The park near Squall Orphanage was not a particularly big park. It was more so a giant patch of grass in the middle of busy streets, decorated with trees and cobblestone paths. A bronze manta ray statue sat in the very center, surrounded by benches.

When Tori was younger, she really liked the park, as it was one of the few places outside of the orphanage she could go to, but in retrospect, it wasn't much different from the school playground. There were a few things different, like the trees planted there and the stuff she often found lying around, but otherwise, it was largely the same.

Miss Ella wasn't keeping a particularly close eye on her today, so Tori decided to go around and gather sticks to build a tower with. She couldn't take it back to the orphanage, but she still hoped it would still be there the next time she went to the park. It never was, but she could still hope.

In one corner of the park, though, was something new. Sticking out of the middle of a grassy patch was a fishing rod, a whole squid fin lemon attached to its hook. A tangy scent wafted from it, juice trickling down from where it had been punctured. It was irresistible, yet not a single soul was in sight.

Not a single soul except Tori, that was. She walked up to the fishing rod and set her sticks down, studying the lemon. A bruise bloomed on the yellow skin, but it didn't look sick otherwise. She knew a fishing rod was meant to catch things that lived in the ocean, but why was one out here, in the middle of the park? Why was it using a lemon as bait?

Tori wiped the juice off and stuck it into her mouth. She immediately regretted it, puckering her lips from the sour taste. She liked juice, but not sour juice.

Nonetheless, she figured she could use the lemon for something. She grabbed the lemon and pulled it out, the hook keeping a chunk of its flesh. Staring at it again, she began to formulate an idea of what exactly she could do with it.

"HEY!"

Tori whipped her head around to the bushes. A sea anemone with pink-tipped tentacles tied into short pigtails emerged from a shrub, waving her arms around. "That's not yours!"

She frowned, holding out the lemon. "Sorry…"

The sea anemone walked up to her and swiped the lemon out of her hand, placing her other hand on her hip. "This is for my symbiont, not you."

Tori tilted her head. "Sym…bi…what?"

"Symbiont! It's for the fish that'll eventually live on my head!"

Her eyes went up to the girl's head. She was right; she didn't have a fish on her head. Come to think of it, she didn't know how a fish came to live on a sea anemone's head in the first place. Did it involve catching them with a fishing rod, like they did with fish in the sea?

"Squids can't be symbionts," she continued. "They're too big. Even the babies."

Tori blinked, feeling the awkwardness settle in. "Can I help you?"

The girl's eyes lit up. "You really want to help me?"

She nodded. "How can I help you?"

"Yes!" The sea anemone skipped over to the fishing rod and put the lemon back on. "I've been sitting here for forever, but nobody came. So maybe I can try a different food!" She placed a finger between Tori's eyes. "That's what you can do!"

She took a step back. "What…do fish like to eat?"

"I looked it up online. They'll eat just about anything. I had a lemon at home, so I brought it here, because it's my favorite food."

Tori paused, thinking. "...I think I saw someone selling food around here."

"Really? Where?"

"Follow me."

As Tori began to walk away, the sea anemone cried, "But what if a fish comes while we're gone?"

"I don't know." She continued walking, hopping onto the stone path in hopes of finding what they were looking for.

The sea anemone soon caught up to her. "So, what's your name?"

It took a few seconds for her to process the question. "Tori."

"Tori? Like a torii gate?"

The red things? "I…guess."

"Well, my name's Elle. Nice to meet you!"

The inkling stopped. "Elle? Like Miss Ella?"

She frowned. "I don't know who that is."

"She's one of the helpers at the orphanage. She's really nice."

Elle still stared at her, those pink eyes piercing. "You're an orphan?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I have been as long as I can remember."

"Wow… I guess I know why you tried to take my lemon now."

Tori started walking again. Was being an orphan what was wrong with her? But none of the other kids at the orphanage act like she does. She didn't think that was right, but she didn't think she could convince Elle otherwise.

As soon as she spotted a food stall, Tori rushed towards it, her little legs moving as fast as they could. Elle trailed not far behind, and upon reaching the stall, Tori grabbed the counter and stood on the tip of her toes, trying to see what lied within.

A gangly-looking barracuda with seared arms picked at his teeth, unaware of the children's presence. Next to him was a grill, skewered meat roasting over a flame. Finished kebabs were out on display, a smoky char covering each cube. Some were drizzled in sauce, some weren't. Tori didn't think she wanted to try one.

Elle rang the bell, and the barracuda's eyes trailed down to them. "Hey, little dudes," he greeted, shifting in his seat. "Want some mini shish kebabs?"

"I want one," the sea anemone said. "A big one!"

He rubbed the back of his head. "This for the both of ya?"

In a panic, Tori started to speak "W-we-"

"Yeah!" Elle exclaimed.

She stared at her, wide-eyed. She didn't want one too! But she shouldn't reject free food. After all, it was a symbol of community, like how everyone came together to build shrines for the three clans.

The barracuda only grabbed one kebab, fresh off the grill. "Ya want some sauce?"

Elle shook her head. "No!"

"Are ya sure? It'll make it tastier."

"I'm sure!" She took out some money and placed it on the counter. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome." He reached over to Elle, just barely being able to give her the kebab. With a crooked smile, he said, "Hope ya like it!"

Holding the kebab up in the air, she started walking back the way they came, with Tori not far behind. She eventually caught up to her, swinging her arms back and forth some distance away from the sea anemone.

A small laugh escaped Elle's lips. "Why do you walk like that?"

Tori struck her arms down, heat rushing to her cheeks. "I just do."

"Oh, okay." Her eyes trailed up the tower of meat. "I wish I could eat one, but it's for the symbiont, not me."

"T-that's really big for a fish, though." She had to let Elle believe everything was alright. She didn't know why; she just had to.

"My dad's fish can eat something as big as this. It'll be fine."

If her dad had a fish, then… "Why don't you ask your dad's fish?"

She stared at her, unimpressed. "Well one, he's my dad's symbiont, and two, he said he doesn't want kids."

She lowered her head. "Oh."

"Oh?!" Elle struck out her free hand. "Getting a symbiont is an anemone rite of passage! What do you mean 'oh?'"

"Sorry." Tori turned her head away. She didn't want to look at her anymore.

Silence filled the air, save the chirping of birds, as they walked down the stone path, the pungent smell of lemon growing stronger. They must be getting close, now. When the fishing rod eventually came into view, Tori didn't pick up the pace. Neither did Elle. After all, no fish had arrived since they left.

Eventually, Elle spoke up. "So you go to Ray Elementary School, right?"

Tori jumped, surprised by the sudden sound of her voice. "R-right."

"What grade are you gonna be in?"

She clenched her fists, steadying herself. "First."

"I'll be in second. That means you're younger than me!"

Knowing she was older than her didn't help her feel better. "What's…first grade…like?" The words came out of her mouth rather stilted. They didn't flow off her tongue like Elle's.

"Better than kindergarten!" Elle started to pick up her pace, the stick of meat wobbling. "My teacher was really nice! But I think you'll have a different teacher than me. Because you're an inkling."

She always wondered why she and the other inkfish were separated into their own class. According to Elle, it was solely because they were inkfish, and nothing more to it. She did feel more comfortable around other inkfish, but sometimes she wished she had a class with everyone else, too.

The fishing rod was only a few steps away now, so Tori charged ahead, spinning around to face the sea anemone as soon as she reached the rod. She grabbed the hooked lemon and directed her gaze towards Elle, awaiting further instruction. Or rather, she directed her gaze towards the kebab. The way the meat wobbled with every step was fascinating. And there was so much of it, too! She wished she had one now.

Elle walked around the patch of grass before shaking her head. "Looks like no fish came while we were gone."

"The lemon wasn't touched either," Tori agreed.

She turned to face her. "Take the lemon off. It's starting to go bad."

She took the lemon off and held it up to the air. "Really?" The bruise on its skin had grown, with hints of another one forming on the bottom.

"Yeah! Don't you smell it?"

She took a sniff of it. It smelled like a lemon. "No."

She huffed. "Your nose must not be working. It smells pretty strong, and that's a bad thing!"

"Really?" Was that really true?

"W-well, smell or not, it's been sitting outside for ages! So it's obviously bad by now!" She smacked her hand into her face. "No wonder no fish came!"

That didn't answer her question. "But-"

"No buts!" Elle put a hand on her hip. "We gotta put the kebab on there!"

Tori slumped, defeated. "...What do I do with the lemon?"

"Throw it away!"

She glanced at the lemon again before running over to the nearest trash can. She ran back to the sight of Elle trying to put the topmost slice of meat onto the hook. She opted to jab the hook through it, though once she slid it off of the skewer, the meat fell to the ground, much to Elle's dismay. Tori walked back up to the sea anemone, and she ended up giving the kebab to her.

Tori's eyes fell down to the fallen meat. It still looked edible. The fish wouldn't mind it. She crouched down, reaching for the meat.

"Hey!" Elle snapped. Tori froze at the sudden harshness of her voice. "Five second rule, remember? It's full of germs now!"

Tori stood up. "Sorry." She didn't get the point of that rule–food was still food, right? And if the floor had germs on it, then wouldn't they go to the lemon the moment it touched the floor? But if this was one of the hidden rules, then she might as well follow it.

Elle took the next slice of meat off and put it on the hook. It fell from her hand, letting it dangle in the air. It looked so good…but so did the rest of the kebab. If a fish didn't come before, they would now!

"What now?" Tori eventually asked.

"We wait." Elle ran over to the bush she first came out of and ducked inside. "Come on! You don't want the fish to see you, do you!"

Tori nodded and ran over to her. Though, there was still one problem. "What…do we do with the kebab?"

Elle stood up, a few leaves sticking to her head. "Oh yeah…" She took the kebab out of her hand. "I guess we can eat it."

"But you said-"

"I know, but maybe if the fish sees us eating this delicious food, they'll come over and be my symbiont!" She reached for the next slice of meat and ripped it off, stuffing it in her mouth. "Mm… So tasty."

Tori took off a slice of meat as well. Taking a bite out of it, she could taste the sweet, juicy flesh lying beneath its charred exterior. She ate the rest of it and took another one, gobbling it up just as fast as the first one. Before she knew it, there were only vegetables left on the skewer.

"What?" Elle gasped, eyes wide. "You ate that meat like it's nothing!" She dramatically threw her arms down. "And now there's no meat left… I don't even like peppers…"

She glanced at the kebab again. Was that what the vegetables were? Peppers were really spicy, but maybe being grilled tempered their heat? On second thought, she'd rather not try them. She wanted to be able to taste dinner tonight.

Elle straightened. "Maybe a fish would like peppers? We could put a mini kebab on the fishing rod!"

"Maybe." Tori started walking back to the fishing rod, prompting Elle to scramble after her. Elle proceeded to take a pepper off and squeezed it onto the hook. With such a delicious meal, no fish would be able to resist it.

Elle threw the rest of the peppers onto the ground and dragged Tori back in the bushes, where they waited, and waited, and waited. Tori hated all the twigs and leaves scratching her skin, but if she came out of the bushes now, it would jeopardize Elle's chances of gaining a symbiont.

But still, no fish came.

Tori couldn't take it anymore and burst out of the shrub, gasping as her skin could finally breathe. She stumbled to her knees, tears pricking her eyes. She knew she ruined Elle's chances of getting a symbiont, but had she stayed in there any longer, she would've completely broken down into a sobbing mess.

"Tori," Elle hissed. "Get back here!"

Tori shook her head. She doubted she could form a word right now.

In the corner of her eye, another sea anemone started to walk over to the patch of grass Elle had set up the fishing rod in. This sea anemone was much taller, but he had the same yellow-and-pink hair Elle did, falling in cascades as a clownfish darted among each tentacle. The off-white shirt and dress slacks he wore made Tori think he should be at the office, not the park.

The clownfish trailed down the man's arm and examined the mini kebab Elle had made, but he soon cringed away. Tori got to her feet and picked some of the leaves off, only for his eyes to meet hers. She turned away, looking back at the bush Elle hid in.

The man sighed. "Sweetheart, I know you're there."

Elle popped out of the bushes, frowning. "Aw…"

Tori took a deep breath, hoping her mouth would cooperate this time. "...Is that your dad?"

She must've not spoken loud enough because she ignored her and bounded out of the bushes, joining the man. "Daddy, I still don't have a symbiont! I've been trying all day!"

"You'll get one eventually." He patted her head. "Now, let's go home."

"Okay…" She lifted her head, pink eyes falling on Tori. "Bye, Tori."

She waved goodbye, and Elle tried to wave back, but her dad pushed her ahead, shooting a terrifying glare at Tori. Fear spiked through her veins, holding her hands close to her chest. Did she do something wrong? Did her dad not like her? Why?

The encounter was still on her mind as she walked back to the statue, where Miss Ella was surely waiting. It must be getting close to sunset now, and then she would have to go back to the orphanage. But all she could think about was Elle and her dad. Her adventure had ended just like that, and now, she wouldn't see her again. Not until school started, at least. She wanted to see Elle again.

If she wanted to see Elle again…was this what it was like to have a friend?

A/N: So I lied. I do have a new chapter for you today! Well, it's not exactly a lie; it just kind of happened. This chapter being on the shorter side helped. So, consider this a bonus! Well, the next chapter is definitely going to be a longer one, so now I'm certain that one won't come out until February. But we'll see what happens. Branchwing, out!