Kiaria and Alex wave Jay goodbye as she leaves, having already given her a goodbye hug as well. Alex smiles and puts her arm around Kiaria's waist, watching her cousin walk off to the end of the hall, and finally into the elevator. Once they couldn't see her anymore, they closed the door to the apartment, locking it behind them, and heading back over to the couch where they sit together and just relax after an eventful day. Jay had somewhat gotten her wish, Alex had a video game that had a bowling mode, so at least she could PRETEND she was doing the thing she wanted to.

"That was fun, it's always good to see Jay… and I'm glad she's doing well." Alex says as she leans her head onto Kiaria's shoulder, ignoring the fact that her severed tentacle is drooping over her face now. Kiaria notices Alex's damaged tentacle flopping over into her field of view and brushes the short length of tentacle behind her lover's ear, allowing it to be out of sight and out of mind.

"Yeah, it was nice of her to give up time with her team for you. I could really tell you needed more time with your family as well, I'm glad she's around for when I'm not able to be with you." Kiaria turns her head and smiles at Alex, leaning down and kissing her Inkling partner's head softly, putting her arm over her shoulder as well and pulling her closer. She took great comfort in knowing her lover was so loved, that she was surrounded by people who cared about her, and that above all, she was receptive to that love. Alex was blessed, and Kiaria was overjoyed that her partner had such a support network, especially because she needs it right now and is able to draw on it.

"Yeah, she and I were pretty inseparable when we were kids. We supported each other. It was a little hard saying goodbye when I moved away, but she was still so excited for me… I can't believe we both wound up in the Splatoon though, like what are the odds of that happening?" Alex chuckles as she reminisces about her past with her cousin and the various shenanigans they used to get into together. She'd been so focused on her developing relationship with Kiaria after escaping Kamabo that she hadn't given enough attention to her cousin. She's glad that her partner knows the value of family, she's glad she's able to rebuild a proper connection with her cousin.

"I can tell by the way you two talk, it's like no time has actually passed for you two. You just catch up, then pick right back up where you left off. I'm a little jealous to be honest, Marina and I still struggle to even begin talking about our past. Though to be fair, we also had vastly different experiences than you and Jay had growing up." Kiaria comments as she reminisces about her own past, how her experiences were so dramatically unique to her, and yet she'd found the more she talked with those around her, the more she would realize that a lot of them understood her pain. Octolings were unfortunately not granted the same luxuries as the Inklings were growing up. Kiaria remembers being indoctrinated at a young age, being lead to believe Octavio was a benevolent leader, and that he would always want what's best for her. Then she was Hypnotized to ensure that thought process stuck in place.

"Yeah I suppose. But with you and Marina, there's the whole… "you not having your memories" part. That is bound to throw a wrench into things. I mean, if I had gone through an event that had made me straight up FORGET Jay was family, that would make things super awkward when I realized the truth. So maybe you just need to give it more time… time for that "Awkward truth" to settle down." Alex smiles softly, leaning over and kissing Kiaria on the cheek to try and comfort her partner. She doesn't know exactly what she's going through, but she does understand the pain of not being able to reach out to someone you care about. It's a bit of a balancing act between your own desires, and understanding what is best for the person you care about.

"Yeah I guess… there's also the issue of… I still don't really have the full picture…" Kiaria pauses for a second, looking over at Alex with an expression that conveys she needs to talk about something heavy, something that's weighing on her. But there's also regret involved in her expression. Alex can tell this is something that will be a hard subject for both of them. Kiaria doesn't want to put any undue stress on Alex, but she also knows that Alex wouldn't want her facing this burden on her own. She gives a little hopeful look with her eyes, wanting Alex to allow her to continue.

"If you need to tell me something… tell me." Alex smiles reassuringly and holds Kiaria's hands, rubbing the tops of them with her thumbs. Though her putting her hands in Kiaria's is more for her own sake truthfully. It helps ground her in the moment, so no matter what is brought up, if Alex feels overwhelmed she has something connecting her to right now to recover. It's a trick her therapist taught her, it helps when her anxiety starts getting the better of her.

"Okay… just… hold on one second…" Kiaria says solemnly before getting up and walking to the bedroom, the door is left open to show she isn't hiding anything, though Alex can tell she wants to do this part alone, so she sits and waits patiently. After about a minute, which was filled with rummaging noises from the bedroom, Kiaria returns. She sits down again and holds one of Alex's hands, but her other hand is occupied by something, but Alex can't quite make it out.

"What's that Kia?" Alex tilts her head like a curious puppy, trying to get a better look at the object in her partner's hand. Kiaria is a little hesitant to reveal it, her expression one of pure uncertainty. But after a few moments, she does open her fingers and present the object to Alex for inspection. Alex gasps a little, a noise Kiaria had certainly not expected to hear. "Woah! Where did you get that?"

"I… Well… truthfully, I don't entirely know where it came from originally. But, it was inside of my locker in Kamabo… which I came across during… well you know when." Kiaria's expression is dark as she delivers that revelation, she knows Alex presently has about as much trauma surrounding Kamabo as she herself does, if not more. If nothing else, at least Kiaria's damage can be covered by a shirt. But she doesn't expect Alex's response, she'd been prepared for Alex to start hyperventilating, to panic, something horrific that would confirm that this is something she should figure out on her own, but instead, Alex focuses on the amazement at the object itself, allowing her Kamabo related traumas to be brushed aside for now.

"Oh. Well, maybe we can figure out how you got ahold of it together! But I think you should know something." Alex has a soft smile on her face, she seems excited about the object, almost like she recognizes it, which actually she does. It's something with deep personal significance to her, and she couldn't wait to share why. "This looks a lot like something I was gifted years ago when I was very young! I think it was one of the local craftsmen from back home, they told me it would help guide me to success. I never really bought into that notion, but Jay seemed to. So one day I actually gave it to her, since I figured if she believed it would help her, she might try a little harder to reach that success."

"W-Wait… you're saying this is something from… your past?" Kiaria looks between Alex and the object, the golden object that looks like an oversized cake pop that had the skewer poked through a little too far. She then holds it up where it would sit on Alex's head if she were to wear it, right next to her left eye. She smiles a little and blushes softly. "Heh, if nothing else, it does suit you."

"Oh come on Kia!" Alex blushes hard and playfully pushes Kiaria's arm away, giggling a little shortly after. Then she gets an idea, and sneakily takes the golden toothpick from Kiaria's hand, then quickly pins it up into the band holding the Octoling's tentacles in a ponytail. The giggling faded out and was replaced with a deep blush. "Woah… it REALLY suits you though"

"N-No way!" Kiaria blushes hard as well before quickly taking it out of her ponytail. She didn't feel right wearing it, not yet anyways. It felt too heavy, but not literally. It was light by design. No, it was a mental weight that was associated with it, something she had to overcome, but, she didn't seem to know when or where that trial would come from. "I… don't feel like I should be able to wear it yet, I don't feel like I've earned it."

"What's holding you back? It looks so good on you!" Alex smiles at her lover, trying to comfort her and remind her that her past can't get to her anymore, and also that it's okay to express everything about herself that she likes. But she isn't going to press the issue beyond this, she knows better than to turn something so simple into an argument. She'll do what she can to support her partner, but she won't mindlessly walk into aggression in search of that.

"I'm not sure, not yet… maybe if I like… put it under my pillow or something… maybe then I'll understand" Kiaria keeps inspecting the object in her hand, hoping that the explanation for why she had it would pop out to her, but of course, nothing is ever that easy. She wasn't even certain of her own conclusions about it, it felt like something she should understand but she couldn't quite place it. She felt drawn to it, yet afraid of it, she couldn't put her finger on why this was the case.

"Well if you think that'll work" Alex chuckles softly, holding Kiaria's hand tightly and smiling. The idea of Kiaria putting that object under her pillow while she slept to try and understand it made no sense, but, she understands that she can't seem to understand the object at the moment and is trying desperately to come up with a solution. "If I can do anything to help, just let me know, okay?"

"Of course, thank you Lexie." Kiaria smiles and hugs Alex, who quickly returns the gesture. Kiaria gently strokes the back of Alex's head, and Alex idly plays with the tentacles in Kiaria's ponytail. The tentacles occasionally curl around Alex's fingers causing the Inkling to giggle a little, and then after a few moments, they finally pull back out of the hug.

With that, Kiaria sets the toothpick on the coffee table, shares a quick kiss with Alex's lips, and then the pair of them settle in and turn on the TV. They don't really watch anything specific, just enjoying the content that's provided to them by the various channels they paid for with their cable subscription. They were probably one of the few surviving customers of cable TV, but they enjoyed the ability to just put something on the TV and watch it.

Eventually, Kiaria falls asleep, her head leaned against Alex's shoulder as she softly snored. Alex simply smiles and kisses Kiaria's head, before picking her up and carrying her to the bedroom. She lays her lover down on the bed and tucks her in, and then goes to clean up the living room, folding up the blanket they'd used and putting away the game console they'd been using while Jay was over. Finally, as she was about to head to bed herself, she spots the golden toothpick on the coffee table. She picks it up and inspects it, finding that it is indeed handcrafted, she admires the work that went into shaping and moulding it to get the correct design. She then decides it's better it isn't left on the coffee table and carries it back to the bedroom, setting it down on Kiaria's bedside table, leaning down and kissing her fiance's forehead before walking around to her own side of the bed and climbing in, getting under the covers and closing her eyes to start drifting asleep.