"Ah, was this yours? I just found it on the road." Ray quips, not dropping the bags. "I was hoping to find the owners, that couldn't be you, could it?"

"Cut the act, inkling." Mara snaps, not dropping her aim. "You're a thief, and if you don't give it all back in five seconds, I'm splatting you. 5…"

"I can run faster than you can shoot, I bet!" Ray says, before his smile drops as a laser sight lights up his chest. Fynn was up in a nearby tree, aiming a shot directly at him. Ray's got no choice. "Alright, alright!" He drops the bags, hands up. "I'm sorry."

"Take five steps forward and turn around to face me." Mara demands.

Ray complies, turning to face her. He chuckles "Woah, hey. I haven't seen an octoling this standoffish in ages, what, you just leave the underground or something?"

"What?!" Mara sounds confused. "What do you mean?!"

"...Seriously…? Where the hell have you been?" Ray asks, lowering his hands. "We haven't been fighting for years. There was a whole…kerfuffle with some big statue, and Octolings started coming to the surface in droves. We just sorta…let them, and it's worked out fine. Plus, here? In the Splatlands? We never even had a war. Crazy, right?"

"You're kidding…" Mara drops her aim.

"I'm only a comedian part-time, actually, and this isn't my usual comedy club." Ray dusts himself off a bit, Fynn walking past him over to Mara, clinging to her arm a bit. "Cute kid. And you're not too bad yourself." He offers a hand to shake, despite Mara's distance. "Name's Ray. And you are…?"

"I…I'm Mara." She says, holstering her dualie, walking forward and gripping his hand. "And this is Fynn."

"Well, Mara and Fynn." Ray says, giving their hand a good shake. "You two seem like you've missed a lot–and I've got a place not too far from here, gets a gorgeous view of the sunrise over the dunes. Wanna crash at my place till you settle in?"

"Would that be okay?" Fynn asks Mara.

"I…think that might be for the best. "

"Then it's a date~" Ray says, "C'mon. I'll help you pack up your tent."

Ray's house was tiny. The walls were patchy and old, the paint was blasted with sand, and there was only a single bedroom, and a single bathroom. He'd gotten lucky with the house coming pre furnished–so he got a sofa, and small TV, too. Mara and Fynn set the bags by the door.

"It's almost sunrise." Ray says, getting an old single burner going on his stove, setting a tin kettle on it to get water boiling for coffee. "Figure…I can show you two ladies around, eh?" He looks at Mara"...you might need some different clothes though."

"I…" She frowns. "Can't walk around like this?" She gestures to her armour.

"Because you look like some random amazon wandering in from outta nowhere. You don't want people to be scared of you, do you?"

"I…guess not?" Mara sounds unsure. "I will take your word for it."

"Thanks." He winks at her, getting grounds in the coffee now. "You take yours with cream and sugar?"

"That sounds really nice!" Fynn says happily.

"Well I don't have any, I'm what you'd call, poor." He shoots some finger guns at Fynn. "Sorry kid."

"Man." Fynn crosses her arms, pouting.

"Black is fine." Mara says, accepting a mug from him. He lifts his own and clinks glasses with her.

"Cheers. To a new dawn. For you, that is." He takes a sip and winces, forgetting it's hot.

"Why bother helping us?" Mara asks, cupping the mug to keep her fingers warm. "You were more than ready to steal everything."

"Do I need a reason?" Ray smiles innocently. "'Sides, it's nice having company sometimes."

Mara relents, seeing Fynn beaming from ear to ear. "Well…I appreciate it."

"Me too!"

"...but it's a temporary arrangement. Once we're settled, we'll be out of your hair." Mara assures him.

"No problem." Ray says, setting his mug down. He looks at his wall clock and smiles. "Hey, set that down and come with me. You too, gills."

"It's Fynn."

"You too, Fynn." He gently grabs Maras arm and leads her outside, up onto the roof from a ladder at the back of his house. There's a blanket laid out on it, clearly having been there for awhile. He lies down on it, facing towards the horizon, resting his head a bit. "C'mon. Let's watch the sunrise."

Fynn excitedly looks at Mara, who also seems thrilled in her own way, sitting down, legs crossed. Fynn sits right beside her, holding her arm again.

Slowly, the light of dawn washes over everything, and Mara and Fynn gasp.

The trip had been worth it.

"It's…beautiful…" Mara says finally.

"Don't stare directly at it." Ray says, looking at Mara in the light. "She's beautiful too." He thinks to himself, enjoying the excitement of the two. "You'll hurt your eyes."

"I know." Mara replies, looking at Fynn, who'd teared up. "We made it."

Ray holds Mara's arm so she doesn't get separated, Fynn wandering ahead of them, fascinated by every shop and storefront they pass. They'd just left the clothing store–getting her a whole new outfit so she didn't look nearly as out of gestures with his hands a lot while he talks–currently in the middle of explaining the intricacies of anarchy battles.

"...So basically, you just gotta control the tower, and ride that baby all the way to the other team's goal."

"It's just warfare training, then?" Mara asks, confused by the idea of it all. "Kids do that for fun?"

"Not just kids–adults too." Ray says, "Look, if we didn't shoot some ink at each other every so often we'd all go a little crazy."

"I bet I could do anarchy battles, no issues." She says, smugly, "I'm pretty handy with my dualies, after all."

"Oh you sweet summer child." Ray pats her shoulder. "Take it from an old pro–you'd get your ass kicked."

"Right." Mara sighs, "This is all so different from life underground."

"I'm sure you're not the first octoling to deal with that." He says nonchalantly, reaching out to yoink someone's wallet as he passes them, taking the cash and tossing the rest aside. Mara didn't notice, and he didn't really care. They should keep their money safer.

"I still can't believe it when I see my own kind up here…it's…"

"Yeah, a lot." Ray cuts her off. "Let's look at your bright future up here, and move on out of the past, yeah?" He walks up beside Fynn who'd stopped at an ice cream stand "...give her whatever she wants." He says to the stand owner, dropping a large bill he'd just stolen on the counter

"That's very kind of you." Mara says, looking a little sad. "I don't want to think of the sorry state we'd be in if you hadn't come along."

"Eh…" Ray sounds a little put off by the praise "Don't think much of it."

"I'm not a hero." He thinks, looking at her sidelong "Really don't need these two thinking I am, either."

"Well." He yawns, stretching. "We should be heading back."

"So soon?" Mara stops walking, "But we've barely been out today!"

"I work night shifts." Ray explains,"And I've been cutting into some precious sleep time doing this for you."

"Oh." Mara doesn't know how to reply. It'd make sense he had a job. "Then…I suppose we should head back."

"Exactly." Ray nods. "C'mon."

They walk back past the stand, Mara collecting Fynn who happily digs into a massive ice cream cone, a huge smile on their face, as they make their way all the way to the edge of town again, back to his house. Once inside, the sun was already starting to get low. Ray sighs, annoyed "...you two can stay here."

"And if we want to go?" Mara asks.

"There's a spare key in the far right drawer there." He points to the kitchen counter, yawning. "I'm gonna try and get at least an hour of sleep before I head off." He does a peace sign, heading into the room, closing the door behind him, leaving Mara and Fynn awkwardly in the front room.

"Well…now what?" Fynn asks, turning on the TV. The screen's filled with static, but a few good thwacks clears it up. "We just sit around?"

"I suppose so." She adjusts her new jacket a bit, sitting beside her. "You were watching this last night, too." She comments "...any favorite shows?"

"Not yet." Fynn leans forward a bit, yawning. "Gotta watch more of'em."

"Well let me know." Mara rests her eyes, "I want to like it too."

"Can do, mom." Fynn replies, spacing out a bit as they watch tv.

After a while, Mara dozes off, nothing but the sound of cartoons and her gentle snoring in the front room. Fynn makes sure Mara's got a blanket over her, and stands up to stretch a little, and get something to drink. She was definitely having more of an issue suddenly adjusting her sleep schedule than Mara was. While rummaging through the fridge, she hardly hears Ray wake up and head out. He reaches in from behind her, causing her to jump with fear. He chuckles a bit, just grabbing an energy drink from the fridge and cracking it open. Fynn looks to the ground, a little embarrassed.

"...you scared me."

"Sorry." He says, taking a drink. "Didn't mean to, Fynn."

"...I thought you didn't really know my name?" Fynn asks, confused as to why he'd called her all those nicknames.

"Just a joke, flipper." Ray looks a little smug as he takes another drink, leaning on the counter. "You seemed to respond to it well enough, so I kept doing it."

Fynn considers his words before smiling a little. "It's super annoying." She says, rubbing her neck.

"But?" Ray finishes his energy drink.

"...It's nice having someone play around a bit instead of being so serious all the time."

"Like your mom?" Ray asks, curiously. "What's her story, anyways? You don't look like an octoling."

"I'm not." Fynn says, frowning. "I'm…a salmonling. I was born in a lab."

Ray crushes his can, and tosses it in the bin, before walking over and looking at Fynn's face. "...well, no matter where you've come from, you're doing great." He pats their shoulder. "Got a long life ahead of you, too. Good job."

Fynn isn't sure how to react "T-thanks?" She says, confused.

"Be proud of yourself, that's all." He pulls her into a brief hug before heading for the door. "I'm off to work." He waves. "See you."

"Bye, Ray. And thanks again." Fynn says after him, door closing.

And that was how things went for several weeks. Ray would come home, treat Mara and Fynn as well as he could, then sleep. The three…hardly thrived. Mara and Fynn heading out during the day to explore a bit on their own, Ray simply leaving his money there for them to use. The arrangement was supposed to be temporary, but it occurred to Mara it'd be a permanent thing if she never got a job–so, lying a bit on her resume, she looked into becoming a coach for battles. She had no experience doing the games themselves–but ample experience on the battlefield. It shouldn't be that different, no?

The practices were held at the shoal–basically a glorified all-indoor space where teams could rent spaces to hone their skills. It wasn't hard to find a few small teams desperate for help, and when she strode in, she got straight to it–watching them duke it out with each other. It was horrifying to her at first–they splat each other with reckless abandon, fighting for the objective. However, it was that day she was introduced to respawn anchors as well–they always came back. That knowledge in mind, something in her clicked–and she began coaching them just like she would another soldier, barking orders, teaching formations, the works. After a long day…they asked for her fee. She never really expected to get that far–giving a higher number than she expected to get paid, and getting that, plus a tip. She was stunned.

Later, she found Fynn outside–while she'd been teaching, Fynn had snuck into the lobby and been doing turf wars–sticking with a little clique of kids all around her age. Mara wanted to object, but that smile on Fynn's face had her reconsider. She told Fynn she was headed home, and let her stay out, finally feeling at ease. She'd earned her own money–her own way. Not a gift from Ray. Which reminds her.
She pops into a store along the way there, looking at all of the various things they had to offer–from cards, to little snowglobes. She finds one she likes, a simple card saying 'Thank you' on the inside with a picture of the city on the front. She also buys a pen, for good measure, and writes a long, drawn out thank you note. She wasn't sure what came over her–but it just felt right, after all he'd done for them. After that, she checks how much she has left, and heads into another store, asking around for what makes a good gift, not expecting the flurry of questions she'd get.

"Is it for a kid?"
"Oh, a lover?"
"A boy gift, or a girl gift?"

All of it confused her. Heading into an electronics store, she considers initially getting a new tv, but the various hook ups and such…she doesn't really get it. A man there sells her on the latest console, which she has gift wrapped, buying a few random games to go with it, then heads back all the way home.

"...That's a big box." Ray says, startling her as she enters. "How'd you afford it?"

"I…got a job." Mara says, walking over to him, and offering it, the card on top "...here."

Ray tiredly looks at it, brain processing that it's a gift. He'd woken up from a nightmare, and was hoping he'd have some alone time again. "Huh?"

"It's for you!" Mara insists, shaking it a little, "Take it!"

"Oh." He grabs it, and walks over to the couch, opening the card first.

His expression is like stone as he goes over the message, Mara nervously waiting with her hands by her side for any sort of reaction. He looks at her, then the card a moment, before opening the box up. His eyebrows raise, and Mara grins–Yes! She'd made a good choice!

"...you could have saved the money you spent on this, gotten out of here a lot faster." He says flatly.

Mara's expression drops."Do you not like it?" She asks, walking over. "I can return it–I…"

"No. Don't." Ray says,sighing "Look…it's…just been a really long time since I've gotten a gift. Not only that, I dunno if you realized it or not, but my birthday's not far away. 21, can you believe that?" He smiles tiredly at her "...This means a lot to me."

"Ah…~!" Mara laughs. "Good! You had me worried!" She pouts a bit, "I thought you were going to have me turn right around and give it back!"

"I still think you could have saved some cash." He says, setting the box aside, "But that was really sweet."

"More than I deserve." He thinks to himself. "What am I doing? She SHOULD go take it back"

"Here." He pats beside himself on the sofa. "Sit with me a second."

Mara does so, looking down at him. He hugs her "...Thanks again. The kid alright?"

"Oh, um…" The faintest blush plays on her cheeks, as she hugs him back. "Yes, Fynn's doing turf-war right now. They seem to really enjoy it."

Ray pulls away. "Huh…I'll have to hit her up some time about that. Maybe…" He yawns. "On my next day off."

"Why do you care so much about them?" Mara asks suddenly. "This entire time, don't think I haven't noticed you two talking and getting closer."

Ray looks at her face, mind clearly somewhere else. "...every kid deserves a little bit of normal. Doesn't matter if you're blue, green, inkling, octoling, part fish or whatever. Don't you agree?"

"I…wouldn't know." Mara admits. "I didn't have a family."

"Me either." Ray replies. "But you do now."

"What do you mean?" Mara asks. "We're family?"

Ray chuckles and shakes his head. "You and Fynn are. I'm just some guy."

"You saved us." Mara counters, "You showed us we can live a normal life–you're practically a hero to Fynn, we–"

"Don't call me that." Ray says darkly. "Don't call me a hero. Don't say 'oh Ray, you saved us!', just don't. I was planning on robbing you two when we first met, and for a bit there I was still planning on that. Don't give me any praise."

"...but you didn't rob us. The only thing you stole was that girl's heart."

Ray scowls.

"So what changed?"

"I…I don't know." He looks away, annoyed. "I don't know. I'm just taking everything one step at a time."

Things were…somewhat awkward the next day. Ray stayed up and helped get the console set up for Fynn, staying awake, running on pure energy drink alone. He let her play, rattling on the entire time, even hopping in to play with her a bit, the two passing out some time around 6:30am. Mara woke, and sighed, looking at the two, feeling conflicted. She didn't get Ray. She wasn't sure what to make of his little…outburst yesterday, but she still felt some form of comfort being there with him. She stands, and sighs, heading out to the shoal to get some coaching gigs for today, too. Hours passed, and eventually, around noon, she was surprised to see Fynn wander in, a team walking in with her. She sees Mara, eyes lighting up

"Hey, there!" She points. "That's who coached the team that just kicked our ass! Hey mom!"

"Oh! Fynn!" She waves. "Hello~!" Fynn rushes over, grinning broadly.

"I got picked up by a team!" She says proudly. "But…we kinda got our butts kicked."

"Aww…Sorry to hear that." Mara replies, hugging them for a moment.

"Oh, don't be! You coached them yesterday! And now, you can coach us!" Fynn says, walking back to her friends. "Eh~?" She spreads her arms. "Whaddya say?"

"...Uhh…?"

"We'll pay." One of Fynn's teammates say. "We can do that."

"Then…I guess I'll train you! Let's begin!"

Mara's methods of training were definitely a key selling point. She didn't sugar coat things. She treated every single lesson, like she was training soldiers–complete with yelling and push ups if someone mucked about too much. The team was known as Blood Moon–in the weeks Fynn'd been playing around, they'd gone solo in Anarchy and managed to become a pretty known up and coming backliner–keeping things safe and secure from a distance. Mara couldn't be prouder. But she still found it so odd–any time she went to one of their games, seeing Octolings and Inklings together, at peace, some even in love…it was inconceivable to her. Her entire life, she'd expected to war with inklings. And even now, she kept expecting a curtain to fall–the act to end, and for her to get killed for daring to exist somewhere she wasn't sure she belonged.

One day, after a particularly grueling match, Ray approached Blood Moon unexpectedly, offering to take them on as a sponsor. He used to do anarchy himself, he explains, and the idea of being part of that again excited him. Fynn was over the moon, her teammates too, as he provided gear, uniforms, the whole kit and kaboodle. Mara however, was confused–he…was struggling, right? That's why he had such a ramshackle place…maybe her occasional help with bills allowed him to save?

After becoming the team's sponsor, Ray began spending more time home. Fynn was often gone now, playing matches, not needing coaching daily, which meant the two were stuck in the house together, constantly. With more time on her hands, Mara decided to buy a blank music book. When she was alone on missions, she had often found herself making up her own theme music, or just imagining grand compositions. She was out of practice, but she knew she'd get back into the swing of it soon. It was hard though–noticing that she was writing music, Ray would snoop. Maybe he thought he was sneaky, looking over her shoulder, and suddenly singing about how he was washing dishes, or sweeping in the key she just wrote a piece in, but it was genuinely maddening. Was he making fun of her? She couldn't tell. Every once in a while, she'd hear him leave the house for work, humming the Inkantation…but…different. She wasn't sure how, but it seemed familiar in some way. Something, she supposed, she'd have to ask about another time.

It'd been nearly a year since Mara and Fynn had begun staying with Ray. Mara kept up her coaching, and Fynn her anarchy'ing. The three were inseparable–Fynn occasionally slipping up even and calling Ray dad–something he never corrected her on, but she always apologized for. While Mara and Fynn thrived, Ray just seemed to get more and more tired. He'd pick up extra shifts again, and always seemed conflicted when it was the three of them together–as if part of him was holding back from enjoying it. When he and Mara were alone, she chipped away at those walls, desperate to gain any info on his past so she could relate to him better, but always ran into dead ends. The most she got out of him was that he'd lost meaning in his life–his words–and was just drifting through the days hoping to find that lost purpose, or to just end up dead. Whichever came first. It broke Mara's heart–but she at least understood him a little better.

One day, she was working late–a team she coached, Premonition, was wanting feedback, and going through a scrimmage, and it was dragging on. She rubbed her face, watching them go at it again and again. The feedback was always the same–take it slower. They clearly had the skills, but inevitably, someone would always rush. It was agitating. But she was getting paid for it. A text on her phone comes through and she checks it, sighing. It was Ray, asking if she was still at the Shoal. She sent a thumbs up back and a tired face emoji.

"...Have you ever even done a turf war yourself?" Ray asks, scaring her as he walks into the stands and sits beside her. "Or do you just play the part of coach really well?"

"No." She replies, seriously "...I've only ever fought to take lives or protect my own. The battlefield isn't a game."

"Oooh, scary." Ray chuckles, "How's about you join me and some folks tomorrow for a game? We got an open spot on our team, and I need to get fresh again." He smiles kindly. "Whaddya say? Or is the big scary octo coach scared?"

"It's on." Mara says, giggling. "In fact, let's make a deal. I win? You quit singing for a whole day."

"Oof." Ray feigns being hurt, "My voice cuts like a killer wail, huh? Alright, fine. If I win though? You come along to the games for the foreseeable future–do something whacky, like make it a regular thing."

"Deal." Mara agrees. "Where's it at?"

"We'll be a bit later in the day. Brinewater springs–it's on the far end of town."

"I'll be there."

Evening, the next day. Mara carried her dualies with her, traveling across town as quickly as reasonable, arriving at Brinewater Springs. At the edge of town was an understatement–there was a stretch of desert between it and the last spit of businesses, but on arrival, she could see why they'd choose to come there–it was gorgeous in the light of the setting sun, and there were ample restaurants around for food afterword in a nice, quiet setting. She walked past some shops, smelling the sweet dumplings being cooked and rice cakes, and couldn't help but feel her stomach growl a bit, almost looking forward to dinner as much as the match. Ray stood in the middle of a group of three, and waves at Mara, pointing to the other group.

"Guess it makes sense we'd be on other teams…" She mutters to herself, heading over. "Hello!" She starts, but is cut off by a red haired inkling

"Mara, right? Ray says you've never turf war'd before. Three things before we start–first? No talking pre-game. A lot of us come here to destress first. I'm sure you're lovely, but that can wait till after. Second! Respawns tingle. Don't get hurt too badly, either, they can only do so much, and last!" They smile. "Have fun. It's just a casual match. Follow our lead, and you'll be golden."

Mara smiles and nods. She gets it.

"Good!" They wink and do some finger guns towards her "Now let's get splatting!"

They hop on on their respawners, floating off to the side. Mara dangles from one arm, looking for a good place to jump in. 3…2…1…go! She leaps out, rolling as she hits the ground, and starts inking everything she can, breaking ahead of her team and leaping down to a flanking route. Music played, something loud, and rocking–it really got her ink flowing. Popping up behind the other team, she immediately takes out two, covering more and more ground. A red dot is seen for just a second, as she gets splatted. Ray, sniping from a ramp on the other side, waves at her.

"I didn't even notice him taking aim…" She thinks, shaking it off, and jumping to her teammates, mowing through his teammates to try and get to him. She races up towards him, and he backpedals a bit, making it look easy as he jumps away. Mara moves to chase after him–but doesn't notice that he dropped an autobomb. "Son of a bi–"

Splat.

No matter how hard Mara tried, Ray somehow was always one step ahead. His team? She tore through them like nothing. But him and that damn smile. His charming little winks. She found herself flustered, as the match ended with her getting splat one last time–and the results were in; Ray's team had won, by just a few points. He walks over to her and laughs cheerfully

"Hey, what the heck? You made my guys look like chumps!" He sounds amused. "Almost got me a few times, too!"

"How did you always get away?" She bemoans, walking with him now. "That didn't even feel close!"

"Eh…just lucky, I guess." He chuckles, checking his phone. "Ah. Shit." He looks at her, smile looking a tidbit more sad. "I gotta go. Work's calling me in."

"Seriously?" She asks. "I thought we were going to go out with your friends?"

"You still can. And have fun with it, too." He adds. "But I gotta go."

Mara's annoyed, watching him head off. His work had called him in a LOT lately…and she still had no idea where it was. She pulls out her phone and messages Fynn;
"Ray and I will be out late tonight–don't wait up when you finish your matches, alright? L"

"Alright, have fun–and you don't have to type it like that mom. Ilu2"

Once he was a good distance away, Mara took a deep breath. This was stupid–she should just trust him. But she couldn't. She followed–staying low, to try and blend in with the crowds. He doesn't take any fancy paths to avoid being seen–nothing too out of the ordinary, as he makes his way into the plaza. Was he a coach too, maybe? Or perhaps he worked overnight at one of the stores? He checks his phone again and looks annoyed, texting back as he starts to walk towards the GrizzCo building. Her heart sinks. There was no way. He couldn't be one of the inklings, always invading the Salmonid lands. Her heart raced, how could he murder Fynn's kind as she lived under his roof?

She rushes forward and yells "Ray!" There's anger in her voice, hands shaking. "Tell me you're not about to go in there and work for those monsters." She points to GrizzCo. "Tell me I'm just…not understanding the situation!"

He stares back at her, blankly. He doesn't answer. Internally, he's screaming. "There you go–about time you ruined this for yourself"

"Oh no…" Mara shakes her head. "I can't believe this…This is why you're always working such odd hours, coming back beaten, and bruised!" She tears up a bit "Do you have any idea how big of a betrayal this is to me? To Fynn?! That girl loves you, Ray! Do you even care that this is going to break her heart?"

"I do what I need to to survive!" He yells back finally, intrusive thoughts egging him on "You were a soldier, weren't you?! That's no different!"

Mara scowls. "I never once said that I was a soldier!"

"But you're not denying it, are ya?" He spreads his arms. "Yeah. I work for GrizzCo. It pays the bills. Keeps the lights on. Kept you and her afloat, too!" He gestures. "Look, if I had a different job I'd take it, but I don't."

"I saw how you fought, just…coach teams or something like I do! Some honest work, instead of genocide!" Mara's in his face now, grabbing his collar. "You could have done anything else!"

"I told you I'm not a hero." Ray says, miserably "I told you."

"...you were to me." Fynn says, stepping into view. She'd finished her matches early, and followed Mara when she saw her. Her eyes were full of tears. "You saved us. You didn't ask for anything back. You were my hero."

Ray stares at Fynn, mortified. "Kid, I…I never meant…"

"...you never meant for me to find out. All this time…" She looks at Mara, who's said not a word. "You trusted him! You told me inklings were evil, and awful, and sure enough, he is! But you trusted him! You went back on your word!" She's full on sobbing now. "You're both terrible! I see that now!"

"Fynn!" Mara tries to yell at her.

"No!" Fynn yells back. "I don't want to see either of you! I don't want to be here any more! There's only one place left for me…" She turns tail and starts sprinting, shockingly fast.

"This is your fault!" Mara yells at Ray, before chasing after her. "Fynn!"

Ray looks after them, blinking back a tear before yelling too. "Kid! Come back!"

The two searched long into the night, but without avail. They didn't know that Fynn was so close–almost hoping to be found, watching from the rooftops. But it didn't matter. She turned her eyes toward the sea, and began her journey to join the salmonids. As the moon climbed into the sky, Mara and Ray gave up. They'd looked where they could…but nothing. Mara was the one to drive them back, the entire ride tense. They didn't say anything to each other, until they were both inside the house again, after which Mara started right back up.

"Do you feel any remorse now, monster?" She asks looking disgusted. "You piece of trash."

Ray just stares tiredly at her. "I'm not going on that shift." He says in reply, "I know I fucked up. I should have stopped working for them... For her. I know I'm awful. I know, I know… I know." He doesn't try to argue back, just staring at the console plugged into the TV "...Sorry."

"Sorry doesn't fucking cut it." Mara says, realizing he's not going to argue back. "I'm going to bed." She storms off past him, muttering. "That's twice now I've lost my family to some inkling with blue hair…"

Ray's eyes widen as he looks after her. He opens his mouth to say something, but stops himself. That's why she looked familiar.

"...looks like she barely aged a day." He says quietly, loading up the console.

Him and Fynn had a co-op save, right at the top of the list. He stares at it a bit, before looking disappointed and turning it back off, laying down on the sofa, and falling into a fitful sleep.

"I'll find her." He says to himself quietly. "Why bother?" He asks himself quickly after " ...because she needed me. And I failed her l ike I do everyone else." He knew the only way he'd even get close to finding Fynn was by going back. Disappointing her again.

"Story of my life…"