Routine
Don't you worry about what others say,
And tell them the truth.
They ask because they worry,
And the more people that worry,
The more people that care.
"Excellent work, Marie," says Caballo. Marie smiles at him and slips on her coat. "The kids love you. Are you leaving already?"
Marie nods. "I have to keep my phone off when I'm in here," she reminds him. "And if someone calls—if there's news—" Marie stops and takes a deep breath, because even if she's acting there's more than a little truth behind it.
Caballo nods, his tail twitching with sympathy. "Don't let it dominate your life." He comes close enough to wrap a fin around her arm affectionately. "You can't stop living just because Callie's—"
"Missing," Marie supplies, before he can say a different word. She blows out a hard breath. "And I'm not. I see a-a friend regularly."
Caballo's tail straightens. "Would this be the same friend who—"
"Goodbye," Marie says, and books it out of the station before Caballo can pull anything else from her. His laugh follows her anyway. It's fine, though. Caballo won't tell the media.
Marie pulls out her phone as she walks. One, then two, snowflakes land on it. She taps out, I'm headed to lunch. Have a nice date with Sync tonight!
Love you, appears before she can put her phone away. Have fun with your friend.
Cheeks burning, Marie sends a thumbs-up emoji and shoves her phone back in her pocket. She's arrived in the square.
She ducks down the drain and is in Octo Canyon moments later. Four whirls and points her splatling at Marie, then relaxes. "You're late, boss," she says.
Marie tugs off her hat. "Late, nothing," she says, walking closer, and gives Four's one long tentacle a friendly tug; Four's smile grows. "I told you, I had work I couldn't avoid."
"I turfed before coming here this morning," Four says, bouncing on her toes. "And I reached A+ in clam blitz, Mar—Two! A+"
"Good," Marie says, releasing Four's tentacle. "And after?"
"You told me to practice hitting all three targets in one charge," Four says at once, "And I can now! Watch!" Four charges her splatling and demonstrates, beaming, then squids to a second spot and does it again. "From five different angles, too! Not enough juice to pop them all, but—"
"Good job," Marie interrupts. Now that Four's stopped being shy, she tends to babble. "You've really been improving. Take your charger and take out all the balloons in Beaker's Depot, then come back. I'll have lunch ready."
Four droops. In a tiny voice, she asks, "Do I have to use the charger?"
"It'll help your aim," Marie informs her. "Now scoot. No going into kettles until after lunch!"
Four sighs, but she drags into the hut Marie built, and superjumps away with her charger. Marie lets out a breath and sags against the wall.
Squidmas is next week, and they've just started Sector Three.
She's going to have Squidmas without Callie. And she has to do a special radio feature the night before, so she can't go to Calamari County. Not that she dares, with the Octarians on the move.
It will be fine. Really. Even with Drown—well, he's been with Sync for two years, and not even six months with Marie, going to be with her family is perfectly understandable. And Crusty Sean will be—and—this isn't helping anything.
Marie goes through the motions, going to the kitchen and pulling vegetables out of the fridge, retrieving the rice she made yesterday, making a stir-fry large enough for them both and for Four to have leftovers to take home for tomorrow and maybe the next day, as well. She grabs her headset and slips it on, in case Four needs anything.
She hears nothing but charger shots and grumbling as Four misses repeatedly. It's familiar. It's...
Marie misses Callie then, sharp and piercing, in a way that travels from her hearts straight to her eyes, because Callie was supposed to be here, chopping the onion and cracking jokes about how she wouldn't cry, she was stronger than the onion, and stealing chunks of pepper and eating them whole as Marie scolds because those are for dinner, and—the door bangs shut as Four comes in. She stops in her tracks as she sees Marie, then rushes forward and wraps Marie in a hug.
Marie puts down her spoon to hug Four back.
"Do you wanna tell me what's wrong, yet?" Four asks into her shirt.
Marie squeezes her shoulders and pushes a step away. "I'm fine," she says again. "Why don't you set the table?"
Four gives her a look that would be intimidating, if she stood taller than Marie's nose. Marie's old hero suit is still a tiny bit big on her, and the cuff unrolls as Four points at Marie dramatically. "You look sad when you don't think I'm looking," she says. "and I'm gonna make that stop."
Marie fights back a smile. Four is adorable at moments like this, but she knows the younger squid won't appreciate being told that. "Come on," she says. "Let's eat."
Then Four can do a kettle and Marie can work on her scripts while giving advice, and at the end of the day, they'll be one step closer to finding Callie.
It's all she can hope for.