A/N: Hi guys, Naeriie here, just a heads up that this chapter does go over some minor themes of parental abuse and neglect.
School had been canceled–apparently there'd been some minor big run (what does that even mean?) and a new king salmonid had appeared. The entire area was blocked off–but that didn't stop Nixie from exploring anyways. See, she had a knack for inserting herself into situations that should best be left alone. Someone getting robbed? She'd help them out. Fire? She'd just run in. The idea of being a hero was something that resonated deep within her–and maybe someday, she felt she could even save the world! The clean-up crews were gone for the day, and the sky was still a gross looking red from the whole ordeal. It reeked of salmon. She wanders around her school yard a bit, giggling. She knows full well there's cameras–she just didn't care. What were they going to do, tell her parents?
They definitely didn't care.
Sighing at that sobering thought, she kicks a discarded chunk of metal from a scrapper that must have been there and keeps walking. There wasn't really much to do, sadly–she'd hoped to get into some sort of trouble, but alas…
She heads inside, looking at the totally ransacked halls, and classroom doors. Some lights dangled partially off the ceiling, occasionally sending off sparks as the electricity still flowing in them tried to find a path. She adjusts her backpack as she snoops around. Something felt…off. She didn't like it. Entering the lunchroom, the tables were all turned over like some sort of barricade–a huge pile of food dragged out of the kitchen and half chomped to bits by the invading salmonid.
"I guess they were just kinda hungry?" Nix says aloud. In response, something shuffles ominously in the pile, and she raises her hands a pseudo-karate pose. "Show yourself!" She says, approaching it fearlessly. "I'll bop you, I swear!"
The rummaging continues, and out pops a smallfry with a little gold spoon hops out of it at her, whacking her immediately
"Hey, hey!" She picks them up and glares at them, welts already forming on her arm where she got hit. "Don't do that."
The smallfry stares at her, and gurgles a bit. She gurgles back.
"Yeah, I know what you're saying." She says, sticking her nose up a bit. "I took Salmonid Studies and did really good at it! It was the only interesting class, in fact."
The smallfry gurgles again and she rolls her eyes
"Yeah, of course I'm serious!" She sets them down. "What's your story?"
The sea floor was as dark as it was cold. And yet through it all…a light in the darkness. A palace of scrap, and coral, nestled in the ruins of an ancient city. And in that palace, a throne, where the King Salmonid dwelled. This is where they were safeguarded, far from prying inkling and octoling eyes. Safe nests where eggs could hatch and the smallfry prosper and grow.
This is where Ben was born. Ben wasn't his proper name, mind you–his actual name was: "The Beneficent Destroyer–Knight of the Depths, and Blade of the Undertow".
But Ben was far easier to say. Far faster, too. His bloodline was that of the Horoboros. When fed properly, cared for and allowed to evolve, he would ascend–becoming a majestic flying serpent, capable of laying waste to the cities above, claiming them for his kind. At least, that's what he was told. But in order to earn his birthright, he was pushed to fight–to learn the ways of war from his parents. He'd stopped many an inkling from success–splatting them into the depths with his trusty spoon. And yet, despite it all, he never was praised. He never felt love, he saw other salmonid get. No, in fact, he was looked down upon! His stature alone was something his parents thought were insulting, so the stakes became ever higher.
Until one day, they had a shot at a big run–and he was told to come along. The inklings fought valiantly, defending their land with their fanciful weapons and gear, and unfortunately, forced Ben's parents to retreat–the pair of Horoboros returning to the waves…and leaving him behind. Surely, they expected him to return on his own. But he was just one salmonid–in a city full of inklings, and octolings. What could he possibly do? With a dejected sigh, he gathered food, or at least what passed for it in this battlefield, and ate away his sorrows, hoping for an easy escape, or his end–he knew his destiny was to be rule…but he wasn't willing to accept the path to get there…
"...That was a lot, Benefic…bene…" Nix pats his head. "Ben. I'm just gonna call you Ben."
Ben gurgles, a little annoyed but shrugs
"I'm Nixie." She says, offering a hand to shake his little fin. "Wanna be friends?"
He looks at her, curiously. She was…wiggly. Not even fully formed into a proper inkling yet. But still–there was a certain charm to her vacant smile. Kindness, at least. He takes her hand and lets her shake his fin.
Nix shakily gets inside the elevator of the apartment building, heading up to the top floor. There's a ding, and she steps out into an absolutely lavish suite. Ben looks at it, excitedly bobbing his head a bit. This girl lived like royalty!
"Mom, dad, I'm home!" She calls out.
There's no answer
"Awww." She accidentally drops her bag with Ben in it and stoops down to pat his head. "Sorry! Sorry." She looks around"...They said they'd be home today."
She heads over to the kitchen, and tugs at the fridge, popping it open and revealing pretty much nothing but soda and easy to eat finger foods. She gets some food and makes her way to a chair, flopping on it, and looking over to Ben.
"Come on!" She says, waving. He comes along without much delay, sitting on her lap. She pats his head and turns on TV, staring blankly at the shows.
Ben gurgles, curiously–is this all she did?
"Yeah." She replies, sighing. "Mom and dad work in Inkopolis a lot, so I get kinda stuck here alone all the time. If I'm really bored, I'll explore the desert just outside town!" Nixie looks sad for a moment, before perking up again. "But I do have a new friend!" She says proudly. "Not as new as you though."
Ben frowns. Are they nice, this other friend?
"Oh yeah! He's a teacher sometimes." She says, finishing her food. "Mr. Triton. He makes sure we're all taken care of. I think he worries about me a lot though. He drove me home the other day!"
She pauses "...It gets really lonely sometimes." She hugs Ben "...Thank you for being here."
The next few days were a struggle for her. She did get in trouble like she expected.
But not that much. Her parents didn't care, but…that wasn't new. But the struggle, was taking Ben along. She didn't want to leave him at home–if she did, and her parents came back, they'd throw a fit. She didn't want that. So, she left some of her school books home–she didn't need them, really–and took her new friend instead. He was…curious. Ben actually wasn't offended by being in the backpack, and learning was fun for him. Nixie's teachers were engaged–focused. They definitely wanted her to succeed.
And she did–she wasn't the smartest, but she was far from the worst. Still, though, her wanderlust was a problem. If she left to use the restroom, there was a strong chance she wouldn't return, snooping around in staff rooms and dark corners of the school. Sometimes the distraction would come before school–had she been down that alleyway before? Oh, or maybe even in that store? This would carry on for a year, at least–and Nix would finally grow out of her awkward not-quite-quite-a-squid-kid-yet phase and become a proper inkling. It was fantastic for her–she could go to all kinds of places she didn't have the ability to go to before!
Which of course, she dragged Ben along with too. They were much like siblings. He never left her side, even when the going got tough. And he was fiercely protective of her, aside. More than once, he'd sensed danger–whether it be a piece of wood she was walking on about to break, or some wild critter moving in the sewer she was exploring, he'd leap to her defense, whacking the danger with his spoon–if the situation called for it.
Her grades started to slip. Report cards coming in, comments reading how she's 'Such a bright student, but…'
And then finally, her parents came home.
Her father was a tall man. An octoling, and a ruthless businessman. He was never without a suit, and a scowl. As he came through the door, Nixie was all smiles, rushing over to him. "Sit down." He says coldly. She freezes, elation replaced with fear. "And don't you say a word."
She quickly heads to the sofa and sits in the center of it, hands on her lap, fidgeting, and staring at the floor "...I missed you and mom!" She says, before getting slapped across the side of her face. Her ear rings a bit and she winces, biting back tears
"You have a family that has a very important reputation." Her father says, pacing, shaking out the hand he just used to hit her. "A family that you should care about not embarrassing." He turns to face her. "So what do you have to say for yourself?"
"I…I do good in my extracurriculars…" She stammers. "A-and my grades–"
He slaps her again. "Are awful! I hear from your teachers all the damn time that you're skipping out. Distracted, dreaming, head in the clouds." He grabs her chin and makes her look at him. "You need to focus, girl."
Nixe whimpers and nods. He lets her go, pacing again "...You've got your mothers eyes, I'll give you that…but you didn't inherit a single bit of sense from me. Such a shame." He sighs, checking his watch. "I don't want to hear a damn thing from you unless it's something important. Do you understand? You have to earn your right to be loved by me."
Nixie nods miserably. "Y-Yes father."
"Good. Glad you understand. Now then." He adjusts his sleeve a bit, exhaling and simmering down a little. Suddenly, there's a clattering from the kitchen area, and Ben is in the doorway, glaring at him. Nixies father looks at the salmonid, then her. "You've brought a creature into this apartment?!"
He goes to hit her again, but Ben's quick to scurry across the floor and jumps up to block it, getting smacked instead. He skips like a stone and thumps against the ground.
"No!" Nixie cries out, running over to him, kneeling and cradling Ben.
"...Consider this your only warning. That thing needs to go. Or else next time, I'm not going to be so kind." He heads for the door, stopping. "Oh, and Nixie, do message your mother sometimes. She likes to tell her friends that her daughter loves her."
Then he leaves, closing the door behind him.
Nixie sits in the counselor's office, staring at the floor. Turns out her art teacher did multiple things at the school. He looks at her, frowning. "You can talk whenever you're ready." He starts "...but…you didn't get those welts from tripping."
"Yeah." She says meekly, "I did…"
"...Nixie." He sighs. "Is everything okay at home?"
She doesn't reply, listening to the clock tick. Counting red threads on the carpet, and trying to get the static out of her brain. "I'm fine." She says after a few minutes.
"Well, if that's what you're willing to tell me, then I can't do much to help you." He replies. "So please…if there's anyth–"
"I said, I'm fine!" She snaps, standing, grabbing her bag roughly. "Can I be excused?" She asks, staring hard at him.
He relents "...I'll see you next week."
She storms out of the office, slamming the door behind her, and heading back down the street.
"Stupid…" She kicks the ground a bit, huffing. "I'm okay!" She says out loud to herself. "I'm gonna be just fine!" She looks at a random passerby. "Right?!"
"Uh, sure kid." They reply, carrying on.
"See?" She looks over her shoulder to Ben who's still quietly sitting in her backpack. He talks a bit softly, so she has to stop walking to hear him.
"Why did you lie?"
"...Because I needed to be okay on my own." She replies, sitting against a building on the sidewalk, bringing her bag around.
Ben pokes his head out now. " It's okay to need help. We help each other, don't we?"
"Yeah…" She agrees. "But it's different."
"How?"
"It just is." She sighs deeply "...let's just…go home. I don't feel like exploring today."
Things continued as usual. A few weeks went by–her 12th birthday, too. Her and Ben skipped school that day, happily trying to rekindle her spark for adventure, when suddenly…
"PSSST. Hey, kid!"
She pauses, looking around.
"Come here…!"
She spots an old man, beckoning her into a pipe.
"We have to save the world! And you look just the type!"
She exchanges a glance with Ben, who shakes his head no, aggressively. Absolutely not.
"Eh." She shrugs. "What the heck?"