Splatsville didn't look or feel any different. It had been only a few days but, for some reason, Shiver anticipated things to have changed. Maybe it was because she half expected a splatoon of Black Steel security people to be waiting for them when Deep Cut disembarked from the train. She had been pleased to find none but it hadn't dispelled the anxiousness completely.

Deep Cut separated shortly afterwards. The plan was for each of them to go home and see what the situation was then meet up at their studio break room in the afternoon.

Shiver took a taxi home. Unlike the city though, things were noticeably different at the estate right from the start. There was an extra pair of guards at the gate and they were noticeably tense when she passed through. The servants too gave her cautious glances.

Either something happened or I've been missed.

She didn't know why she'd be missed. She had said she was going on an outing with her friends, as they always did when they were on their post-Splatfest break. And it wasn't as if the family gave her any responsibilities. Had there been a family meeting she had missed? That was an unpleasant thought.

As Shiver began the walk back to her house, she started thinking about how and what she might do to get some of the family's resources to help break into the vault, assuming it was the vault. Tiyes wasn't sure any more than the rest of them were and that uncertainty wasn't going to help her case. She still wasn't sure if that was what she should do. Her family wouldn't take her actions well, nor would they appreciate her keeping such valuable information to herself.

I should have found a way to give it to one of the clan's informants. Then at least Grandfather could have acted on it if necessary, while still letting me get the credit.

She let the thoughts slide. She couldn't undo the past, she had to focus on the now. She had to learn how her family's situation had developed and then figure out how to proceed.

Inside the house, a servant greeted her. Shiver asked her if there had been any developments she should know about.

"None to my knowledge, Miss." The servant replied. "Your Grandfather has had many meetings though."

"Understood."

Shiver made her way up the stairs, thankful to see nobody in the family room. Her bedroom was just as she had left it, pleased to know that her sisters hadn't gone rooting through her things again.

Shiver changed into a bathrobe, wanting to take a nice long bath to remove several days of filth. She couldn't remember the last time she had gone so long without washing and she ended up staying in the bath longer than she'd planned.

Changing into fresh clothes, Shiver made her way downstairs. "Is everyone out?" She asked a passing servant.

"Yes, Miss. Most of them are at the main house."

Shiver clicked her tongue. The servant from earlier should have mentioned that. Oh well.

Shiver made her way to the main house, bracing herself for the upcoming encounters. She found three of her sisters and two of her mothers in the main hall. She had to fight the urge to go right through and head to the shark pens to see Master Mega, then Tatya called out to her.

"Where have you been?" She demanded. Her sister, Tatya, was laying on one of the wooden benches. She glanced up from her C.Q. Cumber phone to scowl at her.

Shiver fought to keep herself under rigid self control. She had a lot of other, more pressing worries than her older sister to deal with, but she couldn't let them know that. Casually folding her arms, she asked, "Did I miss something?"

Tatya scoffed. "While you were off playing somewhere with your friends, the rest of the family has been trying to actually solve the trouble we're in. Do you even know what's happened?"

"Illuminate me," Shiver replied dryly. At least by filling me in you'll be useful.

"Didn't you hear someone stole a landship from the Black Steel Corporation? They've kept it out of the news but word has gotten around by now. They've accused the Big Three for the theft."

Ignoring the sudden falling of her stomach, Shiver replied, "ridiculous; the Big Three would never do something so overt. It's obviously a rogue group. Not everyone is willing to wait for the Clan heads to decide what to do."

"Then they are fools." These words came from Diana, her eldest sister. She was sitting in one of the chairs at the end, needle and thread in her hands, working diligently, their precise rhythm unaffected by her divided attention.

Diana was their father's second child. Nearly in her thirties she was currently engaged to marry the son of one of her grandfather's advisors. Her platinum tentacles were a unique feature, and they seemed to glitter when the sunlight hit them. Of all her sisters, she was the one Shiver got along with best, though that wasn't saying much.

"It's wildly believed," Diana went on, "that whoever those people were, if they are affiliated with the Big Three, they will be excommunicated from the clan."

Shiver felt like all her internal organs were in free fall. She would be banished from the clan? That seemed like a harsh punishment given that she had stolen from their clan's enemy. What were the Scrap Corporations doing that they would go so far?

"Girls." A harsh voice voice interrupted.

Shiver's already plummeting guts twisted and bunched up at the sound of that voice. She glanced away from her sisters to the tall takenam striding into the hall.

Dentia Balt Ralok walked with a stiff posture that betrayed her martial heritage. Tall with four thick, red tentacles that bounced rather than swayed. Her piercing red eyes were the colour of shark's blood. She was her father's remaining kasslan, and nobody in the family despised Shiver more than her.

Shiver bowed her head in deference, if only to avoid eye contact. Her knees threatened to start trembling, her mouth suddenly as dry and arid as the desert usually was.

Dentia stopped roughly in the middle of the hall, noticeably closer to Shiver than the other two. "The hall is not a place for family business to be discussed. You should all understand that."

Despite her words apparently addressed to everyone, Shiver could feel the takenam's eyes burning holes into her head. She needed to get out of there.

"Understood," Shiver replied calmly, then turned to leave.

"Don't move!"

Dentia's harsh command froze Shiver in place as if she'd cast a spell encasing her in ice.

Tiny tremors travelled through Shiver's body, the thumps of Dentia's marching footsteps getting closer and closer. Her tentacle was grabbed, exposing her other eye and forcing her to meet the ice-cold glare of her father's head wife.

"Child, do I need to explain to you how disrespectful and improper it was to go off playing with you friends when there is a crisis, when our family is facing its greatest challenge since the Great Turf War?"

Shiver tried to swallow her fear but her legs trembled anyway. "It is our own tradition. We need rest after every Splatfest. It is our way to unwind after–."

A fist slammed into Shiver's stomach. Her guts, which had already suffered so much already, finally lost the battle. She collapsed to her hands and knees and dry heaved onto the floor, the sound of her retching echoed in the large room.

"You are not allowed to leave Splatsville until this crisis is resolved or I say otherwise. Do I make myself clear?"

Still gasping for air, Shiver could only nod. Obedience was her only avenue of escape.

"Then clean up your mess and make sure you don't bring even more shame to the family."

She walked away, leaving Shiver still trying to catch her breath, trembling with fear and fury.

I won't be this powerless forever. One day, Dentia, I'll make you wish you treated me better. One day, you'll be forced to respect me.

A servant came and quietly cleaned up the mess of Shiver's heaving on the floor while she made her way to the shark pool. Taking care of her sharks would help her clear her head and help her to forget the humiliation.

Neo's head was on a swivel as she took in everything around her. She hadn't been to the city in a long time so seeing it's tall buildings, paved streets, and sidewalks was a bewildering experience, and there was so many people. One had to be careful where they walked to avoid bumping into someone. This adventure just got better and better.

There was clearly damage from the storm though. Trash and rubble sat in large piles where groups of people worked to clean them up. Kurts and trucks waited as they were loaded with the debris to dump it elsewhere.

She felt a light tug on her ear, and Tahlm's voice said. "This is our stop."

Tiyes reached up and tugged on the chord running along the ceiling, calling for the bus driver to stop. Neo glared at him for taking that privilege away from her but he just smirked back.

There will be other chances, she told herself.

They stood. Neo tried to walk as straight and smooth as possible to not jostle Tahlm too much as he rode on her shoulder. The bus smoothed to a stop and several other people disembarked with them.

Tall buildings with windows and balconies towered all around them. The road sloped down to the north, leaving the buildings on the top of the hill standing higher than the rest and Neo didn't have to be a city dweller to know that was probably where the people of highest status in this neighbourhood lived. What she hadn't expected was for Tahlm to lead them there.

The building was at least ten stories tall and painted a dusty blue colour. Many of the balconies featured potted plants, the greenery almost sending Neo for a loop. She saw it so seldom.

Inside, blue and green wallpaper greeted them. The waxed, concrete floor was covered by long rugs of a sandy brown colour. Combined with the wallpaper, it seemed like it was trying to evoke a view from the shallow waters near the sea shore. It did remind her of images she'd glanced in some of Tiyes' books.

Instead of taking the stairs, Tahlm oriented them to the elevator and this time Neo made sure she got to push the button for their floor. She had been in an elevator before but it was a rare experience.

Once they arrived at the correct floor, Tahlm had to slip in under the door to enter the apartment and unlock it from the inside. Neo and Tiyes ended up waiting for almost ten minutes before he managed it.

"I would say make yourself at home," Tahlm began, "but I'm not supposed to have anyone over."

"We're just thankful to have any place to stay," Tiyes said, putting his backpack on the floor. "We'll try not to make a mess. Right, Neo?"

Neo ignored him. Instead, she stared, wandering around the kitchen and living room in a daze, feeling like she was dreaming.

The floor was made of wood, the plastered walls clean, the kitchen adorned with matching cupboards, a clean counter top, and a sink that looked like it had never been used for anything than washing dishes. The furniture looked used but was all in good condition, the couch and chairs somewhat worn but not nearly threadbare.

Everything was so nice, so clean, so fancy. Was Tahlm wealthy? Not rich, rich people owned their own houses, but his apartment was as large as her family's whole house in Crater's Edge. She looked down at herself, the filthy cloak, her ragged clothes, worn boots. Walking around this place made her feel like a burglar.

"Um, mind taking your shoes off?" Tahlm asked.

Tiyes wasted no time but Neo hesitated, suddenly torn between staying and wanting to leave lest she inadvertently ruin something particularly expensive.

"Neo?"

Neo shook herself. Since when had she started worrying about such things? She would just have to be careful, that's all. Her sewing skills weren't great but she knew enough that if she tore something she could probably mend it.

Lil' Buddy hopped out of the backpack onto the couch, finding himself fascinated by the unfamiliar material.

"Don't make a mess, Buddy." She said and worked to remove her boots. Her feet were sore after walking on so much concrete.

"Why is your family not home?" Tiyes asked, taking one of his books out of his bag.

"They were asked to go somewhere by Lord Balt Ralok," Tahlm answered. "I don't know the details."

"And that's Shiver's family?" Neo asked as she freed her last foot. She wiggled her toes to get some of the stiffness and discomfort from them. "Is she really that important?"

"Yes. I mean, she's technically the lowest in status in her family but she is still a member of the Balt Ralok clan."

Neo removed her own backpack and set it on the floor before taking a seat on the couch. She frowned at Tahlm as she stroked Lil' Buddy's hair. "What do you mean, 'lowest in status'?"

Tahlm grimaced painfully. Whatever the reason was it sounded like an unpleasant subject. Neo shared a look with Tiyes, the two of them coming to a consensus for the first time since their argument. They both wanted to know.

Tahlm let out a resigned sigh. "Well, it's a little complicated, depending on how much you know about Octarian culture. It honestly has more to do with her mother than Shiver herself."

Neo's frown deepened. "Don't tell me she cheated."

Tahlm huffed. "Oh no, absolutely not. Things would have been much worse if something like that happened, not to mention there's no way Shiver would be considered part of the Clan. Actually, it has to do with the fact that Shiver should never have hatched at all."

Neo and Tiyes shared a look of bewilderment. Tahlm explained.

"Shiver's mother was a kaaslan of her father's, one of the blessed barren who can't have children. They marry young and with their husband form the foundation of what will eventually be their family. Kaaslan have the highest status in any family after their husband. They protect them like bodyguards and manage the household, which involves maintaining peace among the other wives as much as anything else."

Neo frowned. "Wives? How many do octarians usually have?"

Tahlm shrugged. "It varies but five or six on average, I guess. Not as many males hatch compared to inklings."

"I guess, but that's still a lot. How can any guy look after that many wives?"

Tiyes' mantle turned red. "I think that's getting beyond what he's trying to say."

"Not entirely, actually." Tahlm sat on the back of the couch and looked between them. "Like I said, kaaslan manage the wives and make sure they're healthy and getting along with each other. Typically, the various wives, kaaslan included, contribute their earnings to the family accounts. Usually, only one can be eggnant at a time, this helps prevent strain on the family's resources, though for wealthy families like the Balt Ralok this is less of an issue."

Bet they don't have to do their own housework either. Neo thought bitterly. "So what does this have to do with Shiver?"

Tahlm spread his hands. "Well, Shiver's mother was a kaaslan."

Tiyes frowned. "But you just said kaaslan were barren."

Tahlm's expression turned sympathetic. "Yes, they're supposed to be. All octoling girls are tested to find out if they're barren or not. Those that are can go into training to become kaaslan, but the rest are raised as normal girls. Shiver's mother, Lady Talyana, would have been tested and she did eventually marry Vak Balt Ralok, heir to the Balt Ralok Clan. But at some point, despite being supposedly barren, she became eggnant and had Shiver."

Neo crossed her arms. "So? How does this explain why Shiver is so low in status compared to the rest?"

Tiyes shook his head. "I think it's because her mother isn't a kaaslan anymore. If kaaslan are the 'blessed barren' and the highest in status after their husband, then because she had Shiver that means she technically wasn't barren. That means she'd be the same as the other wives."

Tahlm grimaced. "I'm afraid it's even more complicated than that. From what I heard, her mother lied about being a kaaslan in order to attain high status and marry into the Balt Ralok clan. And with Shiver, her family now has a long-term familial connection that would otherwise have increased their standing.

"What normally should have happened is that her mother would have been divorced and thrown out of the clan in disgrace, forced to become a servant in the household. Shiver, while she might have been considered family, would not have been a member of the clan. Instead, Lady Talyana was demoted and Shiver stayed as a full member of the clan as if her mother had always been a mate of her father's instead of a kaaslan."

Neo bared her beak, her mantle turning red. "And let me guess; everyone's had sore funnels about it ever since?"

"Pretty much. But Shiver has done a lot to prove herself worthy of being a member of the clan. She's inherited her grandfather's gift for shark taming and she's a popular performer here in the city. She may be a little on the skinny side but she has all the training and skills to be an excellent wife herself."

"But nobody wants her?" Tiyes asked.

Tahlm scratched the back of his head. "Well, there is that. She isn't to my personal taste but she'd make a good wife, if she could find the right person."

"Not if everyone treats her like dirt," Neo snarled. "I might not know her very well but I can tell she's the kind of girl who knows what she wants and goes for it. She's not gonna' settle for any guy, she'll go for one she wants and she'll make sure she gets him."

Tahlm nodded. "I have to agree, but she's not going to find that around here."

"Then she can do what I plan to do: leave and go somewhere else!"

Tahlm blinked and looked at her in surprise. "What? You're planning on leaving?"

"Sure am. I want to see the world and go on adventures, not be stuck in some dark dingy kitchen doing nothing but housework and egg laying."

Tiyes scowled at her. "Your dad treats your mom better than that."

"Dad isn't the problem, Mom is. All she does is hide in the house and count the days 'till she croaks. Well, I'm not gonna' do that! I'm going to live a life and I'm gonna' find a guy who will love going on adventures with me!"

"In other words," Tiyes said, looking at Tahlm. "She wants someone who can bail her out of all the trouble she gets into and who is wealthy and powerful enough that she won't have to worry about the consequences."

"That isn't true!" Neo snapped. "You make me sound like a gold digger."

"Well, you did have a crush on the rich rival of the hero in the Daring Adventures series.

Neo's face flushed and turned blue right to the tips of pointed ears. She glanced at Tahlm who looked surprised then she glared furiously at Tiyes who was looking casually at his book.

"I did not! That guy was a total jerk!"

"That's why I think you'd actually be a good match."

Neo's face turned an even darker blue, her mantle turning a furious red. "Now you're the one being a jerk."

"I learned how from you."

"I'M GOING TO FLATTEN YOU!"

"NEO!"

Neo froze at Tahlm's call. It was surprisingly loud. She didn't think he could get such a powerful shout out of his little body.

She turned and faced him. He looked relieved. Calmly, he said, "it isn't worth it, is it? Don't take the bait, just relax. Besides, Shiver would make you clean the blood off the furniture anyways."

Neo's anger ebbed and she took several deep, slow breaths to calm herself down.

"You're right. The extra housework would be a pain." She moved to the other couch and sat. She picked up Lil' Buddy and twisted in her seat to lay her feet at the other end of the couch, putting her back to Tiyes and setting Lil' Buddy on her lap, gently stroking his back. His happy trills relaxed her.

It's not that I want someone rich, I just want someone who understands me and what I want and will let me have it. Maybe Shiver's looking for the same thing.

Shiver tried to keep her bitterness and anger hidden beneath a layer of calm aloofness as she crossed the Anarchy District. People crowded around food stalls, the air filled with the sounds and smells of grilling. A dozen inklings and octolings were clustered in a handful of groups occupying the stairs leading to the upper terrace. They were all smiles and laughter, oblivious to the doom looming towards them, or simply trying to ignore it.

Shiver was all but convinced her family suspected her involvement in the theft of the landship. Even if they hadn't seen anything themselves they might have seen Deep Cut's absence at the same time as an obvious correlation, regardless of her alibi. However, Shiver doubted they understood why they did it and what was at stake. She would need to talk to Big Man and Frye about how they might inform the clans now that they hit a roadblack or even if they should.

Shiver crossed into their studio building. Curtains were covering the windows of their studio itself. It looked deserted except for a few jellyfish cleaning. As she moved backstage; however, she found it considerably more animated.

Several of the large speakers behind the stage had been overturned. One had been opened up, its components laid out on a mat on the floor. An octoling with dark tentacles had her arms buried in the speaker box, a soldering iron nearby.

The jellyfish stage manager's body quivered with fear as Shiver locked eyes with him.

"What's going on?" She demanded in a soft, quiet voice.

If jellyfish could gulp she was certain he would have done so. "Th-they insisted on helping. She noticed we were having trouble with our equipment and offered to fix it for no charge, and I know how you love saving money."

"They?"

The manager gestured to the other end of the room where there was a set of tables and chairs Deep Cut normally sat in during breaks between news announcements. Big Man was having a lively conversation with a short, white and pink inkling. Her clean and trendy clothing implied that she was reasonably well off, yet Frye was there translating Big Man's words to her. That was odd. How had someone of her obvious status never learned to understand Skate?

Another figure sat on a couch, a male octoling, though she couldn't quite guess his age. Shiver could only see the back of their head but she could see the subtle difference in shape that indicated a male tentacle. Given his proximity, she imagined he was involved with these other two somehow. Perhaps the takenam was his girlfriend or even wife.

Since they were not engaged in anything, Shiver approached them, deciding to get some answers. There was a lot she, Frye, and Big Man needed to do today, and the fact a disruption like this was happening the day they returned to Splatsville was an awfully big coincidence.

"Excuse me?"

The boy stood up from the couch, turned, and Shiver beheld one of the most lovely faces she had ever seen, embellished with a pair of, shining, amber eyes.

"Yes, Miss, may I help you?"

The voice was distinctly feminine and Shiver's eyes travelled down, taking in a curvaceous figure dressed in a casual yet high-quality skirt and short top. Shiver was sure that had been a male tentacle she'd seen, yet the body and voice it was attached to was unquestionably feminine. They were even slightly taller than her.

The other octoling tilted her head, confused by Shiver's stunned silence. "Miss?"

Shiver was jarred back to reality and let out a light cough, readopting her mask of aloofness. "Who are you?"

"I am the Idas' maid." She gestured to dark octoling and the white inkling.

Shiver frowned. The name 'Ida' sounded familiar but she couldn't place it. There weren't that many family names one needed to remember in Splatsville and she was fairly sure Ida wasn't one of them.

"And what are you doing here?"

"Mistress Marina wished to help repair your equipment. She is an…" the maid frowned, as if searching for the right word. "She is fond of electronic music equipment and very knowledgeable. She wanted to help. As for Mistress Pearl," she gestured to the loudly chatting group behind her, "your band mates wanted to discuss lyrics and music."

"And what is your name?"

The maid curtsied elegantly and replied, "I am Hachiko Turfer. I serve as the Ida family's maid and bodyguard."

A maid and a bodyguard? That was rather unusual. A bodyguard normally couldn't be wasted doing anything like house chores.

Shiver decided to probe for more information.

"What even brought you in here in the first place?"

Hachiko's reply was crisp and unhesitating. "They wanted to see the studio. We were told that you were on a break so we didn't think we would be disrupting anything."

Shiver glanced past her at Frye and Big Man. They seemed to be enjoying their conversation. They'd had a rough couple of days and the talk they were going to have wasn't going to be pleasant. She decided that perhaps she could give them a little while to unwind a bit before she killed their good mood.

"Well then, Miss Turfer, perhaps you'd care to engage me in some conversation."

Hachiko bowed her head. "I would be more than happy to, but I am not much of a conversation partner."

"That's fine."

Shiver gestured to the couch and they both sat down. Shiver's suspicions were still tingling but her curiosity demanded more.

"You'll forgive me," Shiver began, "but I find it hard to believe that girl," she gestured to Marina, "is wealthy enough to afford a servant."

Hachiko tilted her head, the soft features of her face scrunched with confusion. "Why?"

"Because girls that wealthy don't usually get their hands dirty like that; they get other people to do things for them, that's how it always works."

Hachiko smiled, as if knowing all too well what Shiver meant. "Marina was not born into wealth – quite the opposite, and even though she has money now that doesn't water down her passion. A fruit tree will not stop producing fruit if it is planted from the forest into a fancy garden."

Shiver grimaced. "I have seen all too many idle 'fruit trees', Miss Turfer, but I will take your point. Did you come from the same place she did?"

"I did. She and Pearl were kind enough to take me in and treat me as family. I will be forever grateful to them."

Were these two from the slums? There were a handful of octolings that had ended up there, she knew, but they rarely stayed there for very long unless they had been banished, punished, or were pretending to be so in order to act as spies for her Clan.

Shiver found her suspicions raised again. Some of her grandfather's advisors had warned that some of the banished and disgraced might turn on them and use their children as spies. If Hachiko and these other two were spies, then she had to figure it out. A little test might help her figure out which was which.

"Your mistress," she gestured to Marina, "seems to be a generous person."

"They are both generous." Hachiko's smile looked sincere, her eyes glazed with something like nostalgia. "More than I can ever repay."

So she feels indebted to them somehow. But is their generosity general or is it specific?

"We're known for some philanthropy ourselves. We've been trying to raise money to help the slummers. Especially after that big rainstorm, they aren't having an easy time."

Hachiko gave her a sympathetic look. "Yes, I can understand that. The Scrap Companies are responsible for the slums, aren't they?"

Shiver hid a frown behind her fan. That should have been common knowledge. Why even say that?

"Of course they are. It's their taking over the city and taking away jobs that has forced them to live in conditions like that. They can't afford proper housing. We want to change that but it's going to take money and influence we don't have yet. The clans will have to deal with the corporations, but in the meantime, we can help these people."

Hachiko nodded. "May I offer some advice? Marina and I were in a similar situation."

I thought so. Shiver curled the tentacle covering the left side of her face, inviting her to continue.

"The best thing to do would simply be to give them the means of looking after themselves. As long as they have the will and the means, they can look to their own needs but a broken people will stay down no matter what you do. If you give them opportunities, there will be those who will take advantage of them for a chance to stand on their own."

Shiver lightly touched her lips with the end of her fan, mulling Hachiko's words over in her head.

True, the slummers didn't have many opportunities to escape their predicament. Most people considered the slums an eyesore and other than blaming the corporations for their existence they did little if anything about it. Ironically, the Corporations were doing more to aid them than the city was, offering them money to work in their refineries and sort scrap. It was awful work and the pay was pathetic, but it was something.

Could that be part of the Corporation's strategy? To turn the slummer's against us? If things get bad enough, they might be able to give themselves the justification to take over or at least provide a distraction.

"I suppose I can't disagree," Shiver said slowly. "But again, to give them opportunities we would need the influence to create change. We're still working on that."

Hachiko smiled at her. "I know. I'm sure they will appreciate your efforts in the end but you need to keep an open mind. It might force you to make a difficult choice but it might give you the chance to get what you want."

Shiver's brows furrowed. "What kind of difficult choice?"

Hachiko met her eyes, her own shining amber orbs turning hard as glass. "The kind that requires you to make a sacrifice."

Hachiko said the words with great weight and conviction. Did she speak from experience? What had she sacrificed to get to where she was?

"There, done."

Shiver looked over her shoulder and saw Marina standing the speaker upright and plugging it in. One of the sound engineers started switching some knobs around and a few musical notes began playing through the speaker, clear as a bell.

"All done Marina?" The diminutive inkling asked from the other end of the room.

Marina nodded. "Yup, all done. We can go now."

"Good, I'm hungry." The inkling hopped from her chair and waved at Frye and BIg Man. "Nice meeting you guys but we gotta' go."

Frye waved back. "Kay! Be sure to stop in later, ya?"

"Some time soon, for sure."

Hachiko stood up from the couch, and gave Shiver a slight bow. "Long life, Miss Shiver. It was nice talking to you." And then she gracefully glided away.

Shiver stared, watching her go, questions still lingering in her mouth. What had her circumstances been? Where did Hachiko come from? What was the relationship between this octoling and inkling who shared a name?

She would have to think about it later. Right now, Deep Cut had an important discussion ahead of them.

Some five minutes later, Shiver, Frye, and Big Man were seated around the table up in their break room. Shiver noticed Frye glance up at the ceiling prior to munching on her snacks. Shiver declined the opportunity to tease her friend. The mood just wasn't right.

"So, did anything happen with your clans?"

Frye shoved a handful of snacks into her mouth, and chewed thoughtfully with big, stuffed cheeks. Big Man thus decided to speak first.

"I learned a few things. Did you know about the delegation to Inkadia, Shiver?"

Shiver looked puzzled. "Delegation? What delegation? Where was it–," then she remembered what Tahlm had said about his parents suddenly having to leave and the extra tension she had witnessed today around her clan home. They had all seemed much more tense than normal. If they were also waiting on news from a delegation to Inkadia or had received bad news regarding them, then it cast everything in a different light.

"No, I didn't."

"Well, it was supposed to be quiet. Apparently, someone found evidence that the Octarian homeland had come back so your family decided to send some people there to ask for their help. There's supposed to be another meeting of the Big Three soon to talk about how things are going. All I know is that they made it to Inkopolis."

Frye swallowed her mouthful and chased it with a lime soda, thumping her chest to help get it down. "If that's true, then that's great news for us. We need help from another country, don't we? It has to be one we aren't afraid of conquering us."

She crossed her arms and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Our clan would probably want it. The Octarian homeland is right next to Calachora, isn't it? That means one of the world's richest countries could become a customer of our produce."

"And all three clans would benefit from the tourism and foreign investment," Big Man added. "As long as it was foreign investment we were able to control this time."

Shiver nodded, holding her fan delicately in both hands. "Yes, and it would help our clan reunify with the homeland at the same time. That's been our dream for a century, but I have a feeling it's not going to be that easy."

Frye frowned, tilting her head almost ninety degrees to the side. "Why?"

"Because they would have to invest a lot of resources to keep the city out of the control of the other three countries, and while they might have us, the Scrap Corporations are already here and they've been bringing in more people – more security people. My family is worried they're going to make their move soon, and if they find out about the delegation they're going to move even sooner. If we want the homeland to move fast then we have to be able to give them something they would desperately want."

"The vault," Big Man murmured.

"Exactly. We have to get to it."

"But we can't." Frye shook her head, her mantle going through a sequence of browns and dark reds. "I thought, maybe, I'd be able to borrow some farm equipment but nothing we've got comes even close to what we need. We're used to digging irrigation ditches, not holes the size of the Big Crater."

"Well we have to think of something. If we don't, the Scrap Corporations will find it and then we won't be able to do a thing about it."

"I know but–."

Frye's phone began to ring. Frowning, she flipped it open and brought it to her ear. "Y'ellow, it's Frye."

Shiver took advantage of the interruption to sip some tea. Frye normally didn't get phone calls in the middle of the day so this one had to be important.

Shiver glanced from her up to look at her and then she felt an ice cold blanket envelop her as Frye's buttercup-yellow mantle turned the colour of scorched grass.

"Yeah, thanks." Frye put down the phone, looking at Shiver and Big Man with horrible, empty eyes.

"That was my cousin. I asked him to let me know if any of the Scrap Corporation's landships did anything weird." She wet her lips and gulped. "He said that four landships each from all three scrap companies left less than an hour ago. They were headed north, loaded with digging equipment."

Author's Notes:

So now you have a little more context around Shiver's situation and a little bit of world building. Even better perhaps, we get to see some familiar faces! What are they doing there? Hmmm, I wonder.