The end of the school day was fast approaching, and the anticipation to play with her toys and see Lady Squall again only grew. If she could, she would leave and run back to the orphanage. Her peers were right–school really could be boring sometimes.

Mrs. Watasenia closed her book and shut her eyes. "That's all for today. Once the bell rings, you're dismissed."

Tori started flapping her hands, a smile growing on her face. Finally!

Julia elbowed her. "Can you stop?" she whispered.

She lowered her hands, her smile quickly disappearing. "Sorry." It was a word she had long gotten used to saying.

Tori glanced up at the clock. It was only a little while longer now. Then, she could finally go home.

Even though she had been expecting it, the sound of the bell still blared against her eardrums. Mrs. Watasenia let out a sigh and leaned back into her chair, rubbing her eyes as the kids all rushed to grab their backpacks and head outside. Tori was among the last to grab their backpacks. She always was. Everyone else was just faster than her.

As Tori ran into the hallway, pushing past other students, a thought suddenly crossed her mind. Did she put her folder in her backpack? In a panic, she pressed against the wall and shook the backpack off, sitting it upright and pulling the zipper open.

Tori reached into the bag, and the terrifying realization hit her at once. She was right–she really had forgotten her folder. Without it, she couldn't do her homework, and then Mrs. Watasenia would be very disappointed. She had to go back and get it!

She ran back the way she came, and to her horror, the door to the classroom was already locked. Tori pulled on the doorknob, desperate, but it wouldn't budge. So, she had to resort to banging on the door.

"Mrs. Watasenia!" she begged in-between bangs. "Open the door!"

There was still no answer. She kept banging, her face flushed with tears. Mrs. Watasenia had to answer! Or else she would miss the bus!

"Mrs. Wata-tasenia!" She began to wonder if she was even in there. "Please!"

A few more seconds passed, and Tori stopped, slumping down on the ground. Maybe she really was gone. But she didn't see her leave. So where was she?

Tori sobbed, her energy drained. Her folder was still in there, and she couldn't get it. Which meant she couldn't do her homework. If only she hadn't been so eager to leave. Then she would've noticed her folder was missing and got it before she left. But she didn't.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and Tori craned her head up. Mrs. Watasenia stood in the doorway, rubbing the dark bags underneath her eyes.

"What's with the ruckus?" she asked.

Tori babbled some words before shaking her head and holding out her backpack.

"What?" Her teacher raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a mind-reader, y'know."

Dismayed, she tried to run past her and into the classroom. Mrs. Watasenia stepped in front of her before she could, and she bumped into her and fell backwards, looking up at her with a quivering lip.

She rested a hand on her forehead. "Use your words, Tori."

Her voice had grown more serious, so Tori attempted to form a word. Alas, she could not. She tried pointing past her, hoping she would finally understand.

Her teacher's expression only grew more weary. "C'mon, I know you can speak. I don't have all day."

Frustration started to bubble to the surface as Tori pointed past her again, insistent. Why won't she understand?

Finally, she let out a sigh. "I dunno what you want in the classroom, but make it quick, okay?"

Tori finally managed a smile, silently thanking Mrs. Watasenia as she slipped past. The lights had been turned off, only faint rays of sunlight filtering in through the window. Despite the darkness, she could still see the outline of her folder, light bouncing off of its red sheen as it sat on the counter. Delighted, she ran over to it and put it in her backpack.

Now that she had her folder, she could go back to the orphanage. Without another word, she ran back out of the classroom, barely registering Mrs. Watasenia's calls as she dashed down the hallway, determined to make it outside as fast as possible. She bet the buses were about to leave–she had to get there before they did!

Bursting out of the front door, she blindly ran down the steps and came to a stop just before the road. Taking a chance to catch her breath, she lifted her head and focused on the area just in front of her.

Nothing. There was nothing but the row of buildings on the other side of the street.

At once, her frustration spilled forth.

Tori fell to her knees. She missed the bus. "No!" She pounded her fists on the ground. "No, no, no, no, no, no…!"

The single word soon turned into incomprehensible screams, then into choked sobs. She missed the bus, and it was all because she forgot her folder and went back to get it. It was all her fault.

Eventually, she looked back at the school. The doors were closed, so she couldn't go back in. She looked up at the sky. The clouds seemed too bright, so she had to look away. She looked around her. The streets seemed to go on forever, so she couldn't see their end.

Her only option was to walk home herself. She's been on the bus so many times that she knew the way home by now. Wiping away her tears, she got up and started walking, the weight of her backpack an ever-present reminder of her current circumstances.

She never realized how noisy the city could be. No matter where she went, she could hear people talking, cars rumbling, and birds chirping. A horn blaring was enough to make Tori start crying again, covering her ears as everything else began to overwhelm her. All the sights, all the people walking around her, all the offensive smells… Perhaps more than anything else, all she wanted to do was go home. Yet only she could bring herself home.

"Hey!"

She registered someone walking in front of her. When she looked up from where she cowered, she met the deep blue eyes of a broad-shouldered inkling who could change forms. His blue hair was cropped short, a thick scar reaching into his scalp from his eyebrow. White wrappings covered his torso, a black jacket tied to his waist.

Most notably, though, was the deep red stripes running down his arm, glowing against his sun-kissed skin. Symbols a gang member would have.

Tori yelped and crawled back, her body shaking. What was he doing? Was he going to take her away to a place she would never return from?

"Hey!" The man stepped forward. "Don't run away!"

Tori looked around. She knew she should run, but her body was frozen in place, overloaded in every way. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block everything out. But all the sounds only became louder, and the acrid smell of the road only became more intense. The man's footsteps were like roaring drums, growing closer and closer.

So, she did the only thing she could do.

Scream.

She wanted to leave. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see Lady Squall again. But no matter how much she screamed, no one came. The man was going to take her away, all because she went back to grab her folder from school.

Someone grabbed her hand, and she shook them away, stumbling forward in a retreat. She didn't get far before she landed face-first into the pavement, rough concrete rubbing against her smooth skin. She started screaming again, her throat starting to itch from overuse. She wanted someone to help her, but no one came.

"Otis! There you are!"

Another set of footsteps rushed towards her. Then, someone propped her up, forcing her to look at the newcomers. She blinked tears away from her eyes, the image in front of her becoming clearer.

An octoling with the same blue hair and red stripes stood in front of her, though these stripes went all the way up to his neck. Two scars on his bare chest were painted the same red color, contrasting his pale skin. One eye scrutinized her, the other covered by his hair. She covered her face and tried to scream again, her voice weaker than before.

"Did you scare her?" he said. It didn't seem like he was talking to her.

The other man sighed. "I guess so." He stepped closer to her. "Hey, open your eyes."

She shook her head. Why would she listen to him?

"It's going to rain any minute now," the octoling pointed out. "Better hurry."

Tori brought her hands down. It was going to rain? Then she had to get out of here! She looked around before dashing towards the street, only for an inkling to step out from behind the octoling and block her way. She bumped into her legs, and Tori fell back to see the inkling sneering at her.

"You're not going anywhere," she declared. Her top was clearly part of a school uniform, though the sleeves had been hastily cut off to reveal the same tattoos as the boys.

She's seen them all before, she realized. They were one of the gangs battling on the streets when they went to see the eel dance last summer. She knew gangs were violent and attacked anyone they saw. But they weren't attacking her.

Looking at them now, she realized they were all wearing parts of school uniforms. Maybe they were just doing the same thing Pacifica did when she was a teenager: dangerous turf wars.

Tori looked down at the ground, growing tired from all the crying and screaming. Was she going to be stuck with them? She wished Lady Squall or one of the helpers would show up and take her home. Then she wouldn't be stuck with them.

"Boss, shouldn't we introduce ourselves?" said another voice. An octoling with his hair curled into a pompadour hovered over their supposed leader.

"Not until we get shelter." He lifted his head and looked towards the sky. "Those clouds look pretty dark."

So she really was going to be stuck with them. She hoped they wouldn't try to take her away forever. They would probably make her join the gang then. She had to escape as soon as she could.

Though, with the rain, she didn't have anywhere else to go, so she decided to follow them. She was sandwiched in between the octoling's lackeys as he led the way, slinking into a narrow alleyway. A weird smell wafted from a trash can, but she had no time to investigate as they heaved her over boxes and bins. At the top of the pile, they shoved her through a small window, into a tiny room with little space to breathe. Tori bit down hard on her braids as they shut the window and huddled around a wooden table in the center of the room.

As rain began to pound the land, a smile came across the octoling's lips. "Are we all here?"

"Yeah," the female inkling said, turning the lantern on to illuminate her tawny face.

"Great, then you start." The octoling flashed sharp white teeth.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes. "Kira's my name."

"And mine's Ted," followed the other octoling that accompanied their leader earlier. "It's not short for anything, it's just Ted."

The first inkling she met crossed his arms. "My name's Otis." He looked away, blushing. "...Sorry for earlier."

Tori didn't know if she forgave him, but she nodded her head to accept his apology, as that was the polite thing to do. She turned her head to the lead octoling, expectant.

"You can call me Schurk," the leader finished. "I'm not a boy, by the way. Nor a girl."

Tori tilted her head, confused. Not a boy nor a girl? Then what would Schurk be, then?

"They're a they," Kira whispered. "Their gender's not important. Only their capability to be a leader."

Tori stared back at Schurk. Capability to be a leader… Was that what's most important to a gang? She knew she shouldn't be learning about them, but maybe this way she could understand why Lady Squall wanted nothing to do with them.

Something cold nudged Tori, and she shrank away to find a small shark staring up at her, its mouth hanging open as it sniffed the little inkling. The same red stripes present on the gang members were painted on its back.

"Oh, that's just Kappa," Schurk said. "She's mine."

Tori took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. A question had sprung to the tip of her tongue, and now all she had to do was say it. "Why…"

Of course, she faltered. She wanted to go home.

"So you can speak," Kira muttered.

"To answer your question," Ted began, "Schurk's part of the Hohojiro Clan."

Schurk sighed. "I don't deserve their name."

That got Tori's attention. She slammed her hands down on the table, shooting straight up. "Why?" They were part of the Hohojiro Clan! One of the three great clans of the Splatlands! Anyone would be lucky to be born into one of them!

"I can't tame a single shark bigger than Kappa," they replied, leaning forward with a hand on their forehead. "Compared to the rest of my family, I'm a disappointment."

"But you still have us," Ted remarked, smiling. "We're all outcasts; that's why we came together in the first place."

Outcasts… She saw that word in a book the other day–it was for people who did not belong. With whatever was wrong with Tori, she was an outcast, too. But that wasn't entirely true–she belonged at the orphanage. Lady Squall and the helpers all took care of her. They might not be parents, but they still gave her a place to call home.

Otis rested his head on the table, his ears starting to droop. "Y'know, why were you out by yourself? You're what, five?"

"Six," Tori corrected. In about a month and a half, she would be seven.

"Still really young," he pointed out.

"Well?" Kira leaned towards her. "Care to answer Otey's question?"

"Um…" Tori looked over at him. She thought he was super scary at first, and she still thinks he's a little scary. Now, though, she knew he wasn't going to hurt her. Taking a deep breath, she strung together her answer. "I missed the bus."

"And you didn't stay at school?" Ted's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "Your parents must be worried sick!"

"I'm an orphan."

"Ah, w-well, then the people at the orphanage!"

Tori looked down at herself. Would Lady Squall really have come to pick her up if she had just stayed at the school? Was everyone looking for her now? She wished she could let them know she was okay, but that was impossible. If only she had a cellphone…

"Hey, don't feel bad," Schurk assured her, putting their arm over Kappa as she wiggled towards them. "Once the storm passes, we'll take you back."

"So, what orphanage do you live in?" Kira asked.

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop to think. "Squall Orphanage."

"Squall…" Otis repeated. "I've heard of that place."

"Yeah," Schurk agreed. "My mom doesn't like it."

Tori frowned. "Why not?" What was so bad about it?

They shrugged. "I dunno. She just doesn't like it."

She remained silent, instead lowering her head. She should've expected as much. She was with a gang right now, and they couldn't even begin to understand the concept of Order. They would forever be lost to Chaos.

But this gang was pretty nice. One of them was even part of the Hohojiro Clan!

…Lady Squall would just call her lucky. All the gangs she spoke of sounded much, much worse than this gang. If she was with one of those gangs, she would truly be lost forever.

As the rain continued to pour down, Tori crawled over to the window and pressed her face up against the glass. Though her view was limited, she could still see the drops of water rolling off clotheslines and pooling inside trash cans. It's been a long time since it rained this much in Splatsville. She wished it would stop, so she could go home.

Ted smacked his lips, bringing Tori's attention to him. "Hey, we should play a game."

"Like what?" Otis asked. "I didn't bring anything we could play with."

"Good thing I always carry cards." He removed a deck from his pocket, placing it on the table. "There's a ton of games we could play."

Schurk studied the deck of cards for a few moments and lifted their head. "Hey, Squalling. Wanna play?"

Tori brought her hands together. "Play what?"

"Hm, go fish." They removed a card from the deck and held it up. "You've played go fish before, right?"

She frowned. Go fish? "But there's no fish here."

"So no?" Schurk set the card down. "I'm surprised. It's a classic."

"Go fish is the name of the game," Kira explained. "Everyone starts with five cards, and you have to ask other people for cards matching the cards in your hand. If they have the card you asked for, they have to give it to you. If they don't, they say, 'go fish,' and you have to pick up a card from the pile. Once you get four of the same card, you have to set them down. Whoever has the most groups of four wins."

"Okay." Tori scooted over to where she had been sitting before. "I'm ready."

"What does the winner do?" Ted asked.

"Hm…" Schurk tapped a finger on the table, lost in thought. Then, they snapped their fingers. "Winner gets to pick what we eat tonight."

"What?!" Otis planted his face into the table. "That's nothing!"

"There's a kid here; what else am I supposed to say?" they snapped. Hearing their harsh words, Tori brought her knees to her chest, putting her braid in her mouth again. She heard the Hohojiro Clan can be scary; she'd never thought she'd actually see it.

Kira glanced over at her and snorted out a laugh. "What are you doing?"

Tori quickly crossed her legs, grabbing her braids and pulling down on them. She was doing something wrong again, wasn't she? Even a member of this gang yelled at her for doing that. Could she not move around in front of anyone?

She frowned. "You didn't have to stop."

Tori let go of her braids, hunched over the table. Then which was it?

Ted grabbed the deck of cards and shuffled it before handing them out to each person at the table. After he set the remaining cards down, she watched the teenagers pick their cards up, holding them in front of their faces. Tori did the same thing, studying the cards in her hand.

Kira fanned the cards in her hand. "You're up first, Boss."

"Alright." A red eye looked between the cards and the people in front of them. Settling their gaze on the other end of the table, they asked, "Otis, you have any fives?"

Tori's expression brightened. "I have a five!" she blurted out.

"I was asking Otis, not you." At Schurk's words, she deflated, setting the cards down. Of course, it was a game. She had to wait her turn.

Otis, meanwhile, shook his head. "Go fish."

Schurk took a card from the table and glanced over at Kira. "Your turn."

Kira's golden gaze landed on Tori, a smile growing beneath the cover of her cards. "May I have that five, Squalling?"

A sound of disbelief escaped her throat. She only knew she had a five because she said so! How was that fair? But she knew not to talk back, so she removed the five from her hand and handed it over to Kira.

Kira's gaze fell back to Schurk. "And may I have your five as well?"

They pulled the card out, holding it between their fingers. "I knew you would ask that."

She took the card from them and added it to her hand, before everyone's eyes finally settled on Ted. "So, do you have any fives?" Kira ended up asking.

The octoling could barely hold back his smile. "Nope. Go fish."

She sighed as she took the card off the pile, shaking her head. "Your turn, Squalling."

"My name's Tori."

"Well, I like Squalling better." She glanced at her friends. "You guys agree, right?"

"Yeah." Schurk nodded. "You're from the Squall Orphanage, so you're a Squalling. It's as simple as that."

Tori didn't argue, returning her attention to the cards in her hand. She had four cards left, and two of them had the number three on it. Taking in mind the questions everyone else asked, she turned to Kira and said, "Do you have any threes?"

"Why, I do." She pulled a card out and handed it to Tori. "Now you get to go again."

Tori put the new card with the rest of her cards. She had three threes now, and she needed one more. But who could possibly have the last three? She didn't know who to pick, so she decided to pick at random. She stuck her arm out and swung it around for a few seconds. When it stopped, she was pointing straight at Otis.

"Do you have any threes?" she asked again.

Kira put down her cards and rubbed her shoulder. "Maybe not do that next time."

Tori looked over at her. Did she hit her? "Sorry."

Schurk snickered. "You're one odd squid, Squalling. Even compared to all my sister's nonsense."

She blinked. Odd? Is that how people saw her? Did they know something was wrong with her? But the gang was still playing a game with her. Or was it only because they had nowhere else to go?

Tori took a deep breath, straining to hear the rain. It had slowed down some now, what was once a maelstrom becoming a steady drizzle. Soon, it would go away, allowing her to take to the streets once more and finally go home. She only had to wait a little longer.

"Uh, Squalling?" Otis's voice started, returning her attention to the group surrounding her. "I don't have any threes."

She sighed. "Go fish." She grabbed the card off the pile and turned it around to look at it.

…It was a three. Now, she held four threes in her hand.

Tori's smile returned, flapping her arms as she grabbed all the threes and set them down in front of her. She got all four threes! That meant she was in the lead! The teenagers leaned over to see what she had just put down, and Schurk began to clap.

"Already!" they exclaimed. "You're really lucky, Squalling!"

"Yeah," Ted agreed. "Guess you know what they say: all good things come in threes." Tori wasn't sure what he meant, but she assumed it was a good thing.

Otis spoke next. "My turn. Any aces, Kira?"

As Kira handed over a card, Tori wondered out loud, "What's an ace?"

"What?" He blinked. "I can't hear you."

Tori frowned. "What's an ace?" she repeated, practically yelling. She didn't want to repeat herself again.

"Not that loud!" Otis cried. His face wrinkled as he groaned. "Well, ace means one." He turned over the card he just got from Kira, revealing a picture of a single heart. "See?"

"Oh."

"There's also jacks, queens, and kings," Ted added. "Jacks have a J on them, queens have a Q on them, and kings have a K on them."

"Okay." She had a jack in her hand. She didn't want someone to steal it like last time, so she thinned her lips in an effort to keep her mouth shut.

"Speaking of kings," Otis muttered, sky blue eyes glancing over at Schurk. "Do you have any kings?"

"Right I do." They handed him another card. "Not getting aces anymore?"

"I do what I want." He set down the cards and crossed his arms. "...Do you have aces too?"

"No. I was just saying. Go fish, by the way."

"Dammit." He picked up another card from the pile. Tori gasped. That was a bad word, wasn't it? If they were back at the orphanage, he would've been yelled at. But they weren't, and no one did anything.

No one said anything either, continuing on with their card game. "Have any tens, Squalling?" Ted asked. Tori shook her head, so he picked up another card from the pile.

They did the same thing over and over again, until there were no cards left on the table. Tori had managed to make another group of four, but Schurk and Ted had two groups of four, too. Kira even had three groups of four! Otis was the least fortunate of them all, not having a single group of four.

But the game wasn't over yet.

Kira sighed as she gave her final card to Schurk. "I'm out."

"That means after I go, you will, Squalling," Schurk explained. "That being said, what's your call?"

Tori looked back at her hands. If she could get a few more cards, she could make a few more groups. She studied the group for a few moments before settling on Ted. "Do you have any eights?"

"Yeah." He huffed as he handed over three cards. "So close…"

Tori beamed as she set down her latest group of four. She was tied with Kira now. If she could get one more group of four, then she could win! She started to flap her hands at the thought, but once she realized what she was doing, she quickly forced them down.

"Do you have any twos?" she then asked Otis.

"Go fish."

She pouted. She bet someone with a two would steal her twos now. She had two of them, and if Otis didn't have any, then Ted and Schurk did. And then it would be a three-way tie.

Nonetheless, it was Otis's turn. "Do you have any queens, Squalling?"

She handed her queen over, and Otis set his cards down on the table, pumping a fist. "Finally got one."

"Just me, Ted, and the Squalling now," Schurk mused. "Who will win?"

Ted and Schurk exchanged glances, the former nodding and focusing his gaze on Tori. "Any sixes, Squalling?"

"Go fish."

Their gazes turned to Schurk. "Do you have any twos, Ted?"

"Nah, go fish."

Tori blinked. Was she actually going to win? Ted had the sixes, and Schurk had the twos. All she had to do was ask and take them from them.

Now that it was her turn, Tori sat up and took a deep breath. She knew exactly what to say. All she had to do was say it.

"Do you have any sixes, Ted?"

Ted handed his cards over. "Right I do."

She grouped the sixes together and set them down on the table. "Do you have any twos, Schurk?"

They held out their cards. "Guess you're the winner."

Otis snorted. "'Cause you let her win."

"Doesn't matter," Kira said. "She won."

A smile crept up Tori's face. Yeah, she did win.

And that felt good.

The room went silent, with not even the rain pattering on the ground, and everyone's eyes went to Tori. Despite winning, she couldn't help but squirm with all the gazes locked onto her. She wasn't used to this much attention.

"So, what are we eating tonight, Squalling?" Ted asked.

Naturally, there was only one answer Tori could possibly give. "Fish stew."

"Fish stew?" Otis's ears drooped. "Really?"

Schurk raised their hand behind their head. "I guess that's what they serve at Squall Orphanage."

"They…serve more food than fish stew," she slowly explained. "...But I like fish stew."

"Well, there's a lot you can do to make fish stew better," Ted pointed out. "You could use different kinds of fish, use a different broth, or add a bunch of spices." He laughed. "Sounds right up Shiver's alley, isn't that right?"

Tori frowned. Shiver? Alley? What did he mean? Was there spicy fish stew in Shiver's alley? But she didn't know a place called Shiver's alley. Or anyone named Shiver.

"I think she'd prefer something different," Schurk replied. Everyone laughed, everyone except Tori. She didn't understand.

"You think it stopped raining?" Otis brought up, his stomach rumbling. "I'm getting hungry."

Kira crawled over to the window and creaked it open, sticking her hand out. After a few seconds, she retracted it and looked back at the group. "Looks like it stopped."

"Booyah." Schurk crawled over to join Kira, peering through the window. "Looks like you're right."

They beckoned the rest of the group over, and one-by-one, they crawled outside, tumbling down the wet boxes and bins. Sunlight peeked through the clouds, the warm rays hitting Tori's skin at last. To her, it was a sign she would finally get to go home.

Kappa crawled out of the window, too, plopping into Schurk's hands as she fell down. She nuzzled her snout into Schurk's chest for a few moments before they set her down on the ground, letting her slide on ahead. She crawled out of the alleyway, and the rest of the group followed.

Schurk eventually took the lead, and Tori tried her best to ignore the rest of the sights and sounds of the city by focusing only on them. Yet she could still hear all the cars running and all the people talking. Her arms started to swing longer and wider, the motion proving to be an apt distraction from everything else going on. She could let her excitement drown out her discomfort.

The sights became more familiar, and Tori ran ahead, ignoring Schurk's pleas to slow down. Kappa sounded a pitiful roar and tried to chase after her, though for once, Tori was faster. By the time she saw the Squall Orphanage at last, she raced towards the steps, hopping and waving her hands around as she turned around to face Schurk and their friends once more.

Schurk took Otis's jacket and put it on, though it appeared big on their lithe frame. They stepped forward and shooed Kappa away, leaving them alone with Tori. If not for the red stripes peeking out from beneath the collar, they almost looked like an ordinary high school student. Almost.

Tori looked back at where they had arrived from. Why weren't the others coming? She was about to ask when it hit her.

They were a gang. How could she have forgotten? Lady Squall would be furious if she found out.

Schurk rang the doorbell, and a few moments later, the door opened to reveal none other than Lady Squall. Surprise flashed on the older inkling's face as Tori tackled her leg into a hug. Above all else, she was happy to see her again.

Lady Squall waved her arm and looked at Schurk. "Thank you for bringing Tori home, young octopus," she said after a few seconds. "We at Squall Orphanage deeply appreciate it."

"No prob," Schurk replied, putting a hand on their hip.

"You should be going home now," she suggested. "It's getting late."

"That's what I was planning." They started walking away, saluting a goodbye. "See you later."

"Bye!" Tori chirped as they walked back onto the streets, together with Kappa.

Then, Lady Squall ushered her in and closed the door, her cordial expression quickly twisting into anger. With the change in atmosphere, Tori stepped back, grabbed a hold of her braids. She was in trouble–she knew it.

"What were you thinking?" she hissed, her voice low enough so only Tori could hear. "Do you know how much of a headache you caused all of us?"

Tori dropped her braids, plopping on the ground as tears formed in the corner of her eyes. "S-sorry."

"I assume you ate while you were on your little adventure, so you don't need to eat dinner." Tori made a sound of protest as she turned her back towards her, walking past the reception and down the hall.

Lady Squall paused, looking back at the little inkling. "Don't do that again. Do you understand?"

"I…" She lost the strength to muster anymore words. Not in the face of her punishment.

Lady Squall didn't press any further, leaving Tori to her lonesome once more.

A/N: Here's a fun fact: every three chapters, I introduced someone part of one of the three clans Deep Cut is part of. Chapter 3 brought Principal Mobula, a member of the Manta Clan. Chapter 6 brought Mr. Onaga, the head of the Onaga Clan, and Unagi and Kusia, also members of the Onaga Clan. And now Chapter 9 brings Schurk, a member of the Hohojiro Clan. Their order of introduction is reversed to how Splatoon 3 Splatfests are presented-instead of Shiver, Frye, and Big Man, it would be Big Man, Frye, and Shiver. It doesn't mean much going forth, but I still wanted to point it out!

Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed Schurk and their gang. They'll definitely show up again in the future, though it might be a while until then. Well, stay tuned for the next chapter, and Branchwing, out!