Before kindergarten, Tori rarely left the orphanage. Squall Orphanage was partnered with a nearby preschool, so teachers from there came over to teach the youngest residents. They went on a field trip to the preschool itself once, but they were with the helpers that time.
Today, there would be no help from anyone. And Tori was absolutely petrified.
As they stood outside the steps of the school, Miss Swallow nudged her forward. "You can't stand here all day."
Tori snapped her head towards her. "But you won't be there! Or anyone!"
"I know, but this is a part of growing up. You have to learn to take care of yourself." She frowned, staring at the pearly gates before them. "Besides, there will be other people your age there. You should make a new friend while you're here."
"What if I don't want to grow up?"
Miss Swallow sighed and picked up Tori. "You're going to be late. You don't want to be late on your first day, do you?"
"I don't want to go to school if you're not there!" she panicked, kicking her legs as she tried to squirm out of the butterflyfish's grasp. "I want to go home!" I want to go home I want to go home I want to go home I want to go home-!
She winced as she carried Tori up the steps. "Lady Squall would be mad if you went home, you know."
That grabbed her attention. "Lady Squall wants me to go?"
"We all want you to go," Miss Swallow emphasized. "This is something you have to do by yourself. And it's important, too."
"Important? Why is school important?"
"It just is. Now, I have to go." She set Tori down on the ground, and the moment she was free, she began running to the street, running as fast as her stubby legs could carry her. She could go home!
Unfortunately, Miss Swallow was much faster than a tiny inkling. "Hey!" She didn't even get down the steps before she scooped her back up. "You need to go to school."
"But you didn't answer my question."
"I did." She patted her head. "You'll understand when you're older."
"I want to understand now!" Tori kicked the butterflyfish, but she did not waver. "I'm going home if you won't tell me!"
"Ay!" The door swung open, and at the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of grey. She didn't care for who this new person was; she just needed to get away from here. "What's going on?"
"Ah! Principal Mobula!" Miss Swallow turned around to face the newcomer, giving Tori a more complete look. She paused her escape attempt, just to study him. She's never seen anything like him before–he was huge, with a flat body and a long tail that trailed across the ground. He only wore a poncho with blue, yellow, and grey stripes, decorated with intricate patterns. "I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience."
"What's an incon-bee…vee…" Tori shook her head. "That word!"
"In-con-ve-nience," she repeated. "It means a bad thing that gets in the way."
She pouted. "Am I an incon-venus?"
"Not at all!" Principal Mobula remarked, waddling down the steps. "Ay, no one's an inconvenience. We just do good things or bad things. It's what we do that leads to an inconvenience."
"Then I am an incon-yee-vence."
"That's not what he meant," Miss Swallow said. She glanced over at the strange fish. "Now, could you take Tori off my hands, please? Everyone must be waiting for me back at the orphanage."
"What about me?!" Tori cried. "I want to go back, too!"
"They aren't waiting for you," she explained, "because you're supposed to be in school. Trust me, Tori, you'll be safe in the principal's hands."
"Then I'm not letting go!" The inkling shifted around in the butterflyfish's grasp and threw her arms around her. "I'm not going to school!"
"Ay, calm down, Miss Tori." As Principal Mobula spoke, she squeezed her eyes shut. Why won't they understand? She hated growing up; she was certain now. "You'll be safe here."
"Yes," Miss Swallow agreed. "Principal Mobula is a nice man. He'll make sure nothing happens to you here."
"Ay, I'm part of the Manta Clan. It's my duty."
"What's the Manta Clan?" Tori wondered out loud, opening her eyes and turning towards the principal. She's heard it in passing, but nothing more.
"Ay, you haven't even stepped inside a classroom yet, and you're learning something new. That's great!" He seemed to have the biggest smile on his face. "The Manta Clan's one of the three clans that represent the Splatlands! The others being the Hohojiro Clan and the Onaga Clan, ay."
"What are the Hojo…Hohohi…" She frowned. "The other two clans like?"
"As much as I would like to explain, ay, I have other things to do. Being the principal is hard work, ay!" He offered a fin. "I can take you to class, though." Eyeing Miss Swallow, he finished, "I think you have other things to do too, ay."
Tori's heart lurched. "I don't want to go!"
Principal Mobula frowned. "Ay… How about I tell you about the clans on the way to class?"
"But Miss Swallow won't be there?"
"Right," the butterflyfish confirmed. She set her down and looked her in the eye. "Tori, you have to do this next part on your own. I can't be with you. But Principal Mobula will take good care of you. I promise."
"You promise?"
"Tentacle promise."
Fin and tentacle wrapped around each other, and after a brief squeeze, Miss Swallow let go. The principal grabbed Tori's hand as she walked further and further away, until she couldn't see her at all. Tears stinging her eyes, she looked up at the giant manta ray. No words were spoken as they stepped inside the school, cringing at the musty smell. The hallways were both foreign and familiar, the narrow maze feeling suffocating. She wanted to scream, but all that came out were tears.
"Ay, don't cry," the principal said softly. "I told you I would tell you about the clans, ay. Do you want to hear them now?"
Tori paused, taking a gasp, and nodded.
"Ay, the Hohojiro Clan–can you repeat that after me? Ho-ho-ji-ro."
"Ho-ho-ji-ro," she tried to say, but they sounded more like sobs than words.
"Ay…that's okay. You don't have to get it right the first time. Ay-nyways, the Hohojiro Clan is a clan of shark tamers. They can be scary sometimes, but they're very classy, too! You should see them in action when you get the chance!
"The Onaga Clan, on the other hand, is a clan of eel charmers. It's like watching a whirlpool when squid and eel are in harmony, ay! They're just that good! Really, Unagi and Kusia go around the world performing–they're probably the most famous people from the Splatlands.
"Actual-ay, all three clans get together to throw festivals. No matter how small the celebration may be, we'll throw a festival. I don't know if Lady Squall lets you see them, but you must've heard the music, ay? Or maybe someone brought food over? …Whatever she does, you have to see one for yourself. Even if it takes a long time."
At last, Tori found her voice again–hoarse from crying, but still a voice. "Do you think she'll take me to one if I ask her?"
"Ay…don't know." Principal Mobula shook his head. "Only you can know."
Tori pouted. She doesn't know; that's why she asked. But if even the principal doesn't have an answer… Maybe she should ask Miss Swallow or Miss Ella–they would have an answer! Or Miss Pacifica, or even Miss Luna! The prospect of seeing a festival in person gave light to an otherwise dreadful day.
But she actually had to go through the dreadful part first.
Eventually, they came to a stop in front of a wooden door. Two round fish with huge eyes decorated the door, and in between them read, "Mrs. Bock." The principal knocked on the door, and Tori scurried behind him, plopping her arms on his back and squeezing her eyes shut.
The door opened, and a woman exclaimed, "Principal Mobula! What brings you here?"
"Ay! I believe I have your missing student!" The manta ray turned around, bringing Tori with him. But just like a suckerfish, she held on.
"An inkling…" A warm hand set itself on her shoulder, and she flinched, shrinking away from the foreign sensation. A moment later, the hand was gone. Adults could turn into squids…she wished she could do that right now.
"She's…ay, shy," the principal said. "It was a big step for her to go to school."
The woman chuckled. "I hope she didn't take too much of your time, sir."
"Not at all! I'm always happy to be with the little ones, ay!"
"I guess I'm not surprised. Now, young lady, could you turn around and look at me?"
"No," Tori mumbled.
"Could you repeat that? Louder, this time."
"No!" She turned around and opened her eyes, her hands curled into fists. But she quickly realized she had just done what the woman had asked. So, she plopped down on the ground, grabbing the principal's tail and covering her eyes. She could hear people talking from inside the room–they knew she was here, so why weren't they doing anything?!
Then, Principal Mobula's tail slipped out of her arms, and she could see red-tipped tentacles peeking between her obscured vision. She moved one hand out of the way to see a blue octopus, beady eyes staring right at her. It brought one of those red tentacles to the space between its eyes, and before she knew it, the octopus shifted into a form just like the adults. She had light brown skin and long, thin tentacles that parted at the middle, wearing a dress shirt and black pants. Tori stood up and reached for one of the tentacles, but it simply reeled back, leading the octoling in front of her to don a smile.
"My name is Mrs. Bock," she said. "I'll be your teacher this year." A tentacle reached down and plopped onto Tori's head, and she shrieked, pushing it off of her. Yet, the octoling did not waver. "...Could you tell me your name?"
"Tori, from Squall Orphanage" the principal replied. "I'm sure she's on your roster, ay?"
"Give me a moment." Mrs. Bock ducked back inside the room, followed by the sounds of cheers. A few of them tried to chase after her, but she simply held up her hand, and they listened, sitting back down. It reminded Tori of the people back at the orphanage. Maybe Mrs. Bock used to work there?
"Tori Pholido," she eventually heard. Snapping back to attention, she looked up at the new teacher. "Is that you?"
It sounded right, so she nodded. What was the "Pholido" part for anyways? Most people just called her Tori. But she was growing too tired to ask.
Mrs. Bock held out her hand. "Then let me welcome you to your first day of kindergarten! Everyone's been waiting for you?"
She froze. Everyone? Even the people who didn't like her? She didn't have a say in the matter as she was dragged into the room like a fish out of water. And soon enough, she was standing in front of about two dozen inklings and octolings her age. She recognized some of them from the orphanage, but others were complete strangers. Trembling, she wrapped her arms around herself. What was she supposed to do?
"Go on, Tori," the teacher said. "Tell us a bit about yourself."
Tori opened her mouth, but she struggled to find the words. What was she supposed to say?
She fell back to the words she usually told people visiting the orphanage. "M-my name is Tori," she squeaked out. "I'm five, and I'm nice and I'm always happy to help."
Mrs. Bock's smile wavered. "What do you like to do, Tori?"
"Um…play with toys." She shuffled her feet, looking at the ground. She wished she had her ball or her building blocks, but Miss Swallow wouldn't let her bring them.
"Could you say that again?"
"Play with toys."
"Is that all?"
"Yes!"
"Well, then…" Mrs. Bock dipped her head and turned to the rest of the class. "Can you say hello to Tori, kids?"
Now, several wide eyes were staring right at her. "Hi Tori," they said in unison.
She hugged herself tighter, lowering her head. "C-can I sit down?"
"You may."
"Thank you." She waddled over to the group, all the small inklings and octolings scooting away from her as she entered the crowd. She sat down in the empty space and curled up into a ball, holding her arms and legs to her closer and closer. She wanted to be as small as possible, seeming to jump at the slightest brush of her arm. With the focus off of her, all the words said drifted away from her ears.
She didn't care what they were saying. She just wanted to go somewhere where she could be alone. She wished she had one of her toys, too. Then she could play with it. But she couldn't do either. There was no way out of here.
"Tori?" a voice eventually called. "Are you listening?"
She winced. Who was talking? The teacher?
"Tori." The voice was more stern now. "Are you listening?"
She lifted her head. If that voice said the same thing twice, then it must be important. All the inklings and octolings surrounding her were blue–the same shade of blue as Mrs. Bock's tentacles. Tori was the outlier, her body the same shade of yellow as her eyes.
…Does Mrs. Bock want her to change her ink color? She could do that. She's done it before to match Lady Squall.
Changing her ink color she has to put a lot of focus on, though. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, picturing that rich blue everyone had. She needed to change her ink color. If she didn't, the voice would be mad. She's seen adults get mad before, and mad adults were terrifying. Even Lady Squall. It was Lady Squall getting mad that she feared the most.
Somewhere inside of her, she felt something shift. And then, a feeling she couldn't describe washed across her, starting from her chest, traveling down her arms and legs and up to her head. A few seconds later, it stopped. She opened her eyes, and her hands were blue instead of yellow.
She jumped to her feet, looking down at herself with an open smile. She did it! She changed her ink color to something other than yellow and light, silvery blue!
"So you were listening…" Mrs. Bock muttered. She cleared her throat and stared directly at Tori. "Tori, please sit down."
Tori's smile fell. Why? Wasn't she proud of her? She only did what everyone else did. Yet she couldn't find the words to argue. She sat down, blue slowly shifting to yellow. All while Mrs. Bock kept a smile on her face.
She just didn't understand.
The moment the final bell rang, everyone ran outside, with Tori trailing close behind. Some adults directed them onto their path, and at last, she burst outside, taking in the fresh air. She missed being able to see the sky and feel the sun, and they welcomed her home after a long day at school.
She stood on the tip of her toes, trying to find one of the adults from Squall Orphanage. And soon enough, she spotted Miss Swallow waiting for them. Gasping, she pushed through the crowd and beelined straight towards the butterflyfish. Miss Swallow gasped herself as Tori tackled her in an embrace, hugging her as best as she could.
"I missed you so much!" she babbled. "That was the longest day ever!"
"Calm down, it's only been a few hours," she said, rubbing her head. "You'll be going to school every day except Saturday and Sunday now. You just have to get used to it."
Tori stared at her, dismayed. She had to go to school every day? No matter what?
That… Why… I don't…
"We'll be heading home soon," Miss Swallow whispered. "You'll be safe there."
Safe. It was a word she latched onto. Soon, she'll be home, with all her toys. She could talk to Lady Squall, and maybe she'll read a book to her. She always liked that.
The doors of the bus opened, and Tori headed up the steps, sitting at her designated seat. She started to twirl her braids around her arms as kids filtered onto the bus, the noise of chatter growing until she had to stop and cover her ears. Soon, Miss Swallow sat down next to her, and the door closed. Moments later, the bus began to move, rumbling as it crawled through the ragged streets, twisting and turning until it reached the orphanage.
Standing at the front door was Lady Squall herself, her arms crossed as golden eyes rested on the bus. Miss Swallow was the first one to get off, and behind her was Tori. She immediately ran up the stairs with a smile, stopping as soon as she reached the old inkling.
"Lady Squall!" She threw her arms out. "I'm back!"
"So you are." Her eyes narrowed, suddenly growing more imposing. "I heard you were bad at school today."
Tori lowered her arms. "Bad?" Lady Squall was mad–she's heard that tone before.
"Were you even paying attention?" At the sharpness of her voice, she flinched. "You made a scene because you wouldn't go to school. You were an embarrassment to the orphanage. And you had to trouble the principal, too. You should be ashamed of yourself."
She pulled at her braids, tears welling up. "I'm sorry!"
"Sorry won't fix this one." Her expression darkened. "If you do this again, I'll have to take away one of your toys. Go to bed, and don't talk to me again."
"I'm sorry!" she bawled. "I won't do it again! I promise!"
Before Lady Squall could reply, Tori ran inside and shut herself off from the rest of the world.
A/N: Sorry for the delay! I needed more time to polish this chapter, but overall, I'm happy with the result. I don't think the next chapter will be quite as long as this one, but who knows, maybe it will be just as long when I'm done writing it! Either way, I hope you like this! Now, I'm sure you're wondering about Side Order, with the release date being confirmed for next spring. I'm pretty confident it'll release with Fresh Season 2024, so hopefully I can get both this and "The Rainbow Squids" done by then. Because if it truly is a roguelike, I'll be playing it a lot for sure! I don't think I'll be writing an entire story about Side Order, but maybe I'll write a few one-shots about it, depending on what happens.
The next chapter of this story should be out this Saturday, but if not, I'm very confident that, after five months, the next chapter of "The Rainbow Squids" will finally be coming out soon. Stay tuned, and Branchwing, out!