Two weeks have passed, and Three is… still recovering. Every day she'd get a little stronger, but she was still unable to walk under her own power. She was getting closer every day, but every time she failed she'd get frustrated, she'd try and try and try until they had to force her to stop before she hurts herself. Then Three would lay in her hospital bed and cry while no one was looking. She just wanted to be back to normal, she wanted to go on walks with Eight like they used to. She wants to start planning their wedding… Three just wants to be happy again.

Eight no longer had to be connected physically to Three to keep her alive, as the Inkling was no longer at risk of dying due to ink loss. So Eight took to making sure she did everything she could for Three. Between going out and getting her food that tasted better than hospital food, and going home and getting Three's computer so she wouldn't be bored out of her mind if she awoke at 3am and was unable to get back to sleep. Three appreciated Eight and everything the Octoling did for her, but she felt so helpless. She hated needing to have everything done for her, she could barely even wash herself and even then she needed a shower chair and nearly an hour to actually get clean. She was frustrated, she felt trapped in her own body. But the worst thing, the thing she hasn't even told Eight about… was that her scar pain had resurfaced. It wasn't as bad as before, no longer was it episodes that lasted for minutes, but occasionally she'd get one that would last upwards of ten seconds, and that period of time was absolute hell.

Three assumed the return of the pain was either related to the sheer level of stress and trauma she'd been through when she was captured, or due to the fact that her wrists had been slowly injected with more of the sanitization compound which resulted in it going up to her scar. She hadn't had the chance to put any ice on it since she wasn't at home and she wasn't exactly sure how to bring up her pain to a doctor without ending up stuck in the hospital for longer, and she really just wanted to go home now. Home was where she felt safe. Here with all these machines and just… the medical atmosphere in general… it reminded her too much of Kamabo. Sure it wasn't exactly the same but it was similar enough to be unsettling to her.

Three just stares up at the ceiling, it's been almost three weeks that she's been here, she hopes they let her go home soon. Eight wasn't able to come by today, she had to be at the apartment to make sure they didn't assume it was abandoned and let someone else move in. Eight was also probably trying to get it set up such that Three would be able to use the apartment while in a wheelchair until her legs were back to working. Three knew that's what Eight was doing today, she heard her talking about it over the phone when she was pretending to be asleep. She appreciated Eight being so caring and doing all of these things that she knew she wasn't able to do for herself yet but… that was the problem. She HATED that she had to rely so heavily on her friends. She'd been trying to open up to the idea of it a little more, she got Pearl and Marina to help out when she went to get the ring after all, but this was different. She was… broken.

Before Three could wallow in self pity for too long however, a nurse comes in to check on her. She got her vitals checked to make sure her body was still recovering, her ink pressure and ink levels were the first things checked, and they came back good. Her reflexes were getting better, her leg actually moved when they tested it this time! It was a good sign, she could see her legs starting to get some size again, no longer being the thin twigs they'd been in the first week when her body drew ink away from her extremities to mend her core. They'd explained that, while her legs hadn't faced any trauma, a result of losing so much ink was that her body tried to preserve itself as best it can, which meant that once she was no longer using her legs, her body pulled ink from them to keep her alive. Now, as a result, Ink was no longer good at flowing through them in the amounts it used to, so she'd need to train up her legs if she ever wanted to walk again. She was told that, after about six months of walking normally, she'd likely be back to where she was before. But she'd have to be training hard and making sure to not rest on them for too long.

After the nurse was done the checkup, she announced that Three had a visitor! Three was surprised, she didn't expect to see anyone today, they all had things going on. Callie and Marie had to go out on tour WITH Pearl and Marina. It was some joint tour that'd been planned and had been in the works for over a year. Three wasn't upset, she encouraged them to go. She even joked "maybe when you get back I'll be on my feet again". They were weary but at least she was making jokes again. Jay was, unsurprisingly, going along with Marie. She'd heard that her cousin had taken her advice and that she and Marie were giving things a shot. Three was incredibly enthusiastic about Jay pursuing that avenue, because she felt like Marie would be good for her. And Eight was, as previously mentioned, predisposed.

Three, unsure who to expect, simply told the nurse to let her visitor come in. Much to her surprise, she heard the idle tak of a bamboo cane gently touching the ground as the old Captain Cuttlefish enters her room. Three feels a strange sense of calm wash over her, there was something about the old man that just made her feel at home. He reminded her a lot of her own grandfather actually, a sweet, kind old man, with many a story of the days when he was young. Three smiles as she makes eye contact with him, and he smiles back at her softly, pulling up a chair and sitting next to her.

"Well hello there Agent Three… or should I just call you Alex?" The old man chuckles, taking Three's hand and holding it softly to ensure she knew he was actually there, and not just a projection of her mind. He was well versed in ink-loss, he'd fought in a war after all. While he has many stories of battles that he won… he also had many stories of comrades he'd lost in the line of fire. "You never did tell me your name when I recruited you all those years ago, but your cousin seemed quite eager to share it."

"Yeah" Three chuckles softly as well, coughing a little as her body is still recovering, but nothing more than a mild blip. She takes a deep breath before smiling at him again. She had her own reasons for not sharing her name back then, she was trying to forge a new identity for herself, she was afraid that if people knew her name, they'd somehow link it back to her hometown and think less of her for it. How foolish that notion was. "But uh… yeah, it's good to see you Cap'n"

"It's good to see you too, Alex. Especially after what happened, it's good to see you alive." He smiles, resting his cane on his lap and pulling his hand back after a moment. He looks down at his cane/weapon for a moment, looking it over and making sure the safety is still on, which it is. He then looks back up at Three, hoping his presence helps calm her mind.

"Cap'n… I… Thank you for coming today, I was afraid I'd have to spend today alone." Alex smiles softly at him, relaxing her mind and starting to let her guard down a little. She could trust him after all. But just because she could trust HIM didn't mean she could expect him to fight like he was still a young Inkling, so she was still a little on edge. But something about his presence just nagged at her to stop being so paranoid and let herself rest.

"That's precisely why I came today. I wanted to make sure you weren't left alone with your thoughts, thinking that somehow there's something wrong with you for surviving!" He thwunks her head lightly with his bamboozler cane, he knew how the young agent's mind had been running, he'd had his own run the same way during the war.

"R-Right… ow… But still, I appreciate it all the same, it's always good to see you." Alex smiles again, rubbing the spot on her head that just got bamboozled. It's like he knew exactly what was going through her mind and was actively counteracting it without shame. Which of course he was. He'd been through this rodeo plenty of times, between himself, plenty of comrades in the war, and to a degree even his own granddaughters, he knew what self loathing looked like, and it was painted all over the young agent's face.

He nods, giving her another soft smile as well. He had thought that Octavio's actions had been despicable, but after witnessing the atrocities of Kamabo, he was almost willing to think about forgiving the old Octopus… ALMOST. But Octavio still had yet to truly prove he'd changed. Still, he was a lot less hostile these days, so if nothing else, that was a plus. Alex was recovering now, she'd been through entirely too much and she deserved rest. The old Cuttlefish had long decided that, even once she's fully healed, Alex is getting a long break from agent work. It starts by using her real name rather than her agent number.

"It's nice that we're able to see each other without something trying to take over or destroy the world for once, even if the reason is… less than ideal. But remember, your friends will be there for you, no matter what. Don't be afraid to rely on them, they WANT to help you." The old Captain says to Alex, to which the young agent simply nods in agreement.

"I know, Cap'n, I know… I know they care about me, and I care about them too! I… I know I'm going to need their help to heal from this, and even then" She grabs the charred stump of what used to be her right tentacle, looking over at it with a pained expression. "I don't know if I'll ever fully heal."

"Maybe you won't. But maybe you're not supposed to, maybe you're supposed to take this and grow from it." Captain Cuttlefish replies, sort of just thinking out loud but still trying his best to comfort the squid. Many of his own friends from war time had injuries like Alex's current one, pieces of themselves that they lost in one way or another.

"What exactly do you mean?" Alex tilts her head to the side a little like a curious dog. She's more than willing to listen to his advice, she could listen to him talk for hours on end about his old war stories, his voice was just so comforting, it was like coming home. But she still didn't quite understand what he meant, so she pays extra attention to his next words.

"Well, maybe it can be something about yourself you embrace. Something that the world tried to throw at you as a bad thing, and then you turn around and make it a staple of who you are. Or maybe you just ignore it and pretend it isn't there, whichever makes you happiest." Captain Cuttlefish gives a soft smile, trying his best to comfort Alex with his words, knowing that surely Eight would be much better at it, or even his own granddaughters, but they're all unavailable.

"Huh… I guess I hadn't thought of it like that. I've been… so focused on what I lost, what was taken from me… I guess I never thought to turn that on its head…" Alex thinks to herself for a moment, pondering what she could do with this information. It wouldn't be something that would just click instantly but, she figures it's at least worth bringing up with her therapist when she's able to see him again. Oh boy he's gonna LOVE how long the list of things to talk about she has is, she's been writing them down so she doesn't forget, and as such, she pulls out her laptop and opens her document, jotting down the suggestion Captain Cuttlefish just made.

"So, how long until you're able to go back home? I know you're longing to sleep in your own bed again, and not smell that "hospital smell" that you've surely become all too familiar with." Captain Cuttlefish inquires, he knows if he'd been in a hospital bed for as long as Alex has, he'd have surely driven himself mad with boredom.

"Hopefully I'll be out of here by the end of the week… Eight's gonna have to take over helping me strengthen my legs again since the doctors won't be able to come to the apartment to do it." Alex sighs, she really doesn't like how much Eight has to do for her. It's not that she doesn't want Eight's help, it's more that she feels like she's requiring too much of the Octoling.

"Well, I'm sure she's more than happy to. Whenever we see her all she can talk about is how worried she is about you, and how she wishes she could do more. She really cares for you, don't forget that." He smiles at her again, making sure Alex's mind doesn't suddenly drift into the wrong territory. Alex turns to him and smiles in response, she knows what he did and she's appreciative.

"Thanks Cap'n, I'll be sure to show her my appreciation any way I can." Alex smiles as well, resting her head down. She was at peace for the first time in a while. Sensing this, Captain Cuttlefish decides it's best the conversation ends there, but he doesn't leave. He stays by her side in case she needs someone to talk to for any reason. Before too long, both the young agent and the old cuttlefish have both fallen asleep.