Tori didn't know why her class was so excited for Squidmas.
They said they would get presents from Father Squidmas, but the children of the orphanage didn't get anything. The adults put them up to other tasks instead. The older kids helped decorate the place and set up the Squidmas tree, while the younger kids around Tori's age were taught carols and went around Splatsville to spread the Squidmas magic.
Tori had been part of the choir once before. She didn't find it very fun. Especially since Miss Luna led it. Even though today was a practice day, she stiffened as she filled her spot in the choir. It was so crowded, but she had to do this for the sake of the Squall Orphanage. Supposedly, it would raise everyone's chance of getting adopted, and getting adopted was every orphan's dream.
The kid next to her flipped through the book he was given. "Are we going to sing the same thing over and over again?" he asked once Miss Luna took her place.
"There's three songs in there," she explained. "We'll be traveling around Splatsville and singing them wherever we go. It's so easy, even a jellyfish could do it."
"When will we start?" another kid asked.
"Now." Miss Luna brought her arms up. "Open your books up to page one, and on the count of three, begin. One, two, three…"
They started singing the song, but it didn't sound right. Tori's heard this song so many times before, but all the notes were wrong. Miss Luna noticed it too and cut them off halfway.
"No, you're out of tune!" she chided. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her arms back up. "Let's try again. One, two, three…"
After singing it a few more times, Miss Luna still wasn't satisfied. She tried singing the song herself after the third try, but when the choir sang it back, she shook her head, tsking. Tori wished she could just sit down and not deal with Miss Luna. But then she would be called lazy. No one wanted a lazy child.
They eventually switched to a scale in order to harmonize. If they harmonized, the carols wouldn't sound so bad. After going through the scales enough times that Miss Luna was satisfied, they began singing the carols again. This time, the notes sounded right, and somehow, they managed to get through all the songs without a single interruption from Miss Luna.
So they began to sing over, and over, and over again. As they sang more and more, Tori felt like she would never be able to speak again. Yet she pressed on regardless, for the sake of Squall Orphanage.
Eventually, they stopped, and Miss Luna lowered her arms at last. "That's all for today. You are dismissed."
The kids cheered and poured out of the practice room, with Tori not far behind. After all that singing, all she wanted to do was sit down and eat a nice, warm meal. Her stomach rumbled at the thought, and in response, her feet picked up the pace. Dinner was imminent, and she couldn't wait to sink her teeth into something good.
The dining room had been thoroughly decorated since her last visit. Crimson streamers and white snowflake ornaments draped along the walls, a star attached to the chandelier that hung above them all. Even the tablecloth had been changed to be appropriately themed for the holidays, depicting ribbons and boughs of holly.
Tori didn't have long to admire the decorations before she was pushed towards a seat. She hoped they would eat fish stew today, but her hopes were quickly dashed as she noticed seafood on top of the plates the teenagers were bringing out. Still, her stomach rumbled, and she liked seafood either way. It just wasn't fish stew.
When her plate was set down, she found herself looking at some buttered oysters–a rare treat at Squall Orphanage. She scooped the meat out with her hand and stuffed it into her mouth, taking in the salty taste and the chewy texture. They seemed to taste different every time she ate them. Sometimes she liked them, sometimes she didn't, but at least it was fun scooping them out of their shells. She tried taking the shells back to her room once, but it only led to her being forced to throw them away.
Once she was done eating, she started playing with the shells, pretending they were fighting. They clacked as she smashed them into one another, as if they were truly engaged in a battle. Soon, they all fell down, and she declared the shell that was left as the winner. She cheered as she held the shell up in the air, but that only garnered a few strange looks and prompted her to bring her hand back down to the table.
Most people had left, so she decided to leave, too. Tori roamed through the halls, thinking about what she should do next. Of course, her mind drifted towards seeing Lady Squall, and she marched onwards to her office, swinging her arms around with each step.
Tori knocked on the door, and as she usually did, Lady Squall answered the door mere moments later. With a smile, she beckoned her inside.
"Were you interested in a Squidmas story?" the older inkling asked as she trailed back to her desk.
Tori's arms fell. "I don't know."
Lady Squall didn't answer at first, tapping a finger on the side of her desk. Then, she moved her hand back to her side, stepping over to the shelves next to the window. She grabbed a box from the bottommost shelf and heaved it onto her desk. Tori watched as she pulled out a long, golden scarf, slinking into her hands like a sea snake. Thick tassels draped from the ends, silver squid patterns embedded into the cloth.
Lady Squall turned around to face Tori, wrapping the scarf around her neck. For a few moments, she stood there blankly, her brain adjusting to the weight now sitting on her body. Then, she rubbed over the tassels with her thumb, curious. They felt more like string than the rest of the scarf, but they weren't long enough to wrap around her entire hand. She still liked the texture, though, so she began playing with the tassels, waving it around and poking her thumb through it.
"Consider this a gift from me," Lady Squall said. "Take good care of it, now"
"Gift," Tori repeated. She's never gotten a Squidmas gift. Though, Squidmas wasn't for another week, so maybe it wasn't a Squidmas gift.
"You're supposed to say 'thank you,'" she said after a few seconds. "Remember your manners, Tori."
She lifted her head. "Thank you." Tori paused again. Was that all? Did Lady Squall not have any stories to tell? Maybe it was because she didn't bring her ball or any other toys, because she could see some books on the bookshelves.
She smiled. "You're welcome." But her smile fell as quickly as it came. "Now, you must be going." She dismissed her and returned to her desk. "I'm quite busy."
Tori pouted. "You won't come with me?"
"You're seven now, Tori." Lady Squall sat down in her chair. "You're old enough to walk back by yourself."
"Oh." She pulled her braids out of the scarf, grasping them in her hands. "Okay."
"Good night, Tori."
"Good night, Lady Squall."
Tori couldn't help but feel disappointed as she walked out of the office, into the dimly lit hallways. She shouldn't be disappointed–Lady Squall herself gave her a gift, after all. But she still wanted to hear a Squidmas story. Lady Squall always had tons of stories to tell. But not today, it seemed.
She ended up in the bathrooms, where she noticed Miss Ella standing idly, fidgeting with her claws. Their eyes met, and she brought her arms down, carefully watching the little inkling as she marched across the tiles.
"Miss Ella," she started, looking up at the crab. "Do you like my scarf?"
"A scarf?" She grabbed the end of the scarf, holding it up. "It looks…kind of old. Where did you get this?"
Tori put her hands on the scarf, an inch or two away from Miss Ella's. "Lady Squall gave it to me!"
"L-Lady Squall?" She dropped the scarf, her beady eyes widening with surprise. "That's unusual."
"It is?" But why? Lady Squall was so nice! When she wasn't mad, that is.
"You might not think so," Miss Ella started, tapping the tips of her claws together, "but to the rest of us, y-yes! It is unusual!" She paused, her eyes darting around for a few moments. "...Look, Lady Squall may not act like it, but she loves each and every child in the orphanage. It's called 'tough love.'"
"Why does she have 'tough love?'"
"Because that's just how she is."
"Oh." Tori lowered her head.
"Well, you should be taking a bath now. But you have to take your scarf off. You can put it back on in the morning."
Miss Ella's words grabbed her attention. "Why can't I put it back on until the morning?" It was a gift from Lady Squall, so she should wear it as much as possible, right?
"The scarf will be ruined if you wear it to sleep," she explained. "...It's also only meant to be worn outdoors."
"But I've seen people wear scarves indoors." Like Mrs. Watasenia. And other teachers at school.
"There…are different kinds of scarves." Miss Ella flashed a smile. "Yours is meant to be worn outdoors."
"Okay." Once again, she felt disappointment settle in, but she should listen to the adults. She nodded and headed off to the showers. "Bye, Miss Ella."
"Goodbye!"
Before long, Tori stepped inside the dressing room, staring down at the scarf sitting on her body. She would have to take it off now. She pulled at the end, but that only made it tighter. She dug her hands into the scarf, pushing out on the edges, but it still didn't come off. Then, she tried pulling it over her head, but the scarf caught on her fins. So, she tried pushing it out again, and eventually, the scarf came off at last. Tori caught it before it could fall on the floor, and she set it on the bench.
She took off the rest of her clothes and entered the shower, but before she turned on the faucet, she looked back at her new scarf. The silver squid patterns stood out against the beige brick wall, a reminder she would forever be under the protection of Squall Orphanage.
As soon as she woke up tomorrow morning, she would put her scarf back on for all the world to see.
She bet Lady Squall would like that, too.
Putting on the scarf proved to take longer than expected. How did Lady Squall wrap it so perfectly? Every time she tried to do it, it ended up being too tight, or too loose, or too long. Other times, she couldn't see the tassels at all.
Miss Swallow eventually approached her. "What are you doing, Tori?"
The scarf fell from Tori's neck. "Putting this scarf on."
She raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get that?"
"Lady Squall gave it to me."
"Lady Squall? Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Tori stomped her foot on the ground. Why didn't she believe her? "I'm sure!"
She held up her hands in front of her. "Alright, I believe you. I know you're not one to lie." Slowly, she lowered them, frowning. "But you do know how ridiculous you sound, right?"
"Because Lady Squall has 'tough love,'" Tori replied. "That's what Miss Ella said."
Miss Swallow sighed. "Well, I wouldn't wear a scarf to breakfast anyways. You don't want to get it dirty, do you?"
"Oh…" She held out the scarf, and Miss Swallow took it, folding it and putting it on her bed. Tori's response was to take out the box underneath her bed and put the scarf inside.
"Now, let's go eat breakfast," Miss Swallow said as she finished. "If you don't go now, you won't get to eat."
Without another word, Tori slid the box back under her bed and rushed out of her living quarters, to the dining room. Miss Swallow was right–breakfast was sure to be soon, and she didn't want to miss it.
However, today's breakfast wasn't anything special: just some rice and a slice of bread. It tasted bland, but food was food. She had to eat it, no matter what she might think, or else she would be punished. That was how Squall Orphanage worked.
She didn't see Lady Squall as she finished eating, so Tori promptly returned to her bed to grab the scarf. Wrapping it around her hands, she proceeded to the bathrooms, where she found Miss Swallow again and asked her to wrap it around her. After that, she was off to the entrance, where she hopped on a bus and went to school.
Tori didn't want to try to take it off and put it back on, so she kept the scarf on throughout the entire day, despite what Miss Ella said. Besides, it was like bringing a big blanket to school, but no one could yell at her for bringing it. She wished she could bring it all the time, but it was too hot outside of winter.
No one talked to her about her scarf, either, except Mrs. Watasenia. She only said she liked it. Still, though, she could feel everyone's gazes rest on her, no doubt looking at the scarf wrapped around her neck. It made her squirm in her seat, opting to play with the tassels to distract her from the thought of all those eyes on her.
Somehow, she managed to keep her scarf clean throughout the entire school day, despite Miss Swallow warning her that eating with the scarf on could make it dirty. When she returned to the orphanage at last, she only had about an hour to do her homework and play with her toys before she was whisked away to choir practice.
When Miss Luna saw Tori, though, she immediately pulled her aside, getting up close to her face and forcing her to look right into her silver eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest, her entire body trembling. Was she in trouble? But she didn't do anything!
"Where did you get that?" She spat as she spoke, and Tori turned her head away, shielding the scarf from her spit.
"G-get what?" She figured she was in trouble now, but she still didn't know why. She didn't think she did anything, did she? Or did she break a hidden rule?
"That." She jabbed a finger into her scarf.
"L-Lady Squall gave it to me!" Tori squeaked, shrinking away from the lionfish. She didn't want her to ruin her new scarf!
Miss Luna backed off just a little bit. "She did, now?" Slowly, her anger melted away. "But…why?"
Why? "I don't know." She blinked. Why did she want to know? Was there something special about this scarf? "She said it was a gift."
"A gift…" She stepped back and put a hand on her chin, her expression settling into confusion.
She muttered something under her breath, and Tori tilted her head. "What?"
"Nothing." She sighed, snapping her fingers. "Now, we best get back to practice. These carols won't sing themselves."
And just like that, they went back to singing. Again, the choir was off-tune at first, but Miss Luna quickly switched over to having them sing scales instead of carols, allowing them to successfully harmonize. Before long, they went back to singing the carols, singing them over and over again until Miss Luna was satisfied. Tori was certain she had them memorized by now, but the same couldn't be said for the rest of the kids.
Eventually, the rehearsal ended, and they were sent off to the dining room to eat. Though there was a chance it could get dirty, Tori continued wearing her scarf, enthralled by how comfortable it was. She never wanted to take it off.
Today's dinner was crab legs. Tori always found them too hard and crunchy, and the lemon juice it was brushed with made it a little sour, too. Not to mention the flakes she often found with crab legs. After doing her best to pick the flakes off, she slowly ate away at the crab legs, trying her best to savor the meat underneath the hard shell.
She spat out the remains and got up from her seat, marching over to the adults' table. If Lady Squall saw her wearing the scarf she gave her, she figured she would be happy. Miss Swallow would be mad that she wore it to dinner, but no one's word trumped Lady Squall's. She could always count on her.
"Lady Squall!" Tori waved her hands around as she approached the table.
"Tori." Lady Squall's golden eyes fell on her, expression unreadable. "...You're still wearing that?"
Tori frowned. Wasn't she happy? "Yeah."
"S-she said you gave it to her as a gift," Miss Ella interjected. "Is that right?"
"Yes, that's correct." Lady Squall cut off part of the crab leg with her fork and put it in her mouth. Tori wondered if she should've done the same.
The creases in Miss Luna's face seemed to grow deeper. "So you really did."
"Is something wrong?" Miss Ella asked, her voice growing small.
The lionfish shook her head. "You wouldn't know."
Tori looked between the adults. What secret were they keeping? Was there some sort of story behind this scarf?
"That is none of your concern." Lady Squall set her fork down. "It would be foolish to dwell on the past."
Tori fidgeted with the scarf tassels. Miss Luna was the only other person to recognize the scarf. Would she have to ask her about the scarf? She hoped she didn't have to. She was so scary...
Maybe Miss Pacifica would know? She started helping out at the orphanage before Miss Swallow and Miss Ella did. Besides, Miss Pacifica was way less scary than Miss Luna.
"Tori?" Lady Squall narrowed her gaze. "Is there anything else?"
Her words brought her back to reality, and after a few moments, Tori shook her head.
"Then you may leave," she announced.
"And do your homework," Miss Swallow added. "If you haven't already."
"If she was a good kid, she would've already done it," Miss Luna argued, scowling.
Tori nodded, forcing a gulp down her throat. "I-I did do my homework, Miss Luna."
"See?" She looked towards Miss Swallow, the corners of her lips turning upwards. "She knows what to do after school."
"W-well, it's winter break now," pointed out Miss Ella, holding her claws out. "Even if she didn't do her homework right now, s-she still has nearly two weeks to finish it."
"Who cares?" Miss Pacifica blurted out, directing all eyes towards her. "If she did her homework, she did it. The end."
"Pacifica, mind your manners," Lady Squall said, wrapping her fingers around the handle of a tea cup.
Her tentacles drooped. "...Sorry, Lady Squall. I should have known better."
Tori backed up, wrapping her hand around the end of the scarf. She should leave now. When Miss Pacifica came out of the dining room, she would ask her about the scarf. With her silence up until her sudden outburst, she had to know something, right? Without another word, she darted out of the room.
She stayed close by the doorway, watching everyone leave the dining room, one-by-one. Without anyone watching her, she got the chance to move her body. She played with her braids, wrapping them around her arm as she swung it back and forth. With how long it was taking for the adults to leave, the moment she had to herself was pure bliss.
When Miss Pacifica eventually walked out of the dining room, Tori decided to follow her. She crept through the halls, holding her hands together as she trailed the octoling. If she was swinging her arms instead and hit something, Miss Pacifica would notice her, and her efforts would have been for naught.
Eventually, she stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned around, a hand on her hip as she furrowed her eyebrows. Tori went still, her arms planted firmly by her sides.
"I know you're following me, Tori," Miss Pacifica said. A smile crept up her face. "You must be following me for a reason, right?"
Tori relaxed, waving her hands to release the tension from her body as she walked up to Miss Pacifica. "I have a question."
"And what might that question be?"
Tori paused, running over the words she had prepared in her head once again. "Have you seen my scarf before?"
A strange look flashed on her face for a few brief moments, so brief Tori almost missed it. "Well...yes, I have."
"Where?"
"...I saw Lady Squall knitting it a long time ago," Miss Pacifica eventually said. "I never asked her what it was for, but I think it was for her daughter."
Tori stared at her, stunned. Lady Squall has a daughter? How come she never told her? How come she never met her? Given how old Lady Squall was, she must be an adult. Where was she now?
"Don't go asking her about it now," Miss Pacifica continued on like nothing ever happened. "She wouldn't like it if you did."
Tori opened her mouth, but the words failed to form. How was she supposed to react to something like that? Why wouldn't Lady Squall like it if she asked about her daughter?
Miss Pacifica didn't bother to answer any of those questions, slowly starting to walk away. "I must be going now, Tori. Good night."
Without another word, she disappeared into the hallway, the answers disappearing with her.
Tori shook her head. What was she supposed to do now? She figured Miss Luna knew something about Lady Squall's daughter, but she was still too scared to talk to her. She didn't think Miss Swallow or Miss Ella knew anything, so she only had one option left:
Ask Lady Squall herself.
If Miss Pacifica was to be believed, she had to find a way to ask her about her daughter without asking the question herself. But maybe Miss Pacifica was wrong, and she would answer her question. She didn't want to risk it, though, so she spent the trip to Lady Squall's office thinking of ways to ask the question. But she couldn't think of any.
When she arrived at the door to her office at last, Tori took a deep breath and knocked. Maybe something inside would give her a clue.
Lady Squall opened the door, groaning. "Again, Tori? What is it now?"
"Um…" Tori's eyes darted around as she fidgeted with her hands. "...I just wanted to see you."
She sighed. "I suppose I can find a story to read. You may come in."
Tori stepped inside, prompting Lady Squall to close the door behind her and shuffle over to one of the bookshelves. Tori's eyes, however, fell on Lady Squall's desk, and she began to scan its contents. Papers, a book, a pen holder, some sort of tray, and…a picture frame.
The picture frame had been there for as long as Tori could remember. But she's never seen the picture itself. Maybe it had a picture of her daughter on it.
Formulating a question in her mind, Tori lifted her chin. "Lady Squall?"
"Yes?" The older inkling didn't even bother to look her way.
"Could I see the picture on your desk?"
She stood up, rubbing her back as she raised an eyebrow. "You've never asked that before."
"W-well…" Tori grabbed the end of the scarf, pulling it tighter. "I was curious."
Lady Squall walked back over to her desk, grabbed the picture frame, and handed it to Tori. "Here."
She held up the picture in front of her, granting her a full view of the image. It was rather old, the colors washed out and a halo of light casted upon the two figures in the forefront of the picture. To the left was a younger Lady Squall, a smooth hand resting on her large belly. Her hair fell past her shoulders, a striking silver against the sandy backdrop. Next to her was another inkling with a deeper tan, the tips of his silver mullet singed. He threw an arm around Lady Squall's shoulder, and they stood there, smiling happily.
Tori lowered the picture. "Who is the man?"
"That would be my husband," she replied, growing solemn. "Unfortunately, he is no longer with us."
"Oh." So Lady Squall's husband was like her parents, then. Gone forever.
Remembering her other question, though, she perked right back up, sticking her arms out. "Why is your belly big?"
Lady Squall shook her head, her expression hardening once more. "First of all, that is a rude question to ask. To answer your question, though, I was pregnant."
She's heard that word before. "That's when…women…um…"
"...When Mom and Dad love each other very much, they create an egg. Before an egg appears, though, Mom must hold it in her belly. That is called being pregnant."
"And babies come from eggs, and babies grow into kids, then into adults," Tori finished. At last, she could learn about Lady Squall's daughter. "So…you have a kid?"
Lady Squall scowled. "That child is dead." She snatched the picture from Tori's hands and set it back on her desk. "Do not speak of this again."
Tori plopped onto the ground, only muttering a weak "okay." Maybe she should've just listened to whatever story Lady Squall had in store for her. Then she wouldn't have made her mad. Lady Squall was mad, and it was her fault.
Dead was just a bad way to say gone forever, right? Lady Squall's daughter was gone forever. But why did that make Lady Squall mad? Aren't people usually sad when people disappear forever? She seemed sad about her husband being gone forever.
So what was so different about her daughter?
A/N: Happy Splatfest! I've been posting new chapters on Sunday for quite a bit, so why not post a chapter on Saturday for once? ...No, this doesn't mean a new chapter of "The Rainbow Squids" is coming soon. But hopefully it will be soon! Anyways, as I'm sure you all are aware, Side Order comes out on Thursday. I'll probably be busy playing that, so there's a chance there won't be a new chapter next week. Though I still have the beginning of the week to write the next chapter. I don't know if it's going to be long or short, since these chapters like to become longer than I expect, but...we'll see what happens.
But back to the chapter itself: the mystery deepens, but we're only just getting started. This was originally supposed to be Chapter 5, fun fact. But I pushed it ahead some for pacing reasons. I don't want to spend too long on one particular grade, after all. Especially since we're still in the early years. We're not even a quarter of the way into the story, so buckle up, because it's going to be a long ride from here. Branchwing, out!