Anonymous reviews:
Agent 4: Thankfully, Yuri and Yvonne's argument has a quick resolution. Obviously, there hasn't been a Direct yet - my hopes for a Direct this past week were immediately dashed last Monday when they announced the Xenoblade one. But I am enjoying the new Fire Emblem game! There's rumors they'll announce a new mainline game soon, but this is a Splatoon fic. That's not the best place to discuss it.
Anyways, onto the story.
Geneva's PoV
Geneva and Eight sank into the couch, their eyes following Asher as he paced back-and-forth around the living room, worry etching his features. He eventually stopped, adjusting the tie he was wearing.
"Relax," Eight assured him. "She will be thinking you are the best at looking."
Asher looked over at her, and upon seeing his puzzled expression, Geneva added, "She means you look good."
"Simple way to explain my words," the octoling muttered.
"I know, I know," Asher acknowledged, "but I can't help but feel nervous." And for good reason, too: after everything to do with Tiffany, Geneva figured it was only natural he would feel that way. Regardless, his leaf-green eyes fell on the clock. "I should be going now. Don't want to keep Ivy waiting."
She nodded in agreement. "See ya."
"Yes, goodbye!" Eight followed.
With a smirk, Asher waved goodbye and left the apartment, leaving the two girls by themselves. Now that he was gone, they looked at each other, expectant. Though, before Geneva could say anything, her girlfriend quickly had something else to say.
"Oscar and Giovanni want to see you," she announced. "Inkopolis Square. They are there now."
"Now?" she repeated, eyes wide with surprise. "I was kind of hoping we'd be doing something else."
"Like what?"
"Well, we could watch a movie, do some training, play some turf wars, et cetera... Since we have nothing else to do, yeah?"
Eight sighed, frowning. "Sorry, Three, but they say it important."
Now, she was interested. "Important? Did they get a lead on who the spy might be?"
She hesitated before replying, "...No say."
Geneva only grew more suspicious—she was hiding something, she could tell. But why? She had nothing to hide. And even if she did hide something, she would usually have good reason to. Deciding not to pry into it, she said, "Alright, alright. If nothing else, at least we could do some turf wars afterwards."
Eight gave a quick nod. "Yeah."
They put on their shoes and exited the apartment, with Geneva making sure to lock it. They left the complex and started to walk towards Inkopolis Square, their fingers laced together. If they had more time, she would love to explore the streets together with Eight, pointing out places she loved to visit to her. Alas, being an agent of the New Squidbeak Splatoon proved to be a time-consuming job. Constant patrol, combined with their more recent rescue missions and training, on top of juggling school and her social life... A day like today was rare.
They reached Inkopolis Square, and immediately, Eight took the lead, dragging her past the Crust Bucket and towards one of the tables. Yuri, Perry, Oscar, and Giovanni all sat around it, talking among themselves. Upon the two girls' arrival, they lifted their heads and greeted them.
"Hey," said Perry, dipping his head in acknowledgement. "Nice to see ya here."
"Hello, but enough with the formalities." Her exposed eye fell on the two octolings. "What did you two want to talk about?"
"Straight to the point, huh?" Giovanni remarked, hunching over in his chair. His hands clasped together on the table, he continued, "Oscar and I built a challenge that we thought you would find fun."
"You built a challenge?" She scratched the back of her head. "How?"
"We rented out a large space," Oscar explained.
"I paid for most of it," Perry interrupted. "They only paid like, 10,000G total."
"We are not rich, Perry," Gio snapped. "Most of my money this month went to the parts building this and my rent."
"Hey, I didn't say that was a bad thing," he defended. "It's not like I'm expecting ya to pay me back or anythin'."
"Well, the point is clear," Oscar continued. "We use the space to build the challenge."
"OK, but why me specifically?" Geneva asked. "You could've gotten someone else on the Rainbow Squids if you wanted an inkling to do it, or even Alexis."
"I think Alexis would've said no," Perry pointed out.
"You never know," Yuri argued. "She could've said yes."
Giovanni cleared his throat, and he answered, "Out of the Rainbow Squids, you are the most skilled. We made it hard, so knowing you, it would be a fun challenge."
Oscar stared at him a few moments, unamused. "Ahem... Giovanni is biased, but there is no one better than you. Please, Geneva, will you take the challenge?"
The green-haired girl glanced over at Eight. Her hands were clasped together, pink eyes expectant. Admittedly, an unknown challenge was not her definition of 'important.' But despite claiming otherwise, Eight must've seen it already. And she trusted the rest of Octa Prisma enough not to put her in a dangerous situation. Besides, with those wide eyes, there was no way Geneva could say no.
"I accept," she finally said, refocusing her gaze on the boys. "Just what exactly does this challenge entail?"
Gio beamed. "I will tell you on the way there."
Oscar's eyes focused on Yuri and Perry. "You do not have to watch. If you want to, though, you are able to."
"O-Oh! Yvonne is probably there, if you are looking for her," the boy with the mohawk finished. "Oscar said she would be coming to watch."
"What's Yvonne got to do with anything?" Geneva puzzled.
"We were talking about her before you showed up," Yuri explained. "Something—it's not important, don't worry—happened between us last week, and I've been wanting to talk to her about it. But she's been avoiding me ever since."
"Kinda like your feud with Inigo," Perry elaborated. "Except this is much more minor."
She scoffed. "Oh, don't bring him up! You two know what he's done."
"You cannot avoid him for eternity," Eight interjected, her voice soft. "I know he hurt you, but...you have to be confront Inigo at some time."
"I just...don't want to think about him, alright?" Her eyes fell on the boys again, and quickly, she asked, "Can we get going?"
"Alright, alright," Perry said, raising his hands out in front of him.
They rose from their seats and left Inkopolis Square, heading past Grizzco Industries, with Giovanni leading the way. After a few minutes of walking, he began to explain the challenge in more detail.
"The rules of the challenge are simple: you are not permitted to use a weapon. You may only make use of the turf already inked to your advantage. Once you start the challenge, you may not leave until you finish it. The only exception is in an emergency. You will be connected to a spawn point, but you will not be able to super-jump back to it. Actually, you will not be able to super-jump at all at any point during the challenge."
"So what's the goal, exactly?" Geneva inquired.
"It will be obvious when we arrive."
As it turns out, the space they rented was not far from Inkopolis Square at all. Though, it was in a warehouse, some fliers posted on its exterior. Iris stood in front of the door, chewing something as she crossed her arms. Upon spotting the newcomers, she spat a piece of gum on the ground and focused her gaze on them.
"We can finally start?" she asked, eyes narrowed.
"Indeed," Giovanni confirmed. His presence becoming more commanding, he ordered, "Oscar, take Yuri, Perry, and Eight to the stands. Iris, you go with them. I will take Geneva to the starting point."
"Right," Oscar and Iris agreed. The latter opened the door, and after everyone entered the building, she shut it behind her before going their separate ways.
Giant metal walls rose to the ceiling, and despite the strange air around them, Geneva began to wonder what was inside. They reached a different door, and Gio opened it to reveal a spawn point. She stepped on it, and it flashed green, signifying that she had been connected. Satisfied, he slammed the door shut, the sound amplified by the cramped space. After it faded away, she turned her attention to the path up ahead, soft pop music beating in her ears. There was a fork in the road, and she could only go either left or right. She could see the faintest traces of green ink towards the left path.
Suddenly, Giovanni's voice boomed through a megaphone. "Welcome to the Coral Labyrinth. Here, you may rely on only your own skills to reach the end of the maze. Avoid the Octopods, and use the ink we laid out to your advantage. There is no timer, but I recommend that you finish it quickly. Good luck, and we will see you in thirty minutes, hopefully."
He went silent, and now, Geneva was alone. She didn't even have anything witty to fire back with. Though she wondered how they managed to get Octopods in here, the only thing she could do was press forward.
She started to walk along the path, looking both ways. To her left was one puddle of ink, however it led to a dead end. Her only option was to go right. But why leave ink there? Tensing up, she crept towards the right, peeking around the bend and scanning the path ahead. A single Octopod wandered around aimlessly, though it seemed like it was only confined to one area. If she stepped out now, it would surely chase after her.
Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. She marched towards the Octopod, quickly grabbing its attention. With a hiss, it charged towards her, sparks flying off its metal body. She started running back the way she came, leading it towards the puddle of ink. As the tip of her boot hit the edge of the puddle, she whipped around, standing still as the Octopod lunged forward. Before it could hit her, she turned into a squid and leaped backwards, landing in the other end of the puddle as it crashed to the ground, magenta ink splattering everywhere. Convinced that it would not respawn, she leaped over the enemy ink puddle, transformed into a kid, and continued traversing the maze. In the distance, she could hear some faint clapping, only boosting her ego.
Geneva soon reached another dead end, her only option being to go to the left. There, she noticed a straight stretch of green ink, an Octopod patrolling the area. Memories of her time during the Deepsea Metro began to resurface. In an instant, she found herself escaping the hospital sector, splatting oddly-colored Octarians and sneaking by opponents she couldn't defeat. Her heart began to beat faster, the fear of splatting forever creeping inside her body.
Before they could overtake her, she forced herself to take a deep breath. She wasn't down there. She was back on the surface, doing a challenge her rivals in Octa Prisma created for her. She turned into a squid and dove into the ink, soothing herself. She glanced over at the Octopod. Even after standing near the edge of its path, it still hadn't noticed her. Slowly, she swam past it, and once its back was turned, she dashed away, not bothering to check if the path she had gone down was a dead end.
Quickly, she realized that the path she took was indeed a dead end. She turned around and walked back the way she came, taking the opposite path instead. When she reached the next fork in the road, she spotted a checkpoint, the surface underneath her feet flashing green as she stepped on it. Relief washed through her. At least she wouldn't be sent back to the beginning of the maze if she happened to splat.
Geneva continued to roam the maze. Oddly enough, ever since stepping on the checkpoint, she had yet to see any Octopods. After running into some dead ends, it took a few minutes for her to finally encounter another ink puddle, this one larger. There were two paths she could go—either go to the right or go up ahead. She submerged into the ink and started to survey the two paths in order to determine which path was the one she should take.
She started to go down one path, only to run straight into magenta ink. She was forced to transform back into a kid, wincing as enemy ink stuck to her shoes. An Octopod wandering around was quick to notice her, and with a hiss, it started to charge towards her. She stepped back into her own ink and swam away, losing the Octopod. She soon arrived back at the fork in the road, taking the other path. Though she started out quick, she slowed down as she noticed more Octopods patrolling the corridor. If they happened to notice her, she would splat, and then she would be forced to walk all the way back here.
She felt herself swimming even slower than the last time she had to sneak past an Octopod. No matter what, she could not get splatted. Swimming fast enough to make ripples in the ink was a risk she was not willing to take. After a few tense minutes, she finally reached the end of the ink trail, a checkpoint in sight. After ensuring no Octopod would chase after her, she emerged and ran up to the checkpoint, activating it. Pumping a fist, she continued onward.
The next obstacle she came across was, to her surprise, a long jump. Green ink covered the ramp leading up to a pit of magenta. Though the enemy ink seemed unassuming, who knows what would pop out if she failed to make it? Geneva crouched down, prepared to sprint towards the ramp. After a few moments, she darted towards it, though she was caught off-guard as she found herself stepping on ink a little too early. She stumbled off of the ramp, landing right in the pit. The ground underneath her started to glow, and a few ink mines exploded, splatting her.
Geneva respawned, disheartened. If she still had both eyes, then she figured she would've cleared the long jump with little difficulty. But she doesn't. And thus, it led to her misjudging the distance—a move that could've cost her life if this was an actual mission. It was a common issue she found herself facing, to the point where she usually had someone with her when she went out on missions that were more than a simple patrol. Typically, Agent 8 accompanied her, allowing them to grow even closer. Cap'n Cuttlefish accompanied her a lot as well, though talks of his retirement made her worry that one day, he would stop coming on missions with her, and then she would be all alone. Even if she could manage herself just fine in Inkopolis, that was a different story in Octo Canyon and other areas with suspicious activity.
The consequences of her time in the Deepsea Metro were not limited to her life in Inkopolis. When she went back to her hometown for Squidmas, she was immediately bombarded with questions on what she was doing the previous year. Though Asher knew of her status in the New Squidbeak Splatoon, and Tess had a faint idea of what happened to her eye, everyone else was in the dark. She had no one to corroborate her experiences, too—Eight had chosen to stay in Inkopolis for a variety of reasons, one of them being her fear of being outed as an octoling by a community filled with people much harder to avoid than in the city. Though Geneva doubted anyone in her hometown would recognize an octoling, Eight's anxiety had gotten the better of her, and thus, she stayed home.
Eventually, though, her own parents saw her without her eyepatch, discovering her miscolored eye. She hadn't meant for them to see it—she had left the door open on accident while she stared at herself in the mirror, gazing upon the turquoise eye. Though her mom had the courtesy to knock, it was too late—by then, she had seen it. Her dad entered the room not long after, and Geneva was forced to come up with an excuse. But how could someone even possibly explain hiding such a thing? In the end, though, she ended up giving a water-downed version of what happened. She omitted anything about the New Squidbeak Splatoon, Octarians, and the brief moment where she had been controlled by Commander Tartar, but everything else, she explained. For all her parents knew, she had gone blind because a large amount of peculiar ink had gotten into her eye, enough to alter her vision permanently.
They weren't mad, though. Just concerned enough that they considered forcing her to move back to her hometown and call a therapist. Seeing as Tiffany was in jail now, damaging her family's reputation, there would be no risk in moving back. Of course, Geneva turned down the offer—she needed to be there for Asher, after all. Besides, Eight was in Inkopolis, and so were the Rainbow Squids and the rest of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. Seeing as she was 18 now, they decided not to press it any further. They still recommended the therapist, though. Geneva decided to save it until after she graduated high school. She had enough on her plate right now.
But even after all of that, it was nice to see her family again. She missed them.
Realizing she was getting off-track, Geneva shook her head, refocusing her attention onto the maze. She's stood here long enough. She had to keep moving.
Eventually, she reached the ramp again. She prepared to sprint further from the ramp this time, anticipating the feel of ink underneath her feet in case she misjudged the distance again. A few moments later, she ran towards the ramp, turning into a squid the moment she felt her sole hit ink. She sped off the ramp, flying through the air. She just barely missed the end of the pit, but she had enough time to flee before the ink mines went off again. She turned around and watched as they exploded, magenta ink covering the walls and dripping down the sides. She winced as some of it splattered onto her, but ignoring it for now, she continued onwards.
It didn't take her very long to find the next obstacle: a series of pillars with green ink coating the top. A giant block obstructed her path, forcing her to climb up one and jump from pillar to pillar to reach the top. At least there was no pit of enemy ink this time. She did not want to have to do the long jump again.
The distance between the first two pillars was not much, yet Geneva still struggled to land on it, only just barely managing to stick to the ink on the second pillar and climb up it. She transformed back into the kid and looked up at the ledge. What if she super-jumped to it...? However, she quickly remembered that super-jumping was forbidden per the challenge rules. Frowning, she performed the next jump, and though she managed to make it, if she had jumped just a little shorter, she would've fallen to the ground, forcing her to start over. Seeing as there were still some pillars to go, she could only hope she would manage to make each jump successfully.
She leaped to the fourth pillar without much difficulty, much to her surprise. The fifth pillar was lower than the fourth, but it was a further jump than the previous pillars. She took a deep breath before launching herself off the pillar, just barely landing on the next one. She let out a sigh of relief and looked up at the next pillar. There was more ink on this pillar than any other pillar, allowing her to climb up it. It was still quite a jump, though. Taking a deep breath, she leaped towards the pillar, successfully sticking onto it.
Geneva soon reached the top, only to find that the seventh and eighth pillars were the farthest yet. Luckily, they were also the last two pillars she needed to cross before reaching the other side. Backing up a few steps, she turned into a squid and charged towards the seventh pillar, and for a few moments, she thought she was going to fall to the ground. However, her body contacted the green ink, and she found herself climbing into it, successfully sticking onto it. Relieved, she attempted the next jump. This time, she miscalculated how far it was, and she ended up falling to the ground, eyes wide with surprise.
The long-haired inkling groaned, disappointed. She was so close, too! But alas, she would just have to try again. Once again, she climbed up the pillars, quickly making her way back to the seventh pillar. Upon arrival, she leaped towards the eighth pillar again, though this time, she fell short. She wiped some dirt off her legs before running back to the start and attempting the jumps again. After a few tries, she finally landed on the eighth pillar. Her mouth opened in a smile, eyes beaming with joy. Without thinking, she jumped to the block, and though the landing was rough, she had successfully completed the obstacle course.
"Booyah!" she exclaimed once she got on her feet. While no response came from the crowd, she continued onwards through the maze.
Though she spotted no checkpoint, she eventually came across yet another obstacle course. She was met with a series of walls, holes in them. Ink was laid out on the ground, presumably for her use. The first wall was easy enough—it was big enough for her to slip through easily, even in her kid form. The next hole was much smaller, but it was still easy. All she had to do was turn into a squid and jump through it. She reformed upon reaching the other side, studying the next wall. Quickly did she realize that this hole was on the right side of the wall—no wonder she didn't spot it at first glance. Turning into a squid, she squeezed through the hole, popping out on the other side.
The next few holes she got through without much difficultly. Some required her to gain enough speed to jump through a hole, but otherwise, it was actually pretty easy in contrast with every other obstacle she had encountered thus far. After slipping under a wall in the form of a squid and emerging from the ink, she found herself looking at a wall with multiple, evenly-sized holes in it. They were spread out far enough that she couldn't just simply transform and slip through them. On the other hand, she could tell this was the last wall—up ahead, she could see a light. Geneva put a hand on her chin, perplexed on what she could possibly do.
Eventually, an idea came into her head. She turned into a squid and swam towards the lowest hole. She closed her eyes as she squeezed through it, uncomfortable from the tight space. After a few moments, she made it out, and relief washed over her as she emerged from the ink and ran down the path. She stepped on a checkpoint, and at last, she was free. There was only one way she could go—forwards. Reckoning she was close to the end, she started to run.
Much to her dismay, the path opened up into a large, empty room, an exit leading to more of the maze. Sitting in the middle of the room was a sheet of metal, and when she approached it, she found it was painted with the symbol on spawn points. The half facing her was colored green, while the half opposite of her was colored indigo.
Green and indigo. The same colors she and Inigo usually donned.
She scowled. Octa Prisma must've been aware of her past relationship with Inigo by now, right? And they were definitely aware of their ongoing feud. To see this now...it only brought up bad memories, their fight during the Trick vs. Treat Splatfest at the forefront of them. What reason could they possibly have for putting this here?
"Gio!" she yelled, lifting her head towards the stands. No response. "This isn't funny!"
Suddenly, she heard footsteps running towards the middle room. She whipped her head around to see Inigo, frozen in the entryway as his jaw became slack with surprise. Still, her piercing glare seemed to bore through his eyes.
"G-Geneva!" he finally managed to spit out. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same," she retorted.
Carefully, Inigo approached the metal sheet while Geneva shied away. A similarly disgusted expression came across his face, and he muttered something under his breath. Lifting his head, he exchanged glances with Geneva for a few moments before going on his way, walking towards the way she came from.
Before he could leave the room, however, the doors suddenly slammed shut, the sound ringing throughout the entire building. Even Geneva flinched at the sound—a rare accomplishment. Once the sound faded, they met each other's gazes, eyes wide. An array of emotions surged through her, ones she struggled to place. Still, her heart beat so fast, she felt as if it would burst out of her chest. Hugging her arms, her eyes dropped to the floor. Was this what Eight felt like when she became trapped in the blender, all those months ago?
She couldn't give up here, though. Surely, there was a way out of this room. Taking a deep breath, she started to search the room. Inigo had started to do the same, feeling both doors before walking around the perimeter of the room, eyes peeled. Similarly, Geneva walked up to the metal sheet and lifted it, only to find nothing underneath it.
Her eyes rose to the ceiling. Perhaps she could super-jump out? Turning into a squid, she launched upwards, only to hit her head on an invisible barrier. Stunned, she tumbled to the ground, landing with a plop. Stars swirled around in her vision, though she could make out Inigo hovering over her, his hands on his hips.
"We can't super-jump out," he reminded her. "Did you forget?"
"I didn't think..." She paused as a sharp pain throbbed through her mantle, placing a tentacle above her eyes. "Agh, my head..."
Inigo said nothing more, walking away from her. Once her headache started to dull, she transformed into a kid and stood up, looking around. Inigo still searched the room, but eventually, he sat down, hugging his knees close to his chest. It reminded her of when they initially broke up two years ago. As she looked at him, she felt a twinge of pity, but at the same time, she was appalled he would give up so easily.
She looked towards the stands, and she shouted, "Hey! What kind of sick joke is this? You can't just keep us here!"
Giovanni laughed. "You are right, we cannot."
Oscar took the megaphone. "However, we can do this."
Machines began to shift, and suddenly, the walls began to close in on them. Inigo let out a curse and scrambled backwards, his breaths heavy as his eyes widened with fear. Geneva forced herself to close her eyes, trying to ignore everything else. She had to keep a level head. Else, everything would go awry.
But it proved difficult. Among the sound of her own breaths, she could hear the walls shifting and Inigo hyperventilating. The weight of the situation began to hit her like a truck, and she opened her eyes to find that the room had shrunk even further. Inigo had stepped onto the metal sheet, indigo eyes darting around. Soon, the walls began to push on her body, and she was forced onto the metal sheet too, the two inklings' arms brushing either other. They looked into each other's panic-stricken eyes, beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads.
"If you do not hurry, the walls will crush you," Gio warned.
"You can't be serious!" Inigo exclaimed in disbelief.
"I am serious," he insisted.
"You should figure out something," Oscar suggested. "Soon, too."
The room only grew smaller and smaller, until Geneva and Inigo were practically forced onto each other. She began to tense up at their closeness, and she noticed him clenching his jaw, too. She gulped. They haven't been this close since they were dating. And despite the familiar feeling, she was quickly growing uncomfortable.
"Have any bright ideas?" Inigo hissed, eyebrows furrowing. "You are Agent 3, after all." Despite his bravado, she could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
"I..." She trailed off, scanning the walls. There really was no way out. They would splat, and then they would be sent back to the last checkpoint, with no way to proceed. She frowned, averting his gaze. "Me being Agent 3 doesn't change a thing."
"The Octarians fear you for a reason. You aren't just strong, y'know. You're a good thinker, too. I think the lengths you went to in order to hide the agent stuff from us prove it."
"And you're the best thinker in the Rainbow Squids. Why can't you think of anything?"
"It's kind of hard to right now!"
The walls began to squeeze them, and in response, Inigo turned into a squid, resting on her feet. It was then she finally had an idea. She pulled out her Hero Shot, smiling. She'd almost forgotten she had it on her.
"Inigo, change your ink color to mine," Geneva instructed. "We're getting out of here."
If squids could smile, she could see Inigo doing so right now. "Finally!"
In an instant, the squid shifted from indigo to green, and a few moments later, she fired the Hero Shot, inking the wall. In an instant, Inigo disappeared, but she could see him climb up the wall and hop over it. After he was gone, Geneva submerged into the ink as well, following the path he had taken. Once she crested the wall, she transformed back into a kid and rolled onto the floor, landing next to Inigo.
The ceiling shimmered magenta, the barrier dissolving. Giovanni sighed over the megaphone, and he admitted, "That is not the outcome I was hoping for. You broke one of the rules, too."
"You were gonna splat us," Geneva snapped. "What else were we supposed to do?"
"Return to the entrance," he commanded. "We will explain there."
Geneva and Inigo exchanged glances before super-jumping back to the entrance together, where Iris was waiting. She gestured them to follow her, and they walked into the stands to find the rest of Octa Prisma, Yuri, Perry, and Bonnie present. Upon their arrival, Gio cleared his throat and approached the two inklings, Oscar trailing not too far behind.
"The real purpose of this challenge was to reunite you two," he revealed.
"Everyone tired of you two fighting," Oscar added. "We want you to make up, but time passed, and you did not."
"So, you tried to force us to." Geneva crossed her arms, narrowing her gaze. "Really?"
Inigo rubbed the back of his head. "It's...not the first time such a thing happened."
"What do you mean, 'not the first time?'"
Yuri sat up from his seat to interject, "While you were gone, Roy and Octavia got into some argument. Don't remember the exact details, but it was like how you and Inigo were fighting now."
"Inigo helped arrange a thing to get them to make up," Perry added. "Which was to make them do a Salmon Run together." He added quietly, "I could've sworn we told you about this before."
"Roy doing a Salmon Run?" she marveled. "I thought he didn't like them."
Oscar chuckled. "He do them for me one time, before we date. That argument Yuri speaks of happen before then, though."
Once again, she shifted her attention back on the boy with the ponytail. "So you're just fine with this?"
"No," Inigo replied. "It's different when I'm the squid involved. I'm just not complaining like you are, that's all."
She groaned. "Someone needs to call them out. We can't just be doing this every time someone in the Rainbow Squids gets into an argument and won't make up!"
"Well, maybe we can. It worked for Roy and Via."
"And it didn't work for us."
"Yeah, but I don't think our problems can be solved in a life-or-death situation."
"On the other hand, now would be a good time to talk about them!"
"Then let's start with your problems."
"My problems? Why not yours?"
"Clearly you have a lot more to work through."
"Says you!"
"STOP!"
Geneva and Inigo went silent at the sound of Bonnie's shout, slowly turning their heads to look at her. Everyone else in the room had their eyes fall on her, and now, Geneva could see her trembling, her eyes watery. What could've possibly made her this upset?
As if she could read her mind, her answer came. "I'm sick and tired of your arguing," Bonnie started. "You've been at this for months. Everyone just wants you to make up, yet you two keep complaining about the pettiest things. So, can't you squids grow up and talk it out for once? It'd save us a lot of pain, and I'm not going to let the Rainbow Squids break up just because you two can't get along."
After her rant, she let out a sigh, her voice growing quiet. "I-I'm sorry, this whole thing was my idea. I was hoping it would work but..." She blinked, a tear falling from her eyes as she brought her knees to her chest. "...I don't know. I'm sorry."
Geneva frowned. "Bonnie... Does it really mean that much to you?"
"I don't want you making up because of me," she muttered. "You have to make up on your own terms. Else it'd just feel forced."
The long-haired girl looked over at Inigo, his face distraught. Soon, his indigo eyes met hers, and he closed his eyes, letting out a sigh.
"Maybe she's right," he admitted. "Maybe we do need to grow up."
"Yeah..." She rubbed her shoulder, narrowing her glance. "You need to apologize first, though."
"What?" He crossed his arms. "You should be the one apologizing."
Perry groaned, digging a face into his hand. "Not again..."
Geneva snapped her attention over to him. "No no no, we're not arguing again!" she insisted. "Neither of us have the energy to deal with each other's bullfish right now."
"Especially after all of that," Inigo agreed.
They faced each other again, an awkwardness settling between them as they shuffled their feet. Inigo slowly lowered his arms, but he still stared at her, only making her more nervous. What would Geneva even say to him? A lot of their arguing stemmed from things he did—mainly how he sided with Tiffany. And how he brought up her brother to use against her. Yet, he refused to admit it.
But at the same time, perhaps the others did have a point—she was dragging this out. Perhaps she overreacted. Perhaps she was reading into his actions too much.
Perhaps it was time to grow up. Despite everything, she was just a kid. She had only been an adult for a little over a month. Even now, she had a lot of growing to do.
"...I'm sorry," she finally said.
Inigo looked at her, eyes wide. "What?"
"I said I'm sorry." She crossed her arms and looked away. "There. Are you happy now? Why don't you apologize, then?"
"Then I'm sorry, too."
"I can't hear you," she teased.
"I'm sorry," he repeated. Once again, she focused her gaze onto him. His fists were clenched tightly, but his words sounded sincere. Though, with Inigo, he seemed to make everything sound sincere. Soon enough, he let out a sigh, relaxing his fingers. "I did a bunch of dumb things as the Vigilante. Even after I stopped being him, I still did a bunch of dumb things, like hurting you. So even after all the dumb things I've done..." He reached out a hand, his expression softening. "Will you forgive me?"
Her eyes trailed down to his hand. Her own hovered over it for a few moments, hesitant. Was she really ready to forgive everything, just like that? Noticing the frown befalling Inigo's face, a thought came to her mind. He, too, had been hurt by Tiffany. He was a victim as much as she and Asher were. To reject him now would feel hypocritical.
She took his hand and shook it. "Yes," she murmured. "Do you forgive me?"
"Yes," he replied. They let go of their handshake, and he outstretched his arms, a smile touching his lips. "Hug?"
"Er, no thanks." At her response, Inigo lowered his arms, frowning. "But we can do a turf war if you want."
Quickly, he perked back up. "Gladly."
She turned to face the others. "Y'all wanna come?"
The members of Octa Prisma exchanged glances before returning their attention towards her. "Yes," Giovanni replied. "We would love to."
"Wow, all of you are coming," Perry remarked. "That's rare."
Yuri's eyes fell on Yvonne. "Even you?"
She simply nodded. "Yes. I would not pass chances for turf wars."
He frowned. "So, about last week... You wanna talk about it finally?"
"I forgive you," she quickly said. "I avoid you because I want to think about it. After thinking, I decide I forgive you." Yvonne then donned a small smile. "You right—you did have no choice."
Yuri blinked, surprised. "That was quick."
"Grudges from me are of the rare," she admitted, popping up from her seat. Her eyes fell on Geneva and Inigo. "Unlike others." After some unamused glares, she added, "It true!"
Giovanni sighed. "Let us go," he announced. "Time is short. It will be night before we know it."
"Right!"
Following a few turf wars, Geneva and Eight left the Deca Tower together, their fingers intertwined as they walked home. Though, she could clearly see the worry on the curly-haired girl's face, eyebrows knitted together.
She had a feeling she knew why, but she decided to ask the question anyways. "You OK?"
Eight sighed. "Apologies, Geneva. I thought to tell you, but I decide not to." They stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, and she retreated a hand from Geneva's and placed it on her chest. "I make promise to keep it a secret. Plus...I thought you find the maze fun."
"It's fine," she assured her. "But...you didn't think to stop them?"
Her eyes seemed to droop. "I want you and Inigo to make up, also. I thought it a good idea. But when you actually do it, everything went wrong." The octoling lowered her head. "Now, I start to feel bad that I thought it was good."
Geneva patted her back. "It's fine, Eight. Don't worry about it."
She blinked. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I swear," she insisted. "It's not your fault."
Eight smiled. "Thank you." She leaned forward and gave her a small peck on her lips. Geneva's eyes widened at the gesture, blushing. But, she quickly pulled herself together, tugging on Eight's hand.
"C'mon, let's go home," she whispered.
When they arrived at their apartment, Asher was sitting on the couch, watching TV with a small smile on his face. At their return, his attention turned to the two girls, dressed in a white bathrobe and slippers.
"Hello," Eight greeted. "How the date?"
"Good," he replied. "She gave me a painting." He pointed to the table, where a canvas rested. The two girls walked over there to find a picture of a Splattershot Jr. colored the same color as Asher's ink on an orange background. Ivy's signature in the corner of the canvas was messy yet legible.
"Wow, she's good," Geneva remarked. "Looks just like the real thing."
"Indeed!" the octoling girl agreed. "Much detail!"
"She found a video of the first Deca Tournament," Asher explained. "She thought I was really good with it, so she painted it."
"Weapons..." Eight's eyes befell him. "What weapon does Ivy use?"
He paused, putting a hand on his chin. "...The Undercover Brella," he finally replied. "She doesn't play very much these days because of work and all, but that's her favorite weapon right now."
She nodded. "That is the fresh."
"Well, now that that's over with..." Geneva joined her brother, focusing her attention on the TV. "It's time to relax."
Unsurprisingly, he was watching yet another soap opera. On the screen, two inklings were talking to each other, their eyes watery as they apologized. Inigo's face came to mind as the scene played out, and a smile touched her lips. No longer would she think of him in scorn. He was her friend—they always have been.
As the hours went on, the sky growing dark. Eight had retired to her and Geneva's bedroom, and only the two siblings remained, a lamp illuminating the living room with a golden light.
"Hey, Asher," she started, grabbing his attention. "About Inigo..."
Immediately, he frowned. "What about him?"
"Just, what do you think of him right now? Good, bad, neither?"
"It's...complicated." He let out a sigh. "He's your age, but he's definitely old enough to know what he's doing. Was he just that blinded by Tiffany's promises that he failed to saw the malice within her before it was too late? I don't hate him, but I just feel betrayed, y'know?"
"It's Tiffany's fault he even got into that mess," she declared, slouching. "He's a victim just as much as we are."
"Well, that's a sudden change in perspective from the last time we talked about him."
"A lot of things happened today."
He dipped his head. "I see. Then, if he ever wants to visit us, I'll let him."
She shot her head up, surprised. "You will?"
"I was mainly keeping him out for your sake. You were the closest to him, so of course you would be the most hurt by this. Besides, he can't do anything to hurt us anymore. Tiffany's in jail. She'll never be able to hurt us ever again, not even through another person."
She grabbed his hand, squeezing it. "And if she does, we'll get through this together. I won't leave you behind ever again."
He turned into a squid, his tentacle in Geneva's hand. "Tentacle promise?"
She transformed as well, wrapping her tentacle around her brother's. "Tentacle promise."
A/N: At last, Geneva and Inigo made up! I'm so proud of them. Hope you guys like this chapter; I'm happy with how it came out. Again, there still hasn't been a Direct, but at least we know Off the Hook are OK now via Twitter. They look good, don't they? Well, at least I have things to occupy myself with as we wait patiently for the next Direct. Branchwing, out!