Exotic Tastes

by mikeanthony321

Aurora, a socially inept octoling stumbling through an inkling's world, grapples with a dilemma when she falls head-over-tentacles for a stylish and apathetic inkling boy...just days before her very first Splatfest. She is prepared to go to any length to win his interest, despite the phrase that she can't seem to stop hearing. "Octolings aren't supposed to date inklings."

5. Chapter 5: The Makeover

The girls could not wait long after the inkling boys marched off the battlefield before doing so themselves. It was already proving to be a bustling day for Inkopolis, and as such, the venues were constantly flowing with new sets of battlers. Blackbelly Skatepark was expected to host splat zone battles for at least the next couple hours, including a few high-level league matches between some of the mode's most formidable teams. Aurora and her friends didn't know exactly when those league matches were going to take place, but they decided to play it safe and avoid holding up a coveted showdown by standing in the middle of the arena.

Upon exiting the ink-coated terrain near their former spawn platform and finding a comfortable place to stand, the girls were repeatedly approached by nearby members from the crowd, each of which congratulated them on their victory. Some just came to swoon, some came to thank the girls for winning them a large gambling sum, and others came to boo them or spit at them. Only a negligible portion of the crowd came to antagonize them like that, though, and the girls simply assumed that the ones that did were associated with the inkling boys somehow. Therefore, brushing off their unkind behavior took minimal effort.

In general, neither Aurora nor her friends took much notice of the bystanders. A more significant matter was dangling amongst them in the wake of their clutch triumph. It was a matter that put Aurora at the center of her friends' scrutiny again, a place she had been in many times before, and a place from which she always desperately sought escape.

"What the hell was that earlier? What did you tell those boys yesterday?" Bella asked demandingly. She seemed considerably upset about the turn of events.

Aurora held her Splattershot close to her body. She shuffled uncomfortably. "I…I…uhh…"

Ophelia cut her off with additional input. "You did shake that Splatling guy's hand, didn't you? Inklings take their battle agreements very seriously, but you have to shake hands to make them official."

"I…I did shake his hand…"

"Then why are we standing here like this? Why did those cretins still give us the boot after losing our rematch?" Bella enquired with a disgruntled huff. "Did you let them trick you into accepting false terms or something?"

"No…"

"And why did their Squiffer dude invite you to Albacore Hotel with him? Have you talked to him before?" Ophelia chimed.

Aurora tightened her grip on her Splattershot, squeezing the handle until it nearly dented the plastic. She shot her gaze directly at her friends, her cheeks boiling with embarrassment, and replied to them with a sudden outburst.

"His name is Midas! I already told both of you that!" She shouted defensively. "He's going to be my date for the Splatfest!"

Their eyes widened suddenly. The pair of octos stopped questioning Aurora for a moment and just stared at her…unsure of how to address that information. They glanced at each other a few times, as well. As shocking as her statement was to them, it certainly answered a few of the questions that had arisen for them during the last twenty-four hours. Only Eight managed to keep her level gaze, having known about Aurora's escapades since their inception back in the kiosk line.

Ophelia, on the other hand, needed a minute to process it. "Wait, so…that Squiffer is your boyfriend?"

"His name is Midas, not 'that Squiffer!'" Aurora corrected her again.

"Fine, 'Midas,' whatever." Ophelia scoffed apathetically. "He's your boyfriend, though? Since when?"

"Well, since…um…never. I only just met him at the canal yesterday…" She mumbled sheepishly. As much as she really wanted to call him her boyfriend, she couldn't technically do so until he made the choice for himself. She hoped that decision would happen at Albacore in a couple days.

Ophelia seemed confused by everything, but Bella was having no trouble putting the pieces together. With each passing second of Aurora's time under the spotlight, the ponytailed octo's expression grew more and more dissatisfied. Her body language also seemed to communicate her escalating irritation.

"Okay, okay, hold up." She declared. Her eyes locked onto Aurora, causing a typical dissolution of her friend's confidence. "Those guys hate octolings, so there's no way that this 'Midas' guy would've actually invited you on a date unless he had no choice. Did you…force him to go on a date with you…y'know…as our rematch condition? Instead of asking for our freshness back?"

Aurora didn't answer her. Instead, she pathetically dodged the question by turning from her friend to look at the ground, where she then weathered the next few seconds by kicking pebbles. Bella had pretty much struck the nail on its head, but Aurora wasn't willing to make the final confession verbally. She figured the two of them would interpret the silence as a 'yes,' which they seemed to do after another brief moment of staring. Their faces seemed to reflect the exact instant her assumption was confirmed.

Ophelia slumped against her Hydra Splatling when the realization hit her. "…Oh. So that's what this was about. Seems like you got a little, uh…hooked on Midas, then?"

Aurora still couldn't form a response for at least another few seconds. When she finally did, she glanced up shamefully at her friends with the pose of a guilty kindergartener. "…I'm sorry…"

"I'm sure you are, Aurora, but that doesn't change the boat we're in now!" Bella blurted, throwing her hands up suddenly to show off her exasperation. "You do this kind of stuff to us a lot! It's starting to get really annoying!"

"Okay, easy does it…" Ophelia began.

Bella cut her off, though. "No, I feel like this needs to be mentioned." She glared at Aurora again, prompting her to divert her culpable gaze back at the ground. "You always go into this kind of unstoppable freak mode whenever you want something, and you don't seem to care who you step on in order to get it! You don't even seem to consider your friends!"

"It's not like that! I do consider you!" Aurora tried to defend. Her voice was weak.

"No, Aurora, there's no way you're considering us when you do stuff like this. If you were, you wouldn't have decided to trick us into fighting for your chance to suck off an inkling during the Splatfest!" Bella accused. "You would've at least told us the truth about it before roping us into it!"

"Bella, chill out! You're being a little tough on her!" Ophelia urged, hoping to assert a level of authority by shifting her stance upright. Arguing against Bella's insatiably strong resolve was impossible, though, and she knew it.

"Maybe I'll chill out when Aurora promises to stop using us as pawns in her crazy schemes!" She turned to Aurora yet again after snapping back at Ophelia, but Aurora's face was already lost behind her Splattershot. "If it weren't for your stupid games, we'd all be back at the apartment with Ula right now, smoking seaweed and forgetting that those bratty inkling boys even existed! Octolings probably shouldn't be flopping around with inklings anyway!"

Finally, Eight stepped forward from the shadows behind her friends and stood herself between Bella and Aurora. She stowed her E-Liter on her back and assumed a powerful, wide stature that stopped Bella's rant in its tracks. With flared, serious eyes and a cold expression that could belittle a kraken, she faced Bella.

"Enough. Leave Aurora alone. She said she is sorry." She commanded.

Bella took a step back, surprised by the mellow octo's staunch interruption. She met Eight's gaze without hesitation, though, her resolve initially unwavering. "You're defending her? Aren't you upset about having done all this for nothing? About being lied to, no less?"

Eight did not shift her stance. She did not even blink. "Aurora did not lie to me. I already knew about Midas."

Bella was confused by that at first, but it wasn't long before she remembered the confrontation in the kiosk line. Eight had been standing right next to Aurora in the line during the entire ordeal, so she had clearly witnessed Aurora's suggestion to the Splatling guy in-person. That still left a burning question in her mind, though, which Ophelia was quick to ask on her behalf.

"You already knew Aurora's reason for instigating the battle, and yet…you still decided to fight it with us?" She queried curiously. "…Why?"

For that, Eight didn't seem to have a clear answer. She did a good job at maintaining her stance, allowing her to hold onto her dominance in the situation, but it was obvious that she lacked a prepared response. She looked over at Ophelia upon receiving the question, where her eyes stayed for several moments thereafter. Aurora, grateful for Eight's benevolence, lowered her weapon and glanced up at her friend from behind. All eyes were on her for this one.

"…I will always fight for Aurora. She is my friend." She finally declared.

Her words struck a very certain chord with Aurora, though…she couldn't figure out what that chord was. Up front, she became quite shy by them, retracting her face back into her Splattershot to avoid catching her friends' gaze when they were spoken. Deep down, however, she felt rather…flattered. Of course, it wasn't the first time one of her friends had stood up for her, especially in the last twenty-four hours, but it was definitely the first time she could remember being placed on a pedestal like that. Perhaps…underneath the ever-concealing layer of silence that perpetually blanketed her true self…Eight held Aurora in very high regard.

Unfortunately, the same could not currently be said from Bella and Ophelia. While Ophelia was at least mindful of Aurora's fragile self-esteem, Bella's grievances were a little too strong for her to consider sparing her friend's feelings. She certainly wasn't the vengeful type, though, luckily. She simply didn't know what to do about Aurora's unquenchable affinity for getting herself and her friends into trouble. Eight was technically taking the high road by choosing to support her closest companion, even going as far as to ditch the others by joining her Splatfest team. Despite that, Bella just wasn't sure if she could trust Aurora to keep the whole group's interests in mind when dealing with the inkling bullies.

"But…she's our friend too, Eight! Don't you think it's at least somewhat irksome that she won't fight for you in return? She dragged us all into this so she could fight for herself! She didn't even join our Splatfest team, and you validated her for that, too! I thought we agreed to always have each other's backs when we moved to this city!" Bella spouted.

Eight shook her head. Even while facing Bella and her intimidating flair, she continued to talk back with a stunningly calm and monotone voice. "I did not move here with you. I have always lived here. I admire Aurora's passion, so I will fight for her."

"And what about the rest of us? Do you just…not care? Do you even consider us your friends at all?" Bella rebutted.

"I do."

"Well, we have passion too, so what does Aurora have that we don't?"

Eight suddenly fell completely silent again, leaving Bella's question dangling in the air. Bella and Ophelia expected her to answer the question swiftly, as she had been doing with Bella's other questions, despite knowing that such promptness from Eight only came once in a century. The usually secretive octo had clearly been disturbed enough by Aurora's trial-by-fire to step further into the spotlight than she ever had before. Though she continued to hold her stance in front of Bella, it seemed like her point had been made, so she returned to her typical silence without any sort of warning. The pair waited impatiently for Eight's final explanation, but it never came.

When it became clear that Eight wasn't going to answer them, Ophelia stood up from her Splatling and took a step in Aurora's direction. Aurora glanced at her, as did Eight while retaining her position in front of Bella.

"Aurora…listen to me. As you can probably see, Bella and I are feeling a little shaken by all of this." She began, trying very deliberately to keep Aurora from feeling despised at the boot of Bella's scolding. "And you know…when Ula finds out about it herself, she's not going to be as nice about it as we've been. I'm afraid things are going to be a little complicated for a few days."

"Wha…What do you mean? What are you suggesting?" Aurora asked her diffidently.

Ophelia sighed, unsure of how to word her upcoming question. "Do you think you might be able to stay with Eight in her apartment for a couple nights? At least until the Splatfest? Eight seems to support you no matter what, and I'm worried that having you home with us will cause fights. At least…the way things are now."

"So, you're…banishing me? What about always watching each other's backs?"

"How exactly have you been watching our backs in all of this, huh? Think about it!" Bella spat. "Besides, it's not like we're leaving you to shrivel up in the street. Eight even has a nicer place than we do!"

"She's right, Aurora." Ophelia added. "As you can tell, Bella's not very happy right now, and I know Ula's going to be worse when she finds out about it. We're just asking that you give us some time to cool off before coming back to our cramped space with us. It's in everyone's best interest."

Aurora was in no position to argue. By knowing about her deception in the process of setting up the battle, her crimes against her friends were technically deliberate, and as such, she deserved whatever punishment they wanted to give her. On that note, spending a few nights with Eight wasn't actually much of a punishment at all. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more it began to sound like a blessing. She was going to be sheltered from both Ula's wrath and the tight space of their tiny apartment, all while getting to hang out with Eight and prepare for her big day with Midas. Not only that, she'd get to avoid sleeping in the sleeping bag another night. Maybe her friends were looking out for her, even after everything she had done to them. What else could she say?

"…Okay. I…I guess I'll see you girls at the Splatfest, then." She muttered contritely. "I left my Splatfest shirt over there, though, so…um…I'll have to come back to get that at some point."

"We'll bring your t-shirt to you on Splatfest night. Don't worry about it." Bella responded with a dismissive hand-wave. She didn't even look at Aurora directly when she said it.

"…Alright. Thanks."

Then, just as the girls were about to depart from the skatepark and go their separate ways, a slick-looking octoling boy approached Bella from behind and tapped her on the shoulder. He carried a current-year model skateboard in his right, gloved hand, accompanying his look with his sporty tank top and the black seahorse shoes on his feet. A few tentacles of his hair stuck out from underneath his special-forces beret. Bella saw these features when she turned around. He looked amazing, as even Aurora and Ophelia had to admit. Ophelia, hoping to look more presentable, even took to adjusting her ponytail as he drew near. He was an eight-out-of-ten, at least.

"Hey there, beautiful." He greeted her with a confident smirk. "Been shreddin' around the park here with my pals, and I couldn't help but notice the beating you gave those inkling kids down there in the arena. That was some sexy splattin' you pulled off."

Having snagged another admirer with her own apparently attractive features, Bella jumped right into his flirting game with a returned grin. "Ooh, ain't you a feisty one? I suppose you aren't just here to congratulate us on the win, then, huh, big boy?"

"You're pretty smart too, aren't you? My pal thinks you're out of my league, but I think you and I got some synergy. I'm really diggin' your curves." He bluntly stated, eyeing Bella's figure from head to toe. She giggled and adjusted her stance slightly, arching her hips toward him and puffing out her chest to give him a cleaner view of the important stuff. Aurora and Eight watched silently as he seemed to eat the display right up.

Aurora was quick to notice the fact that Bella wasn't rejecting the octoling right away, as she normally did with the ones that approached her. Instead, she willingly allowed herself to play into his little ritual, returning his compliments with her own witty banter, and further inflating his interest by giving him exclusive angles from which to peek at her eyepopping physique. Clearly, she was interested in him as well, and her friends couldn't blame her. Aurora and the others began to wonder if this octoling skater-boy was going to become Bella's lucky date to the Splatfest.

"Mmm, you like what you see? Are these the curves you're looking to bring to the Splatfest with you?" She teased, flashing him a seductive glare that outclassed all of Aurora's seductive attempts towards Midas. Somehow, Bella was a master at driving the boys crazy.

"Oh, you know it, babe." He answered desirously. "In fact, I'd like to take those curves a lot farther than just the Splatfest. You dig?"

While keeping her slightly lidded, provocative eyes trained directly on his, Bella decided to take her victim's libido to the next level. She reached her hand forward and gently grabbed ahold of her admirer's skateboard before pulling it slowly out of his grasp. He allowed her to do so without any resistance, as his attention was still focused on her bodily features. She then set the item on the ground next to herself and reached forward again, this time with both hands, to grab the octoling's wrists and pull them towards her, which forced him to stumble forward a few steps. Once she had his hands by the sides of her head, one on each side, she laid them to rest on her own shoulders.

"Why don't you tell me what you think of them, then? Go on, don't be shy." She purred.

Enthralled with the opportunity she was giving him, the skater dude began gingerly stroking his hands down the length of Bella's hips, feeling the details in his palms through the layers that separated them from her inky flesh. He shuddered when he got to the outward bend of her thighs, bringing his arms around the back of her waist to caress the smooth mounds of her ass with the same level of care as that of a mother caressing the cheek of her newborn hatchling. Aurora and Ophelia watched this happen with deep intrigue visible on their faces, wondering just how much farther their friend would be willing to take the charade before reclaiming her personal space. Eight, on the other hand, observed the spectacle with nothing but pure indifference.

After giving him a few more seconds to explore her body in this manner, Bella gave the skater guy one last treat. She reached around her waist and grabbed his wrists again, prompting him to stop rubbing her hindquarters and let his hands fall limp. He understood the rules of the game, in that betraying her trust would soil his chances of getting to later feel her ass without her shorts in the way. But then, to his delightful surprise, she took his hands and placed them directly on her breasts, after which she encouraged him to give them a few quick squeezes. He eagerly obliged, of course, snickering excitedly in response to the exhilarating sensation. Aurora put a hand to her mouth as she watched from a few feet away.

Bella continued to look him in the eye while he happily played with her boobs through the fabric of her jersey. She let out a long breath. "So…how do you like them?"

"They're fuckin' amazing…"

She grinned. "That's what I like to hear. In that case, then…" She grabbed his wrists one more time and pulled them away from herself, guiding them back down to his sides before letting go and returning to her previous stance. The skater boy, disappointed that his free trial had ended, promptly bent over and retrieved his skateboard from the ground as Bella cut to the chase. "…I think this is the part where you ask me to the Splatfest."

"You know it!" He repeated jubilantly. "You wanna fight for Team Looks with me?"

"Hmm…I'm not sure." Bella answered, putting a finger to her chin. "Do you think you could do something for me first?"

"Yes, yes, anything!" He blurted in response.

She smirked at him. "Go down there, into the arena, and win a splat zone battle for me, please."

The skater boy's exuberant smile suddenly disappeared. He stared blankly at her for a moment, unsure of how to respond to her unexpected request. The whole time, her smirk remained on her face, working further to confuse him after the abrupt conclusion of her playful foreplay.

"Uhh…come again? I'm not sure I understand."

"You got to watch my friends and I kick those inklings' asses earlier, so now I want to see you do it. Go get your lil' skater buddies together and show me how well you splat!" She ordered cheekily. "If you win, then I'll go to the Splatfest with you. I'll let you do whatever you want to me."

"O…Only if I win?" He stammered.

She nodded. "Of course! I'm veeeery picky with my mates, you see. You're definitely hot enough, but you also gotta show me that you can put up a fight. Do that…and I'm yours."

The skater boy stood in place for a moment while he tried to process his love interest's words. His dominance in the situation was pretty much gone at that point, having been swiped right out from under him by Bella's cunning tease. It also didn't help that her friends were standing around them. As the girls all awaited his response, the pressure he felt began to grow. He had just been given a taste of his prize, but now he was expected to earn it for real. If anything, he felt like she was testing him on his masculinity.

"A…Alright then. You're on. I'll go tell my pals." He declared uneasily.

He then turned around and took off in a flash, heading straight to his group of friends to rally them up for a battle. Bella continued to stare at him for a moment while he took his leave. Her friends watched as well, though it wasn't long before one of them, namely Ophelia, felt the need to comment on what had just transpired.

"Wow…you took that a lot farther than I ever could."

Bella shrugged carelessly. "Meh, maybe a little." She then turned around and addressed Ophelia with more excitement. "Did you see that guy, though? That was the hottest piece of ass I've seen since the Splatfest was announced!"

"Yeah, and he was totally into you, too!" Ophelia replied. "But…why didn't you accept his proposal?"

"Hey, I still might! I just wanna…you know…see if he's actually worth his weight in talent. I definitely don't wanna date a pushover, even if he is candy for the eyes!" She mentioned with a wink.

"Just remember to keep an open mind. If you keep being too picky with your admirers, you may wind up going to the Splatfest single!" Ophelia reminded her.

Bella simply chuckled. "Oh, believe me, he's not gonna be the last of 'em. I still got two days before the Splatfest, and these octos have been turning up a dime-a-dozen. I'm not worried."

During all of that, Aurora and Eight had been standing on the sidelines without saying a word. Aurora didn't originally plan to stick around for as long as she did after essentially being exiled by Bella and Ophelia, but she had decided to wait a bit longer after the skater dude showed up. She was greatly interested in the exchange they had just shared, especially in Bella's bold choice to let the stranger…touch her the way that he had. By lowering her barriers and letting the guy enjoy her body for a few moments, Bella had basically turned him into putty in her hands. Aurora recalled seeing his giddy reaction to holding her concealed breasts in his palms, and she wondered just how malleable he would've become if Bella had allowed him to go further. Their bodies seemed to hold more power over the boys than she originally thought, provided they knew how to use them, like Bella. Aurora was curious about this discovery. Quite curious, in fact.

"Okay, well…I think Eight and I are going to head out now." She informed, her voice quiet amidst her whirlpooling thoughts.

"Alright then. It's looking like Bella and I are gonna stay here for a while. Gonna see how that skater dude's battle goes." Ophelia responded. "Sorry about everything, Aurora."

"Pfft, I'm not." Bella snapped. "See you at the Splatfest, Aurora. Maybe by then you'll know what it means to look out for your friends."

Aurora didn't say anything. Without looking at her friends, nor showing any kind of reaction to Bella's remark, the ostracized octo turned around and walked off, her Kensa Splattershot still poised in her two hands. Eight departed at exactly the same time, choosing to walk beside her companion instead of behind her. The gargantuan E-Liter attached to her back made her look more like Aurora's bodyguard than her trusted friend, but she didn't mind at all. If anything, she was grateful to still have Eight by her side. Eight always seemed to be there for her. She knew Eight would protect her during her couple days away from the others.

As they walked, eventually reaching the streets outside the skatepark, Aurora glanced over at her pal.

"Hey, um…Eight?" She waited for Eight to turn before continuing. "…Thank you."

Eight nodded once. Even then, she still had yet to smile. "Friends stick together."

---

The two girls walked along the street with each other for quite some time, not knowing where they planned to go. The day was still as clear and lively as any other, spurring a healthy population of squids and octos to spend their time traversing the sidewalks around them. Many of their fellow city-goers were also boasting weapons on their backs, so the girls' E-Liter and Splattershot blended in well amongst the fray. Neither of them talked during their trip, of course.

Since the moment she and her friends had won the splat zone battle earlier, Aurora knew exactly how she wanted to spend her afternoon. Having earned herself a date for tomorrow, the wishful octo hoped to visit a shopping center, preferably a mall, before sundown to buy herself a fresh ensemble that would win Midas over. For some reason, though, she didn't bother to tell Eight about it right away. The tranquility of their first hour or so together, strolling through the blocks of inner-Inkopolis among the ambient sounds of other denizens doing the same, made the time completely worth it, even if they didn't spend it with a conversation. Sometimes…all they needed was a change of pace.

Blackbelly Skatepark was nestled within one of the richer districts of the city, with oodles of restaurants, arcades, and other public hangouts dotting its perimeter. Aurora and Eight still found themselves surrounded by such amenities, even after walking a couple miles from the park itself. In addition, the district was home to hundreds, if not thousands, of inklings, and not nearly as many octolings. Eight, of course, knew this as if it were common knowledge, but even so, the fact could easily be inferred by just looking around at all the bystanders. The battle tower had certainly taken them far away from the square, that was for sure.

Eventually, Aurora started yearning to kick her afternoon plans into gear. On any other given day, she would've had no issue with basking in the city's peaceful atmosphere next to Eight until they both dropped from exhaustion. Today, however, there was an obvious urgency. An urgency, of course…to prepare herself for her ultimate score. Midas, her glorious, chosen alpha, wanted her to look fresh for him, and fresh she would look, indeed. She didn't want to arrive at any department stores later and wind up not having enough time to browse. So, as the girls' walk began to take them near an infamous country club with inkling-only access, Aurora stopped and gave her friend the question.

"Hey, Eight?"

Eight stopped as well, turning shortly thereafter to look at Aurora. She didn't say anything in reply, so Aurora interpreted her gaze as an acknowledgement.

She continued. "So…I was just thinking, since I got my date tomorrow, and we didn't really have any plans for today…would you like to go shopping for a bit? Maybe…get some new clothes for the Splatfest?"

"…I would love to." Eight answered immediately. Her fast response gave Aurora quite a surprise, as it was against her nature to do so.

"Veemo! I'm glad!" Aurora beamed. Her cheeks were practically gushing with happy vibes. "I can't wait to see you try on some new stuff. That leather stuff you wear just looks so…uncomfortable."

Eight looked down at herself and shrugged. "It is okay to me. But…if you would like me to wear something different, I will do it."

"No, no, you don't have to do that." Aurora urged. "You can wear whatever you want. I'm…sorry."

"I want to wear something that you like. If you think something looks good, I will wear it." Eight repeated declaratively.

Aurora wasn't used to having her opinion venerated like that. Rather, she was used to her friends making decisions by themselves, and only themselves, unless they felt divided about a certain choice. Ironically, Eight presented herself to Aurora as the most independent of their entire friend group, and yet…she seemed to prefer Aurora's opinion on clothes over her own. On top of that, Eight's voice remained so devoid of any kind of emotion that Aurora couldn't make heads or tails of the octo's deeper reasoning. Was it that she trusted Aurora's fashion sense over her own? Did she value her friendship with Aurora enough to exalt her opinions without having to hear them? Was she just being nice? Or…did she just not have a taste in anything?

Aurora wished she knew a way to ask her friend this stuff without sounding too direct.

"Well…maybe when we get there and have a chance to look around, you'll find something that you love." She stated with a friendly grin.

"Okay." Eight replied. She did not return the grin, of course.

Regardless, Aurora kept her smile, and she began awkwardly tapping her toes against the sidewalk. She didn't know why, but Eight's happiness and well-being seemed to be growing into a major goal for her. Maybe she was just grateful that Eight had taken her under her wing after Bella and the others had turned their cheeks. Even still, though, as much as she cherished and appreciated Bella, Ula, and Ophelia, there was something about Eight that gave her…comfort. She felt like Eight understood her better than her other friends. She also felt like Eight took her words to heart more than the others. Whenever she spent time alone with Eight, including their time spent in the kiosk line the day before, she felt like her troubles were easier to share. Aurora flourished in Eight's company, and she wanted to return the favor.

"So, how about The Reef? I was originally thinking about going to Arowana Mall, but the news this morning said that The Reef was going to be hosting turf wars until dinnertime." Aurora explained. "Maybe we could have dinner while we're there and watch a few of them?"

She waited nervously for Eight to answer, but luckily, her response was once again swift. The expressionless octo reacted to Aurora's proposal with the same gusto as her first one, using the same words as well.

"I would love to. It sounds fun."

Aurora's grin grew wider. She clapped her hands together with glee. "You're gonna love it, I just know you will!"

---

On top of the good food and the turf wars, The Reef had another convenience that Aurora hadn't even mentioned. Compared to Eight's apartment, relative to Inkopolis Square, the popular shopping center was located directly on the other side of town, putting the square itself between the two destinations. Therefore, Aurora and Eight were able to super-jump to the square to drop off their weapons in storage before heading out on their shopping spree. Weapons were allowed at The Reef, of course, but the two girls didn't feel like dragging them around the entire afternoon, and they certainly didn't want to take the long subway trip back to their district to drop them off at home first. Once they decided to head back to Eight's apartment later that day, they'd be able to grab their weapons back from the square on their way to the metro station. Easy peasy.

Aurora offered Eight the honors. Naturally, Eight had no problem doing whatever Aurora proposed, so she reacted to her invitation by simply morphing into her octo form and rocketing off toward the square, saying nothing in the process. Aurora did the same herself shortly thereafter. In a matter of seconds, the duo touched down in the square, where they hastily made their way to Sheldon's shop to check in their weapons for later. The street in front of the storefronts was still occupied by dozens of chatty inklings and octolings, almost all of them in line for the Splatfest kiosk. The girls went about their way, dodging through the bystanders as they passed. No one paid them any mind.

The errand only took a minute or so, as it always did. When they were done, and their backs were free of the extra weight, they set their sights on their main destination for the afternoon. The Reef was among Inkopolis's most prominent hangouts, located just a couple miles from Wahoo World, and seconded only by the square itself in daily visitors. For this reason, it obviously had its own jump pad, of which the girls promptly took advantage after stepping back out onto the sidewalk. Aurora had only ever been to The Reef to participate in battles with her friends, so she hadn't gotten to visit any of the shops yet, but she knew, even with her limited experience, how crowded the venue tended to be. As she jetted through the air in her octo form next to Eight, she thought about all the fresh styles she'd be able to copy from the other shoppers.

Eight landed first, followed by Aurora a split second later. The landing point for visitors was within viewing distance of the fenced-off arena, so the first thing the girls saw upon stamping their feet into the cement was the sideline of a turf war that was currently in progress. The edges of the arena were lined with onlookers, all cheering wildly and pumping their fists in the air like the fate of the city depended on the battle's outcome, so the girls weren't able to see the combatants from their position. Likewise, they couldn't see the ink on the ground well enough to determine who was winning. They could, however, see ink shots and missiles flying through the air above the battlefield, and from that, they could tell that the skirmish was rather intense. They were curious to see how the next few battles would go, once they had a chance to settle down and observe from a nicer perch.

The Reef itself was nestled in a busy hotspot for the city, surrounded by high-rise structures and overcast by several suspended monorail tracks, on which railcars would occasionally zip past the crowds of shoppers below. Wahoo World's proximity to the consumerist utopia was marked clearly by its famous, giant Ferris-wheel, which loomed on the horizon just beyond the farthest visible building. It was often said that The Reef was so endowed with the urban density of its district…that it never got darker at night. According to the rumors, the abundant light of its shops and its surrounding environment was enough to mimic sunlight throughout the area, even well after dusk. Whenever Aurora stepped foot in the place, she was always reminded of how extravagant inkling culture really was. Nothing in Octo Valley came close to matching the grandeur of Inkopolis.

Eight stood perfectly still on the landing point with her eyes fixed in the direction of the arena, until she noticed Aurora walking briskly in the other direction. She broke out of her trance and immediately started following her at that point, assuming her haste to be a result of her uncontrollable excitement. There were shops all over The Reef, each of which contained dozens of potential options for new, fresh looks. Dinner and turf wars would have to come later, Eight figured. She couldn't blame Aurora for that.

"Where are we starting?" She asked Aurora dully.

Aurora didn't look at her when she answered, as her focus seemed to be centered on the buildings to their left and their right. "I want to get a nice bag to put my stuff in. So many inkling girls I've seen have really cute bags, and I just…I want to be fresh like them."

Eight glanced around the walkway at the bundles of inklings and octolings that were sharing the sunny day with them, observing their fashion senses as they passed. Once again, as with many areas of the city, there were way more inklings walking the streets than octolings, making Aurora and Eight stand out a bit more than they desired. She noticed, though, true to Aurora's word, that at least nine out of every ten inkling girls in her sight were carrying bags of some kind. Some had purses that hung from either their wrists or their shoulders, some had tiny handbags that couldn't have held anything more than cellphones and a bit of money, and some had long-handled bags that slung around their bodies and dangled by their hips. Almost all of them were walking with a group of friends, and the ones that weren't were instead holding hands with an inkling boy. Eight had only begun to see them after Aurora's mention of them. They were apparently common enough among the population to blend in as subtle details.

Eight considered saying something about the phenomenon, but before she could, Aurora suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and began pulling her off their course, toward a shop that stood to their left about fifty feet ahead. She didn't interject, despite having her balance thrown off by the precipitous action.

"Ooh, ooh, over here! This looks like an accessory shop!" Aurora zealously announced, shortly after nearly causing Eight to faceplant into the ground. Eight simply went along with her friend's insatiable eagerness, feeling little of it herself, but still valuing the time they were sharing together in her own, secretive way.

The flashy building loomed over the pair of octos as Aurora led them towards it feverishly. She let go of Eight's wrist when she reached the double-door, just a handful of seconds after first spotting it in the first place. A full team of inkling girls inside the shop, having likely just finished a turf war over at the arena, seemed to be on their way out at the same time Aurora and Eight got to it, so when Aurora placed her hand on the handle and pulled the door open, she stood out of the way and granted them passage. Eight then took it upon herself to pull open the other door as well. One of the inkling girls smiled at them as she stepped through the entrance, but the other three seemed too absorbed in their conversation to acknowledge their selfless gesture. They all carried Kensa weapons on their backs, but not one of them was a Splattershot like Aurora's. More notably, though, they were all sporting a variety of new bags, bracelets, and earrings, among other things that the accessory shop seemed to sell. To Aurora and Eight, they looked…incredibly rich. Or perhaps they just had rich boyfriends.

Aurora slipped into the store the moment the group was gone, leaving Eight completely in the dust. Eight didn't pay it any mind, though. She herself walked calmly into the air-conditioned environment and drank in its selection after Aurora had already disappeared into the rows of items like a young octopus being let loose in a toy shop on Squidmas Eve. Aside from the bags and assorted piercings that adorned the mannequins in the store's windows, the place also appeared to sell small wearables like bracelets, necklaces, and most prominently, shades. The entire right wall of the outlet was covered with shades, almost to the point of obscuring the polished wood surface behind them. It was fascinating to see the sheer quantity of goods that could be fit in such a small space, and Eight wondered just how many of them, if any, Aurora was going to want to purchase.

Meanwhile, Aurora was deeply entranced by the arrays of bags available from the shelves on the left side of the store. They came in a booming selection of colors, as well as a number of different styles, but they all seemed to hail from just two designer brands, so their prices all fell within a similar range. Aurora noticed, as she ran her hand along the surface of each item, that the bags seemed to be comprised of soft velvet, with tightly sewn seams and an embroidered insignia on the more premium models. Most of them had a large flap over the top that secured with a single button on the side. The aspiring octo didn't care much about the function of the bags, as long as they matched the style of her inkling peers on the streets. She needed to live up to the inklings' standard if she was going to seduce Midas. Whether the thing was easy to use or not…well, that didn't matter at all.

Aurora carefully inspected every single bag on all the shelves she could find, an action which took about half an hour all on its own. During that time, Eight joined her on that side of the store, where she proceeded to browse her own section of bags in passive silence. She flew completely under Aurora's nose while she shopped, thanks to Aurora's razor-sharp interest in finding the perfect look for herself. Eight expected that trend to continue in her friend through all the shops they were going to visit. She was okay with it, though. She understood Aurora's needs.

Interestingly enough, the bag that had grabbed Aurora's attention the most during her search was located on a shelf right next to the area Eight was browsing. After meticulously judging every single bag in the store's inventory, Aurora strolled right back to the bag that had caught her interest, causing Eight to glance over at her as she approached. Aurora smiled at her again, but she didn't smile back. Instead, she halted her own search while she watched Aurora pick up her favorite bag, sling it onto her shoulder, and step to the side to observe herself in a nearby mirror.

"I really like this one. It's not too bulky, but it's also not one of those miniature ones that the prude inklings carry." She explained to Eight while striking different poses in front of the mirror. She tried holding the bag at different arm-lengths, ranging from her shoulder down to her wrist. "I'd say the dark purple velvet even complements my hair!"

"You like that one?" Eight asked curiously.

"Yeah, I think this one's a keeper." Aurora answered happily. "There's no way Midas won't think this is fresh."

Eight stared at the bag on Aurora's arm for another few seconds while she continued to flaunt it in front of the mirror. Before long, though, she turned her attention back to the stuff on the shelf, having nothing noteworthy to say about her friend's choice. She agreed that the dark purple coloration did wonders for Aurora's hair, and she personally found the bag to be a major improvement to her overall appeal as a fresh date for the Splatfest, but she couldn't speak on whether Midas would have the same opinion. Rather, as she resumed surveying her options for her own stylish bag, Eight pondered the aspects of her look that her own desired mate would likely want to see the most. Unfortunately, despite being the first of her friends to settle in Inkopolis, she was not a fashion expert.

"Aurora? …What bag should I get?" She asked innocently, without turning around.

She waited patiently for a few moments. However, she didn't seem to get a response, even after a handful of seconds had ticked by. A bit curious, the indecisive octo turned back to the mirror, only to find that Aurora wasn't standing there anymore. It seemed that she had moved on after finding the bag she liked, without Eight even noticing. She turned her gaze to the rest of the store upon seeing this, scanning thoroughly among the rows of shelves until she found her standing near the opposite wall, studying the shades that were hanging there. Eight merely shrugged and turned back to resume her decision-making. She could just make the choice on her own, she figured.

Over by the shades, Aurora didn't seem to notice that she had left Eight behind again. The deeper she got into shopping around the store, the less aware she became of the friend that had graciously gone on the trip with her. She'd catch back up with her later, of course, but right now, as with the bags…only the shades mattered to her. As her eyes drifted across the spread of hooks that displayed every style and color of shades imaginable, Aurora once again forgot that she was standing in a department store and not on the roof of Albacore Hotel with Midas. Her surroundings became nonexistent in her head as she tried tirelessly to imagine herself in every single item that was hanging from that wall, even though there were clearly too many to choose from.

The whole process took her about ten minutes. Each time a pair of shades caught her interest, she'd stand on her toes to retrieve them from the wall, pull her Full-Moon glasses off of her face, and replace them with the shades to see how she felt about them. Aurora was nearsighted, so she needed her Full-Moon glasses to see properly at a distance, but the effect on her vision was not drastic enough to concern her. In total, Aurora sampled about two dozen pairs before finding the ones she wanted to show Midas. When she finally walked away from the wall of shades on her way to the front counter, her Full-Moon glasses were in her left hand, and a pair of highly reflective, tinted shades were in front of her eyes, with a black frame and dark purple lenses, once again complementing her hair in a way that pleased her. With the shades on her face, and the velvet bag on her arm, she was now one step closer to achieving the look that would drive Midas crazy.

Eight was already waiting for her by the front counter when she finished her search. Without her usual glasses on, she couldn't see her friend in full detail until she reached the counter herself. Even before getting there, though, she was able to decipher the outline of a bag around the quiet octo's shoulder. It seemed to be of the same brand and material as her own bag, as well as the same dark color. However, instead of purple, Eight's bag was dark red, and it appeared to be the long-handled kind that hung down to her hip like a messenger bag. Aurora guessed that her friend's choice of color was to complement her magenta hair, just like she herself had done for her own lavender locks.

"Aww, that one looks so good on you!" She cooed.

She thought for sure that Eight was going to smile at that compliment, but she didn't. "Thank you. I am glad you think so."

"What do you think of the shades I found? Fresh enough for Midas?" She hummed playfully.

Eight simply stared at her. "…I think you look very fresh."

Aurora blushed shyly at Eight's remark, despite hearing it in her usual bland tone. After just an hour and a half or so of hanging out with Eight, she had almost completely forgotten about the mess from back at the skatepark. She was greatly emboldened by the chance she was getting to beautify herself for her date, alongside a friend that not only agreed with everything she did, but also took her struggles to heart. Her spirits remained lifted, perhaps the most they've been in weeks, as she removed her items and set them on the counter to be purchased. Eight then promptly did the same with her red velvet bag.

The cashier of the store was a jellyfish, so Aurora and Eight knew they wouldn't have to hold a conversation with him. He grabbed their items with one of his long, wavy appendages and slid them towards himself to be scanned, allowing the girls a moment to stand around while he tallied up the price. The number displayed on the register went up with each scan until, finally, Aurora and Eight knew how much their accessories were going to cost. Aurora's shades clocked in at a mere 350 coins, while each of their bags fetched a heftier sum of 6,000. Even with a higher total than Eight, Aurora knew she had the money to pay for her stuff.

Once the final price appeared on the display, the two octos reached into their pockets to retrieve their funds. It was at that moment that Aurora made a disheartening discovery. Both of her pockets were completely empty. She had forgotten her money back at the others' apartment.

When she noticed this, she gasped. "Aww carp, Eight…I didn't think I'd be going shopping today when I left home…"

"Did you forget your money?" Eight asked plainly, eliciting a slow, defeated nod from Aurora. She did not seem fazed by her friend's disappointment, though. "Do not worry. I can buy these for you."

Of course, that did the trick. Aurora's face lit up with hope as Eight extracted her money from her pocket. Instead of a vessel for carrying coins, however, the item she held up was a tiny, zip-up wallet, which looked incapable of storing anything thicker than a kelp cracker. Aurora stared at the item with curiosity, at least until Eight pulled her card out of it, at which point her confused expression turned into one of shock and amazement.

"Wait a minute…you have a credit card? A real credit card? I thought only rich inklings had those!"

Eight handed her card to the jellyfish for him to complete their transaction. She did not react visibly to Aurora's fascination. "Yes, I do."

"Where did you get it? And when?" Aurora pestered.

"I got it from a friend. Before you moved to Inkopolis."

"Wow…that's so cool. I never thought I'd get to be friends with an octo that has a credit card…"

Eight kept her gaze fixed on the jellyfish while he ran her card through the system, leaving Aurora's dumbfounded remarks dangling in the air. Aurora was the first of her friends to see her wielding such a status symbol, and she knew that there would be more secrets for her friend to discover in the coming days. Things that would most definitely seem impossible from an octo of her…seemingly simple nature. Therefore, she expected her to have many questions.

The thing was…she didn't feel comfortable answering any of them just yet. Not while they were out in public. And certainly not while Aurora's mind was still attached to Midas.

Luckily, though, Aurora didn't seem to dwell on it at all. The jellyfish finished processing her payment within a few seconds' time, and he handed back her credit card with a friendly wave from his free appendage. The girls waved back at him before scooping up their items and strolling away from the counter. Due to her excitement, Aurora consistently walked a few paces ahead of Eight, even going so far as to hold the door open for her on their way out of the accessory shop. Eight watched her place her Full-Moon glasses in her bag as she stepped past her into the afternoon's warm breeze, leaving her new tinted shades on her head to wear through the remainder of their trip. Apparently, looking fresh was suddenly more important to her than being able to see correctly.

As the duo took to the streets of The Reef once again, their new bags swaying from their shoulders for all their fellow denizens to see, Aurora remained difficult to hold down. With every step they took, her attention kept darting in all directions as she searched manically for the next shop that would catch her interest. She scarcely noticed Eight walking closely behind her the entire time, almost as if her presence was hardly more than an afterthought. Eight knew that her crazy scampering was merely a side effect of her frenzied attraction to Midas, but…it still concerned her a bit, nonetheless. The way she figured, if that loveless inkling were to ask Aurora to jump into a vat of saltwater, she'd probably do it.

She didn't have long to ponder this, though, as Aurora closed in on her next target within a mere minute or two of exiting the accessory shop. The Reef was as dense with shops as it was with visitors, after all, so their lack of time outside wasn't exactly surprising. Aurora pointed her finger at her next selection and announced it eagerly, barreling straight for it the moment thereafter without giving Eight much time to react. Groups of inklings walking in the other direction were forced to stop on a dime as she blurred past them, producing annoyed glares that wound up falling on Eight as she tried to keep up. On her way to the store's front entrance, well after Aurora had already thrown open the door and disappeared inside, she glanced up at the store's front sign and found it to be a shoe store. The fact was further evidenced by the store's windows, which displayed different styles of extravagant footwear on tilted pedestals. It all looked rather expensive, but Aurora didn't seem to pay attention to that fact before barging into the building.

Their experience inside the shoe shop was much the same as it was inside the accessory shop, but to a far greater extreme. The store was noticeably bigger on the inside, first of all, and the number of options it presented to its shoppers was practically second to none. Eight could smell rubber from hundreds of shoe soles as soon as she stepped through the door, and even that pungent sensation couldn't compare to the vast sight of the items themselves. Every visible wall, even the back wall behind the counter, was lined with shoes, as well as the shelves that separated the aisles. The store's inventory was rather impressive, Eight had to admit. Just standing at the front entrance, having just walked inside, she could see all varieties of foot coverings, including hi-tops, lo-tops, basics, pull-ons, boots, dakroniks, flip-flops, sandals, pacers, and even a collection of secondhand ankle bracelets from Grizzco's exclusive payroll. Clearly, there was nothing that the place didn't sell. And Aurora was not going to leave until she sampled everything inside at least once.

Her journey began, once again, on the left side of the store. Before Eight had even gotten the chance to follow her through the front doors, she sallied over to the furthest row of displays and began tearing into the first shoebox. Thoughts of Midas were pushing harder into her mind with each passing minute, and as they did, her goal-driven tendencies began to control her actions again. After all, Midas wanted her to look fresh for their date. Therefore, looking fresh became the new "goal" that would continue to infect her mind until she saw him at the hotel the next day. Her original intention of going to The Reef, which was to prepare for her date while also spending some personal time with Eight, quickly began to narrow the more she shopped.

Aurora rushed across every nook and cranny of the shoe store, inspecting all the specimens she could find, which consumed about an hour and a half of daylight. She skipped over shoes that were being sampled by other shoppers, as a gesture of courtesy, but as soon as they were done, she would always come back and look at them herself. Any shoe that went unnoticed had the potential to be fresher than her current top choice, and she absolutely could not allow herself to exit the store without the best possible option, so she simply made sure to check every pair that was in stock. Time was not a concern for her. Of course, it might've been for Eight, but…that fact wasn't really on her mind.

Eventually, after meticulously running her sights over more footwear items than one octo could ever hope to buy, Aurora found exactly what she was looking for. Her jittery adventure throughout the store came to an abrupt halt when her eyes settled on a unique-looking pedestal in front of the cashier's counter, the glint of which had forced her attention away from the aisle she had been pursuing. The shoes atop that pedestal were unlike anything she had ever seen in the city before. A curious expression grew on her face as she stared at them, and before she knew it, her legs were taking her in the direction of the pedestal without a second thought from her rapacious brain.

The shoes in question were a pair of special-edition high heels. The closer she got to their display, the more details she could make out. They appeared to be made of shiny, black leather that covered the whole foot, much like the armor and boots that Eight liked to wear, with zippers along the top that fastened them to the ankle. Each shoe's heel-cap was distinctly separated from the rest of its sole and protruded about three inches straight down. Along with the heel-cap, the sole of each heel was comprised of some sort of polished, metallic material, which also reminded her of Eight's boots. If she had to be honest, everything about the pair of shoes seemed to share aspects with Eight's outfit, the only difference being in their fashion-oriented focus. While Eight's ensemble seemed to emphasize flexibility and sturdiness, the heels' elegant shape and style made them look like something an inkling stripper would wear. All that was missing was their brand, which Aurora couldn't find from checking the tag.

Her eyes sparkled with wonder as she took in the heels' features, and her mouth curled into a childish, desirous grin. She could only imagine what they looked like on her feet, since the sign in front of the store forbade shoppers from trying on display pieces. Not even the classiest inklings among The Reef's visitors were wearing heels like those, for if Aurora had ever come across such inklings, she would've remembered seeing them on their feet. They were enough to communicate sexiness and confidence in their wearer without the need for anything else, and if Midas were to see her wearing them, he'd surely be on top of her in no time. This, she knew. She needed those heels.

She knelt down in front of the pedestal and let out a long, dreamy sigh. Just then, Eight walked up behind her with a shoebox under each arm. She looked down at Aurora, before the covetous octo could notice her presence, and caught a glimpse of the shoes she was admiring.

"Do you like those shoes?" She asked in her usual, robotic manner.

"Oh, Eight…they're perfect. Midas would love me in these." Aurora answered with a flutter of her eyelids.

"How much do they cost?"

"Oh, right. Um…" She leaned forward on her knees and grabbed the shoes' tag, realizing that she had forgotten to check that important detail while looking for the brand. She struggled to read the tiny print without her glasses, but once she leaned in further and squinted her eyes, the font became easier to decipher. Once she saw it, she gasped in shock. "…120,000 coins?! Are you squiddin' me?"

Eight stood in silence as she was told the price, watching Aurora drop the tag and lower her head in defeat after reading it. Seeing the way in which the store had displayed the shoes, on a shiny pedestal directly in front of the cashier's counter, she kind of expected them to cost a fortune. After all, if the flashy heels hadn't made a single appearance on the streets of Inkopolis in the past, there had to be a reason for it, right? They had to be among the best of their kind. Or the newest, at the very least.

Realistically, Aurora did not need shoes like those. In fact, Eight found it better for her to stay away from them. They were way too expensive for her own good, since octolings in high social standings tended to clash with competitive inklings, especially those with a familiar superiority complex. On top of that, the shoes had a bit of an erotic feel to them, and Eight worried that, by wearing them in public, Aurora would get swamped with unwanted advances from licentious individuals. She thought inwardly about these things while Aurora stared at the floor in front of them, her face cast over by a despondent expression. Eight hated seeing her like that, above all the concerns she had regarding the expensive heels. Therefore, she made the pivotal choice.

"I will buy these shoes for you. You deserve to be happy." She bluntly stated.

Aurora's head shot up, and she turned around quickly to face her friend. "Really? You will?"

Eight nodded once, knowing that her bill at the end of the month was not going to be pretty. "Yes, I will. They don't cost that much."

"Aww, Eight, thank you soooooo much! I don't even know what to say! Veemo!" Aurora squealed, jumping up from her kneeling position to grab Eight's shoulders and yank her into a hug. Eight dropped both shoeboxes as she was pulled tightly into her friend's embrace, but she wasn't complaining. Something about the sensation sent waves through her…waves she had never experienced before. Aurora was such a cute friend to have. It was strange to admit that her cuteness was enough to make her recklessness tolerable. Their other friends didn't know how lucky they were to have her in their group. Though Eight couldn't feel herself doing it, when she extended her empty arms to return Aurora's affectionate gesture, she grinned…ever so slightly.

Their moment ended when Aurora turned back around and scooped the heels off their pedestal, placing them on the floor in front of her. To Eight's surprise, instead of waiting to pay for them at the counter, the enraptured octo immediately kicked off her hi-tops and placed them in her bag before unzipping the fastener on each heel, sliding her feet into them, and securing them to her ankles. She figured the cashier was going to frown at them for defiling the ritzy shoes right there in the store, but since they were going to be paying for them on the spot, she didn't expect them to encounter any trouble. Aurora wobbled a bit as she stood back up, having never worn high heels before. They certainly made her a lot taller. In addition to beating Eight's height by an entire forehead, Aurora suddenly looked a lot more…mature. She was like an octoling queen, commanding a formidable stature that she knew would give the boys a run for their money.

Eight took a minute to admire how the heels looked on her friend, then she bent over and picked up the shoeboxes she had dropped. Once Aurora seemed to have her new stance figured out, Eight pulled the lid off both boxes and held them out for her to inspect.

"Which of these would look fresher on me?" She asked diligently.

Aurora glanced at the two pairs briefly, but she didn't give them more than a couple seconds of her attention. "It's up to you. You can wear whatever you think your Splatfest date will like the most!"

"…I want your opinion, though." She reiterated.

Aurora was caught off guard by Eight's insistence. She was happy to provide feedback for her, but she hadn't expected the eccentric octo to prefer another's tastes over her own. She looked back down at the two choices with a hint of uncertainty on her face. One of the boxes contained a pair of Musselforge flip-flops, and the other one bore a pair of glossy red power-stripes. The flip-flops looked much comfier than the power-stripes, and they were also a lot cheaper. However…Eight's question was not about comfort, and since she was apparently capable of paying for anything, the prices didn't seem relevant either.

"Well…if you really want my preference, the power-stripes look really nice. I think they'd look super fresh on you." She smiled kindly, trying not to seem imposing.

Eight nodded. "I see."

"Y…You don't have to get them, though! I'd rather you wear stuff that you like!" She urged.

"But I only like stuff that you like. If you think something looks fresher on me, I will wear it." Eight repeated for the second time that day.

Aurora couldn't conjure a response to that. She couldn't figure out why Eight seemed to value her opinion so heavily. The way it looked to her, Eight's only criterion for good clothing items was what she, her crazed, socially awkward friend, thought about them. Sure, they were really good friends, but…Eight had to have some kind of personal opinion, right? Did she completely lack a sense of fashion, relying entirely on her trusted pal to steer her away from dry-looking clothes? Or…did she really value Aurora's opinion for its own sake?

Right after making her declaration, Eight stepped away to return the box of flip-flops to the aisle in which she had found them. Aurora couldn't do much but stand there pridefully, in her new, sexy heels, until she got back. When she did, the two of them ventured to the cashier's counter and proceeded with their purchase. Aurora kept glancing over at Eight while she ran her card through the system, but she never glanced back. For an octo that was currently flushing away more money than her average kind made in a year, Eight's thoughts were still completely undecipherable. Aurora didn't know how to feel about it.

---

The sun was beginning to lean towards the western horizon by the time the girls transitioned to their final store. Across The Reef, crowds were gradually filtering out of the shops and into the restaurants as dinnertime drew near in the city. More and more visitors were appearing on the walkways with weapons on their backs, having likely come from the nearby arena to wind down and eat with their friends after their turf wars. Many of them took immediate notice of Aurora's new heels, though her awkward stumbling in them ensured that none of the wandering eyes were lustful.

Aurora's last target was a clothing shop, which was a little further up the path on the same side of the walkway as the shoe store. With less than two hours before The Reef would stop hosting turf wars, the girls knew that they had to make their time count if they wanted to spectate a few battles. Aurora was aware that their time crunch was her own fault, for if she had been a little more decisive in the previous two stores, they would've had more daylight to work with. On top of that, her new heels prevented her from rushing around the store as quickly as she'd like to, and even if she could, there was no way she would have time to sample everything in the clothing store. After all, unlike with shoes or accessories, trying on clothes required a changing room, and those had a way of…getting in the way. If she wanted to find the freshest option for Midas this time, she'd have to make some difficult choices.

The two girls stepped through the doors of the shop simultaneously, and almost right away, Aurora's hearts sank. For the first time since their arrival at The Reef, Eight began wandering through the aisles ahead of Aurora, since Aurora's legs refused to move after witnessing the extent of what was presented before them. The clothing store's selection was unfathomably massive, putting the combined inventories of the previous two stores to shame. The place even had a second floor, atop which Aurora could barely see a row of changing rooms behind its additional shelves. Despite the blurriness of her vision, Aurora inferred the shapes of inklings and octolings walking in and out of the changing rooms in regular intervals, each carrying bags that were probably bulging with clothing items. Overall, the place was not a normal store. It was practically a superstore, the daunting scale of which kept Aurora glued to her spot on the foyer, unsure of how to even begin traversing its jungle of options.

All that mattered to the inundated octo was finding something that would excite Midas. Unfortunately, in a store that huge, with very little time to browse, she couldn't rely on trying everything in order to find the freshest outfit. She needed some way to narrow down her options, but…without any knowledge of Midas's preferences…doing so would prove to be impossible. Should she go for a stylish t-shirt and shorts? A dapper schoolgirl ensemble with a fluttering skirt, perhaps? Or maybe she could ditch pants entirely and wear a dress? How was she supposed to know where to begin?

While pondering that stressful question, something crossed Aurora's mind. In knowing that she had to seduce Midas during her date, Aurora suddenly remembered the moment after their splat zone battle earlier that afternoon, when Bella had done the exact same thing to the octo with the skateboard without having to think about it. Bella's natural affinity for attracting suitors seemed to know no bounds, and when she deliberately set her focus on molding a specific victim, the results were often quite explosive. Who needed to be fresh for freshness's sake…when cheating the system with feminine charm worked just as well, if not better? If anyone knew exactly what Aurora needed to get in Midas's shorts, it was Bella.

Aurora dawdled deeper into the store to stop herself from blocking the entrance, and she pulled her phone out of her bag. In the process of swiping through it to reach her contacts, she kept glancing ahead of her to make sure she didn't bump into anything. She tapped Bella's name in the list, opened a new conversation, and started typing out a message.

"Hi Bella. :) How r u doing?"

Aurora continued walking while she waited for her ponytailed friend to answer. She meandered all over the first floor, traversing some aisles several times, having nothing specific to search for on her way. The minutes slowly ticked by like that, with Aurora repeatedly sauntering past the same few shoppers with her face in her phone, waiting for a reply from Bella to appear on the screen. When none came through, even ten minutes later, she began to suspect that her annoyed companion was simply giving her the cold shoulder.

But then, just as she was considering putting her phone back in her bag, the object buzzed in her hand, and Bella's belated response appeared before Aurora's eyes.

"Do u need something?"

Aurora bit her lip. Bella's reply looked a bit impatient, so she tried to hold onto her attention by avoiding the question off the bat.

"What r u up to?"

"At home with Ula. Waiting for Lia to get back. Ula smoked all of our seaweed. :( "

"Oh no :( " Aurora stared at her phone uncomfortably while she tried to think of a better way to respond, but her brain fell flat as usual. "Is she ok?"

"She's passed out on the couch. Didn't even hear us come in."

Aurora couldn't say she expected a tangent like that, even though it made perfect sense from someone like Ula. She just hoped that Bella and Ophelia were planning to go easy on her for it. No one else in their friend group needed to feel guilty today.

With that, Aurora attempted to lead into the big question she wanted to ask.

"How did it go with the skater boy?"

Bella took longer than usual to reply. From the looks of it, she seemed to be backspacing a lot. "Rejected him. Turns out he and his buddies use INK BRUSHES. They got their asses whooped. :/ "

"Aww. :( He looked kind of good, too."

"R u kidding? He was fuckin' HOT." Her text was accompanied by several fire emojis. Aurora grinned at them slightly. "But I'm not dating an ink brush. Especially one that can't fight."

Bella was kind of a savage, Aurora thought. It was almost like she knew that she was at the top of the food chain when it came to hooking up, and she was determined to use that power to grab herself the most alpha octoling in the entire city. She really hoped…that, during her date tomorrow, Midas wouldn't treat her the same way Bella tended to treat her admirers. He was at the top of her food chain, after all. At least…the way she thought of him.

She took a deep breath and held it while she typed out her next response. "So listen…about how u seduced that skater boy…"

"U want the 8==D from Midas?" Bella replied, before Aurora even had the chance to finish typing her follow-up text.

Aurora recoiled from her phone when she read that message, her cheeks flushing purple once again. She covered her mouth to keep from interjecting in the store.

"Bella!" She typed frantically, along with a slew of five blush emojis.

Bella's only response to her friend's embarrassed outburst was a smirk emoji, which ultimately went unacknowledged. Aurora was too shocked by her prior message to say anything else about it. Luckily, Bella knew to continue without being prompted.

"Look, ur lucky I'm helping u, cuz I'm still pissed that u used us to get to this guy. "Must be the pot smoke still wafting around in here."

"Thank u. I'm sorry. :'( " Aurora drabbled with a guilty look on her face.

With that, Bella began typing her instructions. Her first message took a bit of time to appear on Aurora's screen. "U see, boys r simple creatures. If u want to get Midas interested in u, u just have to show him what ur made of."

"What do u mean?"

"I'm saying…if ur just trying to get the D, it ain't gonna come down to havin' class."

Aurora blushed again when she read that text. It seemed to happen to her whenever naughty subjects entered the conversation, regardless of how open she tried to be about them. The fact that she had injected the sleeping bag with ink from dirty thoughts earlier that morning was…rather ironic, put simply.

Bella continued with another message. "Think of it like this. U want to flop around with Midas? All u gotta do is show him what he'd get if HE flops around with U. Catch my drift?"

Aurora stared at her phone for several seconds, confused by her friend's strange wording. "…No."

"Be loose! Be a whore! Give the hunky squid a taste of Aurora when she wants the D!" Bella spewed rashly, adding a number of sea cucumber and clam emojis to further drill her point.

The vulgar and confronting nature of Bella's reply slammed at Aurora when she read it. She nearly dropped her phone, but she managed to keep her reaction under control.

"Quit saying it like that!" She whined.

"U still haven't denied it."

Aurora started to type out her objection, but before she could, she noticed that Bella's status had suddenly changed to "Away." Just like that, with no warning, Bella had left the octo hanging, holding her phone out in the store with a wide-eyed look that could only be described as dumbstruck. She glanced uneasily at the other shoppers around her, as if expecting them to give her dirty looks, but obviously, none of them could see the texts she had just received. In fact, none of them were paying attention to her.

She continued to stand in place for a few moments after Bella's disappearance, unsure of what to do with the advice she had given her. She knew what it all meant, of course, but it took a bit of time for her to piece together how it could translate into a good clothing choice. After all, she couldn't just show up naked to Albacore Hotel tomorrow, and even if she could, she figured the lack of subtlety would shock Midas out of their date before it could even begin. How would she be able to hit the mark without just tackling him in the lobby and tearing all their garments off?

As these flurried thoughts were bouncing around in her head, Aurora's gaze drifted across the rows of clothing items that lined the aisle in which she stood. It seemed as if she had wandered into the sports section while texting Bella, since the only items she could see surrounding her were tank tops, basketball shorts, and team jerseys. Aurora could actually see Eight running her hand through a few jerseys on the other side of the aisle, but besides her, the aisle was pretty much populated entirely by inkling boys. Some of the boys were already wearing tank tops, with oversized armholes and collars that drooped far down their figure and exposed much of their shoulders, as well as an extended region below their armpits. They seemed well-suited for…well…playing sports. They probably also worked great for turf wars.

Seeing the loose-fitting coverings on her fellow shoppers gave Aurora a devious idea. Her derogated expression slowly morphed into a scheming grin as she worked out the perfect way to advertise herself to Midas without breaking any decency laws. Before giving Eight the chance to look up and notice her in the same aisle, she swiped a Navy King tank top from the rack in front of her and scuttled out of the sports section as fast as her heels would allow. She then made her way to the nearby summer section of the store, where seasonal items like bikinis and sleeveless tees were flying off the shelves in time for the Splatfest, and grabbed the shortest, skimpiest pair of beach shorts she could find. Finally, with an item in both hands and her bag dangling from her elbow, Aurora quickly stumbled her way upstairs toward the changing rooms to try out the look, her frantic feet nearly tripping on every step. When she stepped into the first vacant room and closed the door behind her, she knew she would soon be emerging as a changed octo. Well…on the outside, at least.

The changing room contained a large mirror that covered the entire right wall, as well as a bench on the opposite side, upon which Aurora promptly seated herself after locking the door. While staring at herself in the mirror, she set her bag, her shades, and the two clothing items next to her on the bench before proceeding with the undressing process. She first unfastened her high heels and slid them off her feet, which allowed her the clearance to grip her shorts at the waist and pull them down past her ankles. Eager as she was, instead of leaning forward and removing her shorts from her ankles by hand, she used her legs to shake them onto the floor while she immediately began extracting her long-sleeve Annaki Drive t-shirt. The sports bra she had chosen to wear for her splat zone battle that day came into view as the seam of her t-shirt came up to her shoulders. She briefly adjusted her grip on the collar, and she pulled the garment up over her head with little effort. In mere seconds, the octoling staring back at her in the mirror was already half naked, her exterior coverings laying discarded on the floor.

Next, she grabbed the beach shorts from the bench with the frenetic urgency of a young octo grabbing a present from under the Squidmas tree. In her hands, the garment looked no more concealing than a pair of briefs, and when she pulled them up to her waist after inserting her feet through the holes, she saw for herself how short they really were. They barely managed to cover up her underwear at the thighs. In fact, whenever she sat the wrong way or crossed her legs, the fabric would actually retract upwards and reveal a bit of her underwear. Even Aurora had to admit…those shorts were kind of risky. Regardless, they were exactly what she had been looking for.

With that, the last thing to be applied was the Navy King tank top. Aurora could already see the extent of her transformation in the mirror with just the shorts, but she knew she needed the tank top to complete her look. She could feel the anticipation rising within herself as she picked up the loose covering, moved closer to the mirror, and fervidly draped it over herself. Of course, it fit terribly. Around her neck, it was clear that the thing practically had no collar. It almost seemed to fall into position when she put it over her head, requiring no effort from her to pull it past her face. As a tank top, it also had no sleeves, so the only things keeping the piece tethered to her shoulders were its dangly shoulder straps. The interesting thing was…the tank top itself wasn't actually that big on her. From her bra to her hips, it actually fit her curves rather comfortably.

The area around her shoulders, however, was an entirely different story. Aurora snagged a long, thorough look at herself in the mirror after putting on the top, and from what she could see in her appearance, her sports bra seemed to be doing a lot of the talking. As she expected with such a clothing choice, the better part of Aurora's entire bust was shamelessly revealed by the tank top, thanks to the lack of snugness in its upper half. The extent to which her sports bra was exposed to the light made the entire point of the tank top seem questionable. In fact, with how much of the area was showing, Aurora wondered if just going to the hotel shirtless would be an easier alternative. After all, she had one chance to convince Midas that she would be an ideal mate for the Splatfest. Without the tank top, her sports bra would obviously still be showing, but she'd also have the added benefit of exposing her abdomen for him as well.

Aurora fell deeper into thought the more she stared at herself in the mirror. She liked how the tank top gave her chest area a bit of breathing room, but she wasn't a fan of how her sports bra looked behind it. She didn't mind the bra itself, but its colors didn't really mesh well with the top, and if she was planning to show off her bra, she much preferred to go all out and exclude the tank top altogether. Unfortunately…she wasn't sure if she'd be able to get away with that. A bra without a top was…definitely out of the picture.

But…what if, she thought lewdly…she could try it the other way around…? Aurora bit her lip hard when the unorthodox idea popped into her head. She knew she couldn't show her face in public with only a sports bra covering her upper body, and she didn't like the way the tank top and her bra looked together, so…that only left her with one alternative. The thought of it slightly intimidated the adventurous octo…but it also filled her with nervous excitement. She wasn't entirely sure whether she'd be able to get away with it, and if she had to be honest…that fact was exactly what made it so enticing.

For every moment that Aurora spent thinking about the idea in front of the mirror, her hearts would beat faster. The way she figured, if she were ever going to give her idea a try, she would have to do it quickly. Therefore, before she even noticed herself doing it, she grabbed the tank top by the waist, pulled it back over her head, and set it on the bench behind her. Then, she took hold of the bottom seam of her sports bra, and…after a quick, deep breath…she took that off as well. As Aurora worked to get the garment up to her shoulders, her breasts were tugged upwards with it, until they eventually broke free and fell back to their natural position. When she discarded her bra and turned back to the mirror to inspect herself, she was greeted by the familiar sight of her own boobs in the reflection, her purplish nipples staring right back at her like a second pair of eyes.

Aurora was obviously quite used to seeing her own breasts, but something about viewing them under the fluorescent lights of a public changing room gave her riveting vibes. She could step through that door any time she wanted, and every boy in the store would probably want to divebomb her right on the spot. Of course, there was really only one boy that mattered to her. As she stood completely topless in the center of the space, she began imagining Midas in place of her reflection, gawking fondly at her feminine physique while slowly approaching her to act on his desires. Her boobs were just hanging there in the open…vulnerable to any frisky cephalopod's prying tentacles…yet she wanted Midas to be the one to take them for his own.

Before reaching for the tank top to put over her exposed body, Aurora cupped a hand under each of her breasts and gave them a few tender squeezes. The action reminded her of Bella's stunt with the skater boy earlier that afternoon, minus the fact that the skater boy had been a lot less gentle to Bella's boobs. Aurora imagined herself in Bella's situation, replacing the skater boy in the scenario with Midas, and just like that, her squeezes began to get a little more intense. She closed her eyes and let out a yearnful sigh amidst her toying. Unbeknownst to her at first, her walls were starting to break down again, as evidenced by the buildup of pressure in her lower body and the gradual increase of movement in her hips. One of her hands eventually trailed down from her embonpoint and into her beach shorts, where she ardently resumed performing those delectable, circular motions, and even then, Aurora failed to notice the danger she was posing to the clothing store's changing room. Luckily, she stopped her activities before she could drench the floor in ink, thanks to being snapped out of her trance by the loud, fervent moan she emitted. A heavy blush crossed her face when she returned to reality.

At the conclusion of her brief self-love session, all of Aurora's doubts were pretty much eradicated. She knew for sure that she wanted Midas's hands and tentacles on her, even if it meant facing the potential drawbacks of indecent exposure. It wasn't about to be the most subtle of choices, but then again, nothing Aurora did was ever that subtle. When she had her mind set on something, she attacked it with absolutely no restraint. Midas would just have to be ready to see a little more of his date than he expected.

Once she was back to thinking straight after nearly collapsing into another inky mess, Aurora swiped the tank top from the bench and slipped it back on without her bra. The loose area around her shoulders brought her breasts dreadfully close to complete exposure, especially without an undergarment to keep them constrained while she moved. She could even feel the sensation for herself, which was comparable to just staying topless, but she ignored it. The entranced octo stuffed her previous clothes in her bag, including her sports bra, put her heels back on, and scurried out of the changing room.

Back in the main shopping area of the store, Aurora was surprised to see Eight waiting for her by the base of the staircase. She must've known that Aurora had gone up to one of the changing rooms, or she could've simply seen her ascending the stairs. Either way, she was glad she wouldn't have to search for her.

After waving down to Eight, Aurora grabbed onto the handrail and started down the flight of stairs as fast as she could. She stumbled quite a few times, even needing the handrail once or twice to keep herself from falling, but overall, she felt like she was rapidly getting the hang of her high heels. On her way down, however, she felt her breasts bounce a lot with every movement she made, and at one point, she suspected that one of her nipples might've poked out from behind the tank top's droopy shoulder straps. Eight was watching her while she descended the steps, and when this supposedly happened, her eyes seemed to widen a bit.

When Aurora reached the bottom and let go of the handrail, she noticed Eight's eyes trailing down to her bosom. It was rather unusual for the quiet octo to address others without direct eye contact.

"…Aurora…?"

Aurora looked at her innocently. "Yeah?"

"What…are you wearing?" She uttered, her eyes still stuck on her friend's chest.

"Isn't it feisty? Bella told me to be direct and give Midas what he wants, so I'm branching out a little bit!"

Eight seemed extremely uncertain. Aurora played with one of her hair curls a bit while she waited for her gaze to turn back up. However, Eight seemed unable to draw her eyes away from the elephant…or elephants…in the room. Nearly all the parts of Aurora's breasts were showing through the tank top's baggy shoulder straps. Without any securing agents around her bust, her intimate mounds hung freely behind the fabric, and thanks to the top's oversized apertures, the flesh of said mounds could be seen at almost any angle. Aurora's nipples were essentially the only parts not showing directly, but they were still poking noticeably through the tank top's thin fabric, and whenever she moved too swiftly, she risked flashing nearby squids or octos with their bounce. It was all too much for her, but Aurora didn't seem to share that mindset.

"But, Aurora…" Eight stammered weakly. "…it's so revealing…"

Aurora glanced down at herself. From her angle, she could see everything underneath. "Yeah…I suppose it kind of is…"

"Are you sure it's what Midas wants?"

"Well…Bella says boys are simple creatures. If Midas sees me like this, he'll have to find me attractive." She gave Eight a friendly smile, but Eight was still captivated by the poorly concealed boobs in front of her. "I just know he will."

"Please…you have to be careful." Eight urged. She sounded a bit more emotional than Aurora was used to.

"I'm being careful, Eight." She shot back. "I can't get in trouble if I have something covering my chest."

"Your chest is not covered, though." Eight argued. "And it's not the legality I am worried about."

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Eight, it's fine. Nothing's going to happen to me. Don't you have shirts you want to show me or something?"

Eight was taken aback by Aurora's stubbornness. Regardless…she decided not to say anything else about it. As rude as her friend's last statement was, she was correct. Eight had done some quick searching throughout the first-floor aisles, knowing that they only had limited time to browse, and she had once again narrowed her findings down to two choices. She finally looked up to meet Aurora's gaze after blatantly staring at her mammaries for several minutes, and she held up the two shirts without saying a word. One of them was a classic, black t-shirt by Squidforce, with very short sleeves and emphasized curves at the hips, and the other was an extremely familiar OctoKing HK jersey by Enperry. Aurora raised a brow when she saw the jersey in her friend's hand.

"Hey…isn't that the exact same jersey Bella wears?"

"It is."

"Well…why are you choosing this one? You don't think Bella would find it awkward?"

Eight shrugged carelessly. "I do not know. It looks comfortable, and I like the number 8 on the back."

"Then you should get it. Get the one that you like more." Aurora sternly suggested.

"I like both of them. I want to know what you think."

"I don't know, Eight!" Aurora suddenly blurted, causing Eight to take a step backward. "You just have to dress yourself in whatever you think your Splatfest date will like the most!"

"I do not know what my ideal Splatfest date will like. That's why I am asking you."

"Well, I'm not your Splatfest date, so I don't know either. Personally, I like them both too, so I say just get both of them." She stated dismissively.

Eight stood silently for a few moments with an increasing hint of bleakness in her expression. Meanwhile, Aurora waited impatiently for her response. Ever since her carnal clothing choice was criticized by the reserved octo, her kind and tolerant attitude seemed to dissipate. Nothing about being told what to wear sat well with her, especially when her clothing choice was an integral part of her plan to claim her goal. She seemed to differ greatly with Eight in that regard.

After an awkward couple of seconds, Eight finally gave a reaction. "…Okay. I will be back."

While Eight disappeared up the stairs to change into one of the shirts she had selected, Aurora marched over to the cashier's counter to wait for her. The cashier of the clothing store was an inkling girl with braided hair and an elegant uniform, and the whole time Aurora was standing in her line of sight, she had her undivided attention. She couldn't tell if the look she was giving her was approving or skeptical, but she knew for a fact that her eyes were making her a tad uncomfortable. To deal with it, she directed her body away from the counter and tried to distract herself with other things. By the time Eight was coming back down the stairs in the OctoKing jersey, holding the black t-shirt in her hand, Aurora had received glances from a number of shoppers throughout the store, both boys and girls. The boys' attention made her feel empowered, while the girls' attention had the contrasting effect of making her feel ashamed. She took another look at her breasts, which were drifting dangerously close to the tank top's armholes as she leaned, and sighed.

---

Aurora and Eight didn't talk much for a while after finishing their shopping. Neither of them said a word while Eight approached the cashier and paid for their clothing items, even after the cashier had felt the need to comment snootily on Aurora's…perky protrusions. They had simply completed their transaction and moved on their merry way without acknowledging her. Afterwards, they walked regally out of the store and directed themselves toward the turf war arena without looking back.

Despite their recent squabble, Aurora and Eight still stuck faithfully to their evening dinner plan. Therefore, as they made their way back to the arena, they set their sights on a picnic table near the fenced perimeter. Aurora had nearly perfected her stance in the high heels, and as such, her walking posture on their way down the path projected a sense of confidence and maturity that drew in tons of attention. And of course, once she had the bystanders' attention, there was no stopping them from rapidly noticing her lack of bra. Inklings and octolings were practically stopping in their tracks when she walked by. Sunglasses were lowered, hats were turned around, and in pretty much all cases, jaws were dropped. Both she and Eight were well aware of the disruptions she was causing.

By the time the duo found an ideal table, a turf war between indigo and yellow-colored ink was just ending. They had managed to find a spot atop a raised terrace that looked down upon the arena, with several carry-out restaurants lining the walk behind them. It was practically perfect for their needs, and with their superb timing at the end of the previous battle, tables were opening up left and right. They were glad to have the added convenience.

Aurora and Eight sat down across from each other, with both of their seats angled adequately to view the activity below. They intended to remain there and relax for a battle or two before getting food. Aurora wished she could make up for her and her friend's disagreement by buying dinner for her, but…she didn't have her coins with her. She certainly owed Eight some money after today, that was for sure.

Just before she could open her mouth to ask Eight which restaurant she wanted to eat from, she noticed a pair of shadows creeping up behind her seat. Aurora turned around and timidly looked up at her visitors, finding them to be a pair of thirsty-looking octo boys.

"What's up, sexy mollusk? Enjoying the warm weather?" The first one said.

"You must be, 'cause you seem to be missing something." The second one added with a lascivious grin. Aurora retracted into herself significantly when the boys began talking to her.

"Don't worry, little octo, we heard your message loud and clear. Followed you here from the shop to see if you and your friend wanted to come home with us for a little turf war." The first one declared raunchily.

When Aurora failed to reply to her harassers, Eight spoke up on her behalf. "Hey, leave her alone. She is saving herself for someone."

"Saving herself? Are you joking?" The second octo scoffed as he stepped around to Aurora's side and leaned over her, trapping her treacherously in her seat. "You look to me like you're open for business! Those rockin' burst bombs of yours are tellin' us the whole story!"

The first octo built upon his friend's imposing by stepping around to Aurora's other side and glaring into her tank top for a better view. "Yeeeah, those suckers look ready to pop. How can you be 'saving yourself' when you're walking around with these things out in the open?"

Aurora immediately crossed her arms in front of her in a vain effort to conceal her breasts from her attackers. She kept lowering her head to avoid seeing the octos' faces again. Eight stood up from her seat and put her hands on the table when the boys started invading her friend's personal space, but the gesture didn't seem to deter them from their prize.

The second octo got even closer to Aurora, causing her to pinch her eyes shut and turn her face the other away. "A beautiful octoling like you deserves a bit of pampering. I'd say you could use a little massage, don't you think? Those ink tanks of yours are looking a little full!"

Aurora jumped a mile in her skin when the second octo reached into the armhole of her tank top and began groping one of her boobs. He smirked while he did so, clearly enjoying the treat he was giving to himself. The first octo, enabled by his friend's actions, descended further onto her shortly thereafter. Finally, Eight shoved her chair out from the table and stormed around to the second octo after seeing Aurora's distress. She grabbed his wrist and forcefully yanked it away from Aurora, much to his surprise.

"Get away from her. Can't you see she is not interested?" She ordered threateningly.

"A fighter, huh?" He rasped. "What are you trying to rain on our parade for?"

"Yeah, what gives? Why would you let your friend dress like a whore if you weren't going to let her have a bit of fun?" The first octo demanded.

"I do not 'let' Aurora do anything. She is an independent octopus, and she can wear whatever makes her happy. I am stopping you because she is not interested in you, and you are unfairly forcing yourselves on her. Now get lost." Eight stated with unwavering authority. Aurora had never heard such a monologue from her. It was probably the longest ongoing statement she had ever made.

"Pfft, what a white knight." The second octo muttered in response to being put in his place.

"Exactly." The first octo added. "Why don't you lesbos take each other to the Splatfest?"

The two oppressors snickered in unison to the jab as they turned around and strolled away pathetically. Aurora's face remained hidden to the side for a while after they left, leaving Eight staring at her with concern. In an attempt to pull her back out of her shell, she walked up behind Aurora and laid her hand on her back. The day had been going so well for her. Eight just hoped that the two negative events at the end didn't ruin the entire excursion for her.

Aurora let out a long, defeated sigh. "…Being loose is hard. I don't know how Bella does it."

"Do not blame yourself. Those guys are worthless bottom-feeders. Midas should not be like that." Eight assured.

Aurora didn't give an immediate response to her friend's encouraging statement. Eventually, though, she gave Eight the words that she fully deserved to hear after all she had done for her that afternoon.

"Thank you so much, Eight. I don't know what I would do without you."

Another slight grin appeared on Eight's face, which Aurora, once again, did not see.

"Friends stick together."