The city of Splatsville was as hectic and animated as it ever was. It thrived with the melodiously dissonant song of life and it was only reaching its crescendo as high noon steadily approached. Once the lunch rush hits, daytime activity will have peaked and the city will be caught smack dab in the middle of a consumerist frenzy.

In between the rumbling hustle and bustle of the crowds going about their daily lives, the humble street vendors hawking their goods and wares to various passersby and the gaggle of turfers making a colorful mess of things in the background, two steely eyed Inklings stepped into the main square, their expression one of confident determination.

...Well, at least one of them was determined.

Quattro wandered across the square, sweaty and panting like a dogfish. He was dressed in a black designer t-shirt with bright green shorts and equally as green and black trimmed sneakers, a sleek pair of yellow ear loop headphones hung around his neck. Despite looking fresh as the dickens, he was feeling absolutely miserable.

Walking next to him was Tres who was curiously unbothered by the scorching temperatures. He was modestly clothed in a white oil stained tank top, worn olive drab cargo pants and dirt encrusted trainers. Slung over his back was his trusty canvas knapsack, with which Little Buddy had made himself comfortable in. No one would be blamed if they mistook him as a grease sea monkey out on break or a local hoodlum stalking his territory.

"Sheesh, how... How do you Splatlanders live like this?" Quattro panted, tugging at the collar of his t-shirt. The Splatlandian heat felt unbearably oppressive today and the humidity was so bad he could feel every inch of fabric on his body stick to him like paper mache. "Ugh, we've barely been out here for an hour and already I'm sweating my own weight in water. It's like being stuck under a broiler."

"I told you not to wear black today, the forecast said it was gonna be in the high nineties for the rest of the week," replied Tres, who interestingly enough looked dry as a bone. "And I told you before, it's Splatlandian!" he grunted irritatedly. "Get it right."

"Waaah!" Little Buddy chirped, sounding equally as offended.

"Splatlandian, Splatlander, Splatpeople, whatever!" Quattro bemoaned, leaning up against a nearby wall as he began fanning himself with his free hand. "Let's just hurry up and contact the others, I'm frying over here."

"Man, you Inkos really can't handle the heat, can you?" Tres chuckled as he pulled out his phone. "Don't you guys have summer over in Inkopolis?"

"We have summer, not whatever this raging inferno is!" Quattro snapped. He gave Tres a quick once-over, looking positively baffled at his dry state. "How are you not sweating?!"

"I'unno," Tres shrugged. "Eh, I guess I'm just used to this kind of weather. When you've lived here as long as I have, the heat just doesn't bother you anymore. I spend days, sometimes even weeks scavenging out in the Splatlands with my junk hauler looking for good scrap to sell. I'd be a bad relic hunter if I couldn't stand a little hot weather."

Quattro simply gawked at him slack-jawed and dumbfounded. "...Kuki was right. You are built different." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ugh, just-just get her on the horn, rookie."

"Give me a sec, gyuppie." Tres punched in some numbers on his sea cucumber phone. It rang for a brief moment before someone finally answered.

"This is Kuki. Good to finally hear you, Tres," Kuki answered informally. "Are you and Quattro in position?"

"We're sitting tight at the main square enjoying the sunshine and atmosphere, though the gyuppie is being awfully mouthy about the heat," replied Tres, flashing a cheeky grin at Quattro.

"The rookie ain't right, Kuki!" Quattro bellowed. "Dude ain't even sweating! It isn't natural!"

"Quattro says, hi," Tres quipped.

"Waaah!" Little Buddy chirped happily.

"Little Buddy says, hi, too."

"Hold that thought, I got others on the line. Lemme just put you in a conference call. Now, how do I..." A series of beeping echoed on the other end, followed by annoyed grumbling. "Come on, I've had this phone for years. It can't be that hard to... What? Yes, I'm pushing the button, 8, nothing's happening... What do you mean I'm not doing it right? Are you saying that I don't know my stuff? I'll have you know tha- O-oh, I guess I wasn't doing it right. Heh heh, would you look at that. Boy, do I have egg on my face... Well, don't look so smug. I would've figured it out sooner or later... Oh, carp, is everyone listening in on this?"

"Yes, yes we are," Marie quipped on the conference call. You could practically hear the smirk in her voice. "The captain of the New Squidbeak Splatoon everyone."

"Go ahead, keep on sassing me, Marie. I'll zing you when you least expect it," Kuki warned.

"Yo, is there a reason we couldn't use our headsets for this?" Pearl asked, joining in on the conversation. "It feels weird talking to y'all like we're discussing lunch or something."

"Because it would look weird if people saw you guys speaking into milspec headsets out in the open," Kuki reasoned. "And before you say anything, no, you can't just explain it away that it's a fresh new fashion thing that's happening. We can't keep using that excuse, people are going to talk. Now let's get down to business, I don't want to keep going off on a tangent again. Is everyone where they need to be?"

"Callie and I are approaching the radio station as we speak," said Marie. "We got an interview with Clem Clampton, Splatsville's resident radio star and UFO enthusiast. Check us out on 105 FM, The Clampdown, where hopefully we'll be able to clear up all the catastrophizing going on with our fans about the future of Seven Day Forecast, or lack thereof." She let out a sigh. "In any case, we'll be on the air soon. You can tune in to hear us gab it out in just a few."

"Well, Marina and I just made it to the tv studio. This place is pretty bumping," said Pearl. "Anywho, we'll be showing up as surprise guest stars on a daytime talk show soon. Unfortunately the only show we were able to get booked with on such short notice is, ugh... 'Jeffrey Roach Coast to Coast.' Out of all the people we could be chatting it up with we got sacked with the guy who's entire schtick involves cracking terrible jokes and roasting fools. Anywho, keep an eye out for us. It's gonna be an interesting episode, that's for sure."

"Frye here, checking in with the team," Frye piped up. "Big Man and I just finished wrapping up the Splatcast for the day and are waiting outside of Shiver's home. From where we stand the place looks... eerie. That's all I can say. We're gonna do what we can to help out Shiver and get her back on her feet. Maybe we can even glean some more information off her about the nature of the suckling to assist in your investigation."

"Do what you can but don't overstep your boundaries. We don't want Shiver to push her closest friends away too," Kuki advised.

"Yeah..." Frye noted sadly. "Anyway, me and Big Man will be updating our progress every so often by text so be sure to catch up on it."

"Excellent," Kuki remarked. "And 8 is with me in Alterna. We're all set. You all have your missions, let's get it done. Operation: Suspicious Suckling is a go!" She hotly proclaimed, which was immediately followed by a long stretch of radio silence. "I said, Operation: Suspicious Suckling is a go!" She repeated, expecting a group cheer. "...Guys?"

"...Kuki, we're not calling it that," Marie deadpanned.

"And why not?"

"Because that name is bad with a capital B, yo," Pearl groaned. "Can't we call it something cooler like, Operation: Shark and Rescue?"

"Or Operation: Shivering Saviour?" Marie added.

"What about, Operation: Deep Blue Discoveries?" Frye suggested.

"...Just do your jobs so we can get this over with already. Kuki, out," Kuki grumbled in conclusion. There was a beep, she believed the call to have ended, unaware that her phone was still receiving sound. "Operation: Suspicious Suckling is a good name. What would they know about mission names, are they wearing the captain's hat? I didn't think so," She muttered sullenly before suddenly shouting, "I don't remember asking for your opinion, 8!"

"Uh, Kuki?" Tres spoke up.

"Oh, carp. Is this thing still on?" Kuki stammered.

"Er, me and Quattro are gonna get going now. Catch you guys later," Tres concluded, flipping his phone shut. He turned to Quattro, who looked as though he was going to pass out at any moment. He walked up to the guy and gave him a strong pat on the back, causing his eyes to nearly bug out of their sockets. "Come on, gyuppie. Let's get you somewhere with air conditioning before you melt all over the floor."

"You ever gonna stop calling me, gyuppie?" Quattro rasped, rubbing at his back.

"That depends. You ever gonna stop calling me, rookie?" Tres retorted.

"...It would appear we're at an impasse," replied Quattro.

"We could just drop this whole schtick between us and actually start addressing each other by name, you know?" Tres chuckled.

"Where's the fun in that?" Quattro chuckled back weakly. "Apropos of nothing, what's our plan? Do we just ask around? It would be kinda weird if we just asked every Octoling we came across what their people's most intolerable taboo ritual was about."

"I was thinking we could hit up the shops first," said Tres, rubbing his chin. "After the fiasco on the Splatcast yesterday it's all people are talking about. The owners are bound to pick up something from their customers. You'd be surprised how often these places turn into hotbeds for gossip and hearsay overnight."

"Not a bad start, I suppose. The same thing happens in Inkopolis. Everyone and their grandpa got loose lips," Quattro nodded. "If we're doing that then let's head on over to Ammo Knights first. We gotta fill Sheldon in on the situation and I gotta pick up my custom dualies."

"First stop, Ammo Knights," Tres declared as the two disappeared into the crowds.

Frye and Big Man stood trepidatiously by the gate to Shiver's home, taking in the bleak aura of despair that seemed to radiate off the wood and stone of the home. It was deathly silent. Granted there wasn't much noise to begin with, being isolated in the hills, the mere fact that you could hear the faint whispers on the winds was a startling sign that something terrible had befallen the household.

Slowly, Frye unlatched the gate and entered the premises with Big Man in tow, making sure to wipe their feets on the welcome mat because hysterical or not Shiver would not tolerate them tracking dirt into her home. They wandered through the courtyard, carefully observing their surroundings as they made their way to the front door. Frye wasted no time feverishly rapping her knuckles against it.

"Shiver?" Frye called. There was no response. "Shiv, you there, girl? It's me, Frye. Big Man's here too. We wanted to check up on you after, er, that little thing that happened on the Splatcast yesterday. We tried to talk with you then but you didn't answer us, that's why we're trying again. We're worried about you," She and Big Man waited some more, standing together in awkward silence. "Shiver, please, open up. We only want to help."

Eventually, Frye got fed up with waiting around. Her visage twisted into a glower as she reached into her hat, pulling out a pair of lockpicks before proceeding to work on the door's lock. "That's it, I'm sick of standing around in this heat! It's time for some tough love. If Shiver's not gonna let us in, then we'll just let ourselves in. She's gonna get our unconditional love and support whether she wants it or not! We're gonna smother her with it, I say! Smother her!"

"Ay, ay? (That's a little extreme, dontcha think?)" questioned Big Man.

"Our friendship and careers are on the line, Big Man. We can't afford to be wishy-washy with our methods! You either commit or not, there's no in-between," Frye hotly replied right as the last tumbler fell into place and unlocked the door. She stowed away her tools back in her hat then slid the door open and stepped into the foyer, looking satisfied with her handiwork. "Ah, there we go. It's as easy as the last few dozen times I've broken into her home."

"Ay, ay.(I want to go on record and say that even though we're bandits I don't condone any of this.)" Big Man deadpanned.

"Your opinion is noted, Big Man, Now are you gonna stand there all day or are you gonna join me?" Frye raised a brow. Big Man let out a sigh, he knew Frye's hotbloodedness couldn't be quenched once she was riled up. He nodded and followed behind, stepping into the home.

They noticed immediately that the house was clean... Too clean.

Unnaturally so.

All the indoor topiary had been neatly trimmed to be as straight as straight can be. You could place a leveler on it and discover it to be in perfect equilibrium. Although it was uncanny just how geometric it was altogether. It was like looking at low poly models in a video game.

As for the house itself it would appear that it had been scrubbed down from top to bottom with fanatical zeal. Everything from the crisp white stonework to the alluring mahogany architecture shone with a bright lustrous gleam. So clean and vibrant was it that Frye and Big Man could even see their own reflections staring back at them off several surfaces, it was not so dissimilar to a being in a hall of mirrors.

Big Man looked down at the hardwood floor. He saw his reflection stare back at him as he observed how smooth and shiny it was, squinting at the sunlight glare that seemed to dance off every corner of the room. "Ay, ay, ay. (Look at this place, it's like a roller rink. I feel myself losing balance just staring at the floor.)" He took a tentative step forward, sighing in relief as his feet found purchase. "Ay, ay. (Well, at least we don't have to worry about slipping.)"

"It seems Shiver's been stress cleaning... again. This place looks like it was tossed in a washing machine set on heavy duty," Fyre muttered concernedly. Wrinkling her nose she took in the heady scent of pine and citrus that permeated throughout the air. A brief glance around the room showed everything was spotless and organized to an absolute obsessive degree. "I didn't think it was possible. Her OCD got even worse."

There were books and DVDs on the shelves that had been alphabetized neatly in descending order of tallest to shortest. Over by the kitchen there were several containers stacked atop one another. They were each arranged by food group and labeled with their contents, exact quantities or approximate weight, date purchased and more. One such container held rice, according to the label every single grain had been accounted for.

It was all so mind numbingly meticulous, which was fittingly something only Shiver would do.

But even then, there were limits. What she had managed to achieve overnight went above and beyond the realm of reason.

"L-let's hurry up and find, Shiver," Frye stammered, swallowing thickly. The sterile emptiness of the room was starting to get to her. She took a step back and turned around, "Come on, she has to be here somewhe- aaAAH!" Only to suddenly scream and stagger backwards into Big Man with her hand tightly clutching her chest as her three hearts hammered wildly in her chest.

Frye had come face to face and met the piercing crimson eyes of the figure that had startled her, it was none other than Shiver. She had snuck up on her, or maybe she'd been in the room the entire time and had decided to reveal herself just now. The former was less unsettling to think about. She gave her best friend a once-over and grimaced at what she saw.

Shiver looked pale and wan. Well, paler than she normally was but she was indeed suffering from fatigue if the dark rings around her eyes were any indication. She probably didn't get much sleep the night before, if at all judging from her spotless surroundings. Even her deep shade of royal blue coloration was less vibrant than it should be, appearing more of a desaturated azure blue in hue.

There was also the way she carried herself. She continued to display the same level of poise she was known for, even when standing idly. But it was clear that she was doing it subconsciously, going through the motions as it were and relying strictly on muscle memory. She would twitch sporadically; whether it was a snap of the neck, a flick of the shoulder or rapid fluttering of an eye she would return to her casual posture afterwards, pretending as if she hadn't physically glitched out in front of her friends.

Then, there was her smile.

That flippin' smile.

It was as if she'd grabbed the corner of her mouth and stretched her face all the way back, giving the impression of a wicked clownish grin. It was devoid of any kind of warmth or affection or even the barest hint of happiness.

It felt... wrong.

Frye and Big Man gawked at her. The person standing before them looked like Shiver but it sure as shell didn't feel like her. They were more inclined to believe that it was some kind of sinister alien wearing her as a skinsuit and doing its absolute poorest to impersonate her.

"Shiver, h-hey! Didn't see you there, girl," Frye sputtered, forcing out a grin. "H-how're you doing?" she halfheartedly shot her a pair of finger guns.

"...Hello, Frye, Big Man," Shiver greeted amicably. She walked over and gave them a peck on both cheeks. "Mwah! Mwah!" The friendly gesture did little to assuage their fears, if anything it only served to amplify it. "How nice of you to drop by. It's been forever since we last saw each other."

"Ay, ay, a-ay... (But we just saw each other yesterday. Uh, I-I mean, it certainly feels that way. Heh heh...)" Big Man smiled nervously, rubbing at his cheek with his fin.

"Oh, where are my manners," Shiver led the two to the nearby chabudai. "Please, make yourselves at home. I'll prepare us some tea." She then left to put the kettle on the stove as Frye and Big Man clumsily seated themselves by the squat table. They watched in silent bewilderment as Shiver nonchalantly went about her business. "Pardon the mess, my friends, you caught me at a bad time. Had I known you'd arrive today I would've spent some time sprucing up the place beforehand."

Frye and Big Man exchanged worried looks with one another then glanced around the room. They had no idea what she was talking about, the place was immaculate.

"Uh, what mess?" Frye asked slowly, carefully observing Shiver's reaction.

"The mess, over there," Shiver pointed to something only she could see. "Can't you see it, all that filth? It's everywhere. The disgusting stains, those smudges and smears, that grimy residue that just won't come off no matter how hard I scrub!" There was an edge to her voice as her mask of composure slipped ever so slightly. But even then, the wicked smile never left her face. "Dirty, so dirty. I can't believe I permitted myself to live in such a sty for so long. How could I let it get this bad? I'm usually so tidy, so organized..."

Shiver continued to prattle on, lost in her own little world as Frye and Big Man began whispering to each other.

"Ay, ay, ay... (Uh, Frye. I hate to say this, but I think Shiver has swam past the reef...)" Big Man muttered, frantically flapping his fins. "Ay, ay. (She's giving me the willies.)"

"Don't say that. I get that she's being more, um, eccentric than usual but we can't just write her off as a whackjob. She's just... coping, that's all," Frye whispered back, putting on a brave face. "Look, Marina said she's suffering from trauma induced shock. It's definitely a lot worse than she made it out to be but we can't let it rattle us. We're here to support Shiver and that's exactly what we're gonna do. Come on, Big Man, hype up! Do it for her!"

"Ay, ay! (Do it for Shiver, right!)" Big Man slapped at his cheeks to psych himself up. He then started to flex his fins, preparing them for a powerful hug. "Ay, ay! (I'm getting fired up!)"

"Good, good! That's the kind of attitude we need right now!" Frye whispered loudly. "Just hold onto that fire and-"

"And what, Frye?" Shiver cut her off, suddenly materializing from the aether like a foul specter and roughly setting down the tea tray in front of the duo, causing the porcelain wares clatter noisily.

"Eel's teeth!" Frye exclaimed, spooked once again by Shiver's stealthy appearance as she jumped from her seat.

"Ay?! (What the flying fish?!)" Big Man yelled, flailing his fins as he fell backwards.

"Would you quit doing that!" Frye glared at Shiver as she and Big Man scrambled back to their seated position.

"I haven't the slightest idea of what you're referring to," Shiver replied sweetly with an even wider smile if it were possible. She remained oblivious to Frye and Big Man's rising distress as she served them their tea. "It's pu-erh, good for the body and for digestion. Please, enjoy."

"Shiver, can you forget about the dang tea for a minute," Frye groaned, struggling to keep the exasperation out of her voice. "Aren't you going to question why we're here, or the obvious fact that I broke into your house again?"

"Oh, Frye. That's just something you do, and I have to respect that," Shiver replied flippantly, sipping from her mug. "And I know why you're here. You're here for me."

"Oh, uh... That's right, actually," Frye blinked. She coughed into her hand, taking a moment to regain her composure. "Well, that makes things a whole heck of a lot easier. Since we don't have to beat around the bushes anymore, Big Man here has something he wants to say to you, don't you, Big Man?"

"Ay, ay, ay. (Ahem. Shiver, I wanted to apologize to you about what happened on the Splatcast the other day.) Big Man began, his expression crestfallen. "Ay, ay, ay. (I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to make such a big mess by blabbing about, uh, y-you know, the thing.)" He made sure not to bring up the suckling by name, he wasn't sure how Shiver would react if he brought it up a second time.

"Ay, ay, ay. (I didn't know, but that doesn't excuse me, or the fact that my ignorance might've potentially, er, destroyed your entire life as a result.)" He quickly mumbled the last half. "Ay, ay, ay. (I hope you can forgive me for my terrible blunder. More than that, Frye and I are here for you.)"

"Aw, Big Man. That's so sweet of you, taking responsibility like that," Shiver replied, never losing that bizarre upbeat attitude of hers. Her left eye however started to flicker uncontrollably for a spell. "You should be glad to know I don't blame you at all for my predicament and that I forgive you for everything. It's all water under the bridge."

"Ay, ay! (What, really? Wow, that's great!)" Big Man cheered, breaking out a great big grin. "Ay, ay. Ay! (I'm thrilled that we were able to patch things up between us, Shiver. I guess that settles it. Oof!)" He groaned as Frye smacked the back of his head.

"No, no that doesn't settle it!" Frye growled, slamming both hands on the table. The mugs popped up and down as they clatter noisily onto the table, spilling some tea as a result. "Shiver, you're clearly not okay!"

"Of course I am you silly billy. Eh-heh-heh... GRAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" She threw her head back, cackling madly like an unhinged witch as her entire body shook to the shrill sound of her laughter. And as suddenly as it began she stopped, returning to a casual pose as Frye and Big Man recoiled in terror at her maniacal outburst. "See? That was a perfectly healthy laugh."

They were not convinced in the slightest if the wide-eyed expressions of complete and utter fear etched upon their visage were anything to go by. Whatever resolve and enthusiasm they retained was slowly being eroded in the presence of Shiver's near palpable madness.

"Besides, I couldn't be any more happier than I am now," Shiver explained, much to her friend's bewilderment.

"Ay? (You're... happy?)" said Big Man, raising a curious brow.

"Ecstatic!" Shiver exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "Ever since my heinous crime was exposed for all to know I've become unburdened by the strident noise that plagued my mind. The truth has freed me from the shackles of shame and guilt. It feels like a baptism for my soul, I am pure once again."

"Shiver, that's a big load of jibber-jabber!" Frye cried. "We did some digging, we know how bad it really is and how it's affecting you! I mean, come on! You're pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion, you've practically murdered the remaining 1% of bacteria cleaning products can't get rid of in this house and to top it all off you're a pariah to your own people. Aren't you the least bit concerned?!"

"It's fine, honest," Shiver waved dismissively, looking unperturbed. Though her twitching body language said otherwise. "This is merely a natural consequence of my actions. It is only fitting that I'd be ostracized, there's no room for someone like me in Octarian society, let alone proper society."

"You can't be serious," Frye balked. "The Shiver I know-" She was cut off by another bout of maniacal laughter from Shiver.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha! The Shiver you know is an out of control deviant who deserves to be an outcast!" She crowed, smiling so widely it was a wonder her face didn't split right down the middle. "This is who I really am! This is the real Shiver of Deep Cut!"

"But-but..." Frye stammered.

"Oh, that reminds me. I've decided to retire from Deep Cut," Shiver calmly announced as she took a long enthusiastic sip from her mug. A pregnant silence filled the air. Only Shiver's sipping could be heard as Frye and Big Man sat there dumbfounded with their mouths agape, struggling to process what they just heard.

"Ay? Ay, ay. (Could you please repeat that, Shiver? Because it sounded like I had something crazy in my ears.)" Big Man uttered with disbelief.

"What are you implying?" Shiver's eyes narrowed into a piercing glare as her grip tightened around her mug.

"A-ay! (N-nothing! Nothing at all! Heh heh!)" He sputtered and coughed. His fight or flight instincts were firing on all cylinders. "Ay, ay! (You're clearly a very sane individual and not at all acting like a complete and total loon who's making me fear for my life!)"

"Why, thank you for noticing, Big Man. You always were the observant one," Shiver replied as she poured herself some more tea. "Please, drink. Your tea is getting cold."

"But you can't retire!" Frye yelled, throwing herself over the table and meeting Shiver nose to nose. "W-what about Deep Cut! What about the NSS! What about Alterna?! Are you going to throw it all away just like that?!"

"Oh, Frye. You and your adorable over-exaggerations. I'm not throwing away anything," replied Shiver. "We can still be friends. Deep Cut will still exist with you two and you can continue helping the NSS. As for me, it's probably for the best if I leave the public eye to hide away in my home and live the rest of my life as a reclusive hermit up in the hills, never to show my face to the world ever again."

Frazzled as she was, Frye couldn't help but roll her eyes at Shiver's melodrama. She slid off the table and over to Shiver, grabbing her by the shoulders as she spoke, "But we need you!"

"No, you don't. I'll only be a burden to everyone. Besides, I've already chosen a suitable replacement job to make up for my time in self imposed exile." Shiver slipped out of Frye's grip by shifting into her octopus form and slinked into the hallway where she quickly returned with a handful of worn journals and a handmade wooden diorama. "I'm going to pursue my dreams of being an amateur novelist!"

Frye gave her a look like she was crazy. Well, crazier than she was now. "...Since when was that your dream?!"

"Since last night," Shiver replied a matter o'factly. "I mean, let's be real, Frye. What was I thinking? I'm not cut out to be an idol, or even a bandit. It's a cutthroat business and I'm just not fit for the job. My true calling is writing stirring tales and flights of fancies for all to read and enjoy. And I've already gotten the easy part down: being an eccentric recluse. Because as we all know, every successful author is an eccentric recluse who lives on the fringes of society."

Frye raised a hand to argue, but slowly set it down when she realized Shiver had a good point. "Be that as it may, is there anything we can do to change your mind?"

"I'm sorry, Frye. This is my life now," Shiver sighed. "But don't worry, when the book comes out you should be glad to know that I can get you both an autographed copy of my first bestseller," she held one of the journals and pressed it into Frye's hands, "Quiver: The Clown Girl! A riveting tale of a disgraced Octoling girl finding a home, family and even love in the circus! It has action, drama, romance, everything a young reader could want in a story!"

Frye and Big Man both gulped at the synopsis as Marina's words echoed in their heads.

"Most Octarians in her position would've exiled themselves into the wilderness where they live out the rest of their disgraced lives in solitude as a mad hermit, or barring that, join the circus and become a carny."

"Ah, I see you're both speechless. I don't blame you, it's a certified page turner to be sure," Shiver continued, interpreting Frye and Big Man's stunned silence as awe for her work. "I spent all night writing it. It's almost finished, if you can believe it. I was just so inspired that I couldn't stop writing, couldn't sleep. I needed to see my vision come to life. So much so that I even found time to make a diorama of the climax!"

Shiver gestured to the wooden diorama on the table. It looked to be entirely scratch built, either painstakingly carved from firewood or glued together using a random assortment of toothpicks and popsicle diorama depicted a circus ring with a packed crowd overseeing a small wooden figure in the center that looked suspiciously like Shiver if she were purple instead of blue.

All things considered it was a great looking piece for something made in a single night.

"Can you see it?" Shiver queried, picking up the figure and holding it in front of Frye's face. "See how the crowd laughs at Quiver and her clownish antics? See how she makes them weep tears of joy? After all, it's only natural for a clown like her to be laughed at, right? Right?!"

"...Shiver, you're starting to scare me," Frye stated bluntly,

"Ay? (Starting to?)" Big Man gave Frye an incredulous look.

"Okay, you're clearly exhausted from everything that's happened in the last twenty four hours and need to decompress," said Fye, slowly pulling the figure away from her face. "Why don't you settle down and let us take care of you for a bit."

"But I need to finish my story," Shiver pouted.

"That can wait," Frye soothed. "After all, an aspiring novelist needs a break every now and then, wouldn't you say?"

"...I suppose," Shiver conceded. "But after that I'm going straight back to writing."

"Er, how about we put that plan on the back burner for now. Because, um, you see, the market for novels targeted to tweens and young adults is, uh..." Frye knitted her brow and really dug through her mind to come up with a plausible excuse to nip Shiver's novelist dream in the bud. "Going through a recession? Yeah, that sounds right. It's in a recession. Everything is going down the tubes, it's a nightmare for writers right now." Nailed it, she thought to herself.

"Really? That doesn't sound right," Shiver looked bemused.

"Ay, ay. (Try not to think too hard about it.)" Big Man backed up Frye's outlandish claims. "Ay, ay? (Hey, is anyone else feeling peckish?) Ay, ay. (All this talk is making me hungry.)" He reached into his bag and started to pull out some snacks. "Ay, ay! (You know what would go great with this tea? Some fruit!) Ay, ay- (And we just so happen to be carrying some banan-"

"Ah! Hssssh!" Shiver suddenly hissed. Her deranged composure shattered as her sclera flashed dark purple for a brief moment. She swatted the fruit out of his fins, causing it to thump along the table. "Keep that away from me!" She cried before shifting into her octopus form and slithering beneath the chabudai, clutching her head fearfully with her tentacles. Frye and Big Man looked under the table, watching Shiver concernedly before facing each other.

"I told you we should've gotten honeydew," Frye admonished.

"Ay, ay! (You always pick honeydew, I wanted to pick out the fruit this time!)" Big Man retorted. "Ay, ay! (Banana's are great! They're delicious and high in potassium!)

"Hold on," Frye wrinkled her nose. "Why are you terrified of bananas, Shiver?"

"Because, they remind me of him!" Shiver cried, trembling underneath the table.

"Ay? (Who?)" asked Big Man.

"Tres!"

"Ay? (Really?)" Big Man raised a brow in confusion. He looked down at the banana bunch on the table and squinted. He stared at them for a good minute, straining hard enough to make his face purple before letting out a breath and relaxing himself. Nope, he couldn't see the resemblance. "Ay, ay. (I don't see it.)"

Frye rolled her eyes and flipped the bananas over. Big Man's eyes lit up in astonishment as the realization dawned on him. The upturned banana bunch looked remarkably similar to Tres's tentacle color and style. He could see why Shiver would be traumatized by the mere sight of them.

"Ay! Ay, ay. (Oh! I see it now. Heh heh, clever.) Ay, ay. Ay! (I guess we should call him banana bread from now on. Heyo!) Ay, ay, ay. (Ooh, that's a good one. I should write it down.)" Big Man quipped before reaching into his bag and pulling out some more snacks. "Ay, ay. (Well, if bananas aren't your speed we've also got some rice crackers.) Ay, ay. (In hindsight, I probably should've brought these out first.)

Frye sighed and rubbed at her temples. Clearly, taking care of Shiver was going to take a bit of patience. So long as they help her avoid any more nonsense about isolation or clowns, the latter especially, they should be able to deal with everything else she throws at them.

Hopefully.

"I hope the others are making better progress than we are," she thought aloud as she reached down to pull Shiver out from underneath the table.

A/N: Some clarification on Splatlandian terminology and slang

Gyuppie - Portmanteau of the words guppy and yuppie. Slang for young urban professional, used informally and at times even as a derogatory when describing city folks, generally the fashion forward and/or financially successful types.

Inkos - Slang used to refer to people who live in Inkopolis. Used informally and sometimes as a derogatory.