Inigo's PoV
When Perry got tickets for everyone, it was of no concern. Everyone knew he had lots of money; they doubted he would run out any time soon.
When someone else got tickets for everyone, though...
As soon as Yuri arrived at their lunch table, he slapped some tickets down on the table, a smile on his face.
"Guess what I got!" he announced.
"Tickets," Octavia deadpanned.
"Yeah, but guess how many."
Inigo leaned over to the pile of tickets, trying to count them all. "...Seven?"
"Well, I bought eight, but yeah, there's seven tickets there. One for each of you!" He glanced over at Via. "And one for Alexis, of course."
"Why'd you buy tickets for all of us?" Roy asked. "We haven't even told you if we're going or not."
"Well, it's the last concert going on before we graduate," Yuri explained, pumping a fist. "We gotta see it together!"
"Concerts are happening all the time, we can see one after we graduate," Perry argued, leaning back in his chair.
Inigo then had the idea to take one for himself and read it out loud. "'Chirpy Chips Live.'" Not the most expensive thing in the world, but it wasn't cheap. He looked back up at Yuri. "Where'd you get the money for this?"
"Grizzco. I've been saving a long time for these."
"Good." Bonnie placed a hand on her chest, releasing her breath. "I don't want you going broke for us."
"When is it, anyways..." Roy took a ticket and held it up to his face. Soon enough, his eyes were bulging out of his head. "The day after tomorrow?!"
"On a school night, too..." She groaned, planting her face into the table. "I hope my parents are too busy to notice."
Perry raised an eyebrow. "Don't ya have to tell them anyways?"
"It's complicated," Via simply said, patting her friend's back.
Inigo stared at the ticket. The day after tomorrow...that was a Wednesday. He thought about doing Salmon Runs that night, but he supposed he could do that Tuesday night instead. He didn't have any other plans, so he supposed he could go.
The question was, however, not if he could go, but if the rest of the Rainbow Squids could go.
"Anyways, 'bout Wednesday." Perry shot a glance over towards Roy. "Can't go or somethin'?"
"I mean, I could, but I had other plans." He crossed his arms. "I don't wanna cancel it last minute."
"I'm sure they'd understand if you explained it to them," Geneva assured him. "I had to cancel a lot of things because of you-know-what. I'm sure Alexis had to too."
"Yeah, you can always reschedule it," Inigo agreed.
"Rescheduling two days in advance might make things a little tight, though," Bonnie pointed out, lifting her head and taking a sip of her drink.
"I mean, if it's something like a doctor's appointment, yeah, but still," countered Perry, picking up an orange and holding it out. "I bet a concert's so much fresher than whatever you're planning."
Roy's cheeks glowed red. "Yeah, but I was really looking forward to it."
Via raised an eyebrow. "By the way, what is this thing?"
"...A date," he said after a long pause.
Geneva chuckled. "Can't say I'm surprised."
"Well, if Alexis doesn't want to go, you could give the ticket to Oscar," Yuri suggested, glancing over at Octavia. "Like Perry said—a concert's probably better than whatever you have planned."
Roy groaned, waving his hand. "Maybe just don't ask Alexis at all and just give the ticket to Oscar."
"What? No way!" Yuri shook his head furiously. "Rainbow Squid or not, she's still our friend!"
"Octa Prisma's our friend, too," Via countered. "Though I am sure Alexis would want to go..."
"Ya think they still have tickets on sale?" Perry wondered. "Maybe I could buy some for Octa Prisma."
She glowered. "It's literally two days away. Why do you think they're still on sale?"
"Hey, ya never know."
"You'll just find scalpers," Inigo shot down. "You'll be spending more money than you need to."
"And I got all the money in the world. Doesn't matter if I spend more money or not."
Geneva furrowed her eyebrows. "Just don't."
"Okay, okay, since you squids don't want me to."
"Well, anyways." Yuri leaned towards Roy. "Ya coming or not?"
He sighed. "I'll tell Oscar..."
"You don't have to if you don't want to."
He slammed his hands down on the table, causing everyone to flinch. "I'm coming." A few moments later, he brought his hands back to his lap, his expression softening. "Sorry."
"Moving on..." Indigo eyes flickered down to his food. He wouldn't get to eat it if he kept sitting around and talking all day. "We really should eat."
Everyone sounded a chorus of agreement and put their tickets away. The topic of the concert was long gone now, prompting them to start debating what the next Splatfest theme could be, all while eating away at their food. Inigo's smile grew wider as the minutes ticked by, his plate slowly shrinking.
It was just like the old times. He could pretend like everything ever since Geneva went on her trip never happened. He worried they could never go back to those days, but seeing them now...perhaps they could.
Bonnie was almost done with her lunch when she said, "You know, isn't the school concert coming up?"
"Oh, yeah." Yuri grinned. "I wanna see that, too."
"It's also the last concert before we graduate," Octavia mused. "Maybe you could've used your money on that instead."
He threw his hands up. "Hey! I still have money left over! And I could still get more!"
"Or I could buy them," Perry offered.
Geneva laughed. "Well, we still have a few weeks until that concert."
"Yeah, we can think about it," Inigo agreed.
"Hey, we should really start eating more." Roy had lifted his head, eyes facing the clock situated above the lunch lines. "We have less than ten minutes left."
"Carp, you're right." Perry started stuffing food into his mouth, prompting Roy to do the same. Yuri soon followed, but Inigo and the girls simply sat back and watched. Smiles formed on Geneva and Octavia's lips, and Inigo found himself wondering who would win the impromptu eating contest.
Roy was the first to empty his plate. "I win."
Yuri finished next, wiping his lips. "My stomach's definitely gonna hurt later."
Perry was the last to finish. "Well, congrats, Roy. You win indeed." He covered his mouth, holding back a burp.
Bonnie let out a nervous laugh and held up a hand. "We'll just keep eating."
Via nodded. "We can finish in ten minutes, right?"
She pumped a fist. "Right."
A teacher soon announced it was time to clean up, and the Rainbow Squids said their goodbyes before throwing away their food and heading out into the halls. Lucky for Inigo, he had a free period after lunch, so he could go wherever he wanted. Technically, he had to tell the teacher first before he went anywhere, but he knew her well enough that she didn't really care.
So, as the bell rang, Inigo found himself wandering the halls, humming to himself. He didn't have any schoolwork to do, so the only thing he could do was go back to the classroom and study. He'd rather study with his friends, but it was something they had to do outside of school. He had to go somewhere, though—if a teacher found him roaming the halls without a pass, then he would be accused of skipping class and get into trouble. What good would it do if he had detention the day of the Chirpy Chips concert?
Suddenly, though, he heard music. Or rather, singing. He stopped in his tracks, his ears piqued by the new sound.
With the way their voices echoed through the halls, it must be the choir. He turned the corner, the singing growing louder and louder.
Then, he stepped inside the choir room. Sea creatures of all shapes and sizes stood on the bleachers while a flying gurnard swung her arms in a methodical manner, conducting the sea of students.
As soon as the song ended, Inigo cleared his throat, directing some people's attention towards him. Soon enough, the teacher turned towards him, too.
"And who might you be?" she asked.
A certain fair-skinned inkling in the front row raised her hand. Inigo's mouth fell open as their eyes met. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since they last spoke to each other.
"That's Inigo Sable," explained Fable. "He's a senior."
"So he is." The teacher crossed her arms. "Did you need something?"
He scratched his head. "...No. I just found myself in here."
She shook her head. "Tsk, tsk. You can't just walk wherever you'd like. Do you have a pass?"
"Er..." Inigo slouched. He would definitely get into trouble now.
"Can't you let him stay?" Fable asked. "Please?"
She lifted her hand. "Rules are rules. I need to see his pass."
She was practically begging now, shaking her hands. "Please?"
The teacher looked over at her and sighed. "Alright." She returned her attention to Inigo. "You can stay."
Fable smiled. "Thank you!"
"Okay, but what would he even do?" a different girl asked.
"Yeah, we need to focus on the concert," someone else agreed.
The teacher waved her hand dismissively. "I'll figure out what to do."
Inigo put a hand on his hip, thinking. What could he do here? Sing? His skills were nothing compared to the rest of the choir. If only his curiosity hadn't gotten the better of him...
The teacher walked over to him, her long, fan-like hair flowing behind her. "You may call me Mrs. Volitan." She raised her arms. "Can you sing a scale?"
He nodded. "Yeah, yeah." He cleared his throat, reaching into the back of his mind for any musical knowledge he had. "Do re mi fa so la ti do."
Mrs. Volitan didn't seem impressed. "You need to work on your breathing. You won't get anywhere singing like that."
He stared at her, flabbergasted. "What do you mean?"
"Breathe from your diaphragm, not your chest." She placed a hand over her stomach and took a deep breath. "Like that."
Inigo copied her, feeling his chest rise up and down. However, she still didn't seem pleased. He tried it a few more times, and once he felt the area beneath his chest expand, Mrs. Volitan clapped.
"There you go," she said with a smile. "When you sing, breathe like that."
He nodded. "What do you want me to do now?"
"Hm..." She turned back towards the choir, tapping her foot on the ground.
"You're not going to let him join us, are you?" a boy protested. "He'll just bring everyone down."
"Yeah, he has no vocal training whatsoever," agreed a second boy.
"It'll only be for today," Mrs. Volitan rebutted. "We still have some time before the concert."
"Well, I'm not standing next to the Vigilante," spat an inkling on the topmost bleacher.
Inigo paled. How did he know he was the Vigilante? He hadn't brought it up in months!
"The Vigilante's old news, who cares?" countered the girl from earlier.
"He stole my girlfriend." He huffed, crossing his arms. "I won't forgive him for that."
"I-it's just a rumor!" Fable defended, her eyes growing wide behind her sunglasses. "We don't know for sure if he's the Vigilante or not!"
"I mean, they are pretty similar, if you think about it," pondered an urchin with her hair tied back.
Mrs. Volitan stepped back onto her podium, waving her arms. "Settle down, settle down. You kids should know better than to spread rumors about your peers."
"Still, though, does he have to sing with us?"
"Unless you can think of a better use of his time, yes."
The choir fell silent. Mrs. Volitan had won their debate. For today, Inigo would be joining them.
She looked over her shoulder. "You—go with the baritones over there."
He gulped and nodded, steadying his jaw as he set his backpack aside and took his place in the bleachers. Mrs. Volitan had them sing a scale first, much to the disdain of the students. However, it was important—if they had immediately began singing a song, then Inigo would be out of tune and ruin the entire thing. Mrs. Volitan didn't want that; that much was clear.
Soon enough, they launched back into a song, yet Inigo found his voice starting to crack halfway through it, his throat begging for a drink. He started to cough into his arm, earning him a few glares from the people around him. He couldn't apologize, so he simply clenched his fists as his arms fell, shoulders bunched.
By the time the song ended, he found himself out of breath, gulping up any air he could find. Who knew singing in the choir could be so hard?
Mrs. Volitan gave a strained smile. "You know...how about we sing something for fun today?"
"Class is halfway done," commented one of the boys from earlier. "Why can't we keep singing our normal songs?"
"Inigo's bad, just admit it," jeered another boy.
Shame flooded his senses, his face flushing red. This really was a bad idea.
"It'll be quick, I promise." She shuffled over to the filing cabinet and pulled open the drawer, sifting through stacks of paper. Eventually, her eyes lit up as she pulled out one stack and returned to the bleachers. She split up the stack into a few piles and handed them to the students in the front row to pass them out to everyone else.
The paper eventually reached Inigo, his eyes widening as he read more and more of the sheet.
"Fresh Start?!" someone exclaimed in an echo of his thoughts. "Like the Squid Sisters song?!"
"Yes, this arrangement is pretty new," Mrs. Volitan confirmed. "I was going to save it for next year, but now gives me an opportunity to see how everything flows together."
Inigo smiled, air escaping his nose. "Don't worry, Mrs. Volitan," he started, grabbing everyone's attention. "I've sung this song before. I think we'll do great."
"That's good to hear," she said. She lifted her arms. "Now, from the top. One, two, three..."
The choir began to harmonize, their voices ringing throughout the entire room. Inigo was lucky he didn't have to sing any of the high notes, even though the baritone part mostly provided backup vocals. Part of him wished he could sing the main chorus, but perhaps it was better this way.
Perhaps it was better for him to sink into the background and let everyone forget the Vigilante existed. He thought that had been the case, but he guessed not. Even if Inkopolis liked to jump from trend to trend, they didn't forget the old trends that easily.
Inigo flipped the page. Even if it wasn't obvious on his music sheet, they were reaching the part where Callie and Marie alternated between Bomb Rush Blush and Tide Goes Out. He knew this song by heart by now.
The choir died down as Fable and an inkling girl with warm golden skin stepped up, glancing at each other before returning their attention to the teacher. Fable began to sing Callie's part, while the other girl sang Marie's part. When they began to sing together, the rest of the choir joined in, sending shivers down Inigo's back.
They didn't even skip a beat. It was perfect.
They soon reached the end of the song, and Inigo let out a sigh of relief. Finally, they were done. He really wished he hadn't drunk all his water already, or else he would've run to his backpack to take a drink.
Even Mrs. Volitan was impressed. "That was better than I thought it would be."
"That's the power of the Squid Sisters for ya!" exclaimed a choir member.
"Yeah, Fresh Start's probably their best song yet," another girl added. "I wonder what their music's going to be like in three, four years."
"That's oddly specific," someone next to Inigo murmured.
"Well, regardless, we still have some parts to work on." Mrs. Volitan clapped her hands and lifted them back up. "You need to work on better control. And all that starts with how you take in your air..."
The rest of the choir practice was straightforward—they rehearsed some parts of Fresh Start Mrs. Volitan thought to be weaker than the others before singing it once again from the top. And their reprise proved to be even better than the first time they sang it. Mrs. Volitan was practically beaming by the end of the song, and Inigo found himself unable to stop smiling, too.
The bell rang, and everyone went to grab their belongings before pouring out of the room. Inigo's smile fell, and he remained silent, trying to avert everyone's gazes as he slipped through the halls, making his way towards his next class. He had interrupted their choir practice, after all. That animosity wouldn't go away so easily.
With time to think, the students' jeers returned to the forefront of his mind. Did his peers truly think he was the Vigilante? Or was it just a rumor shared amongst the people of the choir?
He had to figure out a way to dispel those rumors. But how could he when the Vigilante was no more?
He could open the Vigilante's Squidsagram account again and post something about it, but it would only bring more attention onto himself. He could announce to everyone that he was not the Vigilante, but no one would believe him.
Inigo hissed a curse through his teeth. He thought he moved past all of this—why was it bothering him so much now? It almost made him want to hunt down the Lurker again despite what happened last time.
If only he could be in two places at once. That would make things a whole lot easier.
Inigo's eyes widened. Two places at once... He had an idea.
The only problem was, he needed to find a fair-skinned inkling around the same height as him. His first thought was Asher, but he doubted he wanted to talk to him after everything. So, who else fit the criteria...?
He spent the rest of the school day thinking about it. A few other people came to mind, but he didn't know them well enough to ensure they would follow through with the plan.
Soon, the final bell rang, and Inigo began walking to the student parking lot, grey clouds hanging in the air. He needed to get back to his car soon, or else he would be caught in the rain.
"Inigo!"
By the time he reached his car, keys in hand, he heard that familiar high-pitched voice. He swung around to see Fable running up to him, her sunglasses sitting on top of her head.
"There you are!" She grabbed her knees as she caught her breath. "I've been looking for you since choir practice."
Inigo slowly blinked. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Well..." She straightened and pointed a finger at him. "I've been wondering why you've been ignoring my texts."
Indigo eyes darted away from her navy gaze. She was right. He had been ignoring her. But they were never dating, so why did it matter? Did Fable want to start flirting with him again? He really hoped that wasn't the case.
"Well, you're the Vigilante, aren't you?"
That got his attention. "No, of course not."
She laughed. "I'm not going to tell anyone. I've had it figured out for ages, and if I wanted to tell someone, I would've."
He folded his arms. "I said I'm not the Vigilante." Not anymore.
"C'mon, Inigo. Admit it..."
His eyelids drooped. "Look, I'm sorry for ignoring you. I was just busy."
"So you'll start texting me again?"
"I..."
"I don't want to date you," she said, placing a hand on her chest. "Not anymore. But I do want you as my friend."
He sharpened his gaze, boring into her eyes. "You mean it?"
"Of course I mean it." She held out her hand, expression softening. "Let's start over. As friends."
He stared at her hand for a long while. Friends. Fable just wanted to be friends. He never thought he'd see the day.
He took her hand and shook it. "Deal." As he let go, he added, "Hey, you have a brother, don't you?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but he goes to Inkblot Art Academy. Why?"
"How tall is he?"
"Uh...five eleven, I think?"
"Could you do me a favor?" He leaned forward and whispered his plan into her ear. As soon as he finished, Fable's eyes were wide, but she only gave a nod before running off.
With her gone, he climbed into his car and turned on his phone. According to the latest text in the group chat, Alexis had something to do Wednesday night. Which meant Roy was free to invite Oscar along to the concert.
He turned the engine on and leaned back in his seat, letting out a sigh. Somehow, the concert seemed so far away, even if it was only two days away.
He just had to get through those two days first.
Inigo stepped into the restroom and slipped into a stall, where he unzipped his backpack and allowed a deep violet squid to crawl out. The squid plopped onto the ground and transformed into a young man wearing a black anchor tee and indigo contacts, his hair styled identically to Inigo's. Though his clothes looked small on him, it would have to do.
"Man, I'm starving," Fable's brother, Atlas, remarked as he stretched his arms over his head. "Got any food?"
He glowered. "I already gave you part of my lunch. What more could you want?"
"Still less than what I normally eat."
Inigo sighed and took off his shirt. "Just put this on."
"Wow, rude."
Nonetheless, Atlas took off his own shirt, and they proceeded to exchange clothes. Inigo grabbed his thicker hairband and tied it over his cowlick, finishing off his disguise with a pair of tinted shades he bought last night. Atlas shifted his ink color to match Inigo's indigo before Inigo changed his ink color to red.
He handed Atlas his backpack and stepped out of the stall, facing himself in the mirror. Fair skin, a missing tentacle, and shades obscuring his face.
He was the Vigilante again. But it wouldn't be for long.
Atlas left the restroom first while Inigo pressed up against the wall in the form of a squid. A few minutes later, he transformed back into a kid and headed out, lifting his chin and walking with swagger.
He came to a stop as a bunch of inklings, Atlas among them, crowded at the end of the hallway, much to the annoyance of other sea creatures trying to pass through. Looking outside, it was easy to see why.
It was raining. He would have to do this inside, then.
He stood in the middle of the hallway and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey, everyone!"
A sea of eyes turned towards him, confusion striking their faces. Soon, though, recognition settled in, and the crowd erupted into whispers. He spotted the Rainbow Squids, Alexis, and Octa Prisma among them, all equally as baffled as everyone else. Sweat began to roll down Atlas's forehead as their gazes turned towards him, choosing to respond to their accusations with a shrug.
He took a deep breath. He's spent all night practicing this speech, going over every possible way it could go wrong.
"I know you're surprised to see me," Inigo began, silencing the crowd once more, "but I know people miss me. I left abruptly, and while the Vigilante is still no more, I wanted to give everyone a proper chance to say goodbye."
"Shut up!" the boy from choir practice snapped. "Everyone knows you're Inigo Sable, and if people wanted to say goodbye, they would've done so already."
He raised a finger. "One problem. I don't know who that is."
"What? Stop lying!" another girl complained.
"He's not lying," Alexis proclaimed, her voice cutting through the murmurs of the crowd. "Inigo's right here." She stepped aside and gestured towards Atlas. "How could he possibly be the Vigilante?"
"Yeah, I'm not the Vigilante," asserted Atlas in his best imitation of Inigo's voice.
His peers leaned towards Atlas, scrutinizing every inch of him. "...He looks different," someone said.
"Yeah, I can't put my tentacle on it," someone else agreed.
"Hey, don't forget about me," Inigo called. "You still want to say goodbye to the Vigilante, don't ya?"
"Eh, not really."
"Nah, he's raw now."
"He stole my girlfriend, why would I?"
Whatever confidence he had mustered disappeared. Of course. Why would anyone pay attention to a squid who fell off the face of the Earth several months ago?
He hoped his appearance served its purpose, at least. To prove Inigo and the Vigilante were different people.
"Well..." He started to back away. "Now's your last chance!"
When no one else replied, Inigo took that chance to flee. He ran down the hall, back to the restroom. He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was following him before slipping into a stall again, taking off his tinted shades, switching his hairband, and changing his ink color back to indigo.
It was only when he went out to look at himself in the mirror did he realize the sole flaw in his plan—he didn't bring a spare blue sailor suit. Everyone was aware that was what "Inigo" was wearing today. If he walked out wearing the black anchor tee, they'll know the Inigo they saw was a fake. He'll definitely miss the Chirpy Chips concert then!
He heard someone walk into the restroom, and Inigo quickly flipped his shades back on, his heart pounding. However, he quickly relaxed when he realized it was only Atlas.
"Thank cod I finally got away." He wiped the sweat off his forehead. "I'm never doing that again."
"Well, it worked, didn't it?"
"I guess."
He turned into a squid, and Atlas opened his backpack, prompting him to jump inside. Once he settled, beady eyes glanced up at the young man. "Now, let's get out of here."
Atlas slung the backpack over his shoulders and walked out, only to stop moments later. Inigo poked his head out, only to see the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma surrounding him.
He really hoped they would understand.
Octavia was the first to speak. "So, Inigo... What was that all about?"
Atlas raised his voice back to his normal pitch. "So, funny story. I'm not Inigo."
"What?" Roy snarled. "Then where is he?"
Inigo jumped out of his bag and transformed back. "Right here."
Giovanni snorted. "I knew it."
Roy scowled. "Don't do that again."
"Yeah, you made me worried back there," Geneva agreed. "If you went back to your ways as the Vigilante, I don't think I'd ever forgive you again."
Inigo scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry. Some rumors were just getting to me, that's all."
"So, he told my sister, who told me," Atlas concluded. "It's as simple as that."
Via raised an eyebrow. "And your sister is..."
"Fable."
"Oh, Fable's brother!" She clasped her hands together. "It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too." Atlas threw his hands behind his head, trying to push through the circle the Rainbow Squids had formed. "Well, I gotta get back to Inkblot. See ya."
Inigo ran up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to my house first, remember?"
"Oh, yeah." He waved his hand. "Just get back into your bag."
Inigo turned into a squid and jumped back into his backpack, poking out to look at his friends. They started to wave goodbye, relieved smiles on their faces, and Inigo waved goodbye back.
"Don't forget about the concert tomorrow!" Yuri called.
Yvonne glanced over at him. "What concert?"
"Chirpy Chips," Oscar supplemented. "Roy give me the ticket."
Alexis crossed her arms. "It was supposed to be mine."
"You said you were busy though," Via pointed out.
She groaned. "Yeah, yeah, I did say that, huh."
"Don't worry." She put her hands on her hips. "I'll make sure to take tons of pictures! And maybe a few videos, too."
"Aren't you running out of space on your phone?"
"I can make more space!"
As the sisters continued to bicker, Inigo found himself chuckling. No matter what rumors everyone spread about him, he would always have his friends by his side.
A/N: It's funny how the way a chapter goes can change while you're writing it, isn't it? Well, that's what happened this chapter. I hoped you enjoy getting to Fable again, and hopefully, the Vigilante can rest at last. Just like Inigo wanted. Well, that's all from me. Branchwing, out!