The chill of the outside air pierced Vai's skin and she shivered slightly. Mano's warm presence next to her didn't do much to add to her own warmth. Mano kept close to Vai as they both walked on the cobbled ground, the ominous purple glow that served as the "sky" still as mystifyingly beautiful as always and its faux stars twinkled in it like little white speckles of acrylic paint on a dark canvas.
They walked down to the familiar automatic doors that only students may enter which were connected to a long corridor as well as the stone walls surrounding the area that contains the duplexes.
As they reached the remaining pair of doors, Mano paused in front of them. "You're sure no one in particular is responsible for your worries?" Mano pressed, simply worried for the other octoling's safety, mostly because he's completely capable of scaring any octoling into a quivering puddle of ink. "Yes Mano, I'm absolutely positive," Vai huffed, shooting him an irritated look. There was another moment of awkward silence, which Mano seemed to be the master of initiating. "Of course," Mano breathed, slightly annoyed but quickly stifling it.
He set his standards for himself at a strange caliber. They were achievable by him, yes, but they still appeared a bit odd. He didn't allow himself to show any emotions. At all. For example, if he perceived something as amusing, he wouldn't laugh like others usually would. The most he would do is smirk slightly, but he constantly worked to keep his calm and somber facade intact. He perceived expressing emotions as exposing weakness and making himself vulnerable.
Vai sighed as the cold air made her shiver aggressively, clutching her arms with her hands in a feeble attempt to warm herself. Mano inched closer to her, their shoulders nearly touching. His presence was more reassuring when he was close physically since he was so warm, obviously. However, Vai was still unsure of her feelings.
Naturally, any octoling that felt attraction toward male octolings would become a little flustered when placed in the particular scenarios Vai has been in with Mano, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she likes him like that. At least, she thinks so. She's conflicted.
The train scheduled to appear at their location screeched to a halt in front of the pair, the stench of industrialization stinging their noses. Vai sighed and stepped onto the train reluctantly, glancing back at Mano. To her surprise, he followed close behind her. Mano made eye contact with her for a heartbeat, then re-averted his gaze to be focused directly in front of him. Vai turned her head back to the front and peered around for an empty seat.
The train wasn't particularly crowded due to the fact that it was the middle of class for many students and for other Octarians hard at work. Vai sat in the back corner again, with Mano to her left and sitting a little closer to her than she preferred, but she didn't say anything, since it didn't really bother her as much as she anticipated it would.
After what seemed like eons, the train eventually squealed to an abrupt stop at the train station closest to the technology auditorium, which was where the assembly for the young Octarian scientists to present their projects was being held. Vai's eyes slid up the intimidatingly large building, attempting to stifle her fear. The realization of her lateness and potential failure infiltrating her raging mind wasn't helping in the slightest.
Mano slowly walked up next to her, his deep crimson eyes scanning the enormous establishment and flicking to Vai's astonished yellow ones. He expected a response of some sort from her. Upon seeing that she refused to return his gaze, he sighed quietly and looked back toward the building.
A faint voice boomed from the auditorium before them, echoing in their ears. "Well, I suppose I might as well attend the meeting, despite my lateness," Vai murmured, her gaze trailing down to her black boots. Mano hummed in agreement, still staring at the building.
"Would you like me to be there?" Mano asked quietly, an almost unnoticeable hint of shyness in his deep voice. Vai was now stunned, taken aback by his rather soft approach at conversation. There was an uncomfortable amount of silence between the two since Vai stood frozen with shock while Mano looked expectantly at Vai.
"I-" "Just to support you. Not like an affectionate thing or something," Mano grumbled, cutting off Vai mid-sentence. There was another slight pause and Mano glanced to the side, almost appearing to be nervous, which was certainly unusual for the octoling. Vai smiled underneath her mask slightly, her gaze softening. "I was going to say," Vai began, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. "That I would like that very much," she murmured, rubbing his clavicle with her thumb slightly in an effort to calm him and help him feel comfortable.
He made eye contact with her, the nervousness in his red gaze dissipating and a slight satisfied smile making its way onto his lightly tanned face. "But can you remove the mask, Vai? I want to be able to see your smile," he asked softly, his small smile widening as their eyes remained connected. Her face flustered slightly, his gentle affirmations making her want to melt in her skin. She was absolutely stunned, but still enjoyed the positive attention.
"I, uhm, s-sure Mano," she stammered, her smile starting to spread further. Her hand slipped from his shoulder back to her side while his hands slowly rose up to the strings of the mask wrapped around her ears. He stepped in front of her so their faces were parallel and their eyes burned into each other and tension sparked violently in the air. His slim fingers slid underneath the bands, tugging on them gently and pulling them up and over her ears, releasing the mask's grip from Vai's slightly flustered face.
It was quite similar to a dust mask, very thick and somewhat hard to breathe in, used for repelling toxic chemicals if any Octarian working in the lab happened to come in contact with one. They're also for the elite scientists that are responsible for sanitization of adult octolings after adolescence. The scientists wait until they're 18, so the injection for being sanitized doesn't give them a mutation of some sort, due to the fact that they haven't fully developed yet.
The mask slowly slipped off her face. Mano's fingers were tangled with the straps of it and he carefully tugged it down. He froze, taken aback by the pure beauty posed before him. Vai's lightly tanned skin was gently illuminated by the harsh white lights of the auditorium, but they were distant enough to where they weren't blinding. She had a soft jawline and a petite nose. Her sleek, piercing yellow eyes sparkled against the luminous violet sky. Mano was starstruck; a marble sculpture in an art museum.
He felt himself instinctively close the space between them, their gazes still connected. His eyelids fell slightly, his fingertips gently brushing her jawline and the mask falling away from his grip.
"M-Mano-" Vai whimpered, her eyes shutting tightly as their bodies were mere centimeters apart. "T-there was something in your tentacurls," he mumbled quickly, stroking them gently and pretending to pick something out of them. He quickly backed away, his eyes darting off to the side. An awkward silence fell upon them, as no other words were exchanged for the moment when Mano nearly exposed his soft side to someone.
"You need to attend your assembly, Vai. It is of utmost importance and I offer you my most sincere apologies for uhm, distracting you of your duties as an Octarian scientist," he said, staring off to the side and rubbing his forearm nervously. "It's alright, really. Don't worry," Vai replied, her smile returning. "Ah, alright," he replied, his serious demeanor returning and his usual behavior setting back in place. Her smile subsided, her usual calm and almost empty mood returning. She was a little sad about Mano's retreat to his typical cold mannerisms. Maybe she wasn't sure of her feelings, but she didn't hate Mano being soft and open around her.
They walked to the large doors that served as the primary front entrance to the auditorium. There were two other pairs of doors on the outside of it, but most Octarians - primarily students and professors - entered through the doors that were inside the building attached to it. Two tall octolings that appeared to be elite scientists were standing guard at the enormous doors.
"Name?" one of them asked, the deep voice making Vai flinch slightly, while Mano held eye contact with the one close to his height, his arms crossed and body language defensive. "V-Vai Venci, amateur scientist, t-technology field," Vai stammered, adjusting the collar of the glossy leather under her steel chestplate. There was a lengthy pause as the taller of the two octolings, barely just about as tall as Mano, was holding a clipboard and appeared to be scanning it, but Vai couldn't really tell due to the octoshades covering her eyes. "Yes, but who's your friend?" Mano glanced at the taller octoling, almost appearing to be sizing her up.
"Mano Kijanoka," he said confidently, stepping forward and letting his arms drape by his sides, standing closer to Vai. Both Vai and Mano were able to see the octoling's facial features droop with dread and the color drain from her face. The other octoling standing at the door pressed a button that allowed the doors to open. "Please proceed, young ones," she said nervously, quickly standing by and allowing them entrance. "Thank you very much, Samoya," Mano sneered at the shorter octoling, smirking as she flinched slightly. "Of course," she growled, kicking up gravel on the concrete floor irritatedly.
The pair made their way down the corridor where they must eventually split up so Mano could find the stands and Vai could find the Hivemind.
The Hivemind is the leader of the science district throughout the entire Octarian education establishment at the same level as the Sheik, the Prime, and the Gunner. The Sheik is responsible for armor and fashion, the Prime is in charge of weaponry and the Gunner is the commander of the Octarian army. All four of these leaders that are directing the Octarian education districts are under Octavio's strict order.
After the battle with Agent 4 he has been incredibly weak, but still refuses to give up his position as Minister of the Deepsea Metro. He escaped from his snowglobe again and was banished underground instead of kept captive for a third time. He's having a hard time recovering from the battle and the four district leaders have done their best to manage what they can.
Despite being worked to death without pay or reward, revolt isn't an option anymore. Octavio has too many extremist Octarians working for him for anyone to refuse his rules. Generally, he holds the most power over everything, whether it be the education establishment or anything else. It is all under his control.
They slowly walked though yet again, another corridor, which instead led to the seating areas and areas underneath the seating areas. There were two pairs of doors perpendicular to one another at the beginning of the walkway, both pairs leading to a different specific spot under the auditorium seats.
They both paused, their thoughts slowly flowing through their minds. "I suppose we must go our separate ways for now," Mano mumbled, his eyes scanning the dimly lit hall. "Of course," Vai replied, her stiff posture making her appear extremely nervous which served as slightly amusing to Mano, who still stood close to her. His breathing was steady and calm compared to Vai's irregular breathing patterns.
"Go find the Hivemind, and see if you can get credit for at least attending the ceremony, alright?" Mano ordered gently, turning his head to face her. Vai turned her own head to face Mano and she smiled slightly, slipping her mask back over her face. "Yeah, thanks Mano," Vai said back, her eyes twinkling with gratitude.
Mano walked forward and turned to the right, attempting to find a seat in the stands. Vai sighed and made her way through the door on her left, continuously going down yet another hallway until she reached the small room where the Hivemind resided if he wasn't out in the center of the outdoor auditorium or anywhere else. There was no roof on the auditorium, so it opened up to the violet sky above.
Vai walked up to the heavyset metal door and knocked quietly, since there was no noise heard from any speakers or from the room itself. It suddenly swung open, a tall and lanky octoling standing before her. His long tentacles frayed about in all directions on his head and his silver shades gleamed in the harsh white lights of the auditorium.
"Vai! Super glad you could make it," he began, grabbing her by the arm and ushering her inside. Surprisingly, the Hivemind was pretty upbeat and carefree compared to his colleagues, kinda like the Krahn of their friend group. "So! I talked to the DJ, and he approved something mega important for you that I'd love to discuss with you!" he exclaimed happily, enthusiasm present in his tone and antsy behavior. "Oh, really?" Vai asked, curious, but not presenting as much excitement as the Hivemind was.
"You're getting a promotion to be my deputy!" he squealed, a huge smile on his face. Vai froze, every drop of emotion ebbing from her body. "W-what?" she squeaked, stunned. "I know, crazy right?! The DJ came up with it out of nowhere, saying stuff like 'keeping those lethargic adolescents in order' or whatever. He's worried you'll all rebel since you're all young and strong, and honestly, you're completely capable," he rambled, his eagerness getting the better of him since Vai was his favorite student, to say the least.
"Please, Hivemind, I'm more than unfit for this job, I can't handle that kind of stress right now!" Vai started, her anxiety levels starting to rise with every increasing heartbeat. "Just call me Loma, Vai. It's alright if you feel afraid right now, but trust me, you're going to be great, okay? Come back tomorrow, and you can personally present your project to me, yeah?" he offered, smiling at her. She smiled back crookedly, grateful for his friendliness.
"Sure," she answered, waving to him as she exited the room. "Have a lovely day, Vai!" He called after her, waving back at her. She shut the door, letting it slip into place as quietly as she could manage. She glanced around, sighed and decided to look for Mano, wherever he could be.
She spotted a small, discolored patch of flooring in the corner and became a little curious as to why it appeared to be so strange. She dusted it off and it turned out to be a very small grated trapdoor. It appeared to be locked somehow, but not with Octarian technology, by her knowledge.
"My invention," she thought to herself. "I can teleport myself inside!" She got excited, and activated her prized possession. She twisted the gear forward, aiming for whatever the hell could be on the inside of the wall. It looked like a metallic step ladder. She pressed north on her screen reluctantly, adjusted the approximate distance and pressed the button to execute the command. She once again, similar to yesterday, warped into another being and then back into herself quickly. Immediately, she felt herself falling into nothingness at a rapid rate, her body catapulting down the tunnel.
She hit the ground with a hard thud, pain enveloping her entire body. She landed in a puddle of what felt like enemy ink, but it wasn't that of an inkling. It was certainly from an octoling.
There was very little light down here barely illuminating the ink dripping from her left forearm, which she landed on pretty hard, along with her left shoulder. She wasn't bleeding by what she could tell, but she was certainly bruised. However, her skin burned in some places. She suspected the skin may have broken on her upper left arm, despite the visual lack of ink dripping from the wound.
The ink trickling off of her arm was not her own. It was an unusual shade of purple, being more of a deep violet. This was certainly strange, since the only colors you ever saw on an octoling in the metro were lavender, pale orange and bright pink, with that particular shade of pink being the most popular. The color in itself was unsettling, but the fact that it seemed fresh was even more jarring to her.
She gulped and proceeded down the wide smokey brick corridor, observing the barely flickering dim lanterns hanging from the walls by a thread on her way down. At the end of the corridor, she saw a large silhouette of what appeared to be a throne of some sort. It was crafted with molten steel, sticks and stone. Apparently, any material accessible in this dump was in the bizarre looking chair.
There was an octoling sitting in it, its fingers intertwined and its elbows resting on the arms of the chair. its folded hands were underneath its chin and supporting its head as it observed Vai's nervous approach.
It wore a large hat that appeared to be that of the inkling legend, called a "witch". It seemed to be male, but the marks under its eyes made it hard to tell. It wore a dusty white sweater and beat up white combat boots. Its crimson eyes bored into Vai's for a few more moments, until it chuckled.
Its deep voice signified it was certainly a male. His quiet laugh chilled Vai to the bone and sent an uneasy tingle up her spine and to the back of her neck. "W-who the hell are you?" Vai stammered, her body now taking a defensive position in case this stranger attempted to try anything funny on her. He smiled at her softly. The light in his eyes was gone and his smirk was void of any true emotion. "Iso Dunar, Miss Venci."