Well, this has been a long time, hasn't it? I'm here to say I'M BACK! ! And enjoy!

I * I * I * I * I

"Bye sweetie, come soon!" A pair waved at the Inkling who had just boarded a train. The squid waved at the pair, smiling as the train began to pull out the station. The Inkling on board sighed, having enjoyed this visit that she took all the way here.

When the train had departed, beginning to merge with the horizon the one squid turned, kissing his wife. "It's nice to know our daughter takes her time to visit us."

"Yes, she's nothing like her partying brothers." His wife sighed. "What would we do without her?"

"Sammy, don't suggest that." He said, pulling an arm around her side. "She's safe and fine in Inkopolis as long as she continues to stay out of places she shouldn't be in."

"Right, Kat should know better than that." She replied before sighing. "But I can't bear to lose them..."

"Neither can I." The fellow said, taking her hand. "Come on, let's go over to Martin's for cards. We told them we'd be there tonight" He smiled taking her hand. She smiled at him as they walked away from the train. Sammy took one last look at the tracks before the pair left the station.

Down the tracks, the train continued to speed along. The passenger sat among other Inklings, still managing to claim a seat for just herself. Looking down at her phone, Kathleen punched in her password to look at her messages. Her smile faded when she saw who had sent the first messages in her notifications.

Hey, I know you're with Samson and Sammy back home, but something has come up with our guest that we need your help with when you return.

~SF Marie.

Kathleen sighed, looking up from the phone. She bit her lip as she swiped her thumb down to look at the next message that was presented to her.

Hey 3 we really need your help if you could hurry up and meet with us at the place while you get back. We're really in need of your help with the two.

Callie

"First the Octarians and now this..." She muttered, looking up as the train began to slow down for the next station. "Maybe I should quit..."

Her thoughts fumed and boiled in her head, You can't just quit, what will the others think? You've done so much work and the others need you...

...but I can't go on with all of this forever.

She quickly put her phone away when someone came and took a seat next to her, having been distracted to the point of not noticing the train had already hit the station. Kathleen scooted over, seeing as this batch would probably fill up the entire train from just looking at the crowd standing at the station. True to her assumption, someone took a seat right next to her. Jellys, crabs, and other assortment of evolved sealife came to sit inside the train's seats. "Hey." The newcomer smiled at her, obviously the friendly sort of squid.

"Hello." Kathleen smiled, looking up at him. At this point she was glad for anything that would distract her from her job at this moment. "Uh... I'm Kathleen, Kathleen Inka."

"Bay Dover." He said offering his hand. "You're going to the city for turf, aren't you?"

"You can say that." Kathleen nodded. "I was just up visiting my parents and family. Never know when I might not see them again."

"Are they ok?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They are fine, but..." She stopped herself. "You just never know."

"Oh... sorry I asked." He said, turning away from her. His tentacles brushed against the side of her head. Kathleen was going to speak up, a bit annoyed when she stopped to look at his tentacles.

"Do you-what is with your tentacles?"

Bay turned to her. "Well uh... you like them?" He smiled, reaching his hand up to his head. Instead of having the usual two tentacles tied up behind his head, the Inkling had six tentacles as long as his arm. They all were pulled back. Cuts marked them here and there, varying in how recent they were.

"Haven't seen any like this before." Kat admitted, leaning her head slightly to the side. "What's with the cuts?"

"Well, my brother went to the city and started his own small barbershop. It's a bit experimental and such." Bay explained. "Sea told me if I needed a job then I could come to pay him a visit."

"So you've been practicing on yourself." Kathleen concluded, reaching up to poke one of them. "...And you've shifted their positioning and length.

"Yeah." Bay shrugged, pulling one around with his hand. "Though my method needs work if I'm gonna get to the point where I don't end up hurting myself. Won't be good for when I move on to other people."

"Obviously..." Kat observed. "I think I'll be fine the way mine are for now."

"Well of course not." He shrugged, a little hint of red in his face. "I need to get better." Bay paused for just a moment before reaching into the light bag he brought with him. "But um, if I and my brother can perfect it, feel free to drop by." The green squid smiled, pulling out a discount card. "Not like I have enough of these."

"Oh thanks." She looked at the card for a moment before slipping it into her small wallet. The conversation died down after that. Bay tried to look casual, twiddling his thumbs and scratching a tentacle now and then. Kathleen spoke no unnecessary words, having nothing much else to say as her mind wandered back to the thoughts of before. A glance out the window showed to her that they were beginning to indeed reach the city. She let out a soft sigh, knowing that her day was most likely going to be eaten up.

I * I * I * I

"This should have been ours."

Pat opened up his eyes, glancing over at the Octoling sitting at the edge of the roof they had currently occupied. More of this? He rolled his eyes, sighing as he risked walking over to look at the ledge.

Loorea looked up, watching as the human wiped his eyes. The Vinkling turned N-ZAP over in her hands, Amber told her that it would be better if someone else had something in case of a fight. Patton had nothing to say on it, either too sick, desensitized, or ok with the idea to speak up about it. Loorea since replaced the small tank's yellow ink with her own glowing red goo. She glanced at the bags that Patton and Amber had set down, mind drifting in her own thoughts.

"Ready?" Amber turned to look at Pat. Surprised since they had only just begun to take a break for his sake on this roof.

"No... just taking a look." He mumbled, glancing over at the moderately occupied street below.

The Elite took a seat, waiting for him to turn back. If I can't convince him of the conflict... I can try something else. Amber thought, a slight smile formed before speaking up. "So, you're really going to stay here then aren't you?"

"What do you mean?" Pat asked, turning to sit next to her.

"You two, is the big idea to settle down and be here with this high end and judgemental species once all this is over?" Pat cleared his throat, asking the same question once more. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, do you really think they'll truly accept you? You're too different." She leaned in. "You'll be in the spotlight, adored, appreciated. And when the jealous and cruel come along after some time, they will point out and twist things so you look bad and useless. Then they will study you, poke an prod you worse and longer than our scientists did. Then they'll put you on a worse kind of spotlight." Amber paused, leaking some genuine emotion in the last part. "Or thrown out just like us to die..."

The human stayed silent as he considered her words. Amber's words cut into the same concerns he had been having inside. He gave her a short glance, rubbing his nose. "Why... what makes you so invested in me?"

"Simply because I am." The Octoling crossed her arms, apparently satisfied with her own unsatisfactory answer. "Told you I put time into bringing you back."

"Right..." He sighed, looking back at the street. "All for someone who was by all means dead."

"And now you're not." She reminded him.

Loorea walked over at this time, still not saying a word at all. Seeing that Loorea looked ready, Amber got up and extended a hand to Pat. "I assume we are ready then."

"I guess." Patton sighed, getting up with her help. "Now to get to Inko's."

"Do we even know the way?" Loorea asked. "I um... still don't know this city that well."

"I remember where I picked you two up." Amber said, looking about. "That ally was a bunch of blocks ahead. We get there and work from that."

"Well let's hurry." Pat groaned, walking in the direction of Amber's gaze. Loorea gave Amber a rather concerned look before following behind. The Elite herself had worries over the human's health, but pushed those thoughts down. If Pat could keep himself together for this long, skipping from roof to roof with the other two, then he should be more than capable of lasting this final stretch. Though, in concealing those thoughts, others slid out. She had to warn others, and as of now, this detour was costing precious time.

Still worth it. Amber let out a slight smirk as she followed, soon taking the lead after some time. Those squids can't kill me if I've played my cards right. Though it's just a matter of how long until my bl-

"Oh look the apartment!" Loorea pointed, a high rise familiar to both Pat and Loorea in the distance.

"Oh grand." Pat nodded, trying to think. The group as a whole picked up the pace.

"Kinda hungry..." Loorea mumbled, not knowing what kind of hunger this was. "

Not too fast or we might get sloppy and fall." Amber warned, skipping to the top of another building. Inside she was buzzing about what would happen when they got there.

Her thoughts were cut off with a thud from behind.

I * I * I * I * I

Inko was busy with his new hobby-like work, instruments and wires hooked up to the object that had recently earned his newfound obsession. His counter was what the professor had to do his testing on, his trusty notebook not too far. It had been one while that he was tinkering with what he could do, more likely than not he was fueled by the coffee that he appeared to have plenty of in the mug next to him... or the pitcher beside that.

Suddenly the Inkling was started, jumping up at a knocking at his door. Ink shuffled what he was doing to the side, deciding that he probably could use a stretch from what he was doing. Pulling on his shoulder he gave a "Give me a moment." as he moved onto the door.

Inko's eyes went from barely open due to tire to immediately alert. Pat was brought in, an Elite he had never seen carrying him in as Loorea came behind, carrying Patton's bags and satchels. The human was conscious, but it was easy to see he was weak. The professor was at loss for words as the stranger set him down on the nearest couch. "Fix this."

Inko looked to Loorea, who nodded with a pleading look on her face. "How long has he been this weak?"

"He just passed out for a moment before we got here." The Octarian grunted as Inko looked over Pat for himself.

"I see." Without hesitation, he hurried to his kitchen and cabinets to see what he could do for the ancient. He hastily dug around to gather what would ease the symptoms that Pat had. He could swear he heard a foot tapping as he finished mixing a drink that he thought would do the job.

"Take this, sip at a time." Inko said, holding the glass for the human. Pat seemed to hesitate before taking a sip. Satisfied that Patton didn't fall over or die from something he didn't know humans could take or not, he let out a breath. The professor felt the masked gaze stare him down from the only one in the room that he did not recognize, or fully feel comfortable around.

"Um... I take it that you're the one who brought him back from wherever." Inko nervously concluded to her.

"You aren't wrong." The Octoling almost spat out, the mask giving her a guise of indifference to the Inkling.

He gave a slight gulp, looking to Pat and Loorea for any form of reassurance. "Well um... may I ask you-"

"Poly-8, that's all you will get from me."

"I see, would you like any-"

"No."

"Alright." Inko decided not to push the subject, turning to his kitchen. "If you'd like, go take a seat, I have a call and another to make." He said, his new visitor didn't sit down as he shuffled over to his phone. Inko had a feeling that this would be a peculiar night as he dialed the number of a client into the house phone. Inko decided to grab his personal phone as well, typing in to send a message as he contacted his client.