!" Laren shouted. "What have we told you about running in the house."
A collective whine came from the two girls.
"Daddy, the house is too big," the blue one complained. "If we walk, Pearl's visit will be done by the time we got here."
"And we're not so big we'd flatten anyone yet."
"You're flattening me right now!" Pearl said, the filling in the larger girls' sandwich. "You're already too damn big!" Pearl started grinding her fists into the other girls' cheeks. It looked painful for them but they just laughed.
"They seem close," Eight whispered with a soft smile.
"They are," Marina whispered back. "They look up to their big sister."
Big sister? Eight looked at them again. True, the two larger girls did appear and act younger, but they were at least as tall as Marina, perhaps more. Given Pearl's own height, Eight expected Pearl's family overall to be on the short side, something meeting Diamond and Laren had supported, but now there were these two.
Suddenly, Eight stiffened. She didn't know why but the air in the room had changed. There was a presence now, a strong one. The girls stopped roughhousing and went silent and even Diamond seemed to sit up a little straighter.
Eight turned her head slowly to the right- the direction Pearl's sisters had come from, and what she saw caused seemed to steal the very breath from her body.
The servants standing in that part of the room were all bowing, the inklings among them turning their mantles white as a figure strode into the room.
The inkyora they bowed to was immense, at least twice the height of the tallest servant. She walked with an elegant poise and grace that belied her size. She had four long tentacles that nearly brushed the floor as she walked, as did the skirt of her long matching dress which swished gently with her steps. Her mantle looked like the surface of a tranquil ocean: waves of darker and lighter blues traveling from her head to the tips of her tentacles. Then there were her eyes. They were like gentle pools of sparkling liquid gold- the eyes of a goddess.
Eight couldn't help but stare, awed by her aura and the magnitude of her presence that owed little if anything to her height. She felt like she should get on her hands and knees with her face on the floor, unworthy to gaze upon this majestic creature, crafted by the Sovereign God's own divine and perfect handiwork.
Pearl was released from her sisters' grasp and stood, walking the short distance to the edge of the seating area where she stood and looked up at the massive inkyora as she approached and then stopped in front of her.
"I'm home, Mom."
The inkyora replied with a smile that could have outshone the sun. Her tentacles lifted Pearl up where her arms wrapped around her in a warm hug.
"Welcome home, my little Pearl."
Eight thought her chest might burst. So this was Pearl's mother. She had seen mothers before in Inkopolis many times, but this was the first time it really felt like she was meeting one, the first time it met her vision of what a mother was: beautiful, gentle, loving, and somehow divine. She had such an aura about her and magnitude of presence that Eight couldn't tear her eyes away.
Pearl was set down and then those big beautiful eyes found Eight and she froze. Her mind spun, trying to remember where she was, what she was supposed to do and how to respond, searching rapidly through every memory to find something applicable.
Eight launched to her feet and fell to her knees, her head bowed. "Humblest and warmest greetings, Honored Mother. I'm Hachiko Brath Stonefeller Connko Turfer. Your presence enriches me."
The room was silent and it was only after a full second Eight realized that, in her panic, she had recited the formal greeting in Octese.
Her face flushed and her mind whirled anew, trying to think of a way to remedy the situation. Then a shadow fell over her and she glanced up to see Pearl's mother kneeling in front of her with deep understanding eyes and a kindly smile.
"I'll take that as a warm greeting." She said. Her voice was deep, but still distinctly feminine. "It's nice to finally meet you, Hachiko. I'm Jewel Pygmy. I'm Pearl's mother."
Eight couldn't even squeak in response. She felt so paralyzed.
"I think you broke her, Mom." Pearl said.
Jewel ignored her and instead, picked Eight up and cradled her in the crook of her arm as if she were a baby. Eight found herself clinging to a fold of her dress, bewildered.
"Nice to see you again, Marina." Jewel said.
"Likewise. Sorry, Hachiko is a bit… out of sorts."
Jewel laughed. "Well, most people are shocked when they see me for the first time."
Jewel carried Eight over to the couch and then sat next to Diamond.
"Laren, the girls weren't giving you trouble, were they?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle, love."
"You shouldn't have to handle anything."
"Now, darling, they're my kids too. I can't have you do all the work."
"Well, I'm sure they'll behave now, right?"
The girls all nodded, and Marina, a spectator, just smiled.
From there Pearl's mother started into conversation with Pearl, asking her how things had been going, what she had been up to and her future plans.
Meanwhile, Eight was still nestled in the crook of her arm, reality having somewhat gotten away from her. Part of her was supremely embarrassed by her behavior and the situation in which she currently found herself, but another part of her, perhaps even the larger part, didn't care. It felt comforted by Jewel's compassion, her warmth, her demeanor. It was everything she imagined a mother, even her own mother, ought to be like.
Inklings, even those in the NSS, just didn't understand - couldn't understand what mothers meant to Octolings. Eight and Marina hadn't seen theirs since they were two-years old. The vast majority of octolings wouldn't remember their mother's voice or even what they looked like by the time they reached five. And yet, despite all that, mothers influenced the rest of their lives.
Eight still remembered the songs her mother sang, the feelings she felt around her, and the feeling of being loved unconditionally. Every octoling, male or female, clung to those precious memories and feelings. Because when you were on camped out on long patrol, your second day without food, your morale at rock bottom and wondering what made life worth living, that was all you had to convince you.
No, maybe that's not fair. Three lost her mother. Even if she knew her for longer she still understands the pain.
"Hachiko?" Eight flinched and glanced up at Jewel who was smiling down at her. "You've barely said anything. Are you alright?"
Eight bit her lip. What was she supposed to say? That suddenly she missed her mother again? That her emotions were tumbling down a long slope? That she wanted Jewel to hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright?
Eight experienced vertigo as Jewel stood and adjusted her. "Why don't I show you around the house a little before lunch. I'm sure Pearl and Marina won't mind if I borrow you for a bit."
"Not at all," Marina said. "I'm sure she'd love a tour."
"Just stay out of my room," Pearl said, although she wore a smirk, as if it were some sort of joke between them.
Jewel just kept smiling and carried Eight out of the room and down a long corridor.
The hallway was decorated with paintings and pottery. They were quite varied; some depicting scenes while others more abstract, showing patterns and mixes of colours in ways that were somehow familiar to her yet seemed to depict nothing.
"So many…"
"Hm?" Jewel lifted her up slightly and looked directly into her eyes. Eight made a tiny squeak.
"Um, many paintings."
"Ah, yes. Well, I suppose it's one of those expectations for the rich to have many paintings in our home. Then again, having such long hallways without any decoration would make it seem pretty lonely. See any that you like?"
Eight looked at the paintings as they passed and then spotted a particularly large one made completely of different coloured geometric shapes in a wide range of sizes. Her eyes scanned it up and down several times, baffled by the complexity despite the simplicity of its components.
Jewel stopped and followed Eight's gaze. "You like this painting?"
"I think so. It is… interesting. I feel like it means something but I have no idea what."
"Lots of paintings are like that," Jewel said, her voice now even softer. "Sometimes even the artist doesn't know what their painting means."
Eight hummed. "We don't have anything like this back in the domes. We were told of some famous octarian artists during our education but it becomes irrelevant once we become recruits."
"So I've heard." Jewel gave her a gentle squeeze and then draped one of her tentacles over her. Eight wondered what it would be like to be coddled in those tentacles.
"Have you been adjusting to life here alright? You haven't had trouble fitting in? Nobody's picked on you?"
Eight hurriedly shook her head. "No! Everyone has treated me well. Pearl and Marina took me in so readily, gave me work, and I am learning more every day. It's wonderful here, and I love it."
Jewel looked relieved. She gently toyed with Eight's tentacles with her fingers. "I'm glad to hear that. Marina told me a lot about her past, the brutal growing up she had. It's truly remarkable she turned out so well. You too."
Eight nodded slowly, wondering how much Marina had actually told her. Had she told Jewel more than she had Pearl?
"I'm sure you didn't have the easiest time growing up either, but I hope you can at least make the rest of your life fulfilling."
Jewel started walking again, leaving the painting behind.
"I have already been having a wonderful fulfilling life," Eight insisted. She didn't want to give the impression that Pearl and Marina had been anything but wonderful to her.
"So I hear." A slow smile spread over Jewel's face and her eyes twinkled. "I hear you even got yourself a little girlfriend."
"Gah!" Eight's face flushed a deep shade of blue and she found herself averting her gaze. "W-well, we are not technically… a couple yet."
"Oh? But haven't you two already been dating? I heard that even though you were the one to confess, she was the one who asked you out on your first real date."
Eight felt her face somehow heat up even more. "B-but, surely that does not make us a real couple just like that."
Jewel chuckled. "Awww, but it might mean there's something there for you two. Maybe you'll be able to find that special spark that will make you a couple for real. Something other than hormones and inexperience." She sighed. "I wish Pearl could be as proactive as you."
Eight winced. "Um, I am sure Pearl is trying but now isn't the best time, not with the last splatfest coming up."
"I know I know, and I know it isn't easy to get back into dating after you've been burned. No, that's not fair. It was an amicable breakup, they just weren't right for each other. Such a shame. He's such a good boy."
"Pearl's old boyfriend?" Eight asked.
"Yes. They both changed so much during their teenage years I'm amazed they stayed together as long as they did."
"I see. So it is harder to try dating again after failing once."
"Very much so. It's very rare you find The One on your first try. The soul is a sensitive thing, and failing at love always hurts. You don't want to try again because you're afraid of hurting again." Her mantle darkened to a somber blue. "The first time you fall in love is special, because you will never love someone like that again."
Eight swallowed hard. "Honored mother, does that mean Three and I…"
"No," Jewel cut her off. "You should never assume that. If you do, you've all but doomed it to failure. Always love without reservation. If you can't do that, then don't waste your time. Especially when you're young, you have nothing really to lose."
"I-I see." Eight chewed on that thought for a moment. She wondered if "loving without reservation" was another name for what Three struggled with.
"Um… Honored Mother…"
Jewel looked down at her. "Is it Octarian custom that you're calling me that?"
Eight's voice caught. "Um… yes?"
"You can call me Jewel. I really don't mind."
Eight thought that a little too informal, especially to someone so obviously worthy to be respected as a mother. Not referring to a mother the title she was due was a terrible offence in their society.
But she's not Octarian and she wants something less formal. If I really want to be respectful, I need to acknowledge her wishes.
"Would you mind if I called you, 'Tetka' then?"
"And what does that mean?"
"It is a kind of honorific - but one of affection. It is often how we refer to females who we see as maternal figures in the stead of our mothers."
"How sweet. I seem to recall Marina saying something about not being able to see her mother anymore."
"None of us can unless we become nurses or are fortunate enough to prove worthy of becoming mothers ourselves in some capacity."
"That's just awful. I couldn't bear the thought of never seeing my own children again, never seeing them grow up. I can't imagine what your own mother must have felt."
"It's not something we like to think or talk about," Eight replied quietly. "We just try to live as best we can, to honor them."
"I suppose there's nothing else you can do. I understand why you and Marina don't like talking about it. It's nothing to be ashamed of though. You're here now and when you have children, you should be able to see them grow up and have little ones of their own."
Eight winced. "I… I'm not sure I can even have children. I don't know if Marina told you this but only about one in five females are able to successfully lay eggs. The rest are either completely barren or only capable of producing deformed and sickly children, if they live long enough to hatch at all."
Although I do have another means of making children. She twitched her single androgenous tentacle subconsciously. It was still underdeveloped but it might eventually reach maturity and if it did, then she might be able to fertilize another female. She blushed at the mere notion of Three bearing her children. Would they be octolings or inklings? Could they have both? Would they have hybrids?
"Don't think so negatively. I have a good feeling that you will be able to have children. You just have to find the right boy."
"Y-yes, I suppose so." She would take whatever positivity she could get in that regard.
"Once we're finished our tour, we'll head to lunch. I have a surprise waiting for you and Marina."
Eight looked at her, wide-eyed. "A surprise? What surprise?"
Jewel laughed. "Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret, now would it?"
Eight winced. "I… suppose not."
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll like it."
"I-I'm sure."
Author's Notes:
One pattern I've noticed in Splatoon fanfics is that while Pearl's father is often seen and/or mentioned, we rarely, if ever, hear about Pearl's mother. She obviously had to have one at some point. It was practically a blank slate for me to draw on and I came up with Jewel.
Now, many of you are probably wondering why Jewel and her younger sisters are so big. Well, in the Japanese version of Splatoon, Pearl's last name is Houzuki, which is derived from the Japanese name for the Colossal Squid. So, Pearl is half Northern Pygmy Squid, on her father's side, and half Colossal Squid on her mother's. Obviously, she got more from one than the other, heh heh.
This chapter was originally much longer and I had to cut it in half to make it more digestible so the pacing might be a bit weird this chapter and the next. Sorry about that. Even this section is over 5K words.