"So this is the Octarian restaurant I've heard so much about."

Reina stood with Three and Baron in Inkopolis Plaza, the place Marie and Callie had truly made a name for themselves. Their old broadcast studio was now a Squid Sisters merchandise shop, with their old studio setup still in place where visitors could take pictures of themselves on the set. Aacross the street from that and on ground level was a new place called Shcromacci Misto; although, Reina couldn't begin to guess how it was actually pronounced. Foreign writing was written in subscript underneath the name, which Reina guessed was the same name written in Octese.

The restaurant's facia was fairly typical of most modern restaurants with large windows and bright colours, but the trim accents seemed different, though she was hardly an expert on architecture.

Inside, however, things were very different. The whole restaurant seemed to be clad in polished wood. From the walls, floors, and ceilings, to the very furnishings. If one wasn't focused, it created the illusion that people were eating at almost invisible tables and sitting on chairs. It was a remarkable, if disorienting effect. The only thing that broke the illusion was the series of painted lines showing the main throughway and the way to the bathroom.

People waiting to be seated immediately stood up and bowed as she entered. The Octarian waitress who came next immediately did likewise.

"Matriarch, your reservation is ready for you. Please follow me."

The waitress led them along the main corridor through the restaurant towards a series of what appeared to be private VIP rooms. Reina thought they would be sitting in one of those but instead they kept going until they entered what looked like a storage room. Reina was about to ask what was going one when the waitress moved a hidden panel in the wall and a hidden door opened, revealing a brightly-lit corridor beyond.

The waitress and Three preceded her into the corridor where she found half a dozen fully armed, Octarian guards. When the waitress slid open yet another hidden door into an especially large VIP style dining space with a long, wooden table and gentle blue lighting. Four was waiting for them inside.

She snapped to attention. "Everything is ready. The Ambassador's on her way."

Three flashed green and sat in the middle of the table, on the right side. To Reina's surprise, Four did not sit down. Instead, she took a guard position along the wall and stood sentinel there.

As Reina took her place at the head of the table, she got an uncomfortable feeling. Three would normally never leave someone else to do work while she enjoyed a nice meal, that just wasn't in her character. Even now, Reina could see ripples of frustration and guilt in the teen's mantle, which meant that Marie and Callie must have ordered her to. So if Three wasn't there as a bodyguard, then she had to be serving as some other capacity. But was that as the girl's representative or something else?

The waitress handed her a menu and asked, "would you like anything to drink, Matriarch?"

—-

Avrika tried not to fidget with nervousness as the waitresses helped her out of her winter clothing and tidied her appearance. Her shy, timid assistant, Lillibet, was enduring a similar experience, but at least Lillibet didn't have to deal with the added pressure of meeting a Matriarch.

Avrika had been elated to hear from their allies that a Matriarch, a member of the inkling's decision-making body, the Assembly, wanted to meet with her and discuss the current situation between their people. After hearing so little else, news of such progress was uplifting to say the least. But as the date had gotten closer, Avrika found herself becoming increasingly anxious.

Will this never get easier?

Talking to the Matriarch would not be like talking with Callie and Marie. The Matriarch wouldn't fully understand their circumstances or be able to contextualise many of the issues facing the domes. This would also be someone experienced in the art of diplomacy and because she wouldn't be able to understand Octese, Avrika would have to speak entirely in Inklish, putting her at further disadvantage. And with no existing familiarity between them, they would have to start from scratch. There was no trust between them yet.

"Alright, you're ready." One of the waitresses whispered. "The matriarch is already waiting for you. Remember, she's not just any matriarch, she's Marie's Grandmother."

That was about the only point in Avrika's favour. Marie would have advocated on their behalf, given them her support, and as her granddaughter, Marie's words would carry weight with the matriarch. At least, she hoped.

We're not here to negotiate, she reminded herself. We're just going to have a discussion.

She checked to make sure Lillbet and her two bodyguards, Kalisha and Aishi, were ready, then she pushed out of the door.

There were six guards that she could see guarding the corridor, including two flanking the door into the meeting room. One of them slid open the door and peeked inside to announce Avrika's presence, and Avrika heard an unfamiliar voice bid them to enter.

She was almost immediately struck by the Matriarch's appearance. She had a commanding presence and a gaze that was maternal yet authoritative, like the nurses and handlers in the domes that cared for toddlers.

Avrika's research into inkling culture from the old books Octavia had granted her access to taught her that different colours had different meanings in Inkling culture, which were used in their tuk'yan colour language, and the particular shade of purple used for a matriarch's robes and matron's scarfs symbolised authority. The natural colour of Matriarch Sansea's tentacles matched her robes perfectly, further enhancing the air of power about her, even as she stood to greet her.

Avrika bowed. "Tenz ivot, Matriarch Sansea, it is an honour to meet you. I am Avrika Garath Wavecrest Summer Betanuss, Ambassador of the Octarian Empire."

The Matriarch bowed in return. "Nice to meet you, Ambassador Betanuss. I hope we can have a friendly and productive discussion about relations between our peoples."

"Likewise."

Invited to take her seat, Avrika went to the foot of the table. Kalisha and Aishi stood outside while Lillibet adopted a position at a smaller table near the back of the room.

Avrika took note of Three's position in the middle of the table and Four's guard position behind the Matriarch. Was Three going to act as support or was she only acting as Callie and Marie's representative?

A waitress brought her a tall glass of ice water. Despite the chill outside, its coolness was refreshing and Avrika felt a desperate need to hydrate before their discussion started. She hoped that wasn't a display of weakness.

"So, Ambassador, have you been coming to Inkopolis long?"

"Ah, no, I have only been here a handful of times and have not been able to explore the city properly."

"Well, now isn't the best time, given that it's winter. I hope your people aren't suffering in this cold."

"Well… no, we aren't. Although we cannot harvest grass and we have to be careful that the ventilation ducts remain clear or snow or ice, winter is generally not too troublesome underground. I suppose that's one of the benefits we do enjoy."

"But it must be unpleasant to be without the sun so much."

"We do have ways of compensating, but they are, I realise, a poor replacement."

"It is. I imagine your people still hold a lot of resentment towards us for forcing you underground."

Avrika hesitated. Was this some kind of trap?

"I cannot say nobody harbours resentment," she ventured carefully. "However, most of us feel it would be more productive to let go of those feelings and peacefully reach an agreement that would allow us to return to the surface."

The matriarch's eyes bored into her. Avrika felt as though layers of her soul were being peeled apart and read like the pages of a book.

"Speaking of resentment, why do your people not hate Callie and Marie – or even Three and Four for that matter? They've done more to hurt your people in the last century than anyone else. If you should hate anyone it should be them."

Avrika paused. It was a reasonable question, certainly many within the Ravalda itself couldn't understand why anyone could be so forgiving of them, but Avrika's had been at the forefront of the Empire's peace efforts, so if there was anyone who could contextualise it from the Octarian perspective, it would be her.

"Their aggression was a response to our own. We attacked first and continued a war that should have never happened. Even when they had us at a disadvantage, they showed us mercy, and even freed many of us from the oppression we didn't even realise we were under. We realised we were just being used to enact L- Octavio's personal grudge against the inklings. We did not even realise it until he was defeated a second time and they offered us a chance at peace, and survive without having to make war."

Sansea stared at her, again she felt her gaze peeling back those layers. "So, it's not just the deserters, is it? You all feel like they freed you, somehow."

"In different ways, I suppose. They took me prisoner and I was the one who delivered their message of peace when they released me and my troops. The Ravalda was… cautious, at first, but they have embraced it more as time has gone on. They have shown us kindness and compassion we do not deserve and we have grown to trust them."

Sansea's eyes narrowed slightly. "Trust them enough to lead your army through inkopolis to fight a bunch of crabs?"

Avrika winced. "Y-yes. Callie was an ideal choice and it all turned out well."

"Yes, I heard about her kidnapping. You're lucky Callie doesn't hold grudges."

Avrika swallowed. "Y-yes. We are very fortunate."

"And was it her idea to bring your army through our capital to fight the Crab Gangs?"

Avrika hesitated. Technically she had been the one to suggest it but even weeks later, she couldn't help but feel Callie had somehow manipulated her into doing it.

"I do not know for certain, but it was me who convinced my people to go along with the idea. Callie restricted the size of the force that would be sent and its members were troops she had commanded in the past."

Sansea lifted her glass and stared into its depth. "Ah, right, the legate thing." She took a sip of water and then set the glass down before staring at Avrika again.

"Weren't you worried about the consequences of bringing an army into the middle of inkopolis?"

Avrika frowned. "Such as?"

The matriarch let out a heavy sigh. "Like giving us grounds to declare war, causing people to distrust your motives, fuel anti-Octarian sentiments?"

"We saved your city," Avrika said, unable to stop the anger bleeding into her tone. "Octarians saved your city. Only a small fraction of the force involved were inklings. We did it to prove our sincerity in regards to peace. We could have attacked you while you were distracted with this new threat, or we could have raided your infrastructure on the way out, or any number of things, but we did not. "

The matriarch stared at her for several long moments, eyes assessing, then, her posture seemed to relax. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce my husband, Baron." She gestured to the male inkling to her left, and Avrika flinched. She had missed him completely.

She bowed her head. "N-nice to meet you, Lord Baron."

He blinked in surprise. "Lord?"

Before Avrika had a chance to feel embarrassed, Three cut in.

"Ocatrians have a patriarchal society. Only one in twenty octolings are male so they have to be protected. They get a much bigger and more thorough education than the others so they tend to become leaders. Because of that, all males are referred to as 'Lord', even the ones not in the Ravalda."

Avrika felt a huge wave of relief. Three had saved her from an awkward situation. "Y-yes, I-I am sorry for the misunderstanding."

Baron just laughed. "It's fine. It's not exactly an insult, now is it? Kinda' strange though. You'd think such a bias towards females being born would imply a matriarchal society like ours."

"Are females more rare among your people?"

"The opposite," the matriarch said. "Two-thirds of us tend to be female at hatching, worse by adulthood due to boys tending to die from doing stupid stunts or other issues. But that's why epeso families exist, where two or more inkyora have the same husband. Not as popular an idea as it was before the war though."

"O-oh, I see." Avrika allowed the tension to leave her body. She couldn't let her guard down but she still felt a bit relieved as the conversation moved into more mundane things. Had the Matriarch done that on purpose?

The conversation took a break when the waitress came to take their orders. Avrika always tried to order something different so she selected something called 'vegetable noodles'. As they waited for their order to arrive, the Matriarch asked her about her own life and background and government.

Avrika explained that the Councilors of the Ravalda each commanded a particular ministry but the Dictator had executive powers and could override the Ravalda if they deemed it necessary. She explained the Reformist and Loyalist factions, about Octavia's genuine desire to work towards peace, and how the government and the attitude of the Octarian people as a whole had changed since Octavio had been deposed.

After taking a few moments to ponder on this information, Matriarch Sansea asked, "how much support does the movement towards peace have in the domes?"

"The Ravalda is mostly on the side of peace, but Octavio still has many Loyalists who believe that the only way peace can be achieved and we can reclaim our place in the world is by defeating Calachora. So far, they have been placated with the progress we've made so far, but if things are stagnant for too long or if we have too many setbacks, they will gain support and the balance of power might shift. There's little that Dictatrix Octavia can do about that."

"I see. Well, fortunately, it seems our own warmongers in the Assembly are a minority, however vocal they are, but people are going to be slow to trust you, regardless of your efforts, I'm afraid. It doesn't help that we have the more immediate issue of the Consortium to deal with. Obviously, it would make the most sense to make peace with you so we don't have to constantly watch our backs, but quick, pragmatic decision making is not a virtue of our government at the moment."

Avrika felt her spirits plummet. The whole issue of peace with their nation, something that could give hope to her people, was, at best, a secondary consideration? Surely, the situation with the Consortium should make it even more important that it be settled quickly, and the Matriarch seemed to agree.

"Is the Consortium really that threatening?"

"They are one of the most powerful nations in the world, and while we've been suffering from population decline and labour shortages, their population is growing and they are dealing with rampant unemployment. They also have one of the largest armies in the world, and it's a standing, professional army, very different from the rabble you faced in Xapheerell. The fact that you're reaching out for peace means that you're much less threatening in most people's eyes."

Avrika scowled. "So, you are saying we are not respected."

"Actually, a lot of people are very grateful for what you did, and Marina and the Work Detail girls have done a lot to improve people's perceptions of you. But most people in the Assembly are from the war and post-war generations. They won't so easily forget the Great Turf War, and they'll be in no rush to help you."

Their meal arrived and Avrika busied herself with eating it, using the amazing food to distract herself from the sudden despair she was feeling. What could she do? She needed to do something to convince the assembly to take them seriously.

After a few minutes of relative silence, the Matriarch spoke again.

"I'm curious, Ambassador, why do you want peace? What is it that motivates you to seek peace as the best option after everything you've been through?"

Avrika frowned and had to consider the question for a moment. "Because… it is my duty to do what is best for my people."

"But do you decide what's best yourself or do you let someone decide for you? Do you believe that peace is the best option?"

"Of course."

"Why? How do you contextualise it?" Three had to translate the sentence for Avrika before she could answer.

Slowly, she reached underneath her top and carefully removed the silver pendant from around her neck and offered it to Three. Knowing what it was, she accepted it with great care then offered it to the Matriarch. Frowning, she took it in her hand, and after a moment spent examining the pendant, popped it open, revealing the image inside.

For a while, she just stared, eyes gradually widening as she looked at the image, understanding its meaning. She looked up at Avrika, stunned.

"You're a mother? At your age?"

"I am. Those are my daughters, Krina and Teppi. They are two years old now. I should only have parted from them recently, but because of the army's desperate need for officers, I had to be recalled early."

"I see." The Matrairch looked back down at the pendant, her eyes going soft. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Three flashed red. "No, Nana, you don't see." She sat up straighter and stared at the Matriarch with a hard, unwavering gaze. "She'll probably never see her daughters again."

The matriarch's mantle flashed to a bright orange before turning a sickly green-brown colour. "What? What are you talking about?"

"After Octarians turn two, they are separated from their mothers and placed into a kind of nursery education program. After they turn five, they start standard education and most are trained as soldiers starting at age eight, mixed with other types of education and spending time in labour units where some of them die from falling debris, accidents, malnutrition, disease, or something else. Just reaching age fourteen is an accomplishment. That's when they check to see which girls have good breeding potential and which can't lay eggs at all. The ones who can't lay eggs are always sent to the army, because they're more expendable unless they show a lot of aptitude in something. That's how Marina became an engineer."

The matriarch absorbed all this information with a look of genuine horror and revulsion. Avrika wasn't sure if she should feel ashamed or glad for what Three was saying, because, as terrible as it probably sounded to an outsider, it seemed to be moving the Matriarch, and her husband as well.

"I'm afraid to ask what happens to the girls who can breed well."

"They're trained as nurses to help other mothers until they're old enough to be genetically enhanced to lay as many eggs as possible. Clutches of thirty or even fifty aren't uncommon. The failed eggs, and there are often many, used to be used to create octotroopers Basically, those are used as expendable troops. They're as dumb as Salmonids, but they were a lot of them."

"That program was ended after Lady Octavia was placed in power," Avrika said. "It has saved a lot of resources, but it's possible that the program would have to be restarted in the event of war."

The Matriarch stared down at the pendant again, cupping it in both her hands. Was she imagining being separated from her own children perhaps? From Marie?

"I take it," Baron said, quietly. "That there isn't a lot of romance involved."

Avrika shook her head. "I do not think I understand what romance is. I was paired up based on a genetics profile by the eugenics program. My mate was the one I was most genetically optimal to create strong children with."

"Sounds like a manufacturing process," the Matriarch said acidly.

"It's the only way they've been able to survive, Nana," Three said softly. "We're trying to give them a chance for something better."

"And that's what I want for my daughters, Matriarch. When I saw Inkopolis for the first time, travelled down its streets, saw all the wonderful opportunities the octolings here had access to, I knew what I wanted for my children. I am trying to give them that chance, a better life than what I had."

The Matriarch stared down at the pendant one last time and then gently closed it. "Were I in your position, Ambassador, from one mother to another, I would do the same."

"Then please help me. Peace would benefit your descendants as well. Your own granddaughter is in custody because she believed that so strongly."

The matriarch let out a long sigh, her mantle wavering. There was a long pause before she spoke. "How much time do you have after this?"

—-

Avirka sat anxiously in the back of Matriarch Sansea's car as her husband drove them out of the city. The Matriarch herself on the opposite side of the seat with poor Lillibet sandwiched between them. Four sat in the front passenger seat next to Baron. Three was in another car, following them.

This was the first time she had seen beyond Inkopolis within Inkling territory. The snow-covered landscape of rolling hills glowed brightly every time the sun peeked from behind the clouds.

Avrika honestly didn't know where they were going. The matriarch only said that they were going to seek help and advice from someone wiser than she.

As they went around a large, rocky hill, Avrika saw a massive structure looming in the distance and built on the edge of the coast. It dwarfed the hills that surrounded it, with several large domes on top of the roof – rather, roofs as the building seemed to be separated into broad sections. It reminded Avrika of images of old Octarian palaces.

As they got closer, she saw that it was made of massive stone blocks with stone carvings and statues dotting the exterior, with arched windows built into the stonework.

"It's huge," Lillibet whispered.

Avrika agreed. Now that they were much closer, the building was bigger than many of the Octarian domes, easily able to rival the largest ones. It was at that moment Four exclaimed, "We're going to the Vasilika?"

Avrika, startled, asked, "What is the Vasilika?" She had to speak carefully around the unfamiliar world.

Four turned around in her seat and looked at her. "It's the home of the Ecclesiarchy. The Archon lives here!"

A bolt of electricity flashed up Avrika's spine. This headquarters of the Ecclesiarchy? She peered outside the window again, the building was close now, and the car was slowing to make a turn into one of the nearby parking areas. She couldn't help but compare it to the Grand Temple in the domes, the home of the Octarian Ministry of Providence, their equivalent to the Ecclesiarchy, and found it not seeming so grand anymore.

They parked and quickly disembarked. Lillibet had been given a pencil and notepad instead of her precious word processor for this trip, which was being kept safe back at the restaurant with Kalisha and Aishi. Avrika noted that Four left her weapons and gear in the car. Three, when she came out of her smaller, two-seat car, was likewise unarmed.

They approached the building as a group and the Matriarch told her and Lillibet to put up their hoods. Avrika was forced to agree that it was probably best they not be immediately identified as Octarians.

The main entrance was divided between six huge doorways, each easily tall enough to admit an Octo Samurai, all under a massive stone arch. Once they entered, she saw why they needed such large doors.

Inklings of every age, size, and colour mingled in the enormous atrium, the ceiling stretching up to the peak of one of the large domes she'd seen on her approach. From infants small enough to fit in Avrika's hand, to inkyora so massive that Avrika only came up to their knees.

She held onto Lilibet's hand so the girl would feel less frightened. She wasn't sure it actually worked, but Avrika was definitely feeling much better about not having to face such an inkling in combat.

They made their way through the dense crowd and travelled down a busy corridor as wide as a city street. The walls were made of smaller stone blocks than they had seen outside and the floor was made of smoothly polished stones fit so closely together it looked almost like one big piece.

Gradually, the traffic died down, and Avrika was better able to pick out the individual inklings.

Inkling girls and younger inkyora wearing green and blue tunics and skirts worked alongside some boys and inkyar wearing smocks of similar colour. Some older inklings were wearing what were clearly priestly vestments, robes of the same green and blue, probably higher in rank than the younger ones. She guessed that these were the priests and priestesses while the younger ones were the equivalent of temple maidens and neophytes.

They arrived in another large room that appeared to be a nexus point within this section of the Vasilika. There were many of the younger inkling clerics around, each one talking to either another cleric or some well-dressed civilian. Avrika even spotted a few matriarchs and matrons in the room.

One cleric, who was unoccupied, ran up to them, an inkling girl perhaps slightly older than Three, with white speckles dotting her mantle which remained even as the rest of her mantle turned a bright-yellow then pink.

"Floa!" The Matriarch exclaimed in surprise. The girl wrapped her arms tightly around the matriarch and she hugged back.

"Nana! It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Floa. I'd heard you were back but what are you doing at the Vasilika? I thought you were working in a temple in the inner city."

"I was, but then winter came and the car meets wound down, so they put me here."

They separated and Floa likewise hugged Baron, Three, and Four in turn. Then she saw Avrika and Lillibet, and her eyes sparkled in amusement.

"What have we here?"

Avrika gulped. "Tenz ivot. I am… Ambassador Betanuss."

"Tenz Ivot, Ambassador. I'm Floa Kelpgarden, acolyte of the Ecclesiarchy, and true sister of Callie, Marie, and these two little ankle biters." She playfully pinched Three and Four's cheeks.

Avrika was surprised. "You know some Octese?"

"I learned some from the Octarians who went to the car meets. Sweet bunch of girls, really."

The Matriarch said, "Floa, we need to see Arch-Priestess Tanal. Is she busy?"

Floa smiled, her mantle lighting green. "She should be about to finish a brief meeting with a few of her staff. Come, I'll take you to her. Don't worry, she won't mind."

The Matriarch hesitated. "Is she expecting us?" But Floa did not answer. For a reason she couldn't explain, Avrika found that unsettling. Even so, she and Lillibet followed her like the rest deeper into the building.

They walked down another series of large corridors until they came to another set of doors, this one guarded by two imposing inkyora wearing scarlet robes with white trim. Three and Four hissed in air through their beak, their mantles turning an array of bright colours.

Floa had a brief exchange with the two guards, purely through tuk'yan it seemed, then she slipped into the room beyond the doors while the rest of them waited.

Three and Four genuflected before the guards, their mantles mixing white, scarlet, and purple as the colours roiled and shifted across the surface. The two guards looked at the two girls, then at each other, confusion and even concern apparent on their faces. Avrika's anxiety went up another tick when they looked at the Matriarch with almost accusing glares. Her only response appeared to be nothing more than a green pulse through her mantle. The mantle of the guards turned the same scarlet as their robes, and Avrika swallowed nervously.

Floa peeked out of the door a moment later and beckoned them inside. Three and Four stood and waited as the rest of them moved. Just as Avrika was passing the guards, the one on her right reached behind her back and steel sang.

Everything happened so fast Avrika couldn't tell what was happening at all. She felt herself roughly shoved aside by Three as she bolted forward. Only Avrika's years of training kept her from falling over. When she regained her senses, she was shocked and horrified to find Three holding the guard's forearm, the hand of which was grasping a long, sharp blade that looked as though it could cut an octoling in half with a single stroke. Three's left hand was in a position that looked like she had tried to strike the guard in the throat but the guard had deflected her strike with her own left hand.

Four likewise had grabbed hold of the other guard's vestments, holding her right arm, but the guard had used her left arm to draw what looked like a fishing spear, the arrow-shaped end of which was pointed at Four's gut.

Very slowly, the right guard began to withdraw her blade, her mantle making a slow green pulse, only then did Three release her forearm and pull back. Four and the other guard did likewise.

Three bowed to the guard again, and the guard, to Avrika's surprise, reached out and tenderly patted Three's head in a way that seemed almost motherly.

Not knowing what happened, Avrika grabbed Lillibet's arm and hurriedly pulled her into the room.

The room they went into was circular, with a domed ceiling painted with beautiful landscapes and blue skies. Chairs were arranged around the perimeter of the room. Large, blue, sheets draped from the edge of the ceiling and covered the walls.

Floa, Baron, and the Matriarch were standing near the centre of the room, speaking to a much older-looking inkyora wearing robes of purple and gold. Her mantle was red but bleached with age. This had to be the arch-priestess.

"Ah, here she is," the Matriarch said. "Arch-Priestess Tanal, this is Avrika Betanuss, Octarian Ambassador."

Avrika hastily removed her hood and bowed. "Tenz ivot, Arch-Priestess. It is an honour."

The arch-priestess smiled and bowed in return. "Nice to meet you, Ambassador. I haven't met an Octarian since I was a youngster. I'm glad I lived long enough to do so again. What can the Ecclesiarchy do for you?"

The Matriarch took over at that point, summarising the situation as far as the efforts towards peace, how it was connected to the events in Xapheerell Ward, and the terrible circumstances the Octarians were dealing with. Floa had to leave at one point to fetch drinks before the Matriarch finished.

"I see." Tanal looked over all the others assembled, her eyes lingering on Three and Four a bit longer, probably wondering what two such young inklings could have to do with such a complex situation. "So, you'd like some advice on what to do next?"

"I think she needs some. As a member of the Assembly, there are… limits to what I can say."

"Only limits you imagine for yourself, Reina. You should follow your granddaughter's example."

"My granddaughter is under lock and key right now," she grumbled.

Tanal ignored her retort and turned her attention to Avrika. "You didn't necessarily choose this path either, did you."

"No, Ma'am."

"Yet here you are and you're doing your best. That is admirable."

"Thank you."

"But you're playing it safe."

Avrika blinked. "Excuse me?"

The Arch-Priestess sighed and gently patted her arm. "I know you're trying not to step on any tentacles, dear, and I know you're trying to be respectful, but it's pretty clear that you're running on borrowed time, time that Callie and Marie lent to you."

Avrika felt her stomach twist. "Y-yes, I know, Ma'am, but I do not know what to do, how to move forward."

"Because your goal is too vague. You say you want peace, but what does that actually mean?"

Avrika frowned. "Um… no hostilities. That is, we do not want to have to fight anymore. We want to become… friends, perhaps. To be able to trade and visit each other. We want to live on the surface world again! I want my daughters to have the same opportunities in their lives as they might if they lived here!"

Tanal nodded. "Better, but how about something a little closer. A treaty maybe."

"Oh! Y-yes, a treaty, where we promise not to attack each other. Perhaps even get our lands back."

"Maybe. It's a start, isn't it? A little easier to picture in your mind than just 'peace', yes?"

Avrika's spirits buoyed significantly, but they soon levelled off when she realised she had no idea how to do that.

"But in the end we still have the same problem. How do we move forward?"

Instead of answering, Arch-Priestess Tanal turned to the young acolyte. "Floa? Are you able to give them a hint?"

Floa's eyes seemed to cloud for a moment, then she said, "Marie is the ring, but Callie is your key. You need her if your people are going to be free."

"Callie?"

Callie had been their legate, and a good one by all accounts so far. Her greater knowledge of the outside world and its ways would be a huge asset.

"But she's been put under protective custody. How can we get her back?" Floa merely pulsed grey, a shrug. Avrika sighed inwardly, maybe that was too much to expect out of an acolyte. Wait, but how does she know Callie is the key? Does she know about Callie being a legate?

"Could bust her out," Four muttered. They were the first words Avrika had heard from her since they entered the Vasilika. Obviously, she wasn't happy with Callie's incarceration either.

Tanal chuckled. "Allow me to give you some advice." She leaned in close and Avrika put all her focus into listening to the Arch-Priestess' words. "Know where your friends stand and be bold."

An hour later, Avrika was walking back from Cuttlefish Cabin to the domes. Tanal's last words echoed in her mind, along with the other key points of that brief but critical meeting. Later, she would probably reflect on how amazing it was that she met a Matriarch and an Arch-Priestess on the same day.

Callie is the key, know where your friends stand, be bold.

She kept running that through her head again and again, each time hoping to find something she was clearly missing. She knew she needed to get Callie out, but how was she going to get her out of Calachoran custody?

Know where your friends stand, be bold. Be bold… be bold… know where your friends stand…

Who were her friends in this case? If she spoke just of those in Inkopolis, she supposed it was all the former New Squidbeak Splatoon members, the Octarians in Inkopolis and… yes! The Xapheerell Inklings. Based on Vella's reports, they also supported peace and were firmly in Callie and Marie's camp. Callie and Marie themselves certainly wouldn't like being incarcerated when they could be working towards their goals.

Four suggested busting Callie out. Could we actually do that? She thought it over. It would be a crime in Calachora, for certain, and a violation of their sovereignty, so she needed to avoid that if possible, but if they had to do it, could Calachora really oppose them? If Three and Four didn't interfere, what force did Calachora have that could stop them from taking Callie back if they wished? When facing the Consortium, would they, could they afford to?

Be bold.

She stopped abruptly, Lillibet almost running into her.

A new idea was forming in her head, a better one. It was certainly bold, even more risky, but it was a plan, one that she could actually see working out, that she could at least imagine leading to the desired result. Or, failing that, it might end up guaranteeing war with Calachora.

Then again, if we get Callie back, it might not matter.

Suddenly feeling invigorated, she resumed walking, briskly this time. She needed to see Lady Protor, perhaps she had found something in her research that might help this plan work.

Author's Notes:

This will not be the last time we see the Vasilika, as I'm sure you can imagine. We also lean more into the greater mystery surrounding Callie and Marie. What is that exactly? Well, you won't find out for a while yet ;)