Alright, send in a review or leave in a favorite/follow if you are liking the story so far!
...
...
...
... did I... failed? Am I... done?
... I feel nothing... is this the end?
... uhm... nnoooo... I-I can't end... like this...
I-I have to save the city...
Hunley is counting on me...
My dear brother... he will never accept this...
But what I can do...? Is there anything I could use, in such predicament...?
... ah! Wh-what's this... warming feeling? It's coming from my eyes...
...
"... uh... the warming feeling... ..."
Mirii's eyes squeezed a bit, before opening slightly.
"... what... what happened before...?"
Her sight was blurry: her eyes blinked, while the sight improved gradually. Jak was looking back at her, as his eyebrows were up and his mouth downturned.
"Mirii...?" His hands went each on one of her arms. "Can you hear me?"
"... you..." She moaned faintly. "... where am I...?"
"You are inside the building, Mirii..." Jak smiled, as he nodded. "I thought we wouldn't see you, after the... particular event that happened."
"Particular...?" Mirii's posture lifted.
Her hands went on a white, soft surface, as they sank a bit.
"Yo-you don't remember?" Jak's eyes closed, as a sweat drop appears on his head's right side. "You went right through a wall... it was covered in orange ink, as I recall."
Mirii's mouth opened a bit, for at least 3 seconds.
"... I went through a wall...? ... ... the curse." Her mouth sealed. "I escaped that curse, somehow... or was it self-destructing?" Her irises went to her right. "I can't remember that..."
"Are you trying to remember, if I might ask...?" Jak's head tilted to his right, as his hands retreated away from the girl's arms.
"Correct." Mirii's head rose. "And I succeeded: I remember trying to escape, while you were pulling me…"
"Y-yeah!" Jak blushes a bit, as his right forefinger slid back and forth on his right cheek. "I-I couldn't believe how strong you were pulled inside… we all slammed in the wall, at the end!" He chuckled.
Mirii chuckled for less than a second, as her mouth kept her smile.
"Although, I can't exactly remember what happened afterwards…" Mirii's head turned on her left. "… perhaps, I might have done something against the Painter Converter."
"I believe in that too." Jak nodded. "Once I finish my lunch with Tiss and Bert, we will immediately start examining the rooms."
"Lunch?" Mirii's head turned forward, as her mouth opened a bit. "What time is it?"
"It must be around 12:30 PM…ah, right!" His right hand went inside his pants' right pocket, pulling out a smartphone. "Here is your smartphone, Mirii. I made some slight adjustments, since it hit the ground."
Mirii's mouth opened even more. Her hands picked the smartphone, carrying it in front of her face. Her head lowered, as her right hand twisted the device around.
"No signs of damage… …" Her right forefinger went on the smartphone's button on the side. "… m-my smartphone works!" Her opened mouth smiled, as her eyebrows went up. "Now I'm truly back as myself…!"
Her head rose back.
"Thank you for returning my smartphone." Her eyes closed. "How can I ever repay your immense kindness?"
Jak blushes, as he chuckled a bit.
"Just report no one is in here, Mirii… that's already enough." His right hand went behind his neck.
"… now that I think about it..." Mirii's eyes opened. "I will surely do, as you asked… once you will prove that you are really helping those innocents."
"Huh?" Jak's mouth opened a bit.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not fully skeptical of your motivation… but I'm not known for believing stories." Her arms folded. "I can only trust visible elements who show the truth."
"Ah." Jak's irises went to his left. "… I thought you would trust us…" His eyebrows went up and his mouth downturned.
"Only to a certain extent. I can't let crooks bribe me with nice words… I hope you can understand." Mirii sighed.
"Uhm… the only thing I could give, at this point, is a copy of my journals." His head nodded. "Would that be enough?"
"… we will see." She pushed herself towards the right side, as her feet hang out from the bed. "Once I have a copy of those and I examined through them carefully… I will go."
"Already?" Jak's mouth opened a bit, watching the girl sitting on the right edge. "You don't want to eat a burger?"
"I can reach the Headquarters in time, if the whole process will not take too much of my time…" Her head lowered, seeing her shoes below her feet. "I will eat lunch there, after I sent my report on the current case."
Mirii bended forward, as her arms stretched towards her footwear and her hands grabbed the right one. Jak's mouth flattened, with a slight downturned shape, as his posture lifted and his irises were pointed at the girl's hands tying her right shoelaces.
"… are you sure? Do you want to eat something along the way?" His arms folded. "I have a bag of chips inside"
"No thanks." Mirii's hands were now on her left shoe, as they tied its shoelaces and her eyebrows were down. "I have enough energy to sustain my hunger, before I reach the canteen."
"… I don't understand…" Jak walked towards the girl.
Her head rose, as her mouth opened a bit and her sight saw the man bending on his right knee. His hands took the girl's right tentacle, watching bruises and faintly noticeable holes in the middle.
"… how come your tentacle has those bruises?" His head pointed towards Mirii's face. "Even your face… did you fought someone inside the wall?"
Mirii's lips pressed tightly against each other, as her nose inhaled silently. Her irises landed on her right tentacle.
"I can't remember, unfortunately… although, I don't feel any pain." Her head returned to the middle. "Thus, I just need a quick shower and some time to relax."
Jak's eyes squeezed a bit, as his head lowered to his left side and his hands left the tentacle free.
"I… I have never seen anything like this…"
"Hmm?" Mirii bended forward, as her hands returned on the left shoelaces.
"The fact I saw that living image through your phone… the event where you were pulled inside the wall… this whole situation in general." His head shook. "No, that can't be anything normal or ordinary."
"What he's trying to say…?" Her posture lifted, as her legs stretched upwards.
"… Mirii." Jak inhaled loudly, as he stands up. "I want you to be completely honest…"
Mirii turned towards the man, as her arms folded.
"Are you related to this building? Are you… an ordinary Squid?" His hands clasped together.
"Ordinary? Hmpf…" Her head rose. "… obviously not."
Jak's eyes expanded.
"I'm not an ordinary Squid… I'm a pefect Squid." Her eyes closed. "I'm perfection incarnate."
…
"Now." Mirii's eyes opened. "Where are those journal pieces?"