Sebastian shifted slightly in his sleep. A smile was plastered on his face as usual as he gripped the faux badge in his hand. He rolled over and his arm began dangling over the side. Still half asleep, he moved to slide deeper into his bed. He found himself halted as his back pressed against something. He shifted a bit more to look over his shoulder to see the back of the couch.
He sat up, removing the blanket draped over him and looked around. He was still laying in the living room. Sun shined in from the windows and everything was put away neatly. He scratched his head as he tried to remember why he hadn't gone to bed last night. He brought the item in his hand up to his face and a smile spread as the memory of last night returned.
"Heh. Guess I fell asleep after all," he whispered. He squeezed the badge before placing it in his pocket. He threw his legs over the couch and stood up. He let out a groan as he stretched.
"So you're finally awake, huh?" Sebastian looked over to see Senia standing against the doorway. She had on a simple t-shirt and shorts as she smirked at him. "Well hi there you lazy cod." Sebastian chuckled.
"Hey. Good morning sis. How are you doing?"
"I wish I slept as well as you. You were the epitome of tranquil last night." Sebastian scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah. Having big bro around calms the nerves, ya know? Gives me that feeling that everything's going to be okay."
"I bet," Senia said with a smirk. She pushed herself off the doorway and turned back the way she came. "Well, you should get ready. If you hurry you'll catch the 12 o'clock train." Sebastian's eyes widened as he frantically patted his pockets. He pulled out his phone and stared at the screen with wide eyes. The device read 11:17. Senia chuckled as the word 'crap' bounced around with the clattering of items as Sebastian stumbled about.
"So predictable," she smiled.
Inkay and the Squid Sisters were back in their agent outfits. They sat quietly next to their sleeping chambers as they waited for the jet to be prepared. 1 clearly was not looking forward to the ride back but she had kept her opinion on the matter to herself.
The three had explained their plans for their return to Inkopolis the night before, and were anxious to get started. Inkay wanted to of course check in on his family while The Squid Sisters wanted to look back in on the mask that Lucius dropped when he fought Cerata. Their silence was interrupted as Steph made his way towards them.
"Good morning," he announced. "Isn't it a great day to be hurled through the air thirty-five thousand feet above the ground with nothing but a thin hunk of aluminum between you, and a ten-minute screaming drop to an abrupt stop?" Agent 1 would've hit the ground if her cousin hadn't caught her in time.
"What's your problem?!" Agent 2 growled trying to snap Agent 1 out of her daze.
"What? Just came to say I wish you luck on your flight." Steph smiled behind his mask.
"If you're just here to be an ass you can leave." Agent 2 spat as she gently shook her cousin. Steph looked over the trio in silence for a moment.
"I would like a quick checkup before you go. Nothing too in depth, just some standard stuf. Any unease, queasiness, or anything of the sort? Weak knees, still vomiting, etc.?" 2 and 3 looked between each other before 3 leaned forward.
"I'm feeling fine. No nausea or anything. Kind of hungry but not much else."
"That may just be because you haven't had breakfast yet," Steph said scribbling on a notepad. "And you, Agent 2?"
"Still a bit sick to my stomach. And I have this growing headache. But that may be just you." Steph chuckled but scribbled something down.
"Noted. Now that that's done, I wish you all a safe trip home. If you ever need a hand, I will happily lend one. Until next time. And, do tell me how the weapon holds up," he whispered. He closed his notepad and bowed before taking his leave. The agents watched his retreating figure and let out a groan. A few silent moments later with Agent 2 still fanning Agent 1, they were approached by an Octarian soldier.
"Excuse me. Your jet is ready for take off whenever you're prepared to leave."
"Thank you for telling us," Agent 2 said with a nod. The Octarian returned it and wandered off elsewhere.
"Well, let's head back. Better to get 1 on the jet now before she wakes up," 3 said smirking. 2 looked down over her cousin and chuckled.
"Heh. After that comment that's probably the best idea."
Luca sat idly on a bench a bit away from the edges of Inkopolis. He had been told to meet Sebastian here about half an hour ago. Knowing the very smiley Inkling, he probably over slept. The lazy douche. Luca watched people walking around the strip of shops and diners and figured it was time to call Sebastian. He pulled out his phone and began typing the number in.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Sebastian said right as Luca was about to press the call button. Luca looked up to see Sebastian smiling down on him. He had his hands in the pockets of his signature blue hoodie and wore a pair of dark blue jeans with a small Inkling keychain dangling from his waist.
"Let me guess. You overslept, didn't you?" Luca stood up with a knowing smirk on his face. Sebastian's smile faltered for a split second before returning with a small bit of coloring in his cheeks. He shrugged and avoided eye contact.
"Heheh. Read like a book, huh? Sorry about that. My big bro made a surprise appearance and we stayed up late to hang out a bit," Sebastian explained. "It's been awhile since I've seen him, ya know?" Luca actually didn't know. He had never gone more than a few days without seeing Cereza. As much as he complains about her coddling him when they're in public he honestly couldn't think of not seeing her long periods at a time. He simply rolled his eyes with a smile.
"It's cool, dude. I'm only messing," Luca said giving Sebastian a soft punch to the shoulder. Sebastian chuckled and rubbed the spot he was hit. "Well what's the first thing on the agenda?"
"Well, I thought we'd start off hitting the arcade, but maybe it would be a better idea to grab something to eat first. What do you think?"
"I think you also skipped out on breakfast because you woke up late." Luca gave a bigger knowing smile and Sebastian recoiled. His face colored more and he nervously scratched his head.
"Boy. You sure like to read, huh?" Luca laughed and turned away. He began to walk away from the area and Sebastian took a few long strides to catch up. .
"Yeah, let's get something to eat. You got anything special in mind?" Luca asked. Sebastian tilted his head back and brought a hand to his chin in thought.
"Hmmm…You know, I think I know of one place we should go."
"Come on, come on, come on, come on…" Cereza chanted to herself watching as Judd and Lil' Judd looked over the stage of the latest Turf War. After a little dance and a shimmy, she and Em cheered as their score ended up being 47.8% covered to their opponents' 47.7%. "That was so close!" Cereza cheered.
"It was you getting that last splat on that Dynamo guy! And they say size matters," Em chuckled. Cereza laughed with her friend and waved their two partners for that match off.
"I wouldn't have been able to if you hadn't distracted him for that split second," Cereza smiled at her friend as she pulled her into a side hug.
"Girl, you know I got your back! Friends til the end and all that." Cereza gave an even brighter smile as the two exited the Turf War lobby. "But you've been doing well even without my help. You've been MVP in all our matches today!" Em praised the hybrid and caused her face to color.
"That's only because Wakame's taking an extra shift at work and he's not here to carry the team," Cereza said. Em tightened her grip on the hybrid and softly pinched her armm causing her to let out a small yelp in surprise.
"Nonsense. Don't give that ass all the credit. You were doing great today! Like a one-woman army!"
"Thanks, Em. I just…feel so light today, ya know? Everything's been going so well." Cereza broke away from Em to gesture around her with a content smile on her face. "There were those talks with mom and Mr. Apalo, I get to help Annie set up that Cooler Heads add-on she's been working on, and I thought that Luca would've fallen into a depression after what happened to Eden, but he has his own little group keeping him happy," Cereza listed practically twirling on her feet. "I mean, I feel a little bad for being so happy about an entire city being blown away, but everything around me just feels so bright right now."
"And does a certain Octoling boy have anything to do with it?" Em smirked. Cereza withdrew a bit and blushed, turning her gaze to the ground.
"Maybe." Em let out a loud laugh before linking her arm with Cereza's.
"Listen, you shouldn't feel bad about things out of your control. And after all you've been through growing up, you deserve a bit of happiness. So let's milk it for all its worth! Whatchu wanna eat? Lunch on me today." Cereza looked at her roommate with a somewhat quizzical look on her face.
"Maybe something little? I'm fine with picking up something from McSquiddles-"
"Oh no! Something good and fancy! An actual meal. We're celebrating how things are looking up!" Cereza's quizzical expression turned into a confused one.
"But that's really unnecessary…I mean, it's just a bit of good tidings."
"If it's been raining all week, the first sunny day needs to be enjoyed! Come on! If you won't pick one, then I know just the place!" Before Cereza could object, Em had begun dragging her forward laughing the entire way. It wasn't long before Cereza began laughing too.
"What did you say these things were called?"
"Gyros." Luca looked over the…cone? It was sorta like a cone…of meat and veggies in his hand. It smelled good enough and Sebastian had already taken a big chomp out of his. "You'll never figure out how it tastes unless you take a bite out of it." Sebastian teased as he waved a french fry mockingly at the hybrid. Luca looked the item over once more before doing as suggested. Sebastian watched intently as Luca struggled to fit a reasonable section in his mouth and bit off a piece. He waited in anticipation to Luca's reaction.
"I mean it tastes good, but I think I chose the wrong sauce for it," Luca said after swallowing. Sebastian shrugged and leaned back in his seat, taking another bite out of his.
"Fair enough. The default sauce is an acquired taste to be honest. You could swap it out for barbeque sauce or something if you prefer that."
"Maybe next time," Luca said before taking another bite. "The sauce isn't that bad, but I feel like it just doesn't go together well in my mouth with the rest."
"To each their own." Sebastian took a large swig from his root beer before turning towards Luca with a smile. "So have you been to any arcades around here?" he asked.
"Nah. I usually just play my consoles at home. Never really saw a point in going."
"There's plenty a point. There's one that's been around since before the internet and has a bunch of classic games. Like the original Super Squido Bros, Squid Jump, and Shrimp Fighter. Then there's another one that has a bunch of new titles like Dance Dance Revolution X, Octo's Duty, and Fix-It Feline, which I hear was inspired and made my Judd and Lil' Judd."
"That does sound pretty interesting now that you mention it. I kinda wanna see it."
"Yeah. The bad guy's supposed to be named "Wreck-It Ruff" or something. He's supposed to be a dog."
"A dogfish?"
"No. Just a dog. I remember that there was a Splatfest with Dogs Vs. Cats before our time, but I'm not entirely sure what a dog is."
"We'll have to ask Judd at some point," Luca said.
"So are we gonna go and check it out?" Sebastian said taking another giant bite of his food. Luca smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"We can if you don't make a mess of yourself," Luca joked as Sebastian tilted his head. He glanced down and saw his gyro had begun dripping sauce over his plate. The Inkling chuckled and wiped his mouth to make sure it wasn't the same way as his cutlery.
"What can I say? I have style, AND grace." The two shared a laugh as Luca made sure that his was not leaking. "So, arcade after this?"
"Sounds like a plan to me." The two sank into a comfortable silence as they ate their food. The entire time Sebastian had a content smile on his face. Luca couldn't help but think about why he smiled so much. Cereza had mentioned that people who smile the brightest had the darkest past. He could see that a little in his sister, and if what Senia told him was true it would make sense why he smiled so much. He had been through a lot and most likely uses it as a way to cope. Luca couldn't help but wonder if that smile would still be there if Sebastian new about his relationship with Senia.
Would he even be hanging out with him if he knew? Sebastian was cool about pretty much everything. The only time he seemed to be even slightly confrontational was when he walked in on Senia almost kissing him. But that seemed like so long ago. Even then he seemed only mildly irked if anything.
He did seem like he was okay with the idea of him dating Senia when he first saw her. Maybe he was just teasing back then. Senia wanted to keep their relationship a secret, so clearly she believed one of her brothers would find a problem with her dating someone. Sebastian seemed laid back enough where he wouldn't care about anything. But if he did object, would he try to keep them from dating? That would be pretty awkward.
They were both extremely important friends to him. If Sebastian didn't approve, their hangouts would probably become really awkward as Sebastian would watch to make sure they weren't planning anything. If they argued, Luca truly didn't know what side he would take. He'd feel bad leaving either of them behind and he could just hope that it wouldn't come to that.
He was dragged from his thoughts as something hit him in his head. He jerked and looked around for the culprit. The culprit turned out to be a penny sitting just to the side of his plate. He looked up with a confused look on his face as Sebastian smirked knowingly.
"Penny for your thoughts?" He chuckled. Luca couldn't help but roll his eyes and chuckle along with him. He picked up the penny and threw it back at Sebastian, the Inkling dodging it easily.
"Just how I'm gonna kick your butt at the arcade."
"Well, since you threw me a penny, for my thoughts," Sebastian said returning the coin to his pocket and giving Luca a cocky smile. "I'm thinking of how that's not gonna happen."
By the time Callie woke up, the agents were preparing to land back in Inkopolis, much to the relief of the acrophobic Inkling.
"Honestly I'm surprised you're not still unconscious," Marie said with a teasing smirk to her cousin.
"Just get me off of this thing already," Callie groaned. Once they were back on the ground, Callie bolted out of the jet. Marie and Inkay chuckled as they took a more calm, and in Marie's opinion dignified, exit. Callie waited for the two to catch up to her and the two were happy to see color returning to her face. "So, what's the game plan now?" she said with a semblance of a smile.
"I'm gonna head home and check on Cerata and Luke. Maybe talk to Apalo about where the gauntlets are…" Callie and Marie gave a soft glance towards each other. Inkay's voice had a hint of suspicion along with a touch of anger. Neither wanted to point that out to the Inkling.
"Well, give your family our condolences. Callie and I have work to do," Marie said leading the group towards the door.
"What? I thought we were going to take a break!" Callie groaned losing her smile.
"As much as I want nothing more than to take a break, we need to check out that mask Cerata confiscated from Lucius. It seemed important and if it has secrets about whoever he's working with the sooner we find them the better," Marie explained. Callie pouted and crossed her arms but did not say more.
"Well alright then. I'll check in on my family and Apalo while you guys investigate the mask. We'll meet up later." Callie and Marie nodded as the group split up. Inkay was ecstatic to see his family again. Even though it had only been a couple of days, it felt like it had been a long time. He wasn't looking forward to explaining what happened to Cerata though. He had gotten into enough trouble already and a married man could only take so many 'I told you so's before he'd keel over. But before dealing with that, he'd stop by Apalo's.
The mentioned Octoling sat at the desk in his office. Two completely unrelated papers in front of him as he scanned the information on each. One was discussing a higher security measure, especially around ways in and out of the city. The bridges were a major option for this. As dangerous as it was to attempt to traverse the bottom of the bridge, it could be a potential transfer route. The other were requesting funding for more surveillance cameras. Again, a decent idea, but the public were already riled up. Knowing they're being observed even more could make half of the city calm down while the other half rioted. Decisions decisions.
"Why don't you just give up?" Apalo growled at the foreign voice, not tearing his eyes away from the papers. "You'll fail at this like you failed at everything else."
"I haven't failed. Everything has been going as planned."
"Everything has been derailed for the longest. You're just trying to clean up the steaming pile of wreckage." Apalo didn't say anything. "What? No shouting? No snapping rebuttal?"
"Neither of those things are necessary. Because you're not real."
"I'm as real as you make me," the owner of the voice said stepping up and wrapping a tentacle around Apalo's shoulder. "And you're making me pretty real by responding." Apalo grunted in frustration and slammed the papers on his desk.
"Leave me be, alright. You're dead…and I killed you…"
"Then maybe this is your punishment. Every action of your traitorous life having their flaws brought to your attention by your superior. Such a bottom bitch you are."
"Shut up, Octavio," Apalo growled. Octavio chuckled at the other Octoling's expense.
"You've been telling me that for years. Yet I'm still here. Still talking. Still telling you just how badly you fucked up the Octarian empire! We were almost there! And you let your oh so precious research get in the way of that!"
"The Octarian empire was a joke. Anything lead by you was a joke. You're a joke," Apalo whispered. He wanted to yell, but he didn't want someone to walk in on him screaming to an empty room. He was hunched over his desk. The image of Octavio leaned over so his eyes locked eyes with Apalo.
"You're the joke! You've been 'building up' since you began leading this accursed city, and yet your hard work has gone to ruin and its only a matter of time before it caves in all around you!"
"It's going fine. The city is doing great, minus a few hiccups. All of which I can handle."
"Hmph. Well here comes another hiccup." At the end of the sentence, the door to his office was knocked on. He jumped at the sound and went wide eyed. Did that annoying vision predict the arrival? No, he probably just didn't notice the first knock. He calmed down, cleared his throat, and sat back in his seat.
"Come in." The door opened and Inkay stepped into the room. "Ah. Agent 3. I've received the digital report about your travels. I haven't been able to look over it but I'll be on that as soon as possible. Though I did not expect to even receive a report. Especially not a battle one." He said as Inkay stepped closer to his desk.
"That's nice, but I'm here to talk of the gauntlets. While we were in Squidville, we ran into Agent 241. He said that he had delivered the gauntlets to you a 'couple of days' ago. So I'm curious why they didn't get to me before we went to Squidville. Or at the very least, if the Inkling making them was gonna be there, why he didn't hand them off." Apalo was quiet as he and Inkay stared blankly at each other. Apalo let the silence linger for a few more seconds before cracking a smile.
"Seph and I had a complicated method of getting in touch and an even more complicated drop off locale. Never being tied to the same place near the same time. While it's true that I had possession of the items before hand, your journey to Squidville was supposed to be recon only. If I had known you would have actually run into any problems, I would've tried to find a way to sneak them to you before your departure."
"Why couldn't you give them to me anyway?" Inkay said, an accusatory edge in his voice. Apalo saw it in his eyes. The Inkling thought he was set up to fail. That Apalo was purposely holding out to put him at a disadvantage. To be completely honest he still didn't trust the Octoling. The only reason he put up with him this long was Cerata's respect for him. He wouldn't put the elder past such underhanded methods.
"After the war and the knowledge of Octameri's weapons of choice, seeing the city's hero walking around with said item, especially with it being illegal, would raise suspicion. People would ask questions better left unanswered. The only ones knowledgeable about the gauntlets even existing are you, Agents 1 and 2, the Inkling who made them, myself, and your wife. If other agents found out the news would spread like wildfire. Things would get more hectic than they already are. Can't risk the public finding out."
"Well where are they now?"
"They've been delivered to Cerata. They should be under her watch as we speak."Inkay didn't believe the Octoling. He stared into his eyes to see if he could find any trace of treachery or lies hidden somewhere inside. All he saw was the usual piercing red he had been seeing for years now. "I assure you, I only have the best interest of the city, and your family in mind."
"Of course…Nerves from all this. I should've known to trust you," Inkay lied. Apalo's smile grew just a little bit bigger.
"Is there anything else you wish to tell me?" Inkay shifted slightly, making extra sure that not even a glimpse of the Ink Blade would be seen.
"Nothing you won't find out in the report," he said. Apalo nodded and let out a relieved sigh.
"That's good. I don't know how much more my old heart can take," he said giving the Inkling a bright smile. Inkay returned one of his own and began making his way back to the door.
"Yeah, me neither."
"Why are you so good at things?!" Luca screamed over the buzzing and clicks of various arcade machines. He almost tripped over his own feet trying to keep up with both Sebastian's movements and the directions on his side of the screen.
"Uh nun know," Sebastian muttered out with a shrug and a cocky grin. His hands were placed lazily in his pockets as his legs were a blur on the dance machine. Luca didn't think he had missed one input and he was playing on the hardest difficulty! And here he was barely scrapping by on hard. When the game ended and the music stopped, their scores flashed on screen. Luca had scraped by with a 'B-' while a bright gold 'S' sat on Sebastian's screen along with winner. Luca shot a huff at Sebastian who merely stood there panting heavily.
"If we go again I bet I'll win!"
"Me too. I'll probably faint half way through the song." The two laughed and stepped off the dance machine to head to another game.
"We only did one song! You're way out of shape, man." Luca said heading over to a racing game that caught his eye.
"I'll have you know, not only am I my target weight, but it's smack dab in the middle of the healthy weight for squids my age." Sebastian said matter-of-factly.
"Why do you run out of breath so easily then? Do you have asthma?" Sebastian shrugged and took a seat at the racing game. The two put in their share of coins before selecting their choice of motorcycle.
"Guess I was just made wrong. I've always gotten tired easily. Must be that defect I've mentioned but…whatever. Just gives me an excuse to be lazy." He turned towards Luca with his cocky grin back on his face. "Also gives me time to get good at all kinds of games. Like this one for instance."
"Oh? So you think you're gonna win?" Luca said sending his own challenging smile. The screen started the count down for the race to begin.
"Let's find out."
Marie groaned in frustration. The wall of code in front of her was nothing but impossible to breach. She eyed the cord linking the computer to the mask that sat on its own little pedestal. The pedestal was to make sure the cords didn't get tangled and have it easily accessible. But all she saw in the pedestal was the mask looking down on her.
She had been ecstatic to see there was a place to connect the mask to her computer. She was sure she'd be able to hack in and find some valuable information. Instead she had made no progress as the firewalls in the thing kept her out.
She had tried everything. Every time she thought she had made progress, it seemed to kick her back to the beginning. Callie sat studying the mask in its stand with the same look of confusion and frustration on her face. The only sound in the room came from the clicking of Marie's keyboard until Callie spoke up.
"From what I can see there is no way that its see through. The entirety of the outside is simply a blank slate. There's a camera that sees for it and uploads it in real time to a screen on the inside."
"Why though? That seems like a lot of work just to see what's in front of you. Maybe if I could just get into the system then I could see if it storied video of everywhere that Lucius guy went. Maybe find out where their lair is or who's behind all this," Marie said furiously typing again.
"I still think I should just put it on."
"No."
"Come ooooon! We've made no progress all day. Clearly there's data in the thing that we need. We've tried the hard way, let's try the easy way. 'To catch a criminal, you have to think like a criminal'."
"I don't think that saying really applies to this situation though, Callie," Marie said glancing up at at her cousin. Callie simply grew a wide smile.
"There's clearly something important in this thing. We need to get into it and if he could access it by wearing it, then maybe the only way to get to the files is to wear the thing." The cousins locked eyes. Callie's were bright and shining in anticipation while Marie's were narrowed and darkened to stand her ground. Eventually Marie's facade broke and she let out a sigh.
"Fine," she groaned. Callie cheered and gently picked up the mask and unplugged it from the computer cord. "Just don't get brainwashed again. It was hard enough getting involved when that Octavio impersonator tricked you into wearing those goggles. Multiple times I might add." Callie chuckled and slowly edged the mask over her face. It was dark. She couldn't see anything from within the mask and she comically rotated her arms.
"I can't see anything! There's no eyeholes in this thing!" she groaned and ran her hands over the outside of the mask.
"That doesn't make any sense. I'm sure to kick Agent 3 and 4's ass the way he did he had to have seen them." Marie leaned back in her chair and brought her hand to her mouth in thought. She watched Callie run her hand up and down the mask until she paused.
"Wait! There feels like there's a button here!" she said with her voice brimming with excitement.
"Well? You gonna punch it?" Marie asked with a smirk.
"If I could I'd stick my tongue out at you." Callie said playfully as she pressed the button. The inside of the mask lit up. From top to bottom it flashed from red, to blue, to yellow, before all colors mixed to have a screen of Marie looking up with her with questioning eyes.
"Well?" the green clad Inkling asked.
"It's amazing! It's like I'm not even wearing anything!" The mask then flashed again Callie's smile faltered a bit. Sitting before her was no longer her cousin. Instead it was a vaguely Inkling-shaped mass of white Ink. The mask saw through her and displayed the ink coursing through her body. As she stared at the blob, white lines scanned over it for a few seconds before a tiny picture box appeared beside it.
"Marie…"
"Yes?"
"This thing…has information on you…"
"What?"
"Just looking at you, it tells me who you are, current ink color, ink flow, even your age." Callie couldn't see it at the moment but Marie frowned. Callie turned her head and Marie could hear her gasp softly. "I can see everyone in the building…"
"How?"
"Well, I can see…the ink in their bodies…and when I look at them long enough I can get their 369and 117 are in the coffee room, and 302 is talking to 99 in her office. " Callie looked back at Marie. "Once I have their information, if I'm not looking directly at them, then it shows me which way I have to turn to put them in might sights. This is…this is a lot of information coming at me, honestly…"
"I really think you should take that thing off, Callie…"
"Y-yeah…you're probably right…" Callie reached up to removed the mask. As she pulled it forward she winced. "Ow!" she cried as the edges of the mask sank into her head. Marie jumped to her feet, worry instantly apparent on her face.
"Callie? Callie what's wrong." Callie was still and silent for a moment.
"Marie…it says I tried to remove it improperly….it's starting a retina scan…"
"Shit…shit! Take it off!" Marie screamed. Callie whimpered as she dug her fingers as tightly as she could to the side of the mask and pulled.
"I'm trying! I'm trying, but it won't come off!" Callie cried, her voice obviously very distressed. Marie gripped the mask from a different spot and pulled along with her cousin. "Ow! Ow ow ow ow!"
"Just deal with it! This thing has to come off!" Marie said. She looked down to see Callie had gone stock still. "Callie? Callie what's wrong?"
"It says I failed the retina scan…there's a count down…"
"WHAT?!"
"COUNTDOWN! THERE'S A COUNTDOWN, MARIE!" Callie fell to her knees as she and her sister tried desperately pull the thing off.
"How long, Callie?"
"15 seconds," Callie was clearly on the verge of tears. Her voice shook and her hands trembled against the edges of the mask.
"Fuck! Pull Callie, pull!" Marie screamed looking around for something, anything in the immediate area that could help. The only things handy was a computer and their agent clothes. "Shit, I'm gonna get this off you Callie, okay? Everything's going to be fine," Marie said to herself.
"Ten seconds, Marie!" Callie was clearly crying behind the mask. Just the sound of her breaking voice caused tears to start blurring Marie's eyes too. Thoughts of the worse filled both Inklings' heads. This wasn't how it was supposed to go down. They were out of danger. Safe in the agent base basically doing the equivalent of a desk job. So how? Why? "Five seconds!" The sides of Callie's face just short of the mask were covered in scratch mark from the combined efforts of the Inklings to get beneath the mask.
"I'm trying, Callie! I'm trying so hard!" Marie said through her tears and grunts of effort. "Callie!"
"Marrriiiiieeee!"
The silent base was shaken by a boom.
The sun was beginning to descend towards the horizon. The warm colors of the evening skies were beginning to replace the cool afternoon ones. Sebastian and Luca sat on a small hill in the park, watching the sun barely peak over the distant skyscrapers. They had settled into a rare silence between the two. No jokes, or laughter, or cracks at the others expense. Just a calm relaxing moment. The winds shifted the trees and ruffled the leaves around them. The silence being broken by Sebastian's chuckle.
"What do you think came first?" Luca looked over to Sebastian confused. The Inkling just stared forward with that same smile he always wore.
"Do I think what came first?" Luca asked. Sebastian's smile widened as he gestured in front of him.
"The name or the buildings?" Luca tilted his head.
"I still don't get what you're asking."
"Skyscrapers. Do you think that they built them and then named them that, or did they come up with the name and built on that?" Luca shrugged and resumed his reclined position.
"I never thought of that. I would think they made blueprints. I don't know, maybe they had like a prototype or something planned and someone saw it and thought 'hey! That thing looks like its scraping the sky!' and just went on like that," Luca said. Sebastian smiled and put his hands back behind his head.
"I like that idea. That they let the name settle based on what it turned out to be."
"I mean, don't most things get named that way? You can't really name something until you know what it is." Sebastian shrugged.
"People pick out baby names before the baby's born."
"Well, I guess, but they wait until they know what the gender is at least. It's not like they have names pre-planned."
"Some do. Before the baby's even born they think of names in case it's a boy and in case it's a girl." Luca didn't have any rebuttal for that. Instead of arguing he decided to look for an explanation.
"What made you think about this that way? Do you think it matters?" Sebastian shrugged again.
"It's just…naming something before seeing the outcome is like putting expectations on it before it can do anything. Right from the get go it has to live up to what's been given to it. If the name is given after, then the name represents the first impression. Something was seen within and a name was given to reflect that." Luca stared at Sebastian, who clearly had put thought into this before, in silence. The Inkling boy then added, "or something like that." Luca watched as Sebastian still didn't make a attempt to turn towards him. He laid there watching the sky with his smile on his face.
"Were you named before or after you were born?" Luca asked. It was weird. Sebastian made no outside movements. His face didn't move a fraction of an inch, and yet, the smile he was giving off was different. It was duller, and filled with less life.
"I don't know. Never bothered to ask. What about you?" Luca turned back to look at the sky, figuring his friend wouldn't delve deeper on the question.
"I was named after. Dad said that mom took one look at my tentacles and knew exactly what she wanted to name me." Luca said. Sebastian closed his eyes and gave a slight nod.
"I hope you live up to your name's expectation, buddy."
"Thanks?" The two stared at the skyline that the sun was now nearly completely behind. "So you got that question just from looking at skyscrapers?"
"Yep. Gotta use what's around you." Another small silence. "Speaking of around," Sebastian said sitting up. "I heard that your friend was in Squidville when it…you know." Luca took a deep breath. Sebastian's shoulders slumped a bit at the sight of it. Sebastian turned towards Luca and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't wanna, but are you okay?" Sebastian asked. Luca looked over to his friend to see worried eyes and a soft smile. He couldn't help but think of his sister. The face Sebastian was giving was just like hers that Luca read as 'I'm hurting too but your pain comes first'. He nodded to his friend and returned a smile of his own.
"Yeah. I'm fine. My sister already comforted me about it."
"You two are extremely close, huh?" Sebastian lit up and dimmed at the same time. It was hard for Luca to explain. Like he was excited and disappointed simultaneous.
"We are. For a long time we felt like all we had was each other. We share our problems and help with the other's. Sure she gets embarassingly clingy in public, but I love her and I know I can trust her to have my back." Sebastian leaned back to his reclined position, that solemn smile still on his face.
"Must be nice." Luca looked at his friend. A small concerned frown on his face.
"You say that a lot."
"Hm? Say what?"
"'Must be nice.' Now that I think about it, Senia says it a lot too," Luca said. Sebastian shrugged and tilted his head ever so slightly away from Luca.
"Maybe it's just a family saying."
"That's just the thing. You both only say it when I mention relationships with my family. Like you want to be a family too but…just haven't…" Sebastian was silent and Luca turned fully towards his friend. "Sebastian…what was your family like? When you were all together that is."
"Not a family," Sebastian said in a heartbeat. "Honestly I felt more like a tool there than anything. A broken one at that…"
"Is that something your dad told you?" Luca said. Sebastian looked at the hybrid boy and stared silently at him.
"What do you know about my dad?" Sebastian said. For the first time Sebastian's voice sounded…hollow. There was none of the usual pep there, yet at the same time there was no sadness, or regret, or anything negative. It was just a response.
"I know what Senia told me."
"And what did she tell you?" The question was immediate. Like Luca had been caught holding something he wasn't suppose to own. Honestly it made him recoil. He rooted himself and spoke again.
"She told me you weren't expected to live past a year old. So your dad was ready to just abandon you." Sebastian's shoulders slumped. He returned his eyes to the skyscrapers and sighed.
"It's rough. Growing up on your own…I did everything I could to maybe…" Sebastian let out another defeated sigh. "Always a screw up…I can't even die properly…"
"Don't say that!" Luca shouted. Sebastian jumped at the sudden energy coming from the hybrid. "Being strong enough to defy death is a blessing! If you weren't supposed to live beyond a year old and you did, then you're a…a miracle baby!" Luca said using a phrase he typically heard about his sister and him. A light blue blush crossed his face as his smile regained its luster.
"Come on…I'm nothing that special. I just got lucky…that's all."
"And it's a good thing too. Otherwise you wouldn't have met me!" Luca said lightly jabbing Sebastian's shoulder. The Inkling chuckled and rubbed his forehead.
"Its just…when all you have for so long is the thoughts on how much of a screw up you are, it's kinda hard to break that thought process." Sebastian had broken eye contact again and stared at the grass. He watched the blades bend and yield to his fingers as he ran his hand over it.
"You had your brother right? And Senia?" Sebastian didn't say anything, turning ever so slightly away from Luca and started pulling grass from the ground one at a time.
"I didn't even know either of them existed…until big bro had had enough. He didn't want anything else to do with dad so he broke off from him. I just so happened to be in his escape path so he grabbed us and we took off."
"Well how old were you when he took you guys?"
".…..thirteen." The number felt like someone had slapped Luca. Thirteen years alone, without a single kind word offered? Luca didn't think he could do it. Yet here Sebastian was sitting here at least somewhat okay. The Inkling let out a dry laugh and looked at Luca. "Damn you, man. Being so easy to talk to. No wonder Senia blabs so much. You make it flow out."
"You know you can always talk to me, Seb. I'm your friend. And I worry about you…" Sebastian visibly flinched, raising his arm up to wipe his eyes.
"Dangit man…you're still doing it. Cut it out." Luca placed his hand on Sebastian's shoulder again and gave it a reassuring squeeze, trying to do it in the supportive way his dad always would do to him when he was feeling discouraged.
"I want you to feel you can talk to me when you need to. I don't make a lot of friends and the ones I do are important to me. Besides, my sister and I agree that talking out these things is better than bottling them up." Sebastian shook his head and returned his sights to the grass.
"Nah, I got nothing to talk about. It's all fine, really."
"It's not fine, Seb. You bottling it up is only gonna hurt you. At least talk to me a little bit." Sebastian was leaning further away from Luca. Now the top of his head was all Luca could see. He shifted so that Luca's hand was no longer on his shoulder.
"I don't know what you want me to say man. That I'm…"
"That you're what?"
"...Nothing. It's nothing."
"It's something. And it's something you wanna tell me. I know the feeling. You want to call out for help but you're afraid of what'll happen if you do. I've had that fear a bit myself and my sister had it bad. But we help each other through it. Pick each other up and such. Please, Sebastian, let me help you. You just have to trust me." Sebastian was all but enclosed in on himself. If he leaned in any further he'd be sitting in fetal position. When he spoke, his voice was shaky.
"Trust you…Trust you with the fact that I'm…I'm…" Luca looked at the near shaking form of his friend and felt the same kind of pang of hurt whenever he walked in on his sister crying.
"That you're what?" Luca reached forward and tried to place his hand on top of Sebastian's. It was an effective method in calmly Cereza down. Sebastian on the other hand latched on to the limb with his other hand as soon as Luca made contact. Sebastian looked up, tears threatening to spill as he wore a broken smile. It struggled to stay up but it was there and Luca began to wonder if he could do anything other than smile.
"That I'm afraid! That I'm afraid of dad coming back! That I'm afraid something'll happen to big bro or sis like it did with…." Sebastian shut his eyes tight, tears spilling out and sliding down his cheeks as he forced his eyes back open to look at Luca. "I'm afraid that I'll be alone again. I'm afraid I'll have to go back to him just to survive. Every night, I go to bed fearing that all this is a dream, and when I wake up I'll be back there. And all I'll see are black walls and wa-…wa…" Sebastian's words devolved into a cry. Luca couldn't help but pull his friend into a hug. The older Inkling cried and sobbed into Luca's shirt and the hybrid simply rubbed his back.
"Let it out. It's okay. Nobody's here but us."
"You have no idea how happy I am to have met you, Luca. You're such a nice person that I'm so glad you're my friend. Somehow, you've even improved Senia and my relationship."
"Did you guys…not get along?"
"We didn't live together…we coexisted. You know, big bro only took me with because I stumbled upon them sneaking out. I was a last minute tag along that he brought with so he wouldn't feel bad about it later. So I always avoided them so I wouldn't be a burden."
"You don't mean that. You talk so highly of your brother. Why do you think he wouldn't care about you."
"Cause I'm me."
"And what's wrong with that?"
"Being me can only mean feeling scared to breathe." Sebastian looked up at Luca, eyes still wet with tears and his smile still somehow peaking through. "And if you leave me then I'll be afraid of everything. It makes me anxious…but when you finally have something after having nothing for so long…you wanna keep it as long as possible." Sebastian looked away and started to put a bit of distance between the two. Luca held him in place and spoke in his most comforting voice.
"I'm you're friend, Seb. You're my best friend. I'm not going anywhere and I'm not gonna let you stew in these thoughts any more. Your dad's not gonna get his hands on you and you're not gonna be alone again. Not while I'm around."
"Luke…" Fresh tears trailed down Sebastian's face and a lively smile spread over him at the words. Luca smiled as well, pleased on the better mood that he had put his friend in.
The next second happened fast. The second after happened just as fast, but both parties rewound it in their heads so many times it was like it lasted hours. Both stared, shocked and wide eyed at the other. The most alarming thing, was Sebastian wasn't smiling.
"Oh my god…" the Inkling muttered. He slowly pulled himself away from Luca. "I-I-I di-didn't mean to. I just…yo-o-ou were…and I…" Luca was silent as he stared forward, still processing the event. It had in fact happened. His friend's reaction was no doubt proof of it.
Sebastian had kissed Luca.
It was barely more than a peck but judging by the look on Sebastian's face you'd think he had stabbed the hybrid. Tears rained down his cheeks and his mouth was bent into a hard frown as he stood to his feet. He took slow shaky steps back, shaking his head and muttering to himself and Luca.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered, the words snapping Luca out of his daze. Luca jumped to his feet as Sebastian turned and took a few steps away from hybrid. Luca wanted to call out, to stop his friend from leaving, but what could he say exactly? What would he say? He paused, and in that second, Sebastian super jumped far into the distance. Luca watched his ink trail extend into the sky before dissolving into nothing.
For a while, Luca just stood there, staring at where his friend had been moments prior. He had kissed him. Kissed him. Luca wasn't against homosexuals, he just wasn't one himself. Right? He had never really thought about his sexuality in detail. Inklings and Octolings usually don't even think of relationships or see any major differences in sex until they take their form. By then he had met Senia and she put the seed of heterosexuality in him.
But he had to have liked girls. He was sure he had fallen for Senia the first time he saw her. He was definitely straight. So why did the thought of telling Sebastian that feel so wrong? Maybe it was the implications that came with it. 'Sorry buddy, but I can't return your feelings because I'm dating your sister. Really sorry about that'. Luca ran both of his hands over his tentacles and let out a frustrated groan. He wanted to comfort Sebastian but he had no idea how. He never had to 'let someone down gently' before. Especially someone who would benefit greatly from the relationship. If he had stopped him from running off he would probably just stand there dumbfound and send some kind of wrong message.
Luca plopped on the ground, suddenly very tired and very uncomfortable with the beginnings of a headache. Line after line of what he could possible say came through his head only to be thrown out mere moments later. His brows were furrowed in deep thought as he racked his brain for answers. He didn't know how long he sat there, but the sun was now far beneath the skyline. He was still deep in his thoughts when a voice interrupted him.
"You seemed troubled my friend." Luca looked up at the Octoling. That was the most information he drew from the guy before returning his sights forward. He honestly didn't want more people in his life at the moment. One of the few people he did have just made his relationship with another much more difficult. "Mind if I take a seat?" Luca didn't say anything so the man sat himself down with an exaggerated groan. It was while the older male was moving that Luca noticed how he kept his left hand in his pocket the whole time.
"Let me guess…family problems?" Luca was silent. "Grades in school didn't come out like you wanted?" silence. "Love triangle?" Luca flinched and the person chuckled, roughly patting him on the back, much to the hybrid's displeasure. "Yeah those things are a pain. Did the drama just start now?" Luca muscled up the will to nod to the stranger.
"Well, my word of advice, don't make any rash decisions right away. Make all the details sort out before doing something you regret. You're gonna have to think really hard on it. Later. As for right now, you need to get your mind off it. A bit of a distraction." Luca finally looked over to the Octoling. Sea green eyes locked with his as a small smirk graced his face. The Octoling held out his right hand to Luca. Luca eyed it closely before glancing at the other one still in his pocket. "We don't have to do it today of course. It is getting late, but we could get back together at a later date and do something fun, no strings attached." Luca looked over the limb before looking at its owner. Not entirely sure why himself, he reached forward and shook the Octoling's hand. The Octoling grew a large smile.
"I don't think I caught your name, new friend. Mind telling me what it is?"
"Luca. My name's Luca." Still shaking his hand, the Octoling grew a brighter smile.
"Luca. Awesome name. Can't wait to show you all the great places around for distractions. Oh crap, let me introduce my self." The Octoling released Luca's hand and did a low bow, Luca still trying to catch a glimpse of his left hand..
"My name is Dao, and I think this is the start of something beautiful."
Why hello there. It's been awhile. And for that, I'm sorry.
But better late than never right? A somewhat longer chapter to make up for my sins. No? Okay...
So a lot of events happened in this one, huh? Apalo is still seeing Octavio's hallucinations he was seeing back in Octo Colors, tho I don't believe I stated explicitly that's who he was seeing. And what does he mean by he killed him?
Speaking of the older Octoling, his relationship with Inkay seems more strained now as the Inkling's distrust for him seems to have bubbled back up to the surface.
Will Callie be okay?
Will Sebastian be okay?
How will Senia take the kiss?
What does Dao have planned for Luca?
So many questions. Let your mind run free with possibilities. Though I'm sure everything will turn out wonderful.
I'd say I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP but I don't know how trustworthy I am after that last sentence. *evil smile*
Thanks to all who're still reading and a special thank to those who reviewed previous chapters. I truly appreciate all of them. Until next time.
Astalabyebye,
Bang