Anonymous reviews:
ika tako gamer: Poor Inigo... He needs a break. Things should perk up for him soon, but there's still the feud with Geneva to deal with. And Via appreciates the birthday wishes! Roy's birthday has already passed (September 12th), and so have Eight (September 8th) and Oscar's (October 4th). If you're wondering, they're all 18 now. Their birthdays just weren't mentioned in the story. To answer your question, I'm not completely sure yet, but I imagine they'll get into an argument at some point. Though Inigo isn't exactly in the mood to argue at the moment, especially with the break-up. I do have an idea on how the feud will end, but that's quite a while from now. We'll see, we'll see.
Now, onto the story!
Perry's PoV
Bzzt. Bzzt.
Perry's phone started to vibrate as he sat at his desk, doing his homework. The sculpin statue peered at him with its beady wooden eyes, the locket in its mouth shining gold. Under its watchful eye, he picked up his phone and pressed a button, lighting up the screen. Noelle's name was listed as the caller. Giddy, he smiled as he answered the call and brought his phone to his ear.
"Yo, what's up?" he greeted the hagfish. "You got anything new?"
"I do, in fact," she confirmed. "I can tell you now, if you want."
"Can I come over to your place?" he asked instead. "It's pretty relaxing there."
"Well... I do have free time right now," Noelle considered. "I wouldn't be calling you if that wasn't the case."
"Booyah!" he exclaimed, pumping a fist. "I'll get over there right now."
"I'll be waiting."
The hagfish hung up, and Perry put his phone in his pocket, standing up from his chair. He glanced over at his homework, the papers still sitting on his desk. He shrugged and proceeded to leave his room, leaving it untouched. He walked down the stairs to the first floor of his mansion, walking down the hallway towards the exit of the house. His dad wasn't going to be home for a few more hours, so he was certain that he could leave and get back before he arrived.
Once he was outside, he walked over to his car and started it up. He pulled out of the driveway, driving down the streets of his neighborhood. In the meantime, he started to think of just how exactly he would get to Noelle's place today. The area she lived in was notoriously hard to navigate due to how cramped it was. If he wanted to drive there, he would have to park nearby just to walk over there.
...He could also super-jump there, but he was feeling lazy today. Besides, he might as well refine his driving further.
The journey over to the cramped streets went smoother than expected, and he parked in a lot located just before the streets began to get narrower and narrower. He climbed out of the car, locked it, and walked deeper into this section of Inkopolis. It was just how he remembered from the last time he visited this place—clotheslines hanging from building to building, clothes attached to them flying in the wind. Some jellyfish were playing with a jump rope on the side of the street, trying to see how many times they could jump over it before tripping. Other civilians meandered through the streets, their destinations forever unknown to the purple-haired boy.
At last, he found the familiar set of curtains that shielded Noelle's place from the rest of Inkopolis. He pushed them open, stepping into the room. It was just as he remembered—the room remained dark, with only a few lights illuminating it. Noelle ate some green grapes on her couch, reading a magazine in her other hand.
"Hey Noelle," Perry spoke up, putting a hand on his hip. "I'm here."
The hagfish lifted her head, eyes wide as she sucked on a grape. The grape disappeared between her lips, and she swallowed it, putting the magazine down on the couch before slithering off of it, approaching the inkling. She offered the grapes to him, and he took one, popping it into his mouth.
"You are here," she remarked. She gestured to the chair, and then she crawled off, curling herself behind the glass table. She placed the bowl of grapes in the middle of it, changing the lighting of the room. Perry walked over to the chair and sat down on it, expectant of what the hagfish had to say today.
"So, you got something new 'bout my mom finally," he started, getting right down to business immediately.
"Yes." She dipped her head. "I have both good news and bad news."
"...Let's start with the bad news," he requested. Might as well get it out of the way now.
"The bad news is, your mother still wants nothing to do with you," Noelle started, barbels twitching. She took another grape out of the bowl and ate it.
Perry frowned, rubbing his arm. "Oh." Somehow, he wasn't very surprised.
"I tried, Perry," she tried to cheer him up. "I truly did. But your mother was always a stubborn one. It takes a lot to change her mind."
"...Can you tell me the good news now?" he asked her. "Please tell me it's better than this."
"I don't know if it's better, but..." Noelle turned around and grabbed a piece of paper off of a shelf. She pushed it towards him, and he began to read it, though when the hagfish began to speak once more, he turned his attention away from it, lifting his head and staring at her with purple eyes. "This is an application to be a background character in a new show."
"Why give me this?" he puzzled. "This has nothing to do with her."
"On the contrary, it is," she countered. "You see, another friend of hers from high school—a nautilus named Steffany Sail—is a camerawoman for the production company. Though your mother promised me not to talk about her to you, she didn't make the same promise to her. At least, that's what I last heard."
He perked up, now intrigued in what she had to say. "So basically... This is a loophole."
"You follow? Good." Noelle gave a satisfied nod. "So, even if I can't tell you anything, if you ask her, she might tell you something. And the only way to get on set is to apply and be accepted."
"You really think this will work?"
"I can't guarantee it, but...I say you have a good chance."
"I'll try," Perry determined, grabbing the piece of paper. "Thanks, Noelle."
"You're welcome," the hagfish said with a smile. She glanced over at the clock. "You better be on your way. My next client should be arriving soon."
He groaned. "Can't I stay longer?" And maybe I can get out of doing my homework for longer.
"It tends to be a little overwhelming when there's more than two people in this room," she admitted. "So, that will have to be a no. My apologies."
"Aw..." Sighing, he jumped out of the chair, adjusting his hat. "Well, see ya later, Noelle." He began walking towards the exit to the building, back out into the streets.
"Oh, Perry!" Noelle suddenly called, grabbing his attention. He looked over his shoulder. "It's due by Saturday. You should turn it in as soon as possible."
"Sooner than I expected," he mused, surprised. With a final nod, he thanked the hagfish and left the building, backtracking his steps so that he could get to his car. Quickly, he returned, unlocking it and climbing inside of it. Setting the application aside, he started it up and drove off, traveling back to his house. There was more traffic than there was on the way there, much to his dismay. Nonetheless, he managed to get home before his dad did, and he ran inside, quickly running back upstairs so that he could fill out the form. He pushed his homework aside and grabbed a pen, quickly writing the required information. A minute or two later, he finished, and he set it down. Now, all he had to do was show it to his dad once he came home, and then he could finally submit it. Unable to contain his excitement, he ran over to his radio and began blasting an Off the Hook song, singing along to it and dancing, too.
He was so caught up in it that he didn't notice his dad come home. The older inkling opened the door, causing Perry to pause, staring at his father wide-eyed as his cheeks became hot with embarrassment. He turned off the radio and walked up to his dad, greeting him.
"Hey, Dad," he started, tapping his foot on the ground. "I got something to show you."
"You do, now?" the older inkling perplexed, raising an eyebrow.
He nodded and walked back over to his desk, grabbing the application. "It's to be a background character. In a TV show."
"A background character?" His dad stared at him for a few moments, and his lips turned upwards in a smile. "My son's going to be on TV!" he enthused.
"So that's a yes?"
"Of course!"
"Booyah!" he cheered, pumping a fist. "Thanks, Dad."
"Of course." He patted his son's head. "Now, I got to make dinner. Anything you want?"
"Uh..." He scratched his head, thinking. What did he want for dinner? "...Tomato soup?"
"Going for something simple today, eh," he commented. "I'll call you when I'm done."
"Aight. See ya, Dad."
"Bye."
His dad closed the door, leaving Perry alone in his room again. His groove destroyed after the interruption his father had brought, he turned off the radio, setting the application aside while he resumed doing his homework. It wasn't like he didn't have anything else to do, anyways. Though looking through his phone was quite tempting... Eventually, he gave in, swiping his phone off of his desk and opening up Squidsagram, becoming lost in the endless scrolling.
Soon, he would find his mom. He was sure of it.
One week later...
"Have fun, Perry!" his dad called as the purple-haired boy climbed out of the car. "Maybe you'll make some friends here."
"I will, Dad, don't you worry," he called back as he ran over to the studio. With that, his dad was gone, and now, it was time to begin his search for Steffany Sail. He stared up at the building the studio was located in. The color scheme matched the buildings around it, but the billboard hanging above the entrance indicated that it was a production studio, the company's logo apparent on it. He walked up to the booth, where a blue marlin stood, holding a clipboard and a badge denotating him as a studio employee.
"Name," he demanded, clearly not too happy to be here.
"Perry Sculpin," the purple-haired inkling replied.
The marlin starting looking through his clipboard, searching for Perry's name. Once he found it, he gave a satisfied hum, taking out a pen and making a marking on the piece of paper. He gave a nod towards the boy and placed a bracelet around Perry's wrist.
"Welcome," he said. "You have time before filming starts. You can mingle with the others in the meantime."
"Aight," Perry remarked, stretching. He stepped through the door, into the studio. Of course, it was busy. He didn't seem to be early, but he wasn't late, either. Several crewmembers scrambled around the area, getting the first scene ready for shooting. The scene in question resembled the interior of someone's house, studio lights hanging above it to make it seem plausible. Cameras were being set up, and some actors were talking to the director. Remembering his mission, he started walking towards the set, purple eyes scanning the area for a nautilus.
Halfway there, however, a new voice grabbed his attention.
"Well, look who it is."
He stopped in his tracks, turning around to face the speaker. A pale-skinned cuttlefish with forest green hair stood with her arms folded, golden eyes narrowed. Next to her was an olive-skinned inkling boy with hot pink hair styled into a side cut and light blue eyes. Compared to his friend, he was considerably more sheepish.
"Perry Sculpin," the cuttlefish remarked. "What, you here for Callie too?"
"What?!" he cried out. "Callie's here?"
"That's a no, then," the olive-skinned inkling deduced.
"But anyways, yeah, she's here," the girl confirmed. "She's the star in this show."
"There's some other notable names in this show, too," followed her friend. "Cooper Pyjama, Kim Joubin, Hunter Mastigot, Alyssa Cabezon, Dakota Lyco... This is a top-notch list!"
Getting over his shock, Perry shook his head. "Well, I didn't know about any of this! And...do I know you?"
"Do you know me?" the cuttlefish repeated, surprised. "You seriously don't recognize me?"
"Uh, no."
She groaned. "Does 'Margot' ring a clue?"
At her words, he realized that yes, he did know this person. However, the last time they saw each other was in elementary school, when Perry still attended the private school in Inkopolis Bay. He supposed his father's fame made him rather recognizable, but how was he supposed to know what a girl he last saw when he was a kid looked like in the present day?
"Oh! Margot! Hehe..." he realized, rubbing the back of his head. "Been a long time."
"And me?" the olive-skinned inkling spoke up, stepping up towards him.
"Uh..." The purple-haired boy raised a hand, fingers pointed towards him.
"Xavier," he deadpanned. "I was your friend."
"Xavier, yeah, yeah, I was gonna get to that," he said, giving a nervous chuckle. In truth, he didn't remember him either.
"I heard you attend a public school now," Margot sneered. "Must be pretty dirty over there."
Perry crossed his arms. What was she getting at? "It's not dirty," he fired back. "It's perfectly fine! I like it there."
"You...like it?" Xavier marveled. "Never thought I'd see someone like school."
"I-I meant the people," he defended himself. "Yeah, school sucks, but I have plenty of friends there."
"Let's get going, Xavier," the cuttlefish announced, grabbing her friend's hand and tugging on it. "We don't need to waste our time any longer."
"Fine, fine," the olive-skinned boy muttered. "Bye, Perry. See you on set."
The purple-haired boy waved goodbye back, and with that, he pumped a fist, muttering words of triumph. Finally, with them out of the way, now he could go look for Steffany Sail. He turned around, facing the set once more. The cameras seemed mostly set up now, though there were still a few people making adjustment. He searched the crew members, looking for a nautilus, but alas, he couldn't see any. Even when he tried walking closer to get a better look, there was still no one that could possibly be the species Steffany was.
Well, if he couldn't find her himself, he would have to ask someone. Seeing as the actors were now gone, he proceeded to walk over to the director, who currently lounged in a chair in front of the set. He appeared to be an older inkling with light brown skin, balding green hair, and a goatee. He wore a purple beret and round sunglasses and a navy sweater. Perry stepped in front of him, and the director immediately sat up, raising an eyebrow.
"What?" he asked, his voice like gravel.
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, surprised by his sudden anxiety. Taking a deep breath, he tried speaking once again.
"Do you know where Steffany Sail is?"
"Steffany Sail?" he puzzled. "She's sick. She called for a day off today." The man's eyebrows then furrowed. "Plus, what do you want her for? You look like you're still in high school!"
"She's, uh, my mom's friend," he replied. Still, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. He was so excited for this day, to finally make some progress in finding his mom, and it was foiled thanks to Steffany being sick.
"Ah," the director simply muttered. "You're going to have to check another day."
"Aw man..." he grumbled. "Well, thanks anyways."
"You're welcome," he said. "Now scram; production is starting in a few minutes."
"Y-Yes!" he stuttered, dashing off.
As he went away, he took another look at the camera crew, just to make sure the director wasn't lying. As expected, no nautiluses were in sight. Sighing, he continued on, going towards the group of people in the corner of the room, presumably other people cast as background actors. While the thoughts of his mother still lingered in his mind, he did hope to make some friends while he was here. Margot and Xavier didn't seem to be the friendliest people around, but perhaps he could make some other friends, too.
And then he bumped into someone.
He stumbled backwards, surprised. Once he got his bearings, he looked up at the person. An inkling with pale skin, starry eyes, and long black hair, wearing a t-shirt and some denim shorts. Quickly, he realized just who he happened to bump into.
Callie from the Squid Sisters.
"I'm sorry!" she apologized, closing her eyes and shaking her hands. "I didn't watch where I was going."
"It's fine," he told her. "Don't worry 'bout it."
The idol's eyes peered open, only to become surprised herself. "Huh? Oh! Perry!"
"You've met?" another voice chimed in. A fair-skinned inkling with short black hair tipped with hot pink, much like Callie's, stepped up next to her, wearing a jacket and some leggings. A few wrinkles were apparent on her face, but there was still a youthful air to her, as if she still held on to her inner child. She stared over at Perry with wide eyes colored sea green.
"Yeah, we've met a few times," she replied. Glancing over at Perry again, she began to introduce the newcomer to him. "Perry, this is Kim. She plays my mom on this show. Kim, this is Perry."
"I would've preferred to have my normal ink color," Kim added, "but the producers said it 'adds to marketability.'"
"Obviously we're not related," she clarified, "but we look pretty similar, don't cha think?"
He examined the two inklings. Callie had sharper features overall, and Kim lacked a beauty mark, but for a TV show such as this one, they could pass as being related. The fact that Kim had to change her ink color helped with it.
"Yeah," he agreed. He outstretched a hand towards Kim. "Nice to meet you."
"You've really never seen me on TV?" the actress marveled. Nonetheless, she took the hand and shook it, too. "Anyways, nice to meet you, too. Glad there's someone Callie knows well here."
"I wouldn't say well," he pointed out. "But good enough."
"Yeah, it's nice to see a familiar face around here!" the black-haired inkling chirped. She looked behind her and jumped up and down, waving a hand. "Alyssa! Come over here!"
Another inkling woman, this one slightly younger than Kim, was exiting the hallway leading backstage, and at Callie's voice, she lifted her head, her curiosity piqued. She walked over to them, heels clacking on the stone floor. Her hot pink tentacles were tied behind her head, giving her the illusion of having cat ears. She wore a black blazer, which stood out against her pale skin. As soon as she approached them, her purple eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms.
Alyssa Cabezon. His dad's favorite actress.
"I see you've made a new friend," she remarked.
"I knew him beforehand," Callie corrected. "So it was nice to see him!"
Kim cleared her throat and stepped towards the woman. "Alyssa, this is-"
"Perry Sculpin," she interrupted. "I know."
"Sculpin..." the fair-skinned woman pondered. "That's the name of a company, right?"
"Mhm," Alyssa replied. "The CEO keeps sending me fan mail."
"Wow," the idol gasped. "I didn't know that guy was into Mean Squids and the like!"
"You'd be surprised," she grumbled.
"We're starting!" the director called. "Get to your places for the first scene!"
"And we have to go," Kim announced. "Bye, Perry."
"Wait," Callie demanded. She turned to face the purple-haired boy again. "You wanna come with us to the Reef when we're done? It'll be a cast hang out!"
Alyssa tensed. "Are you sure?" she questioned, eyes wide.
"Yeppers," she affirmed. "It'd be nicer to have someone closer to my age with me."
She sighed. "If you say so..."
"Yay! Now let's get going!" she declared. "Stay fresh, Perry!"
As they left, Perry nodded and waved goodbye. "See ya later," he called, walking over to where the other background actors were situated. As soon as he arrived, he sat down at a table and leaned back in his chair, watching as the new show began filming.
Many boring hours later, the shooting finally ended.
The worst part was, Perry didn't even get to be in a single scene. He pouted, scrolling through Squidsagram on his phone. His friends seemed to be having so much fun battling today...and yet he was stuck here, watching the scenes fly by as they were shot. Some of his fellow background actors were called, but unfortunately, he was not. Such is the cruel business that is the film industry, he supposed.
Once they announced the end, he rose from his seat, he began to stretch, his legs a little sore from sitting in place for so long. He walked over to the entrance to the backstage area, where he waited outside of it, anticipating Callie, Kim, and Alyssa's arrival.
Kim was the first to show up, wearing a green sweater, leggings, and some Tentatek shoes. On her head was a classic straw boater, and the tips of her hair had changed to a sea green color, matching her eyes.
"You remembered!" she exclaimed. "Great! Now, let's wait..."
Alyssa came out next, her hair now also matching her eye color—purple. She wore a black corset and a short, red skirt, a belt circling around her waist. Underneath the skirt were black leggings, and her shoes were red heels slightly taller than the heels she wore on set. Slung around her neck and shoulders was a pink feather boa, overall giving her a luxurious appearance. Stud earrings were embedded into her ears.
Callie came out right after her, wearing her casual get-up, consisting of a pink beanie with a star pin on it, a pink cardigan, a white-and-black t-shirt, and black shorts. The boots she wore were brown, and they had heels. Pink socks stuck out from the shoes. The earrings she wore were the same as they were in her idol outfit.
"We ready?" Callie asked.
"Indeed," Alyssa confirmed. Kim also nodded in agreement.
"Well, what're we waiting for?" Perry challenged. "Let's go!"
They bounded out of the production studio, where Alyssa directed everyone towards the parking lot, to her car. Callie and Perry climbed into the back seat, while Kim took the passenger's seat. Alyssa started up the car, and they drove off, traveling to the Reef. It didn't take long for them to arrive, though the sun was starting to set, tinging the sky a golden color. They parked, and Callie was the first out of the car, cheerfully pointing towards some shops. Kim ran after her, though she seemed to have less energy than the idol, running out of breath rather quickly. Perry raced towards the two of them, while Alyssa let out a sigh, walking as fast as she could without tripping over and falling.
They reached a clothing shop selling Krak-On gear, with a resting area near the entrance so that people could spectate any ongoing battles as they pleased. However, there didn't seem to be any battles right now. Two jellyfish were walking on the bridge down in the specified area, holding flowers in their hands. Perry chuckled as one stuffed flowers into their mouth, causing the other one to give their bundle of flowers to them. His observation of them quickly ceased as Alyssa grabbed his hand, dragging him inside the shop.
"Krak-On," Kim noted. "It's my daughter's favorite brand."
"How old's your daughter?" Callie asked.
"She turns 12 in January," she replied. "She wants to main the Krak-On Splat Roller when she's old enough." She giggled. "It's cute whenever she grabs someone's roller and tries to use it. I'm just glad she hasn't splatted anyone yet."
"That roller's superfresh!" the idol commented. "You ink enough turf to activate your special, and bah-bam! Roll around with the Baller and create a huge explosion!"
"Maybe if my back wasn't bad, I would try it," she chuckled.
Meanwhile, Alyssa started examining the clothing inside the shop. She picked up a pair of shoes, grimacing at them in disgust. She set them down, proceeding to examine more shoes. None of them seemed to match her tastes, as she proceeded to put down every single one. When she rejoined the group, she was scowling.
"Is this what is popular among squidkids today?" she questioned. "It feels lazy."
"Yeah," Perry answered. "Trust me, they're fresh. I know squids who would pay tons of money just to get their hands on some luxury shoes made by Krak-On!"
She rolled her eyes. "Then I guess my sense of freshness is very different from yours."
Callie began wandering the store, examining each and every article of clothing she came across. She grabbed a t-shirt off the shelves and walked to the changing room so that she could try it on. She stepped out a minute or two later, now wearing the pastel pink shirt. The name of the brand was written across the front of the shirt. She turned around, displaying the logo on the back. Now that he thought about it, it reminded Perry of the sunny-day tee.
"Looks good, right?" the black-haired inkling remarked. Kim nodded, giving a thumbs-up. Perry gave one as well, while Alyssa remained silent. "Booyah!" she cheered at their responses. She entered the changing room once more, and she came out wearing her previous t-shirt and cardigan, holding the pink shirt in her hands. Instead of going to the cash register, she started looking through the shelves again. "Now, what else...?"
While they waited for her to decide, Alyssa pulled out her phone and texted something. She put it away and looked over at Kim. "Are you buying anything?"
Kim put a hand on her chin. "Hm... Maybe. My daughter might like it if I bought her something from here."
"Then you should buy somethin'!" Perry interjected. "And then she'll be happy!"
"You think so?" she remarked, turning to look at the pale-skinned boy. He nodded, enthusiastic. She smiled. "Well, then I'll get on it." She walked deeper into the store, going to the kid's section to look for something to buy. Now, Perry and Alyssa stood off to the side, watching their companions as they sifted through items.
"You're not buying anything?" she then questioned.
Perry jumped at the sudden sound of her voice, looking up at her. "N-No, I'm not," he replied, still surprised. He never realized how scary Alyssa Cabezon could be... He started to wonder why his dad was even a fan of her in the first place. Now thinking of a new question, he cleared his throat and asked, "What do you think of my dad?"
"Your dad?" she muttered, eyebrows raised.
"Yeah! I think it'd be fresh if he heard something about him from his favorite actress."
The actress blinked, surprised. "How do I put this nicely..." she started. "He's...very persistent."
"Hey. Persistence is a good thing to have." He snapped his fingers, pointing at Alyssa. Unimpressed, she pushed his hands down.
"Let's just wait for Callie and Kim to finish," she concluded.
Perry nodded and turned his attention back to the two. Callie was now purchasing the t-shirt she had picked out. The herring at the counter simply stared at her with an open gape, taking her money and continuing to stare at her as she rejoined the group, the shirt now in a bag. Kim had picked out a rainy-day tee, this one in a smaller size than usual, and she now walked to where the black-haired idol had been standing beforehand. She tapped the counter, grabbing the herring's attention, and he proceeded to do his job, putting the shirt Kim bought in a bag after she paid for it. Kim rejoined them, and the herring waved goodbye as the four of them exited the shop.
"Booyah!" Perry cheered. "Where to next?"
"Hm..." Callie narrowed her eyes, searching the Reef for any more shops they could go to. The sky was now orange, the sun peeking out just above the horizon. Some inkling children were playing down in the grassy area of the Reef, dueling with colorful fake swords. Some adults were sitting on a bench nearby, watching the children as they played. At the sight, he smiled, feeling nostalgic. He remembered doing the same thing with Yuri back when he first met him. He was quickly pulled out of his thoughts when Callie had decided on a place to go, dashing off towards a shop not far from the Krak-On shop they were just in. Perry and the others quickly followed her, now entering a new store.
This store belonged to Enperry, judging by the various advertisements for said brand on the entrance on it. One advertisement depicted Off the Hook, advertising their next show in Starfish Mainstage. Apparently, people could get a free Enperry shirt if they attended the concert. He took a picture of the flyer, saving it for later. Alyssa stood in the entrance of the store, gesturing for him to come inside. He put his phone away and proceeded to follow the actress.
"I've ordered a few things from Enperry before," the purple-haired boy remarked as they entered. "Their clothing is the best!"
Alyssa walked over to the aisle and grabbed a king jersey. "Sports," she deadpanned. "How surprising."
"Hey," Kim said, grabbing a king flip mesh off the shelves, "it's your hat." She showed the hat to Perry, the logo on the front of it pink instead of purple.
"Yep," he confirmed. "Where else do ya think I got it from?"
She smiled and put it on her head, the logo changing to a sea green color. "Well, if this is what's fresh with squidkids these days, I'll buy it."
"Ooh," Callie spoke up, picking up a pair of pink-and-gold shoes. "These look fresh!"
"They remind me of Pearl," Perry commented, walking over to her. He picked up a pair of the same shoes in his size. Maybe I should buy this.
"Same," the black-haired idol agreed. "Maybe she sponsored these."
"Maybe." Another pair of shoes caught the purple-haired boy's eyes, this one colored dark purple and turquoise, reminding him of Marina. "Hey, don't these remind you of Marina?" he asked her, picking them up.
"Oh, yeah," she replied. She picked up the second pair of shoes, comparing them. "Now I'm really thinking Off the Hook sponsored these!"
"You could wear them both, if you're feeling brave," Kim interjected, looking back at the group. She was waiting in line now, with many of the people around her looking over at the idol.
"Then it won't match," she pointed out, throwing her hands down. However, she quickly perked back up, holding the shoes up again. "I'll buy both of these," she declared, setting the display shoes down and grabbing the boxes they came in. "Alright, what next?" she asked herself as she walked away, continuing to browse the items in the store.
Perry looked at the shoes he picked up. He sat down to try them on, just to make sure they fit. Once he got them up, he stood up, walking around to get a feel for them. Indeed, they fit. He sat down and put the shoes in their corresponding shoe box, putting the shoes he walked in the store with back on his feet. He scanned the store once more to see if anything else had grabbed his attention. Nothing did. He walked over to the line, now waiting for his turn to purchase the shoes.
The person at the cash register was a funny-looking inkling he didn't recognize, having the same hairstyle as Peyton. She wore double egg shades over her eyes, and she had brown skin. Not speaking a word, she took the box Perry was holding and scanned it, typing in the information. The price of the shoes then displayed on a screen above the cash register.
"18,000G," she demanded, outstretching a hand.
Perry took out his wallet and proceeded to pay for them. These were some expensive shoes! Of course, he's seen more expensive, but they rarely got to this price.
Afterwards, the employee put his shoes into a bag and handed them over to Perry. "Have...a nice day," she said to him.
"You too," he said back to her, then returning to where Kim and Alyssa stood at the entrance.
Soon enough, a sea anemone approached the former for an autograph, holding out the shoes she had just bought. Kim took out a pen and happily signed it. The clownfish in the sea anemone's hair held out a tiny hat, and Kim signed that, too. The clownfish put the hat on their head, and with that, the sea anemone said goodbye, thanking her. Several more people approached the two actresses, wishing for their autographs as well. Soon enough, Callie finally finished shopping, now having gained two extra bags that displayed the Enperry logo on them.
"Holy carp; what did you buy?" Alyssa blurted at the sight of the bags.
"A bunch of shoes," the idol replied. "They just looked so fresh; I couldn't resist!"
"They better be good shoes," the pale-skinned woman remarked.
They walked out of the Enperry, the sky now purple as the sun disappeared, nightfall soon to come. Perry checked his phone. He figured he should get back home—his dad would probably be wondering where he was. Just as he thought of that, he received a text from him, asking where he was.
Carp, he realized. He probably thinks I'm still at the studio.
"Uh, squids," he spoke up, causing everyone's attention to turn towards them. "I gotta go."
"Already?" Kim perplexed. "But we've just started!"
"It is getting a little late," Alyssa mused, looking up at the sky.
"Well, we can do some late-night shopping!" Callie suggested.
"My dad wants me," he pointed out. "So I can't stay."
"Aw." Kim frowned. "That's too bad."
"Why don't we take a group selfie?" the idol suggested.
"Sure thing!" Perry agreed. He took out his phone and held it out in front of him, turning on the camera. "Kim! Alyssa! Get in here!"
"Alright, alright," Alyssa sighed, stepping in next to Callie. Kim then stepped in next to Perry, so that she would be in the front. With everyone in their positions, Perry snapped a few photos, and he lowered his phone to look through them. He chose the best one, deleting the other ones taken.
"You want the picture?" he asked them.
"Nah," Callie replied. "You don't need to send it."
"Yeah, you can keep it as a memento," Kim agreed. Alyssa said nothing in response to his question, instead silently concurring by dipping her head.
"Aight," he said. With that, the purple-haired inkling began to walk off. "Bye!" he called to them.
"Bye!" Callie called back, waving. "And stay fresh!"
Smiling, Perry proceeded to text his dad and walked to the entrance of the Reef, leaning against a lamppost and waiting for him to arrive so that he could go back home. All things considered, he had fun today. His time at the studio may have been boring, but the hang out surely made up for it. It was just unfortunate that Steffany Sail was sick today.
But there was always a next time. Once she recovered, he would be back on the trail in search of his mother.
A/N: This was quite the chapter! This was also a chapter I've been planning for a while - ever since I decided to have Perry try to find out who his mother is. I've been liking exploring him more past his usual silly personality, and such, I did like writing this chapter! Do I like how it came out? Personally, I think it could've used some more polish. But either way, I hope you like it. Branchwing, out!