Fynn was long gone. Mara took the bedroom, and Ray barely was home–picking up tons of extra shifts. Mara could barely even look at him–the two didn't talk any more. There was no more singing. Just uncomfortable silence. Mara'd begun saving money too, with the intention of moving out. She wanted nothing to do with him.

On Ray's side, it was tough. He kept picking up whatever shifts he could, heading out into the Salmonid lands. He'd steal eggs, he'd kill, he'd maim–he'd even try to interrogate them, only ever getting a gurgling laugh from them. He felt hollow, and empty inside–something not unfamiliar to him. One day though, and conveniently enough, on his only off day, a message comes through on an unknown number. He reads it, expression hard;
"It's 3. We need to talk. No Callie and Marie. Clamshell park. Already there."

He sighs deeply. The very idea of meeting Three pissed him off. But part of him was curious as to what they had to say. He dejectedly sighs, and heads out without a word, Mara watching TV. She looks after him as the door slams, shaking her head.

He makes it to Clamshell with ample daylight left, and spots Three–her hair unmistakable, alongside her mismatched eyes.

He sits on the other side of the bench, leaning forward a bit, before speaking. "Hey." He starts.

"Raymond." She replies "...I wanted to start with 'sorry.' If I knew how bad things ended up for you, I'd have rallied with you, hard." She starts. Ray raises his eyebrow "...They did you dirty. I wasn't there to see it, but…" She looks at him now. "If you need anything. Anything at all, please. Reach out." She extends her hand. "Lemme program my info into your phone. Just so it's there."

Ray hesitates, before giving it to her. She quickly taps away, and hands it back. "Tori?" He asks. "That's your name, really?"

"Yeah." She nods. "Listen, Ray…you…I know you've got a lot going on. It's part of my job. You might have left, but you're still an agent–and I'm the captain of the NSS now."

"What happened to Cuttlefish?"

"He's just old." She says dismissively. "Listen…we never got much of a chance to talk." She looks at the clouds "...What is it you do in your free ti–"

"Hey, guys!" A voice calls out from behind, and Ray shoots his head to the side to look at them. They were tall–broad shouldered, short hair. Ray scowls darkly at his bright smile. "Four! Hey man, I've been wanting to me–"

"Why the fuck is he here?" Ray asks Tori, standing. "I didn't agree to see this jackass."

"Hey now man, I'm sorry! I didn't know. Should I go? Got us all Takoy–"

"Shut up." Ray says, cutting him off, then flipping him the bird. "Fuck yourself. Both of you." He starts storming off, Captain Three and Eight watch after him, Eight looking dejected.

"...He'll come around." Tori says. "I'll make'im if I gotta."

"Man…"

Later that evening, Ray checks his phone while cooking. It's Tori.
"I'm sorry again. I forgot you had issues with him."

Ray sneers, replying.
"'Course you did. He was my replacement after all, I was just a broken toy. Assholes."

Tori replies lightning fast
"Ray, you weren't replaced. That's getting old."

"Yeah, well so was getting used."

"It wasn't my choice. Blame 1 and 2 for letting Cuttlefish make it official."

"Fine, I will."

"Cool. While you're at it, just…save his info. He's nice. Don't be so cruel to him. He didn't get much of a choice either, you know."

Some contact info is sent through.
"Triton, huh. Yeah, got that saved." He lies. "Why get in touch?"

Tori doesn't reply for about an hour
"Worried."

He scowls and mutes their conversation, finishing food enough for him and Mara, leaning against the counter to eat.

The next day, Ray's prepping for a shift when he gets a message from an old friend; Octavio

"Hey Squiddo!" It starts. "Looking for that dried up hunk of calamari Cuttlefish! Find him for me?"

"Seriously?" Ray replies. "Why would I do that?"

"Because I'm gonna say PLEASE."

There's a pause.

"PLEASE find him for me."

Ray groans "Fine. But I'm just finding him. Not saying a word."

"GYA HA HA. 'Course."

Ray sets his phone down and sighs, taking his personal phone and heading into his room, looking at a old steel case. With a sigh, he grabs it, and heads out without a word.

The octo canyon was hot as can be–sun beating down overhead. It'd taken a good bit of recon to find it, but when he did, not only did he find cuttlefish, but–

"That son of a bitch did it again!" He says, livid.

He'd taken days to find him, and when he did, lo and behold–he had another new agent with him. She was currently duking it out with octavio–who apparently found Cuttlefish all on his own, rendering this entire trip a waste of his time. He's about to leave, when suddenly there's a giant rumbling–the canyon opening up, swallowing the three of them. He stares in disbelief, frozen in place

"...holy shit…" He starts to pace "Fuck…I can't just leave them on their own. But it's not my place to…ugh!"

He smacks himself on the head, pulling out his phone. He'd memorized Marie's number out of pure spite, typing it in and sending a message with some coordinates, followed by "Don't reply, still keeping you blocked."

There. That would do it. He heads out quickly–not wanting to wait around to meet up with One or Two. Or even Three right now.

Back at home, Mara had been packing when she heard vibrating from a drawer. Opening it, she curiously didn't find anything at first–until the false side wall of it fell open from the vibrating. Several notifications from a "Tori" were on it. She tries to snoop further, but it's password locked. She puts it back in its hiding place, cursing to herself. It was just like one of those brainless reality TV shows she watched…

"Of course he's got a mistress." She says, messing up his bedsheets to spite him. "Complete jerk."

As she finishes up, the door opens, and Ray comes back. She storms out to meet him. "And where have you been?" She asks. "You just left without a word, real common for you, huh?"

"Mara, get the fuck off my back." He snaps. "I'm back, aren't I?"

"Disgusting." Mara shakes her head, and the two go back to coldly existing together.

Weeks pass.

Ray was gone, as usual, so Mara decided to go for a walk to clear her head. She'd been doing that a lot lately–just pacing about, just outside Splatsville.

Splash!

She looks around, and sees nothing but the waves. "...hmm…"

She'd left her backpack a ways down the waterline, not wanting to tote it around while she paced. She considered going and grabbing it, but suddenly felt a slimy fin cover her mouth. She tries to yell and struggle, but her assailant is too powerful. They begin dragging her into the water, eyes widening. It felt like she was being boiled alive. She struggles, vision starting to fade. There's a shrill whistle, and a crash! as just before she passes out. When she comes to, she's lying on her back, staring at the sky, Ray sitting beside her, hugging his knees and looking out at the water, a GrizzCo stamper beside him. He'd just gotten off shift when he had to jump from the helicopter down to save her.

"...there's been a lot of that lately." He says. "Lots of small scale incursions lately. Salmonid attacking outside their typical runs."

Mara sits up, catching her breath a bit, staring out at the water too "...Do you think that's where Fynn went?" She asks quietly "...That they took her in?"

"...I hope they did, and she's happy." He says sadly. "That's why I've been gone so much, you know. I don't relish in it. I hate it. But if I saw her, even just for a second and knew she was okay…"

Mara recalls the phone, and chuckles, looking aside "...That and Tori, right?" She asks. "We haven't been on good terms for months. I'm not surprised. I am hurt, though."

He looks at her like she has a hole in her head. "Pardon?"

"I found the second phone." She says, looking away from him. "I just didn't say anything. Is she ni–"

"I was an agent, Mara." He says, cutting her off. "Tori is, or was, my Captain."

Mara stares at him. "What?"

"Agent 4. When Callie was taken by the Octarians, I went to go find her." He scowls. "I killed a lot of people. Your family included." He says, in reference to what she said the day Fynn ran away.

Mara grows silent "...so that scar on your eyebrow…I did that." She says "...I'd wondered for a while…"

"I've known you were the one who did that to me for a good, long minute." He says. "I don't hold it against you. We were doing what we felt we had to. You were defending your people. And me? I was all gassed up. Told I was going to be a hero, save the world, and have all the praise and fame I could want!". He throws his hands up.

"But instead, I got played for a damn fool! A pawn on a chessboard. All that killing, all that mindless violence, and not only did I not even get recognition for it, I got put on guard duty. Alone. Abandoned. And replaced!" He chuckles wryly. "Twice, if you'll believe it! Marie's a shrew." He snarks "A coldhearted manipulator. And I'll hate her till I die for how I got treated." He looks at Mara. "I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry that I hurt you, that I hurt Fynn…if I could turn back the clock and never step foot in your home, I would. If I could have worked a different job, just to preserve Fynn's laugh and your smile…"

He tears up, shaking his head. "I would. I'd give up anything to make my past right. But second chances don't come so easy. And they don't erase what's already done."

"...Have…you talked to them? About…eh…you being replaced?" Mara asks, hurt but…glad that the air's getting cleared

"...No." He pulls out his phone and stares at it. "I haven't. I'm scared, honestly."

"Just…fucking do it!" She says, frowning. "Ray, call her. Clear the air–like you just did with me. Get some closure, damn it!"

Ray doesn't say anything. He types her number in, and calls it. "...straight to voicemail." He says, hanging up without leaving a message. He stares at the sand now, shaking a bit. He wants to cry in frustration.

Mara gently places a hand on his shoulder "...I'm sorry for suggesting that."

"It's fine." He clenches a fist full of sand. "Give me a few minutes." He slowly lets it trickle out of his palms. "I…gotta calm down."

A minute passes. Then five. Then an hour. The two sitting in silence, watching the tide come in and out in a steady tempo. Finally, he speaks "...You know, I forgot to say–the other day, you asked where I went."

"I don't need to know, I–"

"Octavio had messaged me." He says. "Like, King Octavio."

"...Eh?"

"We were pals. Only good thing that came out of being stuck on guard duty." He looks at her. "We chatted a lot. About…everything. He'd give me advice too. 'Gyahaha!' there was always that laugh, 'Ray, squiddo!' blah blah…"

"Some advice." Mara jokes, a bit deadpan.

"Oh, it was years ago." He waves his hand. "But yeah. When I left…he said he'd stay in touch. He called in a favor from me, and we ended up at the Octo Canyon. Some stuff happened, and I came right back. Didn't really get to catch up but…eh…" He shrugs, "What can you do?"

"I suppose there isn't much you could've." Mara looks back at the stars "...Do you think this is going to work out?" She asks him suddenly, "Living on the surface? Us living together?"

"...thought you wanted to move?" He replies, sounding a little hurt. "Been saving awhile, haven't you?"

"...I don't want to go." She says, "I missed who you were when we first met. That's…a big part of it."

"Ah. Well, he's dead. Took him out back and shot him. Sorry."

"Be serious, please."

"...I think I got a lot to prove for it to go anywhere." He lies on his back now. "But if you give me a chance…"

"...Then I'll see where it goes." She lies beside him "...It was a night like tonight too when we first met." She comments, "The stars were out. It was just before dawn, when some jumped up, short little–"

"Hey!"

"Tiny, itty bitty–"

"C'mon, I'm not that short."

"Mini-bastard of an inkling came to try and rob us blind."

"...Yeah." He chuckles. "Dude sounds like a prick."

"He was. But he had an infectious laugh, and a devilish smile. I couldn't look away."

Ray feels himself blushing a bit. "Ah. Yeah…?"

"Mhmm. He offered me a hand when nobody else would have."

"...well…let's see if we can find where he went."

A few months later…

Ray enters the house, dropping a bag of things on the ground, before exasperatedly flopping onto the sofa "I did it." He says, Mara in the kitchen chopping vegetables for a soup. "I quit."

"...Now go out and get a real job. When you're able." She chuckles a bit. "We've got enough saved for awhile."

"Yeah, thanks to you." He replies"...Thank you."

"Thank you." She says, sliding the veg into the broth, "Does dinner smell alright?"

"So far?" He asks, "Kinda fishy. Could just be leftover gunk up my nose though." He heads into the restroom and blows his nose, poking his head out. "Now it smells great~"

"Ew." Mara giggles a bit, "So…give any thought to my suggestions?"

"What, the job ones? I'm not coaching. Too impatient." He says, taking over the cooking, "And singing? Seriously?"

"You can get paid to sing at bars, and your voice is great~"

"They're not my songs." He says plainly, "Wouldn't be right if I made it big belting out other people's hearts'n souls."

"Well, people do covers all the time! How many times has that one song been done, er…"

"Splattack. You always use that one. And it's been done a lot, you're not wrong. But I wanna do something original." He shrugs, "Something from my heart. Y'know?"

"...Well, I…have something I've been working on. The start of a melody." Mara offers "...I don't think it's any good. Not…emotionally at least."

Ray picks up her songbook and flips to it, reading the title: Daybreak

He hums a bit, as much as it's done–just a few bars is all

"...It's about Fynn, yeah?" He asks after awhile

"No words, and you guessed that?" Mara sounds impressed.

"...there's tear stains on the page." He closes the book "...I miss her too."

"...part of me hoped that…if I wrote a song, or something…spread it around, that maybe she'd hear it…?" She sits at the dining table, rubbing her face, "Is that stupid…?"

"Not at all." Ray sits beside her, arms on the table, "We got food cooking…we've got coffee…" He rubs her back a bit, "let's finish it together. And I'll see about…finding some place to sing it."

Several days later…

"...and once again, todays most popular request; Daybreak–by Tidal Tempo. All you cats at home that haven't heard this yet, ready up some tissues–and if it don't move you, your heart's made of stone. This is SPQO, bringing you the freshest beats…"

The two had lucked out. Finding a club that also happened to be hosting a local spotlight event, their performance was played everywhere–from Splatsville to Inkopolis–and the raw emotion of it touched the hearts of thousands. Who were they pining for? Where did this hurt come from? And where could we hear more? All of these were questions asked and more. And as the royalties came in, the two were able to save up, and fast. They ultimately decided to leave the rental–too many bad memories associated with it. Ray made sure to pack all of Fynn's belongings that were left behind neatly, and set up a room for her at their new house–which still was at the edge of town, so they could watch that sunrise every day. Finally, things seemed to be…at ease. Peaceful.

It was hard, still. Every day they were reminded of Fynn's absence. Every day, they'd walk to the beach to look out at the water, hoping to see those red fins rising up from the sea, and to have that sweet kid back in their lives. But it never happened.
Today began like any other. Ray reading the newspaper, and Mara writing away in the computer room–the pair finally able to afford a nice enough machine that supported her compositions. Normally, he just scanned to see if there was any news about big runs, or any odd salmonid sightings…but today, his eyes were locked on the headline:

"Tidal Tempo: Will they show?"

The article going on to discuss the upcoming splatfest; Sun VS Moon–and that the hit new idol group from the Splatlands was invited to cohost the entire thing.

"Hey Mara?" He calls out, curious "...were we invited to host a splatfest?"

She doesn't answer.

"...ehhh…?" He sets the paper down and rummages through the mail, eyes settling on a very official looking envelope. He opens it, finding some crisp letter stock, and a paper with a very official seal. The stationary read;
"From the Office of the Turf War Commission Chairman Dorian Humbring, esq."

"Oh wow…this is some serious stuff…" He breaks the seal and reads the letter;

"To whom it concerns,
I, Dorian Humbring, Chairman of the Turf War Commission, humbly ask that you, Raymond and Mara, of Tidal Tempo, host this upcoming splatfest. Your popularity has exploded recently, and the papers are begging for it. Should you agree, please meet me in the plaza where we'll sign paperwork and such, and I will relinquish control of decorations and float arrangement to you. If not, simply disregard this letter.

Warm Regards,
Dorian Humbring"

"Huh. Sounds like a pretentious dick." Ray comments, setting it aside and heading over to knock on the computer room door before heading in.

"Hey, Mara?" He starts to talk, but chuckles–she's got headphones on, hunched over, clearly in the zone. He leans against the doorway, arms crossed for a few minutes, before she takes them off. He clears his throat and she jumps, hand going over her heart.

"Fuck, Ray! You scared me half to death!" She sounds exasperated, "What?"

"We got invited to host the next splatfest." He says, "I dunno if you'd wanna do that, or…?"

Mara blinks, mouth open, "What?! Are you stupid, of course we'll host it!" She gets to her feet. "What's the theme? Where do we sign?"

He laughs, "Simmer down, ma'am. Sun V Moon, and we gotta head into town to the plaza. I guess he's probably overseeing prep now."

"Well what are we waiting for?" She grabs his hand and starts dragging him away.

"Wah! H-Hey, can I get dressed at least?!" He laughs, having still been in his PJs

"Go on then!" She snickers. "Hurry up! I'm ready to go!" She slips on her jacket which is hanging by the door. Ray heads into their room to go change, coming back out in his usual attire, before the two head out to the car and get driving.

They arrived and parked nearby. Luckily big as they were, they at least didn't have a well known vehicle. Heading into the plaza, they spot an inkling in a slick looking suit, a tall, slender octoling also sporting a suit and carrying a tablet, typing away as he talks. Ray looks at Mara and shrugs, the two walking up to him. In moments, the octoling has a Sploosh O'matic out, aiming at Ray. He blinks.

"Hey, we're here to sign some paperwork? Dorian Humbring sent for us."

"Tidal Tempo." Mara says, pushing the gun down and glaring.

Dorian turns and smiles, green eyes twinkling a bit. "Ah! I'm so sorry about that, don't mind her–my secretary can get a little carried away."

"You think?" Ray asks, looking at her as she stands down, spotting a name tag that says "Siren" on it. "We're taking you up on your offer." He looks at Dorian. "Figured there was no good keeping you waiting."

"Ah yes, of course." He laughs, clapping his hands together "Outstanding–the people will love it. Tablet please." He sticks his hand out for it, secretary handing it over, "Now, then…" He turns it around, a digital contract on screen. "This here signifies that you both take responsibility for decorations, float placement, as well as lineup for musicians. We've already got a pool of people signed up, so scouting isn't involved in that–only the line up. Aside from that, there's stage rotation for the Turf Wars, and of course, your Splatcast theme music. Any questions?"

"Are we paying out of pocket for anything?" Ray asks, eyebrow raised.

"A keen eye. No, Raymond, I assure you this event is fully funded by the near unlimited wealth of the commission. All we ask is an itemized receipt at the end."

Ray looks at Mara now "...seems easy enough, yeah?"

She nods, "Where do we sign?"

"Just down here." Dorian replies, scrolling to the bottom. "It can be a little finicky so make sure to press hard."

Mara signs, then Ray as well. Dorian hands the tablet off to Siren, and shakes their hands. "I look forward to the splatfest you two–don't disappoint us now~!"

They had two weeks of prep. And in that time, Mara and Ray worked day in, day out, around the clock. Letters poured in–businesses and brands all wanting to advertise, to pool more money in. Sure, why not? They could advertise on the grounds that their advertising funds matched a charity donation made in their name too. A lot pulled out–but some of the others–like Barazushi, Tentatek, Inkline and more–stayed in. They also wanted to mix things up, too–no generic splatfest Tee for this–they wanted everyone to look fancy, and formal. Suits and dresses, orange and blue, respectively, for Team Sun and Team Moon.

Then…it was a no brainer for each on what team they represented. Ray went with team moon–the night always bringing him a clear head and peace. Mara, team sun–she treasured every day above ground, and seeing the sun every day? That was a blessing for teams decided, the only thing left was figuring out musicians. Turns out…there was only one slot. Two, if they really stretched it. To maintain tradition, they'd let Deep Cut open–then later, they'd close at the big finale. There'd be a song and dance, lights…it'd be a lovely time.

The opening day finally arrived, and it went off without a hitch. Team sun and moon seemed pretty evenly matched, too. The excitement filled the air, and everything was going well. They announced their results midway through–a perfect tie. Neck and neck. The fight was on for Day 2, then–hordes of inklings and octolings going into turf wars to try and change the tide in their teams favor. Ray and Mara participated too–if sparingly. They never matched up against each other (luckily), and as the sun started to set and the last matches began to finish, they reported to the main stage for their big finale, and closing act.

"I hope we get asked to host again in the future~" Mara says, happily holding hands with Ray off stage as the crews finish setting up. They can hear the crowd chanting and cheering, desperate for them to come on. "That…that was exhilarating~!"

Ray chuckles and nods, unable to take his eyes off her. "It really was." He picks up his drink from the table they're leaning on and takes a quick sip, making sure his throat wasn't dry. They had a new song they were going to debut tonight–and he desperately didn't want to blow it. "You probably still will." He thinks to himself, if only for a moment. "I love the energy during splatfests…"

"You know, we had festivals underground, too." Mara comments. "They weren't nearly as grand as this, though."

"Oh yeah?" Ray sounds genuinely interested. He loved hearing her talk about things–her past, her day… "She's my muse... Cod that's so tacky…"

The announcement comes, announcing that the results were in! And to tell the crowd to make some noise for their hosts.

"That's our cue!" Mara starts walking, Ray gently pulling her back a moment. "Yes? You don't have cold feet, do you?"

Ray holds her hands, smiling up at her "Y'know? I think I could do anything if you're here."

He pulls her into a passionate embrace, kissing her for the first time since they've been together. Mara's face goes red, as she happily accepts it, heart pounding as he pulls away.

"May the best team win." He winks, "Which is mine, of course~" And then he's off on stage, leaving Mara standing there in a flustered shock.

"He kissed me…" She says, trailing off "...He finally kissed me." She keeps herself from giggling, rushing out to join him.

The crowd cheers…

"Hello Splatsville! We hope you've all enjoyed the festivities we put on for you, yeah~?"

More cheering, as Ray ramps up the crowd, gesturing for them to get loud. Mara clears her throat. "It was a long, hard fought battle–we hope you're all ready to see how such a tight race finished!"

"We all know my team won–isn't that right, moonies?!" The team moon fans cheer–team sun jeering. Ray chuckles and waves off the haters a bit.

"Now now, don't call it so soon~! Us sun-lovers rocked the turf too!" Team sun cheers now.

"Okay, okay~! Well–" Ray sticks his hand out, a little drone bringing over score cards. "Winning the splatfest, with a total of 51% of the total points…" He looks around the room and grins, the TV display behind him showing a score board like a turf war.

"It's…team moon!"

The crowd roars–blue and silver confetti coming down. Ray hams it up, doing a little victory dance while Mara feigns being upset, hand on her hip.

"If you're quite done! We have a gift for everyone tonight, isn't that right?"

Ray gasps, like he forgot

"No, do we~?"

"We do! A brand new single–the title song of our upcoming album!"

"Do we say the title now, or later?"

"Let's keep them in suspense~!"

"Alright then! Cue the music~!"

They played for over an hour–singing, dancing, and putting on one of the best shows of their career. Panting, the two concluded as they usually do–hand in hand, bowing to the crowd. As they lower their head, a shot rings out, landing right between the two. Ray and Mara look around, then up–seeing a salmonid–no…

"...Fynn?" Mara says, stunned. She looked different…monstrous.

"...She's a salmonid King." Ray says, pulling Mara close. "Fynn!"

As the crowd turns to look where he yelled–she's gone in a flash. Water bursts from the sewers, and salmonid begin coming out en masse–attacking everyone in sight. Mara and Ray look on in absolute horror, as they rush off stage to grab their personal weapons–and begin helping round people up onto the floating stage, ladders lowered for them to get on. Local security helps too, and after a massive fight, the crowd is mostly dispersed or safely on the float itself.

Mara looks at the head of security for the event, scowling. "Don't lower this thing until the entire plaza's cleared, do you understand?"

The man nods, and she looks at Ray, "We have to get going. That was Fynn, we have to find her and stop this!"

"If we can." He cocks his hero shot.

"We will."

The two drop down off the float, clearing some salmonid as they make their way along the street. It was chaos–people were fighting for their lives.

"Where'd she go…?" Ray asks "You knew her better than anyone." He looks at Mara, "So?"

"...I think she'd go to the last place she felt safe." She says, changing direction to head for the edge of town. "That she felt like she was loved."

"The old house." Ray says, realizing what she meant. "Let's move then–there's a lotta salmon between us and there."

"Please let her be okay…" Mara says under her breath as she runs.

"Please let me have my baby back…"