Eight tightened the collar of her jacket as she stepped outside. The wind was light and the sun was unusually warm, but it felt too cold for comfort. Still, she wasn't about to let a little unpleasant weather get in the way of one of her rare dates.
Three waited for her next to a small, green car in the livery of Clio's Advanced Driving School. She was wearing her bodyguard jacket but she had put on mantle gloss for the occasion.
Three reached out her hand and Eight accepted it, giving it a firm but careful squeeze. Three smiled and squeezed in return. She didn't say anything, but the bright warm colours of her mantle told Eight all she needed to know, even if she couldn't understand their precise meaning.
Three opened the car door for her and she sat inside. Once Three joined her and started the car, she asked, "So, where are we going?" Three just gave her a smile and a look that told her that it was a surprise. Eight couldn't help but feel giddy at that. Such playfulness from Three was rare. She lightly tugged at her male tentacle and then quickly withdrew it. She was trying to kick that embarrassing habit of hers.
They drove out of the centre of Inkopolis and through suburban wards as they gradually climbed the mountains and left the urbanization of the city behind. Houses gave way to grassy fields and trees and Eight could see the landscape stretching out below any time the road jutted out from the mountainside.
Three pointed to one of the large mountains ahead of them, it's seven-pointed top was like a crown against the backdrop of the blue sky, a ribbon of winding tarmac twisting up to the peaks.
"They say," Three said, breaking her silence at last, "that the Precursors broke the top of the mountain and it ended up shattered like that. Each of the peaks has its own name. There's a legend that there are seven gods that sometimes meet there on the mountain, each one sitting on a throne on each of the peaks, where they discuss things and give instructions to their subordinates. Because of that, it's a spiritual place that the ecclesiarchy visits a lot. There's a small building and shrine but no real temple on the top."
"Oh." Eight gave her a big smile and Three looked a bit puzzled, probably asking what that smile was about.
"I think that's the first time you really told me a story like that. The way you told it made it seem like you grew up hearing it."
Three kept her eyes on the road, her mantle rippling with colours that seemed… sad, making her look almost depressed. The base colour of her mantle also changed slightly to blue.
"Mama told me about it."
She eased the car onto an exit ramp, taking them onto the road leading to that very mountain. They climbed higher and higher, and as they passed a gas station Eight was able to see out over the guardrail, the distant skyline of Inkopolis – the city of colours, coming into view. She realized that she had never been this far from the city since joining it.
They drove higher and higher until, at last, the road bent sharply into a large open parking lot amidst the seven peaks, their barren stone tops like unpolished gems as the sun reflected off of them.
Amidst the cracked and worn pavement, she saw areas stained with innumerable broad, black streaks that faded away as they went in the direction they had just come in. Tire marks.
Three parked the car near one of the small shelters and they both got out. The air was even colder here but they were sheltered from the winds. Three led them away from the parking lot, past the small stone structure where the ecclesiarchy would probably gather for worship and contemplation, and along a path going through one of the valleys between the peaks and out onto a cliff edge. There, they found a spectacular view of the valleys they had just driven through, and of the eastern portion of Inkopolis, the bay just out of sight around another one of the mountains.
"Wow," she whispered, ignoring the wind even as it toyed with her tentacles.
"I thought you'd like it," Three said with a smile. "I don't think you ever got taken all the way up a mountain before. At least, not one with a view like this."
"I haven't. I was driven up the closer mountain with the Trailmaker shoal, but that was almost always at night. This… this is different. I think… I think that just this view is more of the world than I've ever seen with my own eyes before."
She leaned against Three and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Thanks for bringing me."
With only a little hesitation, Three returned the gesture, even placing her tentacle atop Eight's head.
"I haven't been up here in a long time."
"Was the last time with your family?"
"Just Mama."
Eight looked at Three with upturned eyes. She could see the wistfulness in her expression, the distant look in her eyes.
"I think I was seven when she brought me here. I didn't think much of it back then but I remember Mama being weirdly quiet. I remember coming right here with her, and she held me up so I could see the view myself. The only thing I really remember her saying was that she wanted to bring me up here one day when I was older, and she would teach me things."
Like the sunrise, it dawned on Eight the significance of this mountain, a more personal and intimate meaning to this place than distant legends and folklore.
"This was your mother's mountain. The one she raced down and became a legend."
"Yeah." Three turned around and looked back up at the peaks above them, then turned again to look over the railing at the road winding below them.
"Nobody was ever faster than Mama on this mountain. Even today, some racers come up here with their cars, all newer and better than what Mama had, and they can't even come close to her record down the mountain, in a car that wasn't new even when she bought it."
She let out a sigh, her mantle dulling. "Auntie Clio leant me the car because she wanted me to come up here. Maybe she hoped it would inspire me."
Ah, so coming up here had been Clio's idea. Well, it had at least been Three's own idea to bring her along. They certainly had been lacking in together time of late.
Eight grasped Three's hand and gave it a firm squeeze. "You don't feel inspired?"
"No," she said softly. "All I can think about is how much I miss her."
Eight leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, surprising her. Eight couldn't help but giggle. Her startled expression was always enjoyable.
"Three, I'm sure you will always miss her, but aren't you also happy to have driven the same roads she did back then, the ones that made her a legend still today? This place is full of memories of her. That's one of the reasons you're feeling so emotional – and you are. It's because you're seeing parts of her you never had before."
Three pouted, her attempts to maintain her tough exterior shell foiled. Eight just giggled again and nuzzled the crook of her neck.
"Don't be like that. We can spend some time here looking around and just being together. That's alright, isn't it? There's no one here but us. We should enjoy it."
Three took in a deep breath and made an expression that, to Eight, seemed like acceptance, and gave her a gentle squeeze around the waist.
"So what's the name of this mountain? I assume it has one."
Three grimaced slightly, reluctance showing all over her face before she finally told her. "The mountain is called Cortivouno-ome, after the old words for a court and mountain."
"And "ome" meaning the mountain is divine or of the gods, yes? So this is the mountain of the divine court." She ran the breakdown through her inklish lexicon a bit more. "And a court is a place of discussion but also judgement."
"Sometimes. In Inklish it usually just means a place where decisions are made. Suffixes are usually added to make them more specific. Like, a corti'ome is when the ecclesiarchy has a hearing or trial of some kind, or leads one."
"I see…" Eight scratched her head, trying to understand how a court of the divine and a court of the mortal ecclesiarchy could be called the same thing but be very different in nature, but ancient inkling and it's blending with more common Inklish was confusing. As she tried thinking it through, she noticed something about the mountain's name.
"Cortivouno-ome, Cortivouno… Cortina!" She stared at Three, eyes wide as her chest filled with the thrill of revelation. "Your mother named you after this mountain." That was why she had been reluctant to reveal the mountain's name.
Three's cheeks coloured slightly. "Y-yeah. I didn't find out until Auntie Clio told me. Apparently the local racers, including Mama's group, started calling the mountain Cortina, out of affection. I guess, naming me after a mountain she worked so hard to conquer, she expected a lot of me."
"After the mountain she loved," Eight amended. "I'm sure your mother knew you would do great things one day. You haven't let her down yet." She picked up Three's tentacle club in her hand and gave it a kiss, sending a wave of bright pink through her mantle from the place her lips had landed, and Three's face turned a slightly darker shade of blue.
Eight giggled and rubbed against her, happy to enjoy their precious time together after learning so much more about the girl she loved. And they would enjoy their little together time until, unexpectedly, Three's phone chimed.
Eight couldn't help but let out a little whine. Even if it only took a few seconds for Three to check the message it always spoiled the moment. She hoped it wasn't just Callie asking how their date was going. At least Marie understood to leave them alone unless it was something important.
Eight watched Three's face as she checked the message. She watched her frown, and then her mantle changed to a bright red with ripples of dark-blue and moving splotches of bright-yellow, her face and eyes now filled with worry.
"What is it?"
Three handed her the phone and Eight looked at the message. It was from Four, and the contents of the message were very worth worrying about.
"Be home soon. Please, I need you. I'm sorry, I just need someone."
Eight looked back up at Three. "She simply went to visit her family, did she not?"
Three flashed green and stood up. "Something must have gone wrong." She peered out towards Inkopolis in the distance and clicked her beak.
"If her train arrives at about one, then we'll have to move fast to get there in time." She let out an unhappy noise but Eight smiled and handed her phone back.
"Don't feel bad. We still had a good time and I got to learn more about you. You know Four wouldn't normally send something like this unless something had seriously gone wrong."
Three flashed green again and pocketed the phone. They were decided.
They ran back to the parking lot, passing a few newly arrived people and got back into the car. Three started the engine, mumbled something about the engine still being warm, and drove on ahead, even as Eight put on her seat belt.
"I pray your mother's spirit guides us down the mountain," Eight said, her voice rising in pitch as she realized Three was already going beyond the recommended speed.
"Me too," she said quietly, and then changed gear before sending the car around the sharp bend near the top with the squeal of tortured rubber as the tires fought for traction on the cool tarmac.
Eight held on tightly to the grab handles in the car as Three drove quicker and more aggressively than she had ever seen her drive. She hadn't even realized how many undulations there were in the road until they started driving so fast. When not facing a blind corner, she would use the entirety of the road to go around as fast as possible, becoming bolder and braver as the tires warmed and she became accustomed to the road's nature. All Eight could do was hold on for dear life.
She glanced at Three and blinked. Three's mantle was not green, but the same fiery red as her eyes, which were laser focused on the road ahead. Her hands and feet moved in perfect concert with each other, manipulating the car so that it did exactly what she desired it to do. It was as awe inspiring as it was unsettling.
In a matter of minutes, they reached the bottom of the mountain, the car screaming through the last bend before they hit the fairly straight road leading them towards the highway to Inkopolis.
Three's mantle cooled back to her natural green but she continued to pick up speed.
"Um… Cortina?"
"I'll slow down once we get on the highway," she said. "But the mountain road was too slow the way it was. We'd never make it in time, and I'm not driving like that in the city."
"Of course."
The tires squealed anew as Three took the long curved ramp up onto the highway and maintained the recommended speed as they hurried back to Inkopolis.
"Well, it seems Clio was correct about your mother's mountain inspiring you." Three frowned and glanced over at her. Eight giggled. "Do you not realize what you did? How fast and skillfully you went down the mountain road?"
Three blinked and her eyes seemed to lose focus for a second. "Did I really…" then her eyes widened. "I actually… I did that?"
Eight laughed and patted her arm. "Oh, liebla, you're so full of surprises you even surprise yourself."
Three's mantle flashed pink and her cheeks burned blue as she glared sideways at her. "Who taught you that word? Was it Four?"
"It was Pearl, and do not act so upset. It is a cute way to refer to someone. A term of love and endearment. Am I wrong?"
Three's cheeks puffed in annoyance and Eight giggled, giving her cheek a poke. "You are too sensitive."
Three gently pushed her hand away. "Not while I'm driving."
"Whatever you say."
Despite saying she would drive carefully once she was in the city, Three still handled the car much more vigorously than she normally would as they navigated the grid of streets to the train station.
The station was crowded, especially since most of the congregations were now over and people were moving about the city. Weekend travellers were also headed home, making this probably the busiest time for the station. Fortunately, the little car was small enough to fit into a small slot between a pair of taxis. There, Three texted Four their location and the two of them waited.
About six minutes later, Four finally emerged from within the station with her luggage and the most dour expression Eight had ever seen on her.
Three got out of the car and Eight hurriedly followed. Closer up, Four's face made it obvious she'd been crying, a lot. Her eyes were veiny, her face soiled by rivers of tears and her eyelids a bit swollen.
When she looked up and saw them standing in front of her, she dropped the plastic bag she was carrying and wrapped her arms around Three tightly, clinging to her like a life preserver.
"Three," she said hoarsely. "I just… everything was… I'm just so glad to be back home."
Eight picked up the plastic bag and held it closer to her, watching concerned as Three did her best to comfort her junior, gently rubbing her back and caressing her mantle with her long tentacles.
"Four," Eight asked. "Would you like to get into the car? I will sit in the back with you and we can talk, alright?"
Four sniffled and managed a brief green flash. "Okay, but I have a letter I have to bring to a matron, or a priestess. One I trust. It's from my parents. It's supposed to explain something."
"We can do that right now," Three said. "I have to return the car to Auntie Clio anyway. Auntie Silvia will probably be there too. If she's acceptable to you."
Four laughed weakly. "She's the closest thing I have to a matron. I practically am a member of her community."
Then her eyes widened and she had a horrified look on her face. "Oh no, were you two on a date?"
"We were pretty much finished when you called," Three said, sharing an understanding look with Eight. "Actually, coming to pick you up gave us an excuse to spend more time together instead of taking her right back home."
Four exhaled. "Well, at least something good came from all this."
Three opened the car's rear hatch. "Just put your things in here and we'll get moving. I want to find out what happened. Then we'll find a way to fix it."
As Three moved to get back into the driver's seat, Four grabbed her hand and stopped her. She then brought the hand to her cheek and held it there for a moment, looking up into Three's eyes, a sad smile on her face.
"I love you, Elvi-ro."
Eight frowned as she shut the hatch, searching her Inklish lexicon for the meaning of that phrase. If she remembered correctly, elvi meant "sister" and ro referred to someone senior to them. So senior sister – no, older sister. It was a very formal way of saying it, but the way Four said it, and the bit of ceremony to it made her think there was something special about referring to an older sibling in that way.
Three caressed Four's cheek with her thumb. "We'll fix it; don't worry."
Four flashed red. "You can't fix a lie when it's already been shattered by the truth." She let Three's hand go and quietly got into the back seat.
Three and Eight shared a confused look then climbed into their own respective seats.
Eight gently pulled Four closer to her, making her lean against her, and lay her head atop hers, trying to provide some closeness and warmth to the younger girl. She was still ignorant to a lot of things about Inkling culture and she knew there was something to all this that she was missing.
Well, whatever happened, she hoped things would turn out alright for Four. She hadn't had the best string of fortune lately. All she could do as they drove to their new destination was hold her close and quietly pray.
And maybe I can learn something that will help me do better with my own sister, she thought with a twinge of regret.
"Garen, you didn't have to walk me home."
"Of course I did. I can't let you go through this part of the city alone."
It was dead of night, and the inkling/octoling couple were walking hand in hand down a lonely street through a warehouse district, not far from where Work Detail was located. It was chilly and the temperature was still dropping, but neither let that bother them.
Kika giggled, flipping one of her yellow tentacles behind her shoulder. "Well, perhaps, one day, we can live closer together."
Garen smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "If I was able, I'd marry you right now and we'd share an apartment together."
Kika blushed deeply and let out a giddy little giggle. "Well, I would be more than happy to accept. You're certainly the most wonderful inkling I've ever encountered."
He laughed. "And I've never met a girl, inkling or not, as fantastic as you. Every day is an adventure with you." He squeezed her hand. "And I want this adventure to last forever."
As they walked past an alleyway, lost in each other's eyes, a large, black shape appeared in front of them. Kika reacted almost instantly, moving to defend Garen, only to be struck from behind and knocked to the side.
As she fell to the ground, she heard Garen start to scream, only for it to be prematurely cut off, followed by a terrible wet popping sound, which, in turn, was followed by a wet splat and a thud.
Kika started to stand up, only for something hard and unyielding to press around her neck, knocking her back to the ground. It started to squeeze, cutting off her air supply, but whoever this was wasn't used to dealing with octolings.
Switching to octopus form, she slipped from their grasp and reformed the moment she was free, getting up and trying to run. Her hand clawed for her octoshot, but of course, it wasn't there.
There were several other shapes around her. She tried to dodge them as they lashed out at her with their arms.
She let out a scream of pain as one of her arms was severed from her body but she didn't stop. She was almost out of the alleyway. If she could just get to the end, she could –.
"You should have told us right away," Marie said grumpily, shoveling another large spoonful of breakfast gruel into her mouth.
"You needed sleep," Three replied. "And it's already being handled by Auntie Silvia, who promised to notify Acolyte Kelpgarden, who will notify a priestess."
"Four's our Elvi'anu, curse it. We should be told about these things."
"I am telling you. You two were in another food coma after dinner when I got home."
Marie winced, her frown morphing into a pout. "You could have called."
Callie sighed. "Marie, you're sounding like a control freak. Four's home and she's safe. That's the important thing."
"I still would like to have known."
"Part of being a leader is knowing how to delegate," her mother said from the kitchen. She was making more breakfast for her insatiable daughter and niece. "Your subordinates handled the situation well themselves without any guidance from you. That level of initiative and independence should be praised. You must let people handle things on their own, Marie."
"Pot kettle black, mother."
"Don't talk back to me, young lady. I already have to deal with your grandfather. Do NOT test me."
Marie made a quiet grumbling noise. "Three, turn the T.V. to the news."
Callie giggled. "Point for mother."
"Shut up."
Three grabbed the remote and turned the T.V. on, switching to the news channel.
"-our top story this morning, a grisly double homicide in the south end of Blackscale Ward. The murder involes a young mixed couple, an inkling and octoling. Both were fairly well known around Inkopolis Square and the two were said to have a loving relationship that had all the potential to become something more. The boy's parents are, of course, distraught that this has happened and, like all of us, are waiting for answers as to what could have perpetrated this obscene crime. We'll keep you updated as details become available."
The news droned on but nobody was listening anymore. Murders didn't happen in Inkopolis every day, they were very rare events. And this one involved an octoling, something that hadn't happened yet under their watch. Blackscale Ward was also where Work Detail was located, and all the apartments the octolings lived in were not far away from there.
"I know what you're thinking," Silvie said. "Forget it. Let Security handle this one. That's their job. Your job is to eat. Besides, do you really want to involve yourselves in something like this and draw the attention of Inkopolis Security?"
Callie and Marie both flashed red. Neither of them wanted that. Inkopolis Security would have a meltdown if they ever caught wind of what they were getting up to with the Octarians. They had another meeting coming up too.
"But we can't do nothing, either," Callie said. "I have a feeling this is related to what happened on Friday."
"Definitely," Marie agreed. "But if the crab gangs are at the point where they would actually comit a revenge murder– ."
"Hold it," Silvie interrupted. "You can't just start making assumptions, you need information."
Callie frowned. "But we can't exactly ask security for the details. Ideally, we'd be able to see the crime scene ourselves but I can't imagine Security making that kind of information public."
Three pulled out her phone and stood up, heading to a corner of the room. It rang several times before someone picked up.
"Hello, Work Detail, how may we help you."
"Kifi, it's Three. Did you see what happened on the news?"
There was a full second of silence before she responded. "I assume you refer to the murder?" Her voice turned grave. "Security has already been talking with us. They have told us little but asked many questions. We're trying to cooperate as best we can –."
"Is Hani there?"
There was a long pause. "Um… yes. W-why?"
"I have a job for her."
Work Detail was quiet. Even counting the fact that it was early afternoon and most of the girls had left to do the day's work, there was an unsettling feeling in the air, and it was heavy. Four felt it on her shoulders the second she walked in and it only got stronger by the time she reached the meeting room.
Callie, Marie, Pearl, Marina, and Kifi sat around the battered, rectangular conference table in a motley assortment of chairs. None of them spoke and they all wore dour expressions, the mantles of the inklings present displaying anger, frustration, and regret.
Only Callie and Marie looked up when she entered and Marie stood immediately, running up to her and trapping her in a tight hug. It was a hug Four had long been craving.
She had spent a large part of the last night with Three and Eight, telling them everything that happened, letting them comfort her and ease her pain. As pathetic as she'd felt, letting it all off her chest had been liberating, but the comfort Marie gave her was just different somehow. The sensation of her presence, her flowery scent, her distinct warmth and the feeling of her arms around her, it was everything she had needed.
"Thanks for coming," she whispered. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Good enough," she said. "I'll feel better with something else to focus on. I just wish it wasn't this."
"We all do." She gave her a kiss on the head and let her go, returning to her seat.
Four adopted a place beside Three behind Callie and Marie. Across from them, Eight stood in her maid uniform against the opposite wall. To her left were Hani and two other octolings. All of them were in their old army uniforms, their tentacles the black shade of the elite troops.
Kifi finally gestured to Hani, who stepped forward, handed her phone to her, and began her report.
"I was able to get into the alleyway via the rooftop. The other two stayed there while I got closer to listen in on Security's conversations. As you can see in the images… it was not a pleasant sight."
Four was just able to peer over Callie's shoulder as she received the phone, and the gruesome images showed themselves.
Four was used to seeing death. She'd killed plenty of Octarians in her quest to save Callie and then maintain the peace, but this was different.
When an Octarian was permanently splatted, organs liquified until the whole body burst in an explosion of ink and blood. Gruesome to think about but looking at it it just looked like a particularly violent ink explosion. In rare cases they might be able to reconstitute themselves afterwards but generally, the puddle of their remains would be their last mark on the world. Worse was when she came across an Octarian crushed by a piece of debris or mutilated by one of their own traps. Those tended to be quite grizzly and she'd be lying if she said she didn't have the occasional nightmare about them. This murder was more like that.
"Security believes that the heads were first removed and then the limbs ripped off afterwards. They aren't certain that crabs are involved because their behavior doesn't usually involve leaving dead things behind. Normally they would eat the bodies."
"Which means they had to be pretty passionate to break with tradition to leave this message," Marie said as she examined the images of the crime scene. "Do we know the identities of the victims?"
"We know the Octoling involved," Kifi said. "Kika was a non-associated member, more independent. I believe the inkling was her boyfriend. Their relationship seemed to be a close one."
Out of the corner of her eye, Four saw Three's mantle turn a deep, sorrowful blue, regret washing over it in blotches of dark-purple. Did she know these two? She must have for Three to show such emotion while she was in work mode.
"The murder happened late last night. The bodies were not found until early this morning as people were going to work in some of the local warehouses. They could smell it and looked in the alley to investigate.
"As of yet, Security has no suspects, but they do think it's related to the incident from Friday, despite their earlier opinion about the crime scene not fitting the crab's usual behavior."
Pearl couldn't even look at the images and simply passed the phone over to Marina. Hani's verbal description alone had turned her green around the gills. Four didn't blame her. The Octarians were used to seeing death but Pearl, like most people, had likely never seen a dead body in her life. T.V. and movies really didn't do it justice.
"I've already been dragged into Security HQ this morning about this," Callie said, aggravated. "Trust me, they definitely think it's related."
Pearl looked up, the green dissipating somewhat as a flush of anger supplanted it. "They aren't trying to make you some kind of sacrifice, are you?"
"Security isn't, but I bet somebody in the Assembly is going to take the opportunity to try and drag me down as much as they can. They've already been calling me a dangerous and violent influence since the Friday incident went public."
Pearl crossed her arms. "But you're under twenty, that means you're still under child protection laws, which includes protecting your identity."
Marie flashed brown, scowling. "They all have their plants in Security. Things would be even worse if it was me that got involved in that incident, especially since my grandmother is a member of the Assembly. I imagine she isn't having a very fun time right now."
"Forget the politics. Is this going to happen again? Are the crabs going to keep targeting octolings? Why did they target one in the first place? Wasn't it Callie they were mad at?"
A few eyes turned to Hani but she lowered her head, unable to answer.
"I doubt Security knows," Marina said, handing Hani back her phone. "I admit I don't know a lot about the crabs. The only one I talk to regularly is Bisk."
"Bisk is an outlier," Marie pointed out. "He's very agreeable and easy to deal with, usually. The whole reason he immigrated to Chalacora was to get away from other crabs."
"Which is one of the two kinds of crab immigrants," Pearl said. "The kind that are trying to get away from one of the crab countries, and the kind the crab countries don't want."
Callie leaned forward. "Because of the labour shortage, Calachora has had an open-door immigration policy. That was good for us since it let us bring in all the octolings, but it looks like they're abusing the system." Her mantle rippled with bright reds and warning oranges. "Probably trying to cause the country trouble and divert our attention."
Pearl frowned. "From what?"
"The vassalation," Marie explained. "Remember? Bellchora wants to vassalize itself to us in order to get our protection from the crab countries threatening it. They hope they won't go to war if they have to fight us too. And Calachora really wants that vassalation to happen. It would spur the economy a little and help with the labour shortage by allowing a smoother immigration of jellyfish into the country, not to mention what access to their territorial waters would do for our fishing industry."
"One of the few that isn't suffering a labour shortage," Pearl pointed out. "In fact, it's one of the industries we're most competitive in. Haven't been able to figure out why."
"Doesn't matter right now," Marina said gently. "Marie, are you suggesting that they're sending troublesome crabs to Inkopolis in order to cause enough trouble? Even if the vassalation of Bellchora does happen, we won't actually be in a position to protect them?"
Callie and Marie's mantles turned plum-purple with derision with little ripples of scornful red.
"The only inklings capable of waging war right now are in this room. Keeping a warlord in check is one thing but even we can't take on a whole army of crabs in open battle. You can't underestimate how belligerent and militaristic they've become. Which the government is doing."
"Um…" Four raised a hand and everyone turned to look at her. She felt a little awkward suddenly becoming the focus of attention for this serious conversation, but it was a fine distraction.
"On Friday, when I helped rescue my squad, apparently one of the crabs said something about them driving out all the shoals that lived in Xapheerell Ward into basically one small corner, or out of the ward totally."
"Almost like an invasion," Kifi mumbled. "It does sound like a turf war."
"Forming a beachhead," Marie muttered. "Right under our noses."
"And if Inkopolis falls, the rest of the country is basically doomed," Callie added. "And they might not stop with us. If they find the domes, they'll go there too."
Worried looks came upon the face of everyone in the room. Suddenly, the world just got a lot more complicated, and the murder's purpose suddenly became more clear. It was a declaration of war. Perhaps not a war in the traditional sense, but a conflict nonetheless.
"We're the biggest threat to their plans," Marie murmured. "They're worried about Octarians occupying Xapheerell Ward after they've gone to so much effort to push the inklings almost all the way out."
Pearl slammed her fist down on the table. "Enough moping and theorizing; what are we actually gonna' do about this? We can't just sit here and do nothing! Marie, can't you talk to your grandma or something?"
Marie pulsed blue. "I can try, but even though Nana will realize what's happening and even if she agrees, all of her matrons are from the countryside, so it's a little out of her jurisdiction, and because of Friday's incident, she's probably stuck handling the fallout from that since she's Callie's matriarch. In either case, nothing is going to get done anytime soon, not if we go through official channels."
"And we can't talk to the cops without getting in trouble ourselves," Pearl grumbled, settling back down in her chair. "And undoing everything we've been trying to do, including making peace with the Octarians."
Marie flashed green. "So, we're going to have to try something else."
"I can't do anything right now," Callie sighed. "Security and the assembly's spies are watching me like hawks and the media won't leave me alone."
"I'll talk to Nana anyway and see if I can get some advice. We have another meeting with the ambassador soon so that's our immediate priority. In the meantime, what we need is more information. Kifi, what are you doing to protect everyone?"
Kifi sat up straighter. "We are making sure everyone stays together in large groups. We are also trying to think of ways to combat crabs effectively. Vella proved that some of our techniques still have some effect on their species, but the larger ones will be more difficult."
"Three can teach you some basics. Callie and I don't have anything planned today that will need her. Four, you stay too. A refresher won't hurt and you have experience too."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Marina spoke next. "We should devote some Octolings to scouting out the crabs. Looking in Xapheerell Ward for clues, information on their gathering places and movements."
"That isn't going to be easy," Hani said. "It will take us weeks to learn the territory and where to move. They'll be on the lookout for any octolings. They will watch us. It will not be an easy place to move unseen."
"I could help," Four offered. "I mean, as long as I'm not needed for anything else. Inklings still move about there during the day so I'll blend in better."
Callie and Marie looked at each other, and both pulsed grey.
"Alright," Marie said. "You can start by checking in with the last inkling bastion in Xapheerell Ward. Check in with their matrons and get what information you can."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"I'll also ask Mother if she still has anyone in Security willing to speak to her." She smiled sardonically. "I'm not counting on it."
"Especially now," Pearl said. "She's infamous for being the only person to get kicked out of the Enforcers for excessive aggression."
"Killing a group of crabs trying to kill a helpless citizen." Marie smiled. "I wonder if the crabs also remember that."
"I doubt they've forgotten it," Callie said. "Anyway, let's all just do what we can and try to keep each other on the same page. Our top priority has to be not losing anyone else like this."
They all agreed, and with that, the meeting was adjourned.
Four helped Three and the octolings set up the training mats. They were still in the middle of it when three familiar figures appeared.
Four frowned as she watched Priestess Gallora approach Kifi, flanked on either side by Mia and Tephy. No sign of Marsh or Gangrin. The two girls were clearly anxious.
After a moment, Kifi looked directly at Four, and made a come-hither gesture with her tentacle. When Four went over, it was not Kifi who spoke to her, but Priestess Gallora.
"Tani, it is nice to see you well."
Four wasn't all that well, really, but there was no need to trouble her with those details. "You as well, High Priestess. What's up?"
The priestess put her hands on the heads of the two girls. "The gods have decided that their punishment for their earlier transgressions will be to serve you, for a time."
Four squinted, not sure she heard that right. "Serve… me? Doing what?"
"Whatever you need, I imagine. Whenever you need them they are at your beck and call."
Four's mouth slowly fell open, scarcely able to believe what she was hearing. Their punishment was to be her servants for a time? But she didn't need servants, if anything, they would be a burden in that regard. Besides, they'd barely been able to stack bricks for her, she couldn't imagine them acting as servants. Why would the gods send them to her like this? Unless it was also meant to punish her, somehow.
Wait… Mia's from Xapheerell Ward. She can help me talk to the local matrons and help me find out just what's going on. And Tephy may as well come along.
"Starting now?"
"Of course. And while I would never try to put my own desires ahead of those above, please try to have them back by dinner."
"I'll try." She looked at the two girls. "Okay, you two line up off the mats with the rest. Before we do anything, you're gonna' learn something."
"As you can see, incorporating the device into the base took a little doing but we were able to manage it. We have been testing it with whoever's in the inkling HQ, sending both audio and text messages and talking live, so we know it works. Oh, obviously we've been keeping that to a minimum."
Avrika gave the device a cursory look. It was mounted firmly on the roof of the command centre bunker. While it did look old, it's homogenous appearance was a vast improvement over the typical Octarian transmitters, cobbled together from assorted bits of old junk that barely worked.
"Well done," she said. "But make sure nobody tries to take parts from it. This thing has to keep working as intended. We both know how quartermasters can be."
Latria returned a wry smile. "Yes Ma'am. Shall I send a message letting them know you're on your way?"
"I suppose that would be the courteous thing to do, even if they will know long before we get there anyway. Is my escort ready?"
"Ready and waiting, Ma'am."
Avrika jumped from the roof and onto the ground. Latria joined her a second later, barking an order for her escort to form up.
Kalisha and Aishi hurriedly ran out, armed with their octoshots. They were joined by a new face, an older girl with tan skin, pink tentacles and matching eyes. She delicately carried a wooden case close to her chest, as if it were a hatchling.
Lilibet Dreamwalker was Avrika's newly assigned assistant. The girl had never left the inner domes and, rarely for someone her age, had never served in the army, her skills in administrative and clerical work having been recognized early on in her standard education. Of course, that meant, she was not acclimatized to the conditions of the surface or even life outside the inner domes. She behaved skittishly around the troops, as if they were a whole other species, and she was even more susceptible to the cold than the rest of them. They would have to make the trip as brief as possible.
"Alright, let's not waste time. Kalisha, Aishi, you can bring your weapons but don't resist if the inklings ask you to put them away. They're there so you can do your job, but they are a very last resort and you will not use them unless I say so. Clear?"
"Yes, Honored Mother!"
"Good. Let's move."
Lilibet seemed grateful to be on their way. Avrika chided herself for not letting her go back into the command centre, even for the brief few minutes she was talking with Latria on the roof. The girl still had her arms close-in, and was shivering a little. The days were only going to get colder however. What would they do when that happened? Avrika realized that she herself might have difficulty walking to the inkling HQ if it got cold enough. Her clothes were not much better than Lilibet's thin cropped shirt and short skirt.
"Sorry it's too cold for you to properly enjoy the surface, Lillibet. Normally you can hear birds singing and feel the warm breeze on you."
Lilibet shivered. "I-I- I'm sure, Ambassador. D-don't worry about m-me, I-I can do my j-job."
Avrika frowned. It was a half-hour walk to the inkling HQ, even at their brisk pace. Would Lilibet last that long? She thought about having her switch to octopus form and then carrying her most of the way, using her own body heat to keep her warm, but that might be offset by the fact that the octopus form was even more susceptible to the cold. After all, it was the octoling form that existed to work best on the surface.
"How long have you been in the administrative service? You came highly recommended by the Dictatrix's head secretary."
"S-since I was twelve, Ambassador. I-I apprenticed under Lord Ida's secretary."
Avrika kept a conversation going with Lilibet to try and distract her from the cold. About halfway there, she wrapped an arm around her, holding her close to try and share some of her warmth. By the time they reached the Demon's Gate, she was so cold her fingers could barely hold onto her wooden case.
"Almost there," Avrika whispered to her. "Just a little further." She didn't respond.
Agent 3 came into view as they neared the boulders showing the perimeter of the HQ. Clad almost completely in black this time, but she carried her usual weapon. She frowned at Lilibet as they approached.
"Get in the cabin," she said. "You can warm up there."
Avrika frowned. "Would it not be faster to simply go through the grate?"
"She's too cold to transform. The rest of you look pretty cold too. Get in and warm up for a bit, then we'll move on."
Avrika bowed her head in compliance and guilt. They were far too ignorant of the surface world. They should have provided Lilibet with warmer clothing. Surely that with so many in the army having died in the last two years, there was a sufficient surplus of clothing material. Of course, she was the one who should have seen to that. Stupid, sloppy.
Inside the cabin, Agent 3 directed them to the electric fire before using her personal communication device to inform someone else that they would be late.
Avrika felt like a total fool, and she was making a terrible impression on the inklings at a time she needed to come across as strong as possible. She'd been given a time limit, the Octarian people had a time limit. She had no idea what to do to fix it but she needed the inkling's help if they were to have a chance.
They waited in the cabin for ten minutes to warm up, before Agent 3 led them back outside and through the grate. Their transformation did feel unusually slow, even after warming up, but they managed it and they followed Agent 3 through the maze of pipes until they came up through another grate into a small, dark room.
Agent 3 walked up to the door and knocked. A voice came from the other side, inviting them in, and she opened the door, gesturing for the Octolings to follow her.
The room they entered into was larger than the entire space of the cabin, but better lit, despite the lack of windows, and far more comfortable and refined.
The walls were painted to look like images of shorelines Avrika had only seen in old pictures, with green landscape, and warm, summer skies. It gave the whole room a cozy, welcoming feeling.
Agent 1 and Agent 2 sat on the other side of a broad, squat table that required one to sit on the floor. The latter was dressed in her usual robes, though her mantle appeared glossier than usual, while the former wore a close-fitting black and magenta outfit that resembled a pre-war uniform in some way. When they both stood to greet her, she saw that the outfit included a skirt that was narrow at the legs but showed the great flare of her hips splendidly. Avrika didn't know much about inkling anatomy but she was fairly positive Agent 1 had excellent breeding potential.
Avrika bowed her head. "Tenzi ivot. I thank you for this meeting. I am sorry for the small delay."
"Don't worry about it," Agent 1 assured her. "I imagine you're still re-learning about how to deal with weather." She gestured to a corner on their side of the room, where a small table sat. "For your escorts." She gestured to an even smaller table just behind Avrika and to the side. "For your assistant. Oh, and we have hot cocoa coming, so you won't catch a cold, hopefully."
"I… thank you." Avrika didn't know what hot cocoa was but she assumed it was something to stave off the chill.
Avrika sat behind the table and set her briefcase aside. Agent 3 took position behind the two agents, standing rather than sitting. This had to be some kind of calculated move, but she couldn't figure out what it's significance was.
"Let's get the formalities out of the way," Agent 1 said. "My real name is Callie Cuttlefish. This is Marie Sansea. We're cousins and we're both Captain Cuttlefish's grandchildren."
"'Real name', Callie?" Marie asked, her mantle turning slightly yellow.
Callie made a displeased face and sighed, her mantle pulsing blue. "Fine, my real name is Callabria Cuttlefish, but call me Callie."
Avrika nodded slowly. "I am pleased to formally meet you, then. If I may ask, does this mean you're willing to reveal what you are to Inkling society? Your role?"
Marie showed some minor confusion on her face but Callie only smiled.
"There's not much to tell. We're rich and famous; entertainers, mostly, but we both do have some businesses. Marie's more the business type, though. I just like entertaining people."
Avrika glanced back at Lillibet who was opening the small wooden case, revealing an electronic tablet, but one with its own, fold-out keyboard. Seeing Avrika's glance she nodded with her eyes and would set about noting that little fact in the meeting notes. She was glad to finally have an assistant.
A sliding door on the side of the room opened and another Octoling came in, wheeling a cart with a large pot and several cups. The smell that wafted towards them was wonderful.
"It's hot so be carefull," Marie warned, accepting the cup as the octoling carefully poured it into her cup. She did the same with the rest of them. Lilibet put her hands on the cup, wincing at the heat, but letting it warm her hands and inhaling the steam.
Avrika was the first one to actually taste it. She had wondered if it was some kind of tea, but it was the same colour as fresh mud, so it didn't look quite as pleasant. Not wanting to be offensive however, she carefully brought it up to her lips, and took a sip.
It was amazing! She couldn't describe what it tasted like but there was a kind of zest and sweetness to it, and its warmth flowed into her belly and spread throughout the rest of her body, helping to banish the frigid cold from her body.
"Good, huh?" Callie smiled. "Hot cocoa is the best thing on a chilly day."
"Cocoa," Avrika murmured. "What is it?"
"It's made from plants that grow on the other side of the world," Marie explained. "We actually learned about the drink from the Precursors. Replicating it wasn't too hard."
Avrika nodded and took another sip, trying to contemplate the resources and logistics necessary to bring materials from the other side of the world and finding it almost impossible.
"So," Callie said. "I know you're still warming up but we're on a bit of a time table. Shall we start?"
Avrika set down her cup and squared herself. "Of course. The Dictatrix is supportive of this arrangement, even if you aren't technically members of government. What we need to tell the Ravalda is how the process of actually getting through to the government is going to work. We need a clear line of progression with as few vagaries as possible in order to win over some of the undecided members."
"That's fair enough. Right now, we're trying to redefine the image people have of Octarians. Part of that has been the Octarian restaurant and the other Octarians living in Inkopolis. It does seem to be creating a better opinion overall and challenging a lot of preconceived notions from the war, but not everyone is happy about it, as I'm sure you can imagine."
Of course I can. Some members of the Ravalda are the same way. She couldn't say that out loud though.
"I imagine so, but convincing them the Octarians already within their borders are acceptable is different from how they might feel about our nation being allowed out of the domes."
"True," Marie agreed. "So there has to be something in it for them. We're hoping that their current issues will provide an opportunity to force them to accept you rather than keep you down. In other words, we have to convince them that it's advantageous for Calachora."
"Of course…" Avrika fought the impulse to chew her lip, doing her best to maintain her calm, as the main question worked it's way up to her mouth. "But what will it cost?"
"I don't doubt your sincerity, but I find it hard to believe that your government will simply allow us onto the surface once more without some kind of concessions. As you said, it has to be advantageous to Calachora."
Callie gave her a sardonic smile. "That is possible. Ideally, you would be able to provide something, a service or resource, that Calachora would want."
Avrika's shoulders slumped. "I don't see what that could be." No point in hiding that fact.
"Actually," Marie spoke up. "There may be something."
Avrika looked at her, feeling a glimmer of hope. Something to trade, more than anything else, that was what Lord Hobber was looking for.
"The octolings here have been making themselves useful doing odd jobs around the city. It's allowed them to make money while also creating a positive image for Octarians in general." She shrugged and pulsed grey. "I'm sure it's not what you had in mind but it is something and it's something you could provide right away."
"It is… something. It should be simple enough."
"It's possible there are technologies you've developed that are better than anything up here too. That could be something you could export to the world at some point," Callie proposed.
"I… hadn't considered that." To Avrika, it seemed inconceivable that they could have invented something better than what the rest of the world's nations could have managed in a whole century, but if it was true, it might be something worth pursuing. "How might we find out?"
"You'd have to do a lot of research to find out, I imagine. Going through everything you've invented over the past century and seeing if someone else has invented it already or not. Someone would have to look through the patent database at the patent office. Unfortunately, there's no way for us to know what you've invented."
"I'm certain we could find out. Of course, I'm not sure they'd be willing to trust someone outside their department with those kinds of secrets. I suspect that will have to wait until relations have progressed some."
Callie lifted a finger. "Not necessarily. I think we're forgetting the obvious thing: you're experts at building and surviving in artificially created environments. That's something nobody else has created yet. Not only could that allow for people to live in comfort in more hostile climates, but the engineering can be applied to a lot of other things. I wouldn't be surprised if some of your medical technology was better too."
Avrika thought for a moment. Callie had been a legate, which meant she had probably seen many of the technologies anyway. Maybe there were some things there wasn't any point in hiding. Still, these things were only useful after they had been able to secure their freedom in what was basically an underground prison of their own making. What did they have? What could they offer that would make the Calachora government willing to let them out again?
Their talk was interrupted when the meal arrived. It was a kind of fish dressed in a brown sauce and several green plant-like things. She had seen images of food that looked like that before, but couldn't recall much else.
"It's an Octarian traditional dish," Marie explained. The fish is tuna, but the dressing, garnishes, and the way it's prepared is done in an octarian way. It took some trial and error to make it correctly, but it's quite good now, I assure you."
"It looks and smells amazing," Avrika said, and she meant it. Her mouth had been watering just at the scent of the food. Looking at it she was barely able to contain herself. She murmured a quick prayer, thanking the gods for the food and for living another day.
The food was amazing, denser and more full of flavour than anything she had ever tasted before. Even the best food she had been given in the domes could not compare. It was almost enough to bring her to tears.
"We eat a lot of fish in Inkopolis," Callie said. "The fishing industry is never one that's suffered from lack of labour, at least not yet."
"We get very little fish in the domes. Most of them come from underground rivers we've tapped into. And, contrary to what you may believe, we do not eat Salmonids. I don't suppose you encounter them here?"
Marie shook her head. "No, never. We have to go out of our way to the polluted waters up north in order to find them. Lots of inklings have been going on so-called Salmon Runs, harvesting power eggs for some shady character in exchange for money, but that's about it. We don't have dealings with them. They hate us."
Avrika nodded and put on her most convincing smile. "Well, I've never dealt with them myself. Whatever happens to those power eggs?"
"No idea," Callie said. "It's a big mystery. I don't suppose you need any?"
"No."
She tried not to wince upon realizing she had answered perhaps a bit too quickly. But it sounded like the inklings were not the ones responsible for the reduced supply of power eggs from the Salmonids if they were enemies. It had to be someone else.
"Let's change tracks a little bit," Callie suggested, starting to dig into the meal. "What would be helpful right now? Something we can do just to make your current situation a little easier."
Avrika chewed thoughtfully, trying to think of something simple amongst the larger issues continuously bullying their way to the front of her mind. She tried to focus her thoughts by focusing on the more immediate issues and things that hadn't been able to proceed due to previous inkling interference.
"There is perhaps one thing," Avrika said eventually. "There are a lot of scrap materials on the edge of Inkopolis. If we could have some access to that, it would help a lot. The dictatrix wants to build vertical farms but she is finding it difficult to source enough spare materials."
Callie blinked several times before her lips slowly curved into a smile that Avrika could swore was nostalgic in nature.
"Sure, that shouldn't be too much of a problem for us to arrange. We'll just have to find a way to keep it under wraps."
"Of course!" Avrika couldn't hide her excitement. Her predecessor as commander of the surface outpost had been tasked with acquiring materials from those scrap piles and delivering them below. Many troops had been lost in the process of acquiring, frankly, little, including the commander herself. But now, it seemed that getting those materials might be possible after all, and to a level previously inconceivable. That kind of progress should help the Dictatrix oppose the new "loyalist" faction in the Ravalda.
Marie held up her data-pad and thumbed across the surface of the screen several times before setting it down.
"Looks like Thursday will be the best day."
Avrika frowned, puzzled. They had already arranged something? "Thursday?"
"It's going to be the warmest day," Marie explained. "Given how hard it was for you just to walk here, do you really think it's practical to do any scrap collecting on anything other than a warm day? Winter's pretty much here now. Pretty soon I doubt you'll be able to collect at all."
Avrika suppressed a grimace. She was right. Even Aishi and Kalisha had gotten quite cold after a short time outside. A whole day collecting scrap was simply not possible given the distances involved. They would have to plan in order to take advantage of the small window.
Something occurred to her.
"You can predict the weather through your device?"
"It's connected to the weather network. You can't perfectly predict the weather – even the Precursors couldn't do that, but we can get close."
"I see…" Avrika let the thought go lest that avenue of conversation take her down a road she would rather have avoided. The idea that the inklings had a means to predict a force as powerful as nature was sobering indeed.
Dinner eventually finished, only to have something called "dessert" come after, with sweet treats being offered. Avrika was already quite satisfied but she wasn't about to refuse and was quite full by the time she was finished. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been full.
The rest of the meeting was on more mundane topics, generally about how the inkling government and administration currently functioned. Apparently, not much had changed from the books she'd read, which was something of a relief because it meant that at least some of what she'd studied was still relevant.
Soon, it was time to leave, but there was still one more surprise as they were about to go.
The sliding door opened and the server came in carrying a bundle of clothing.
"For her," Marie said, gesturing to Lillibet. "Can't have your assistant freezing to death. It's only going to get colder. You should think about getting something warmer too."
The server handed a stunned Lillibet a yellow coat with pink highlights and yellow mittens for her hands. She was so surprised she couldn't even speak so Avrika had to say, "thank you" for her.
"You have to respect winter," Marie said firmly. "Don't take it lightly or it will kill you as surely as any piece of falling debris."
Avrika nodded firmly and followed Agent 3 back through the grate to the cabin, watching them as they went on their way.
"Looks like things went well," Kalisha said, rubbing her hand along the sleeve of Lillibet's coat, admiringly. "We're really making progress, right?"
"Of course"
She didn't have the heart to tell her that, really, no progress had been made. They had managed something to make their current circumstances a little better but they were no closer to actually getting the freedom they desired than they had been a week ago or two weeks ago. They were completely reliant on two inklings doing things on the Inkopolis side for them, and while she was coming to trust them and believed in their sincerity, ultimately, the fate of her people were not in their own hands and they couldn't even see what was happening on the other side.
That has to change. It's not fair for us to have no way of affecting our future and it's not fair to the inklings helping us to have all the work put on them. We have to do something. At the very least, she had to do something. The soldier in her wouldn't allow her to sit idly by and just hope the best happened. She'd rather try to make some hope herself. But the big question was, how. She had no answer.
Author's Notes:
Three has often struggled with the traumatic memories of her past with the way she lost her mother. In this chapter, she makes another big step in overcoming that. This was also a good time for her and Eight to spend some time together, which I used to subtly remind people that Eight is technically a hermaphrodite – male as well as female. While that doesn't change the current state of Three and Eight's relationship it will eventually.
This chapter also helps show more of how the Ecclesiarchy is well a part of Inkling society; although, its small numbers have diminished its effectiveness of late. In this case, Mia and Tephy received a divine punishment while Gangrin and Marsh's punishment was determined by the priestesses instead. So, for the moment, Mia and Tephy have become Four's personal retainers, not dissimilar from how Three and Four are, effectively, Callie and Marie's retainers at this point.