Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The ocean. A large expanse of blue, silent to the ear of the average land dweller. The blue was scattered with life, schools of fish swimming in the higher altitudes, dolphins playing tag. The rocky floor was filled with sea urchins and star fish, eels and anemones. Rising from this floor was a great sea mount, as high as any land mountain. It was composed of multiple layers of different rock, some lighter than others. Ridges and smaller peaks gave way to the highest point of the mountain, its crown, so high up that it nearly reached the ocean's surface.

And from far away, in contrast to the sea mount was what looked like a pink speck coming towards it. This speck, upon closer inspection, was an octopus. His eight powerful legs curled in and out, propelling him forward. He had a monocle, which rested on his left eye, attached to a white collar worn around what would be his neck. A blue bow tie was in front of this collar. He had always liked to look his best, even before he started his current career. Although octopuses were smart, this one, Inkling, was exceptionally intelligent. He was a professor from an university located in England. He taught marine biology (which he thought was fitting, considering what type of animal he was) there for ten years. He loved his occupation, and he enjoyed the company of the young college students.

Sometimes he daydreamed that one day he might bring a group of creatures - either other marine biology professors or his top pupils - down to the ocean to study marine life up close. They would probably come down in a submarine, since most of his peers needed air to breath. Only a few students, like Inkling, could go both on land and in water. They would study known animals, and maybe even find new species as well. Inkling smiled at the idea, but it soon faded from his mind again. Maybe he would do it in a couple years; for now, he was content with where he was.

He looked at the sea mount. Although it would still take an hour to reach there, his heart quickened in anticipation. It was summer vacation, and every year he would come to his homeland. He would visit his little nephew, Squirt, and his friends there. He loved them all dearly, and although Inkling had a family (Squirt included) that he loved, his friends also seemed like a family.

Professor Inkling swam merrily through the ocean, humming a tune as he thought of what he would do once he reached home. But then something caught his attention. It was a dolphin. He didn’t know what exactly, but there was something off with the way he was swimming. Inkling stopped, staring at the creature. “Strange how the fellow is without his pod,” Inkling thought, a feeling of dread rising in him. Looking at the dolphin a little more, the professor realized that he was coughing. Inkling started to swim quickly, trying to come to the dolphin. Inkling gasped when the dolphin, seeming to lose his strength, crashed into the sea floor.

After what seemed like forever, Inkling finally caught up to the creature. The dolphin lay on its side; other than coughing every now and then, it was still. Inkling came close to it, and the dolphin started to writhe, trying to get up.

“Don’t hurt me!” the dolphin said weakly.

“Don’t worry, I mean you no harm,” Inkling said in the most soothing tone he could muster. He touched the dolphin’s side with two of his arms. He had never been in this kind of situation, and he did not know how to handle it. But he just couldn’t leave the creature there. He asked, “What’s wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?”

The dolphin coughed before answering, “I’ve been sick for a while. At first I got tired all the time; then I started coughing a little. It grew worse over the last few weeks, and I started to have trouble breathing through my air hole.”

Pity formed in Inkling’s chest. The sickly dolphin continued, “This illness has gotten so bad that it can’t be fixed now. I can’t breathe through my air hole anymore. I’m living off the last air supply I was able to get.” He had a far away look in his eye. “I’ll be passing soon.”

Inkling jumped back a little at this. He quickly went around the dolphin to where his back was. The octopus looked on with horror. The dolphin’s air hole was completely swollen shut. There was no way Inkling can cure that, especially when he knew so little of medicine. He swam back where the dolphin’s face was. “B-but, there must be someone nearby, a doctor that...” His words slowed as the dolphin shook his head, and he remembered the truth. There weren’t many doctors in the ocean. Most of them were land animals, so they lived near beaches. Sick sea creatures would come to them. But, what if they are in the middle of the ocean?

Like him and the dolphin were now.

The dolphin’s words began to slur, “I didn’ make it. But a’ least th’ res’ of the pod isn’t sick."

"No, there must be some way for you to be cured," Inkling said. The dolphin could hear the desperation in his voice.

He wrapped his arms around the dolphin and haphazardly tried to lift him up. There must be some way to save him, Inkling thought desperately. But after a few tries Inkling had to stop. The dolphin was just too large and heavy for him to carry. The professor ended up slowly floating to the floor, panting. He could only stare in shock. The situation had finally hit him. The dolphin was dying, and he was the only one there who could save him. Yet he could not even do anything.

“I wish I could help you,” Inkling murmured.

The dolphin looked at the octopus’s face. “Please don’ feel guilty,” the dolphin said. “This couldn’ be helped.” His voice started to get quieter. “A’ least you were kin’ enough to stay with me.”

Inkling looked into the dolphin's fading eyes. “And I will stay with you until the end,” Inkling said.

He grabbed the dolphin's flipper in a comforting gesture. He never let go, even when panic seized the dolphin when the air ran out, or when the dolphin writhed, driven by his instincts, trying to get air even when he couldn't. Inkling held on when the dolphin finally quieted down, with a calm look in his eyes, and when he finally passed on. Only after ten minutes of looking at the dead body did Inkling finally let go of the stiff flipper and swim away. He could feel the tears forming, but they would always dissolve into the blue. He couldn’t really think; he felt too numb. All that was in his mind was, “That poor dolphin couldn’t receive medical attention in time.”

He soon arrived at the base of the sea mount. His friends ecstatically greeted him, glad he was finally home. He said hello to them, there but not really. He came mostly back to reality when Squirt swam up to him excitedly, wanting to show him his growing rock collection. Inkling paid attention to him, joining in his conversation about his rocks and even laughing when his nephew said something funny. But sorrow never left him.

After a couple hours, Squirt went off to play with the other children in the community. Inkling floated next to Adeline, a gold coral who was the oldest creature around the sea mount. Standing erect, like a tree would be on land, she was the most respected creature in the community. With the biggest heart, she was the most loved too. Adeline looked at Inkling. She had known Inkling since he was a child and could read his emotions pretty easily. The professor was staring at the kids, but it was obvious that his mind was on other matters. By the look of subtle grief on his face, she knew it was something serious.

“Inkling?” Adeline asked gently. The professor roused from his thoughts and looked at her. “Are you all right? You seem upset.”

He sighed; he should have known he’d be asked sooner or later. He began telling her what happened when he was coming to the seamount. It did not go by unnoticed that Inkling’s voice choked a little towards the end.

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Adeline said. She looked ahead of her, not looking at the children. “That’s terrible.”

“And do you know the worst part?” Inkling asked. “It could have been prevented if there was a doctor close enough to help him.”

She looked at him sadly; the expression on his face was almost unbearable. “Inkling...”

“There are many dangerous things that happen in the ocean, not just sickness. There are tremors, rock slides, storms, volcanic eruptions, the list is endless. And while the creatures on land have systems that help the victims of these disasters, there is not anything like that here.”

“Yes, but our ways of life are different. On land, everyone has jobs, and they have the time and resources to build these type of systems.

In the sea, everyone has to find food and not be food. They are separated in pods or herds, and sometimes creatures live alone. Everyone has to take care of themselves and survive, and they don’t have the time or ability to help entire ecosystems that are impacted with disaster."

“That’s true, but how I wish things were different!" Inkling exclaimed. The coral was surprised at his outburst. But he quieted again, leaving a pleading tone in his voice,  "Please understand, I do not want sea creatures to change their way of life, but I wish there was some way to help those who are in danger, those who cannot take care of themselves."

"There are times when I also want things to change," she said gently, quietly. "But I don't think that can happen. The ocean is just too vast."

They both lapsed into silence. Inkling stared at the ground, deep in thought. Adeline was also thinking, recalling those close to her that had passed away centuries ago...

"Maybe there is something that can be done," Inkling said. Adeline pulled out of her recollections and paid attention to him. There was something in his voice, something subdued, but it caught her ear. "Before, I fancied the idea of bringing down a group of professors or students to study the ocean. My career has left me a large enough fortune to have a submarine built, so it is entirely doable. But instead of scholars, I could bring together an actual crew." He turned to face her, and that subdued tone in his voice finally broke through. "Because I want people that won't only explore, but also rescue and protect. And although one crew can't take care of everyone in the world's oceans, they can still prevent many deaths."

Adeline saw the fire in his eyes, that spark that propelled creatures to do what they were talking about, to accomplish their dreams. It was the same look he had many years ago when Inkling, as a young adult, told her that he wanted to become a professor. She admired this determination, and said, "I know you will bring together a valiant crew, and I know you will change many creature's lives."

He thanked her, touched that she so readily supported him. "I shall start the search in a couple days. I will travel the world until I find members fit for the task. Each one will be assigned different positions and will undoubtedly have different strengths, but they will also work together. They will explore, rescue, and protect the ocean; and through their efforts, they will make a difference."

Chapter Text

"One, two, three," the creature grunted. A green paw held a wrench firmly, which just finished tightening a bolt. The paw pulled away, and the back of its wrist wiped against the brow of its owner, brushing against her bangs. It was warm and humid in the Florida air, making her sweat. But she was used to it by now.

The creature, a green rabbit, lay on her back underneath a car. Her eyes roamed over the section of machinery she was assigned to. Everything seemed to be fastened. After placing the wrench in a tool box nearby her, she turned onto her stomach and crawled out from under the car. She stood up, placing the box on a nearby table and leaning against it. Her large ears, each about a foot tall, took in the noises around her. The warehouse was filled with the whir of drills and the pounding of hammers and the crackle of welding. After a couple of moments, she picked up the sound of a creature's voice.

"Hey, Tweak," the voice called her from the right. She looked over and saw her coworker Tom, who was a badger. He was attaching a hood to the front of another car. He looked at her most of the time, but he had to look down once in a while to see what his hands were doing. "You're already done?" he asked in an amused, incredulous way.

"Faster than you could say, 'Bunch of munchy crunchy carrots,'" she joked in her Southern accent.

He chuckled, "Once I put on this hood, we can move the assembly line again. I'm almost done."

She nodded. Tweak was an employee of a car company named Darlon, and the warehouse she was in was where the automobiles were manufactured. The products were set in an assembly line, where the cars would go from the entrance of the warehouse to the exit. They went along a line that went from the entrance straight to the wall on the opposite side of the room. Then the line would go in an arch, moving the car to the direction where it once came, only to turn again. The assembly line zigzagged in this way within the entire warehouse, giving more room for the cars to be worked upon. Along this line were employees, each of them stationed about ten feet apart from each other. They each had a specific job; for Tweak's, it was to fasten the pipes underneath the back side of the cars. By the time a car went through all the employees in the line, it was ready to be sold (after the paint dried, of course).

Tweak looked at the left towards the employee that went before her in the line. The worker, a middle aged fox, just finished attaching a catalytic converter and fastening parts under the front side of the car. As she put her tools on her personal table, they both heard "I'm done" come from the badger.

"Ok," both Tweak and the fox, whose name was Celia, replied. Tweak pushed off from the table and came towards Tom, who was behind his car. Making sure the next platform was already devoid of vehicles, they pushed the automobile towards it. Once it reached the station, Tweak and Celia's cars were moved in a similar manner.

They all began their work again. Tweak walked to her table and pulled the tool box off of it. However, she lost her grip, and it fell. The tool box hit the floor with a clang, spilling out instruments and bolts.

Sighing, she crouched down and started putting the contents back into the container. She leaned forward, trying to see if there was anything under the car. A few stray bolts lay underneath the front area of the vehicle. Moving forward a little bit, she reached in, her head coming underneath the car a slightly, and grabbed the bolts. As she pulled her head back and up, she noticed something.

At first she thought she had not seen it correctly. It was something very small, not really noticeable unless someone was close to it. She put the bolts into the tool box then went closer to the catalytic converter.

The car part under scrutiny looked like a gray box with grooves on the side that faced towards the ground. A pipe from the the front area on the underside of the car was attached to it on one side, and the converter's opposite side connected to a pipe that led to the exhaust.

Tweak looked on all sides of the converter, observing it closely. Everything seemed fine, except for the hairline-thin crack running down its side. She reached forward and touched it, running her paw down the crack gently. It must have been a defective converter, receiving the tear when it was being manufactured. She pushed the metal on one side of the crack, not that hard, and the metal moved easily under her will. A gap showed now that one side of the metal wall was farther back than the other one.

"This isn't good," she thought. She went to a sitting position on her knees.

The catalytic converter had the function of reducing dangerous gases, like carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. As gases came from the engine into the converter, it initiated chemical reactions which turned them into water and less harmful gases before they came out of the car and into the world. But with this tear, the gases would not get completely converted. Sure, at first everything would look fine, but after a while the tear would grow. Eventually the converter wouldn't be able to change the gases anymore. They would pollute the air, coming out of the cars in black fumes.

She was not okay with that.

She got back on her feet and walked a little bit away from the assembly line to a rack, which held equipment that was more advanced than screwdrivers and hammers. She picked up a welding machine and a helmet, and soon she was back to the converter. Laying on her side, away from the flames, she quickly sealed the crack. Just as she finished, a bell rang, signifying it was lunch time. She took a sketchbook and pencil from her table with one paw, keeping the welding gear in the other. She dropped off the welding equipment at the rack and went into the cafeteria, which was connected to the main room in the warehouse.

The cafeteria looked sterile with its white walls, tiled floors, and white fluorescent lights. It was filled with benches, some already occupied by employees. Many of the employees were lined up at the right of the room, near the entrance, where the food was being served. Tweak got her tray of food, holding it with both hands and putting the sketchbook under her arm. She sat at a table with Tom, Celia, and a few other workers. Tom was telling his usual stories, instances of everyday life that was funny or memorable, usually about his five year old son.

Tweak listened in, laughing and shaking her head, while working in her sketchbook. She didn't usually have it with her during lunch, preferring to separate working and spending time with her friends.

Tweak stuck out her tongue to the side as she got more into her work. But before she got too deep into it, Celia got her attention.

"What have you got there?" the fox asked quietly, with a timid smile.

"They're blueprints for an engine I designed," Tweak answered, showing her the page. "It's going to run off of a battery, so it won't need any gasoline. I've already figured out how they're going to work, but," she laughed sheepishly, "my notes are pretty sloppy. You see, I want to show our manager this, so maybe Darlon can be more environmentally friendly. But before I do that, I'm redrawing and writing my work so it would make sense."

"That's very ambitious, and noble of you," Celia said in her small voice. Tweak smiled at the compliment. "You're aiming for something huge, because it will take a lot to have a company change its product and manufacturing process. But take it from someone who has been in the workplace for a long time; you won't be able to make it."

Tweak's mind froze. "E-excuse me?" Tweak managed to say.

"I have been in this company for twenty years," Celia said, in a way that was quiet, yet matter-of-factly and genuine. "And I was never given a raise, promotion, nothing. And it's not that I wasn't qualified. As a kid I had started inventing and using tools, and in college, I got an engineering degree with flying colors." To Tweak's dread, she realized that she had those same traits.

"You have been at Darlon for how many years?" Celia asked.

"Two," Tweak answered despondently, yet a little tensely.

"You've probably thought that your job as an car manufacturer would be temporary. That either you would join a special project, since Florida has a space center; or you would get a higher position in Darlon. By your plans, I can tell you were going for the second one."

Tweak nodded quietly in confirmation.

"I'm telling you this with only good intentions. Don't wast your time or gain frustration; just be content with where you are now."

All other conversation had already ended, and the table lapsed into silence. No doubt others had listened, but Tweak could not look at them.

She thought she had a chance, but how could she respond to something like this? To a person who wasn't able to do it? What if she herself couldn't get to where she wanted?...

"I think she can do it," Tom said with a little confident smile, trying to make up for what Celia said, but absolutely believing his own statement. "She's smart and knows how to work hard. I'm sure that if she wants to, she can go far."

"But you don't understand; with Darlon, it's different," Celia pressed.

"Whether it's Darlon, the Kennedy Space Center, or anywhere else, as long as she's persistent, she'll do fine. I myself love this job, but I wouldn't put down anyone who would want to pursue anything else." Although he didn't say it meanly, it was undoubtedly directed to the fox. Celia didn't say anything, but with her rabbit ears, Tweak could hear a small sigh. Whether annoyed or melancholy, she wasn't sure.

Lunch, and the rest of Tweak's shift, ended rather quickly. Taking her sketchbook, she left the warehouse and went down the street, passing the Auto Repair Shop, whose name made it pretty self explanatory. After a few minutes she went to her apartment.

It was a small place, but comfortable. She had a living room with a dark green carpet, a sofa, and a t.v. with a video game console, one of her most prized possessions. She also had a small kitchen and table, along with a bedroom and bathroom. She went to her kitchen table and, sighing, sat down. She was surprised at the conversation at lunch. The most shocking thing was that Celia was usually so quiet and agreeable, so to hear such negativity (even though it was not said aggressively) was a huge change.

But Tom was really helpful, Tweak chuckled thankfully. Because of him, she wasn't too discouraged; and she still wanted to go on with her plans. He was a great friend.

Speaking of friends, she thought, I better finish these blueprints before Sandy comes tomorrow. Sandy was a sea turtle who Tweak met right after she moved to Florida. They had instantly become best friends, and although Sandy traveled all over the world's oceans, she would always visit the green rabbit whenever she was nearby. Tweak was expecting her to come tomorrow after work, so she wanted to finish and talk to the manager before then. Sandy would want to know how it went.

Tweak went right to work and finished about midnight. The next morning, excited, yet a little nervous, she took her sketchbook and other papers and went to the factory, using the route that passed the Auto Repair Shop.

The day went on as usual, with all the employees working on their assigned areas of the cars. Tweak was waiting for three o'clock, a few hours after lunch, because the manager usually came around that time everyday.

She must have been on her fifteenth car for the day, coming right after lunch, when she stumbled upon another defective catalytic converter. She had come under the car from its frontside instead of the usual backside, trying to fasten a particularly stubborn pipe, and soon found another hair-line tear on the converter. With everything that happened yesterday, she had forgotten about the first catalytic converter. After fixing this second one, though, she grew concerned. As she worked on the next few cars, she realized that all of them had broken catalytic converters, all with the same hair-line fractures. And, she realized, all the cuts were clean.

After welding together her fifth converter, she walked over to Celia, who applied that car part. Although things were looking bad for the fox, Tweak didn't want to jump to any conclusions.

"Um, Celia?" Tweak asked her. Celia came out from under the car and stood up, brushing off her paws. She had that small smile.

"Yes, Tweak?" she asked. It seemed that the conversation from yesterday did not affect her at all.

"I found that all the catalytic converters have small tears in them," Tweak told her. She didn't say it accusingly; she just wanted to now what was going on. "Have you noticed that too?"

"I asked the manager about that, but he said not to worry about it," Celia replied, but seemed nervous.

"What?" Tweak asked. "But Celia, you and I both know that after a while, the converters will wear down and break."

Before Celia could answer, Tweak's sensitive ears picked up the manager's voice. With her fixing all the catalytic converters, she must have lost track of time.

Celia saw him, and pointing discreetly at him, she said defensively, "You can talk to the manager about it if you want, but I won't to be a part of this." Before Tweak could say anything else, Celia went back under her car.

Tweak was again surprised at how touchy Celia had been recently. What was going on?

She quickly turned and came towards the manager, who was a red panda. When she first found out what type of animal he was, she was surprised. With his reddish fur, pointy ears, "masked" face, and striped tail, he looked more like a red raccoon than anything else. Bu she was used to it by now, and finally reaching him, she waited a bit for him to finish talking to another worker.

"Hello," he greeted once the worker went back to his car. He turned to her. "Do you need something?"

"Yeah," she said quietly, trying not to have anyone overhear her. "I've been noticing that all the catalytic converters have small cuts in them, and-"

"Oh, don't worry about that," he said. Tweak stopped for a second, surprised. What Celia said about his reaction was true.

"B-but sir," she stuttered, "It's a big problem. You see, after a while, it-"

"Could you please come to my office?" he asked, cutting her off a second time. His voice was cheerful, yet tight; and she became a bit nervous.

"Okay," she replied, hiding most of her uncomfortableness. She followed him to a smaller room near the car area. It was a typical office with a huge wooden desk, a book shelf, green walls, and a window covered in blinds.

She went inside, and the manager followed, closing the door behind him.

"There," he said, "now we can talk privately."

"Sir, I'm worried that the converters will break after the costumers buy them," Tweak pressed.

"And why is that a bad thing?" the manager asked, turning his head towards her.

"Excuse me?"

"Broken converters mean replacements," he stated simply, "and replacements mean more money."

Tweak could not believe what she was hearing.

"You're ripping creatures off?"

"Look at it this way," he said smoothly. "The more money the company can get, the bigger paycheck you'll receive."

"But.... that's wrong," she said, becoming indignant.

"Who cares about what's right or wrong?" he countered. "As long as we get ahead, it doesn't matter."

"You won't be able to pull this off for long," she warned. "Not only will you get charged for scamming others, you'll also get in trouble for breaking environmental laws."

"And what, are you going to turn us in?" he challenged.

There was silence in the room. Her eyes showed that she would, and he sighed, walking towards the window.

"I understand that it may be hard for some to accept the company's practices," he commented, his voice calm again. "There have been others who have already come to me, some who know several more secrets."

Tweak's eyes widened. There was even more corruption?

"But most employees do not know, and it wouldn't be fair if they all lost their jobs, now would it? After all, if word gets out, Darlon closes down. They and their families would suffer, especially in today's economy."

Tweak immediately thought of Tom. With his optimism and support, there was no way for him to have known Darlon's true nature. He wouldn't have defended Tweak and encouraged her to show her battery designs. It was now obvious that the owners wouldn't have accepted it. Those engines wouldn't need catalytic converters.

She didn't want to imagine Tom's face when he gets laid of. She looked down, and the manager smiled. He walked closer to her.

"I know that you don't want to cause other's pain," he said sympathetically, but with slyness dripping. "So let's forget about the converters, shall we, and get back to work."

Tweak was sure that at some point, Celia was in her exact spot, with the same words being said to her. The fox had decided to play along, "be content" with where she was.

But Tweak knew she wasn't content. Celia had stopped aiming high, not because she wanted to, but because she didn't want to get hurt. She had cowered before them, doing their will. She let them walk over her, and she joined them, whether she liked it or not, in their scheme of conning others.      

Tweak did not want to do that. She was not going to play their game.     

"For everyone's sakes, I may not be able to turn you in," she said, turning towards him, her voice strong. "But I won't be a part of this. I quit."       

He wasn't expecting a response like that.       

"You quit?" He repeated. "Even though there's a recession? You won't be able to find work."       

"Even so, I'm still leaving." She knew what the cost might be, but it was better than being a liar.       

He stared at her, no doubt considering what to do now. His fixed gaze was unreadable, and for a moment Tweak thought she won't be able to leave. However, the red panda walked past her and yanked the door open.     

"Get out," he ordered darkly.  She did as he said, and as she passed him he spat, "People like you don't go far in life. You had you're chance, but now you'll struggle just to get by. But at least you'll have your oh-so-important integrity," he said mockingly, "because it sure doesn't belong here." He shut the door behind her, and his words rang in her mind. She stood there with indignation and dread and a sense that something grave just transpired. She tried to process everything that just happened. The company she had worked for the past two years was corrupt, and she lost her job.       

She was glad she was strong enough to quit. There was no way that she would be able to live with herself if she stayed there. Her anger, although fading, was still there when she passed the assembly line, going to her table to get her sketchbook and papers. When she arrived there, Tweak spotted Celia discreetly staring at her. The older worker quickly looked away. The rabbit said nothing as she gathered her things, and as she turned to leave, she saw Tom's inquisitive gaze.        

Although it hurt a bit, she didn't say anything to him either. He would ask questions, and she didn't want to tell him anything, lest he would have to make a decision like she did. He had a family to provide for, so it would affect him more than her. She left both of them and exited the building with her head held up high. But with each step farther from Darlon, the more reality hit her. She wouldn't be able to go back there tomorrow. She wouldn't be able to see Tom again; she wouldn't be able to get this month's paycheck. And Darlon would never use her battery engine, because the company's character was not what Tweak believed it was.     

Her anger disappeared completely, and she became melancholy as these thoughts filled her mind. Her shoulders began to droop as she continued walking. She looked at her surroundings and spotted something, making her slow.       

Tweak had always passed by the Auto Repair Shop. She would usually look at it, notice the details, but it never really registered in her mind. But now she realized that on the top left corner of the shop's sign, there was a little "Darlon's" in a red circle with spike's surrounding it. And she also noticed how almost all the broken cars entering the shop had black smoke, unconverted fumes, coming out of their exhausts.      

It was all there, she thought, shocked. Why couldn't anyone see it?        

An anxious feeling filled her heart, and it wasn't long until she entered her apartment. She tiredly plopped onto the couch, putting the sketchbook carelessly next to her.         

She slowly looked at her apartment, her video game console. It was all the same since this morning, but it all looked different. It felt strange, being there in the middle of the day when she would have been working. How was she supposed to pay the rent? How was she supposed to keep her home?     

She tried to quiet her fears. After all, she had made her decision; and she meant it. She did not want to be part of the manager's scheme. But when the fears did not completely subside, she stood up and went out the door. Even though she was expecting Sandy in a few hours, the walk to the pier should do her good.     

She wandered among the streets, taking detours along the route to the beach. She went into a few shops asking if they needed work, but all the business owners declined, shaking their heads.

"There's not enough jobs in this city in general," a cashier remarked in a grocery store. This just made Tweak all the more melancholy.     

She eventually arrived at the beach, near the pier. Nearby was a solitary boardwalk, going straight out into the ocean. She felt the transition between the sand and the hard wood as she walked onto the boardwalk. She came near the end of the wooden "road" before sitting on the edge of the boardwalk's left side.      

She stayed there, encompassed in her thoughts, absentmindedly looking at the water moving below and the sun traveling above.       

The sun began to set when Sandy appeared.        

"Hello, Tweak," the sea turtle said joyfully, rising to the water's surface and putting up her flipper for their special handshake.        

"Hi, Sandy," Tweak said sadly, doing the handshake halfheartedly. Sandy grew a bit concerned at her friend's behavior. "Eh, are you all right?" she asked. "Why so glum?"       

Tweak debated whether to tell her or not, but knowing that Sandy wouldn't tell anyone about Darlon, she recalled what happened that day.                                          

"I feel terrible now," Tweak concluded. "I mean, I'm glad I'm out of that place. But I thought the company was trustworthy; and it's sad to see what it truly is. I wish I could do something about it, but I don't want anyone else to be in the situation I'm in. Now I don't know how to keep my home, what I'm going to do with myself. So far I haven't found any work, and it seems like it's going to stay that way for a long time."       

Tweak sighed, but then chuckled dryly, "And I thought I could have actually made a difference, you know? I worked so hard on those engine designs, but it was all for nothing. Darlon wouldn't have accepted it, and who knows? No one else may want it either. My integrity might get in the way,"  Tweak said the last sentence sarcastically, her anger flaring up again. But it disappeared just as quickly as it came, and she sat there dejectedly, with her head bowed. Sandy frowned. She didn't want to see her friend so down.       

"I know it's really hard for you, but don't give up yet," she encouraged. "I'm sure you'll be able to get back on your feet again, and be even better off than you were before. And there's nothing wrong with integrity; it's better than any sleazy trick that any company can think up. You are trustworthy, something that they can never be. So don't listen to that manager." Tweak just shrugged, but then Sandy had an idea.     

"Listen, Tweak, while coming here, I heard a school of fish talking about a professor who is traveling all over looking for a crew. He plans to make a team that will help and study animals in the ocean. He's looking for an engineer; maybe you should check it out. I heard that he was in the area."         

As Sandy talked, Tweak raised her head a bit, and her ears perked up, listening. The idea intrigued the rabbit, but she still had doubts. "That sounds amazing," she said, "but... I don't know. Am I going to be traveling everywhere? Or is it a one time thing?"       

"Well, I don't really know the details," Sandy replied, "but I don't see a reason to not check it out. I actually think you'll like it, and this is a chance to do something both unique and helpful." She did have a point.        

Sandy continued, "The professor puts ads in a city's newspaper before he travels there. You should be able to find contact information through that."       

"Well," Tweak considered, "all right. Trying it out won't hurt. It does sound like a great opportunity too. I'll contact him tonight."       

The restaurant was filled with an orange glow as the sound of talking, background music, and the clanging of utensils hitting dishes rang through the air. It was crowded as Tweak walked toward a waitress at the reservation desk. In front of that desk stood an octopus wearing a monocle. Seeing the professor, Tweak took a deep breath, a bit nervous, then came up to him.      

The octopus turned around, spotting her. "Tweak, I presume," he greeted politely, but with a smile, bringing up one of his arms.

The rabbit, who has holding her sketchbook and several papers under her left arm, shook his outstretched arm with her right. "It's nice to meet you, Professor Inkling," she said.    

The waitress, who was expecting them, led them to a table and gave them their menus.  Although there were people chatting all around, they were still able to hear each other.           

"I have never seen a green rabbit before," Inkling said after they were situated, sitting across from each other.     

"Yeah, it runs in my family," Tweak said, not really sure what he was implying with that, "but I like it."     

"I didn't mean it in a disrespectful way," Inkling said apologetically, "It's just that I love meeting different types of creatures, and I find the diversity among them fascinating."     

"Well, I'm glad about that," she chuckled, relaxing a little. Just then a waitress came by. They each ordered their drinks, and when she left, the professor said, "I'll be paying for the food."       

"Are you sure?" Tweak asked.     

"Positive," Inkling said. "Don't worry about it."     

She thanked him, glad for his offer because her money was tight, but at the same time making sure that she wouldn't order anything expensive.       

"So," Inkling began, after taking a few minutes to look through their menus and order their dishes. The professor clasped two of his arms together, "Let's get started.  From our conversation over the phone, you said that you know the main reasons for the crew's existence, but you were unsure of what the engineer's role was exactly." 

"Yes," Tweak confirmed.       

"Basically, the engineer's job will be in two phases," Inkling explained. "The crew will live and travel in a submarine, one that will be able to sustain itself without necessarily getting supplies on land. The crew will also travel in smaller, more quick, submarines for missions. For the first phase, the engineer will design and build these machines."       

Tweak couldn't help but get excited over this. It was such a unique project; it would be interesting, and downright amazing, to do something like that.       

"In the second phase, the engineer will be with everyone while they are traveling, maintaining the machines and inventing anything else that may be needed." 

  That definitely answered the question if she was going to travel or not. Although she was unsure how she would feel about it, she wasn't that upset about leaving Florida. She had already left her hometown, and all her ties to her current dwelling had been broken.        

"So, I would be part of the crew?" she asked, "If I became the engineer, I mean."         

"Completely," Inkling assured.        

Just then the waitress arrived with their food and placed it on the table. Inkling got seaweed pasta while Tweak got something called the "Carrot Crown". It was several carrots cut in long pieces and steamed, making them bendable. They were arranged in a circle and then bent upwards and toward the center. Together they formed a space in between them, forming what looked like a crown.     

Although it looked fancy, it was still made of steamed carrots, so it wouldn't cost Inkling much.       

After the waitress left again, the two creatures began to eat. During the whole interview, one would eat a few forkfuls while the other talked, and then they would sort of switch. They did't think about it too much, though, being more into the conversation.

  Inkling told Tweak, "This job is very unique in nature, and it is much more than just doing a project.  Since all crew members will be living in a submarine, both character and an ability to get along with others is also key. So tell me a little about yourself. What would you say are some strengths you possess?"       

She rubbed the back of her neck; it felt strange to have to talk highly of herself. "I...I'm really good with tools," she started, listing off favorable traits. "I have a very creative mind and can make things pretty quickly. When it comes to my personality, I'm pretty good natured. I usually hold my tongue unless I really need to say something." Her voice became confident. "And I care about the environment, and I hope to make a difference some day using my engineering skills."        

Inkling nodded, taking in everything she said. He noticed how she became passionate when she started talking about the environment, and he decided to go down that route.     

"It's interesting how you count your concern for the environment as a strength," Inkling commented.       

"Well," she replied, "it's been on my mind a lot recently. I guess it's because I'm an engineer, but I tend to think, "What could I make that would help the world around me?" She started to pull out her sketchbook and papers. "I actually designed an engine that has a battery, so it would run on electricity instead of gasoline."       

She handed the papers to the professor, who took each of them in each arm. He ended up holding a paper in all of his eight arms and looking at them simultaneously, alternating them with the sketchbook and other papers on the table.      

Looking at the details that she put in her designs, and with how the engine worked itself, he could tell she had a brilliant mind. What's more, he agreed with her on being environmentally friendly.     

"This is amazing," Inkling said, continuing to look at the designs.       

"I was planning to show this design to Darlon, the company I worked for, but it didn't work out," she said a bit sadly.       

"Why not?" he asked, lowering the papers and looking at her. "Battery engines are a wonderful idea."       

"It wasn't that..." Tweak replied, trailing off. Should she tell him? She didn't know how that would affect her prior co-workers, though. "I'd rather not talk about it."       

"All right," Inkling said, respecting her privacy; but at the same time, he kind of needed to know, in case it might cause a problem later. "Did it have to do with any negative conduct in the workplace?"         

"Yes," Tweak answered, "but I wasn't the one causing it."       

Inkling left it at that, deciding to take her word for now.        

"At any rate," Tweak said, "I think if I modify the engines a bit, I would be able to use them for all the mini-submarines, and maybe the big one too. Or even better, maybe the big one could have generators, and them it could power the smaller ones..."       

Tweak felt that she was starting to ramble and immediately stopped. "Sorry, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself."     

"It's quite alright," Inkling chuckled. "How long have you been interested in engineering?"     

"Basically my whole life," she replied. "I used to live in the South when I was younger, and my father always liked fixing beat up cars. It was a hobby of his, and a couple times a year he would come home towing one of those old cars with our own. When I got old enough to hop, I started helping my father with it; and he would teach me how the engine ran and how all the parts worked together. I got interested in engines and that kind of stuff because of it, and I soon started to tinker and invent things of my own. I've been into engineering ever since."       

"Well, your blueprints definitely show your experience in it," he said. He then became silent, crossing his arms, considering. By now both their plates were empty, and Inkling had already paid.     

"Although I have not completely made my decision yet, you are a good candidate for the job," he declared. He was still unsure about the possible problem she may have caused in the workplace, but he did not tell her that was the reason for his hesitation. Other than that, she was completely qualified. He would just call the prior company, Darlon, about it. "I will be staying in Florida for a couple more days and will call you when I have made my decision."     

"All right," Tweak said, wondering what he would decide. She then asked, "Where would the engineer build the submarines?"       

"I'm not completely sure," Inkling admitted. "Probably in the area where the engineer lives, if there are any warehouses or ports where it could be built. I do not know many creatures in the engineering field, while the new member undoubtedly will; so I would have the engineer hire mechanics to help him build the submarines. To do it alone would be too unrealistic and time consuming. I would assume that his peers would also be in the area, so it would be smarter to keep the engineer there, instead of having them travel anywhere else."       

Tweak perked up while he was talking. Her mind started turning. "More mechanics will be hired?"       

"Essentially, yes," Inkling answered. "But only for the first phase. The engineer will be the main designer and overseer of the project, but later on he would be the only one maintaining the machinery."         

"Everyone in Darlon could be hired," she whispered excitedly.       

"What?" Inkling asked, confused at her expression.       

She looked at him confidently. She could tell him everything; there was nothing to worry about now.         

"Even if you get someone else as the engineer, I know a lot of mechanics who could help, and who may need the work. You see, I found out recently that the company I worked for was corrupt," she explained.

Inkling's face showed his shock.

"I was going to show them my battery designs, but after I found out, I quit. They blackmailed me to not tell anyone about it by saying, rightfully, that all the workers, even the ones who didn't know about the corruption, will get laid off if they get closed down. But, if everyone gets a job working on the submarine, they will get temporary work while looking for another job. And Darlon can be turned in."       

Inkling looked at her in surprise. He wasn't sure if she was telling the truth; she could just be saying this to make him hire her. But as he paid closer attention to her face, he saw that no lies were within her eyes; there was just excitement and triumph, like she just defeated a foe. There was no way that she was faking it when she truly wasn't sure what the occupation was at first, and since she wanted them to be hired even if she didn't get a job herself. Although he wasn't expecting to hear a situation such as this, it became clear to him that it showed more about her character than whatever she could have said about herself.         

"I would definitely want to help by hiring them," Inkling said. Tweak let out a breath of relief. But the professor wasn't done. "And with such integrity and strong character," Inkling declared, "I know now that you will be perfect as the engineer."       

Tweak couldn't believe her ears. "I'm hired?"        

"Yes, if you are willing to join," Inkling replied, chuckling as Tweak smiled widely.       

"Yes! Of course!" She was ecstatic. "Thank you so much, Professor. When do I start?"       

"Well, since we're both here, and you have your sketchbook, we can start designing the submarines now. We don't have to finish today, but whenever we're done you can start building the submarines, and in the meantime I'll continue to search for other crew members."       

"Sounds good," Tweak declared happily, reaching over and getting the sketchbook. She opened it and grabbed a pen. Clicking it, she put the writing utensil against the paper, prepared to write down or draw whatever Inkling would say. "So," she asked the professor, "What do you want the submarines to look like?"

Chapter Text

It could be considered the middle of nowhere, as far as maps were concerned. Inkling was many, many miles from the coast of South America, not really known by the creatures on land nor in the scientific field. Yet the octopus knew it was many creatures' homes, so the area he was in was still significant. Schools of fish scurried everywhere, and corals were steadfast in the sand, towering several feet high. Crabs scurried; Inkling saw two fighting over a a strand of decaying seaweed, each pulling the piece in opposite directions.

Inkling was observing the scene around him, but he was just passing through. He was heading towards the main land, and he expected to arrive before sundown. He had it all planned out. Once he arrived at a nearby port, he would check in at a hotel, then spend a few weeks in the neighboring towns, searching for the right creatures to join what he was after. It would take a while before he found the perfect members, but he was not really nervous. He had a notion that they were out there somewhere, just waiting to be found.

And he had the whole world to look through.

As he was moving along, something caught his eye. Looking towards a wall of coral to his left, he saw something that rather surprised him. Among the coral, one would usually find holes or tunnels inside them. Small fish would swim in and out of there, and eels especially liked to make them their homes. However, the fish that was before him was much too large; and it had gotten stuck in a hole. All Inkling saw was its blue tail, thrashing wildly as it tried to get out. Yet no matter how hard it tried, the poor thing didn't budge. Not wanting to leave the fish alone, Inkling swam up to it, stopping on the right side of it.

"Hello," Inkling called to the fish. Its tail instantly straightened, tensed by the sudden appearance of an unknown creature. Seeing the sudden tension, Inkling hurried on. "Don't worry, I don't want to hurt you. My name's Professor Inkling, and I couldn't help but see that you are in a predicament. Is it alright if I help you?”

He wanted to gain the fish's trust because it couldn't see him; and if he automatically started helping, the fish would assume he was trying to attack it. Inkling didn't need the situation to get any messier than it was.

The fish said something, but the voice was muffled. All he could hear was gibberish. The tail slackened, however, indicating that the fish accepted his words.

"Alright, I'm going to pull you out," Inkling said, wrapping four of his arms around the fish. He placed his other arms against the coral as support.

"I'll pull on the count of three," the professor said. "One, two, three." He pulled as hard as he could without hurting the fish. It started to slightly slide out of the hole, showing a bit of oddly yellow skin; but Inkling didn't see it. Stopping for a second, Inkling took a deep breath and pulled again, straining in the effort.

Then suddenly with a plop!, Inkling suddenly found himself flipping backwards by the momentum of the fish's burst of freedom. But he soon righted himself and looked at the fish.

He had not expected what he saw.

The creature he freed was not a fish at all. True, it had the body of one; but its head... He didn't know why, but it reminded Inkling of a vegetable. A turnip, to be exact. Maybe it was the yellow skin, or the green leaf-looking appendages sprouting from the top of his head. He wondered what this creature was…

But then he suddenly realized he was staring and immediately looked away. The creature, however, didn't seem to notice. He had an amiable face, looking at the professor in a friendly manner. He came towards the professor slightly and started talking in a language he had never heard before.

Inkling overcame his initial shock and looked at the creature more closely. He had never heard the scientific community talk about a creature like this. His mouth upturned slightly, barely showing a swell of excitement starting to rise. Did he just discover a new species?

Quieting his swirling and increasingly excited thoughts, he said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand you.” He expected the creature to stop talking when he wouldn’t understand Inkling’s words, but he gave a knowledgeable “Oh,” in his high pitched voice along with a comprehending nod.

“Wait, do you know what I’m saying?” Inkling asked. The creature nodded again.

“If you do, spin around once.” The small animal did so, doing a quick, yet graceful spin.

“Amazing,” Inkling said, “Can you speak it?” The creature tried, but for some reason he couldn’t. It was hard for him to form English words, leaving him only to make guttural noises and stutters.

I have never seen this before, Inkling thought contemplatively. To be able to understand yet not speak... As far as he could tell, no other types of animals were like this.

“That’s all right,” the professor said, trying to calm him. The creature had started to look frustrated. His brow was furrowed, trying to concentrate while his words kept failing to come out. Inkling changed the subject.

“Say, do you live alone; or are you part of a group, like a herd or school?” He was genuinely curious, and he couldn’t help but let the excitement of scientific discovery take over.

The creature immediately perked up at the question. “Peeto nii ciitra!” he said, gesturing Inkling to follow him. He didn’t know what exactly he said, but he guessed it was a yes and that he wanted the professor to meet them. He complied, and they went northeast, exactly the opposite direction Inkling was intending to go.

Although he felt a little anxious that his search was put on hold, he knew how important this was to the scientific world. If he left now, who knew when this creature, this... this Vegimal (he thought the name up on the spot), would be found again? This may have slowed down his search for his crew, but this excursion was still valuable. A productive detour, he mused.

Besides, he was enjoying the creature’s company.

As they swam among the coral, Inkling asked him questions, learning more about him and his species. They were yes and no questions, so the Vegimal had only to nod or shake his head.

"Do you come here often?" was one of Inkling's questions. His new companion nodded, and glanced at him a bit curiously. Looking forward again, he held up something with his front flippers.

It was several strips of kelp. He was carrying it the whole time, but only now did Inkling notice (much to his embarrassment).

The yellow creature was hiding it, but he looked inquisitively at the Professor as he said, "Oh, I see; you were foraging for food. I'm assuming that was why you were in the hole in the first place. You were trying to gather it, but you became stuck in the process.”

The Vegimal gave a hard nod with a trill of affirmation, then said something more. How Inkling wished he could understand him!

“I’m sorry; I didn’t get that.”

The Vegimal thought a bit, then putting most of the seaweed in one flipper, he took one and held it with both flippers, stretching it out. He then proceeded to make the seaweed spin, or curl, in the water, making it spiral. In his pantomime, it looked like he was wrapping the sea weed around something.

Inkling still didn’t understand it. “Do you wrap it around other foods?” he asked. The Vegimal shook his head, thinking again. But having no other way to explain it, he held up a flipper.

Wait.

He then pointed in the direction they were heading.

You’ll see when we get to our destination.

It was Inkling's turn to nod, and there was a lull in conversation as they continued on silently. The Vegimal would glance at the professor every now and then, still with that questioning look on his face. But after a while, he finally asked what was on his mind.

“Chitto Brii?” he said, stopping and pointing at him.

“What?” Inkling asked. Without really realizing it, he made a subconscious note that the Vegimal rolled his r’s.

The Vegimal pointed with bigger emphasis at the round piece of glass in front of Inkling’s eye. “Chitto Brii?” he asked again. He seemed confused at what it was.

“Oh, you’re asking about this?” The professor said. He took off the optical instrument. “This is a monocle.”

He handed it to the creature. The Vegimal took it, studying the clear object carefully. After a couple moments he put it on one of his own eyes. Letting it go, the monocle stayed on his face; and he stared, blinking. It made one of his eyes feel strange and see differently. He moved his head, seeing how everything around him was somewhat blurry.

“Chura-to” he said in amazement, his mouth forming a “O” at the word’s last syllable. His wide eyes and look of wonder made Inkling chuckle.

“This little device helps me see better,” the professor explained. “You see, without them, one of my eyes sees everything slightly fuzzy, probably how my monocle is doing that to you now! But that is because it is meant for only my eye; your vision is perfect and doesn’t need it.”

The Vegimal nodded, absorbing the information. After a moment the creature returned the optical instrument, and they started swimming again.

"By the way, I've never caught your name," Inkling said.

"Tunip," he replied with a smile. Inkling found the name quite fitting.

After a few more miles, the ground started to rise past the water’s surface.

An island, Inkling soon realized.

They went towards it, soon feeling the motion of the waves hitting the beach. They were pleasantly pushed forward by the water, which helped get them closer; but then they had to fight the even stronger pull of the wave as it went back out to sea.

Eventually, once they were close enough, Tunip was able to stand. He started to waddle out of the water, and Inkling followed, ignoring the light chill the air brought on his wet skin.

So, they can breath both below and above water, he though. That slight smile returned again, but it was a bit softer than before. He didn’t know why, but small characteristics like these gave him an amusement, fascination, and (strangely) warmth unlike anything else.

It was a fairly small island, with a wide beach of white sand. The beach transitioned to an area of palm trees, immediately springing up past an invisible point on the land. Among these palm trees were small huts, with walls of sticks and wood, and roofs thatched with palm fronds. A few pillars of light smoke rose from behind one of the buildings. They must have been cooking something.

Inkling looked at the beautiful scene before him. “This island looks picturesque,” he complimented.

“Ya,” Tunip agreed. At least Inkling could understand that.

Suddenly, they started to hear other high pitched voices. They saw a group of creatures similar to Tunip appear from behind the buildings. Their looks again surprised Inkling. They had different colored heads, from red to blue to purple; and while most of them had blue fish bodies, some of them were green. There were about twenty of them, all in different sizes; but most, if not all, of them were shorter than Inkling.

The professor then thought of something. “Will everyone else understand English?” he asked quietly to Tunip. He glanced up at the octopus and nodded, before they both looked back at the other Vegimals.

They were excited over Tunip’s arrival, running towards him and happily chirping. But then they noticed Inkling, and their demeanors changed. They slowed down in front of them and slowed their speech until there was only silence. They all grouped together, forming a sort of half circle in front of Inkling and Tunip. And they all stared at Inkling.

The professor started to feel awkward with their eyes on him. But then it got to (what he thought) the worse state imaginable: they started talking amongst themselves.

Among them, Inkling particularly noticed a red headed Vegimal, smaller than Tunip, leaning towards a blue headed one and whispering a bit uneasily to him, pointing at Inkling. The professor smiled towards them all, trying to look as friendly as possible (although his uncomfortableness made it looked strained). It was clear that they didn’t see many visitors.

Tunip began talking to them, a somewhat long dialogue. At first Inkling wasn’t entirely sure what it was about (he guessed it was something about him), but when Tunip did a motion that looked like he was pulling something, the professor understood that he was talking about how Inkling freed him from the hole he was stuck in. As he finished, the Vegimals all looked at Inkling with more trusted, happy looks.

Then another Vegimal, a blue one, spoke to the others in a loud voice, “Peeto, churappi. Cii priillo na miurto nii pattur tœ scor ciila!” They all crowded around Inkling and gently started pulling them toward their dwellings. He was surprised at their change of mood, to say the least.

“Um, where are we going?” he asked. An orange one answered him cheerfully, but the poor professor still didn’t know.

They went past the first couple of huts. Inkling looked to the side and was surprised to find a Vegimal, he was guessing a female, looking out from the doorway. A little Vegimal, a child, peeked from behind her. It waved at Inkling, smiling shyly. He returned the smile, and waved back before a noise got him looking forward again.

The huts formed a circle with a space wide enough to be a sort of plaza or square. Within it were four fires, rather large, with each looked after by two Vegimals. A few of the Vegimals in his group were calling out to them.

Tunip walked up to another yellow Vegimal, who was taking care of a fire, and handed them the seaweed. The new yellow Vegimal came back towards the fire and picked up a stick from a pile of them laying on some palm leaves. He started wrapping the seaweed around them and putting those sticks on 2 wooden holders, one on each side of the fire, so that the seaweed was being cooked over it.

So that was what Tunip’s pantomime was about, Inkling thought, recalling earlier. They were cooking seaweed on a stick.

He looked at the two other fires and saw that more food was being prepared. At one a Vegimal was using a long, seemingly light rock as a sort of pan, frying something on it. At another one, a large pot was boiling.

The last one was interesting. Inkling noticed that the fire was significantly smaller (not the fireplace, but the fire itself). It had been reduced to terrifically hot, glowing pieces of wood. He grew curious as a couple Vegimals put what looked like a large box with an empty space for its floor over the fire, so the four sides were completely encircling it. A large, purple Vegimal came towards the box, holding a tray that held dough cut in pieces that were shaped like fish. He opened a small door on one side of the box, revealing a criss-cross of stones, beautifully carved, and secured tightly to the sides of he box. There were enough long, thin stones to hold the tray of food up, yet there were enough spaces to allow the fire’s heat in. Inkling gasped in surprise and awe. It was a make-shift oven!

Inkling was led to a stump of a palm tree that had been cut down a couple years ago, and he was encouraged to sit on it. Most of the Vegimals sat on the ground around him, but a few ran off, soon bringing back wooden plates, bowls, and utensils. In a couple minutes the food was ready (everything else had been cooking for a while, and barbecuing seaweed took no time at all).

So began the first of many meals with the Vegimals.

The starting dish was the soup from the large pot, one with a bright red broth. It had predominately a sea sort of smell and taste. Inkling believed there were red seaweed in it, a different species than what Tunip had gathered. Yet, at the same time, did he detect a small hint of... beets? Were they even grown in a tropical climate? For the life of him, Inkling wasn't sure; but it was delicious all the same- a blend of the coast and the mainland.

Just as Inkling and the others finished their soup, the next food came. Dish after dish they brought him, foreign yet having a strange familiarity. Seaweed on sticks, salads with tropical fruits in them, fish biscuits (There was no fish in it, and it taste more like a blend of crackers and biscuits. The name came from its shape), and a number of other delectables. He ate his full, trying each and every dish. Everything was so delicious.

And all of these creatures, these Vegimals, as he had come to call them, were all kind. He had noticed the significance of where he was, being the only to sit on an actual seat while they were on the sand. And whenever a Vegimal would hand him a new plate with the next dish, they would always have the most welcoming smiles.

He couldn’t thank the inhabitants enough for their hospitality, and for allowing him into their home. They chirped happily in response.

Inkling stayed for the next couple of days, observing everything and looking at the Vegimals' way of life. Their daily life was very structured. The Vegimals would separate into groups and go about their chores, growing food, collecting ingredients from the ocean, watching the children, and building huts when needed (the professor was fortunate to come while they were in that process, and he was able to observe it one afternoon).

Each group would also alternate in their roles. For example, the group that cooked the dinner the first night would collect food the next day. Tunip's solitary trip to the ocean was abnormal in this case, since no one accompanied him. Inkling found out months later (when the language barrier had grown smaller) that, although Tunip's group had collected food earlier that day, there was still not enough seaweed. The yellow Vegimal had offered to take a quick trip, and everything had gone from there.

Inkling spent most of his time with Tunip's group, consisting of the yellow animal and seven other male Vegimals, a rather entertaining bunch. It soon became clear that they were a close group of friends, for they spent time together even when their chores were finished. They showed Inkling around, introducing him to their parents and siblings (Tunip and his friends were all single), pointing out their favorite spots on the island, showing the various jobs the inhabitants had, and their favorite routes when collecting food.

Inkling liked watching Tunip's group when they worked, especially when they cooked (they had to make lunch on the second day of Inkling's stay). They worked well together, rarely ever getting in each others' way. When they really went into the rhythm of the task, letting their cheer rise up and their flippers do the work themselves, they would sing a little tune. It was catchy, and added a sort of cute charm to their small selves.

There was a charisma in all the Vegimals in general, by the way that they smiled, worked hard yet cheerfully, and valued each other. It was something that made Inkling pause, as if he had rarely seen anything like it. He had, but it was never this pure.

He especially enjoyed the meals, for food was a huge part of their culture. A large part of their lives were dedicated to growing and providing it, but more importantly, meals were a social event. It was where everyone separated from their groups and activities and all joined together.

It was heartwarming to see, them happily chatting to each other, sometimes laughing at someone’s joke or being silent when one of the older ones would tell a tale. Although he never understood anything, it became one of his favorite times, not only because it was insanely interesting to study their behavior, but their closeness and family bond was tangible.

At the second dinner, Inkling changed from being an observer to joining the conversation. He put in a few stories of his own, describing where he came from and some of the research he had done when he was part of the British university.

"One time," Inkling said, "I traveled with a couple of my students to Antarctica, a place way south, at the bottom of the earth. It is a cold place, with ice stretched out for miles. Brr," he said in effect, shivering dramatically. He was starting to get into this. "I could almost feel the cold! But if you prepare enough for it, then it's manageable.

“I had set up a research project with my colleague and friend, Doctor Galen, who is a penguin -- A penguin," he explained, seeing their confused looks, "is a black and white bird that cannot fly, but is an amazingly capable swimmer. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Doctor Galen is in charge of a major marine hospital in Antarctica. A few of his doctors joined us to study marine life, particularly orcas and beluga whales."

Inkling also gently explained what these creatures were. He was never impatient with them. He understood that they never travelled far from the island, so he described whatever caused their confused looks (They were really expressive).

"Both of our groups would take a boat and zoom out into the ocean." He sighed, "Oh, I remember that clearly. Going on a boat that fast made very nervous at first. I held on to that deck for dear life the first two times. But afterwards I got used to it, and eventually came to enjoy feeling the wind whipping past us.

“Whenever we met a pod of the mammals we wanted to research, Doctor Galen's group did a check up of them, using a thermometer, a device to check their temperature, among many other medical equipment. My group recorded their songs through a device called a hydrophone." The Vegimals murmured at this. To think, being able to catch sound! "And we also studied the relationships between the members of the herd and what each individual’s role was.” Inkling sighed again, going back to that time, “Ah, yes, everyone enjoyed themselves on that trip…”

Tunip and his friends absorbed everything he said. This foreign octopus seemed from another world almost. His descriptions of other places and glimpses of the tools that they use made them want to see the world. It all sounded so fun!

By the end of the fifth day, Inkling walked on the beach on his tentacles, looking round at the beauty of the place. Tunip and his friends were nearby, messing around. They were wrestling each other in fun, making a dog pile. Inkling watched in amusement, hearing their laughter and energetic chatter. But then his smile went away, and he absentmindedly looked at the sunset. It was breathtaking, with the brilliant sun surrounded by orange light slowly turning into blue as it came farther from its source. However, he couldn't help but feel that he had spent enough time on the island. He needed to continue his search. He had to leave.

And so it was with a surprisingly heavy heart that he said goodbye the next morning to the Vegimals, all crowding around him. "I have to go," he said, "I was traveling in this part of the world for a project I am doing. I would love to stay here longer, but it is important." The Vegimals nodded in understanding, but their heads lowered. They said their glum farewells.

"Goodbye...," Inkling said. He forced himself to turn away, but he started to feel as if he was making a mistake. "...I hope we see each other soon." But then he stopped.

Why can’t they join me? he thought. It was a simple question, but it had never crossed his mind. Not when he was studying their culture or spending time with them. It especially did not come when he was planning to go.

Now, however, a vision quickly formed in his mind. It struck him with surprising clarity and force, and a thrill went through him as he could see pieces forming together. Some of his crew may have been in front of him all along.

He turned back towards the natives and told his thoughts.

“The reason I was out there in the first place,” Inkling explained, “was because I’m trying to bring a crew together. You see, I am putting on a project that will...” He explained what he planned, what the crew was for and what they would do. The Vegimals listened to them in awe, staring at him with wide eyes. Tunip especially. Something sparked in those depths.

“I need some cooks who would prepare food for the ship, and a few hands that would aid the engineer in maintaining the machinery. She doesn't need scores of mechanics like she does now, but some support would be good. So..." This was the time to ask. “...would any of you want to join?”

The tone changed in the air, and their expressions changed. There was a silence over the group. Tunip brought a flipper to his mouth, deep in thought. As the Vegimals kept considering, and the stillness grew longer, Inkling started to doubt if this was a good idea.

But then Tunip stepped forward. His eyes were bright and clear, confident, and with a bit of adventure in its depths. He looked Inkling in the face and gave a little determined smile, and it was as if the octopus could hear his voice, loud and clear. I will come with you.

His friends stepped beside him, a couple at a time. Some, like the small red Vegimal, were more nervous than the others, but they stood together, resolute and willing to leave what they have always known. Inkling nodded, growing a bit solemn at the exchange; they were putting their lives under his care.

"I thank you for making this decision," Inkling said to the eight. "It's not an easy choice, but you have done it quickly and willingly. I hope together we will be helpful to other creatures in the sea," and here he smiled, "and have fun doing it. And one day, we would have amazing stories to tell when we come back and visit."

At this the other Vegimals cheered, glad that they would not lose their relatives and friends forever.

"We'll leave tomorrow," Inkling said, changing his plans yet again. "So let's enjoy another day here with those close to you." After his declaration the Vegimals mingled, talking quickly and excitedly to the eight, the first travelers of their kind. As Inkling saw his new companions, laughing and speaking with everyone around them, he couldn't help but be in awe. It was actually happening.

The crew was starting to come together.

Chapter Text

The city.

When those two words are uttered, a scattered, busy image comes to mind. There are streets jammed with cars, citizens bustling to and fro, cell phones out, conversations with businessmen and friends. There are locals doing their jobs, tourists trekking the urban jungle with their cameras. Babies crying, couples dating, students going to school. There are many more, dizzying the mind with images. It is pulsing, energetic, stressful sometimes. It's alive.

But in the nearly empty lobby of a fairly small hotel, it did not feel like this to the receptionist. Dashi, a brown dog with long, drooping ears looking somewhat like hair, sat in the quiet. She was behind her computer at the front desk, and leaning her head on one paw, she fingered the keyboard on a blank document:

pgtdoknshwolnahsocbknpw

She would have played games online, but it seemed wrong somehow, when she was at her job. But she had already done all her paperwork and tasks, and not many people had come in today. It was just one those days: slow and uneventful. She wouldn't have minded it, really: a quiet day was good once in a while. However, they came more frequently than they should. She remembered how in high school, a couple years after that, even, she would be in some project or another. But it hadn't been like that for a while.

Her job was interesting enough at first, even if she was doing it to be financially stable (there had been a recession in the city). Learning how to deal with a wide variety of people with different personalities, picking up the phone for customers, learning the ins and outs of her occupation- it was something new. However, newness of the job wore off, she mastered everything she needed to learn, and tourist season ended. Reducing her to making unintelligible letter patterns on the computer.

Without fully registering it, she automatically straightened when she heard the whoosh of the hotel's door. She looked past her computer and saw an octopus. He stood on seven of his tentacles as his last appendage closed the door after him. "Hello," Dashi greeted as he came across the marble floor to the front desk. "What can I do for you, sir?" Animals native to the ocean usually did not come to the hotel, but they did frequently enough for Dashi not to wonder too much about it.

"I have reserved a room here for the next few weeks," the male explained, stopping in front of the desk.

"Alright," she said, getting out of her document and bringing up the hotel's files. "What is your name?" She asked, putting her paws on her keyboard.

"Inkling," he replied.

She typed it in, and his room information came up.

"Yep, here we go. Professor Inkling. You have room 325." She pulled out a room key from a shelf attached to the underside of her desk. She handed it to him, saying, "Enjoy your stay at the Murphy Hotel.”

"Thank you," he replied. Walking away from the front desk, he soon came to the elevator and left the lobby.

The two minutes of eventfulness ended, drawing everything back into silence. Dashi sat up straight for a little while afterwards, looking out of the windows at the front of the hotel. Having one customer come in made her think, rightly in some situations and wrongly in others, that more creatures would come. But soon enough, as it became clear that the doors were not going to open, she put her head against her paw again and began typing (if it could be called that) on another blank document.

"Come on," Dashi coaxed. She was in a park that resided in the city. Its natural settings, although depressed slightly from the grayness of that day's sky, was still a stark contrast to the world of cement and stone slabs outside it. And from where Dashi was, traces of that world could not be seen.

But she wasn't focusing about her surroundings as much as what was in front of her. A monarch butterfly, the gracious queen of all others of her kind, was resting delicately on a white flower.

Dashi had spotted her on her walk and just had to take a picture, the main reason she was there in the first place.

She moved closer, positioning the camera just right. "Almost there," she said slowly. Then the camera flashed, and the butterfly flew away. She looked at her camera's screen.

"Perfect" she said, but after a pause, she sighed. She'd already done a dozen of similar pictures.

She was a bit disappointed. She thought that the feelings of boredom she had at work would be banished away once she came here. It usually did; although, if Dashi was honest with herself, those feelings were slowly invading her view of this place too. She had taken pictures of literally everything here, multiple times.

Sighing again, she looked up at the monarch, she was flying over head, this way and that, not bogged down by gravity, not trapped in its situation, going where it pleased…

"Oh stop it, Dashi," she chided herself, "No use in thinking over-done analogies." But she had felt it before she stamped it out: she wanted to get out of her situation, like the monarch butterfly. She didn't want to be grounded where she was. And all of a sudden, she realized she wasn't bored. She was itching for some change in her life, some sort of adventure.

For she had become restless.

The next morning was the same like all the others. The lobby had its characteristic quiet that made the room seem larger than it was. Faint muffled noises of creatures walking and cars honking were outside, but that was in the City, not where she was. She was at the computer as always, in her normal slouched position and typing randomly again. If she was a writer, she may have created something substantial, but she just wasn't the type. Maybe she should have a go at it, though. Maybe a poem. It wouldn't hurt…

But then the door swung open, and she sat up quickly. Dashi hoped, with the computer in front or her, that the guests don't see her in her unprofessional posture before they come in.

She was slightly surprised to see the patron from yesterday, the octopus, coming into the lobby. "Hello," he greeted cheerfully, seeming to glide when he walked.

"Hello," she replied, glancing quickly to the time shown on the computer. 9:33 a.m., it read. Inkling soon came to the elevator and went up.

That's a bit strange, she thought. While she would usually see costumers leaving the hotel in the morning; business men, tourists, families; they would not come until that evening, after her shift, so she would not see their return. This was natural, because they either were seeing the city's sights or running through meetings and conferences. Inkling, however, was different. He had come back only about an hour and a half after he left. She remembered how, when he had exited the building, she had found it kind of funny how he had left exactly at 8 o'clock. After thinking another minute about it, she shrugged and started her attempt to write a poem. It was probably nothing.

Half an hour later, while she was getting into her work (she was actually surprised at how much she liked it), Inkling appeared again, holding a few papers. Not really expecting him to come back so soon, she watched him out of the corner of her eye. She wondered how he got those papers since he had checked in without any luggage; but then she remembered that there was a public computer and printer on the main floor. It was one of the unique services her hotel offered. He must have printed something while she wasn't in her shift. What was on those papers?

He was a professor, so he may be part of a conference or something. But those last at least half of a day; he would not be coming and leaving this frequently. This was a welcoming puzzle for her, something her restless mind can work on while developing her poem. It ended up not really being a poem; she had created a triangle out of the English language. At first, she was using actual words, but now she was using random letters to create other shapes. It was like her haphazard writing from before, except it was more sophisticated, artistic, forming stars and trees and other images. She was more of a visual person, so she guessed it was natural that it ended like this. The more engaging activity also made her sit up straight, making it easier to be prepared when anyone, especially Inkling, came in or out.

And Inkling did so more often then she anticipated. He was going through the lobby multiple times a day. On the third day of his stay it had been eight times (four trips). Where he was going she didn't know, and it stumped her a bit. He didn't fit in any of the organized categories she had made for visitors. He had no family (at least with him); he was not a tourist exploring the city. He acted like a businessman more than anything else, but he was a professor. Besides, businessmen did not move through the hotel as frequently.

And as if her confusion wasn't bad enough, she became five times more so on the fifth day of his stay. That morning a chimpanzee came into the hotel. He stood around in the lobby, saying hello to Dashi; but he did not check in. He looked "professional" (she didn't have any other way to describe it). He wore a light brown suit with a matching hat, the kind that was completely familiar to her; yet she couldn't remember what it represented. For a minute he rocked back on his heels, his long arms behind his back. Dashi noticed that he was holding a yellow notebook, a pen, and a small recorder. Shortly the elevator opened, and Inkling came crawling into the room. Spotting the chimpanzee, he immediately came up to him.

"Professor Inkling?" the mammal asked.

"Yes, that's me," he said, and they shook hands.

"I'm Jack Shelton, reporter from the Animal Times. Thanks so much for giving the time for this. I think this will make an interesting story.”

"I'm surprised it would be interesting," Inkling said, and Dashi could tell he was truthful, like anyone in his position would do the same thing. She had that feeling before. "But the more publicity about it, the better, at least I think. It would bring more awareness to-“

But then they went passed the door, which closed with a tinkle of bells. This encounter caused a rush of thoughts to flow through her mind. What is he working towards? Why is he here? Her curiosity reached its peak, and she made a decision.

Two hours and fifteen minutes later, the door opened.

"Hello," Inking said cordially, as he went on his usual trek to the elevator.

"Good day, " she replied. Before he went too far away, she blurted out, “Professor?"

Inkling stopped and turned to her. "Yes?" he replied, curious and with a bit of concern on his face, because of the rushed tone of her voice. She didn't know why, but her heart pounded in a strange, somewhat subdued blend of nervousness and excitement. Excitement because her little mystery may finally be solved; nervousness because, well, she hadn't ever had a true conversation with him before. Also, his facial expression, even if it wasn't (meant to be) negative at all, that made her slightly intimidated. But only slightly.

"What were you talking about when you were with that reporter?" She asked. "I mean, I couldn't help but overhear a bit of your conversation, and you said that the interview would bring more awareness to something.”

"Oh, that," he said. "I was talking about the awareness to the situation in the ocean, mainly the lack of medical care or assistance during disasters and emergencies.”

She nodded solemnly. She remembered having a discussion once about it in a classroom sometime ago in college.

"But it wasn't only that," he continued. "I also wanted to bring up the fact that there is a lot of the ocean that is still unexplored, a chest filled with scientific treasure. And the interview, in that sense, was a call that would hopefully inspire some creatures to look into its depths. I currently have a project I'm looking for that combines these two concepts.”

"Are you working on this project now?" she asked, "What's it about?”

"I'm hiring animals who will become a crew and travel throughout the world's oceans. They will be living in a submarine and help others while exploring the ocean.”

Dashi was surprised by the plan, succinct yet bold. She had thought a multitude of possible reasons for his behavior, but nothing this amazing or ambitious had even come close to forming in her consciousness. It sounded to her like it it would have been in the 1960s: "We're going to bring a rocket to the moon." It seemed ambitious, never done before; and she always liked that sort of thing.

It would be fantastic to participate in that... she thought, but she didn't take that thought seriously. In her mind she could just imagine who would be fit for the crew, creatures along the lines of doctors, policemen, firefighters, caring scientists. Not all those occupations specifically but what they represented: noble, experienced. Nothing that she was. She might have, if she wanted, offered to be a scientist or engineer, but she only participated in a robot experiment in a high school program. She was with thirty other students, guided by a retired engineer. She was nowhere prepared to face a scientific endeavor by herself. Even if she would go to college and learn the subject (and she knew she was capable of doing so), it would have been too late. He would have found a crew by then. So after considering realistically her position and options, she decided to stop herself from making it a dream in her mind, one she would have to disappointingly reject. She simply, calmly, nodded and said, "It's great that you're doing something like that. I guess that's why you were leaving and coming back to the hotel so often: you were interviewing potential crew members.”

"That's right," he then laughed a bit, "I guess I was pretty noticeable."

She became a bit flustered; she had been found out. "Y-yes", she stammered ever so slightly, but her voice became it's usual calmness. "I tend to notice things, you could say.”

"I see. Well, so far I haven't hired anyone in this area yet. Have you seen the ads in the paper recently?" Dashi shook her head no, and he went on, "I had put an ad about the crew positions in the paper, and I interview whoever calls me. Hopefully I'll find someone suitable for a position soon.”

"I hope so too," she said truthfully. "Let me know how it goes.”

"I will," he said, and he glanced in the direction of the elevators. "In fact, I have another interview soon. I just need to get a few papers from my room. Recently I've been using them to highlight the main details of each position.”

"I'll leave you to that, then," she said. Waving only slightly- because he was coming back anyway, he went back into the elevator.

Another week went by, and Inkling went on his usual antics. Whenever he came back, he shook his head. They did not have the right enough experience for the job, or they were unwilling to either go away for years at a time or bring their family with them, or were too arrogant, or were interested only in the money. As the days continued on, Dashi also noticed that he was going out less often. Dashi started to feel sorry for the professor.

After what felt like the millionth time he said no to Dashi, he sighed. "It seems like there is no one who will join me in this city," he declared. He seemed slightly bummed out, yet at the same time exceedingly patient. "It seems like the applications are slowing; I'll have to move to another location soon. But I'm sure I'll find find the right creatures eventually.”

"Have you found anyone during your travels yet?" Dashi asked, a bit exasperated. She wondered how many times this had happened to him before, and she hoped this wasn't the only experience he had so far in his project.

"Actually, I have" he replied. "I already have an engineer and a group of cooks. But that still leaves quite a few positions to fill: a captain, lieutenant, medic, marine biologist, a person to drive the submarine, and a photographer.”

"A photographer?" she asked, her dog ears raising a bit.

"Yes," he said. "I want to record our travels and the animals we'll meet. It would also be grand to share our discoveries with others. I am right now in contact with National Sea-ographic, and I'm hoping we'll be able to send photos to them.”

She sucked in a breath. She had a stack of National Sea-ographic magazines in a neat pile on her coffee table at home. She had always admired the pictures in it and enjoyed seeing the amazing creatures out there (all shown in excellent quality). To actually send something to them…

It would be a dream come true, she thought. It was one of those things that, even though she had never thought of it before, it now seemed the most natural thing in the world for her to do. That this was what she was meant to do next. And she was capable of accomplishing it too.

"You know what?" she said, considering very quickly. "Is it alright if I have a go at it?”

"You want to be interviewed?" he asked, a bit surprised. "Why, of course; are you interested in being the photographer?”

"Yes; I've always loved it. I usually go out and take pictures in the afternoon. It's my hobby, but I've learned enough about it to do really well. I could show you some of my work in the interview.”

"I would love to see what you have," he said, "Why don't we have it later this evening?" She consented to that idea, and Inkling soon went to his room. At the present, Inkling thought she was a good candidate. She was a nice girl, from what he could tell from his conversations with her: calm, collected, logical, yet friendly. A good match to the crew. He wanted to see what she's got.

When he came back down that evening at the designated time, Dashi was already waiting for him. He found it a bit strange, and amusing at the strangeness, that she was out from behind the desk. He had seen her so long in her chair, with that computer in sight whenever he saw her, that to see her away from there was to see her in a different environment. She looked much more free away from that little cage.

She held a thick folder, and as he came closer greeted him with a smile. "Ready?" she said.

"Yes," he said. He had brought with him a few of his papers of his own. "Let's go.”

They both exited the hotel and turned left, walking down the sidewalk. It was already dark, though it was fairly early; and the streets were kept awake by the street lights. Cars, that never ending river of machinery, went passed them. Dashi, knowing they were going to be out in the night air for a bit, was wearing a pink scarf, which fluttered back in the breeze.

"Where are we going to have the interview?" she asked.

"That's a great question," he said, "where do you want to have it?”

"You're letting me make the decision?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered, "I usually do that. Most of the people applying are, obviously, locals, so they would know the best places to go. Usually they choose restaurants, though I'm not particularly hungry at the present. But as long as we are able to conduct business, anywhere is fine.”

"Actually, I already had dinner," she chuckled. Not knowing where they would be going, she had already eaten. "So let's not go to a restaurant." They walked in comfortable silence between as Dashi thought of a suitable place. Presently she asked, "Have you been to the Wong Memorial Library?"

"That large, stately library with the columns at the entrance?”

“Yes."

"I've never been in there, but I've passed by it several times."

"Alright," she said, "then that's the place to go. It's quiet there, being a library and all, and it should still be open. Besides, it's one of the city's landmarks; it would be a shame if you missed that.”

He agreed, and at the next major street they turned right, walking over the crosswalk and continuing that way. They passed by a couple people, walking in the same or opposite direction of them. Then they passed a few more creatures. Then more. Inkling, noticing the sidewalk becoming crowded, looked at the other side of the street, finding that the opposite sidewalk was going through the same transformation. He didn't know why, but it felt that they were being pulled into the crowd, like there was some strange force pulling them, or as if they were blood traveling through a vein. Dashi, after feeling the quiet unconsciousness of the hotel for so long, now felt how the city was alive. A bit ahead of them, they saw that the street widened considerably. They continued to be pulled in, until, like a quick drawing of the curtains, they witnessed the heart of the city. Skyscrapers towered above them, the sides alight with moving, dynamic images of advertisements and store names. To the right, the four bottom levels of a building had no walls in the front. There were escalators connecting these floors, and rows to walk in, aligned by stores. And that whole area within was filled with white light, bright as day, inviting the crowd from the outside in. And some were. Dashi particularly noticed a poodle and a cheetah, looking cool, elegant, and haughty, dressed in the newest fashion, go up the escalator. Around the square, there were restaurants and other structures, all sporting a clean, angular, modern look. There was a band playing some upbeat rock at a nearby outdoor restaurant.

But there was more to this place than just the lights and impressive buildings. There was this energy in this place, bubbling underneath, pouring out through the music being played and the laughter and bustling activity as creatures walked around.

It was loud, dark yet light, and claustrophobic, but all in a beautiful way. Inkling leaned closer to Dashi and told her, a bit rushed, but that was because of his excitement: "I've always been here in the day, but at night... I mean, I've always known this existed. This place, these lights, this is what your city's known for. But to be here in person..." He shook his head in awe, "It's unlike anything anyone can tell you.”

Dashi was happy that he liked it so much. She did not have many opportunities to show creatures around the city, although she met visitors every day. "Glad you like it," she shared happily, his excitement rubbing off on her.Afterwards Dashi guided where they needed to go, letting Inkling have the opportunity to look around as they walked. He felt somewhat like a kid again, a small chap looking at the big things in the world.

Eventually, they neared the other side of the square. Inkling took one long last look at the shops and dazzling advertising screens. The music faded away, and less creatures surrounded them. By the time there was a relative quiet from the din of the famous heart, they had already entered another vein.

"We're almost there," Dashi said. "About five minutes or so away.”

This part of the city was different than what they just experienced. Inkling was surprised to hear shy, timid crickets singing their night songs after the loudness that still filled his ears. It also looked like the industrial artistic touch had mixed with nature. There was still a road, lit up by street lamps with beautiful swirling metal patterns around the lightbulbs. Surrounding the path was trees and lawns of grass. If Inkling peered into the darkness enough, he could see Greek-inspired buildings scattered here and there. They were buildings of power and memory; the city hall was close by along with the court house. Smaller, round buildings with columns as their "walls" were memorials in honor of famous people from the city.

A road branched off to the right from the one they were on. Turning there, the library finally came to view. Grand, powerful, and beautiful, it commanded the eye to behold its presence. The front wall was adorned with green marble, while strong columns stood in intervals, holding up the ceiling that was jutting out of the main part of the building. They went up the steps, and the building seemed to grow larger and larger as they went closer. They eventually traveled through the front doors.

The inside of the Wong Memorial Library had the same strong look as the outside, if not more delicate. The bottom floor was filled with shelves, each curving a bit and connected to each other. Among them were desks, built in among the shelves, for creatures to study. All together, these shelves and desks formed short walls and paths, making it sort of like a life-sized circular maze.

Dashi led Inkling upstairs, which had a more traditional look. The shelves reached almost to the ceiling in neat rows, and there were normal desks situated throughout the floor. The library still retained its flavor from the ancient artwork displayed around the second floor.

They chose a table and came towards it. "That was a great walk, wasn't it, professor?" Dashi asked.

"Quite. I feel like I've either traveled through time or experienced a dream." They settled in their seats, putting their papers down; and Dashi took off her scarf. "But now, we'd best get started.”

He handed her a paper, "This is the basic information for the photographer occupation." Taking it, Dashi looked over the sheet. "Basically," Inkling said, "The photographer is responsible for documenting all the sea creatures that we'll meet or discover through pictures and possibly video. Those pictures will not only add information to the scientific community but to the general public as well. For this job, in addition to using a camera, you'll need to know how to do basic computer procedures like scanning photos on the computer and cropping them.”

"I can do that," Dashi said, "and I also know how to change the lighting on the photos and that sort of thing, just in case the conditions aren't the best when I take the shot.”

"That's good," Inkling said, "as long as you don't alter the image so much that it looks like it's been faked.”

"Don't worry; I won't," she said. "I especially wouldn't want to do that if we send it to National Sea-ographic. How is that, anyway?”

"I was actually getting to that," Inkling grinned, "I was able to settle a deal with them, and we are to send them a few pictures each month.”

"Oh, that's wonderful!" she cried.

"And we may also send the photos to other magazines. I still need to discuss with the companies, but I think they're a great way to share the knowledge and experiences we no doubt will be getting. Also, there will be times when the scientist will be studying some of the animals you will concentrate on. If we send both your photos and the scientist's data, there is a huge chance that the magazines will also write up articles for us, instead of just having pictures and captions."

It just seemed to get better and better. She hoped Inkling would be impressed with her portfolio.

As if on cue, Inkling asked, "Can I see your photos please?”

Dashi handed him her folder, feeling a bit nervous but was seemingly calm. She was falling in love with the job the more she heard about it. It had become a dream in her mind, and she hoped she didn't have to reject it.

Inkling opened the folder and took out the sheet of paper in top of the pile. "You brought a resume? That's good. Even though I don't specifically ask for one, it's still helpful.”

"Why don't you?" Dashi asked, curious, leaning her face against her paw. She had never heard of an employer who didn't want one.

"Well, I guess it testifies to my inexperience, first of all," he chuckled. "I've never done this sort of thing before. But then again," he added, getting a bit more serious, "I guess this project is exceptionally unique, because not everyone needs that sort of thing to be eligible for these jobs. As long as I can tell the creature is suitable for the occupation, I hire them. In my case, if I did have the resume as part of my standard, then I wouldn't have my cooks right now. They probably don't even know what a resume is, because their culture doesn't need them.”

Dashi wondered what culture and species he was talking about, but before she asked her heart stopped. He had put the sheet of paper to the side and was looking at the photos.

There was silence for a little while as he took one photo with each tentacle and inspected them. Dashi sat still, calmly looking at the professor, although that nervousness did not go away. There were a few "hmmms" and "ahas," and eventually he put down the photos.

"They're wonderful," he stated, smiling as if he knew all along. Dashi's nervousness melted away. "You have so much variety in your photos, and shoot your subjects in so many different ways, I'm confident you'll be able to apply that to the job easily." She had taken pictures of basically everything. There was a butterfly lifting off, with the sun shining through it's wings. There was a single raindrop on a gray rail, the colors of the surroundings bouncing off the water droplet. There were a picture of leaves taken from underneath the trees, churches, fireworks, lightning, and countless other subjects. "And everything seems do be done right, the rule of thirds and all that. I don't know all the technical terms, but I know it when I see it. You do your 'hobby' amazingly.”

"Thank you so much," Dashi said, extremely pleased at the high compliments.

"I don't think I have any doubts; I'd like to hire you. Not only are you qualified, but you are also a nice girl, good-tempered. I'm sure you'll work well with everyone else.”

Dashi was speechless. She got the job!

"There is just one last thing to discuss," Inkling stated, picking up her resume again. Dashi grew confused, and a bit of nervousness spiked up. "You were part of an engineering project in high school?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "I didn't do much in the scheme of things, but I thought it would still be good to put it in there. Basically, I and about thirty other students created a tiny remote control camera that could hover like a helicopter. It was a robotics experiment, so we built it from scratch. I helped make the camera, which was the size of a fly. I certainly did not do it by myself, and I got help from others; but I still remember how to do it.”

"So do you like to work with technology?" Inkling asked.

"Essentially, yes," she said, her confusion making her pick words carefully, "It's interesting, and I think I like the scientific side of it more than the average person, but it's not like I build robots as a hobby or anything. So I guess it's somewhere in the middle."

"I see," Inkling said, "because I was wondering if you would also be interested in controlling the submarine.”

She definitely wasn't expecting that. A thrill of excitement shot through her, making her mind filled with quick thoughts. What? The submarine? That's amazing, unbelievable. But before she said anything, her logical side took over. She wasn't sure if she had the experience to do this. She wasn't sure what to think at all. And the way the professor said it so casually, as if creatures drove around in submarines all the time, was a bit extraordinary. It would have been a bit funny if she wasn't in her current position. "I-I don't really know much about that job," she said, overcoming the initial shock, "What are the qualifications for it?”

"Basically, from what I understand, you just need basic computer skills," the professor answered. Again, Dashi was surprised. "The submarine is being built right now, so I can't tell you much. However, the engineer will teach you how to do everything. The main part about this job is driving the submarine itself, but you'll also need to pay attention to the readings that certain devices will send to control room. These devices take in data from the submarine and the area surrounding it, like a machine checking the submarine's temperature or a storm tracker. You'll need to keep an eye out for them.”

Dashi was considering. She had planned to only be the photographer, but while this was a completely unexpected proposal, there was a huge appeal to it. To be able to drive a submarine! That definitely quenched her restlessness (This whole crew thing did so in general).

But she wanted to make sure, "This won't get in the way of my photographic responsibilities, will it?”

"I highly doubt it," Inkling said. "You probably won't go on shoots every day. You'll actually have a lot of free time on your hands, probably more than most of the other crew members. So it will make a lot more use of your time, and you taking both roles will catch two birds with one net.”

Although she was excited, Dashi cringed slightly at the prospect. It would be nice to have more free time, compared to what could be potentially a very time consuming occupation. But then she remembered haphazard typing and shuddered. Better to do something amazing than to be perpetually bored.

"All right," she said, nodding, "I'll do that too.”

"Great," he said, "It's settled then." At this he stood up. Dashi followed suit, and they pushed the chairs underneath the desks. As they did so, Inkling said, "I'm really glad you're coming, Dashi. You'll be a great addition to the team."

"Thanks," she said, "This is definitely going to be a unique experience, probably the most ambitious thing I'll ever do.”

"Me too," Inkling said, "Me too."

Chapter Text

"Alright Shellington, calm down. It may not be as big of a deal as you're making it," he muttered to himself. A sea otter looked back at him in the mirror, fumbling with a green bow tie. But even as he struggled with the tie, he smiled anyway. And one couldn't blame him, really.

Very soon, he may just become what he always wanted to be.

He paused as Shellington looked at himself, really looked at himself. Tannish fur for a face with dark brown covering over the rest of him (save his stomach and part of his hands and feet), his nose the same brown as everything else. Thoughtful, but lively eyes looking back. Young, energetic. Is this really who he was? A soon-to-be marine biologist? An actual one, and not just a person hanging out at the tide pools all the time? Not that he would have traded those moments for the world, but he felt now that after a lifetime of exploring the animals on the beach and reading about sea creatures, and years studying in college (which were so close to finishing), he may be actually doing his calling in life. Mainly, to broaden the knowledge and dig up more secrets from the ocean's depths. And if it is anything like this marine biologist occupation he heard of, he will actually be in the ocean's depths.

That is, if you're accepted at the interview today.

But he briefly shoved that thought away, smiling again in resurfaced excitement as he finished the tie. He had no desire to think of such trivial subjects, especially since he was heading there now. Turning towards the front door of his dorm room, he grabbed his book bag from the back of his desk chair and stepped into the hallway. He soon left the dormitory building and went up the cement walkway.

It was about a ten minute walk to Pelaila Science Hall, where he would be interviewed by Professor Inkling. His smile grew even wider as he thought about his possible employer. Technically being part of the same scientific community, Shellington was a fan of his work, reading his first essay of him for a research project for a class. It had been about the man-of-war, a group of animals that worked together and looked like a giant jellyfish. From there, he had read all his other essays and books, and watched Inkling being interviewed on a couple television documentaries on some marine topics. Not only had he talked about amazing subjects and was great at writing, but Shellington had always liked the way he went about his work. The sea otter didn't know how to explain it, but Inkling always pursued knowledge, going after something when he believed it was important. He didn't just do his essays based on other people's research; he went out there and did it himself. He interviewed many man-of-wars, he took his students in trips all over the world. Shellington figured other professors did this as well, but somehow Inkling had hinted these things in his essays and television showing, portraying his enthusiasm in his work. Enthusiasm was contagious, and Shellington couldn't help but attach all the ideals he wanted for himself to that person. He was a role model to him.

Not that he was going to tell the professor that; the employer may think that he was just trying to flatter him and it would end up backfiring (though he wouldn't mean it as a way to get ahead) and he'd say that he'd never dream of hiring the sea otter and-

He stopped his mental rambling. I may be a tad bit more nervous than I thought, he realized. But a look to his right set him relatively at ease again.

There was a reason why he had chosen this college, after all.

Past the dark cliffs he and the university campus stood on, the expanse of the ocean spread out, as far as he could see. The water moved on its own, having small ripples and waves hundreds of feet from the beach. The ocean was reflecting the sunset above it, taking a darker red as if was nearer the horizon and sun, then becoming purple and blue on the sides of his vision. He looked fondly at the sight. If the sea was where he was meant to be, then he would get there, no matter how and how long it would take. It was as simple as that.

He just needed to keep on reminding himself that.

He finally went into the science hall, going up the stairs onto the second floor. This was where the professors of the science department kept their offices, and he read each name plaque silently as he went past the doors in the hallway. He eventually slowed and stopped when he saw Professor Inkling on a piece of paper neatly taped underneath Professor Hara's plaque. She must have lent her office to Inkling while he was doing the interviews.

The door was open, but Shellington stayed out of vision. He stood there for a second, slightly hesitant, before taking a deep breath and going in.

"Hello," he immediately heard. He found Professor Inkling sitting at the desk, giving him a friendly smile. "Shellington, I presume.”

"Yes, hello," the sea otter replied a bit stiffly.

"Please, have a seat," Inkling offered, gesturing towards the chair after shaking hands with the student. As Shellington obliged, the professor continued, "This is a special time for you. Graduation is coming soon, isn't it?”

"Yes, in a couple weeks," Shellington replied. He felt more at ease, seeing Inkling's amiable attitude and the fact that Inkling remembered that he was a senior. Inkling looked through a couple papers, flipping through some stapled papers and checking something off. Shellington thought he quickly glimpsed, while Inkling was flipping the pages over, that it was a list of names. Names of other students who were to have an interview. Shellington gulped. He should have figured, with Inkling announcing his hiring at a university; but he still felt a bit intimidated.

Maybe this isn't my lucky break after all.

He instantly tried pushed that thought out of his head, using common sense to explain that they haven't even started the interview yet. He had a chance, even if there were other students being interviewed.

His sudden doubt felt strange to him, if he was honest. He was usually a mellow person. That is, until marine biology comes up. Usually, he becomes excited, sometimes to the point where everything is oblivious to him except for the experiment at hand. But that's what marine biology did to him; it always brought out the strongest emotions, making him excited and passionate yet capable of making him weak-kneed and afraid, like now.

Because it was personal to him.

That didn't mean, however, that he should have that be used against him. He took another (now inconspicuous) deep breath, and tried to relax.

He felt a little bad as he has missed a part of Inkling's speech, but as it was describing what he would do for the role, he was able to glide into the conversation easily.

"...have a laboratory with all the equipment the scientist will need at his disposal. He will go out pretty regularly to collect data, but probably not as often as other members like, say, the medic." Which made sense.

"As long as the scientist is learning something new, then that is completely fine," Shellington said.

"Oh really?" Inkling said, raising an eyebrow; but had amusement in his eyes . Shellington started to sweat. He hoped it didn't sound too "nerdy" or fake; he was entirely serious!

"Sure; it would be terrible if time was wasted and the scientist would be unable to do anything worthwhile. We got to live with purpose, you know?"

Inkling nodded thoughtfully at the comment, and at his expression Shellington leaned back slightly in his chair. There, you don't have to be so worried; you're doing all right.

Then Inkling picked up another piece of paper from the desk. "I see from your résumé," he started again, "that you have experience in the field?”

"Yes, basically internships. I have worked in a lab, studying different types of algae. I've also drove out to the ocean on boats with other scientists, studying the basking shark for a few weeks. I've also done a few other scientific endeavors." Shellington's excitement slowly started to return. "Also, I usually study at the tide pools. I like to go out, every day if I can, and track what animals travel in the tide pools, and how long they stay there. It would be interesting if there will be some patterns there, and if it is truly due to the whim of the tide, then at least to learn about the animal's lifestyles..."

Shellington trailed off, realizing that his excitement was making him ramble. "But of course," he fumbled, "that is something completely different than what we were talking about." He clasped his hands silently, putting them on his legs (out of sight from the professor across the desk) like a child in trouble. He felt like kicking himself. He wasn't supposed to talk incessantly in an interview! He was supposed to be professional and not waste his future employer's time.

"Since you have worked in a lab, I take it that you are fairly skillful using equipment?" Inkling said.

"Yes, and I've done experiments on the side in addition to that internship and those classes," Shellington said.

"Hmmm," Inkling said, bringing an arm to his mouth. He could only guess what the professor was thinking, although he hoped it was something good.

Suddenly, Shellington and Inkling jumped as a large sound rang through the air. Shellington put a hand in his chest; his heart was hammering hard.

"A fire alarm?" Inkling said, looking up at the sound-inducing device on the wall. They both stood up and quickly exited the room. As they went down the hallway, with Shellington in front, the sea otter sighed. It couldn't get any worse, now could it?

They soon joined a group of other creatures as they went out the exit. The sun had gone down completely, and the night sky was filled with bright stars. Not that Shellington really noticed. The professor and student stood under a light post, and the alarm's blaring could be faintly heard from within the hall. But there was no visible signs of fire, and since no firefighters came, they were rest assured that it was only a drill. The air was chilled due to the ocean breezes, and Shellington crossed his arms, trying to get a bit warmer.

"It seems like our interview has been cut short," Inkling commented.

Shellington's heart sank. By what he could tell, he had blown it. He was okay at some points, but with his rambling and lack of professionalism, it probably put him under.

"Yeah," he only managed to say.

And, at that moment, he wished the employer wasn't Professor Inkling and just a complete stranger, so he could not see the interview ruined. It would have been less embarrassing. But to his surprise, Inkling turned to him and said, "Since that's the case, let's continue it sometime later this week. Is Thursday at five alright with you?"

"Yes," Shellington was quite astounded. "Yes, that's all right." He furrowed his brows confusedly, “But..."

"I see a lot of potential in you," Inkling said, "And I'd like to meet you again before I decide who I'd like to hire." By the way he talked, it sounded more like a second interview altogether, one where the employer narrows down the final candidates he had already chosen. Shellington could only wonder what he said that made Inkling consider him.

"Besides," Inkling said with gentle amusement. His tone made the sea otter come out of his mind and focus on him again, "a second interview might help calm your nerves." The poor student started; it must have been painfully obvious.

"Don't worry," Inkling chuckled lightly, "I've been there and understand well enough how frightening they can be, especially when it means so much to you personally.”

Again Shellington was dumbstruck, and it took a second before he could talk again. "Thank you, Professor. I appreciate that very much.”

Inkling nodded in response then clapped two of his arms together. "It's settled then. Next Thursday at 5 in the afternoon in the same office. I hope you have a great week until then, Shellington.”

Shellington responded in kind, suddenly wishing that did not have to go their separate ways. It was a gratifying discovery that someone one highly esteems is actually kind and not rude in real life, like it sometimes is the case. It would be fascinating to learn all the knowledge he had collected over the years. And maybe they could even become friends. After shaking hands, they walked in opposite directions, back to their own lodgings.

And by the time the second interview took place, neither of them were disappointed.

Chapter Text

Perlita had always loved family gatherings.

With her immediate family and other penguin relatives living in the same area, it was easy to throw them. Since there were many of them, the gatherings happened often. Whether for birthdays, engagements, or just because, the family would come together, have a meal, and not only celebrate their togetherness, but life itself.

This Antarctic day was perfect, with the frozen sun shining on the ice. There were some tables in front of Mother Perdita's igloo, and the adults were talking there. Since the meal was finished, the children were playing tag and making snow angels nearby.

"I can't believe time is going by so fast, " Papita, Perlita's sister, was saying in a conversation with her. "Look at your little Peso, already in first grade. And my own boys... It seemed only yesterday since they hatched.”

"That's true," Perlita said, looking at the children. "It feels strange, and it's sad in its own way; but it's also what it should be. At least, that's how I feel."

"Yeah, and I guess they are still young enough," Papita said, "At least they're not moving out or anything.”

"Oh, of course not," Perlita said, a bit forcefully. It will come in time; it didn't need to be brought up now. But before she could say anything else, the kids ran up to them. There were about ten of them, all in a group; but Perlita's kids were in front of them, the spokespersons. Pogo, her nine-year-old firstborn, was holding flippers with his little brother, Peso, who was sucking on his other flipper (a bad habit of his during that stage).

"Can we go sledding?" Pogo asked.

They lived on a plain, and the only hill nearby was about sixty yards away.

Perlita looked at the penguins at the table. They all had approving looks, and Papita nodded slightly. They lived in a safe area, so they didn't have to worry about predators.

"All right," Perlita said, "but make sure you stick together, and that you keep an eye out for the little ones.”

"Yay!!" the kids cheered.

"Thanks mom!" Pogo said above the noise.

They all scurried away, waddling as fast as they could to the hill. The parents chuckled at their antics. Uncle Patrido leaned back, shaking his head as a deep laugh rumbled in his chest. "At least some things never change," he said. They all remembered how they did the same thing when they were kids, both Perlita's generation and the generations of the uncles, aunts, and grandparents.

The adults went back into conversation, recalling memories of their own childhoods. They all had similar experiences: sledding amongst their relatives and close friends, going to the same school, watching the annual Ironclam Race, and attending the same college. The only difference was the individuals themselves and who filled the roles of children, mothers, and fathers. It seemed like their family has always been there for generations. And it was not going to change anytime soon.

"Help!" rang a cry. The festivities came to an abrupt halt as a couple of the older boys ran to the party.

"What is it?" Cousin Profiro, their father, asked. Perlita suddenly felt cold.

The boys were both panting, but they said, "It's Pogo. He crashed when he was sledding. His flipper's hurt real badly." There was a murmur as several of the adults stood up and ran with them to the sledding area. Perlita, being his mother, was among them. She felt a shiver go through her when, after arriving at the base of the hill, she saw Pogo. He was sitting on the ice floor, clutching his fin, which seemed to have a splint attached to it. Two pieces of ice around on opposite sides of his fin, held in place by seaweed tied around them. She was a bit surprised about it, but it wasn't her main focus. The rest of the children were surrounding the injured penguin, but they cleared out of the way once the adults came. "Pogo, are you alright?" she said, kneeling next to him.

"It really hurts," he choked out. Tears were falling earnestly down his face. Perlita hated to see her son in so much pain.

"Don't worry," she said soothingly. "We're going to take you to the hospital right now, and they'll wrap up your fin and make it as good as new.”

"Like Peso did?" Pogo asked, sniffling.

The question startled her, but she focused on her eldest. "Yes, like Peso did, except it will last a bit longer."

Just then Perlita's husband, Antonello, crouched next to them. "Come here, son," he said gently, putting his flippers underneath the small penguin. Pogo wrapped his uninjured wing around his neck. Standing up with the child securely held, he turned and headed back towards the igloo.

"I'll run ahead and call the hospital," Papita said before speeding away.

The other adults and children followed in a crowd behind them. Perlita stood up and was about to catch up with Pogo and Antonello, but she stopped. Peso, poor thing, was sniffling nearby, his flippers to his face. The whole ordeal had frightened the six year old. She went to him and knelt down, becoming his height. Pogo was in good care now; she had to take care of her other little one.

Peso wrapped his flippers around her neck. "Oh Peso," she said with compassion, "it's alright now. Pogo's going to be fine."

He let go and wiped the nose part of his beak with the back of his flipper. He was still downcast, looking at her with those big baby eyes of his.

"Did you truly make that splint, that wrapping around Pogo's fin?" He was just a chick, and never went through any sort of training. Yet it was attached securely.

"I-I know it's ice," Peso said, sniffling."I'm sorry if it's too cold. But he was so hurt, and I was just trying to make him feel better. A-and I guessed they would take it off when we came back.”

His guess was right. The second Pogo would arrive at the hospital, the doctors would apply the proper materials. But Peso's intuition astonished the mother. She grabbed the sides of his flippers and gave a reassuring squeeze.

"No, Peso; you did the right thing." she said. She smiled, trying to make him feel better. "A penguin's flipper could handle that ice for a while. I mean, we swim in water just as cold, right?" He nodded, hesitantly taking in what she was saying. "I'm glad you were there to help him."

Peso leaned against her shoulder, and she wrapped her flippers around in a second embrace. They stayed that way for a few moments before Perlita took Peso to his aunt and joined Pogo at the hospital, but after the ordeal, the Perlita couldn't help but stay amazed at what her son did. From that day on, she knew he had a gift.

"Pinto, hold still, please," Perlita said patiently. Many years have gone by since that incident, and by now she had already her third, and probably last, child. Said child, the ever energetic boy he was, was squirming in his seat while she was preening his feathers. She ran a fine-tooth comb down the back of his head.

"Sorry," he said a bit sheepishly, but then began to talk excitedly. "Today me and my friends were playing pirates during recess. We made swords out of ice and were swashbuckling and everything! It was so much fun! It would be great to meet a pirate one day. Do you think I'll ever meet one?”

"Maybe you will," she said, though she highly doubted it.

"That would be the best thing ever!" he exclaimed, jumping in his seat.

"Now Pinto, what did I tell you about moving too much?" she chided gently. Her back was turned towards the front entrance of their igloo, and with all the talking and fuss, she did not notice someone enter.

“Mom?"

Her back straightened. It was the voice of her second eldest, who was a young adult by now. There was something in Peso's voice, something indistinguishable.

She turned and, seeing him, grew concerned. Pinto, feeling that something was wrong, became still and looked at his big brother.

Peso had a nervous, agitated look, absentmindedly rubbing one of his arms as he looked at his mother. His eyes had a pleading look to them, silently asking for guidance. She didn't know why, but Perlita felt something big had transpired.

"My son, what is it?" she asked.

"Um..." he attempted to start. He wrung his flippers together, trying to figure out what to say. "You know Doctor Galen, my boss, right?"

"I've met him once or twice before," she answered. Peso was currently working in a hospital nearby, the only one that was around in a hundred miles. Doctor Galen was the owner of it, and he was a very kind individual from what she could tell.

"Well, he has a ton of connections and a bunch of friends from all over the world. One of those friends- he's a professor named Inkling- came to Antarctica for a project of his; and he is looking for a medic. Doctor Galen recommended me to him, and now Professor Inkling's wondering if I'd like to have the job."

"What's wrong with that?" Pinto asked, not understanding Peso's discomfort.

"I-I'd have to leave Antarctica, Pinto," he answered. Peso looked away, and Perlita made an inaudible gasp, tightening the comb she was holding. He would have to leave? He won't stay in the area, see his relatives – her – often, like she, Pogo, and the relatives before them had done?

But then her second son chuckled slightly, the smallest of smiles forming, filled with the sense that everything, this whole situation, this promise, was surreal. "Can you believe it?" Peso said slowly, in a voice that seemed to tangibly, tentatively hold possibilities as it resonated throughout the home. "I'd be able to help marine animals who've never had a chance before, who've never even seen land. It's almost unbelievable..." Perlita’s hold on the comb slackened, and her expression became soft. Understanding pervaded her heart.

"Do you really mean that Peso?" his younger brother asked quietly. "Are you really going to work on a crew? Are you going to travel the world?”

The small smile dropped from Peso's beak, and worry and uncertainty dominated his expression. "Well, I will if I do join, but I haven't decided yet…"

"Would you be an adventurer?" Pinto asked, his voice becoming a bit more animated.

"I guess you could look at it that way," the older sibling responded, "But that's only if I–“

"Cool!" Pinto cheered, lifting his flippers up in the air. Peso looked at him incredulously. "My big brother's going to be an adventurer! He's going to travel everywhere!”

"I don't know yet, Pinto!" Peso said, exasperated.

"Why don't you go play outside while we talk..." Perlita pressed, gently pushing Pinto in the direction of the igloo's exit.

"Ok. I'll visit the cousins," Pinto said. They lived next door. He started running out. "I can't wait to tell them the news!”

"But Pinto, I haven't-" but he was gone before Peso even finished the sentence.

"It's alright, Peso," Perlita said soothingly, sitting at the table nearby, "You know how excited he gets." Peso sat down at the opposite side of her.

"Yeah, I know," he sighed again, leaning his flippers against the ice table. His face held a mixture of emotions, but she could definitely see one feeling standing out: fear. The emotion was fairly commonplace for her sensitive son, but she always felt pity (it was more like a sad twinge in her stomach) whenever she saw it. What would have happened, how much more would he feel and get out of life, if he didn't have that paralyzing emotion control him so much?

"Did Mr. Inkling talk to you yet?" she asked, taking herself out of her revery. He needed guidance right now, not what-if situations. He could have only heard the news from Galen, and not have even met the professor.

Peso nodded, "Yes, right after work. I was about to head home when a nurse told me Doctor Galen wanted to talk to me in his office. When I came in there, Professor Inkling was already with him. They told me the professor's plans and said they thought I was perfect for the job. I was shocked, mom. I didn't know what to think…

Peso looked at the older penguin and octopus dumbly, trying to form a response. His mind was being slammed continuously with different emotions and rushing thoughts. He was just asked to travel the world. Basically leave his family, the white plains and cold seas, everything he had known; and to come in a totally new environment. And in a submarine! What if there was a breach in the hull, and a leak came in and flooded everything? The crew would be thousands of feet under the ocean. He may not survive something like that, even if he could hold his breath for a long time. And what if he was not even fit for this role?

"You... You must be mistaken," Peso choked out. "I can't possibly be the one for this job. Galen would be much better, wouldn't you, doctor?”

"I still have a hospital to run, Peso," Galen replied with a gentle smile. He leaned back in his desk chair and crossed his arms, "Besides, you are more than capable of handling this.”

"Doctor Galen has told me of your experiences working here, and also your educational background," Inkling said. "You were taking college-level medical classes before you started high school. You perform your duties with the skill of a seasoned doctor, and you're not even twenty. If that wasn't enough, your gentle mannerisms make it fairly easy for you to befriend your patients. This is especially important, since most creatures in the ocean have never met a doctor.”

Peso's spirits lifted a little at the kind words and reminders of what he had already done. If he was honest with himself, he would like (love) to go out there and help. However, his mental obstacles clouded his thinking, and all he wanted right then was to get out of this office.

"But it's a ton of responsibility, and I know that it is too much for me." Peso had meant the statement as true, but when the words came out it felt more like an excuse.

Inkling tried again. "Galen has seen you work; I've seen you work through that one-way mirror at your workplace. You are a prodigy, Peso.”

Peso tried to protest, but Inkling cut him off, his voice starting to become quicker and more passionate, almost urgent.

"You've obtained a ton of information already during your young life, more than the average medical student. But more importantly, you know how to use it all. No matter what medical situation you've been in, even with creatures who aren't from here locally, you've been able to handle it well. You don't know how many doctors I've met who don't have all that you have" Peso wondered why he was like this, so adamant that he was the one to go. With Peso's own battling feelings and sense of pressure, he started to get frustrated.

Peso's voice rose louder than normal, "I've never even done a crabachtomy before! How am I supposed to help when I haven't performed a simple procedure like that?”

"Even if that's true, you have successfully operated on a dolphin's punctured lung!" The way he said it made Peso stop. There was a heaviness there that seemed to make the very air thicken. "Doctor Galen told me. You had helped that poor creature breathe," Inkling said, looking away, "when there seemed to be no hope." No one spoke for a moment, and Peso could only look at the professor in confusion and wonder. But then Inkling roused himself, focusing on the penguin again. "I'm not asking for someone who knows everything; that is impossible, and I would be wasting my time. However, I am looking for someone who is an expert, Peso. And that is you.”

The young penguin's eyes widened, shocked by the words. He was speechless.

Seeing the look on his face, and guessing he couldn't answer, Galen gently stepped in. "Inkling, you should give him some time to make a decision."

"Yes, yes, of course," Inkling replied, a bit distractedly. He seemed to be thinking about other things. "I shall stay in the hospital. Peso, please send for me when you make a decision." Peso stammered that he will, and after saying their goodbyes, the young penguin stumbled out of the office and went straight home.

"Professor Inkling was so intent on hiring me, and my surgery with the dolphin definitely had something to do with it." Peso put his head in his flippers and shook his head. "I can only wonder what happened that would make him react like that.”

"Even if that was a factor in him choosing you," his mother said, "that does not mean it was the only one. Everything else said about you was absolutely true, and they are all amazing strengths to possess.”

"It doesn't feel like it," he said quietly to himself. His mother could only look at Peso sadly, knowing that he wouldn't completely believe her if she spoke the contrary. Hopefully one day Peso would see what everyone else saw.

"If you can push all of your fears to the side, and not think about them at all, would you want to go?”

Peso chuckled dryly, "That's hard, mom"; but after a while he nodded. "Yeah, I guess I probably would. I mean, it all is amazing."

"Then I think you should go for it," she said. Peso looked up at her. "I know you're scared, and I know it is a whole new experience for you. But trust me on this," she took a deep breath, "it is time for you to move on. There comes a time, Peso, when a person realizes his purpose, something that he was meant to do ever since he was born. Ever since you were a chick, I've always known that your purpose had something to do with the medical field. That's why I allowed you to take college courses when you were still young. It was preparing you for this moment, for this calling. Even your stay at Doctor Galen's hospital was a temporary stage to help you get ready. And now that the time is here you should jump on your chance. Whether it feels like it or not, you have done amazing things, my son; and you are meant to do even more.”

Peso cracked a thin smile, and Perlita knew that she had broken through. He still seemed nervous (one talk would not make the fear go away), but now hope and passion for the situation dominated his features.

"Thanks mom," he said, his voice cracking slightly. Standing up, he moved and hugged her. The simple action had a tone of finality in it, and a wistful pang went through her. Once he leaves, when would she be able to hold her boy again?

"I should tell Professor Inkling that I'll join," he said quietly after a few moments. They both ended the embrace.

"All right," she said, staying positive even though she was starting to feel otherwise. After both saying goodbye, Peso started towards the exit.

It was strange to see her child, no matter how old he was, step out and make the decision that would no doubt change his life. As he walked outside into the light, she realized with her heart (not her mind, which already knew) that Peso was an adult now, and that this was truly the time for him to go. Tears filled her eyes as this completely sank in. Yet... she could not help but be proud of him. This was what it should be.

So let it pass.

Chapter Text

“Argh!"

"Argh!" a small voice imitated as close as it could. It was as fierce as any other pirate, but it was higher pitched and young-sounding, rendering it a cute impersonation. Calico Jack, one of the most well known pirates of that day, gave a warm smile.

"That was great, Kwazii. I think we can make a pirate of you yet!”

Kwazii, his small grandson, beamed up at him. "You really think so? Yaow!" The small orange striped cat pumped a little fist in the air, jumping once before landing on the floorboards of Calico Jack's ship. It was moored (landed) on the beach, tied securely to a small pier. It was smaller than the average ship, but it was all the better for Calico, who basically manned it himself with only the help of his parrot, Pete.

Calico, who was also a orange cat, liked to visit his homeland every now and then, especially since his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson lived there. He especially loved playing with little Kwazii; the young cat was as energetic as he was; and he had a curiosity and liking to pirate subjects, which brought them on the same plane.

Kwazii's face always lit up whenever Calico would arrive at his and his parents' home, unannounced, and he would always scramble towards him and give him a hug, welcoming him, then race out the door, knowing Calico would follow and play with him.

And he was only happy to oblige.

Kwazii had ran to the edge of the deck and looked over the railing, going on his tip-toes to see fully. Calico looked in the direction too, and saw the beach spreading out ahead of him, hugging the sea.

"Do you want to go on the beach now?" he asked. They had been on his ship for the past few hours, playing pirates (what else?), and the kid might be getting tired of that.

At Kwazii's nod, Calico led him to the other side of the ship and helped him get on the pier. Kwazii hugged the older cat's hand as they walked down the wooden path towards the sand. Finally jumping onto the slippery land, they continued walking along, not really caring where they were going. Kwazii let go of Calico's hand and started zipping around him, picking up shells and showing him, or pointing out seaweed that lay nearby. Calico would always respond, saying things like, "Aye, that reminds me of the kelp-looking Dabbalock. I told you about that great beast, remember Kwazii?"

"Yeah. It was so cool," he said. The kid jumped onto a couple of boulders nearby, balancing by holding his arms out. Calico stood nearby him, not hovering like a mother hen, but close enough to catch him if he fell. "I love your stories. Did you say all of them?" For a second he looked a bit worried.

"No, Kwazii. I wager you won't have to worry about me running out of them. I have enough tales to last a life time!" he said. Oh yes, he had many tales. Some were adventurous, like when he searched for Long John's buried treasure. Others were actually funny, like when him, Pete, and his cat wife Amelia searched for the bones of Davy Jones, but they ended up not being real bones at all but fake rubber ones (Davy Jones was a dog, and they were obviously his chew toys, his greatest treasure). But other stories... it would take a while for Calico to be able to talk about them. Like the time when he came across the dreaded Bánaithe Serpent. He frowned a bit as Kwazii kept climbing on the rocks. Oh, that was a terrible tale. Maybe Kwazii would hear it when he was older. But not now.

Suddenly Kwazii jumped from the boulder and landed at a dead run. "Catch me if you can!”

Calico, coming back to reality, gave a small whoop then went after him. He chased after him in the sand, the shifty surface slowing him a bit down. Kwazii ran from side to side, and he was pretty quick, aided by his youth; but Calico was still very athletic. He eventually caught the little guy, tickling his sides as he did so.

"Ok. All right, y-you got me," he said in between laughs. "L-let go!" Calico did so, slowly laying him down on the ground instead of dropping him. Kwazii stayed on his side for a few seconds as the giggles faded away and his breath returned. His eyes caught something, and he went up on his knees. "Look!" he pointed.

Calico looked up and saw a crab walking sideways in the sand. It walked nimbly, looking like it barely touched the sand, and its claws were held close to its body. It seemed to be enjoying itself, going about its own business.

Until it practically jumped out of its shell as a stick flew through the air, hitting the ground about an inch from its leg. It crouched down to the sand and stayed completely still, trying to hide itself with its camouflage.

Calico turned towards Kwazii, growing surprised as the small cat had another stick in his hand, ready to throw it at the small creature.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kwazii looked up, surprised at his tone. "Are ya trying to hurt him?”

Kwazii lowered the stick and tried to put it behind his back, his ears drooping. "S-some of the older boys were doing it," he said. Calico remembered that it was a sick past time amongst the schoolboys was he was a kid too. They would throw sticks or rocks at crabs, crowding around and watching in glee at the poor creature's reactions. Calico hadn't liked it then, and he especially didn't approve it now.

"Just because someone else is doing it doesn't mean you have to do it too."

Kwazii looked down, dropping the stick. "I'm sorry, Calico."

"No harm done," he replied. With such a downcast face as Kwazii's, he couldn't really be mad at him. He grabbed Kwazii's hand and started leading him passed the crab. "We best leave the crab alone.”

They walked a it away from the small creature, and looking back Calico could see that the crab was doing its brisk walk again. He smiled a bit at that.

"C-calico?" Kwazii's small voice rose to his ear. He looked down at his grandson.

"Yes, Kwazii?”

"You fight sea monsters and duel other pirates all the time," Kwazii said, confused. "Why can't I go against the crab?"

Good question. Calico was silent for a second, trying to put the best way to explain it. "You see Kwazii, when you or those older boys throw sticks or whatever-else at them, it's not a fair fight. The crabs are smaller than you, and truthfully, they've done nothing to you. Boys just do it for sport and to hurt something weaker than themselves. That's not right at all. When I fight against other pirates, it's usually a duel. I enjoy swashbuckling, and it's all part of the game; but I never go too far, Kwazii. I never go for the kill."

"And what about the sea monsters?" Kwazii asked.

"Oh, those? Those are a different thing altogether," he said gravely. "You see, they don't think the same as normal creatures. They go out to kill, not to duel. They won't stop until they draw blood. I still try to do whatever I can to keep it back and get away without killing it, 'cause a life is a life. But, if I am in a life or death situation, and I've tried everything I could and it is still after me, then I kill it. But that's only a last resort, mind you. Killing is a grave weight, and you don't really want it.”

He sighed, this conversation bringing to mind others sailing under the black flag. "But there are some pirates who don't care about that weight. They kill too, getting rid of creatures as they steal and pillage from ships.”

Kwazii's mouth was open in horror. Calico had never brought up these type of pirates before, and it was the first time the child heard about them. "Aye, Kwazii; it's hard to believe, but there are these types of pirates out there. But truth be told, I don't think that's how a pirate should live. It should be about adventure, courage, finding whatever treasure that's been left behind. And if there was ever a creature who needed a hand, he would help." While he was talking, he had turned his gaze forward, but now Jack looked down at Kwazii again and saw the child's large eyes staring back, taking in everything he was saying. Calico felt a weight of responsibility suddenly come upon him with those eyes.

He stopped walking and knelt down on one knee, becoming eye level with the child. He put a paw on his small shoulder. "And that is how you should live too," Calico said. "Not the pirate part, per say. Your father had the choice to either be a pirate or be something else, and he ended up staying on land. You have that choice too. But whatever you become, you need to live life to the fullest, be kind to everyone, and help others when they need it. All right, Kwazii?”

"Okay, Calico," Kwazii said. And the pirate had a feeling that he took those words to heart.

"Atta boy," he said warmly, taking his arm and draping it over his grandson's shoulders, pulling him in a side embrace. They pulled apart, but his arm was still on his shoulder. They both looked at the sun setting over the waters.

"But Calico," Kwazii said after a while, "I do want to become a pirate." Calico may not have known it, but the young child already could not imagine being anything else.

"Aye, Kwazii. Wouldn't that be something? You and me, going on adventures, searching for treasure, traveling the seven seas.”

"Can I go with you now?" he asked. "I'd love to go to the Amazon River with you." Calico had told him and his parents that he was going there in search of the Hidden City.

"No, Kwazii," Jack said, "Not this time. You're still too young. But, once you grow up, you can go on other adventures with me."

"Do you really mean that?" he asked.

"Of course," he said. He then stood up. The sun was almost completely set, and it was getting dark. "Let's head back to your place," he said. "Your mom should have cooked something good for dinner by now." With that, they soon walked back home.

Calico stayed with them for a couple more weeks. When it finally came time for him to leave, Kwazii remembered saying goodbye to his grandfather, giving him a final hug before the pirate stepped onto the ship, his loyal parrot on his shoulder. He remembered the great sails unfurling and the way they billowed then curved as the wind filled them. He held on to his father's hand as he waved goodbye, already missing Calico and looking forward to the next time he would come.

After the day he left, Kwazii would wait in anticipation for Calico to come back. He would stop by the beach after school and look out into the water. He always hoped to catch the outline of the ship or see Calico's pirate symbol of a cat with an eye patch over crossbones.

But the years passed by. He still waited out on the beach after school. As he went into higher grades and his workload grew larger and harder, he would do homework cross-legged on the boulders he used to climb on, holding his folder and papers on his legs. He could never concentrate when he was out there, and he would glance up on the ocean every now and then. Sometimes he would just stop working altogether and look out, thinking for several minutes at a time. He wanted to see the unfurling sails, hear Pete's bird call over the quiet roar of the waves. More than anything, he just wanted to see that his grandfather was all right, that he was safe, and that he... he hadn’t...

Kwazii waited...and waited. And by the time he was a high school senior, he knew Calico was never coming back.

Kwazii lay against the ship's rail, his arms spread across the top and his head leaning back. He stared up with his left eye, the other covered with an eye patch. He couldn't help but notice how blue and clear the sky was and the way black pirate flag waved slowly on the top of the mast. The symbol was a skull with crossbones underneath. It wasn't his preferred symbol; he had loved his late grandfather's one more for obvious reasons. But hey, he had grown up to be a pirate.

And a happy one, at that.

He moved his head towards the door that would lead down to their storage room. He and the small crew he was part of had just finished their search for Captain Goldbeard's treasure. The famous captain had been around during the hey-day of pirates, centuries ago, and until this day no one had found his plunder. Until now, Kwazii smirked. It was in the hull of their ship. A chest full of gold and jewels.

His mind turned toward his fellow pirates, two in number, and both cats. There was the leader of their little band, only known as the captain. He was a bit on the larger side, and had brown fur. He wore traditional pirate clothes, a blue waistcoat with white ruffle undershirt. He had a dark blue pirate's hat too. The other pirate, called Snarky, was taller and thinner than most, with a wily build (But no mistake, he was still strong). He was gray with whitish stripes and wore a dark red bandana over his head, which his ears poked out of it.

Through some particular circumstances, Kwazii met them while they were sailing toward the island the treasure was supposedly on. They asked if he wanted to join the expedition- they needed the extra muscle; and upon hearing that they did not believe in stealing and killing, he agreed. Even before becoming a pirate, he decided to follow Calico's footsteps in that way. And he was glad he found others who had the same standards.

The captain had clapped a friendly paw on his shoulder, saying that he and Snarky will "be counting the plunder," before heading to the storage room a couple minutes ago. Kwazii was to keep an eye in things, and as the ship was sailing smoothly, he had resorted to watching the sky. He would usually be restless and zipping about, but with the last adventure, he was content.

For now.

His head snapped towards the door, the sound of the wood hitting the wall bringing his full attention. The captain and Snarky came out of the darkness, both practically shaking- one from fury and the other from shock.

"Thought that it would be much more," the captain snarled.

"What are you talking about, matey?" Kwazii asked, standing up.

"I'm talking about the treasure.”

"The bottom half of the chests are filled with hay!" Snarky cried. "Ol' Goldbeard tricked us!”

"You're serious," Kwazii paled.

"The treasure wasn't worth finding," the captain said, pacing, "We would've gotten as much if we took a couple ships." Kwazii's brow furrowed, confused.

"There's one now." Snarky said excitedly, going to the rail. The others followed and, sure enough, there was one half a mile away.

"Looks like a passenger ship.”

"Aye, methinks we can handle it, the three of us. Might be a hearty plunder."

"Wait, wait, wait," Kwazii stepped in, shaking his head and waving his arms in a "no" motion. "What are you two talking about? We still got other treasure maps. Let's use 'em and find some real treasure, with much more worth than a li'le ship.”

"There is a surer chance to get riches by doing this than going after treasure that might not even be there anymore." The captain retorted.

Snarky added, "Don't worry, ya won't get hurt. We've done this before.”

Kwazii's jaw dropped."You lied to me?" Not only had they done so, but they had the gall to basically tell it to his face. His surprise suddenly turned into anger.

"Hey, we're not the only ones who lied." The captain said, turning to him.

"What are you blabbering about?" Kwazii said. His patience was quickly disappearing.

"It's obvious. Yer just scared." They both laughed.

"No! That's not it at-“

"You'll just stay here, and let the more experienced pirates handle this," Snarky said, patting him of the shoulder.

"I'm just as good as both of you!"

"So you'll go with us?" Snarky said.

"Yes!" But his brain caught up right as the word slipped from his mouth. He could see their smirks and realized that they played him again. He could only wonder how many times they have done it before. He grit his teeth, hating both them and himself.

"Change the sails!" the captain yelled joyfully, "Steer the rudder! We're about to get some real treasure!" Snarky gave a shout and went towards the rudder. Kwazii stayed where he was, his hands balled into fists. It was only until the captain gave him a hard look that he finally, slowly, went towards the mast. He had most if the will to give them a piece of his mind, but then he thought not to. A few words won't change their decision (they, and any pirates in general, were pretty stubborn). Although his anger was hot, he didn't want to put his sword against them either. He felt attached to them with cords of friendship forged over their journey; and it made him stay back and not lash out. But he didn't know what to do. And his indecision, which was unfamiliar in his usually quick-thinking personality, made him fumble and numbly change the sails, being pulled by their influence while he was a bit unsteady.

He could only feel dread now.

It didn't take long till they came upon the boat. It was a relatively small ship, probably used to take a couple scores of creatures on scenic tours. As their ship went alongside the other one, the pirates threw ropes attached to grappling hooks to the other one, catching onto the railing and attaching and securing the boat. Then, like planned, they swung on their own ropes over to the passenger ship.

Kwazii landed on the deck, barely feeling the impact as he looked up. There was chaos, passengers trying to flee from the threat. Woman were screaming, trying to back away; husbands were in front of them and their children, trying to protect them while terror was on their own expressions. Children held on to their mothers.

He couldn't be the reason for their fear, he thought dazedly, losing himself for a second in this nightmare. It can't be because of us.

But senses went into stinging clarity as a couple of the crew members, sailors dressed in white, ran up to them. The captain and Snarky went right into action, sprinting, as if in anticipation, towards their opponents. One of the sailors threw a fist forwards, but Snarky dodged and threw a punch on his own, hitting him in the jaw with an uppercut. While he was off-balance, he grabbed the stumbling sailor's arm and swung him around, having him crash right to the sailor fighting the captain. They both fell on the polished floor, unconscious.

More of the crew started to come towards them, but the captain quickly chased and grabbed a girl that was running in the chaos. Taking out his sword, he brought the cold, sharp steel against her neck.

"Come closer, and she won't live to see another day!" he bellowed. The girl was crying, calling out for her parents.

The sailors immediately stopped, and the other passengers could only stare in horror.

"Mommy! Daddy!" she pleaded.

"Shut up!" He yelled in her ear. He brought the sword closer to her neck, and she quieted with a whimper. There was a sort of callousness in the captain's face, a vehemence and cruelty that Kwazii had never seen before. He realized at that moment just how dangerous these two pirates were, and how willing they were to kill to get to their prize. And for the first time he felt the pure terror that everyone else had been feeling. The sword pricked the girl's neck slightly, a small trickle of blood going down her throat. He couldn't even stop him now, without her being killed. Kwazii clenched his teeth. He hated this.

"Now listen up, all of you," he said. "I want you all to head to the stern of th' ship. No funny business, lest ya want her blood on your hands.”

After a moment of hesitance, the crew started walking to where he indicated, leading the passengers in that direction, since some of them didn't know what the stern was. They all lined up there.

While this was happening, Snarky retrieved one of longest ropes the pirates had, probably as long as the deck to the top of their ship's mast.

"Snarky, Kwazii," the captain barked. "Tie 'em up.”

The two pirates went towards the crowd, and Kwazii looked at all their paws. The other pirates were planning to have them all connected by the single rope, which will not only render their top limbs useless but make movement extremely difficult. Snarky tied ends of the rope to hook the opposite sides of the ship.

He looked at the single rope, stretched out across the deck's floor, and then their paws again. He would have to use a Bowline on a Bight. He remembered Calico Jack teaching him how to do that knot...

And he be hanged if he ever uses it for something so evil.

Snarky and Kwazii went on the opposites sides of the line, tying the captured one by one. On his end, he tied the knots loosely, making it easy for the creatures to get out of their bonds and escape, if they had an opportunity. As he went through the passengers, families and sailors, he would see their paws trembling slightly. But after about five creatures, he came upon a set of paws that did not shake. They were white, strong looking, yet they were relaxed, spread apart slightly. Kwazii looked up and saw the face of a polar bear: grand, brave, and with a sense of security and strength that Kwazii never thought could exist in a person. On top of his head was a white hat with a dark blue bill, engraved with a golden seal. With the rest of dark blue uniform, it dawned upon Kwazii that this was captain of the ship. The captain's eyes were grave yet had a knowing look. He had noticed that Kwazii wasn't following orders and was tying the captives loosely.

Kwazii looked at the polar bear, with a mixture of pleading and planning. Get them out of here as soon as you can. Kwazii had noticed a couple of life boats nearby. He thought that he wouldn't understand his look, but the captain did a curt, inconspicuous nod. After loosely tying the captain, he moved on, feeling strangely peaceful, if only a little. He knew that the captain would do whatever he could.

When Snarky and Kwazii finally tied the last two captives, they were next to each other at the middle if the rope. Kwazii unfortunately had to make the knot tightly so the other pirate wouldn't notice.

The pirate captain then took the girl and attached her to the rope as well. Once everyone was detained, the cat leader ordered, "Kwazii, you and I will go into the hull, see if there is anything valuable there. Snarky, watch the prisoners. We'll go through their pockets once we come back up." They both nodded, and Kwazii followed the captain inside the ship, making one last look before completely passing the doorway. Snarky had the tip of his sword close to the girl's neck, threatening everyone else against doing anything rash. She was practically convulsing from her sobs. Kwazii felt guilt and pity overcome him, almost bringing him to tears. That girl will most likely be traumatized for life.

If she even lives long.

The inside was very posh, reminding him tremendously of a cruise ship that he once went on when he was young. Everything was clean and shiny, with a nice carpet and crown moldings adorning the hall that led to the right. The left side had a room labeled "Captain's Quarters" on a small plaque. The captain went in there, telling Kwazzi to look around and take whatever was worthwhile. Kwazii wasn't going to steal anything, but he was going to look like he was sneaking about. Kwazii went down the hall, noticing a couple of potentially expensive paintings before taking the first door on the right. Peering in, he saw a small library. Scores of books lined up one wall, while the rest of the room had comfortable-looking green arm chairs and coffee tables. What particularly caught Kwazii's attention was the armchair closest to the book wall. There were novels and journals everywhere around it in small neat stacks: on the chair's arms, the coffee table nearby, and even on the floor. It looked like someone had been hard-core studying or researching; and by the way a couple of books were strewn everywhere, open of some of the pages bent, the creature(s) responsible had left in a hurry. Probably 'cause of the pirate fiasco, Kwazii sighed.

"Oi!" he heard a shout. "Kwazii, come quick! I found someone in here!”

Kwazii's head snapped towards the door, and his blood froze.

Oh no…

He numbly shut the door and went into the captain's quarters. He could only guess what would happen now.

The pirate captain was staring towards the wardrobe against the left wall, and Kwazzi, seeing from the side, couldn't tell what he was staring at. "There's someone hiding in between wardrobe and the wall," he said. Kwazii went to where he stood, and sure enough, he saw two eyes staring back at them from the darkness. The other pirate put his hand in the small space, desiring to pull out the creature. He struggled; whatever it was didn't want to get out. But after grumbling a little, the captain starting gaining some ground. A couple tentacles shot out from the hiding place, trying to hit the pirate while others were desperately trying to hold on to anything around it. Kwazzi started. A octopus! He nearly shouted in his mind, What's a octopus doing on this ship!

The octopus hit the captain squarely in the jaw, making him let go for a second, which brought Kwazii out of his emotions and into an idea. He quickly ran out of the room and onto the deck.

"Snarky!" he called, making his voice particularly stressed, which didn't take much for his frazzled nerves. "The captain needs help. There's someone else on the ship!" Snarky took his sword away from the girl and hurriedly headed towards the doorway. Kwazzi briefly looked at the passengers' captain, who gave a small smirk under determined eyes. Kwazii gave a small smirk of his own before he turned and followed the other pirate. He didn't know how much time the noble captain had, but he hoped it was enough.

When he entered the room again, Snarky was helping their captain. With two pairs of hands and double the strength, the octopus was no match for them. They dragged him out, holding him in place as he tried to struggle. They maneuvered in a way that only Snarky held him and made him face the leader.

The captain went to his full height, taller than the captive, and looked down in superiority. The captured stopped moving.

"An octopus, eh?" he said, in a slow, somewhat playful way "You've given us quite a bit of trouble. What exactly are you doing on a ship?”

Kwazii thought that he must have been through dangerous situations before (probably since he was from the ocean), because the octopus gazed defiantly at the captain, his mouth set in a straight line and his eyes were hard.

"That is none of your concern," he said with a non wavering voice. Before Kwazii could react, the captain backhanded him, and the hostages's face flew to the side. If the other pirate hadn't held him in place, he would have fallen over. The octopus looked back up at him with that strong gaze, albeit with more loathing; part of his face already turning a darker color because of the hit.

The captain stooped a bit lower, to Inkling's height, leaning his head towards the side. It reminded Kwazii of those barbaric phrases that some animals would say, that cats played with their food. "Come on, you can tell the ol' captain," he drawled out, grinning like a Cheshire.

"You don't gave what it takes to be a real one," the captive said lowly. The slighted pirate grew tense, and a scowl flashed into his face. But then he straightened.

"Alright, if that's how ya want to play," he said calmly. He pulled out his sword, and Kwazii's fur bristled. For the first time the octopus' eyes widened in fear. But the pirate only brought the tip of the weapon to the creature's monocle, lifting it up slightly. "That fancy 'parel must mean you got quite the wealth on ya. Let's take him to the others, then see what this guy's brought on this ship. After all the plundering's done, then we'll pay you back for what you said. How's that sound?”

He didn't wait for a reply that wouldn't come, and instead gestured Snarky with his head to take the octopus outside. The pirate dragged him out the door and up the stairs. The octopus tried to grab onto anything, the cabinet, the bed post, the doorway; and it took several minutes and even more hard yanks until he was dragged onto the main deck.

What they saw surprised the evil pirates.

"Wh-where are the prisoners!" the captain bellowed, the shock of the scene dropping his deadly calm. The deck was completely empty save the four of them. There was no signs of anyone being there; even the long rope had disappeared. Kwazii grew relieved at this; the white captain had done his part. But that small space of relief turned into horror when the captain spun toward the last captive, his sword glinting in his paw.

"You had something to do with this, didn't you!?" he screamed in his face.

"No!" he shouted back, his voice showing his confusion. His face was still obstinate, but he tried to take a step back (which Snarky didn't allow), betraying how he was afraid of the increasingly aggressive pirate.

"If everyone else'll be free, at least you won't be!" The captain went to strike, and the octopus completely paled.

But as the sword came down, it didn't hit flesh, but steel. The captain looked shocked at Kwazii, the orange cat's sword against his own; before Kwazii pushed the attacker back. Snarky, also surprised, barely dodged the sword aimed at his arm, letting go of the captive. The octopus immediately went behind Kwazii, leaving his sword as the barrier between them and their opponents.

"Killing? Stealing?" Kwazii cried. He was sick of this, for way too long. "Taking wealth in expense of other's lives? What are you thinking?”

As the surprise left the other pirates, realization settled on them. The captain's eyes narrowed. "You helped the prisoners escape," he said, his voice deadly; and Kwazii knew there was no way to turn back now.

"And I would do it a hundred more times to stop the destruction you're so bent on making. Calico Jack would never have done it!”

"Calico Jack?!" the captain yelled mockingly. Kwazii's blood turned cold at the tone."Oh, well you just want to be like him, eh? Just like that old geezer?”

Kwazii had told them about his grandfather, about how much he meant to him and changed the young cat's life.

And now they were putting that against him.

"Oh, I know what they are," the other piped up, laughing (obnoxiously, Kwazii thought). "They're just a couple of treasure hunters.” At this they both laughed, as if they were less than nothing, wannabes.

"Your pirate kind doesn't exist," the captain said. His voice became lower, "There's barely enough of you to be called a breed.”

"Especially with old Calico dead," Snarky chuckled, the nerve of him. "Now your all alone!" They both roared in laughter.

And right then Kwazii absolutely felt it. He had trusted these cats, sailing with them for months, knowing their families, their pasts, their lives. He had actually thought that they could have eventually become a family and have a life like what he had always imagined for him and his grandfather. But it had all been a lie. They lied to him. And he had never even met any other pirate who didn't steal for gain, or kill for sport. He was all alone, and for them to laugh at his loneliness, but even more than that, what he and Calico stood for, he couldn't take it. Anger finally bubbled over the top, and he snapped.

He pounced on them before they could take in a breath, swinging sideways at the attackers. But they had been quick, and the captain blocked it with his own weapon. The cross of steel stayed still in shivering tension, neither of them giving in. The angry captain's face was full of hatred and spite, staring back at Kwazii's angry face and tight jaw. But then the pirate looked to the side, and Kwazii briefly sent in that direction.

Snarky was coming dangerously towards Inkling, sword in paw. Inkling tried to back away, searching left and right for a weapon or way to escape. But then he backed up into the mast.

Kwazii circled his sword out of the hold. "Look out!" he yelled, though he didn't know why. He tried to run to the octopus, but the captain jumped in front of him, attacking again. He tried to get passed him, fighting all the way; but the pirate just kept coming back.

Snarky raised him sword. "No!" Kwazii yelled.

But then there was a loud thud on the deck. A large form had jumped from the mast, where no one had bothered to look up at. He rose up to his full height, as high as the tall pirate. Snarky's arm lowered slightly at the intimidating opponent.

"That's enough," the polar bear's voice was deep and clear, but with a hostile hint in it. "You're not coming any closer to him.”

Snarky went over the shock and turned on the new obstacle, swiping his sword down where his head was. The white captain dodged, leaning down to the right, before swiping his paw up. It collided with his opponent's shoulder, sending him flying back a couple feet and hitting the floor. Snarky did a back roll as he collided with the wood, quickly getting up. Yet he moved his shoulder in a circle, as if in pain. The captain barely moved; his polar bear strength enabling him to throw him without any effort.

The opponents went ran towards each other, but Kwazii's own battle prevented him from seeing what happened next. With the extra enemy evening the fight, the pirate captain became more focused, making him attack with quicker and more skillful movements. Kwazii blocked all his small attacks heading to his leg, his heart, his head, his left arm, right arm, stomach, then heart again. He was being slightly pushed back, step by step, as he tried to keep up. But then Kwazii was able to throw in his own blow, surprising the captain and stopping the flowing trend. Kwazii threw in a few more swipes and change the current to his own bidding, becoming the offensive one and having the captain be the one to step back.

It didn't take long for the fight to end. The polar bear soon overpowered his enemy, throwing Snarky against the mast and therefore rendering him unconscious. Kwazii was able to trip the pirate captain with a roundhouse kick, making him fall on his back. He flipped over and was about to rise before the octopus, who had went and come back from the ship's hull, smacked the back of his head with a thick green book (the only weapon he was able to quickly find). The pirate slumped back onto the floor, passed out. For a second only the sound of deep breathing and the waves hitting the boat's sides was heard.

"Thanks, matey," Kwazii finally said, panting a bit from the fight.

"You two have both saved me," the octopus replied, "I thought that I'd like to return the favor.”

"I'm just glad the situation ended well," the ship's rightful captain came towards them. "This could have been ugly.”

"So the rest of the passengers took the emergency boats, I take it?" the octopus asked.

"Yes, Professor. My crew is leading them back to shore, and it should take about half a day before they reach it. But before we talk for too long," he said, looking at the unconscious pirates, "let's take care of them first. Kwazii-," he turned to the orange cat, and seeing his startled face quickly put in, "Sorry, I remembered another pirate saying your name. Would you mind tying them up? There should be some extra rope in a small storage room in the hallway, the fourth door on the left. I'll radio in the Coastguard and tell them we had been attacked."

After a "sure" from the cat, they went their separate ways. Kwazii found the rope, exactly as the Captain said, and tied the captain and Snarky to the mast. He made sure the knots were extra tight. As he was working, the octopus stood awkwardly by.

"Now that you two seem to know my name," Kwazii said, trying to make small talk, "What are yours?”

"I'm Professor Inkling," the octopus replied, gesturing towards himself with a tentacle. "And the polar bear is Captain Barnacles."

"Is that a first or a last name?"

"A first name, I believe," Inkling replied.

“Interesting," Kwazii replied, wondering why on earth anyone would name her son after another animal species. But then again, there were individuals who were named after emotions, like Hope or Joy; and no one thought twice about that.

Just as he finished with his task, Captain Barnacles came from the navigation room. "They're on their way," he reported. "They should be here in a few hours, since they're coming in speed boats. We might come to the shore around the time my crew and the passengers land there. Whether we do or not, I'd like to check up on them, especially that little girl who was heartlessly used as a hostage. I hope she's alright.”

Kwazii nodded at that, his mind conjuring up the picture of her sobbing. He hoped she would heal from this mess.

As the rest of Captain Barnacles' words came on him, he thought of something.

"Won't the Coastguard arrest me?" he said suddenly. A bit of worry spiked up in him. "I did come with the other pirates into this, after all.”

"Don't worry, the professor and I will tell them what you've done. And if they won't believe us, a couple of passengers had also noticed how loosely you tied them up. With all our eye-witness accounts, you should be fine." Kwazii visibly relaxed. Coming from him, it was a promise.

"What do you mean?" Inkling asked. "Not the witness accounts, but the whole tying-up business you referred to.”

Captain Barnacles told him everything Kwazii had done, including luring Snarky away so everyone could go into the lifeboats.

"That was very heroic of you," Inkling said to Kwazii once Captain Barnacles was finished. "Those pirates were extremely dangerous.”

"Aye, but they didn't seem like that when I first met them," Kwazii said bitterly, their betrayal searing him with pain.

"It... must be hard," Captain Barnacles said sympathetically. No doubt he knew just how twisted most pirates were.

"The worst part of it was that he was right. There's barely enough of my type of pirate. In fact, from what I've seen, I don't even know if there is anyone else except me." His right paw fiddled with the hilt of his sword, which was in its sheath. "I could technically go on my own again. For the first few years, I had me own little ship, and I went on adventures by myself." He became frightfully still. "But then sometimes at night I'd look at my empty deck and wish there was someone to talk to. I didn't even have my own parrot to keep me company.

That only happened sometimes, though; and I was mainly happy and content. But then me ship got wrecked, and while I could get a few of me personal treasures, there was no way of saving it. I ended up marooned on a desert island." Kwazii looked at them seriously. "I didn't know how long I was there. Days. Weeks. I lost track of time. And I was stuck on that tiny island, with the sun beating down on me, nothing but salty water around, only seaweed to eat, and absolutely nothing to do. And no one there, save for some mushroom coral who barely talked to me. Oh, I decided then that I'd never go on my own again, 'cause the silence had almost driven me mad.”

"How... did you meet those pirates?" Inkling asked a bit hesitantly.

"After who-knows-how-long of finding driftwood floating in the water, I was eventually able to build a raft. They had found me when I was already in open water." He looked a bit to the side, ears dropping. "Everything else is easy to figure out.”

"I'm really sorry about your situation," Inkling said genuinely. Kwazii nodded in thanks but did not look at him. "If you would like," the professor continued, "you can join the crew I'm creating." Kwazii looked at him quizzically. "It's not a pirate crew by any means, but you can still keep your ways, save having a sword constantly on you. Our main goals are to explore, rescue, and protect the ocean; and we'll be doing that by traveling in a submarine. Since we explore, we can definitely look for sunken ships or buried treasure if you have a map and we are in an area, “

"And what would I be doing at the other times?" Kwazii asked.

"You'll be a lieutenant, the kind that's second in command and-“

"Wait, you're giving me that role?" Kwazii said, genuinely surprised. He barely even knew him.

"Not really that, for now; since I have not seen you in that setting. But you had taken initiative and stood for what's right, showing that you may have potential yet. But for now, you'll be aiding the captain on missions, and you'll be doing the tasks that no one has the hands to do. You'll plug in the gaps when needed, so to speak.”

"Sounds fair," Kwazii said, nodding. "And who's the captain?”

"I decided that it'd be Mr. Barnacles," Inkling said.

The polar bear started, "I'm hired?" he said, a smile growing on his lips.

"Of course," the professor replied, his face returning the expression. "Today's events showed that you were more than capable for the role." He looked at the pirate cat, "That's why I was here. I was taking a trip on his ship to see how Mr. Barnacles worked with a crew. I wasn't around him all the time, but I would periodically check on and observe him, to keep him on his toes.”

"I don't really know what to say," Captain Barnacles said, completely elated.

"Nothing much to say now, except in preparation for your departure," Inkling replied lightheartedly. "How about you?" he asked Kwazii. "Would you like to join us?”

Kwazii thought deeply. It would not be the same as a normal pirate's life. Then again, he wasn't the average pirate; and since he can still be himself, he truly had nothing to lose. Yet, he couldn't lie to himself. "Even though this probably won't happen, if by any chance I come across pirates who are like me, then I'll probably join them. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you otherwise." Inkling nodded understandingly. "But for now," Kwazii smiled, "you can count me in.”

The others grinned at that, and Kwazii noticed a shift. Nothing changed visibly, but he suddenly felt that he was now part of something a lot bigger than himself, and more adventurous and grand than he even knew.

"Then in that case," Inkling said, looking from one crew member to another, "my search is over. The crew has finally been found."

Chapter Text

Amelia really hated goodbyes.

Not that she wasn't used to them; quite the opposite. She's had to say bye so many times, she just couldn't bear to think of having another one.

But here she was again.

"No, Bones, I won't be part of it," Amelia said. She was short compared to him, being a cat and all, but she looked up at the gorilla with the strongest eyes she could muster. She was an orange cat with stripes, a brown pirate hat on her head, leather boots, and a head full of long, curly hair. She was angry at having to go through this again, and she used it to her advantage.

"But it's just a heist," Bones, the Captain of the Zeelon pirates, said in a smooth tone. They were in an alleyway on a port in Spain. It was a bit dark and musty in there, although it was the afternoon. "You help us, we give you some of the gold. We'll split it equally; it'll be fair.”

"No. That's my final answer.”

He turned to his head cooly to the side, but his gaze flickered back at her. His tone was calm so far, but she could see the deadliness in his eyes. Bones' crew, who were standing around them, got closer, holding their swords at their hilts.

This was not going well at all.

"I told you that I only go on treasure hunts. I don't do heists; I don't kill innocents. I told you that. Now, if you let me leave, no one has to get hurt here.”

Bones stood there. Amelia waited.

"Get her.”

They all pounced.

She was able to pull her weapon out before the first one came, and she blocked a pirate's sword with her own. She kicked him away, knocking back a couple others with him. She jumped up, landing on a couple of the pirates' heads, and used them as leverage to grab onto a window sill. Pulling herself up, she climbed into the building.

"Get her!" Bones cried, and she knew they would be in the building in a couple seconds.

She crept as quickly as she could, looking for a place to hide. She was panting, but she tried to keep it quiet. The place seemed to be an apartment, but it looked deserted. There wasn't that much furniture or anything-

She heard a crash, and she turned her head towards the passage where she just came from. That was probably one of the doors she passed through.

She needed to hide. Now.

She ran quietly into another room, which was a kitchen. She pulled opened a door and-

Bingo. It was a large pantry, with shelves placed from floor to ceiling. There wasn't much in there, except a few rather large boxes of canned beans and toilet paper.

She closed the door softly behind her and nimbly climbed into one of the shelves. She maneuvered herself to get behind the boxes. She pulled her knees and tail close, making herself as small as possible.

There they were. She could hear their footsteps, pounding thunderously in the hallway. The footsteps came closer until they reached the kitchen.

There were only two pairs of footsteps. They must have split up to look throughout the apartment.

"She's got to be here somewhere," one of them -Jim, she recognized- said. "She can't be that fast.”

"Bones didn't call her ‘The Orange Streak’ for nothing," Lars, Jim's companion, retorted. He opened the door. She stayed absolutely still.

At least it was these two. They were the dumb ones of the group. Hopefully they won't see h-

The box of beans was pulled from in front of her, showing the leathery, wrinkly face of the gorilla Lars. His teeth were crooked and chipped, showing all of their glory as he smiled wickedly.

"Got ya!" He grabbed her feet his his powerful hands. She tried to hold on with her paws, tried to kick him, but it was no use.

Well, if they wanted to get hurt so badly; then she would have to oblige. There was no going around this now.

She let go of the shelf, making Lars stumble back from the unexpected force. As they both fell back, Amelia turned towards him, striking him in the face with her claws. She landed on her feet as he thumped onto the ground.

Jim, a thin, scruffy dog with a bandana around his head, held a sword in both hands and ran towards her. He was across the room in seconds; but it was more than enough time for Amelia to pull out her sword with one hand.

The swords clashed, and they began their deadly dance.

Amelia dodged and parried, only need one hand to do all the work. Jim had used both, and although his hits were powerful, they were sloppy and not with nearly enough grace as hers.

Jim never did learn, Amelia thought, thinking about all the sparring matches they used to have.

She knocked Jim's sword out of the way, leaving an opening. She clawed him across his chest with her free hand, leaving marks. As he reflexively leaned forward in pain, she punched him in the face, making him sprawl back, unconscious.

"Sorry it had to be this way," she murmured. She stood still, looking at the unconscious Lars and Jim. At least they were just unconscious. She didn't know what would she do if they were actually killed. All the times they used to sit around the fire and talk, all the clues that they would figure out and unravel as they were looking for that lost treasure. All those good times.

She really hated goodbyes. And even worse, she hated how other pirates always turned on her in the blink if am eye. Didn't those times mean anything to them?

"That was one fine fight, me hearty. Those scalawags didn't have a chance."

Amelia turned, shocked, and raised her sword towards the voice. It was inches away from the intruder.

The person was a male cat that looked a lot like her. He was an orange tabby and was about twenty, like her. He was in pirates garb, hat and all; but he wasn't part of Bones' crew. Although he had a sword to his face, he didn't move from his relaxed position. He was leaning against the doorframe, both legs and arms crossed.

"Careful where you put that, mate. It could poke someone's eye out." He smirked, and his eyes had a twinkle of mirth.

Amelia lowered her sword - but just barely.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Th' name's Calico Jack," He lowered his head in a mock greeting; if she didn't have the sword to him, she bet he would have done a full-on bow.

"But I really should ask ya the same thing. I was just in me home, minding me own business, when all of a sudden you and those good-for-nothing's just coming barging in.”

Amelia looked around. "You live here?”

"Sparce, ain't it?" he chuckled. "Yeah, I do; but I don't plan on staying here long. By the way, do ya mind putting the sword down? It really isn't the way to having a proper conversation.”

She studied him for a moment, but eventually lowered the sword. "Name's Amelia," she said. She put the sword in her sheath.

"Nice name," he said. He pushed himself off from the wall. He started walking down the hall. She followed, wondering what he was doing. "I should let ya know, I saw the rest of the the Zeelon pirates." At Amelia's quizzical look, Calico shrugged. "I recognized their symbol on their clothes. Don't worry. I took care of them.”

They walked passed two unconscious pirates - Norman and Bates, in the hallway, and saw three more- Charles, Luminier, and Captain Bones's himself, on the living room floor.

Amelia looked at Calico's back as he walked towards the three in the living room. This guy took care of the Captain of the Zeelon pirates, with his henchman attacking as well? That's a tough feat, even for experienced fighters. This cat must be really good.

"We should tie 'em up and call the police to round them up," Calico said.

"You're not afraid of them getting us too?”

Calico turned to her. "As long as we explain what happened, and haven't done any crimes earlier in this port, then we're good. The authorities are pretty lenient on pirates here. As long as pirates behave in their borders, they don't give us any trouble. This port is actually one of those few places where they don't hate the existence of pirates.”

"That's hard to believe," Amelia quipped, but she didn't intervene when Calico called the cops. True to his word, the police didn't do anything to them. They just looked up their files and, once it was apparent that they clean slates, let them go.

"Huh, so you have an entirely clean criminal record, even outside of this town?" Calico said after the cops left with the Zeelon pirates. "Truth be told, I've never met another pirate who hasn't had a slew of crimes following them around.”

"Me neither," Amelia said, filled with a small sense of awe. Who'd of thunk it? Someone else who hasn't given in…

"You're a pirate too, right?" Amelia asked. "What are ya doing on land?”

"Don't have a boat anymore," Calico replied. "Sank a few miles away from this 'ere port. Had to swim over here with nothing but the clothes on me back. So I'm living here for now. I got a deal with the grocery store owner downstairs that if I work here, he'll let me stay in this apartment. Now I just need to figure out a way to raise enough money for a new boat. I don't plan on stealing a boat, but I don't wanna stay here for the rest of me life either.”

"I could help you with that," Amelia offered. "It's the least I can do for helping me with the Zeelons." And, for some reason, she didn't want to part ways with him.

He smiled again, "If ya could, I'd greatly appreciate it. I just don't know how long it'll take for a boat to actually be bought. It would be a while till that'll happen.”

"Well, it's not like I have anywhere else to be," Amelia said. That's right, she doesn't have a crew anymore.

She's alone again.

Her feelings must have shown on her face, because sympathy laced across Calico's features.

"Hey, I know the grocery store owner has another apartment in this building. He's kind of a landlord too. Maybe we could a deal with him similar to mine, so you would have a place to stay.”

It was a bit strange for him to say "we," so quickly after she lost her last group; but Amelia felt a bit of warmth at the word.

"Thanks, I'd like that.”

So that's what they did. They talked to the owner, and soon Amelia was employed at the grocery store. It wasn't the best deal in the world; although she would live in her own place, there wasn't much money in it. She could see why Calico bought canned beans. But she had a place, so she was content.

For now.

She knew the sea would be calling her again, and that she'll have to answer it eventually. It was deep in her bones.

And she could see that Calico Jack had that same calling. While they worked at the grocery store, Calico told of stories of adventures he had at sea.

"So there I was, surrounded by ten- no - one hundred guards.”

"Is that so," Amelia quirked a smile as she put her head on a paw. They were having taking a break in the back of the grocery store.

Calico always told great tales. She found that she could listen to them forever and never get bored. Some of them were obviously exaggerated, and she would smirk in amusement at those, but what she really loved was the vitality Calico had. Here he was, among crates of fruits and vegetables, on land and away from the sea that he loved, and he was still full of fire. He still dreamed, was still so passionate. He was just so full of life.

She had seen pirates, and even herself, try to act that way; but she never saw anyone who truly, wholeheartedly, and naturally embodied it.

And she drew towards it like a moth to a light.

They decided that they'll partner up and become their own pirate crew, and they each got extra jobs to save even more money for a boat. They usually worked together at the grocery story in the mornings, went to their own separate jobs in the afternoons, then eat dinner someplace late at night and each go to their separate homes.

Then, about two months later, Calico asked her out on a date. Amelia was surprised that he had feelings towards her, but she could only say yes. She had never seen anyone like him, and as time went by, she knew that she would never want to leave him. It came to a point that she would never want him out of her life. She didn't know what love was, but she think she had found it. And when she would hold his paw, fingers laced together, she felt like she was part of something greater. And when she looked in Calico's eyes, she could see all the same emotions staring back.

A year after first meeting each other, they got married. She knew some people would have told them to wait, but Amelia thought it was perfect. If they knew they had found the right person, then why not commit to each other?

Amelia moved to Calico's apartment, and with the extra money she received from the move, they got a little closer to getting the boat. It was a long process, and they were both impatient (such is the way a lot a lot of pirates are, she mentally quipped), but they had each other, and that made things so much better.

Eventually, after another 3 years, they were nearing the normal amount of money for a boat. Calico and Amelia would head down to the boat areas of the port now and look around, haggling with the boat owners for a price they could afford. They particularly had an eye on one boat that was kind of small (which would be easy for two people to man), fast, and looked like an actual pirate ship. As Calico would say, "We have to look th' part.”

And sure enough, all their hard work paid off. They were able to get a huge deal, and the boat was theirs.

Their adventure could start.

Amelia shouldered the last couple of bags up the ramp onto the boat. The air was crisp and cool, early in the morning as it was. The sun was rising, waking up the sleeping port.

"Is that the last of it?" Calico took one of the bags from her and followed her into the storage room.

"Yes, it is. Hopefully we'll have enough supplies to last for a while.”

"It'll be fine. If anything, we'll just drop by the nearest port. Hopefully, we'll have an adventure before then, though," Calico said. He was jittery, she could see by the way his tail flipped excitedly.

Amelia smiled. "Can't contain your excitement, can you?”

"No way!" Calico practically hollered. They were on the deck again. "I've finally got a new boat, am about to sail on the best journey ever, and," his paw wrapped around her waist, catching her by surprise. He pulled her to a side hug. His voice got lower. "I have the best wife a pirate could ever ask for."

Amelia's features melted, and she rested her head on Calico's shoulder. It was funney; Amelia felt like she should be the one grateful for him.

They stood in their embrace, looking out onto the ocean, their future. It all felt surreal.

But she shook herself. Might as well grab the future by the horns.

"What are we waiting for?" she said cheerfully. She got out Calico's hold and did a back flip (she liked to show off sometimes), landing on the ship's wide railing. She grabbed the rope that was attached to the mast. "This ship won't sail yourself, you know.”

Calico grinned with the brightness of a thousand candles. A jab of happiness went through her at the brilliance. "Right, let's go!”

As the boat finally set sail and went into deep water, gliding into the future, Amelia leaned out from the mast ropes on the side of the ship. She closed her eyes in pure bliss. It was only just the beginning.

They had their whole life to look forward to.

Chapter Text

Captain- or rather, soon-to-be captain -Barnacles sighed and sat deeper in his seat in the airplane.

The time between being hired and hopping on a plane was abnormally short; and he was unable to get to know Kwazii and Professor Inkling well because of that. Since they had to sit in different parts of the plane, and with unwilling neighbors and an unamused flight attendant, they couldn't budge. And the way the flight attendant eyed Kwazii, made the polar bear feel a bit sorry for him. He hoped the other crew members wouldn't be like her.

As the hours ticked by, he could feel the heat in the airplane settle on his paws and face. It was a bit uncomfortable, but with a breath, he controlled it. For most animals in the plane, the temperature was probably comfortable, maybe a bit on the chilly side. But it was nowhere close to the freezing temperatures of the Arctic, the temperatures that he loved and have never cherished so much until he actually left. Fortunately, he had left a few years ago to Europe, so he was already used to it; and even more importantly, he was prevented from having heatstrokes by the cold suit he was wearing. True, his non-covered areas, such as his paws and face, were not affected; but the rest of his body was kept at a pretty freezing temperature. Not as cold as the Arctic, but enough that he didn't break a sweat just by sitting still.

He looked at the two other creatures in his group. Kwazii was a couple of rows in front of him across the aisle. He was fidgeting, clearly uncomfortable staying still for too long. The polar bear smirked in friendly amusement at that. Turning his head, he also saw Inkling, several rows behind him. Inkling was leaning back, asleep.

Actually, that was not a bad idea. There was still about 6 more hours until they arrived to Florida. Might as well pass the time. After all, he should be rested before he began his new captaincy.

He leaned back and closed his eyes, daydreaming about what future adventures he would be part of until he succumbed to slumber.

Kwazii ran up to Inkling and Captain Barnacles on the pathway. His tail twitched. It had been a couple of days since he joined Inkling, but it was still strange to be on land again. After years of being gently rocked back and forth by the water, the stillness of the earth felt unreal; and during the first couple hours of being on land, he felt it was moving (it was just the good ol' sea legs).

The three of them walked towards a huge, metal warehouse on the Floridan coast. The huge building towered above Kwazii, and he looked up as the gigantic front doors slowly opened with a metallic grinding noise that made him want to fold his cat ears closed. He looked on in anticipation, uncovered-eye widening as he took in the sight before him.

The first thing that immediately caught his attention was the big, metal... Thing that stood in the middle of the warehouse. It wasn't complete, but if it was anyone's guess, he thought it looked like a giant octopus. It was a metallic grey, not painted. And an animal was welding one of the tentacles, which was not completed yet.

The welder wasn't the only one there. The warehouse was teeming with life. Scores of animals worked in there, most on the metallic octopus, others on smaller experiments.

"Sure is busy around here," the polar bear commented, looking around in awe as the three of them went inside. Kwazii couldn't agree more.

"Our engineer had multiple contacts in the area," Inkling explained as they went up the metal stairs to the second level. "It was only natural to build the submarine here.”

"This truly is amazing," Captain Barnacles commented.

They started walking down a hallway, which looked like one of those office-y type of hallways with dull fluorescent lights and white walls.

"I've scheduled a meeting with the whole crew today," Inkling stated. He looked behind himself to see if they were following him. "It'll be the first time they meet each other. I've given them some time to pack and settle their matters at home before having to come. The only exceptions are the engineer and the cooks, who had special circumstances. But with the engineer so busy recently, they haven't met either.”

There were also other reasons Inkling set it up this way. He had no idea when he would find the captain, and if all the other crew members met before they met him, it could cause cliques and possibly hinder the dynamics of the team. At least, that's what Inkling feared. It felt better this way for him.

"Makes sense,” Kwazii said. "When will we actually start all this Octonaut adventuring? I can't wait to get back into the sea.”

"It won't be until a few weeks, maybe a month at most," Inkling replied. Kwazii pouted. "It'll take a bit longer for the large and small submarines to be fixed. Not only that, but all the crew members must have training. We must be prepared before setting off.”

"That's a good idea," Captain Barnacles said. "I'll definitely need to know all the protocols of operating a submarine.”

It can't be any harder than sailing on a pirate ship, Kwazii thought.

"We're finally here," Inkling said, gliding on his tentacles towards a door on the right. He turned the knob. "Everyone should already be inside.”

As the door opened, Kwazii saw a lot of curious eyes staring back at him from the room. There were quite a few creatures from several different species, sitting on chairs around a long, black table. He recognized most of the species- a sea otter, a dog, a rabbit- but there was a type of animal he had never seen before. There was a small group of them, and they were this weird, half-vegetable, half-fish breed. He wondered if Calico would have known what those were.

"Hello, everyone," Inkling greeted cheerfully; and everyone greeted back. The cat and polar bear followed Inkling as he went towards a table. The three of them sat down. As Kwazii slid into his chair, he realized just how strange and different this was than anything he experienced in his life. If he could guess, it felt like a mix between a business meeting and a therapy session. He didn't know how he should act in this situation.

"I'd like to thank everyone for coming out here and taking part in this ambitious endeavor," Inkling began. "You have all traveled far from your homes for this, and each of you are talented in an area that that will be most invaluable on this crew. My hope is that by working together, we can truly make a difference in the oceans.”

Inkling put two of his tentacles together. "Now, I'd like everyone to introduce themselves and say what position they are taking." Kwazii saw Inkling flicker his eyes to the right, and he followed his gaze. He saw a penguin, kind of young-looking, fidgeting extensively with his flippers.

Kwazii's eyebrows rose. Why would someone so nervous be in a place like this?

The cat saw Inkling smile comfortingly at the penguin. "You all know me, but I'll go first," Inkling said, chuckling a bit.

"My name is Inkling, and I am a professor from Camelbridge University in England. I am a native from the ocean, and while I have always studied aquatic life, I think it is time for me to give back to that community. It's not just a community, though; it's like a whole different world. For those of you who have never been in the ocean, it may take a while to get used to it. But in any case, if I was to name my position, I guess it would be "the founder," although it's slightly strange to say it out loud."

"So you'll be coming with us, professor?" Captain Barnacles asked.

"Absolutely," Inkling said. "I believe my time in the college environment is over." There was a pause. "Why don't you go next?" Inkling asked the polar bear, who was on his right. "We can go around the table that way.”

"Alright," Captain Barnacles cleared his throat. He started speaking, his clear, deep voice filtering through. "My name is Barnacles, and I will be the captain of the Octonauts." Kwazii noticed everyone perk up at that. "I was originally from the Arctic, but 5 years ago I moved to Europe and was the captain of a tourist ship in the Mediterranean Sea. I am looking forward to working with and getting to know you all.”

"Welcome, Captain," the dog said. The others followed suit, even the vegetable thingies. Kwazzii didn't, though; as much as the polar bear was the captain, he found it hard to say it out loud.

Captain Barnacles nodded, then looked to the right. Kwazii couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in confused amusement. Huh, I didn't know rabbits could be green. How did he not notice it before?

"Hi, I'm Tweak; and I'm the engineer," the green rabbit said brightly in a Southern accent. She pointed at herself with her paw. She seemed to have finished working on something; her elbow was covered in black stuff (Kwazii didn't know what). "I guess there's not much to talk about, other than that. But later on I'll give y'all a tour of the Octopod and Gups. I’ll teach you how to use them.”

Wait, what are those? Kwazii thought. Did he forget something?

Tweak stopped, seeming content to finish there; but after looking at something (probably Inkling; Kwazii wasn't sure), her face blanched. "Oh, sorry," Tweak backpedelled. "The Octopod is the huge submarine where we'll all live in. It'll be our headquarters. And the Gups are a set of smaller submarines that will allow us to go on missions. Again, sorry about that.”

"Don't worry about it," the dog, who was sitting next to her, said. "And I guess it's my turn now. Hello, my name is Dashi; and I will be the photographer and driver of the Octopod." Here voice was calm, level; and she was speaking professionally with her hands folded on the table. "I lived in a couple places as a child, mainly in America and England, and have gone to university as a communications major. I have also had experience in photography. I learn quickly and can multitask quiet well, and I'm excited to be here."

Ya don't seem very excited to me, Kwazii quipped in his thoughts, but then mentally shrugged it off. Inkling was the one who chose the crew, not him.

Next was the group of creatures. There seemed to be about eight of them, all sitting on individual, tall stools (they were too short for normal chairs). They all waved, saying "Peee-toooo!!!" in high pitched voices, and the yellow one said something in a dialect Kwazii never even knew existed. The cat's eyebrows went up again.

"These are the Vegimals," Inkling said. "Their names are Tunip, Grouber…” He pointed a tentacle at each of them as he said their names. “…Codish, Barrot, Tominnow, Charchard, Albachoy, and Cornin. I met them in a small island off the coast of South America, and they were interested in joining our cause. They will be in charge of the food supply on the Octopod, growing and cooking the food. I've eaten many of their dishes, and it's all been delicious. They will also be aiding the engineer with maintaining the machinery.”

"Wow, they'll be working with us? That's amazing!" someone blurted out. Everyone turned to the sea otter. He had been smiling a second ago, but now ducked his head sheepishly. "Sorry," he said.

"Professor, thanks for thinking about helping me; but, do they know English?" Tweak asked. She seemed confused, with a small frown on her lips.

"They understand English, but it is hard for them to speak it," Inkling replied.

"Hmph," she said. The frown didn't leave. "Do they have any experience with machines?" Tweak prodded.

"N-no," Inkling said slowly; and Kwazii had the sense that Inkling just realized a huge mistake. Ouch.

"I'm not sure it's a good idea for them to help me out," Tweak said. "I mean, they seem like really sweet guys; but if they've never had experience with this type of thing, it won't be much use.”

The Vegimals were dead silent, with grave expressions. The yellow one looked like he was hurt.

"Is there any way we could still hire other engineers who could help me out?”

"W-well, we could still ask the engineers that are still here if they would be interested. Since we have a few weeks before we launch, we still have a small amount of time.”

"Thank you," Tweak said. She turned to them, seeming uncomfortable. "Sorry, guys.”

They still looked a bit hurt, but they composed themselves. The yellow one gave a small nod and a chirp of understanding.

There was an awkward silence, but Inkling grabbed hold of himself and cleared his throat. "Why don't you go next," he said, looking at the sea otter.

"Right," he replied, before looking at everyone. He gave a small wave to everyone. "Hi, my name is Shellington; and I will be the marine biologist of the group. I was originally born in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Russia; but when I was young my family moved to Scotland. I've lived there for most of my life. I went to college there, where I got a degree in marine biology. By the way, sorry for the outburst earlier. It's just," his eyes seemed to glow with enthusiasm, "we haven't had our first official day of being Octonauts, and already I'm meeting a new species!" He turned towards the Vegimals. "It's truly a pleasure to meet you all, and I'm definitely looking forward to getting to know you.”

The grave expressions turned into smiles, and they all chirped cheerfully. Inkling smiled at the Vegimals' expressions, looking relieved. He shifted his gaze.

"Peso, why don't you introduce yourself." Kwazii was surprised at his tone, which was the most gentle he heard him. But it soon made sense to him; apparently the "Peso" guy was the scared-looking penguin from earlier. And he hadn't let up; he seemed doubly nervous now, being called on and all.

"Um, like Professor Inkling said, I'm P-Peso." He wasn't looking at anyone, just his wringing flippers. "Inkling knew my boss... And asked me to be here. I'm the medic.”

"Well, we're very glad that you're here," Captain Barnacles said, in a gentle tone as well. Kwazii wondered if everyone's going to talk to him like that. "I'm assuming you're from Antarctica- must be a beautiful land. I'm fond of the ice and cold myself.”

Kwazii wondered what that had to do with anything, but Peso gave a small smile. "Y-yeah, I am. It's kind of weird with how warm everything is.”

"Are you wearing a cold suit?”

"Yes," the penguin replied, and he finally glanced up at Captain Barnacles. "It's in the same pattern as my feathers, so it doesn't stand out. My body feels fairly normal now, it's just my face the feels strange now, since the suit doesn't cover it.”

"I definitely see what you mean," Captain Barnacles chuckled; and Peso's smile quirked a little wider. "It took me a while to get used to it too. And it's not only my face that feels warm, it's my paws too." He brought his arms up. The blue fabric of his suit covered his arms, cutting off at the wrists. "But these suits are extremely helpful.”

Kwazii never knew about cold suits, but that made total sense. They were playing it a bit lightly, but there was no way creatures from the poles would be able to handle the huge temperature differences from other parts of the world. He figured it helped regulate the body.

And hey, what do ya know. Peso was a lot calmer than before. The penguin actually smiled as they ended their conversation and turned to the next creature.

Oh, it was his turn. Well, better get this show on the road.

Kwazii jumped up - he hated sitting still for too long. "Ahoy! Me name's Kwazii, and I'll be the lieutenant of the crew. I'm a pirate, been an actual one for a while, been one at heart me whole life; but I ran into Inkling and thought that maybe I'll give this Octonaut-ing a shot. I was born in Europe, but I've traveled the seven seas by now. And if ya've ever heard of pirates, then you would have heard about me-“

He stopped cold. No, they can't know about me Grandad. They might throw it at me face like the last crew did.

"N-never mind, me hearties. Anyway, I'm new to this sort of thing; but I think I can handle it.”

Everyone just stared at him. "Wait, you're a p-pirate?" Peso was wide-eyed, and if Kwazii didn't know any better, he thought the penguin was shaking. "I just thought the eyepatch was a joke or something!”

Wow, Peso was calm for just 2 seconds. It was probably a record for him.

"Yeah," Kwazii answered dryly. "I'm a pirate. Is that a problem?”

"Not necessarily," Dashi said slowly. Kwazii had the suspicion she was trying to pick her words carefully. "It just depends on your track record.”

His stomach dropped a bit at the implication. No. He was not that. He looked at the others, and other than Inkling and Captain Barnacles, everyone else looked uneasy.

"Hey, I'm not some- some murderer or thief if that's what you're thinking! Not all pirates are criminals, you know."

“Sure, whatever you say," Shellington placated, putting his paws up. "It's just that we're making sure about your intentions.”

"Don't worry about that. I've already checked all of that," Inkling cut in, his voice seeming to placate the crowd. "Kwazii had saved me and a ship full of people from a band of skewed pirates. He has good motivations, and I am sure he would never hurt anyone.”

"That's right," Captain Barnacles put in. "I was on that ship as well. Kwazii thinks quick on his feet, is passionate, and has a strong moral compass. I believe that he will be a strong addition to this team.”

Kwazii gave a small smile at that, but looked at the other crew members’ expressions. They seemed to be hesitant. After a moment, the Vegimals smiled and gave a nod and a happy chirp.

"If you believe it... then I'm not one to judge," Dashi said.

"Me too," Shellington said. "Welcome to the team, Kwazii.”

Everyone added their own welcome, and Kwazii felt a little warmth in his heart. His smile returned again, but then he glanced at Peso.

The penguin didn't say anything. He was staring down at the table, seeming clearly uncomfortable. Kwazii internally sighed. You never get a hundred percent accepted at any place, do ya Kwazii? But he tried to push that thought away. Everyone else (seemed) to be ok with him, at least on the outside; so at least that was good.

And hey, if they weren't accepting, he could always join another crew.

Chapter Text

It had been a long day for Tweak. The meeting was a measly two hours ago, but the recent developments took a toll on her, as much as she didn't like to admit it.

Inkling had hired helpers who weren't even qualified? Seriously? She liked the professor, she really did. She knew that he had never done a project such as this before. But he really should have been more aware of these sort of things. Inkling seemed like the kind of guy who, although intelligent, worked through the heart in a lot of ways. And although Tweak could appreciate that in a sense, it just wasn't practical enough.

And now she'll have to fix this mess among her already crammed schedule.

She went to the nearest elevator and, once the doors opened, went inside. As the elevator started its ascent, she leaned her forehead against the wall.

She really shouldn't be cranky about this. Current annoyance aside, the project had been going great. Sure, for the past several months she'd been at her most busiest in her whole life, without taking many breaks, working twelve hour shifts, with countless creatures coming up to her asking questions of what they should do with this wrench, or which pieces to weld, or what's the most efficient way to construct the ventilation system, or-

Oh, she was so tired. She could't even pretend that everything's hunky dory. She looked up at the ceiling in exasperation.

If she was already this worn out before the Octonauts thing even started, how could she handle it when it finally came?

She looked forward again and schooled her features right before the elevator doors opened, and she trudged onto the catwalk. She could see the warehouse floor several stories below her through the small spaces in the metal. It was a bit intimidating at first, but walking through there several times a day for countless months took the nervousness away. It especially helped that there were tall railings on both sides of her.

After skillfully moving around several engineers and metallic parts, she finally came to the creature she was looking for.

"Hey Tom!" she called out, giving a wave to catch his attention. She had to look away a bit from the flame Tom was using on the Octopod's tentacle. Safety first, after all.

The badger turned off the welding machine and took off the large, brown goggles.

"There's the rabbit of the hour," he said warmly. He always called her that after she was able to get everyone hired for this job. It was a saying that both flattered and embarrassed her.

"Is there anything ya need, Tweak?”

"There's something big I need to ask you," she said.

“Shoot."

"I just met the creatures who are going to be the other crew members," she began.

"Really? That's exciting! We've been hearing talk about medics and scientists running around in the future, and now they're finally here. This project really is coming together, isn't it?”

"Yeah...," Tweak shifted her feet. "But there's kind of a problem with it, too. Through some circumstances, we weren't really able to find anyone suitable to help me maintain the machinery once we set sail." As much as Tweak was annoyed, she wouldn't share the details. It would feel like talking about Inkling behind his back.

"I need to find some engineers who would be able to help, and so I'm wondering if you would like to join this project long-term.”

Tom's face fell. "Shoot, Tweak, I'm sorry; but I don't think I should. I have my kid and wife back home, you know? It'll be hard for them if I'm gone for years on end, especially now that I've found a job in town.”

That's right; he was able to reserve a job at another business once his term here ended.

"Don't sweat it," Tweak said. She kept her ears from drooping in disappointment. It made sense; Tom wouldn't just drop everything on a dime. "Do you know anyone who might be interested in this?”

"Not really," Tom rubbed the back of his neck. "Everyone I know was able to find jobs so far. I guess your plan worked a bit too well." He chuckled humorlessly.

Tweak had to smirk as well. As much as this current problem was annoying, it was still gratifying to know that she was able to help her peers.

"You'll probably need to keep asking," Tom told her. "There's bound to be someone interested.”

"Yeah," Tweak replied, although all the uneasiness didn't go away. "Thanks, Tom. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.”

"Anytime, Tweak.”

Tweak went on her way and spent the next hour tracking down and asking the workers she thought would be the best fits for the role. Over the course of the past several months, she had noticed some pretty remarkable workers that she had not necessarily met during their time in Darlon. But no matter who she asked, they already had secured their own jobs.

That's what happens when they've had about a year to look for work, Tweak thought, forcefully scuffing the ground with her foot. If only Inkling told me about this earlier!

She finally went to an office room on the side wall of the warehouse. It was partially hidden from the grays of the warehouse and was instead fill with white walls and fairly-made, but not too creative, green carpet. She went up to her desk (she never thought she would ever have one) and used the phone that was attached to the intercom system.

"Hey everyone, this is Tweak,” Tweak uncomfortably shifted the phone onto her shoulder. Was that too casual? She never understood the rules and etiquette of this type of thing. "For anyone who is interested, we have an opportunity to hire some engineers long-term for the Octonauts project. They will get a chance to keep the machinery intact during the expeditions. It'll be a cool experience that'll help a lot of creatures and keep the environment healthy! If anyone is interested, I'll be in the Gup Area for the rest of the day. Stop by if you'd like to discuss it, even if you're not sure.” Yeah, that last sentence was a good idea. Some people would want to know more before throwing themselves into this.

She repeated the message again, to make sure everyone heard her, then hung up. She took a big breath.

Great, that's done. Now it's just the waiting.

Tweak headed to the Gup Area. She was going to focus on them today, checking over the circuitry and battery-powered engines to make sure the Gups were working properly. Hopefully, she wasn't that much behind schedule. With trying to get new recruits, she was pushed back in her overall project agenda; but she figured that she'll have to wait and see to find out. If someone came by the end of the day, she can catch up. Everything would be fine. If no one came, or there were any significant problems, then…

She didn't really want to think about it. She was already weary enough as it was.

Tweak arrived in the Gup area. Somewhat of an alcove, it had a lower ceiling and less space than the warehouse's main area. Tweak had the notion that these used to be office rooms, like the one she just left; but the walls between them were broken down and cleared away long before Inkling rented this space.

Although there was no way the Octopod could fit in this part of the building, it was perfect for the Gups. There were about five of them in the room, four of them straightened out in a row. They were raised above the floor by metal supports, allowing Tweak to go under them if necessary.

The last one was alone on the right side of the room. It was on the ground instead of a support system. Tweak sighed a bit as she passed it. Although the Gup F was a prototype, she always hoped that she could make it work one day. By the way things were looking, though, she wouldn't have enough time before the Octopod sets off. The Gup F didn't even have walls; it was just the metal mainframe right now. But maybe she could bring it along with her. She made a small, tired smile. She would like that.

But for now, she concentrated on the Gups that were actually usable. She started with the Gup A, which she designed it to look like an anglerfish. It wasn't painted yet, but the form was coming together quite nicely.

She unscrewed one of the side panels and started inspecting. As she worked, she periodically glanced towards the entrance to see if anyone would come.

She sure hoped they would.

But as the next hour passed slowly, no one showed up. She sighed as she finished up the mini-submarine and headed to the Gup B. She carried a clipboard with her, which had a checklist of all the circuitry components she had to look over. She didn't want to admit it, but she was ticked. If no one shows up…

But then, Tweak heard the scuttering of feet. She turned towards the entrance and smiled. Finally.

But the smile disappeared when she saw who it was.

"Oh," Tweak deadpanned as the half fish/ half vegetable hybrids came in. She could feel her annoyance rising, but she took a deep breath. Come on, be nice.

"Do you need anything?" she asked politely. There was no way they were here because of her intercom announcement, was there?

"Mii sa nagasii na tii joo," the big purple one- she didn't even remember his name- explained.

Great.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she frowned. The Vegimals recoiled slightly, and she instantly felt a pang of guilt.

"No, I-I'm sorry," Tweak said. She didn't know why, but she reached a hand towards them (but stopped the moment she realized it). As much as she was annoyed, she hated that look of hurt on their faces. They just seemed too innocent.

"I was just having a really bad day," she sighed. It's not their fault that Inkling put them in this mess. "Maybe if you explain it again, or mimed it or something, I could get the gist of it.”

The Vegimals all put a flipper to their mouths, thinking. After a moment, the yellow one perked up slightly, like an idea zapped through him like electricity. He waddled over to a tool box nearby, took out a wrench, and came towards Tweak, presenting the tool to her.

It was the way that he slowly stretched his flippers out to her, the quiet, determined intensity in his eyes, that made Tweak stop in her tracks.

They were trying to prove to her that they could do it.

She knew she should write it off, have nothing to do with them. But now they crowded all around her. Some looked like they were pleading with her, trying to get her acceptance; others held their flippers together.

And the yellow one, his eyes…

In an instant, she understood why Inkling had chosen them. They were willing to do whatever it took to reach their goals. She didn't know what they wanted, why they joined. But she could see that they were intent on their purposes. And that they didn't want any bad blood between themselves and her.

If only she could stop feeling this way.

"I...I know what you're trying to say." Tweak was surprised to find her mouth dry. She swallowed. "But I have to make sure that you can actually do this. If you can, then I would consider it." She can't be like Inkling. She had to be practical about this.

The orange Vegimal came up to the Gup A, and before Tweak could say anything, he jumped up. He grabbed onto the side of the panel and pulled himself up to look inside.

"You really shouldn't do that..." But Tweak didn't have the heart to physically take him off the machine.

Following the orange one's idea, the yellow one came up and gently grabbed onto the clipboard she was holding. He was gentle, applying no pressure; and he had a look asking for permission. Tweak nodded and let it go -she didn't know why, but his eyes always pierced through her- and watched as he started to look through it. She didn't know if Vegimals could read English too, but there were blueprints and drawings of the components, so she figured it didn't matter. The yellow one, who seemed to be their leader, started to give orders to the others; and they started to go off into pairs, looking at each Gup individually. The yellow one went from one group to another as they worked, showing them the pictures and helping them.

She just stood there dumbly. They weren't kidding with their resolute expressions.

Suddenly at a loss for what to do, she went towards a nearby table and leaned back against it. The Vegimals wanted to be tested, and she felt like she should give them the opportunity.

She couldn't refuse those determined eyes.

She found, to her surprise, that they were fascinating to watch.

It was clear that they had never dealt with machines before. They kept looking at the clipboard, then at the Gups, then back at the clipboard. And the Vegimals that didn't have access to the clipboard gently poked the different parts of the Gups to see if they were secure. Putting Tweak’s test aside, it was actually kind of cute and funny, the way they did that.

But after a while, they seemed to get the hang of it. The yellow Vegimal started focusing on one Gup at a time, walking through each item on the list with the pair of Vegimals that were working on it.

They even found a couple loose screws and a faulty valve. With both situations, they were able to successfully- and quickly- rectify each problem. Tweak was impressed that, even though it's clear they hadn't done this before, they had an intuitive nature that helped them naturally figure it out without any help.

They had a strange bumbling yet sophisticated aura to them. A clear talent in creating and tinkering, but with innocence and naivety coating it. And to her surprise, Tweak could see herself training them. When they would start out, the Vegimals would only help with the small things, like handing her specific tools and cleaning the Gups. But, over time, they would be able to do more difficult tasks.

Of course, she would have to see if anyone else more qualified would still join, just as a matter of principle (and since she already made the announcement). Training the Vegimals would mean it would be harder for her during the beginning of the mission; but she now was a lot more at ease and a ton more willing to make this work. And when she told Vegimals all of this, they visibly cheered. Her chest warmed at that. And the yellow one smiled warmly - if not a little less exuberant than the others - and had pure joy dancing in his eyes.

Chapter Text

The building complex was huge. The largest part, the section that looked like a warehouse, housed the Octopod. From that main space, the building branched out into different sections. One was where the Gups were, another was where the offices were (Peso wasn't sure if they were in use), and one section was where the crew members lived until the Octopod was completed.

The Vegimals took on the largest room, which fit all the bunk beds needed for the eight of them. According to Professor Inkling, they all wanted to stay together. Peso could understand that. Being part of a big family himself, he knew all too well the desire to stay near familiar people in unknown situations.

Peso was paired up with Shellington, which was fine with the penguin. Shellington was a nice sea otter, and quite considerate when it came to turning off the main lights and only keeping the desk lamp on when Peso went to sleep (Shellington tended to to stay up).

And Peso was definitely glad that he was paired with Shellington rather than... rather than…

Flappity flippers, he couldn't even think about his name. Peso always felt a cold feeling in his stomach whenever he thought of that cat. Kwazii. Yeah, that was his name.

Kwazii the pirate.

Who knew if what Inkling and the captain said was true? Was there an actual way to know that Kwazii wasn't just some lying, thieving pirate who's going to kill them all in their sleep? They're known for having silver tongues. Peso never figured why Pinto was so fascinated with them.

Peso will just have to ignore Kwazii as much as possible, and when he will have to interact with the cat, make sure he won't make him angry. Pirates were also known for having short tempers. And if Kwazii got angry, then there's no telling what would happen.

Peso could feel the heat and humidity of the Floridan atmosphere on his face, as he lay down on the bottom bunk bed. Fortunately, the cold suit kept the rest of his body comfortable. He had been in his room all day; it was the safest place from the pirate, and from talking to anyone else, for that matter. As the medic, there was nothing Peso had to do for the time being. Shellington had gone out this morning, but to where, Peso didn't have the guts to ask.

There was a knock on the door, and Peso lifted his head. Is that Shellington?

He got off the bed with a thump and waddled to the door. Before his flipper reached the door knob, though, he stopped.

Over the past couple days of rooming with the sea otter, Peso knew that Shellington didn't knock before entering. It must have been someone else at the other side of the door. His throat tightened. Could it be the pirate?

Before the panic fully overtook him, Peso forced himself to open the door. It swung quickly, but didn't hit the wall.

"I apologize for disturbing you," Professor Inkling's pleasant voice greeted the penguin. Seeing Peso's frightened eyes, concern crossed Inkling's own. "Are you all right?"

Peso internally sighed with relief. "I'm fine," Peso gave a small smile, his jitters going away. "You just startled me a bit.”

Peso was glad it was Inkling. Out of everyone around the medic, the professor was the creature most familiar to him.

"I have something to ask you," Inkling said. "Before the Octonauts will be officially launched, the crew will have to go through training in a few areas. Tweak will teach how to drive the Gups, and Captain Barnacles and I will give everyone protocol and general procedures.

Since we'll be going into the ocean, I think it's also important for the crew to be knowledgable in first aid. Would you mind teaching everyone it?”

His anxiety returned full force. "M-me?"

“Why, of course," Inkling said smoothly. He smiled gently, "It's only fitting for the medic to do so.”

Peso heard footsteps, and looked out of the corner of his eye as Inkling talked. Captain Barnacles walked down the hall towards him. Wow, he was so tall. His gait was solid, footsteps confident. Peso could practically feel the strength and confidence radiating off of him.

But that also made the Captain seem stand-offish. The polar bear was on a whole other level than Peso. The penguin would never be good enough as a crew member if the captain was so high above him.

Peso's glance only lasted a split second, focusing on the professor when he spoke again. As they continued talking, the Captain stopped at the front of his door, back turned away from them, listening.

"You could present the information, then have the crew workshop what you teach them, so they could have practice. Tweak is able to open up her schedule for next Tuesday; would that be good for you?"

"Never" would be a good time.

"Yes... I-I'll try my best," That was the only thing he could do.

"Splendid," Inkling smiled. "Then I shall see you at the presentation.”

Inkling said his goodbyes and walked down the hall. Peso gave a weak wave behind him.

A presentation? He'll have to speak in front of the entire crew? Not only that, but teach them? He wasn't a teacher! What if he gets tongue-tied, and they don't understand him?

Peso stood there, flipper on the door frame, trying to breathe.

He can't do this. He seriously can't do this.

"Excuse me?" Peso heard a deep voice.

Peso snapped back into reality and was face to face with the polar bear. "C-Captain Barnacles!" He didn't know how to act towards him, so he took the flipper off the wall and stood up straight. He saluted.

“At ease," Captain Barnacles chuckled, waving a paw. "You don't need to be so formal with me.”

The medic put down his flipper.

"It's Peso, isn't it?" Captain Barnacles asked. "It seems like you already know a lot of the crew’s names. That's good. I'm still trying to learn everyone's, but it's a bit hard, especially with all the Vegimals. I'm sure I'll get there eventually, though.”

The Captain's voice was so friendly, so conversational. It stupefied Peso.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking," Peso said, wringing his flippers a bit, “do you need something?”

"Would I have to need something in order to talk to my crew?" Captain Barnacles smirked playfully. "Actually, though, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with the Professor. You'll have to teach the crew first aid, correct?”

"Yes, sir," Peso nodded. He tried to keep a brave face; no need to act like a frightened child in front of the Captain. "I'll do my best to teach everyone.”

"I'm confident that you will," Captain Barnacles replied. "I just wanted you to know that I'm already trained in standard first aid. If necessary, I could be an assistant to you during the presentation.”

That floored him. The Captain, be an assistant?

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Peso instinctively replied.

"It's no trouble at all," Captain Barnacles said. "It may be actually be efficient. During the workshop portion, as everyone practices the procedures, we can each check on the individuals separately to make sure they are doing it right.”

Hmm, he did have a point there.

"Also, we can split up the presentation into parts and take turns speaking. We could even sit down and write down exactly what we need to say, so it would be easier to remember…"

That didn't sound like something an assistant would do. Yet, as Captain Barnacles continued speaking, Peso realized that the polar bear was doing this all for him. The Captain could probably think up ten speeches on the spot without any trouble, but it was pretty obvious (Peso wasn't going to lie about it) that public speaking wasn't something he's comfortable with.

That was an understatement. It's more like torture.

But the Captain was willing to go right along beside him, go through all the preparations, and be part of the actual presentation. He was ready to help him every step of the way. Peso could already feel a large majority of the anxiety lift off of him.

He may have to do this, but he wouldn't be alone.

And as he and the Captain set up their plans and said their goodbyes, and as the penguin closed the door, Peso realized something. Inkling wasn't the only creature here that Peso was comfortable with.

Chapter Text

It was a dream come true. 

Shellington sat on the rocks, the wet sand clinging to his lower paws after walking through the sand. The humid, Floridan air made everything sticky; but by now, Shellington was getting used to it.

It had taken them a long time to find some tide pools. Florida could become quite a tourist sight, after all; so it was fairly crowded as he and the Professor had gone through the beaches, looking for scientific discovery.

But finally, they found one, and he and Inkling sat on the rocks (covered with a bit of sand). Shellington was drawing the creatures that he saw in a notebook while the Professor took everything in, breathing in the salt air. They had been talking for the past hour, delving into all sorts of marine topics, from the life cycles of plankton to the ecosystem on underwater volcanos. It was so technical, so "nerdy," as his classmates in grade school used to say; but he loved every second of it. The professor was even more wise and engaging than he thought he would be. Now the conversation lulled slightly, and they took a moment to breathe.

Drawing creatures always soothed Shellington. It was something for his paws to do, letting his mind wander.

And his mind wandered to the other creatures he wanted to see.

"I can't wait to spend time with them," Shellington exclaimed. The professor lazily opened an eye. 

“Who?"

Oh, yes. He kept forgetting that others couldn't read his mind.

"The Vegimals. They seem so fascinating."

Inkling explained, ”Tweak is training them for the time being, but once their lessons start to lessen…” Shellington mentally snorted at the wording. “…then I'm sure they'll be happy to see you.”

Shellington’s lips quirked. "I'm jealous, you know, that you were the first to discover their island.”

Inkling chuckled. "Just you wait. I'd wager that you'll find plenty of creatures no one has ever seen before.”

Shellington stilled, and the professor caught the shift in tone.

"That means a lot to me," Shellington eventually expressed. Inkling still looked at him, not entirely comprehending.

Shellington leaned back slightly onto his paws, his pencil still in his grip. He gazed at the water, that glorious blue with its soothing waves.

Oh, how he had missed it.

"This was something I wanted my whole life. It... It's important for me to get back into the sea, to figure out everything in it. I feel like I need to." He hoped he was making sense. He was told enough times that he didn’t.

"It's fate.”

Now it was the sea otter's turn to quizzically look at his companion. Inkling was staring out into the ocean as well, as still and serene as a statue, as if he hadn't spoken at all.

“Fate?"

"It is something the sea-folk on my mount say. If you were born a creature of the sea, you are meant to be a part of it. If you leave, you always come back.” Inkling breathed out and half-smiled. "I've come to believe it. Even when I had taken a career on land, I was always still drawn to the ocean. It's within my very blood. And especially with your situation, I don’t doubt you feel that more intensely than I ever have.”

Shellington's eyes widened at the statement, but then settled. Given the species he was, of course Inkling would have known all the implications. Anyone would, really. Shellington gulped uncomfortably at that, but he pushed those emotions away and nodded.

"Then it's only natural. You belong there.”

Shellington stayed quiet.

Inkling stretched a couple of his arms and stood up. "I best be going back," he said. "I have to speak with the medic about something. Please don't stay out here too late.”

Shellington nodded again, and with a wave goodbye, Inkling went on his way.

Shellington would never explain to Inkling, nor to anyone else; but the professor's words warmed him and encouraged him like nothing else, putting his doubts and demons to rest. 

Shellington knew the peace was only temporarily, but he took all that he could get.

His fingers were covered in paint, drips of color colliding with his orange fur. Not that he cared. The second he saw the Gup B, with its new, shiny metal exterior and slim, fast features, Kwazii knew immediately that it was the Gup for him. After getting the ok from the mechanic, Kwazii did not waste any time with getting the materials. Surprisingly, Tweak seemed relieved that he had offered to paint the mini-submarine. He didn’t look that much into it, but with all the engineers running around and working frantically, he could probably see why.

The teeth on the Gup B were getting along nicely. He had wanted them to look completely jagged, like the way sharks really are; but the Captain had gently warned him not too do so. It could scare away fish. Kwazii didn't think any fish would mistake this huge pile of metal for an actual shark, but he begrudgingly complied anyway. He made the tips of the teeth rounded. But just a little. It still needed to look cool. 

The Launch Bay was quiet. Tweak was who-knows-where, and the Vegimals were at the garden pod, preparing the soil and the garden. He knew that because he was there earlier this morning, swinging on vines (which were, surprisingly, the first plants that were set up). He always got a kick out of it, but now... it was losing its charm. The first time he had done the activity, the Vegimals peered at him curiously, and laughed and clapped at the flips he did. They even joined him sometimes. But then, after a while, they stopped looking, becoming too busy with their growing task list. The novelty wore off. He was put on the wayside.

He did not know why, but Kwazii felt a disconnect with everyone. The Captain would say a few friendly words, but then he would go on with his duties.  The others would do small-talk with him, but it never meant much.

But, he just met them; how was he supposed to expect them to become so close in only a short time?

But, no, that's not exactly what was bothering him.

He gripped the paintbrush. 

He had been alone for as long as he could remember, ever since Calico Jack had sailed away for the last time. He believed, truly believed, that once he got on the sea himself, things would be different. But, no matter how much he tried, he still ached.

It's... It's not going to change, is it?

Kwazii laughed, trying to ignore how uncomfortable that sounded.

Cheer up, chum, Kwazii thought. Even if it's not exactly how you thought it would be, at least you're a pirate. And an honest one too, going on adventures. Calico would be proud of ya!

Kwazii forced a smirk and continued painting, ignoring the small voice in the back of his head.

Would he be proud of me?

Chapter Text

Captain Barnacles stood in front of the large, metal doors. It was the big day. Not for him, specifically. Speaking in public was something that came naturally. To him, this was normal protocol.

No, it wasn't his big day. He turned towards the medic, who was standing right beside him.

It was Peso’s.

The penguin drew deep, shaky breaths. Captain Barnacles' expression softened.

"Easy there, Peso," he encouraged. "We've had a lot of practice. This will be easy.”

"Yeah," Peso squeaked.

Captain Barnacles wanted to say more, but everyone was already inside. They did all that they could. It was time to go.

He put his paw on the doorknob.

"Let's do this.”

When the Captain opened the door, Peso felt as if his heart stopped. Everyone was sitting behind tables, talking. But now those words died down, and they all looked at him.

Staring.

"Ah, there's the creatures of the hour!" Inkling came towards them on his tentacles, smiling. The Captain had told the professor about joining the presentation, so as to not cause confusion. Peso was relieved by that.

"S-sorry that we're late," Peso apologized. They stayed outside the door longer than they should have.

"Not at all!" Inkling replied. "It was just a few minutes, anyway." It was true. The clock on the wall was around 12:03. Peso stared at it in surprise. It had felt like an eternity.

Inkling directed them to the front of the room, which had been converted to a classroom of sorts. There was a white board in the front of the room, and there were folding tables and chairs where the crew members sat. In front of each crew mate was a small package of supplies for the workshop. On the side of the room were extra packages, just in case the supplies ran out.

Peso walked towards that wall, away from the white board. Upon their agreement, Captain Barnacles offered to go first and say the introduction. He stood in front of the group in an an “at ease” position, calmly looking at everyone. Peso couldn't even bring himself to look at the other crew members, to see what their facial expressions were. He only focused on the Captain's voice.

"Hello, many of you have met me over the past few days, but I will introduce myself again. I am Captain Barnacles. The Octonauts' medic, Peso," he directed towards the penguin, "And I will teach you the basics of first aid. The mission we will undertake will bring us to areas where medical care is extremely rare, if not completely absent. As such, it is crucial that each of us have a basic understanding of first aid, in case an emergency would come into place. To start, Peso will give a presentation of treating basic wounds, as well as how to bandage them properly." Bandaging was the procedure he was most comfortable with, so Captain Barnacles had the idea that they would tackle that first.

Peso's flipper twitched, filled with adrenaline. He knew what was about to come.

"Peso, if you please," Captain Barnacles stepped to the left, leaving an opening for him to take center stage. Peso took his final deep breath.

"H-hello," Peso said. He spoke as he walked to where the Captain was just at. "L-like Captain Barnacles said, we'll begin with bandages. Please open up the first aid kits in front of you and take out the gauze.”

The Octonauts obliged, doing as they were instructed. Peso's beak turned up slightly. So far so good.

"There are two types of gauze. The first has a soft texture, but instead of its usual white color, it's colored blue to make it easier to recognize. This gauze will be used for land animals, since it is most useful in dry environments. We won't need it that much, but it's good to have, just in case of emergencies within the Octopod.”

Now that he started, the scripted words that he practiced over and over seemed to move through his beak, over his tongue, automatically. For the first time, he was able to look up at his audience. He saw the dog, Dashi, giving all her attention to him, paws folded on the table in front of her. He focused his gaze on her friendly face, still too uncomfortable to look at anyone else.

"The second type of gauze is white and a bit thicker. This will be used for aquatic animals." It was strange, yet sad, to talk like they were definitely going to find hurt creatures. But looking at the current circumstances of the ocean, Peso would just have to learn to deal with it.

"This gauze is specifically designed for the ocean. It's biodegradable, so it doesn't hurt the environment; and it dissolves after a few weeks. With normal gauze, once the healing period has passed, the patient will have to come to a doctor to take the bandages off. With this, however, we don't have to wait around for the healing period to be completed before we can move to another location. The dissolving gauze will take care of that.”

And it was all because of Dr. Galen, who invented the dissolvable gauze. Peso wanted to say it out loud, but stopped. He was doing really good so far, and he didn't want to mess it up by saying anything outside of his script.

"For now, please take out the blue, the land, gauze." While the crew did so, Peso went to the table reserved for the presenters. Captain Barnacles joined him, and they each took out gauze for themselves.

"There should be a round, hollow tube next to your first aid kits," Peso said. He took his own and held it up for everyone to see. "We will use these to practice on. You could imagine them as a broken arm or leg, or the body of a small fish. Of course, each species will be a different body size, but the principles will be the same.”

Peso wondered if focusing so much on first aid would be necessary for the others. He would be the one focusing on healing, after all. But he figured that it would be better safe than sorry. Especially if he was hurt, or worse-

A picture flashed in his mind, burning away all his calmness. He was in the bottom of the ocean, stuck between rocks, leg broken. He was running out of air. Drowning….

In the room, Peso felt his throat tighten. He forced himself to snap out of it, but it was too late. He was frazzled. He forgot the lines entirely.

Stupid penguin! Why did he let his mind wander? He shouldn't think about worst-case scenarios like that!

Peso could see the Octonauts' stares. They pierced through him. He forgot how to breathe. What was he going to do no-

"The first step you need to do,” Captain Barnacles stepped in, “is to survey the injury and check how much damage there is."

Peso sucked in a breath. He looked over at the Captain. The polar bear smoothly took over, saying the lines as if it was planned for him to say this section of the presentation. Peso took in another, slightly calmer, breath.

Flappity flippers, he was glad the Captain was here.

As Captain Barnacles continued the presentation, wrapping gauze around the tube as an example, Peso was able to calm himself down. He was even able to mentally recite the lines that Captain Barnacles was about to say.

"Now, everyone try to wrap the bandages around the tubes just like I had done. Peso and I will walk around and check your progress. If you have any questions, please ask either of us.”

Wow, it was already the workshop portion of the presentation. Of course, he and the Captain will have to teach other first aid techniques, but he didn't expect the presentation to progress this quickly.

Peso began to walk around as the Octonauts got to work. Dashi, Tweak, and Shellington were doing well. The professor used his multiple arms to his advantage with the exercise, finishing before anyone else. The Vegimals were having a bit of trouble, but the Captain was helping them out.

But Kwazii...

Kwazii was moving his arms wildly, this way and that, covering the tube haphazardly. There was no rhyme to his movements, no rhythm nor reason. And the bandages did not cover the whole tube. If the tube was an actual creature, he would be missing parts of its flesh.

All in all, he was doing it wrong. Very wrong.

Peso stood where he was, fixed in place. He couldn't go to where Kwazii was. It was bad enough to be in close proximity with the pirate. To talk to him- and actually correct him- that would be a disaster. The cat would get angry at him. Peso couldn't afford that. Who knows what the pirate would do if angered?

Peso looked behind himself and frowned. The Captain was still with the Vegimals. They were a big crowd; he was working with them one by one. Maybe Peso could ignore Kwazii and just help Captain Barnacles with the Vegimals. And if he played his cards right, the Captain would notice the pirate and automatically teach the cat after the Vegimals were done. Then Peso wouldn't have to do it.

Yeah. Yeah, that was a good plan.

Peso waddled towards the Vegimals, but he couldn't reach two steps without the pirate's voice reaching him.

"Oi, what about me?”

Peso whirled around faster than an eye could blink. Kwazii sat there, staring back. The medic couldn't read his expression, but Peso's blood pressure rose anyway.

"Ya checked with the other crew, but not me yet." The pirate pushed his half-covered tube slightly forward for the penguin to look at. "How di' I do?”

Kwazii wasn't yelling, but his tone was rough. Did Peso offend him? Is that how the pirate usually talked? Peso didn't know how to respond.

Kwazii frowned. "Hey, I'm talking to ya."

Think! Say something!

Peso swallowed.

"You're doing really well," Peso tried to smile as casually as he could.

"Is that so?”

Peso nodded profusely. Please, let this be over.

"Thanks, me hearty." Kwazii stopped looking at him, bringing the tube back to himself.

"No problem," Peso replied, then turned away, making a beeline straight to the Vegimals. Peso let out an inconspicuous breath.

It was over, thank goodness.

But as he thought about what just happened, his expression changed. Surprisingly, sorrow started to rise within him. He didn't even have the guts to tell the pirate that he was wrong. Peso had to lie to please him.

Peso forced himself to shrug it off. Better to tell Kwazii what he wanted to hear then get a knife to his throat. If Peso was to be in the same crew as the pirate, it would have to be this way, whether he liked it or not.

With that last thought, Peso reached the Captain and focused on the task at hand. He had a presentation to finish.

Kwazii wasn't stupid.

He had seen the medic's stare of disapproval, the way he tried to ignore him. The way Peso tried to cover his terror with a smile.

Kwazii had seen his bandages in comparison to everyone else's. He knew that his own wasn't that good (even though he tried his hardest to do it right). He actually hoped that the medic would be able to give him a few pointers. But Peso lied to his face.

And it made him angrier than he could imagine.

Peso and the Captain were presenting the next first aid procedure, but Kwazii couldn't focus. He kept staring at his bandaged-covered tube, fuming.

Was Kwazii really that unapproachable? Because he was a pirate, that all of a sudden he was a monster that had to be ignored all the time? He didn't even do anything wrong!

Kwazii's heart sank. Regardless, Peso still reacted that way. C-could somehow, something be wrong with him-

No! Kwazii clenched his fist, trying to wrench out that cold feeling that struck through his gut.

There wasn't anything wrong with him! It's all Peso's fault! Peso was the one who was acting like a jerk. Peso was the one who's in the wrong.

It's not Kwazii's fault if Peso couldn't handle pirates.

As ticked off as Kwazii was, he wasn't going to kill Peso (like everyone probably expected him to). Far from it; it wasn't in his nature. Of course, just a normal clobbering would be good enough, but Kwazii didn't think that was needed either (Peso was too much of a pansy to handle that. Besides, Peso would become even more afraid, so that wouldn't help).

No, Kwazii was more civilized than Peso thought. If Peso wanted to stay away from him, then the pirate would oblige.

Kwazii didn't have to deal with Peso's delusions.

Chapter Text

It was the day to give the tour of the finished Octopod and Gups. Tweak was tired, so tired, but happy. Kwazii showed off the shark design he painted on the Gup B. Peso was surprised that he would have his own Gup and medical bay, almost as if he expected that his needs would have been forgotten. Shellington was ecstatic about the Octopod's lab; the Vegimals were surprisingly quiet when they saw their kitchen. Captain Barnacles nodded approvingly when they witnessed the HQ. Inkling saw it all with a proud smile. And Dashi, unsurprisingly, took pictures of the whole thing.

Chapter Text

Ever since Tweak gave the tour, the Octonauts were allowed to go into the Octopod as much as they liked. The Octonauts had picked out their rooms, and some, like Dashi, Shellington, and Peso, who had a lot of supplies, started moving their belongings and equipment into the submarine. It was almost time for the submarine to launch; everyone was feeling it. Once the training for driving the Octopod and Gups were finished, they would set off.

The way the Octonauts were being taught blew the Vegimals away. There was this box, and when a crew member sat in front of it, it would light up and show the bottom of the ocean. The creature would pretend to drive by using a fake wheel and buttons. The screen would follow the direction of the wheel, almost as if they were actually driving the Gup in the ocean. Tweak had called it "virtual reality," and she said that it was necessary for training. "Wouldn't want the Gups to crash on the first try," she had said flippantly, one paw on her hip as she crunched on a carrot.

The Vegimals themselves were taught how to drive through this way, and Tunip could tell that his friends had a blast, especially Barrot, the orange Vegimal. They were all yelling in fear and excitement, almost feeling the fast dives and spins of their virtual Gup. They had to be brought back to the task at hand by Tweak and the other Octonauts (who were waiting for their turn), but Tunip could see that the crew was smiling at them. Smiling was good; it meant that they were happy.

The Vegimals marveled at all the new creations and technology that were around them. It was never like the tools they used at home. And for the most part, they were happy about it.

Until the Vegimals saw their future kitchen on the Octopod during the tour. Tunip remembered how he and his brothers (they weren’t really related, but they were basically family) all stood in place, growing uncharacteristically quiet, as Tweak showed off the room. The Octonauts still don't know them that well, Tunip thought, because they didn't comment on their hesitance.

But after Tweak directed everyone down the hallway into the next room, Grouber, the tall, purple Vegimal, leaned towards Tunip. Although none of the crew knew their language, Grouber whispered anyway.

"I have no idea how to use any of that stuff.”

And it was true. Tunip didn't know what he was expecting; but he didn't think that those kitchen supplies would look so different than the tools at home. They were completely foreign to him and the other Vegimals; there was no way they could start cooking automatically on the first day of their voyage.

That's why, the Vegimals gathered up in the kitchen the next day.

"Alright," Tunip said in his native tongue, "We need to know how to use everything before the launch. First things first: let's see what each thing actually does.”

The Vegimals scattered, each exploring another part of the kitchen, opening lids, checking drawers, and basically moving anything that could budge.

Tunip was rummaging through what looked like a drawer of spoons and forks when he heard a slam and a yelp. Whirling around, he saw this huge… box thing against the wall. There was a thumping noice emanating from it, as well as a high-pitched voice.

"Hold on," Tunip waddled to the door, "I'm coming!" Tunip pried open the huge door. The pink Vegimal, Codish, tumbled out.

"Codish, what were you doing in there?" Tunip scolded.

"I just wanted to see what was inside, but it got dark all of a sudden." Codish replied, standing up. He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. "Whatever that thing was, it's super cold.”

"Hey Tunip!" Grouber's deep, gravelly voice echoed slightly through the room. "I think one of these machines is similar to our preeito.”

Sure enough, when Tunip got to the item in question, Grouber was right. It was another, smaller box, with a lid on one side that could be opened. Inside was a metal crosshatch. It looked like it could hold trays for baking.

"We could use this to make fish biscuits!" Grouber licked his lips, already in anticipation. Tunip playfully rolled his eyes at the eagerness.

"We now just need to figure out how it works," Tunip replied. He took a couple steps back, surveying the box. With a leap, Tunip was able to grab the ledge of the box and pull himself up.

"Oh..." He said, curious and surprised. There seemed to be circles drawn on the top of the box. There were also knobs that could be turned. Tunip moved onto a circle and studied the dials. He put a flipper to his mouth, humming in concentration.

Making a fire was so much easier.

But oh well. Tunip put a flipper against one of the dials, attempting to turn it. After a couple of tries, Tunip figured out that he would have to push forward first before turning it.

"Grouber, is anything happening?"

He could see the top of the purple Vegimal's head as Grouber opened the lid and peered inside. "No. Maybe we're supposed to wait a little?”

"Maybe," Tunip agreed. "If nothing happens in the next couple minutes, then I'll try another knob." He wasn't even sure what was supposed to happen. There wasn't any wood in the box. In fact, none of his friends found any wood at all. So there must be another way this preeito would work, right? If there was anything Tunip had learned so far from Tweak's lessons was that technology had a weird way of doing things, and a lot of those methods seemed invisible.

A knock brought him out of his thoughts, and he found the sea otter scientist at the entrance of the kitchen. He was knocking on the wall nearby, since the doors had automatically opened.

"Hello, everyone," Shellington said with a suppressed smile. "Am I interrupting anything? Can I come in?”

"Sure," Tunip replied cheerfully. But since Shellington would not understand Vegimalnese, he motioned the otter to come inside. Tunip could tell that Shellington was vibrating with excitement, but trying to hold it in. All of the other Vegimals stopped their exploring and looked up at the visitor.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you again. My name is Shellington," he directed towards himself. "What are your names?”

“Tunip,” The yellow Vegimal replied.

“Grouber,” the large, light purple Vegimal grinned.

“Barrot,” The orange Vegimal jumped.

“Codish” the pink Vegimal waved ecstatically.

“Tominnow” the small, red Vegimal smiled shyly.

“Charchard,” the smaller, dark purple Vegimal raised a flipper.

“Albachoy”,” the green Vegimal straightened up.

“Cornin,” the blue Vegimal nodded.

“My, there’s a lot of you,” Shellington chuckled. “I’ll do my best to remember all your names. I was actually planning to talk to you earlier, but I didn’t want to disturb you. It’s nice that, now, your schedules have cleared up a bit. May I put this on the counter?" Shellington motioned a bag on his shoulder. Tunip nodded, feeling happy at his consideration. This creature was really nice.

It seemed like Shellington couldn't hold it in anymore, and his smile reached its full size. He put the bag on the counter right next to the area Tunip stood on, and he pulled out a notebook and pencil from his bag. "I've never really met a species such as yours. Can I ask you some questions? I'd really like to know about your culture and way of life.”

Tunip nodded. The other Vegimals went back to exploring, confident that Tunip would be able to answer everything. Tunip shifted a bit. Was it him, or was the room getting a bit warm?

Shellington put pencil to paper. "Professor Inkling has told me a lot about your clan on the island. Are there any other Vegimal groups out there, possibly living in other tropical areas?”

Tunip had always wondered about that himself, especially when he was a child. He would always look out to the ocean, wondering what was past the horizon and if there was anyone like him and his family. Whenever he asked the elders, they would reply that they have never seen another of their species. However, Tunip didn't believe that those words necessarily meant that they were the only ones. There was a chance there could be more out there.

But since all of that could not be portrayed to the scientist, Tunip shrugged his shoulders.

"I see," Shellington replied, writing down the answer. "Who knows? Maybe we'll be able to find more of your kind during our voyage.”

Tunip trilled at that, but started to feel incredibly uncomfortable. Why was it so hot?

"The Professor has noticed that there was no meat or fish in the dishes you gave him. Are you all herbi-“

Suddenly the heat escalated and overwhelmed Tunip, particularly his bottom fins. He yelped and jumped off the box out of reflex. Once he landed, he repeatedly hopped on the ground, his fins sensitive to the floor.

Ow ow ow…..

"Are you ok?!" Shellington asked, alarmed.

"That really hurt!" Tunip whined in pain, forgetting that he wouldn't understand.

"Tunip!" His brothers chorused, running up to him. They grouped around him, blocking Shellington from Tunip's vision.

"What happened?"

"Are you hurt?"

“Do you need anything?”

Tunip tried to brush them off, horrified that he made them worry so much. "I'm ok. The pain's going away." It was true. It was slowly subsiding, making the pain dull.

"You should sit down, though,” Grouber pressed; and Tunip complied. Tunip looked down at his bottom flippers. There were a darker shade of aquamarine. How did he get burned…?

"The electric stove was on. I'm sorry, I should have seen that." The Vegimals surrounding Tunip turned around, getting out of the injured Vegimal's line of vision. Tunip saw Shellington turn the knob that he had moved earlier.

"What?" Everyone chorused; and Shellington looked back at them.

"We should put those fins under cold water," Shellington said. He came towards Tunip and knelt in from of him. Tunip saw a gentleness there that made him stare for a second. "Can I pick you up?”

Tunip nodded, and soon he was high off the ground. Shellington seated him on the edge of the sink, letting Tunip's flippers dangle under the faucet.

"I hope the plumbing is working," Shellington muttered as he pulled a handle. Nothing happened.

“Tsk. It isn’t.” Shellington picked Tunip up again and looked around. He then went back to the box thing where Codish had been stuck in before. He opened the door. “Maybe the refrigerator?”

Tunip was placed in it, and he sat down. The door stayed open this time. Tunip immediately felt the cold on his bottom flippers. Tunip sighed; it was already feeling better. The other Vegimals gathered around Shellington; they didn't want Tunip to be alone. Tunip smiled a little at that.

"That platform you were standing on is an electric stove," Shellington explained. "An electric current runs through it, making those circles heat up significantly." Tweak had taught him and the other Vegimals what electricity was while training them, so this all made sense to Tunip. "You can put pots and pans on it to boil or fry food, or cook in other ways. Hasn't anyone taught you how to use it?" Shellington seemed concerned at that.

Everyone shook their heads, Tunip included. Maybe Shellington could teach them how to use this equipment? Because while they may not be playing with fire in a literal sense, these contraptions were dangerous. Unfortunately, they had to learn that the hard way. At least he was the one who got hurt; Tunip didn't want any of his brothers to feel pain.

Sure enough, Shellington said what Tunip hoped for. "I can't cook any fancy dishes or anything, but I know how to use kitchen appliances," Shellington said. "I had to learn when I moved to university. I'd be more than happy to help you.”

Tunip beamed. Although he hoped for this kind of reaction, it was never guaranteed. Shellington really was nice!

"Thank you!" Tunip cried, and everyone followed suit. Shellington seemed to get what they were saying, because he lips quirked up into a smile. "Alright then." He looked at Tunip. "How are you feeling?”

Tunip lifted his bottom fins and looked at them. They still stung a little, but it was a lot better than before. He nodded and smiled, trying to portray that he improved. It probably didn't come across well, because Shellington inspected Tunip's flippers anyway.

"It's not blistering or anything, so the damage is not too bad. Do you want to try to stand?"

Tunip nodded again and stood up in the refrigerator. His flippers felt alright. Not completely healed, but he didn't have to jump around anymore. "They look pretty good," Shellington mirrored his thoughts. "But when I'm teaching, you can still sit down. You'll be able to see everything from where you are.”

Tunip was startled at that. Shellington was willing to teach them now?

"Oh, and there's one thing I'd like to ask in exchange for this lesson." There was a twinkle in Shellington's eyes as he turned toward the rest of the group. "Could you please teach me your language? I think it's beautiful, and I would love to understand you all better.”

Tunip and his brothers were stunned. No one else had asked them to learn their language before. The joy that vibrated through Tunip was hard to contain. "Of course!" he said happily. The other Vegimals trilled their affirmations as well, jumping up and down.

Shellington put his paws together, in the way Tunip saw the professor do it. "It's settled then," Shellington said cheerfully. He moved over to where the stove was, directing at it with his paw. "The first thing you should know is the stove. Like I said before, an electric current heats up the dark circles on the counter top. There are four knobs here, and each knob activates a particular circle…"

Tunip watched Shellington, a bit dazed at their good fortune. They were able to get someone to help them learn about the kitchen without any contempt. And even better yet... And at this he smiled, relaxing his posture as he listened to the lesson.

They got a new friend.

Chapter Text

Flash.

Dashi took the camera away from her face and looked down at its screen.

“Perfect."

She crouched down, trying to get just the right angle of the Octopod. The submarine was huge, and she wanted to make sure that was clear in her shot.

She had been taking pictures ever since she arrived in Florida. She had been chronicling the final stages of building the Octopod, as well as the finished product when the Mechanic gave the tour. Dashi felt she had missed a couple shots of the exterior of the Octopod, so before her next training session with the submarines, (she found the virtual reality experience both amazing and effective), she decided to finish taking those pictures.

And hopefully by tonight, she will have the materials needed to send her first submission to National Sea-ographic.

Inkling hadn't told her the details of his deal with the magazine company until recently, but apparently National Sea-ographic wasn't just interested in the project. They were enthusiastic, asking Inkling to record and send them information about the Octonauts themselves, as well as their technology. Basically, National Sea-ographic wanted to show the journey of the Octonauts, not just the creatures that will be encountered.

This had heartened Inkling's spirits significantly, and to say Dashi wasn't just as pleased would have been a lie. Sometimes, she was blown away by how amazing her opportunities were. Sometimes, it was hard to even fathom. She was in front of a towering metallic octopus, for crying out loud!

This was all a dream come true.

But she lowered her camera as a sobering thought came to her.

Dashi was an individual of observation. Maybe it was her canine nature, giving her heightened senses. Maybe it was her calm personality, making it easier to blend into a crowd. Whatever it was, she knew one thing for sure.

Not everyone felt the same way as her.

The Medic and Pirate immediately came to mind. Dashi could practically feel the penguin's fear whenever she was in the same room as him. She had no idea why the Medic was so terrified (other than when he's around the Pirate; he made it as obvious as the sun in the sky), but his nature did confuse her a bit. If the Medic wasn't enjoying this at all, then why was he here? What was compelling him to stay? She felt like it was too personal for her to ask. She didn't even remember his name (or anyone else’s, except for Inkling, much to her chagrin), but that didn't mean she couldn't wonder.

And speaking of curiosity…

Ever since the first aid workshop, something had changed in the cat. It was slight, but she could tell by the way the Pirate stiffened around the penguin, how he narrowed his eyes and glared at the Medic when his back was turned. And how he hadn't spoken a word to the penguin. If Dashi didn't know any better, she would have said that the Pirate was angry. No, not just that, but seething.

Oh dear. If tensions rose to the point of exploding, that would be a sight to behold. Hopefully she wouldn’t be around when it happens.

If it happens, more likely. As much as the two of them were tense around each other, they had been ignoring each other and have been trying to be civil. Probably even more importantly, they each had other creatures whom they were on more friendly, or at least neutral, terms. She could already see how the Medic looked up to the Captain. And while she rarely saw the Pirate, she did see him talk to the others occasionally.

In fact, she could see that most of the Octonauts were already forming cliques amongst themselves. The Scientist had been hanging out with the Vegimals a ton. Dashi smiled in amusement at that. He was really excited about them on the first day they were introduced.

And the Vegimals, in turn, had been training under the Mechanic's guidance. The rabbit seemed to be fully alright with them now. Dashi had actually overheard the Mechanic tell Professor Inkling that she would accept the Vegimals as the official assistant mechanics on the expedition. Dashi was personally glad that those tensions eroded away.

Inkling also seemed to accommodate well with the crew. He would talk to the Scientist about anything under the sun; the Mechanic would update Inkling on the project’s progress. He would check up on the Vegimals and see if they were alright, and the he would spend time with the Captain when the latter was not busy. Yes, it seemed like Inkling was acclimated quite well.

Where did that leave Dashi? Although Inkling talked to her at times, it was mainly about the National Sea-ographic project. She hadn't really clicked with anyone.

But truthfully... she didn't mind.

She was here because of the grand allure of adventure, the feeling of water surrounding her hundreds of feet below the surface. Seeing the sunlight shining through the water above her. The adrenaline of getting the perfect shot among the chaos of fish swimming around her.

That was what she was here for. As long as she didn't make enemies with the crew, then she was fine.

Friendship wasn't on the top of her priority list.

Chapter Text

Captain Barnacles turned the wheel, practicing his turns again. The Octopod was huge, multiple tons of machinery comprising its massive hulk. But to the polar bear's surprise, it was actually pretty graceful, and responded well underneath his paw.

The Atlantic Ocean was dark, as pitch black as the night sky above; but the lights the Octopod emitted tried to chase it away. Captain Barnacles had made sure to practice far from the Floridan port, and at a considerable depth in the ocean, so he wouldn't accidentally collide with any boats.

As soon as Captain Barnacles had felt like he mastered the driving simulation training, he had asked Tweak if he could practice on the Octopod itself. He had never driven a machine such as this, and it was important that he would be able to flawlessly wield it. If there ever was an emergency where he would have to manually drive the ship, all of the crew's lives would be in his paws.

He shuddered slightly as the memory of the pirate's invasion crossed his mind, but he made sure to stay concentrated on his surroundings.

He had almost lost his crew and passengers that day. He wasn't sure if the pirates would have actually murdered them, but they clearly had no regard for life. Of course, Captain Barnacles kept a brave face; he had to keep the rest of the crew and civilians as calm as possible. But he was so relieved when Kwazii had turned out to be an ally. Captain Barnacles had been so helpless; he couldn't help the creatures who he was responsible for.

He would never let that happen again.

Captain Barnacles put on the brakes, counting down how many seconds it took for the Octopod to completely stop. Once it ceased moving, he wrote it down in a notebook he brought with him. It had only been about a week, but it was already halfway full of notes.

Captain Barnacles gave a small, amused smile. Maybe he should make an official manual out of these notes. After all, it's probably a good idea for the rest of the crew to know how to drive this submarine, just in case the Captain would not be around for some reason. They were all trained through the simulation, but it was not the same as the real vessel. Besides, Captain Barnacles already found some tricks and short cuts that could be useful. He'll probably find more later on, and it would be good if the other crew members had a source to find these tips.

He wrote all his thoughts into the notebook, already picturing in his mind what the manual would look like. He found himself getting into the subject, writing down categories of how he could group the different notes to make finding the facts easy.

After a while, though, he found himself rubbing his eyes, which were surprisingly dry.

What time was it, anyway?

Captain Barnacles took his new Octocompass, courtesy of Tweak, off his belt. After pressing a few buttons, he figured out how to find the clock within the device.

3 a.m.

And just like that, Captain Barnacles could feel a wave of tiredness hit him. Woah, he hadn’t planned on staying out this long. He lifted up his arms and stretched before he grabbed the wheel and undid the brakes.

No matter. He didn't really regret it; he made pretty good progress, both on his new manual and in his driving. He'd be a little tired in the morning, but that was always manageable.

The events of the day always energized him.

Chapter Text

Shellington hummed to himself, putting down a box of equipment in his laboratory. He had been unpacking for the past couple days, like all the other Octonauts with him. Shellington had already put all of his personal belongings in his room and now focused on his laboratory.

Huh, his laboratory. He liked the sound of that. He never thought he would have the luxury of one so shortly after college. And it was just getting better and better.

Because today was the day the Octonauts will launch.

A thrill shot through him for the twentieth time that day.

Of course, he'd have to get everything unpacked by 1 pm. That was when all the crew needed to arrive at the HQ to begin launching procedures. It would be in one hour. Shellington narrowed his eyes determinedly as he looked at the last stack of boxes in front of him.

He'll be able to make it.

But just as he opened the first box, he heard a crash and a yelp from the hallway. Shellington immediately stood up. Was that creature alright?

He came to the automatic doors. They opened to reveal the dog, Dashi, trying to put her belongings back into a cardboard box. There was stuff scattered all over the floor.

"Do you need help, Dashi?" the scientist asked. He knelt to the ground and picked up a book.

"That would be lovely, thanks.”

It seemed like objects for her room. Some makeup, a pair of headphones, more books. He took a couple more things and put it into the box, shuffling right next to Dashi.

"... I'm really sorry, what was you're name again?" Dashi laughter seemed jovial, but there was something else underneath it.

"It's Shellington," he replied. "Don't worry; it's kind of a mouthful. Kwazii had a bit of a hard time too, when I first talked to him. But I think he's got it now.”

By the way Peso acted whenever the pirate was brought up, Shellington felt like he should somehow be more wary of Kwazii. Yet, he couldn't really bring himself to be that concerned. He trusted that Inkling and the Captain had done their homework; and from what Shellington could tell, Kwazii's actions were all clean and legal, albeit enthusiastic. He guessed they would just have to wait and see.

"...Who's Kwazii?”

Shellington stopped at that. Dashi looked down, clearly embarrassed.

"Oh, um…" Shellington tried to backtrack. “He’s the orange tabby. The pirate.”

"Oh, ok," Dashi said. Silence followed. Shellington shifted a bit.

The Octonauts have been here for, what, several weeks? Kwazii was the Octonaut who stuck out the most, with his eyepatch and energetic demeanor. If she didn’t even remember his name, did she not remember anyone else?

…Did she even care?

"How's the move going?" Dashi asked abruptly. "Almost done?”

It was clear that she was trying to make small talk, smother the awkwardness. He let her.

“There’s still a lot to be done," Shellington replied. "But I'll be able to make it." He needed to keep the conversation going. "How about you?”

"This is the last box," Dashi said. The contents were all back in the container, and she lifted it back up. She looked like she was ready to bolt. "Do you want me to help after I'm done unpacking?" she asked anyway.

He considered a bit, but then shook his head. "Thank you for the offer, but that won't be necessary." He had a feeling that it wouldn't be a good idea to include Dashi. Besides, Shellington would have to figure out where each piece of equipment will go; and unfortunately, no one else could really help with that.

"Alright, but if you need anything, then please let me know.” Dashi always sounded really polite. Not just the content of her words, but her voice itself. It had a mellow calmness to it, like she was one of those secretaries he would talk to on the phone. Although it sounded sweet, Shellington could now hear a certain coldness to it. Not a hostile coldness, but a sort of detached kind. Like the politeness was all there was to her, and there wasn't really anything deeper to that. Like there couldn't be a way to get more of a friendship out of her. Shellington found himself mentally sighing at that. Such a shame.

"Thanks," Shellington replied. "Same to you.”

Dashi quirked a quick smile (a bit too quickly) before speeding down the hall. Shellington went back to the laboratory, back to the stack of boxes.

He took a small watch out of his book bag and became surprised at the time, bringing all his thoughts about the dog out the window.

12:15 pm

He put he watch back and looked at the huge stack. His eyes narrowed.

He'll have to make it.

"Kwazii."

"Here, matey."

"Peso."

"Here."

"Tweak."

"Here."

Captain Barnacles walked in front of the row of creatures in the HQ, checking off their names on a clipboard.

"Dashi."

"Here."

"Sorry I'm late!" A Scottish accent rang. Shellington jumped up through the Octochute. He landed and put his paws on his knees, panting.

Captain Barnacles found himself grinning slightly. The sea otter’s concern was endearing. "Don't worry, Shellington. You're just in time." He checked off the scientist's name.

Shellington sighed in relief.

Captain Barnacles looked through the list again.

"Everyone is accounted for," the Captain announced. "We're ready to launch.”

A wave of anticipation coursed through the HQ. After all the training, all the preparation, it was just about to pay off. Everyone held their breath.

"Begin Phase 1. Octonauts, to your stations.”

And just like that, the HQ became empty, save for Captain Barnacles, Dashi, and Inkling. The professor leaned forward on his hover chair (courtesy of Tweak) and steepled two of his tentacles.

"Dashi," the Captain ordered, "Activate security cameras.”

"On it, sir," Dashi pressed a couple of buttons, and one of the television monitors came to life. Several cameras were on, showing multiple sections of the ship. After a few moments, they saw through the screen Peso arriving in the Medical Bay. The Vegimals arrived in the Garden Pod.

A few minutes later, Tweak, Shellington, and Kwazii appeared in the Launch Bay. The Octonauts in the HQ could see Tweak pull a lever, and a staircase shot out from the walls of the Launch Bay, spiraling down to the front door. Once the staircase was in place, the three Octonauts wasted no time in climbing down the steps and leaving the door.

Captain Barnacles pressed a button on his collar. "All of the Octonauts are in position." His voice echoed throughout the Octopod, being carried through the intercom system. He could see the Vegimals perk up at the sound; it must be working. Theoretically, the Octonauts outside the Octopod should be able to hear it, too, through the radios attached to their collars.

But just to be sure…

"Tweak, can you hear me?”

"Loud and clear, Cap." Her voice was slightly distorted by the radio, but it was discernible. It was definitely better than the average walkie talkie.

"Alright. Open the warehouse door."

A large grating sound reached their ears. Captain Barnacles glanced at Dashi, worried about the dog, but she didn't move. The only clue that showed her discomfort was her lips, which were tightly pressed together. Soon, sunlight shined through the HQ's window, and the warehouse door stopped moving. They could see the seaport the warehouse was on. The Atlantic Ocean was beyond that, spreading out to the horizon.

The Captain's heart lifted at the beautiful sight.

Captain Barnacles pressed the radio button on his collar. "Tweak, I'm about to start the launching procedure. Make sure the route is clear."

"Got it, sir.”

At that, the Captain turned to the dog. "Dashi, activate the steering wheel.”

Captain Barnacles hurried to the center of the room. With the push of a couple buttons from Dashi, the polar bear felt the metallic ground lift up from under him. He was grateful that Dashi had this position; now he didn't have to run from the dashboard to the rising platform like he did all those nights he was practicing.

It was a lot easier with a team.

The steering wheel came into view as he entered a small chamber above the HQ. The platform stopped its ascent.

Captain Barnacles flexed his fingers before grabbing the wheel and stick shift.

"Captain, the route is clear." Tweak's voice.

"Ok. Beginning the move now.”

Captain Barnacles undid the brake and lightly put on the accelerator. The Octopod went forward, meeting the noonday sun. It went down the slightly sloping road towards the shore, using the wheels attached to the bottom of the tentacles that touched the ground.

Huh, it was much easier to drive in the daylight than he anticipated. All the practice had paid off. The wheel felt natural under the Captain's paw; and he led the Octopod, winding this way and that, down the path for the next ten minutes.

Eventually, they arrived on the beach. There was a small wooden boardwalk there, jutting out into the water. Captain Barnacles made sure to keep the Octopod far enough away from it as he drove the giant metallic octopus into the ocean. The waves gently lapped against the Octopod as they descended, deeper and deeper into the water. There we a several bumps and small drops as they descended. Eventually, the Octopod was completely submerged, and Captain Barnacles was able to see the underside of the ocean. Fish swam this way and that, trying to get away from the strange, orange thing that just came into the water. Barnacles felt a bit bad for the intrusion, but they will get out of the fish's way soon enough.

Dashi watched the ocean outside the HQ window, then glanced at the security cameras. The submarine had stopped moving, parked at the sandy bottom. She looked at all dials on the dashboard. Everything was going according to plan.

She made sure to focus on the equipment instead of her feelings of embarrassment. That whole conversation was botched through-and-through. At least she won't ever forget Shellington’s name again. The tightening of her stomach made sure of that.

The Captain' voice came on the intercom, and Dashi's back became ram-rod straight, her personal thoughts abandoned. "The Octopod has been successfully submerged." Dashi knew that announcement was for the crew members who were still on the shore. "Begin Phase 2.”

That was her cue.

"I'm opening the Octohatch and part of the ventilation system," Dashi announced over the intercom. She looked at the dashboard, filled with several buttons of various sizes. Now, which one was it? she mused, recalling her training. After a moment, she pressed a couple of them - two green ones, right next to each other, - and pushed a lever slightly forward. A notification on the computer screen said that the Octohatch and a third of the vents to the outside were open. Dashi smirked.

Nailed it. (At least she was good at one area of her life.)

Tweak stood in the Gup A, poised for action. All the Gups had been moved to the shore and now sat on the beach. The waves lightly pushed them back and forth. Tweak, Shellington, Kwazii, her friend Tom, and another worker named Chris were in their respective Gups, waiting for the signal. The still-broken Gup F was attached to the Gup C by a tow line. Tweak couldn't help herself; maybe she'd be able to fix the Gup F later on as a side project.

Dashi said that she was opening the hatch and vents. That meant that they were beginning to put water into the Octopod, which would be necessary for portions of the submarine. The Launch Bay needed it so the Gups could enter and exit the Octopod easily. The Medical Bay needed a pool for patients to have a place to stay, if necessary. Also, they needed a plumbing system for daily necessities such as cooking and watering the plants in the Garden Pod. For those latter needs, there was a filtration system that would take the sea water and convert it to fresh water. Once Tweak was on board the main sub, she'd have to make sure that system was working right.

The radio turned on again. It was the Captain. "All Gups, please report to the Octopod.”

It was time! Tweak started the Gup A, the battery-run engine roaring to life. She closed her eyes in bliss as she heard the other Gups' engines turn on. No words could describe how good it felt that what she imagined actually existed now, instead of just white lines on blue paper. It made her want to go through the process all over again, even when a couple days ago she had felt so worn out over it. How strange things can be, especially with projects and emotions.

Tweak drove the Gup A into the water, passing by the wooden boardwalk where Sandy had first told her about Professor Inkling. Again, she was blown away by how much had changed.

The other Gups followed her, but she wasn't in the front for long. She saw the Gup B's newly painted eyes and teeth as it zoomed passed her, going far ahead from the rest of the group. Tweak smirked. Kwazii was so excited to ride that Gup; he must be having a ball. But as the Octopod came into view, and the Gup B still zipped towards it, her smile dropped into horror.

"Kwazii, slow down!" she yelled into the intercom. He was going to hit the Octopod!

But it didn't end in disaster. "Don't worry, matey. I got it," Kwazii replied. He sounded at ease; and soon enough, the Gup B slowed down right in front of the Octopod. Tweak was sure that he hit the brakes too hard, wished that he had slowed down earlier than the last second; but Tweak couldn't help but sigh in relief anyway. She really didn't want anything to go wrong today. Especially something that could result with someone getting hurt.

Eventually, the other Gups caught up to Kwazii and entered the Octopod through the Octohatch. That entrance was a somewhat tight fit, but other than Shellington's Gup wobbling a bit as he entered, everyone got in with no mishap. Tweak drove up the Launch Bay and eventually surfaced within the room. She had seen the room hundreds of times, designed and helped build it from the inside, but now seeing the Launch Bay fully operation, with the pool filled and the computer screens whirring with life, she saw it all with new eyes. She couldn't believe that she had a paw in creating this. She was blown away.

A knock on her windshield startled her out of her thoughts.

"Mind if I come in?" Tom asked, an amused twinkle in his eyes. Chris, a koala, stood a couple steps behind him.

That's right! Tweak had to take Tom and Chris back to the shore. They couldn't stay here, after all.

"Oh, sure," Tweak fumbled, pulling a lever. The windshield opened, allowing the engineers to hop in. "Sorry about that.”

Tom oofed a bit as he jumped inside. "No problem," Chris said for him, as he came in.

Tom stood next to her and leaned against the dashboard, looking at the Launch Bay. "It's a real pretty piece of work, isn't it?”

Tweak could only agree. She backed the Gup up a bit and dived down, coming out of the Octohatch. Chris looked out of the porthole as they went away from the great submarine.

"I'm going to miss the big bucket of bolts," Tom chuckled. But then he grew a bit silent. Tweaked glanced at him.

“In all seriousness, Tweak…” Tom said, turning to her, “…this has been a once in a lifetime experience. And it's been really helpful for my family. I don't know what we've would have done if we didn't have this when Darlon closed down."

"Tom, you don't have to thank me," Tweak murmured. It was only the right thing to do, after all. "I'm just glad it all worked out for everyone.”

"Still, I'd like to thank you just the same."

The Gup landed on the shore, taken farther onto the beach by the waves. Tweak looked up at Tom. She finally acquiesced.

"You're welcome.”

Peso looked over the short glass wall that enclosed the pool in the Medical Bay. The water had been rising, swirling and gurgling like a whirlpool, for the last several minutes. The pool ran deep, all the way to the floor where the Launch Bay was. If he leaned forward and looked down at a specific angle, he could see the glass wall that looked out into the Launch Bay. He could see the Gups arrive inside there.

But he kept an eye out on the water level, always on the water level. He had the job of let making sure that the two bays don't overfill with water. He had already alerted Dashi to turn off the hatch/vents that led into the Launch Bay, and now he was waiting for the Medical Bay to finish.

He looked round the room, at all the cabinets where he had earlier stocked his supplies. The gray table where patients could be on, and the plastic see-though containers that could be filled with water so he could work on small patients. His features relaxed. This really was the coolest job in the world.

But his eyes widened, and he snapped his head towards the tank. He let out a breath as he realized that the water level hadn’t budged.

Phew, that was a close one. He shouldn't let his eyes wander too far. A movement caught his eye, and he leaned forward again to see better.

The Launch Bay was empty, save the parked Gups. The Gup A came back up, and Tweak jumped out of the mini-sub onto the platform. She walked by the glass tank before disappearing.

A couple seconds later, the radio on his collar turned on. He jumped a bit at the noise, but then muttered under his breath. He'd been scared every time the intercom link had turned on today. There will be a lot of radio transmissions in this job; he has to learn how to deal with it.

"This is Tweak," the engineer's voice came on. "I'm going to do a water check. I saw the Launch Bay; everything's fine here. How is the Medical Bay going?”

He waited, expecting an Octonaut to reply.

Oh, wait. That's directed at him, isn't it?

"It's going well, so far." He replied, remembering to push the button on the collar. Though he still hoped that he could be heard clearly. "The tank's still filling up. It's about," he gauged the water level again, "three-fourths done."

"Great," Tweak said. "Once it's filled up, let us know, ok?”

"Ok," he replied cheerfully. He wasn't too bothered that she repeated his instructions; she may not have known that was what he was doing. Or maybe she just wanted to remind him.

In any case, he did let them know once it filled up; and after a moment, the churning water calmed and became still.

"Peso," the Captain called, and Peso jumped again. But not as strongly this time, much to his pride. "You can come back up to the HQ.”

"Alright, Sir." Peso replied. But he stood there for a few moments to make sure that the water still wasn't rising before he went to the Octochute.

Much to his surprise, when he had first tried the Octochute, he had found himself enjoying it. It was very similar to penguin sledding at home. He had thought that by coming here, everything would be different and miserable. But, although some things were nerve wracking, there were other experiences that he was alright with. Happy with, even.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

He saw the opening coming quickly towards him at the end of the chute, and he mentally prepared himself for it. In a second, the door opened, the lights in the HQ went into his vision, and he landed on his two webbed feet on the metal floor of the headquarters.

Many of the Octonauts were already there, he noticed, except for Tweak, Shellington, and the Vegimals. The Captain was back in the HQ, looking at the security cameras. Dashi was at the dashboard, hands resting on it, poised for command.

Peso felt eyes on him, and he looked to the left to see Kwazii staring at him from across the room. The pirate had a glare in his countenance, his brows furrowed over his normal eye and eyepatch. Peso's flippers grew cold. Kwazii noticed the eye contact, and after a moment, shifted his glare away. But the cat was still tense; his paws were clenched.

Peso started to feel sick, anxiety creeping into his stomach.

What did Peso do wrong? Why did the pirate hate him?

Peso stiffly turned away and pretended to look at the security cameras.

He couldn't handle rejection or conflicts normally; that was something he knew. But this wasn't just a normal creature; this was a pirate. If the pirate wanted to, he could kill Peso in his sleep. Or beat him up. Or threaten to kill his family. He grit his beak. If Kwazii so much as touched his family, he'd never forgive him.

Captain Barnacles was talking in the intercom, Peso belatedly realized, not really paying attention. He was talking to Shellington, asking if the bathroom worked. Apparently the faucets were doing fine.

What should Peso do? Should he ask Kwazii why was he angry? Was Kwazii angry with him? Was Peso overthinking things? His family always did say that he had a tendency of doing that. After all, Kwazii was just looking at him. True, it was a glare, but maybe it had nothing to do with him. Maybe Kwazii was having a bad day or something. Yeah, that was it.

Maybe.

Now Captain Barnacles was asking some of the Vegimals in the kitchen and the Garden Pod if the water was working. The Vegimals turned on the sink in the kitchen and the hose in the Garden Pod respectively. The Vegimals didn't need to talk; the Captain was able to see through the cameras. The Captain asked if it was fresh water. The Vegimals tasted the water and jumped excitedly, showing that it was. Then the Vegimals in the Garden Pod began to play with the water, with the orange one, Barrot, spraying it at the others with a garden hose.

Peso smirked at that, trying to forget about his current predicament and forcing himself to calm down. Panicking won't do any good.

Especially now that the actual launch will start.

Inkling sat in his chair, watching it all unfold. Two of his tentacles were steepled together, held to his mouth in concentration. He hadn't moved at all from this position, but he didn't pay any mind to that.

Inkling was completely focused on the procedures, seeing if all was going according to plan. This was a special day, and a particularly risky one. It was, Inkling supposed, the day that would prove if all their work so far would come to fruition.

"All Octonauts, please report to the HQ," Captain Barnacles said over the intercom. He stood tall in an at ease position, legs apart and paws behind his back as he looked at the security cameras.

It was astonishing, the amount of professionalism the Captain had. Though, the professor thought wryly, he really shouldn't be so surprised. That was one of the reasons why he asked the polar bear to join the crew, after all. It seemed like Inkling made a good choice.

And it looked like he made a good choice with the Vegimals too. He had been very worried when Tweak had gotten upset over the Vegimals working with her. All justifiable, really; Inkling hadn't even thought about the language barrier, much to his absolute embarrassment. But thankfully Tweak had given them a chance, and saw what he had seen. He truly felt like they were a perfect addition to the team.

He knew that some of his decisions in choosing the Octonauts weren't based on logic. Some of them were a gamble. The Vegimals, for one. To others, Kwazii would probably be a risk; but Inkling knew that he would never be a threat. Inkling was actually more concerned about Peso. The penguin was a genius; but for the life of him, Peso couldn't see it. And his nervous tendencies could prove a detriment to the team. Inkling had to make sure that Peso could overcome obstacles, and so that was one of the reasons why Inkling had asked him to do the first aid workshop. It was pretty obvious that something like public speaking would be frightening to the young medic. Fortunately, Peso was able to pull through, with barely any hiccups, Inkling might add.

And it also showed the Captain's character even more. Inkling was pleasantly surprised when he heard the Captain wanted to be part of the presentation. It was immediately clear to Inkling that Captain Barnacles was solely doing it for Peso's benefit, and that was a good sign. The Captain was going to take care of his crew. This will prove to be fertile ground for teamwork in the future. And that's what Inkling really hoped for; that these teammates would work together as a whole. And be together as a whole.

"Everyone is here, Captain," Dashi announced. She looked back at the polar bear, one hand draped over the dashboard. Inkling scanned the room, doing a quick head count.

It was true; they were all there. And they looked at the Captain expectantly.

He didn't disappoint. "Octonauts, prepare for Phase 3.”

Dashi turned and pressed a couple of buttons, and a few seconds later, the Captain went back up to the steering wheel.

Everyone else stood where they were, filled with expectation. Shellington clutched the back of a chair; Kwazii flicked his tail. The Vegimals looked at the front window with wide eyes.

Inkling could feel his lips turning up into a smile.

There was a dull, barely noticeable clank, and then the whir of engines. The floor started to move forward slowly, gently taking the inhabitants with it.

"Here we go!" Shellington exclaimed. His beaming grin was as wide as his own, the professor was sure.

The Octopod continued to increase speed. At first it was comfortable; then the Octonauts had to adjust a bit. Inkling could feel himself leaning back in his chair because of the force. Shellington positioned his feet, one in front of another, like a lounge position. Kwazii put out his arms and tail a little to steady himself. The Vegimals fell like a pile of dominoes.

The water washed over the windshield, seaweed and fish whizzing by. Inkling hoped the glass could handle the water pressure. He glanced at Peso. The penguin was holding onto the counter for dear life.

Inkling knew that they were heading away the Floridan coast. In his mind, he could see the city that he had visited, taste the food that he tried there, remember the faces of the locals he talked to. Those really were good memories.

And they were about to make more.

“Octonauts,” The Captains’ voice shown over the intercom. There was satisfaction there, the professor could hear it. “Phase 3 has successfully concluded. We have officially launched.”

Everyone erupted into cheers. "Yaow!" Kwazii cried joyfully. He flung his new Octonaut cap in the air.

"This is incredible!" Dashi said. The Vegimals jumped up and down. And Inkling took in the scene.

He had never been happier in his life.

Chapter Text

The bed seemed different.

Peso stared straight at the ceiling, a blanket covering him. The blanket and sheets were serviceable. The mattress had a mixture of softness and hardness that he did not find comfortable. It didn't hurt; it wasn't even that bad, to be honest. It was just so foreign. He looked around his new room, the pictures of relatives on the walls, the familiar knick knacks that he brought from home.

So, he thought at length, looking at the large window at the far left of the room, the one that was pitch black from the dark water outside, It's finally beginning.

They had finally set sail. And while they had all cheered earlier today, it never really hit him until now. He stared out the window. Even though it was completely dark, he could hear the water rushing, see small bubbles hit the glass then slide past. The thousands of pounds of water pushing down on the Octopod, just waiting to crush them-

He turned over to the side, away from the window, and took a breath. Why was he doing that to himself? He shouldn't think like that. It wouldn't help with the circumstances. He was here, they set sail; there was no turning back now.

But why did I even agree to this? He could only think of what was going to happen next; the rows and rows of creatures, all asking for his help, to heal them, heal them from their ailments, and he would mess up, and not know how to help. And it's not like another doctor could step in and take over, so he would be completely powerless. Or a sea creature would attack, and he could be the next course on some shark's meal. How would his family, his mother, react when she hears that her son is dead? And to top it all off, he's already made enemies on this ship! What was he thinking?! Why was he doing this?!

That made him stop. He loosened his grip on the pillow, which he had put over his head.

Why was he doing this?

And just like that, a feeling of assurance came over him, made him show his face from under the pillow into the outside world again. Made him push himself up with his flippers. He whispered the answer, as if, even with his fears crushing him, he could not contain the words.

"Because it's the opportunity of a lifetime.”

And it seemed as if everything got into perspective for him. Because he realized that even though he was terrified, even though he felt physically sick half the time from all the stress, he literally could not imagine being anywhere else. He could not imagine doing any other occupation. He could not dream of dropping out of the medical field. He even, and this one surprised him, did not even want to stay at home anymore, even though he missed his family so much. This was where he belonged, and this is where he would stay. He let out another breath.

Even if it would be the death of him.

And at this thought, he was filled with both fear and strength, but the strength overcame him and crushed the fear, if only a moment. Because he knew the fear never went away. He had to deal with it his whole life. And he had figured out a long time ago that it would never change.

But for tonight, he flopped down back on the pillow, peace overcoming his heart. He'll stay here; he had decided that. It was almost like he didn't even have to make the decision. It was like it was made for him. And at this he smiled, thanking the God who had created him for that.

Chapter Text

Shellington was a nice chap, Inkling had come to realize over the last few weeks. Smart, enthusiastic, full of curiosity- the boy was a spitting image of Inkling when he was young.

They would have conversations at length throughout the weeks they've known each other, while the submarine was built. And the conversations hadn't stopped once the Octopod launched. The Octonauts didn't go on any missions yet- Inkling planned to have a few days out in sea first, have everyone get used to the new life and protocol, before going on the first mission. So with no missions, there wasn't any data that Shellington could use for his lab. So he basically had all the time in the world. And, as Inkling came to find out, he used it to his advantage.

"Good morning, Professor," Shellington greeted, sliding in the seat next to him. It was breakfast, and the whole crew was in the dining area, surrounding the large, rectangular table.

"Good morning, Shellington," Inkling returned the expression. "Have a good first night?”

"Yes," Shellington replied. He stretched a bit. "I'm surprised I slept so well; the Octopod's surprisingly quiet. I'd expect the engine to be roaring loudly.”

“You have Tweak to thank for that,” Inkling said. The octopus glanced at the rabbit. She was talking to Captain Barnacles across the table a little ways away. She seemed a lot more rejuvenated now than when she was building the submarine. Inkling was glad at that.

"Tweak had designed special generators and engines for the Octopod and Gups," Inkling explained, looking at the sea otter again. "All eco-friendly, and naturally quieter than engines that run on gasoline. And the design of the walls also diminishes the sounds as well.”

"Fascinating," Shellington said. He glanced at Tweak as well, "I should ask her about the details of the design sometime.”

"Good idea," Inkling encouraged. The more the crew members interacted with each other, the better.

The automatic door swished opened, and the Vegimals came waddling in. Inkling turned towards the newcomers, as did everyone else. A beautiful smell wafted through the air. Inkling took a deep breath.

"My, that 'ere food smells awfully good," Kwazii commented.

The Vegimals carried large trays of food, full of various dishes, both familiar and foreign. Inkling recognized some of the dishes from his visit to their island, but the other Octonauts ooh'ed and aah’ed over the new food. The Vegimals had also learned a few dishes, courtesy of Shellington.There were hash browns and pancakes. There was also something that looked like long green spaghetti strings, but on closer inspection, it was actually a kelp salad. In small baskets were packets of strawberry kelp jam. This last ingredient was actually preordered and stowed on the ship.

Tunip, the yellow Vegimal, came towards Inkling and Shellington. He was holding one of the trays.

"Good morning," Shellington said. Tunip trilled a response and set down the tray.

"What a fascinating dish," Shellington said. He squinted and leaned towards the tray, as if he wanted to take in every detail.

Inkling followed his gaze, seeing the dish in question.

It looked like a cake of some sort, circular and yellow. It seemed to have a soft texture; he could imagine it either very fluffy or creamy (rich), like a mousse. But the most interesting feature was that there was a face on it. Two dots for eyes and a curved mark, as if it was smiling jovially.

"Is this creature alive?" Shellington asked, poking at it with a spoon. He said that normally, but it sent a jolt through Inkling. Because of the nature of their mission, he had asked the Vegimals and the crew to keep a vegetarian diet during their term as Octonauts. It wouldn't do any good if sea creatures and fish couldn't trust them.

Tunip quickly shook his head no. Inkling immediately became at ease.

“Nii es a maliina. Mii tapuur nii na aowoo mardin,” Tunip said.

“Did you bake it, then?" Shellington asked, trying to grasp what Tunip was saying.

“Niye, nii es a maliina. Mii tapuur nii na aowoo mardin,” Tunip said again, a bit forcefully this time.

There was a bit of a silence, but then Shellington nodded. "Good, that's good." Tunip looked at him strangely, but the Vegimal just shrugged and moved on to get another platter of food.

The moment Tunip left the room, Shellington leaned his arms against the table. "That was embarrassing.”

Inkling was content to not mention the awkward exchange, so he didn't expect that he had to comment on it.

"It's alright, Shellington." He instinctively replied.

"I really need to learn their language," he continued, glancing at the other Vegimals coming to and from the door. "I mean, I'm already starting to have lessons with them, but it's nowhere near enough to understand sentences.”

"These sort of things take time," Inkling soothed, "Especially since no one is around to translate their words for you. You're basically the first outsider to try to learn their language, after all.”

"Yeah," a small smile formed on his mouth. To be the first at something was a special place, indeed.

"Um, excuse me?" Inkling heard at the other end of the table. Captain Barnacles was in his chair, his legs swiveled to one side. He was facing the large, purple Vegimal- Grouber, Inkling knew.

Captain Barnacles pointed at a bowl next to his plate. Oh, wait, there were similar bowls next to all their plates. The containers held a white substance. The Captain glanced at it curiously. "What is this?"

Grouber looked like he was at a loss. Inkling bit his lip. He should have thought this through better.

But then Grouber perked up, chattered what seemed like a command to another Vegimal, and waddled out of the room. The Octonauts followed his track with their eyes, again, completely confused, especially the Captain. By then, Inkling was just as embarrassed as Shellington was. He was tempted to put his face in his arms, but Inkling resisted. He had to keep his dignity, even though it was his fault that there was such a rift.

But then Grouber came back, holding a couple of objects. He came right up to the Captain again and held up the first object to the polar bear's face.

The captain took it. "Vanilla," he murmured, looking and examining the picture on the brown bottle.

Grouber held up the next object.

"Kelp," Kwazii chimed in. The cat grinned a bit, as if he was joining a game.

"Vanilla kelp," Captain Barnacles put together. He put a spoon in the bowl, twirling it around a bit in the thick goop. "It's a very... interesting combination." The Captain tried to hide his discomfort, but Inkling knew better.

"I believe is it some sort of pudding, Captain," Dashi added.

Grouber put his flippers underneath the Captain's bowl, catching the polar bear by surprise, and lifted it up. He put it toward Captain Barnacle's face, not too close, though, as if offering it to him. Grouber smiled.

"Tetsu nii!” the Vegimal said.

The intent was clear, and even if the Captain originally did not want to try the dish, Inkling was certain no one could refuse that face.

"Alright," Capt. Barnacles said, grabbing the bowl with one hand. With the other, he took the spoon, scooped a glob of the pudding, and before he could turn back, put it in his mouth.

There was silence. The Captain froze in place, spoon in mouth. Inkling raised his brows. Dashi and Tweak looked at each other. The Captain's eyes widened. Then the polar bear was in motion again, and the spoon was put back in the bowl. But it was quickly used again.

"This is incredible!" the Captain exclaimed. The spoon was brought up and down again, but the Captain's smile didn't leave. Everyone let out a breath. Grouber practically swelled with pride. "You really must teach me the recipe one of these days,” the Captain continued, digging in. "I have some relatives who love trying out new dishes. I'm sure they would love this. Is this a recipe from your native homeland?”

Grouber nodded, and talked, using gestures and pointing at objects as he went. The Captain and other Octonauts stood at attention, engaging in the conversation and working together to figure out the Vegimals's words. At the sight, Inkling's heart came at ease again.

They’ll figure it out.

Tunip held the hose with his right flipper, watering the plants in the Garden Pod. He always found this task a bit funny ever since they started their voyage. Here he was, watering, when there was so much water right outside their window. But that was just the nature of things. One must take the ironies of life and find the humor in them. At least, that's what the elders of his island always said.

There was a swoosh of doors, and a sea otter came into the chamber. Tunip turned, the water still running, and gave a wave.

"Good morning, Tunip," Shellington returned the gesture and walked up towards him. "Thank you again for teaching me Vegimalnese."

"No problem,” Tunip trilled, making sure to smile and nod to get the point across. He turned off the hose and face the sea otter. Shellington carried a notebook and pen in his paws, the pen already poised towards the paper. His ever-present book bag was faithfully strapped on his shoulder.

Tunip was amazed at how prepared Shellington always seemed to be. He had helped so much with teaching how the foreign cooking supplies worked, and he knew so much about sea creatures and the ocean. It seemed almost impossible that he didn’t know everything. It was the least Tunip could do to pay back for Shellington's kindness.

And, with Shellington as a translator, he would be able to help the relations between the Octonauts and him and his brothers. Tunip was sure that Shellington was aware of this, at least deep down, so he was also grateful for that. Because while he and Grouber were able to communicate with the Octonauts relatively well, sometimes it became just too awkward. And with the other Vegimals, they tended to avoid the Octonauts and let someone else (usually Tunip) do the communicating. It became such a common thing that Inkling had asked Tunip if he would be willing to be the representative of the Vegimals during an Octo-Alert. That way, if there were emergency missions and the Vegimals were in the middle of cooking, they all don't have to drop what they're doing to answer the alarm. If the missions and Octo-Alerts become common enough, then that may mess up the eating schedule, which was something that Inkling wanted to avoid as much as possible. "Everyone's physical needs must be taken care of," he said. "And without you and your friends' aid with that, then that could be hard to pull off. We definitely need your help in this area.”

And as Tunip taught Shellington words in Vegimalnese, pointing at objects and saying what each thing is called, Tunip was determined to do his best.

"Hm, what is that in Vegimalnese?" Shellington asked, he pointed at a sign.

"Tracor." Tunip replied, glancing on the drawing of a carrot on it. Tunip looked down at the crops themselves.

“Tracor?" Shellington repeated.

Yeah, the carrots are coming along very nicely. It seemed like he had nothing to worry about; the water and irrigation (and soil systems) are working fine.

"Tracor," he repeated, giving a decisive nod.

"Hm," Shellington hummed, writing it down. He was already done with one page of notes. He put the pen to his mouth, biting the end of it.

Shellington glanced off to the side, and then quickly pulled the pen back out. The sea otter looked a bit shocked, but before he could ask why, Shellington ran towards one of the crop beds. In it, there was a crop of triet takuunii. Their small, circular bodies were growing, and although a lot of them were just barely getting ready to bloom, there's some of them that needs to be picked.

Shellington came to the bed and dropped to his knees, immediately taking out a magnifying glass. He out the lens up towards the triet takuunii. He lightly traced the "mouth" of the plant with a finger, feeling the "engraving" on it.

"This was grown this whole time?" Shellington exclaimed. Tunip had to stop himself from laughing aloud.

”Yes," Tunip couldn't help reply with the laughter bubbling in his throat. "I was trying to tell you."

Shellington glanced at Tunip, and the Vegimal must not have hidden his mirth well enough, because Shellington burst out laughing. Tunip couldn't hold it in, and laughed alone with him. Tunip didn't know, but Shellington thought the Vegimal's laughter were like bells. Their laughter rang out in the open space.

Shellington was the first to calm down, and he looked at the triet takuunii again. "This is truly fascinating," he said in between breaths. "I wonder, why does this have a face, if it's supposedly not alive? Is this truly sentient? Where did it come from?" And at this he looked at Tunip. "This is from your island, isn't it?" His abrupt gaze made Tunip jump a bit, but he nodded.

"Hmm..." Shellington looked back at the triet takuunii, the pen in his mouth again. "This definitely needs to be studied. I have never seen a plant such as this." He thought for a moment. "Say Tunip..." He turned towards the Vegimal. "What is the name of this plant?”

"Triet takuunii," Tunip replied.

“Triet takuunii," Shellington muttered. "A fascinating name. I wonder if there's a translatable equivalent in English.”

Tunip thought hard on that. For some reason, understanding the Octonauts' native language was never hard. But saying the words, and sometimes translating it, could be very difficult.

But as he thought about it, he thought that he found a close equivalent to the meaning of the Vegimalnese word.

Tunip brought up a flipper to say "wait a moment" before walking to the other side of the Garden Pod.

"Um, Tunip, where are you going?”

"I'm sure I saw some around here,” Tunip muttered to himself, rummaging through some crates. ”Ah-ha!” he exclaimed, bringing up the object in question.

Tunip turned back towards the scientist, and Shellington straightened up. Understanding came into his eyes. "It's just like that game Grouber was playing earlier today," the sea otter said.

Well, it wasn't a game, but yeah.

"Ok, so the translation of the Vegimalnese name starts, or has something to do with, kelp," Shellington said, putting a paw to his chin.

Tunip nodded profusely, then brought his free flipper towards the sea otter. It took Tunip a couple tries, but he was able to communicate to Shellington to give him the notebook and pen. Taking the pen, he scribbled onto the paper. The lines were a bit wobbly, but it brought the point across. When Tunip was finished, he looked at it and nodded once before giving it back to the otter.

Shellington looked at it for a few moments, and for a second Tunip frowned. Oh, how he wished there wasn't this stupid language barrier!

"Hmm, that's interesting..." Shellington murmured again. "So the second word is ‘cake.’ Kelp cake? Is that the name of it?"

”Yep!" Tunip exclaimed, nodding for the umpteenth time. He was glad that he didn't have to try to find another way to communicate the word to him. That could have gotten hard.

But looking at the way Shellington excitedly fist pumped, Tunip found that he did not mind that much.

"Now that you mention it, this plant does taste a little bit like kelp. And with the shape and consistency of it, it's very easy to see how it would be associated with cakes. Now, though," Shellington put the pen in his mouth again, deep in thought, "is the matter of which category this plant species falls under. Tunip, would you by any chance know?”

His clan had always called it a fruit, but Tunip wasn't sure if that would be the right, "scientific" category. He had heard Inkling and Shellington talk about that once, something about the misleading qualities of tomatoes. But in any case, Turnip wasn't sure. And instead of explaining everything, he shook his head no. It was a lot quicker that way.

"All right then," Shellington quipped, picking one of the kelp cakes, "then to the labs it is. I've been itching to have some data.”

Tunip stared and raised an eyebrow as Shellington walked ten steps toward the Octochute.

But then Shellington turned around. "Sorry, I completely lost lost my manners." He shifted his grip on the kelp cake. "Would you mind continuing the lesson in the lab? It'll be a nice break from watering the garden." Shellington bribed.

Tunip couldn't help but chuckle. If there was anything he had learned about his new friend, it was the absolute passion of this scientist.

”Sure," he smirked, before falling in tandem with the otter's strides.

A few days later, Inkling found a well-preserved kelp cake in one of the glass cabinets in his library. Upon asking Shellington about it, he explained that it would be a great decoration to the place, as well as a token of the first "discovered" object on the voyage. Inkling had no qualms about this, and so the kelp cake has stood there to this day.

Chapter Text

It was the day. At least, one of the many special "days" where something happened for the first time. It was kind of funny to Dashi; more has happened in these last couple of weeks than the last couple years. But this was a welcome change, and she relished in it.

"Do you have everything in place?" the Captain asked, coming inches beside her on her right. She felt a bit uncomfortable at the closeness; but she kept a professional face. The Captain didn't mean anything by it.

"Yes, sir," she replied immediately. Captain Barnacles nodded, before walking away.

"I should not have expected anything less.” There was satisfaction in his voice. Dashi internally beamed. She had done her homework, and it was paying off.

"Thank you, sir," was her only reply. She glanced at the time, on the bottom corner of the computer screen. 7:58 am. Only a couple minutes, now, until the Octonauts' first mission.

It was supposedly a simple one, something for the Octonauts to ease in and start practicing with. It would be a research mission and a medical "checkup" of the area. The Octonauts would split into two groups, and most of the Gups would be used. Additionally, although this was a scheduled mission, the OctoAlert would be activated. It would be a way to practice protocol for emergency missions.

While most of the Octonauts would leave, her main job was to stay in HQ and monitor everything. She would be the eyes and ears, making sure that transmissions worked and that no storms would sneak up on them. If something went wrong, she would be one of the first to be able to respond and help the Captain coordinate everyone else. She could also send information from the computer's databases to the Octonauts, if necessary.

Basically, it was a desk job, but one of the coolest desk jobs she ever had. And even though it was a bit tempting to mentally pout at not going out to the water, she knew the importance of this post. If something went wrong, the others may very well depend on her.

Besides, she'll get her chance to go out there soon enough.

Throughout her thoughts, Dashi made sure to keep an eye on the time. Soon enough, the waiting was over; and it reached 8am.

On the dot, the Captain ordered, "Dashi, sound the OctoAlert.”

She obliged.

Peso practically jumped out of his cold suit when the alarm rang. It was a "whoop whoop" sound, crashing into his inner ears. He put a flipper to his chest for a moment, trying to calm his heart.

"Octonauts, to the HQ,” Peso heard above the noise. It must've been the Captain over the intercom system. Peso picked up his bag and headed out of the medical bay.

Flappity flippers, he was expecting that alarm, but he didn't expect it to be that loud. The rooms were filled with rotating, orange lights as he ran down the hallway. He went as fast as possible towards the Octochutes. Although there was no emergency today, he knew that whenever the OctoAlert would sound in the future, timing would be crucial.

He went into the Octochute, arriving seconds later into the HQ. Kwazii and Shellington followed shortly after. Peso made sure to keep his gaze away from the Pirate and only looked towards the Captain.

Captain Barnacles stood nearby the monitors, facing them. He held his Octocompass with a paw, examining it intently. When Tunip, the final creature of the crew (the other Vegimals were not required to join the missions unless absolutely needed) arrived, the Captain pressed a button.

"42 seconds," he declared. "Good work, everyone. I expect similar results in the future.”

Oh great, now there were expectations even before he had to prove himself with his medical skills. Peso swallowed, trying to keep the oncoming anxiety at bay. He could feel himself teetering forward into fear, but he kept himself back. This was not the time.

"Today is our first mission," Captain Barnacles said, pacing slowly with his arms behind his back. He reminded Peso of an army general. "It is a simple exploration and medical sweep; something to start the research going and to get our feet wet, literally and figuratively speaking. It is also a chance for us to test out the Gups in greater detail.”

Tweak bit into a carrot at that, casually chewing, her posture shifting to one hip. Peso stared for a second. Why was she eating at a time like this?!

The Captain didn't seem to mind, though. "Everyone, to the Launch Bay. When you arrive there, get into your groups and launch the Gups as you've been directed. Everyone got it?”

There were affirmatives from everyone. Peso found himself mutely nodding.

"Then Octonauts," Captain Barnacles smirked and put a fist to his paw, "let's do this."

It’s not so bad, Peso thought. He was in front of a flat rock that acted as a makeshift table. He was giving a fish a checkup, and a line of creatures were in front of him for their turn as well.

He had thought of so many ways their first mission could go wrong, so many ways someone could mess up, or a piece of technology could fail. But so far, everything was going right. The Gups worked, the teammates knew their positions and what they were doing. And amazingly, the local sea creatures were welcoming. Peso had been wary of their reactions. After all, outsiders were arriving into their home. But they seemed very friendly and curious, and once the Captain had explained who they were and what they did, the community accepted them with open arms. They interacted with the crew, allowed Shellington to ask questions and run a couple of experiments. A few of the children befriended and played tag with Kwazii (which shocked Peso), and Tunip ended up joining the game as well.

"Next, please," Peso said, after the current fish left, a bandage around his tail. A small eel, a child, slithered up next.

"Hello there," Peso said gently.

"Hello," the eel replied shyly. Peso thought he was adorable.

"What's your name?" Peso asked. He flipped open the medical bag.

"David," the eel replied. He slithered towards the bag, close enough that he almost put his head inside. "What's all this stuff?”

"My supplies," Peso said. David pulled away a bit so Peso could take out a stethoscope.

A lot of the creatures were asking who he was, what he did. It may be a good idea to prepare a little speech, a brief description of who he was, so he could explain it whenever he met someone new.

"I'm a medic. I help anyone who is hurt or sick."

"How do you do that?" David asked.

"There are lots of ways," Peso explained. "For example, this stethoscope helps me hear a creature's heartbeat.”

Peso started the checkup, explaining each piece of equipment before he used it. David was a bright child, taking it all in with adept attention.

"And that's everything," Peso concluded, putting the supplies back in the bag. “You're a very healthy boy. Everything is ship shape." He was caught off guard that he had used a pirate expression.

"Thank you, Doctor Peso," David said.

"You can just call me Peso," the penguin replied, although he was flattered by the title. He didn't want to alienate himself from other creatures, especially ones who weren’t familiar with doctors. He was just like everyone else.

"Um," David said hesitantly, "do you have any stickers?”

“Stickers?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I heard that if you're very good, doctors give stickers after every checkup." He perked up eagerly. "Do you have any?”

Peso was at a loss of words. "No, I'm sorry." He really was. Poor kid. How could he have forgotten something like that?

"Don't worry, mister," David said, though he tried to keep the disappointment from his voice.

No, this cannot do.

“… But I have some treats,” Peso said, thinking on the fly. He smiled as the boy perked up again. “Let me just ask someone to send them over.”

“Wow! Thanks, mister!”

Peso had seen (and tasted!) the fish biscuits that the Vegimals made. Only fishy by name, it did not have any meat or fish in it and was basically versatile enough that any species could eat them. They were also very tasty; he bet most anyone would like them.

He turned on his communicator, saying, “Peso to Vegimals.” He eyed the next creature in line, who shifted impatiently.

“Please hold on for just a second, sir,” Peso said. “I’ll be with you shortly.”

“Yes, Peso?” The professor’s voice went over the communicator.

“Professor?” Peso asked. “Are the Vegimals there?”

“Yes,” Inkling said. In the background, Peso could hear the faint, metallic noises of pots and pans. “I’m helping them out with some baking. Do you need anything from them?”

“Can they please send us some fish biscuits?” Peso said. He turned to David, “Some very good patients deserve some treats.”

“Of course.” Inkling chuckled, “I’ll let them know.”

“Thanks,” Peso said, before ending the transmission.

The Vegimals sent the fish biscuits in record time, and David couldn’t be happier.

That night, Peso asked if Tweak could possibly invent waterproof stickers, and a year later, when the Octonauts toured that section of the sea, Peso had a whole roll of stickers just for David.

Chapter Text

Kwazii perked up at the sound of the OctoAlert and did a front flip out of his room. It had been the third time this week that the OctoAlert sounded, and Kwazii had the idea that the Captain really liked to use it. Maybe even a little too much.

Kwazii arrived at the HQ, doing another front flip as he escaped the Octochute. He got out of the way, just in case anyone else would be coming in that same chute. The Captain stood in his regular pose, at ease but with a ram-rod straight back and his paws behind his back. Dashi, like the few times before, was in a chair nearby the dashboard (Haha, Dashi, dashboard. Kwazii cracked himself up sometimes). Kwazii looked behind him; seemed like everyone was here.

"Alright everyone," Captain Barnacles said. "Our mission is to check up on a school of sardines. It is rather a large group of them, and they can be quite skittish, so everyone needs to be careful. We need to be able to gain their trust. The most important thing is that Peso gives them a checkup. And if we can convince them to answer Shellington's questions and get data, that will be a bonus."

Captain Barnacles cleared his throat. Kwazii hoped the polar bear wasn't getting a sore throat or something. (Is it possible for a polar bear to even get a cold?) Kwazii's position, what his role actually was, came back to mind. If he did get sick, wouldn't that technically mean that Kwazii would temporarily take over? Captain Barnacles hadn't really talked to him about that ever since the first day they met. Didn't stop Kwazii from wondering, though.

"For this mission, not everyone will need to participate; and some tasks in the future will be like this as well. If there is an OctoAlert, and I don't specify a particular crew member to come, assume that all paws are to be on deck." Kwazii appreciated the pirate slang.

Everyone did an affirmative, and Captain Barnacles continued. "This mission will have two teams. Peso and Kwazii, take the Gup E. Shellington, you and I will take the Gup A.”

Wait, Kwazii thought. His eye lifted towards the ceiling, and he lifted his head slightly back, trying to remember which Gup was the Gup E (he didn't care if anyone stared). Oh, right. That's the medical submarine.

...

……

.....Wait, What!

Kwazii whirled towards the medic and, sure enough, the penguin was looking away, down at the floor. He didn't look that happy.

"Wait, Captain," Kwazii couldn't help but ask. He looked at the leader. "Could we, um, switch places or something? I'd really love to help out with science... doohickeys and stuff.”

He wanted to face palm at just how "smooth and inconspicuous" that was.

If the Captain caught it, he didn't make a show of it. "Sorry, Kwazii," he replied. "Shellington's going to need a lot of muscle to move some of the equipment, so it makes more sense if we paired up like this.”

Kwazii had the growing suspicion that there was another reason, but he just grumbled and nodded. He didn't bother to look at Peso's reaction. It would probably be something negative anyway.

What did he do to deserve this?

What did he do to deserve this?

Peso was in the Gup E, standing right next to him. The moment he and the cat had gotten in the Gup, the Pirate immediately took control of the steering; and Peso didn't have the guts to say anything about it. Not that Peso even wanted to drive one of those things; he'd probably get a panic attack and crash.

Kwazii drove through the water, past fish and other creatures. According to the radar on the Gup's dash, it looked like the school should be a few miles ahead of them.

The Gup was quiet, absolutely quiet. Peso looked down, fiddled with his flippers, rocked back and forth on his claws. He finally dared to look at his neighbor.

The Pirate kept looking forward, his brows furrowed. His paws were tight around the steering wheel, clenched taught.

Flappity flippers, Peso wanted to get out as soon as he can. The Pirate looked angry. But why?

That growing suspicion that he caused it rose up in Peso, but his own brows furrowed. How on earth did he cause Kwazii to get mad (if he even is mad)? Peso literally didn't do anything! But then again, Kwazii wanted to switch places with the Captain. He didn't want to be on Peso's team. If that's true, the does the Pirate hate him? Peso's heart froze.

An angry Pirate was a dangerous Pirate. The cat could technically jump him at any time. Peso's breathing went faster, but at the Pirate's glance, Peso forced himself under control. He'd have to be even more careful than ever before to not tick him off.

It's just, nothing seemed to be working.

A dark mass appeared in view, far off into the distance. Peso squinted a bit. It seemed to be moving. That must be the school, Peso thought. Should he let the Pirate know? Should he say that out loud?

But the intercom beat him before he could even make a decision. "Kwazii, Peso, the school should be about a mile ahead.”

"I see it," the Pirate replied.

The intercom went silent, and in a few moments, the Gup came to a stop.

"We're here," Kwazii clipped.

Peso nodded. "Ok." Ugh, he hated when his voice gets squeaky like that. Makes him sound like a weak child.

Kwazii only gave a raised eyebrow before activating his helmet. Peso did the same thing, pressing a button on his collar. Strong glass ("Able to handle thousands of pounds of water, and then some," Tweak had said) came up from the collar and encompassed his head. Peso took in a breath. It seemed to be working; the air should be coming from the air tank strapped to his back. Only way way to really be sure, though.

Kwazii pressed another button, and the Gup E's windshield opened, flooding the small submarine with water. Peso held his breath moments before it opened, just in case the helmet didn't hold up when the water came rushing in. But seeing that his head was still dry, he took a breath and began to breath normally.

"Well, are ya coming or not?" Kwazii was floating outside the Gup, looking unamused. Wow, that cat's fast.

”Yes," he stuttered, following the Pirate close behind. They had parked a few meters away from the school, and as they swam closer, the Gup A arrived. Captain Barnacles and Shellington soon joined them. The Captain looked out into the crowd of fish.

"Alright, first thing's first, we have to gain their trust." Captain Barnacles looked at his teammates. "Shellington, Peso, come with me. We'll try to talk to them. Kwazii, you stay with the Gups.”

"B-but I-“

"If we need anything, I'll call you in," the Captain said. It wasn't stern, but it was authoritative.

Kwazii grit his teeth. "Aye, Captain.”

Seeing the Pirate like this put Peso on edge. What's his problem? It wasn't just him; Kwazii seemed to be acting like that to the others. What's with him?

But the three of them swam away before he could figure out why.

Kwazii was ticked. There was no other way around it, no cozy way of saying it. What was everyone's problem? Kwazii knew the Captain didn't want him to be part of the negotiations. He had called him out on this mission just for him to float around? And yeah, maybe the Captain wanted him later on or something, but why couldn't he join them? What, was he so scary that the school would high-tail it if he came near? That at the sight of his eye-patch, they'll immediately lose all trust in them?

Kwazii stilled.

He could, technically, take off the eye patch. Maybe then, there wouldn't be a reason for the school to run away. And, maybe then, the Octonauts wouldn't stare at him strangely when they thought he wasn't looking. Maybe they would talk to him like a normal creature. Maybe Peso wouldn't have fearful eyes every time they would be in the same room. Maybe he wouldn't have to pretend that he's fine being in his room all day or being in the Gup B or swinging on vines alone.

Maybe, just maybe…

But Kwazii clenched his fist. That wouldn't be fair. This was who he was; the eye patch was a symbol of Calico Jack. His grandfather had it; and Kwazii wanted to honor him with one himself. The pirate life was Kwazii’s life, and he couldn't just change it for someone else's wishes.

But a question came into Kwazii's mind, eating away at him until his head hurt and his ears twitched.

Why should he stay here?

The talk went well, much to the Captain’s pleasure. A first, the school was a bit finicky, but once Peso had showed them his medical kit, they were all ears (although they technically didn't have any visible ones). Although it was helpful, a small twinge got into the polar bear's gut. It was sad how much sea creatures starved for medical care. It wasn't that much better for the polar bears; they usually had to get their checkups when they were more to the south (like Alaska and Russia) before they did their yearly migration. But it was medical care; and it was yearly, so that was technically good. It was just terrible if a polar bear was deathly ill.

The Captain' thoughts drifted to another Octonaut, but he pushed it away. That creature hadn't brought it up, so it wasn't for him to push.

Peso had immediately set to work, and the fish created a line. Shellington started swimming back to the Gups for the equipment.

"I'll help Shellington and call Kwazii to assist you," Captain Barnacles told Peso before turning away. Pirates tended to roam in these waters, so he was afraid that the school would associate Kwazii with his sleazy counterparts. This shouldn't be the norm, though; a lot of oceanic areas weren't as heavily influenced by pirates. But now that the Octonauts had gained the school's trust, they could convince them that Kwazii was trustworthy.

"Wait!" There was panic in his voice.

The Captain snapped his head back to the medic.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, startled.

Peso didn't look at him, rummaging through his medical bag. "Is-is it ok if you don't call Kwazii?”

Captain Barnacles wasn't expecting that. "Why not?"

"Well, I'm fine here," he rambled, "and Kwazii isn't, isn't really good at medical stuff..." Captain Barnacles frowned at that. If he felt that about Kwazii, he shouldn't say that in public. "... and he'll probably be able to help you guys a lot more, and I'm seriously fine here." Peso looked up at Captain Barnacles, and there was complete fear in his eyes. “Please?"

This didn't feel right. There was something wrong here. There was obviously a rift between Peso and Kwazii. The cat had held reservations from pairing up with the medic, after all; and now Peso was doing the same thing. He'd have to get to the bottom of this. But he glanced at the school of fish, countless eyes watching the conversation. And he looked back at Peso's terrified face.

"Alright, he doesn't have to join you this time," the Captain said. "But I cannot let this happen in the future. We are all a team, so we should all be comfortable working together.”

Captain Barnacles swam away, not seeing the thoughtful look that crossed Peso's face before he looked down again and began his medical practice.

By the time Captain Barnacles arrived at the Gups, Kwazii was helping Shellington with the equipment; and the cat didn't ask any questions when Captain Barnacles told him that he'd help Shellington for the rest of the mission. The more Captain Barnacles studied the cat as they worked, the more he could feel the tension practically radiating off of him. Kwazii’s teeth clenched, and he moved the equipment recklessly. Shellington asked him a couple times to be careful, and Kwazii would be for a minute, then become agitated again. Soon enough, that irritation rubbed off on Shellington as well. The tension seemed to rise higher and higher. Captain Barnacles had to do something soon, or else this could turn ugly.

"I think that's enough for today," Captain Barnacles said.

"What?" Shellington was incredulous. "But we're not finished yet!”

Oh dear. Captain Barnacles hoped he didn't just make it worse.

"We'll continue this tomorrow," Captain Barnacles made sure to keep his voice level. "Peso isn't done checking up on the school either." It was a large group. "So we're going to have to come back here anyway. I say we should rest up and mentally prepare ourselves for tomorrow.”

If they gave him a suspicious look (especially the cat, with the way his ears flicked towards him like that), Captain Barnacles made sure not to acknowledge it.

"Alright, sir," Shellington said (a bit dejectedly, which couldn't help but make Barnacle's chest twinge a bit) before turning to dismantle his equipment. Kwazii wordlessly followed, but not without giving a final glare.

Captain Barnacles didn't like this, not one bit. At least it wasn't downright insubordination. The Captain just needed to made sure that it didn't come to that. He had a feeling it wouldn't, though. They were all good creatures; so how could it get that bad?

It was taking forever to pack up. Shellington had brought so much stuff (Kwazii didn't know the names of half of the gizmos) that it was taking a long time to migrate everything back to the Gups, even with the Captain's help. Granted, it didn't feel that long when they were taking everything out, but he figured it was because the Captain dampened the spirits all the more. That polar bear can get so annoying! Though still not as much as his feathered friend. Kwazii couldn't lie to himself that he spent the larger part of the past few hours thinking about socking the medic in the beak.

Not that Kwazii would do that, mind you (Maybe he would, if Peso was an armed opponent and not so much of a weakling). But yaow! Peso was so annoying! (Troubling, a voice said in the back of his mind; but he didn't acknowledge it. It would bring other things like loss and loneliness and poverty and listlessness. That wouldn't do. He had to be just like Calico Jack, and that meant nothing troubled him. He just hope that he would be able to pull it off.)

"Ready to go?" the Captain asked as they put in the last of the equipment. Shellington was going to wipe his brow, but instead his paw hit the glass helmet. "Oh! Um, yes, Captain," Shellington replied, caught off guard.

"Alright. Let's get going, then.”

They all went into their assigned Gups, and soon Kwazii was consumed into the quiet again. The Gup E was silent as he drove, following the Gup A, the same picture as before, but now with sea water dripping off the cat and penguin. Kwazii had half the mind to shake off the water, like any able-bodied cat would. Maybe he should; flick more water on the penguin. Peso was going to ignore his existence anyway.

But then, that wouldn't prove anything. In fact, it would "prove" to Peso that he was an evil good-for-nothing. He couldn't afford that. So he grit his teeth (he’d been doing it so much that his jaw hurt) and he ignored it all, even though it's getting harder and harder to do so.

He'd just have to wait until they reached the Octopod. Then, he could slink away and separate himself from that condescending, self righteous-

"Look out!"

Kwazii instinctively slammed the brakes, and the Gup squealed as it tried to slow down. The Gup turned a bit, steering off course, and Peso slammed into him from the force. Kwazii saw a huge tail accompanied by a low call. The Gup finally stopped, only a couple feet away from a humpback whale. A whole pod of them.

As soon as Kwazii got his bearings, he roughly pushed Peso off of him. "Hey!" Peso reacted. He staggered a bit then righted himself. If Kwazii hadn't known any better, he would have said that Peso was peeved.

Great. Join the club.

"Ya didn't have ta yell like that," Kwazii started driving again, going around the whales. He didn't care if his tone wasn't civil. "Yer lucky we didn't crash into that thing because of it.”

"Says the one who wasn't even paying attention.”

Kwazii’s mind froze. So Peso finally did it; finally said something.

"What did you say?"

Peso wilted under the gaze, shying away as if he had been hit.

"Oi, I'm talking to ya! Why don't ya treat me like everyone else?!”

"I'm not treating you differently.”

"Oh yeah, right; and I'm the King of England.”

They neared the entrance to the Octopod. Peso didn't say anything. He never says anything. It's just quiet and quiet and quiet.

Peso was driving him insane.

They finally surfaced; the Launch Bay showed through the window. Peso's flipper twitched, and he lunged towards the button that would open the windshield. Kwazii grabbed it before he pressed it.

"You have a problem with me?" he challenged. He tightened his grip on the flipper, and Peso screamed (this pathetic scream) and tried to wrench his flipper away. Kwazii only gripped it tighter; his claws were itching to come out.

Peso tried taking a step back, but the cat pulled him and grabbed his shoulders tightly. Peso struggled. "Let go of me!”

"Why are you acting like this?” Kwazii practically shook him. “Did I do anything to you!?”

"Let go!”

"Is it because I'm a pirate?!”

Peso flinched at the word.

Yes, it was because of that. Because of who he was.

Kwazii wanted to punch Peso, hurt him; all of his "high road" mentality could go to the curb. He wanted to scream and throw a fit and throw chairs around.

But instead, he found his eyes stinging.

And of course, it was then that the penguin looked at him. Peso stopped, his eyes gone wider, his jaw slacked.

Was Calico proud of him now?

Kwazii's paws went slack and still. Peso kept staring at him, full blown shocked now. Kwazii felt a lump in his throat. What was wrong with him?

He couldn't take that stare anymore. He roughly pushed Peso away, opened the Gup, and jumped out. He could still feel those pitying eyes follow him as he left the Bay.

Kwazii didn't need pity! So what if he was all alone? So what!? He was that way before; he could do it again. He would have to. Because there was no one else like him. He knew that for sure now. The tears kept threatening to spill, but it was only until he came to the solitude of his room that he allowed them to quietly fall.

Tunip had made him a cup if cocoa, but it was cold by now. Peso swirled the contents with a spoon. He didn't have the heart to drink it. Tunip had left hours ago.

Kwazii's face never left his mind. He kept seeing it, right in front of him. To say that Kwazii's reaction blew him away was an understatement. It had went right to his core. To see so much sadness, such despair and loneliness.

Peso had never thought the Pirate was capable of that.

He clenched the cup tightly with both flippers, growling under his breath.

That was his problem, wasn't it?. He hadn't thought Kwazii was capable of emotions, that he was just some empty shell that was only interested in harming others. Peso had vowed to help any creature, regardless of species. How could he be such a proponent and so open to different species, but not give someone else with a different outlook a chance? Even if he didn't agree with the pirate way of life (and let's be honest, Kwazii never acted like the stealing murderers that constituted the pirate population), he should have known that they were like everyone else. Creatures who had emotions, who had hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows. Creatures who were just like him. And yes, he didn't have to condone the thieving ways of pirates, but for Pete's sake, Kwazii didn't do anything! And now he had hurt another member of his crew.

What had he done?

Peso sighed, twirling the spoon again.

He's going to have to fix this, somehow.

He just hoped it could be fixed.

Chapter Text

Kwazii lay on his bed, throwing a ball of yarn in the air. Up, down, catch, throw again. He didn't feel like doing any flips or tricks like he was wont to do. He focused on the yarn, trying to ignore the empty walls that had been full of pictures moments before. Everything was packed; it was surprisingly easy. After all, everything basically fit in his treasure chest. He just needed to tell the Captain that he wanted to leave. Although they weren't friends, the Captain knew him longer than everyone else and was sure to understand. But he kept throwing the yarn up and down. He couldn't bring himself to stop.

What was holding him back?

There was a knock on the door-Kwazii locked it so no one could use the automatic mechanism- and the cat sighed annoyedly. He rolled off the bed and tossed the yarn forcefully onto the bed. What was it now? Couldn't he be left alone?

He pressed a button on the wall; and with a swoosh, the doors opened.

"What?" He demanded sourly. But his expression deepened when he found it was the medic. The penguin's gaze was lowered, and he was wringing his flippers. Typical.

"What do you want?" Kwazii said curtly.

"We need to talk." Peso said quietly. So he had guts after all.

"Ain't that so?" Kwazii crossed his arms.

"I'm really sorry for not treating you well. It was wrong of me, and I'm really, really sorry."

Kwazii scoffed. "You're lying.”

"I-I'm what?”

Kwazii didn't want to repeat it twice. "You say you're sorry, but ya can't even look at me straight in the face." It was true. Peso hadn't looked up once during the exchange. "Ya still see me as a ‘Pirate.’"

Peso stuttered. It wasn't just Kwazii. Peso had this problem with others. It's just... Kwazii brought it out more severely than everyone else.

Why was this so hard?

"I-I'm trying to be better-“

"Yeah, but trying isn't enough." Kwazii retorted.

Peso's heart started to fail. This was going down fast.

Kwazii reached for the button that would close the door.

"Wha-what happened to your room?" Peso's voice was soft. Kwazii's paw paused centimeters above the button. Peso's eyes were wide again. But this time, it was different. Kwazii wasn't sure why.

"I'm leaving," Kwazii said simply.

It was just two words, but it hit Peso again, right through the core. But this time, it left a heavy feeling in his gut. Before he or Kwazii knew what he was doing, Peso waddled into the room and looked around.

The bedroom was bare, as empty and void of life as it was when they had moved in. The only signs that someone was there was a chest and a ball of yarn. But the bareness made the room larger than it already was.

Peso had no words. This cat was leaving, because of what he did. The breath seemed to leave him.

Kwazii looked at the medic's expression with skeptical eyes at first, but his expression slowly became one of confusion. Peso's face changed as well, from shock to concentration then, finally, to suppressed grief.

"It's all my fault," Peso breathed. Peso's gaze wandered until it reached the cat's. Kwazii looked away, his guard up again. Great. He's about to fake-apologize again.

But Peso went off on a completely different tangent.

"But what about the others?" Peso asked. "Shellington, Inkling... they'll be upset if you left."

"Shows how much you know," Kwazii retorted.

"No. I don't know.”

Kwazii whirled his head towards him. Peso had a look of concern, of pure concern. Like all of a sudden, a flip had been switched; and Peso turned into that caring doctor (and friend) that all the patients knew and loved.

Kwazii almost wanted to shy away from it.

"But I'd like to learn.”

Kwazii was torn. Who did Peso think he was? Insulting him and isolating him, then all of a sudden getting into his privacy? Peso had no right, after what he did.

Yet, that concern... The feeling that someone was finally giving him the time of day. He never realized how much he craved it; it was actually frightening.

Kwazii must not have responded quickly enough, because guilt started to crawl over Peso's features. "Or you could talk to someone else," Peso said, for some reason defeated. "I know the Captain is fond of you, even though you may not think that. But you should talk to someone, anyone. Again, I'm really sorry; and I absolutely mean it.”

Kwazii still didn't know what to say, dumbfounded and filled with several emotions he couldn't name.

Peso headed towards the door. "Whether you stay here or not, I hope you're happy."

“W-wait!"

Peso stopped and turned towards him. Kwazii's paw was outstretched.

Huh, a remote part of his mind thought. Was that really my voice? Am I really that desperate voice?

Peso smiled reassuringly. "I have all day.”

Kwazii's troubles starting pouring out of his mouth before he even knew what was happening.

Something was different.

The Captain had wanted to bring Peso and Kwazii into a meeting and bring up their rift. He thought he may have to talk to them individually, try to figure out their issues and make a compromise or solution. But when he went down a hallway the next day, Peso and Kwazii walked passed him. They were together, talking to each other. And -to his surprise- laughing.

True, as Captain Barnacles observed them over the next week, they weren't best friends or anything. There were still awkward moments, and they did not spend a lot of time together. But the rift was patched up, and he could see that they were on good terms. He wasn't sure what happened, but he couldn't be more grateful.

Chapter Text

The sirens blared, startling Captain Barnacles awake. His eyes snapped open, and before he knew what he was doing, already put on his boots and left the door. Training and manning a ship before, protocols had been ingrained in him so much that it had basically become second nature. And as his body moved, his mind came catching up to it.

The OctoAlert was only supposed to go on if there was a looming threat coming towards the Octopod. His eyes narrowed, adrenaline spiking, and he made a grab for his OctoCompass. His paw hit fabric, and he looked down to find that he was still in his coolant pajamas.

He muttered under his breath. He wasn't as natural with protocol after all. But he kept going. Hopefully, all the Octonauts would remember their training and head to the HQ. This could potentially be dangerous, so they all had to keep their wits about them. Including himself, apparently. (He's still a bit ticked at that).

Captain Barnacles arrived at the HQ, and everyone else was not far behind. Shellington stood at attention. Tweak looked a bit like she was ready for anything; Kwazii yawned and rubbed his good eye. Peso rubbed his flippers, purely terrified, looking this way and that for any oncoming danger.

"Captain," Inkling greeted his solemnly. The professor was the first one to come into the room.

"Do you know what's going on?" Captain Barnacles asked. He looked out the windows. They were pitch black.

"No, I'm not sure.”

"Dashi, run diagnostics on the alarm system and the security cameras.”

When no one answered, Captain Barnacles turned towards the crowd.

“Dashi?"

"She's not here, Cap," Tweak said. They all looked around. It was true.

Captain Barnacle's lips pressed into a thin line.

"Alright. Tweak, run the diagnostics. We need to know what's happening." Especially if something has happened to Dashi.

Tweak jumped right into it without hesitation. After a couple press of the buttons, the computer screens whirred with charts and schematics. Captain Barnacles could read it somewhat, but it took concentration. The screens kept whirring quickly with the information, but Tweak's eyes followed easily, reading the information.

"There's a storm coming this way," Tweak finally spoke. She frowned. "But it's not something that the Octopod can't handle."

"So we're not in danger?" Peso kept wringing his flippers, but there was thin hope in his voice.

"No, we should be fine," Tweak turned towards them. "The weather sensors must be too sensitive. I'll recalibrate it to set off alarms when the storms are truly dangerous.”

"False alarm, everyone," Captain Barnacles announced. "Everyone can go back to bed.”

"What about Dashi?" Shellington asked. "We still don't know where she is.”

"Don't worry, I'm going to go look for her," Captain Barnacles replied. "But you all can go to sleep." He didn't want to impede on their time of rest.

"I'd like to come, though, it that's alright," Inkling said.

"Yeah," Tweak chimed in. "One of our own is missing; that's cause for concern.”

The Vegimals all nodded, and everyone seemed to be in agreement.

Although the situation was grave, smile perked at the Captain's lips. "Alright, we can all go,” he said. “We’ll split up into groups. Shellington and the Vegimals, check the Launch Bay and Dashi's room. Professor Inkling and Kwazii, check the area between the library and the game pod. Tweak, Peso, and I will check the area from the Garden Pod to the Medical Bay. Let everyone know if you find her. If she's not in the Octopod, we'll regroup and search for her outside.”

Shellington was learning Vegimalnese, so he would be able to translate a bit if necessary. And while Kwazii and a Peso were on good terms, Captain Barnacles didn't want to accidentally cause any drama by flinging them together.

Everyone nodded and started sprinting away, except for Peso and Tweak, who were on the polar bear’s team. The medic looked out past the window, into the blackness. "I hope she's not out there," he muttered.

The Captain wholeheartedly agreed.

Dashi felt like she was floating. Her eyes were shut; everything was surrounded in blackness. The only thing that was around was the constant music beats in her ears, seeming to move through her head. The voice of the musician Gazelle, her favorite artist, sang beautifully, reciting the lyrics that Dashi knew by heart.

Everything was at peace.

Until something landed on her stomach.

Dashi gasped, eyes flinging open. She shoved the thing away and sat straight up in her bed. She whipped off the headphones.

The disoriented face of the pink Vegimal, Codish, looked up at her.

"What was that for?" she yelled. Fun fact: she didn't like to be rudely awakened. But her irritation came down as Tunip and a couple of the other Vegimals came up and hugged her, burying their faces into her fur.

Shellington came through the door and locked eyes on her. In an instant, he relaxed, putting his paw on the doorframe. "Oh, thank goodness," he pressed his collar. "We found her. She was in her room."

"What's going on?" She was thoroughly confused, and their reactions were slightly worrying her. Even Codish, who she thought would be angry at her outburst, just shook his head to get rid of the disorientation and joined the hug.

"We just had an OctoAlert - nothing happened," he said, raising a placating paw; and Dashi breathed in relief. "It's just that you hadn't come, so we were worried about you."

Something came into her chest at those words, but she couldn't place the emotion. "I was here the whole time, sleeping," she said, then muttered to herself. "How could I have missed the OctoA-“

Then she stilled. Of course! How could she not have realized that her headphones would stop her from hearing the alarm?

Before she could process it further, the rest of the Octonauts arrived. They all seemed just as relieved as Shellington, and her stomach started to sink at that. This was absolutely embarrassing (Headphones? Seriously?!). She caused her teammates concern. This wasn't professional at all.

"You practically gave us all a heart attack!" Tweak said.

"I know. I'm sorry.”

"What happened?" Peso.

"It looks like she slept through the alarm," Kwazii said before she could put a word in.

"Really? But how?”

They all looked to her, waiting for an answer. In her mind, they all seemed to lean forward a bit.

"Sorry. I wear headphones when I sleep," she said. "That's probably what caused it."

Probably? Of course that's what it was. She just needed to take it like the responsible dog she was.

"I'm sorry. I didn't even think about it. It won't happen again." Of course, that would stink; but she'd just have to get over it.

"Why do you use them?" a deep voice asked. The Captain came forward, and her shoulders tensed. She could feel her blood turn cold.

"No real reason," she said.

An eyebrow raised.

Why couldn't they just believe her? She squirmed under the blankets. There was silence.

"I... I have trouble falling asleep,” she finally admitted. The silence was filled, but she could practically feel their eyes widen. Their perception of her must be so bad right now.

She stayed silent, her lips sealed shut. But the Captain nodded. "I see. The music helps calm your nerves.”

She nodded. Without it, the empty room was overwhelming, especially with sounds of the unknown, the creaks of floorboards and the moans of the air condition and, when she was in the city, sirens of ambulances. Those sounds became so distorted when she was half asleep; they would become monsters willing to swallow her up. She had used headphones to ward those monsters away ever since she was a child; and no one but her closest relatives had known about it. And as much as she had grown up (and wanted to grow up), she couldn't get herself to get rid of them. Whenever she did, the foreign sounds and uncanny silence would take over. And she had especially wanted to use them now, since she was in such a new environment. She could only imagine what unnatural sounds came from the submarine in the middle of a complete, pitch black night.

But with this dilemma, she would have no choice but to get rid of them. She could feel the fear start to rise, but she swallowed. Again, she would just have to get used to it.

She couldn't look at them. She fiddled with the blanket in front of her. It was silent again. Why couldn't they just speak, give the verdict? They just had to agree, and the headphones would be in the nearest trash can.

"Tweak, is there a way to hook up the headphones to the OctoAlert?"

Dashi's head snapped up. Are they really…?

"Well, I could attach a receiver inside her headphones," Tweak said. "That way, the Octopod's OctoAlert system could automatically send a signal to the headphones whenever the alarm is activated. She'll be able to hear it then. And phew, ain't that gonna be loud!" There was a twinkle in the rabbit's eye as she chuckled.

"Good idea," the Captain said. Dashi just sat there, dumbfounded.

"Alright, everyone," the Captain said. "Mystery solved. Everyone back to bed. We'll have to wake up early tomorrow.”

Everyone started heading out the door, saying their goodbyes. Dashi was half expecting them to be bitter about searching for her so late in the night, but they seemed genuinely ok with it.

She just looked at them all, stupefied.

The Captain and Tweak were the last ones there.

"I'll start working on those headphones first thing tomorrow." Tweak smiled.

"Ok," was all she could reply. Things just weren't computing.

"Have a good night, Dashi.” The Captain's tone was warm. She couldn't handle all the positivity, the care for her.

This wasn't the normal work setting.

"Good night," she said. The two of them left, the lights were turned off, and Dashi flopped back on her bed with Gazelle's ballad in her ears, deep in thought.

Chapter Text

It was the end of a productive day. The Octonauts had saved a crowd of snails from a rock slide, and Peso had checked up on everyone in the area. Shellington got some data; Dashi took perfect pictures. Yes, it was a productive day, and the Octonauts now relaxed in the library. Most of them, at least. Dashi was in the HQ; said that she was working on some project or another. It didn't really bother anyone (except for Shellington, who kept an eye out on such things. Especially with Dashi. He sighed. She had seemed like such a nice girl; it would have been nice if she was here instead of being cold and distant). The Octonauts could do whatever they wanted in their free time. They even had a game room, much to Kwazii's and the Vegimals' excitement (once the Vegimals understood how to play all the games).

They reclined in their spots, speaking of multiple topics. Captain Barnacles, Professor Inkling, and Shellington were in one group, the Vegimals in another, and the rest in another group.

"And that's how I got my head stuck in a tide pool," Shellington finished, as the Captain and Inkling practically bent over in laughter.

"I-I can't..." Inkling wheezed.

"How old were you?" the Captain chuckled.

Shellington paused. They listened in anticipation.

"...It happened about a year ago," he finally admitted.

They roared with laughter. It was even getting the attention of the other Octonauts.

Shellington smiled a little. It was a funny story; a beach, a beautiful female sea otter walking by, and a wrong step; and it all became comedy gold. They had been playing an ice breaker game, answering questions that the other Octonauts had. He had to answer what his most embarrassing story was.

Granted, he had a lot of embarrassing stories like that. He didn't know if he was naturally clumsy, or if his emotions just took over (most likely both), but it lended to quite a few hilarious stories. But he always told them about his teenage and college years.

Never his childhood.

But he brushed that thought away and focused on the present. It was his turn to ask the Professor a question.

Over all the time they spent together, he felt like he had asked the Professor everything. But there was something that he was wondering about.

"So, why the Octonauts?” Shellington asked. Inkling blinked. "I mean, I couldn't help but notice that there are a lot of octopus symbolism around here, from our insignia to our submarine..." Shellington really hoped the next part didn't come out wrong. "And I couldn't help but wonder, with you being an octopus and all, if it was a bit... you know…"

"Conceited?" There was an amused smirk on the professor's lips.

"I wasn't going to say that, but... yeah," he mumbled the last word.

Inkling chuckled. "Tweak, if you have a moment, I think you'd better come here," he called out. "I may need a witness.”

"You got it, Professor," she laughed as well, bringing her chair over. Shellington was surprised when the rest of the Octonauts did the same. Even the Vegimals came over, sitting on the floor. It dawned on Shellington that they probably had overheard their conversation for a while now.

"Someone finally asked the question, didn't they?" Tweak said.

"Yes. I'm surprised no one asked sooner.”

"They just didn't want to accuse you of having a big ego," she teased.

"Guess I owe you five pounds now," Inkling said.

"You mean five dollars.”

"Wait, you guys made a bet?" Kwazii looked stupefied, as if he was surprised that the professor and "goodie-two-shoes" mechanic would do that.

"Why of course," inkling replied smoothly.

Tweak turned towards the cat. "We were wondering when someone would ask about all the octopus stuff. Inkling said within a month; I said five.”

"I'll win next time," Inkling joked.

"Yeah right," Tweak rolled her eyes playfully. "And I'll turn into a carrot.”

"But in answer to you question," Inkling said, looking at Shellington again, "I did it in honor of my family's heritage, particularly my great grandfather.”

Kwazii's eyes widened, but no one except Peso noticed.

"He was an explorer of the oceans, much like we are. He traveled all across the world, logging his findings and sharing it with others. I actually have his journal." Inkling went off his hovering chair and moved towards one of the glass cases in the library. Lifting one of the glass doors, he took out an old, brown book.

As he moved, Peso continued to eye Kwazii. There was something in his gaze, something in those eyes.

It's longing, Peso finally realized. The penguin mentally sighed. When Kwazii was talking to him in the cat's room, he talked lengthily about Calico Jack, who had died during an expedition to the Amazon River. It was clear that Kwazii still grieved for him, the one who "gave me the life I gotta live," even after all these years.

But even though Kwazii looked like he wanted to say something now, his eyes grew cold; and he kept his mouth shut.

"In fact, the Octonaut's insignia was actually created by my great-grandfather," Inkling said, opening one of the pages. Sure enough, on a picture of a map was a small octopus insignia, just like the Octonaut's symbol.

The Vegimals oohed.

"He'd been on countless of exciting adventures. Here, let me read you one of my favorites," Inkling said. He was like an excited school boy showing a rock collection.

"Last night," Inkling read from the journal, "I happened upon a most glorious sight. The water was filled with a glowing blue light. I had my crew stop the boat, and we started to study it. I jumped into the water. As I submerged, the blue surrounded me, and it was as if I was surrounded in stars. It was a beautiful disorientation. After a while, I didn't know which way was up; but it did not matter. It was just me and this blue, gloriously blue, light.”

"Wow, what was causing that?" Tweak asked. She was chewing on a carrot again.

"My great grandfather was unable to find out at the time, but I believe that they were bioluminescent plankton.”

"Teero?" Tunip asked questioningly, cocking his head to the side.

"'Bioluminescent' means that they can glow in the dark," Shellington explained. He turned towards Inkling. "That makes perfect sense, professor."

"Well, I don't trust them," Kwazii declared, crossing his arms.

Inkling continued to read. "But after a while a growing, nagging feeling came to the back of my mind. It seemed like time had slipped by too much. I could not hear my crew anymore. I tried to search for them, but it was all to no avail. I ended up wandering, with nothing but the glowing blue and myself.”

"Yep," Kwazii nodded harshly once. "Definitely don't trust them. It sounds like the dreaded Blue Wave Spirit. It is said that a spirit inhabits the waves that glow. It calls down unsuspecting sailors, only to surround and eat them alive!”

The Vegimals grabbed hold of each other and shivered. Tweak chuckled.

"Who ever told you a tale like that?" Shellington asked amusedly. "That's scientifically impossible!”

Peso saw that the cat ignored the question. "Mark my words, me hearties. Something's gonna take him.”

"We'll see," Inkling said playfully, looking back towards the page. The Vegimals continued to shiver and look at the storyteller warily.

As Inkling continued to tell the story, Peso looked at Kwazii.

So Kwazii didn't end up telling anyone else about Calico Jack. It was easy to tell that Calico was the one to tell Kwazii about the Blue Wave Spirit. When they were talking before, Kwazii was adamant that Peso keep his grandfather a secret from everyone else. Peso didn't necessarily approve, but he understood. If there was one thing he had learned from his conversation a week ago, it was this: Kwazii didn't want to get hurt anymore.

"Suddenly, a huge monster with a gaping jaw jumped out!" Inkling roared. He spread his arms out with a menacing face.

"Told ya!" Kwazii yelled triumphantly.

Inkling really got into his stories.

But, that seemed to go against him this time.

The Vegimals screamed, these high pitched voices that were like children. And then they fell back. And didn't get up.

Inkling lowered his arms. Everyone stared. There was a silence.

Then the situation caught up to Peso's brain. He ran towards them, efficiently jumping over a chair that was in the way.

"What happened?" The Captain barked.

"I-I didn't mean to!" Poor professor.

"Are they dead?”

"No, of course not, Kwazii!" Though harsh, Tweak sounded terrified.

Peso grabbed Tominnow's flipper, feeling for the red Vegimal’s pulse. Is their blood pressure low? Is their breathing normal?

Shellington's face was unnaturally pale. Captain Barnacles looked like he was ready to catch the scientist if he fainted too.

But then Tominnow's flipper twitched. Grouber's face scrunched up. Codfish faced away from Peso. Just as quickly as the medic had come, they recovered. Tominnow opened his eyes, blinked, and looked up at Peso's surprised face.

Tominnow raised one eyebrow.

"Trillo sii porto na?” he asked. It was so nonchalant, as if he was confused why Peso would be staring at him like that. Like it was the most natural occurrence in the world.

"Uhh, well... Uh..." How was he supposed to respond to that?

Tominnow sat up, and Peso went back a little. The red Vegimal stood up, patted the dust off of himself, and proceeded to help his fellow Vegimals off of the ground.

Everyone was dumbstruck.

The Captain was the first to find his voice. "Vegimals, is this a common occurrence of your species?"

Tunip looked up at he polar bear, seeming to get his bearings. He seemed spaced out, but he shook his head slightly to get rid of that. Tunip nodded.

"Is it only when you are frightened?”

Tunip nodded again, putting his flippers behind his back and looking nervously at the Captain. It looked like he just realized that this could be a problem.

"Seera, Cappi.”

“He says that he's sorry," Shellington translated what little Vegimalnese he knew.

"There's no need to be sorry," the Captain replied, smiling reassuringly. "We just need to know about possible issues our members have, to make sure that no problems come up unexpectedly.”

Peso glanced sideways at the cat, thinking about those words. The penguin sighed mentally. As a medic, he's going to make a decision about this, doesn't he.

But, as he thought about it, he found that he had faith in the pirate. He didn’t know where it came from, but he had the feeling that Kwazii was able to overcome mountains. He had so far, right? While Peso felt guilty for causing him pain before, he was kind of glad that those events happened. Now Peso and Kwazii were on the same page. If the cat ever needed to talk to someone, he had it. Peso would make sure of that.

Chapter Text

Dashi sat in the HQ, the huge screen towering above her. She loved the technology of this place; high definition screens, fast processors, and a pretty good internet connection (unless they got incredibly deep into the ocean). The only complaint she had was that she had to crank her neck up to see the pictures on the screen. There were quite a few, all showing the professor and his family and peers. Inkling had brought his picture collection on board; and, when Dashi found out about it, just had to ask Inkling if she could turn them digital. While there were many pictures that were still in good condition, there were significant amount of older pictures that were starting to fade. They were quite old, showing Inkling as a child and his own grandparents. One of the grandparents had pictures of himself all over the world, as if the grandfather was traveling. Dashi looked through those pictures in interest, marveling at the snapshots of history. That's one of the reasons she loved pictures so much; they preserved memories that would otherwise have been forgotten.

Outside, the evening ocean was peaceful. The sun was setting, making the ocean a darker blue. The occasional fish swam by, and kelp fronds waved to and fro. Since it was the end of the day, the Octopod was parked on the sea floor.

Dashi kept looking through the pictures, organizing and labeling them as she went. She had already scanned all of Inkling's pictures, and her own pictures were already digital. She had to do both her and Inkling's, which she didn't mind at all. It was enjoyable, and something to do.

Something caught her ear, and it raised a bit. If she concentrated, she could almost say that she could hear the other Octonauts' laughter.

Since she already started, maybe she should organize everyone else's pictures? She smiled slightly. That's not a bad idea. It would be something to do.

But, she would have to ask them first.

She pressed her lips together. Ever since the headphone incident, she couldn't understand her feelings when she thought of them. She knew they were in the library right now, spending time together. What would it be like, if she was with them now. Would she enjoy it?

But, she had this project to do as well. She couldn't just brush it to the side to hang out with them. Especially since she told Inkling she would work on it.

That's what she kept telling herself.

She looked up at the screen again and continued working, pushing away her growing discomfort.

Chapter Text

Whenever the others were away on a mission, Tweak had all the time in the world. The Octopod had landed on the seafloor earlier this morning, which gave her stability as she worked on her project. The Vegimals weren't with her in the Launch Bay; she didn't need the assistance at the moment. As much as those little goofballs were adorable, she appreciated having time alone. She lay on her back underneath her hobby project, the Gup F. She tightened a bolt with a wrench, sticking her tongue out like the countless times before. So far, the engines didn't really work on the Gup F. But maybe, if she had the Gup F run on leg power instead of electricity, it could be of use after all. It could be a back up, of sorts.

Besides, the idea of a bicycle Gup sounded hilarious.

Her tall ears perked up at the sound of the Octochute opening and closing. She rolled out from underneath the Gup and spotted Dashi, who was walking towards the large computer monitor in the Launch Bay. It looked like she was carrying a small, rectangular object.

Tweak sat up. It looked like Dashi didn't see her yet. The dog faced the computer, turning it on and pressing a few buttons.

Strange, Tweak hadn't seen the photographer last night. Everyone else was in the library, hanging out, except for the dog. Tweak shrugged mentally but stood up. The professor, and Peso recently, was heavily implying that everyone needed to try to get to know each other better. Tweak needed to do her part, after all. Maybe Dashi just needed a boost.

Tweak went up to the dog. Dashi kept looking at the screen, eyes completely focused.

"Hello," Tweak said. She waved then put her paw to her utility belt.

Dashi's ears were the next to raise (not the whole ears, Tweak thought curiously, just the base of the ears), and she turned towards the source of the noise. "Hello, Tweak," Dashi replied with a serene smile. "How has your day been?”

"Good, good," Tweak drawled, pulling out a carrot. She was craving one. "How 'bout yourself? Up to anything? I haven't seen you last night.”

Dashi looked at her strangely - was it something she said? - before answering, "I was organizing Professor Inkling's pictures.” Dashi turned towards the screen again, but not unkindly. "It's a hobby of mine. I already took care of my pictures, so I was using his. He needed it done, anyway.”

"Ran out of pictures?" Tweak asked, realization dawning. "You haven't been going out for photo shoots, haven’t you?”

That's right. Captain Barnacles, Peso, and Kwazii had gone out. Even Shellington and Inkling left occasionally. But not Dashi.

"As much as I'd love to go out, it was my decision to wait awhile," Dashi said. "But you're slightly mistaken. I have been taking pictures- just not of the outside world yet. The National Sea-ographic- the magazine we send our photos too- requested that we give them information about ourselves. They're doing a series of articles of us, and so they want to me to introduce the Octonauts and the equipment. That’s going to be the subject of the first article of their series.”

"Sounds amazing," Tweak replied. It was more than flattering that she could be featured in a magazine. "Are we going to be interviewed?”

Dashi's brow creased. "Well, no. I... I was just planning on taking photos of the rooms, and probably a couple more of when everyone's in the HQ, and send everyone’s info about their roles in the crew.”

"Oh." Dashi winced as disappointment flashed across Tweak's face. The rabbit hid that quickly, though. "I understand," Tweak said. "I wish you good luck on that.”

"Thanks," Dashi said as Tweak turned away. That feeling from yesterday sprang up in Dashi, unbidden. Not only that feeling, but guilt found it's way into her heart as well. Dashi had thought about giving interviews, but she didn't want to face everyone one-on-one. For the life of her, she didn't know why.

She never felt uncomfortable around anyone. Sure, she was never buddy-buddy with any other creature, except for her sister. Dashi always had something to do, some project that she was interested in. That was what always brought her joy. With hanging out... it always seemed like a chore. Her parents would always say to hang out with friends, but to set up the time, to go to them, it always felt like she had to drag her feet. She knew it was wrong to think this way. But…

Had she ever had a true friend?

Tweak looked back at her. There was something in her expression that Dashi didn't understand. "Say..." Tweak said. "Would you like to help me fix a Gup?”

"I don't think I'll be much of help," Dashi instinctively replied. If Tweak needed help, she could ask a Vegimal. That's one of their roles, after all.

"I'll teach you, then," Tweak chuckled.

Dashi scrunched her eyebrows, but then understood the rabbit's gesture. Although half of her was thinking about her work, the other half was rising up in longing. Longing for something she only realized that she may have never understood.

“Sure."

Tweak smiled and turned fully, and Dashi fell in step beside her.

"Ok, just turn that bolt there," Tweak pointed. They were both under the Gup F. Dashi thought that it would have been claustrophobic, but the Gup was a couple feet off the ground, so it wasn't too bad.

"Like this?" Dashi placed the wrench there and moved it like she always seen others do it. With her lying on her back, it was rather difficult. (Though never in her dreams would she say that out loud. Turning a bolt? It should be easy! Everyone knows how to do it!).

"There you go," Tweak encouraged once it was done. “Alright, now we need to put in the gears and chains…"

Tweak brought in the next parts, and over the next hour the engineer would guide the driver into building the inner workings of the Gup. She would explain each piece, what each was for, then have Dashi attach everything. Tweak never got in the way; if Dashi was stuck attaching something, the rabbit would patiently wait until Dashi figured it out, giving pointers. That was the way Tweak was always taught; trial and error was the way to go. Tweak would only work paws-on when welding needed to be done. At those times, Dashi would stand away from the Gup for safety.

“You’re doing pretty good,” Tweak said, as they neared the end. “Have you done anything like this before?”

“I was in a science program in high school once,” Dashi said. She slightly beamed, as if reliving her memories. “The overall project was to make a small robot, the size of an insect, that had a camera and could fly and crawl. I was in the group that made the camera.”

“Wow, that’s quite amazing,” Tweak said, genuinely surprised. “Didn’t know you had that much experience.”

“It wasn’t much,” Dashi said sheepishly. “We were always supervised by the faculty and just had to follow the instructions. I still have the blueprints, actually,” Dashi chuckled. “But I never knew the “why” of the steps. Unlike you,” she said, gesturing towards the underbelly of the Gup. The mechanism was complex, metal parts everywhere, all connected in a chaotic harmony that was hard to understand.

“You can literally make whatever you want. That’s what’s amazing.”

“Well, that comes with practice,” Tweak said, now sheepish herself. There was a silent, almost awkward moment, before Tweak changed the subject, guiding them back to the project at hand. They continued working amicably until the final piece was to be put in place.

"Almost there," Tweak said. Dashi tightened the final bolt, then let her arm fall down with a satisfied plop.

The pedal system was in place, ready to go.

"Let's test her out!" Tweak said, energetically coming out from under the Gup. Dashi followed her and stood as Tweak climbed into the Gup. Since there were no walls, Dashi could see Tweak inspecting the pedals, then move them with one paw. Dashi tightly kept her own paws together, trying not to show her slight uneasiness. She hoped she did everything right. If she didn't, Tweak would have told her, right? Although her logic was sound, her emotions still made her stomach tighten a little.

"Looks good so far," Tweak said, before looking up at her. "Let's try 'er out in the water.”

"Alright," Dashi replied, though she was surprised that Tweak thought it was ready for that stage. "Um, shouldn't the Gup get walls first?”

"Not necessarily," Tweak said. "Actually, if there's a problem, it'll be easier to get into the pedaling system.”

"Oh," Dashi simply replied, processing and storing away that information. Tweak went out and brought the Gup C, which had a tow line. She attached it to the Gup F and dragged it (after putting it down to the ground) toward the Launch Bay's water. The wheels on the Gup F prevented it from scratching the floor.

Dashi stood there, curious and excited. She made sure to keep still and not wring her paws.

Soon, the Gups plopped into the water. Tweak undid the rope, and the Gup F sank.

Dashi brought a paw out. "Wait, Tweak! The Gup!”

"Don't worry, Dashi," Tweak said as she climbed into the tow Gup again. She brought the Gup C back on land. "It's supposed to sink. It's only made out of metal, after all.”

"Oh, right," Dashi felt like face-palming herself.

Tweak got out of the small sub again and stood in front of Dashi. "Do you have the helmet installed?" Tweak asked.

"Yes," Dashi said. She fingered her collar.

"Sweet," Tweak activated hers. The helmet came around the rabbit's head and circled around her ears, keeping the tips out. Dashi marveled at that design. The dog activated hers as well.

"Ready?" Tweak asked.

"Yep," she replied.

They both jumped, and Dashi was soon enveloped in the coolness of the water. It surrounded her, making her skirt sway, her fur stand up lazily. Yet, and it was strange for a split second to Dashi, her head was completely dry.

It was the first time in the voyage that she was in the water.

Dashi floated there for a second, that revelation sinking in her. But then Tweak waved, and the dog followed her lead. They swam down, down, down (Goodness, Dashi thought, how deep is this ship?) until they went to the bottom of the chasm. There the Gup F stood on its side, like a sunken ship in the bottom of the ocean.

"Help me flip the Gup over," a voice surrounded her head. Dashi looked at Tweak, who just let go of the radio button on her collar.

"On it," Dashi replied, pressing her own button. There were a couple of grunts, but soon the Gup was in its proper position. They both went in and sat in the Gup.

"There's a button on the collar that'll keep the radio link open all the time," Tweak said. She pointed at the button in the collar. "So we can do things without activating the radio all the time.”

"Good idea,” Dashi said, turning it on. Tweak thinks of everything!

"Alright," Tweak said as they got into position. "On the count of three, get ready to pedal. One, two, three!”

Dashi pedaled as fast as she could. It felt a bit wonky to her, with water resistance affecting her every move. She kept going, though. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tweak peddling as well.

The Gup shook.

"Keep going!" Tweak said. Dashi applied even more energy.

Let this work, please let this work!

The Gup shook again, but then slowly lifted off and went forward. "It's working," Tweak gasped, completely elated. Dashi grinned as well.

But then the Gup started to tilt.

Dashi smile faded into horror.

"Lean to the left!" She wasn't sure if Tweak, or herself, said that; but she followed the instruction as hard as she could. Nothing worked.

Soon it fell down back on the floor, toppling both of them out of the vehicle. Dashi landed on her stomach, her face against the helmet. The helmet made here neck crane awkwardly.

She sat up groggily, but the guilt came with full clarity.

She must have done something wrong. She didn't follow Tweak instructions-

Wait, Tweak!

She whipped her head towards the rabbit. Tweak was lying on her back.

"Tweak, are you alright?”

But her fear turned into confusion -and relief- as laughter filled the radio link. Tweak sat up, laughing widely and deeply. She put a paw to her side and lowered her head.

"Oh me oh my!" She laughed. She was obviously full of adrenaline. "I completely forgot to recalibrate the stabilizers. I'll definitely have to fix that. But that was fun!”

Dashi raised her eyebrows. "Fun?" But it didn't work out. If anything, Dashi thought Tweak would have gotten angry.

"Well, yeah. Ya can't expect everything to go smoothly on the first try. That's what inventing's all about, y’know?"

Dashi stayed quiet, contemplating while at the same time unsure of how to respond.

But as Tweak stood up, laughed "Let's go," and as they both swam back up for the towline, Dashi knew that she could see herself hanging out with Tweak again.

It was... nice.

Chapter Text

You know someone's quite the character when they swing vines as a hobby.

"You sure ya don't wanna join me?" Kwazii called, summersaulting in the air as he grabbed another of those green plants. Captain Barnacles and Kwazii were in the Garden Pod. The Captain was there to check up on the food supply. The pirate cat... Well, it was obvious what his intentions were.

"Um, I'd really like to, Kwazii, but I have some work to do," Captain Barnacles replied, shuffling his feet slightly as he looked down at Tunip. If he was honest, the idea didn't sound really appealing. But he wanted to decline easily. He may be strong, but he's not one for fights.

"'Tis your loss, mate," Kwazii replied flippantly, not missing a beat. He continued the acrobatics as the Octochute opened and an out-of-breath sea otter came tumbling out.

"Sorry I'm late, Captain," Shellington panted as he jogged towards them. Tunip chirped a greeting.

"It's no trouble at all," the Captain replied. "Thanks for being our translator.”

"I'll try my best," Shellington replied determinedly. Over the time they have been out at sea, Shellington had been getting lessons in Vegimalnese daily. He already gained progress over that short time, and he could already speak a little bit of it.

Kwazii continued to swing, cheering as he went along.

Captain Barnacles cleared his throat. "My first question, Tunip," he said. "Is if-

"Yaow!" Kwazii yelled. He did a triple summersault - his ultimate record!

The Captain was not amused. "-if the irrigation system is working smoothly.”

"Yii, Capii. Nii es wiilow happo, ne te mawl nalla. Da-ta te hosu nu niyet tiipo iino drii.” Tunip made sure to talk slowly, using gestures when needed.

"Yes, Captain," Shellington translated slowly, piecing together the words. "It is working fine, for the most part. Sometimes the hose does not give... Wait what was that?”

“Iino drii,” Tunip repeated.

"Enough..." Shellington said, then stopped, cocking his head to the side. He then glanced sheepishly at the Captain.

"Sorry, give me a moment.”

"Take your time," the polar bear said. He wasn't going to get annoyed. He wasn’t.

"Is it water?" Shellington asked Tunip. He shook his head. "Aqua? Length? Width?"

Now Shellington was just spouting words.

Kwazii kept on shouting.

"Kwazii, can you please keep it down?" Captain Barnacles called out. His paws were balled into fists, but he made sure he breathed though his nose.

In, out, in out.

"Oh, I got it! I got it!" Shellington exclaimed excitedly.

"What is it?" Captain Barnacles leaned forward.

"It's pressure!" Shellington yelled just as Kwazii landed on top of Captain Barnacles.

"I-I have to work on me landing," Kwazii laughed sheepishly above him, rubbing the back of his neck.

The Captain just sighed.

"Mateys, what're you up to?" Kwazii asked curiously, walking up to the Captain and Peso in the game room.

"We're about to play a round of ping pong," Peso motioned to the table. The penguin and polar bear were holding small, round rackets.

"Ping pong, eh?" Kwazii said, a smirk coming on.

"Would you like to play?" Peso asked. "We can take turns.”

“Sure, Peso," Kwazii's smirk grew bigger. "But I'm warning ya now, I play to win."

Captain Barnacles knew that sort of smile. It was the same one his sister Bianca would have when they were wrestling as kids. It was the one that always made games interesting. It was a power play; seeing the one who's better. Who's the dominant one in that area.

As much as he didn't like fights, Captain Barnacles loved competition.

The polar bear smirked as well. "Don't get too confident now, Kwazii. So do I.”

Kwazii seemed shocked at the reply, but then the smile returned. "You're on!”

Captain Barnacles was about to start, but then he remembered. Peso was quiet, looking a bit uncomfortable. As much as he and the cat were into competitions, Peso just wasn't the type. He had to incorporate that into the games. As Captain, he needed to make sure to keep good relations within the crew, and that everyone's needs were met, and that no one felt left out. That was a hard task, but he was more than ready to take on that challenge.

"Let me and Peso play the first round, then the winner will play the next creature.”

"Alright," they both replied.

Captain Barnacles and Peso got into positions and began. Peso started the first serve. It went over the net, and the bear was able to hit it.

Peso was pretty good, saying, “My cousins and I play this a lot, especially inside when there are blizzards." Captain Barnacles didn't lower his skill level, not at all, but he made sure not to hit too hard. His polar bear strength would be overwhelming.

Peso won a point. "Nice," the Captain said.

Peso lost one. "Let's see what happens next," Captain Barnacles said. It was cheerful, with a competitive streak, but in no way would Peso be able to interpret it as mean spirited. He made sure of that.

It was fun. Although it was fairly close, Captain Barnacles won out on top. "Good game, Peso," he said, clapping him on the shoulder before Peso and Kwazii switched places.

The Captain could feel adrenaline just by looking at Kwazii's stance. He was ready for battle, poised to attack. He was confident, and his eye held competition and excitement.

Captain Barnacles was to serve. He threw up the ping pong and hit it at the same strength level as he did with Peso.

The wall whizzed past the polar bear’s head. Captain Barnacles looked over his shoulder and saw the ping pong ball roll slowly then stop, having hit the glass wall behind him.

He looked back and saw Kwazii chuckle. The cat flipped the paddle in the air and caught it easily.

"So that's how you want to play?" Captain Barnacles said. He gripped his own paddle tighter in anticipation.

It was on.

The Captain let loose in a way that he hadn't done in a long time (and only in hindsight, a couple years later, could he see that with a twinge of wistfulness). He gave it all he got; even with his polar bear strength, Kwazii could still return it (most of the time, he inwardly chuckled). He found himself laughing deeply, laughing heartily, as Kwazii ran this way and that, going through outrageous poses to catch the ball. But he kept on catching it. Peso was cheering them both on, becoming as deep into the game as the rest of them. Soon one passerby become two, two became three, and eventually all the Octonauts were there. Tweak was even able to drag Dashi to the game room as well.

"It's a tie," Shellington held his breath.

"Hear that, Kwazii? One more point and I'll win," Captain Barnacles smirked.

"Nah, yer head's all jumbled up. It's me who'll take this.”

It was the Captain's turn to serve. Perfect.

He mentally prepared himself, threw up the ball. It floated up in slow motion, then he hit it hard, the hardest he though he ever had. It ricocheted off the other side of the table and went right into Kwazii's paddle.

What? Captain Barnacles blinked. It wasn't there before.

He didn't have time to think before his paw jerked to the left, catching the whizzing ball before it could pass him. He left it to instinct, that trait that always got him through tough situations, to take him to the finish line. His paw moved right, left, up, down. His mind became uncannily clear. It was just him and the game.

But that wasn't enough, it seemed.

It seemed impossible, but he saw it pass his left eye, pass his peripheral vision until it disappeared out of sight. Kwazii yelled, pulled his arm back, and did a back flip. The other Octonauts cheered madly. Captain Barnacles looked back, and there she was, rolling back and stopping.

Kwazii won. He actually won.

The polar bear turned back to find that very cat standing in front of him, his paw stretched out towards him.

"Good game." He didn't say it boastfully, not with pride. There was actually a fondness there, in his eyes and his almost lazy smile, one that Captain Barnacles wasn't really prepared for.

But he was absolutely welcome to it.

"Good game," he replied, bringing up his own paw and shaking it once. The other Octonauts then swarmed Kwazii, congratulating him. Kwazii paused for a second, taking it all in. But then he beamed widely. Captain Barnacles looked at the scene with his own fondness. Now that he'd seen it, he knew that he had never witnessed Kwazii so happy.

And he hoped that Kwazii would stay this happy in the future.

"So Dashi, we're going to need to add a few adjustments to the Octopod's course," the Captain said as he walked down the hallway. He had a clipboard and a pen in his paws, which contained the schedule of their voyage. He found that they would frequently stay at a location longer than planned. The need for medical assistance was usually the cause behind it. Now Captain Barnacles didn't necessarily mind - he wanted to make sure that everyone was taken care of in an area- but that meant that some changes would have to be made.

Dashi followed him down the hall, completely giving her attention. She walked while holding her paws in front of her body. Her back was straight, poised at attention. He could feel her attentive gaze on him. She was very good at paying attention, unlike some of the other crew members (they all had their pros and cons). Dashi was definitely professional.

"Yaow!" Rang an excited cry. From all the weeks of being on the Octopod, he had grown used to this cry. It seemed to be coming from up ahead.

Captain Barnacles looked up and tried to search for the one in question. He grew amused.

Now what was Kwazii up to this time?

They were coming towards an intersection between two hallways. He saw something brown flash by the wall of the other hallway. It moved too quickly for the polar bear to see what it was.

Now Dashi looked up as well, eyebrows creased forward with befuddled curiosity. The brown flashed again, followed by one or two patches of orange. The orange soon became arms and a tail. Eventually, they could see Kwazii completely.

"En guard!" He yelled, seemingly to no one. He used his weapon - a long loaf of bread - to swipe at the air. It wasn't aimless; it was calculated, planned out. It was impressive.

It was also very strange.

"Ya wanna dance eh? Well, ya picked the wrong cat.”

Dashi raised up a paw, as if to interrupt him, but it went back down sheepishly.

"I'm the strongest pirate you have ever seen! I can fight off 500 guys with one arm tied behind me ba-“

He turned towards the unintentional onlookers and spotted them. His words slowed then died, as did his movement.

There was an awkward silence.

The Captain cleared his throat. "Carry on," he waved his paw dismissively, as if he was an army general and the soldiers were doing the run-of-the-mill exercises.

Captain Barnacles walked by the stupefied pirate, an amused Dashi chuckling quietly behind him.

It was a week later, and Captain Barnacles and Kwazii were in the library.

They already scouted the area. There weren't that many creatures in this rocky canyon area. Dashi took that as a good opportunity to interview everyone for National Sea-graphic. There were to be individual interviews, so everyone was to wait in the library until Dashi called them. Everyone else had gone (it was the professor’s turn now), and so the cat and polar bear were the only ones left.

Kwazii was slumped backwards over the couch, seeing everything upside down.

"Can't believe Dashi won't let us leave the library,” Kwazii muttered.

"Now, Kwazii" the Captain gently admonished, not looking up from his book. "It's so she won't lose track of us. She knows just how easy it is for you to sneak away-“

“Hey!"

“-so it's for the best. Just be patient; you'll be free soon enough.”

Kwazii pouted, then pulled himself up and sat the appropriate way on the couch. “Fine."

They waited. It was silent for a few moments. Captain Barnacles turned a page, getting deeper into the schematics and cycles of global water currents. Next thing he knew, there's impatient tapping on the small coffee table.

"You could read, you know."

"But all these books are boring!" Kwazii exclaimed. It wasn't loud, but it was still full of passion. Always the way that the Captain heard it. "They all have sciencey doohickeys and theories and whatnot. I know it's Inkling's collection of books, but come on."

"Well, then maybe you could do something else." He sometimes felt like he was talking to a child.

"Like what?”

Like what indeed. Captain Barnacles looked around, trying to wrack his brain. He spotted on a cardboard box on one of the lower shelves.

"How about a game of checkers?" he asked. He thought that Kwazii would say no. After all, it wasn't the most heart-thumping activity in the world.

But the pirate said, "Sure, I'll play a round.”

Captain Barnacles grabbed the box and took it to the table. Kwazii waited for him there, and immediately started helping him set up.

Much to Barnacle's surprise, Kwazii had a pretty strategic mind, being able to counterattack his strategy fairly well. Of course, that didn't mean that he was winning; Captain Barnacles had this in the bag, he just knew it.

But as the game progressed, he realized something strange. The polar bear made his move and leaned back against the chair, studying the cat. Kwazii was completely focused on the game. The only part of his body that moved was his arm when it moved a piece. Not even his tail flicked.

He never thought that the cat could sit so still. But then again, he caught Kwazii sitting down sometimes, reading his own genre of books. But wouldn't he hate those sort of things? he wondered.

"Checkmate!" Kwazii yelled. Captain Barnacles snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the board. All of his black pieces were off the board except for one, which was about to be destroyed by a red piece.

Kwazii pumped a fist in the air. "I win! Yaow!" That was when Captain Barnacles finally got it. As long as there was something to do, anything at all (except cleaning) that could keep him engaged, Kwazii was fine. He could make it as interesting and energetic as he wanted. It was just absolute boredom that he despised.

Wait, did I just lose? he thought, finally thinking about reality. He saw Kwazii's smirk of dominance. Captain Barnacles smirked too. "Well done, Kwazii, but I wasn't paying much attention. Let's play again, and see if you'll be able to win this time."

"You're on!" Kwazii replied, starting to prepare the pieces.

This was going to be fun.

Chapter Text

"Alright, I think I'm almost done with the lighting here," Dashi said, playing with the lightbulb one last time. She was on a small step ladder. Shellington sat in the chair, patting his legs as he waited. His eyes wandered around the room, looking at the equipment Dashi had for the photo shoot. There were lights on stands, and these umbrellas that would reflect the light. He remembered seeing those whenever his school photos were taken. Of course, there was also the tripod and camera. Dashi got off the stepladder.

They were in his lab. Dashi said that it would look much more natural, and that it showed much more clearly what he did on the crew.

It was kind of awkward in the quiet, and Shellington didn't really like that, so he asked, "How long have you been taking pictures?”

"I've been doing it here and there for a few years now," she said, tightening the last lightbulb. She plugged the cord into the wall then put her paw on the switch. "Look away," she said cheerfully.

He thankfully did at the last second before the light turned on and blared at him. He looked back as Dashi casually walked to the other light.

"Look away.”

FLASH. Scree.

He looked away just in time. When he looked back towards her, his eye twitched at the brightness. "Is this all necessary?" He asked.

She glanced at his face, and her cheerfulness deflated a bit. "Sorry," she said. “The lighting in this room isn't that good, and we need to see your face clearly on the camera.”

The lab's ceiling lights looked fine to him, but he didn't really feel like questioning the professional. The sooner they got over this, the better. He looked longingly at his counter of tools. He was itching to try an experiment on the growth rate of algae in the area.

"Don't worry," she said, then winked. "I'll get out of your fur soon.”

He looked back, surprised, then chuckled. "It's that obvious, huh?” He asked.

"Yep," she said, then picked up her camera. “Smile."

His laughter made it easier for him to smile naturally, which he was grateful for (he wasn't too good at this sort of thing). It's almost like she did that on purpose.

Huh, she's good.

She took several more pictures, asking him to do different things (use the desk behind him as if he was doing some experiment, bring out his algae and rock samples, etc.). Then she thankfully turned the horrid lights off.

"Now it's just the questionnaire part of this interview," she said, setting up a chair and sitting across from him. The light stands were still there. When he opened his mouth, about to ask, she replied, "The lights are too hot for right now. I’ll take them down afterwards, once they're cool - And no, I'm not reading your mind. You're just very expressive." She said it in a teasing way, in this joking way that seemed like she was having fun.

Where was the overly professional, I-don't-pay-attention-to-others creature that he met before? He had noticed her over the past few weeks, how she wouldn't spend time with others, how she would always hide herself away on the evenings. While he was concerned during that one time when she was missing during an OctoAlert (who wouldn’t be concerned, in that situation?), he didn’t think that they would truly be able to become friends. But... things were slowly changing. He started to realize there was more to her than the professional pooch.

He laughed out loud, and started to talk to her in earnest at the interview, and then talked about any topic in the world with her later that evening.

Maybe there was more to this canine after all.

Chapter Text

Peso turned a few knobs hesitantly and then stood in front of the large screen, pulling at his collar a bit sheepishly. Don't get him wrong, he wanted to talk to his family-he really did! It's just, a couple of things.

First, he's not sure if he used the telecommunicator correctly, even though Tweak had already taught him how to use it.

And two, he didn't know how the family would react. Probably overbearingly excited. Which was good, again. Just a bit overwhelming. It was his first call to them since he left, after all.

The screen “rang," a circular icon appearing and chasing itself. Then there was a pause, the screen turned black, and he heard shuffling.

"Hello?" he called out tentatively.

"Peso, is that you?" His mother's voice.

Peso felt his features melt into a smile, his nervousness gone.

"Mom? Yes, it's me.”

The screen turned on, and he could finally see his mother and two brothers, Pinto and Pogo. They all crowded around their own little screen, but he could see the ice walls and ceiling of their igloo home. A wave of nostalgia hit him.

"Peso!" They all yelled excitedly.

"I miss you!”

"My son, the Octonaut!”

"How's the job?”

Peso laughed, "I missed you all too.”

He was afraid of being overwhelmed by the questions, but he ended up cherishing it. Was he gone for so long that he had forgotten how much he was used to this?

"Boys, boys, let's ask one at a time," his mother admonished the others gently. Then she turned towards Peso. "Tell us everything's that's been happening. We're all dying to know. Especially since you haven't called in the last few months." She gave a pointed look.

Peso rubbed he back of his neck. “Sorry..."

Peso began explaining his last few months, that everything was fine. It has all been a growing experience, but he's slowly getting used to things. He left out his tension with Kwazii. He was kind of ashamed to talk about how he had acted towards the pirate. It was all in the past, so no use in bringing it up, right?

"Sometimes I can't believe that I'm here." He finished. "This was even more amazing then I expected. I'm helping so many creatures, and so far they've been so grateful whenever I help. It's the most satisfying feeling. And the crew I work with is great as well…"

"Yes, you mentioned how the Captain had helped you. He seems like a very nice fellow," his mother commented.

"He is," Peso said. He felt admiration grow within him. "He never looks down on me, even when I'm nervous. He is able to work peacefully with everyone. I would love to be like him one day…"

"And the other Octonauts?" Pogo asked. "How are they turning up?”

Peso considered for a moment. They were nice, but they weren't as close as Peso was with his friends at home. The closest person, other than the Captain, would actually be-

Peso looked up at Pinto excitedly. "Guess what?" he asked directly to his younger brother.

"What is it?" Pinto jumped forward, pushing his relatives to the sides in his haste, and leaned on his flippers towards the screen. He loved it when his big brother used his mischievous voice. It wasn't there as often as he would like.

"There's an actual pirate on the crew." Peso whispered.

Pinto gasped. "A-a pirate?! Are you serious, Peso?”

“Absolutely."

"Does he talk like a pirate?”

“Yep."

"Does he have an eyepatch?”

"Yes, and he even has a telescope and treasure chest." Kwazii had showed them to him after they had made amends.

"Mom! Mom! We have to visit them!" He lunged at his resigned mother as Peso laughed heartily.

"Maybe one of these days, dear," she said vaguely, patting him on the shoulder.

"I would love that," Peso agreed.

"Hello? Hello?" The familiar combination of white fur and pink sweater flashed in front of the screen, as the Captain's sister adjusted her tablet.

"Bianca? Can you hear me?" Captain Barnacles asked. Depending on where Bianca was, either in Alaska or the Arctic, her levels of internet connection varied.

"Yes, I can.” She adjusted the tablet one last time then took her first good look at her brother. "It's great to see you again.”

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Captain Barnacles chuckled.

"We've all been traveling everywhere. Well, you've been traveling more, but..." She chuckled too. "How's the new crew?”

"They're all dependable, and they each have their own specialties. Some need a bit more guidance than others, but that's normal in this sort of environment. There's occasionally a bit of tension, but so far, any conflicts get resolved amongst themselves, without my interference. So that's really saying something about their characters, in my opinion.”

He said that professionally, and almost clipped; but Bianca just raised her eyebrows and suppressed her grin.

"Seems like you really like them," her amusement was evident.

His cheeks grew hot. "You could say that," he rubbed the back of is neck and cleared his throat.

"How about you, Bianca? How has everything been?”

"Going well, going well," she said nonchalantly. "Been traveling throughout the northern part of the world, getting food, the whole lot. I recently got a freelance job at a marketing firm.”

"So you're in Alaska now?" Captain Barnacles asked. "Are you going on the Journey this year?" Polar bears tended to migrate, but some traveled larger distances than others. The migratory path that his family treaded for generations was quite large, going from Alaska to the Arctic. Polar bears who had such large migrations usually took freelance or temporary jobs during the months they were in the slightly warmer, populated areas. Those businesses in those cities were aware of the polar bear's migration, so they were willing to accommodate.

"You bet I am," Bianca said. "I always feel most at home in the Arctic, you know? Good to come back to our roots.”

The Captain felt a slight stab of guilt at the words, but pushed it aside. "I won't be going this year. Again.”

"Don't worry, I figured you'd say that," Bianca reassured. "You're quite the busy captain after all. Maybe we could travel together another time.”

Captain Barnacles smiled. "I would like that."

"Hey Mum, Hey Pa," Kwazii said, looking at the two older cats on the screen. His mother was a brown cat with white paws; but his dad was an orange tabby, just like his father Calico Jack before him. Seemed like the genes ran pretty strong in the family.

"How are you, dear?" his mother asked, looking at Kwazii dearly. "How is your ‘swashbuckling’?" She chuckled fondly; but Kwazii took it in stride. He loved his mom, and he knew she supported him, even though she may not have understood.

"It's...it's been quite a bumpy ride, let me tell ya," he said. "But things are getting a lot better." He hadn't talked to them since he had started associating with the last crew. He filled them in, saying how they turned out to be evil, and how he got out of it.

"Now, I'm actually not part of a pirate crew now…"

"Have you stopped the pirating business?" His father asked quickly. He seemed elated at that.

“No, I didn’t." He said forcefully. "I'm still a pirate, but now I'm with this crew called the Octonauts. They help sea creatures, but they also search for treasure as well.”

"Oh," his father said, deflating slightly. "That's alright. For sake of my parents, and their look on life, I let you follow in their footsteps. But please-“

"Be careful, I know." Kwazii rolled his eyes. "I've heard that a million times, Pa. I get it.” He then muttered. "You grew up as a pirate with Calico and Amelia; can't believe you decided to leave that and live a boring life on land.”

His father's face was unreadable. "I respect your wishes, so please respect mine, son," he said steely.

Kwazii breathed out. "Fair enough," he muttered.

Kwazii would have given anything to sail with his grandparents, especially Calico. Kwazii would've loved that.

"So, how's life back at sea?" Shellington asked. His sister, Pearl, stared back at him through the screen. He had his own tablet in his lab, which was nice. It allowed privacy.

"Jumping Jellyfish, it feels so good to be back to our roots. The kelp forest practically looks the same way that it was when we were kids, Shellington. It's breathtaking.”

"I definitely need to see it," the male sea otter replied. "Are there any other sea otters there?”

Pearl's face became somber. "No, not really. Sometimes one or two pass through, but no one else of our species lives here. But that's ok," Shellington could tell she was trying to cheer herself up. "I'll study here, learn more about the kelp forest, and hopefully start a family. And take care of the urchin population, of course.”

"I'm proud of you," Shellington said. He didn't know if he had the right to say that, being a sibling, but he couldn't help it. "I really wish I could help.”

They both knew what he was talking about.

"But that's ok," he breathed out. She looked at him with understanding. Pity, a thought flashed. He tried not to think about it. "I'm helping in my own way. Being an Octonaut will bring a lot of information to the scientific community. That's got to count for something.”

"It absolutely does," she nodded determinedly.

"But if you need any help with research or anything, let me know," Shellington said. "I'll drop everything and help, you know that.”

"I do," she assured. "And I will.”

They said their goodbyes, and the connection ended. Shellington sat at his desk, staring at his blank tablet. If there was any way he could help, he would.

He felt like he needed to.

"They had set up their appointment for 8pm (her time). It was 7:59, and Dashi sat on her bed, her tablet on and her headphones already plugged into it. She was listening to some more Gazelle as she waited for her older sister to call.

Her older sister, Tamarisa, was always punctual. Never a minute early or a minute late. The digital clock on her tablet just turned 8 when it rang.

"Tamarisa, always true to form," Dashi commented quietly, before turning off the music and answering the call.

Her older sister's face appeared, looking a lot similar to her own, except she sported pink cat-eye glasses (which Dashi had always secretly found hilarious, considering the type of species they were).

"Hello, Dashi," she said primly, neatly folding her paws on her desk.

“Hello," Dashi responded. She recognized the office Tamarisa was in. "Thanks for taking the time to call me.”

"No problem," Through the professionalism, she gave a genuine small smile. "It was the only time I had free this whole week. Can you imagine? First my client had told me to organize the pageant for this weekend, next he tells me to cancel it and make a charity ball. And now he wants me to combine the two!”

"I can tell it's been very stressful.”

"Yes, but such is life, my dear," Tamarisa waved her paw dismissively. "But I'm more interested in hearing about how you are. You've been going on quite an adventure yourself.”

"Oh yes. It's been very-"

Dashi suddenly heard music. "Sorry, hold on a moment," Tamarisa said, before picking up the phone.

"Ok," she said, though her spirits sank slightly. She was used to this, though. Her family members ran very busy lives. There's been more than one time when a relative would have to leave a call because something important came up. Her only exception was her younger sister, Koshi; but even then, as she’s growing up, she was now having a lot of extracurricular activities such as sports and book club. She might soon become like everyone else.

Dashi’s heart sank.

"Hello? This is Tamarisa. Styles, oh yes, I did call you earlier. How are you?”

Dashi cooled her rising emotions, took a deep breath, and accepted the inevitable.

"That's very nice. Sorry, can you please hold on a moment?" She took the cell phone away from her ear and covered it with a paw. "I'm really, really sorry, Dashi, but I have to take this.”

"I understand," Dashi tried to remain cheerful. "That's how life is, after all.”

"Thanks, you're the best." She blew a kiss at her then put the phone on again. "Styles? Yes, our client wants 50 different organization to come over to-“

Tamarisa turned off the connection, leaving the screen blank. Dashi could only see her own reflection on the black screen.

That's ok, Dashi thought to herself, though she clenched her fist. That's how it is. That's always how it is.

Dashi sat there alone, trying to rationalize her feelings.

Because she had to.

The radio was getting on Tweak's nerves.

"Pa? It's me, Tweak. Can ya hear me?" There was just static. She huggghhhhed and got her head back on the chair in defeat. She'd been going at this for the past hour. She knew she was in range, her top quality radio signal that she installed in the Octopod made sure of that. It's just, her Pa's stupid radio kept on giving problems.

Tweak put her paw on the bridge of her nose. She should've given her dad a tablet before she left.

But noooo, Tweak thought in her mind, an exaggerated version of her father's accented voice talking. I don't like technology, he says. We don't need all that hullabaloo, he says.

If she wasn't so frustrated it would've been funny. The creature that got her into technology and mechanics wasn't that much into it himself. Well, scratch that. He liked cars and boats, but not the newer stuff.

"Any luck with that?" Inkling asked. The octopus came up next to her in the Launch Bay.

"No," she said, dropping her paw to the side.

"That's a shame," Inkling said. He looked down for a minute.

Tweak kept staring at the computer and radio controls.

"I was never able to call my family either.”

Inkling said that quietly, as if he was talking to himself more than to the rabbit. Tweak looked at him. "My family and friends at the sea mount don't have the technology for this type of communication," Inkling said. “And they were never really interested in getting any technology either. Creatures of the sea tend to be steadfast in their ways, even when it's against their better judgment.”

"I'm sorry to hear that," Tweak said. She didn't know it was like that.

"It's quite alright, dear," Inkling said, finally looking up at her. His smile wasn't all the way there, though. "I still visited them, so that helped things. But I do worry about the Vegimals. They don't have access to their family either. Since this is the first time they've left home, I'm a bit concerned about how they are dealing with that." He paused for a second. "You and Shellington spend the most time with the Vegimals. Can you please keep an eye on them? I'll ask Shellington as well."

Tweak's features softened. "I sure will," she said.

And while she can, maybe she could help them and Inkling with their predicament.

She would be honored to.

Chapter Text

Dashi was so looking forward to this.

She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, ready to roll. She had already parked the Octopod, already set up the preliminary alerts and precautions just in case something happened, already did everything.

She was probably being unfair, but come on! It was her first official shoot outside the Octopod. Her self-imposed waiting time was over- she had turned in the "Meet the Octonauts" info last night. Not sure if they're going to ask for more information about it later, she thought, but oh well.

She was ready to step out into the big wide water world.

A white furry face appeared in front of her, and she shook out of her musings. "Sorry, what?"

He had a small frown on his face and a furrowed brow, as if confused.

"I said that everything looks good. You're free to go."

Yes yes yes!

Dashi would have kissed the Captain's cheek if it wasn't considered unprofessional.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," she said chipperly, schooling her features as best she could until she turned around, her grin unbridling and spreading wide as she quickly left the room.

The Captain just looked curiously behind her.

She was swallowed by a whale shark.

Well, that was unexpected.

She looked around, taking in the stomach walls and the much-too-slimy surfaces. It reeked, there was a vat of stomach acid on the other side of the “room” that she really needed to be conscious about, and she will probably be digested in a few hours.

Dashi picked up the camera, aiming it at the vat of acid.

Click.

"Perfect."

She knew the others would come after her.

She didn't know why, exactly. Scratch that, she knew exactly why. They searched for her before, were worried about her before, even if it turned out to be no danger.

She smiled at the group fondly, who were in the HQ, laughing at the picture of Captain Barnacles carrying Kwazii.

She just wondered why she had so much faith that they would succeed.

Chapter Text

Kwazii leaned against a wall, with legs and arms crossed, eyeing Peso. The medic was swabbing the deck, or in "normal" terms, mopping the Launch Bay’s floor. The Octonauts took turns cleaning and doing chores (the cat shuddered at the word) in the Octopod. If it weren’t for those chores, Peso wouldn’t have even been down there. Kwazii didn’t understand it, but although everyone, including the penguin, had been trained to drive the Gups, Peso was still scared of them. He always had someone else drive, never himself. But then again, it seemed like he was scared of everything. He was very jittery when he talked to everyone. Though, after they talked last week, Peso got less nervous around him. Actually, it felt like they had an understanding now, a connection that he didn't have with anyone else on the crew. Kwazii had been burned before, but... could this be different? Would someone finally understand him, after the only one who had before was his grandad? 

Peso looked at the Gups parked in the water, shifted uncomfortably, then quickly looked away. 

Before now, Kwazii would usually ignore a nervous creature whenever he could; they were just too different from the adventure-loving pirate. But Kwazii was concerned this time. He wasn’t sure how the penguin would handle a dangerous situation, and one was bound to happen eventually. And if Peso was supposed to drive, then it would be disastrous if he choked because of his fear of the Gups and crashed. That just wouldn't do.

But what if…

Kwazi focused on him again. Peso was putting the mop and pail away. He had finished his chore. 

Perfect.

“Hey, Peso,” Kwazii said, pushing off from the wall. Peso turned towards him.

“Y-yes Kwazi?” he asked.

The cat ignored the stuttering and started to stretch. “Me sea legs are getting pretty tired from being cooped up in here all day. How about we both take the Gup B out for a spin?”

“We?"

"Yeah, are ya deaf?" he chuckled. He continued to stretch, ignoring Peso's face as it became tight with worry.

"I'm fine, Kwazii. But you have fun.”

"Ah-nope." Kwazzi said, straightening up. Before Peso knew what was happening, Kwazzi started to gently push him towards the Gup. Peso went stiff as a board, his webbed feet sliding pretty easily across the metal floor. "I'm not taking 'no' for an answer.”

"But the Captain might need us.”

"We have the Octoalert.”

"Tweak might need to check up on the Gup.”

"She won't today. I checked.”

They were close to the edge of the metal landing, right in front of the Gup B.

“A-and besides, “ Peso added, his voice becoming a bit more confident. “The Gup B can only hold one Octonaut, so we can’t both go.” Kwazi finally stopped. 

Oh, he had forgotten about that. If he hadn’t known any better, he could see traces of a smirk on Peso’s face.

“‘Tis true, me hearty,” he said, considering.
 
He had to take the Gub B, though, because there was an actual seat. With the other ones, like the Gup A, they would have to stand to drive. And that wouldn't work for what he had in mind…

But then a smug smile came on Kwazzii as well. “We’ll just take the Gup C.”

“W-What?” Peso said, horrified. “But that only has one seat too!”

“Tweak didn’t tell you?” Kwazii said, starting to push Peso forward again. “There is a fold up seat in it. If ya slide the first seat to the side, yew can open the second one up.”

Peso didn't even respond, just dazedly went in the Gup C when Kwazzii pushed him in. Kwazzii mischievously chuckled internally.

"All right, let's wake her up." He pressed the ignition button, and the Gup whirred to life, shaking slightly under the purrs of the engine. That broke Peso's daze, and he glanced frantically about. Kwazii smirked, enjoying his reaction a bit too much. Riling him up was fun.

The Gup headed towards the exit. 

"Here we go!" Kwazzi yelled. He reached for the speed lever. 

Peso held on to the nearest piece of metal. "Wait! Stop!”

They flew out the Octopod.

"Yaooooooowwww!!!!" 

“Aaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!"

It felt like lightning. Peso looked at the speedometer and could see the arrow reach the red part of it. He was pushed back against his chair. His stomach was in knots. He couldn't move; he just screamed. 

He could feel the Gup move up, and next thing he knew, they were upside down.

I'm gonna die We're gonna die we're gonna die I'm gonna die

They got out of the loop, but before he could take a breath, they flipped over again.

Why would Kwazii do this to me he's gonna kill us both-

Kwazzi was hollering and cheering. The turns didn’t stop.

He's crazy he's crazy we're gonna die-

Peso saw blinding light, and realized it was the sun.

We’re jumping out of the ocean-

But then his mind paused. He saw the expanse of blue below him, as far as his eyes could see. The clouds were glorious, curved shapes of wonder. He felt himself float a bit off the chair, the seat belt keeping him from flying too far. And in that moment, between the sky and sea, he could say that it was beautiful. 

But then they plummeted back into the water, and another scream tore from him. But now, his thoughts of death were quieter. Still there, but quieter. That vision of peace from the beauty had strangely not left him. The turns and flips kept going, but eventually the knots in his stomach loosened a little. A numbness went over him. His screams disappeared. He just stared ahead of himself dumbly. 

They hadn't crashed. Far from it. They didn't even get close to any fish or coral beds. They... They were surviving. He was surviving.

He did not know how long it was after that, but a small bump roused him. They landed safely on the sea floor, finally at the end of this crazy stunt. There was no more movement. Fish swam lazily outside. It was peaceful. 

“There now,” Kwazi said, setting the controls to 'park' with gusto. “If you could live through that, then ya could handle driving them normally every day.” Peso looked up at Kwazzii, who leaned against the dashboard with his elbow. Kwazii had a knowing smirk. Peso must not have answered quickly enough, though, because it quickly turned into a worried expression. 

Peso finally understood what he was up to. And surprisingly, it worked. He felt that normal driving was much less intimidating than before. A small smile formed on his beak.

“Thank you,” Peso said. The pirate’s shoulders slacked, relieved.

“Don’t mention it,” Kwazii replied. “Just lending a paw.”

Chapter Text

Dashi liked nibbling while working, especially when she had to be at the console for most of the day. They were small snacks; something to chew on, like nuts or berries. Today was blueberries, which she was particularly fond of. They tended to be expensive when she lived in the city, and so it was a pleasant shock to see a beautiful row of full blueberry plants in the Garden Pod. She didn't whoop for joy or anything (not necessarily her style), but she made sure to take a few extra pictures of those plants on her rounds for the magazine. 

Her paw gently hit plastic. She looked over, her paw in a now empty bowl.

"Rats," she muttered. Not that she had anything against them, of course. 

She going to have to go all the way to the kitchen or Garden Pod to get more. But, she really couldn't do that now; she had to finish tracking the movements of the other crew members. They were in the Gups. It was peaceful now, but the Captain may need her at any moment. 

Amongst her thoughts, she did not notice the swish of the Octochute, and was subsequently surprised as a flipper appeared in her peripheral vision. It set something down with a small clang of plastic, and she looked over, seeing the cheerful face of Tominnow, the red Vegimal. He nodded, said a few words in Vegimalnese, then went on his merry way, humming to himself.

Curiously, she looked at the object he put down, and her features softened.

It was a bowl filled to the brim with blueberries. 

“Good, one is taken care of," Tunip said with fondness when Tominnow reported about Dashi. "Now for the next one.”

They really needed to learn how to better take care of themselves. Well, at least Shellington. 

Tunip entered the lab, a plate of seaweed salad and kelp loaf in his possession. The sea otter in question leaned forward on his desk, looking intently through a microscope. 

"Tunip, is that you?" He asked.

"If you turned around, you would be able to see for yourself,” the yellow Vegimal laughed. Shellington has been catching up on the Vegimalnese very nicely by now, and so Tunip was able to speak in his native language at a normal speed. He placed his cargo on the space next to the microscope.

”I brought lunch.”

"Thanks," Shellington said, glancing at him and the food. Well, at least there's progress. He looked back through the microscope. 

”The phytoplankton in this area are fascinating,” Shellington said in Vegimalnese. It wasn't in the same tone or lilt as when the Vegimals spoke; it still had the Scottish rhythm and accent. But it made Tunip strangely proud whenever he practiced. ”This phytoplankton's flagella moves in a different direction than others in the Mediterranean region. It's like it's an entirely different system of motor controls.” He still used some of the more complex words in English, like “phytoplankton” and “flagella.”

"That sounds really cool. And your Vegimalnese is getting better and better,” Tunip added, beaming.

Shellington swelled with pride at the words, straightening up. "Thanks. You taught me well.” Shellington took a fork of salad and put it in his mouth, humming with pleasure at the food.

Success. 

If there was one thing Grouber, the purple Vegimal, prided himself in, it was his appetite. It caused more eye rolls from Tunip than he could count, whenever he snuck a nibble here and there while cooking. Hey, he was trying the food; they had to make sure it was good, right?

So when he was challenged by Kwazii to an eating competition, he could not say no. 

"Bring it on!” Kwazii said, and Grouber got in position. The kelp cakes were in front of them, ready to be consumed. Peso was the referee, using a napkin as a make-shift flag. He waved it, counting…

Three

Two

One.

They ate and ate. And finally they were full. They walked clumsily to the wall and sat against it, too full and cozy (and slightly nauseous) to go anywhere else.

Grouber won, of course. 

"Grooda baela," Groober said, holding out his flipper. Kwazzi looked at him with slitted eyes, studying him, a bit sore from the loss.

"Good game," the pirate replied, returning the fist bump. 

Charchard, the green Vegimal, just pulled a radish from the soil when the Octochute opened. Tweak arrived in the Garden Pod, a sun hat, trowel, and basket in paw. She must be here for one thing, Charchard thought with amusement as she headed to the section of the garden that had been officially dubbed hers. 

“Hello," she said as she passed him, giving a nod.

Charchard nodded back. They both got back to work; Charchard with the radishes, and Tweak with her own, exclusive, singular stash of carrots.

Peso steepled his flippers together a few times, pacing this way and that as if he did not know what to do. He had been like this for the past few minutes. Codish did not understand why he was nervous, why he was doing that. All he knew was that he didn't like it, and that the penguin needed help.

So when the pink Vegimal offered the medic a cup of hot chocolate, Codish was glad that, after looking at the mug blankly for a few seconds, Peso took the drink and, whispering a thank you, had a sip. He still seemed a bit anxious, but as the cup drained, his muscles relaxed, and he stopped pacing. 

Codish counted that as a small victory. 

The Captain has never been the same since that fateful day. It wasn't a loud change; it was quiet, like a literal shadow following it's unsuspecting victim everywhere. The "shadow" was polite, never intrusive but still hovered about, ever present. At least, that's what Barrot, the orange Vegimal, thought. Grouber thought it was hilarious.        

Heavy footfalls, which contrasted to the waddling of him and his brothers, alerted him that the shadow had come. The Captain stood nearby the doorway to the kitchen, looking about with a clipboard and pen like he was inspecting the room. He rocked back and forth, glancing at Barrot and the dessert he was making. Barrot glanced back discreetly, then went back to work, pretending nothing happened. The Captain took a couple steps closer, still (pretending to) inspect the surroundings, until he was right next to the Vegimal.

Barrot looked up at the Captain questioningly.

"No, no, carry on," he said, as if he wanted to make sure that he wasn't disturbing him. Barrot went back to his task, but he could sense the Captain's presence remain.

He raised an eyebrow towards the Captain. If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought the polar bear's mouth was watering.

"Oh alright,” he said, giving the Captain one of the already-prepared bowls of vanilla kelp pudding. The polar held it in both paws and hummed happily.

This would become a daily routine for the next few weeks, until Tunip found out and, with the translation skills of Shellington, had a talk with the Captain and put a stop to it. 

"Had a long day, haven't you?" a gentle voice roused Tominnow's sleepy gaze. The small Vegimal put the tea on the professor's nightstand, making sure it was easy to reach for the occupant on the bed. The warm glow of the lamp was the only thing illuminating the space, the windows pitch black under the sea. Sometimes it gave Tominnow the creeps, but his brothers usually helped dash those fears away. 

An agile tentacle carefully took the cup from its coaster to Inkling's lips, who blew it once before trying it, like he did every night. Tominnow found that Inkling was a creature of habit. While everyone else was alright with flexible schedules (like if a mission caused the Three to be late for lunch), Inkling had to have his meals at specific times: breakfast at seven, lunch at twelve in the afternoon, tea and fish biscuits at two, dinner at five, and tea right before bed. He did not go on missions, so it wasn't usually a problem. If he did miss a meal, though, he would be a bit cranky (though Tominnow would never say that to his face. Even if the professor didn't understand Vegimalnese). 

Tominnow knew that the next thing the professor would do was sigh and thank him.

Inkling sighed in contentment.

"I must thank you for tea," he said. "Just the perfect thing to relax with after a research-filled day.”

"Your welcome,” Tominnow said in his native tongue, nodding his head once. He yawned.

Inkling noticed, eyes softening.

"I won't keep you here for long. Have a good night, Tominnow.”

”Goodnight," the red Vegimal repeated, rubbing his eye. He left the room, giving one last wave to the professor, before heading to the room where he and his brothers slept. He went through the rows of bunk beds to his own bed, on the bottom bunk, and flopped down on the mattress. He fell asleep instantly, soft snores mingling with the breathing of his friends, peaceful and secure. There was peace that night, with many more to come.

Chapter Text

Tweak was at the Launch Bay as usual, polishing the Gups. The octochute opened.

“Tunip, have ya got the snack?" Tweak asked, looking up. She paused at the unannounced visitor.

"Sorry, Kwazii. I thought you were Tunip.”

"No worries, me hearty," Kwazii waved it off, heading closer to her. "Say, I was wondering if ya could do me a favor," the pirate continued.

"What would that be?”

"You see, there's been a lot o' times where I thought it'd be amazing if I could zoom out of the Gup B.”

"Do what, exactly?”

"You know," Kwazii exclaimed, "shoot out of the cockpit, get out of there in a jiff. Like how superheroes do it.”

Tweak looked at him up and down.

"I thought you were more into the pirate thing.”

"Aye, but a little inspiration from other places never hurt," he smiled cheekily.

"So your basically asking for system that'll throw you out of your seat... Like some sort of eject button.”

"Exactly!" Kwazii exclaimed. "With that new feature, me beloved Gup would be even more amazing than before!”

"Beloved? But you crashed it two times last month!”

"Details, details," Kwazii brushed it off. "How about it?" he continued. "Can you do it?”

"I can do it," Tweak sighed, "but I'm not so sure it's necessary, Kwazii. Making it ‘cool’ isn’t really a good reason." 

"Oh, come on! Please!" He begged. "It's gotta be good for something..." He straightened up. "Oh! Those two accidents!”

"What about them?” 

"If I could have ejected out of them before the accidents, it would have been a lot safer. And since I do tend to crash, then it's even more important that I have one!”

But you shouldn't even have to crash in the first place, Tweak thought dismally.

After each accident, she had spent several hours fixing the Gup B. It was so bad, she had to fix or even replace essential parts of the ship each time, like the engine or a fin. She didn't usually have a problem when there was a Gup crash. Their line of work was dangerous, and that was to be expected. But Kwazii tended to crash them out of sheer recklessness. Which was a funny way of showing his affection towards his “beloved” ship, if she could be frank.

But... As clear it was that Kwazii wanted the eject button for selfish reasons, the logic behind the safety precaution was too clear-cut for her to ignore. 

She sighed. "Ok, Kwazii. But you gotta promise me that you'll follow my instructions and not use it recklessly.”

"I promise!"

He didn't. 

Tweak took a deep breath and tried to calm her anger. Not even two minutes had passed from her giving Kwazii the Gup B, eject button intact, then for him to return with said Gup gone. Because he didn't follow directions. 

And now she had to fix the Gup B. Again.

She went towards the recently retrieved Gup B, which was floating in the water in the Launch Bay, and set to work.

And Kwazii was just so concerned for it, like he had just lost a brother. But he was the one who was just careless. She never understood such a dichotomy. How could he be so reckless with something that he cared for? 

She figured that she would never know.

But hey, she breathed. At least it's not like it happens all the time, she tried to reason with herself. It won't get worse.

"What happened?" Tweak blinked.

Shellington rubbed the back of his head and shuffled his feet. The Gup A, which he had taken out earlier, was now nowhere to be found.

"You see... I was just riding the Gup A on a research mission…"

“Uh-huh."

"And I saw this absolutely fascinating display of box jellyfish.” He rolled forward onto the balls of his feet, but at Tweak's pointed stare, he slightly curled in on himself again. 

"And I, ahem, I... crashedintoacoralreef.”

"What!" 

"I.. crashed." He winced, smiling nervously. "But no one was hurt. That's something good.”

"Uh-huh," she said on autopilot.

"Could you, please, get it for me with the Gup C?”

"Sure." It was almost like her mouth was running for her, her mind abuzz.
 
She climbed into the Gup C numbly. 

She had to do something about this. 

She had thought she's done it.

Oh, how wrong she was.
 
The Smart Gup Remote Control was supposed to be the answer, the thing that would prevent all these crashes. It was even supposed to be Shellington-proof, but lo-and-behold, the sea otter had taken her by surprise. Luckily she had the broken-down Gup F, so at least the Cap and Kwazii could round up the Gups again.

She sighed and smiled sadly. It was her fault this time the Gups got messed up. Seems like there isn't a way to stop the crashes from happening.

She looked up two the long row of Gups, each needing their batteries to be fixed.

It was like the energy was drained out of her instead of the submarines.

"Tweak, could ya make some extra thrusters for me ship?"

"I fell asleep with the lights on, and the Gup's batteries are nearly dead."

“Tweak, can you look at the engine? It’s been making a weird noise ever since I did a quadruple flip.”

"I'm sorry, Tweak, I was reading in the Gup and got into a bit of a jam. The Gup D is a bit... totaled. But, I found some amazing remipedes."

"Enough!" Tweak slammed her paws on the counter in front of the large computer in the Launch Bay. Shellington and Kwazii both jumped, becoming stiff as boards.

Tweak turned to them. "You crashed two of my Gups? At the same time?”

"It was an accident!" Kwazii defended, but his eye was wide. He flicked his tail.

"Yeah, like all the accidents you've been piling on me since forever. What do you take me for?”

"Tweak," Shellington put his arms up placatingly. "Why don't we just calm down.”

"Calm down? Calm down?! You just go around here breaking things out of nowhere, asking me for upgrades that ya'll don't need. And each time, I have to pick up the pieces!”

"But Tweak, there are dangerous missions all the time, and even the Captain and Peso caused crashes-“

"But you have crashes when there isn't even any reason for them. Like really, Shellington, reading a book. While driving. You just... Ugh.”

She turned and walked away.

"You guys take me for granted and don't care... not really.”

She left the cat and sea otter, who stared at each other like deer in the headlights, unsure of what to do. 

It was shortly after an awkward dinner when the pirate and scientist took the engineer to the side to talk.

"Tweak," Kwazii said. "I usually don't do this, but I'd like to apologize.”

"Me too," Shellington joined. "We were wrong, and we're sorry.”

That was suspiciously quick. 

"Do you know why I am so upset?”

Kwazii and Shellington glanced at each other, surprised by the question.

"Well, it's because we get in a lot of crashes, and the Gups are wrecked.”

Tweak crossed her arms, unmoved. "Will you be careful?”

"Yes!" They both said. 

"And you'll actually listen to me?”

"Yes!" They replied. "We'll do our best!" Shellington added. 

Tweak doesn't believe them, not really. Saying you're sorry and actually changing were two different things. But, Tweak liked to consider herself an optimist.

"Fine. Let's give this another shot," Tweak smiled, truly this time.

After that, Tweak was happy to note that the rate of crashes dramatically decreased. Shellington tried to focus while driving, and Kwazii stopped asking for upgrades. There were basically no crashes.
     
Good. She hoped it stayed that way.

Chapter Text

Barrot, for some reason, had the job of making the desserts. The Vegimals, with the guidance of the professor, had made a menu that would be both delicious and nutritious. The Vegimals thought it would be fun to have desserts for at least one meal per day. Grouber and Codish voted for all meals, but Tunip vetoed it. It made the day a bit sweeter (pun fully intended), and it helped put smiles on the crew's faces, especially after a tiring mission. 

The orange Vegimal, Barrot, had made the desserts consistently, priding himself on the delicious results that happened each time something popped out of the oven. Of course, the others would help with the smaller things, like put on the icing, or mix the ingredients; but in a place where most of the crew grouped the Vegimals as almost like one being instead of separate individuals, he found comfort in dessert-making because this was his.
 
He wasn't sure how he felt about the "merging" of the Vegimals as one being. In a way, it made total sense. The Vegimals always stuck together, went through the same rooms together, did the same activities together. They worked better together than separately, and with almost none of the other Octonauts understanding Vegimalnese, it was extremely difficult (on both sides) to sit down individually and just talk. 

But at the same time, the other Octonauts weren't really trying. The only exception was Shellington, but that kind of backfired. Now Shellington was the representative of the crew, and Tunip was the representative of the Vegimals. It's like two separate groups working together, instead of everyone being Octonauts. 

He had voiced those thoughts to his brothers, but no one really seemed to mind. Codish, the pink one, didn't seem like he understood. Grouber, the large purple one, just laughed it off, saying some joke to try to gloss over it. The only one who seemed to listen was Tunip, but the yellow Vegimal didn't see that as a problem. "We are two different groups," Tunip said, trying to be reassuring. "But we are working together, there are no fights, and we are valued and respected. What more could we ask for?”

“Are we respected?" Barrot asked back, "if they do not know each of us for who we are?”

Barrot did not know. It was a true question; he had no idea of the answer. He did not know if he should even be bothered by this.
 
"Do you know all of them individually? Do you try to know them?" Tunip responded.

Barrot could not bring himself to lie "yes," and so ended the conversation. Tunip had a point, he know he did. So why did he feel like something inside of him was missing? Why did it feel like something was not right?

Over time, Barrot was able to focus on and shift through that feeling. It was a feeling in his gut, in the sweet spot between his stomach and chest. It felt like something was amiss. Not amiss in the external situation, but within him, within himself. Was there a root problem that he did not know about?

Barrot thought deeper within himself as he absentmindedly turned on the mixer for the vanilla kelp pudding. The sound whirred a bit loudly within the kitchen, but Barrot did it enough times to not mind it anymore. 

He eyed the kelp pudding. He was so into making dessert because he felt like it was his own. For as long as he could remember, he was with his friends since the beginning. That's why the concept of calling each other "brothers" was much more than a cultural thing for their little band. To them and Barrot, they really were brothers; they were the closest anyone could be without a blood relation. And he loved that, he absolutely loved that. Except... Maybe it had its drawbacks.

Other than this dessert... pastime (he did not know what to call it. He valued it too much to just be a chore), had he had anything that was really his own? On their home island, their whole culture centered on different groups doing different chores. They did such activities the whole day, looking for food, cooking, watching young, etc. Then when the time came, they all had their meals together. And it was always together. There was never a moment when Barrot could be alone. He could never do his own thing.... And, he only now realized, never really know who he was. 

That's why, amidst all his confusing thoughts towards the crew, he also had admired them. They were each their own person, with their own interests, their own tastes, their own species. It was the complete opposite of what he had ever known. And now that he knew of a lifestyle other than a group identity and mentality, he craved it like a creature dying of thirst. He did not want to be just a Vegimal, not just from the eyes of the crew but from his own brothers as well. He wanted to be Barrot, whatever that meant. He wanted to be himself.

The whirring of the machine died down slowly as Barrot pushed the off switch. The spinny-thingy came to a stop, making the bowl stop moving as well. He brought up the spinny-thingy (Shellington had told them what it was when he taught them how to use kitchen appliances, but Barrot did not remember the name, nor really cared enough to know it again. Spinny-thingy was good enough for him) and poured the pudding into the bowls one by one. This dish was fairly simple, but he knew it was a crowd favorite. Especially from Captain Barnacles. He put the bowls onto a tray and wiped his flippers. They were ready to go.

He looked down at the floor. It's nice that he now knows what's bothering him, but what should he do about it? Where should he go from there? How can he even start to find out who he is? 

Guess it just takes one day at a time. 

Chapter Text

Dashi sat in front of the dashboard, gaze focused on the computer screens above her. There was a slight twinge in her neck for looking up so much, so she occasionally stretched her short neck around, giving a satisfying crack. 

Shellington came into the HQ, holding some sort of large bowl. Dashi glanced back briefly. What is that? But she shrugged the question off mentally. It had nothing to do with her current task, so it was of no concern to her. 

Shellington carefully put the bowl on the counter and pushed a couple of buttons. He was right next to her. 

...But Shellington was interested in it. She had fun talking to him earlier, after the photo shoot and interview. She wasn't the best at keeping friends, but she reached out on a limb. 

"What do you have there?”

Shellington looked to the left, startled, then grinned. "Oh this?" He said, bringing the bowl over to her. It smelled of sea salt and mucous, and she couldn't help but scrunch her nose. Shellington didn't seem to notice the smell.

"I found some fascinating limpets on the mission..."

Sure enough, upon looking into the bowl, there were a small group of four or five sea mollusks. Their shells were a pretty gray, with ridges circling all around it. The limpets smiled at her.

"You mean the one from yesterday?" Dashi clarified.

"Yes. But for the life of me, I just can't seem to remember what species they are," He chuckled. "I just want to find out, or else it’ll be killing me.” He turned back to his task.

"Good luck with that," Dashi encouraged, then went back to her own work. Well, that was quick. But he is busy, so I might as well not disturb him. 

There was silence for a moment, then. 

"What are you up to?”

Dashi perked her ears at that, and glanced to the side. "I'm checking the weather and water currents in the area," she replied, not showing how surprised she was. But maybe she shouldn't be. They have talked before. Why would she be surprised that her friend wanted to talk to her?

She stopped.

They were friends. It seemed out of the blue, but they were, right? This was how friendships worked. Talking to each other, spending time together. 

"Making sure everything's safe for our upcoming expedition, aren't you?" He said cheekily. 

Dashi breathed out, just realizing that she had been holding her breath.

"Yes," she said a bit quietly, a slight smile appearing. 

"Today's going to be fantastic!" Shellington declared. She reveled in her friend's voice. "We're going to the midnight zone today. Oh, I hope we find something new!”

Her eyes grew fond. "I'm sure you will.”

“Phenacolepas."

"What?" She stared at him.

"I found the species. It's Phenacolepas. Gah, I can't believe I actually forgot that!”

A bubble appeared in Dashi's chest, swelling up within her. She couldn't help it; she had to let it out.

Now it was Shellington's turn to stare at her as she laughed. 

"What's so funny?”

"Don't ever change," Dashi finally choked out as the laughter died down. She patted him on his arm. "Don't ever change.”

"Dashi," the intercom went on. Tweak's face appeared on the monitor.

"I'm here," the dog replied. She hadn't moved from her post ever since Shellington came earlier that morning.

"We need your help with something,” she said, holding up a couple rock pieces. Dashi noticed that most of the crew was with the engineer, save for Professor Inkling. "Shellington and the others brought back these rock samples from the mission to the Midnight Zone. They didn't realize it, but they accidentally brought a worm with them too. It’s his house, and so we need to figure out a way to put the rocks back together.”

"Ok," Dashi replied, puzzled, "but what does that have to do with me?

"Remember that camera you told me about? The really small one that you made before? If we have the worm wear it and go inside the rocks, we will be able to have a visual on the inside. It'll be easier to make the tunnels match up.”

Dashi wondered about how tunnels in rock could be created by a worm, but it barely scratched the back of her mind as the rest of the words sank in.

"You want me to do what?" No, she wasn't having her voice uncertain. She was calm.

"Build a new camera. You have the blueprints, right?" Tweak seemed to notice her hidden discomfort (It had to be hidden, right?) and she seemed to still, her face becoming concerned. "I can help you out, if ya want.”

Dashi could feel a familiar wave rise within her, the excitement like when the professor told her about the Octonauts. True, she had been the leader of the high school group that had done this, but she had not physically had a paw in every step of the process, start to finish. This seemed challenging, exciting.

But would it be too much for me, though? 

She realized everyone was looking at her.

"Oh," she cleared her throat. "I'm more than happy to send you the blueprints. I'm not sure I would be of much help, though. I have not build the entire camera.”

"An extra set of paws would definitely help," Tweak countered. "We need to make the camera as fast as possible. Peso made a temporary home for the worm, but the sooner we get this rock fixed, the better." Tweak had a knowing look in her eye. "It'll be fun."

Dashi couldn't resist it. She nodded. 

"I'll be right there.”

"Tweak, hand over the pliers."

"You got it."

The camera lay before her on the desk, the insides of it spilled all over. It looked like a mess now, but bit by bit, it was coming together. 

"Can I get a bit more wire?"

"Sure thang. Here you go."

Dashi surprised herself by jumping right in and tackling the inner workings of the camera. The blue prints were a comfortable friend to her, something that had stayed nearby her throughout the years. She never really treasured it, just had it in her hard drive; but now there was something almost nostalgic to it. Looking at the blueprints again, the inner workings of the camera became understandable again. She felt she had more insight to it then she normally would have because of the experience of the high school project. What she did not necessarily do before, she figured out how to do it. Like fashioning the lens to the rim of the camera. Tweak stepped in occasionally when she was stuck, but the rabbit was mainly doing her own thing. The more experienced engineer was doing the back part of the camera, setting up the framework and welding those parts together. Once done with that, she helped Dashi by giving her parts. 

They were a team. An actual team. She thought about her conversation with Shellington from earlier. Tweak and her were hanging out together as well. She helped Tweak with that Gup, and now they were working on this together. The camera was for work technically, but... It did not feel like it.

Dashi delicately inserted the lens into the camera. Then she attached the elastic band on either side of the camera, making the head band. 

"Finished," Dashi announced, wiping her paws contentedly.

"We did good work here," Tweak declared, munching on a rewarding carrot. She put a paw on Dashi's shoulder. 

That fondness grew again. She could not believe that she missed it, but it was there. She didn't just have one friend, she had two of them. And she marveled at that. 

"You were right. That was fun." She said, turning to the rabbit.

"Yeah, I'd never lie to you," Tweak said, taking another munch of her carrot. "You really got a knack for this stuff."

"It's very interesting," she replied. "Wonder why I stopped in the first place."

Tweak shrugged, "Only you could answer that," she said, finishing up the carrot with a final chomp. She wiped her paws on her stomach's fur and then carefully picked up the camera. "Let's get to the others. We'll fix that rock faster than you could say 'Bunch of munchy, crunchy carrots!"

"Yeah," Dashi said noncommitingly, following Tweak to where the others were in the Launch Bay, deep in thought.

Dashi tried to knock on the door, she really did, but they opened before she could even land a paw on it. They swooshed open, ruffling her ears and short fur a bit. She tensed as the scientist looked up his work, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

"Sorry, Shellington. I hope I'm not disturbing you…?

The confusion melted away into a serene expression. "Not at all. Do come in. Is there anything you need?”

"No, not really," Dashi began, as she walked into the lab. She went right next to where Shellington sat, peering over his shoulder.

"Same old question, but what do you have there?”

"These," he said proudly, as he lifted up what looked like see-through glass, "are cells from jellyfish. These specimens are from the jellyfish bloom we observed recently.”

"Um, what... exactly…"

“Huh?"

"Is it like, from the flesh of the jellyfish…"

He must of understood what she was saying, because his face blanched.

"No, of course not! We didn't kill any. This is just a sample of their stings. They just had to lightly touch the cotton swabs, and it was good to go.”

"Oh. Ok." She said. She shifted, noticing the awkward atmosphere creeping in.

"Sorry. I-uh, should've known." Hopefully she can fix this.

"No, no. It's fine." 

There was silence, just silence. Dashi shifted a bit. Maybe they're not actually friends. Maybe she just read the signs wrong and just made things awkward. Work was what she was good at. She was always reliable, and on time, and organized. She thrived on structure. This…

Shellington looked at her expectantly.

This... social interaction. This was never her thing. 

She tried to find a topic, and her gaze fell on the equipment in front of the sea otter.

"Would you mind if I have a look through the microscope?”

He gave her a look that she didn't quite understand. But after a quick moment, he said, "Sure," and moved his chair away a bit so Dashi could go in front of the equipment in question. 

She looked through the eyepiece. "This is amazing!" There were countless cells next to each other, wriggling and moving as if they were alive.

"These are called cnidocytes." Shellington shifted a bit closer so he could get a better view of the side of the microscope, the awkward moment gone. "They should look long and crooked, with a small ball at the end of it. The long part is a small needle. When a jellyfish stings another creature, the cells discharge this needle into their victim, which releases venom. That is what causes the stinging sensation. Before then, the cells are actually completely circular.”

"Interesting, and very painful," she commented.

"If you don't mind me asking, why exactly are you here?”

Dashi snapped her head towards him. 

"I mean, I don't mind your company, but I’m just curious.”

Don't show you're nervous. She tried to tell herself. She balled her paws in the fabric of her skirt, taking an inconspicuous breath. I mean really, what's there to be nervous about.

"I just wanted to hang out, is all," she said. "I enjoyed our conversations from before, and your work is interesting. I was wondering maybe you could teach me a bit of this stuff?”

"Oh, so you want lessons, is all?" He said, "then sure, I'll just-“

"-not just that," she cut in. "I didn't mean it like that. With the camera I had to build, I can feel myself getting interested in science again. I would love to learn. But I could always do that in my own time. The Internet's always there; I could take online classes or something. But that's not it." She looked at Shellington. "You and Tweak are fun to be around. You're all so interesting, and nice, and-" she cut herself off from saying too much. "And I want to be a part of the world that you guys are in. I want to learn, but I want to learn beside you. I had asked Tweak about this, and she said yes. I was wondering if you would be interested in it too.”

She hoped he understood what she was trying to say. It had all come out so quickly and unexpectedly (that cursed social interaction) that she wasn't entirely sure exactly what came out of her mouth.

But Shellington smiled softly. "Of course. Why did you have to ask? We’re friends, aren't we?”

And at this, she sighed in relief. She wasn't wrong.

She really did have friends. 

Chapter Text

It seemed like any other day, really. And that was its own paradox.

Kwazii ruffled the top of Peso's head as he passed. "Ready to come toe-to-toe with some monsters?" 

Shellington laughed, "There's no such thing!"

"Yeah," Peso chimed in, then gulped. "...Right?" 

"Actually, according to the scientific community..." the Professor began.

"Not you too!" Shellington exclaimed. 

"Let me finish," the Professor said graciously. "'There is no such thing as ‘monster.’ There is only species,' the late raccoon scientist Brakoff had once said. In a way, that is true. There are some such monsters that have been portrayed in folklore that are actually, undoubtedly, real."

"Really?"

"See, I told you!"

"Take the kraken, for example. This mythological creature was said to be a large, tentacled monster that sunk ships. In actuality, it is a species of cephalopod called the colossal squid. It is basically a member of my family." 

"Huh," Shellington put a paw to his mouth, deep in thought, "I never thought of it that way..."

Kwazii did a cashier motion.

"...But just because some ‘monsters’ had turned out to be real-life species,” Shellington said, “that does not mean all of them are real." 

Kwazii pouted, or what Peso considered his version of pouting. He “arghed," slumping his shoulders and tail.

"Chimeras, hydras.... They can't possibly exist."

"I don't know about any of them monsters," Kwazii butted in. "But I do know some of them had to be real. Why, there's some pirates that I know that had actually encountered some, like the kelp-looking Dabbalock."

"And who, exactly, saw them?"

Kwazii faltered, stuttered. "It doesn't really matter. You don't know him anyway."

Shellington nodded, trying to hide his smirk, "Uh-huh."

"But it was real, I tell ya!" Kwazii said enthusiastically. "Just you wait, me hearties. We'll see a real monster one day. That's going to be a real adventure!"

"I-I think..." Peso said, shifting from one webbed foot to another, "...we have quite the adventures now. We're seeing the sights, helping others, traveling the world... I'm glad I'm here."

There was a pause, as everyone thought it over. Peso hoped they didn't take some sort of offense to it, or thought it was weird.

"Well, you're right on that end," Kwazii said, clapping Peso on the back. Peso got a little unbalanced at the motion, but straightened up. 

Captain Barnacles arrived in the Launch Bay. Everyone looked at him expectantly. 

"All right, everyone," he said as he came in front of the large computer monitor. "Thank you all for waiting. As you all know, today will be a typical research and medical mission. Peso will do checkups on the locals, Dashi will take photos, and Shellington will conduct research. Kwazii and I will help in whatever capacity we can. Who's with me!"
 
"Yeah! " they all cheered.

"Good," the Captain nodded, pleased with the results. "Good. Octonauts, let's do this."

It did not take long to get knee-deep into the mission. 

Peso tied a knot on the bandage of a sea slug, giving a final pat before sending it on its merry way.

He could see Shellington several yards away, having a microphone and other equipment about him. He seemed to be asking questions to some fish nearby.

On the other side of Peso, Dashi took a few pictures of the reefs around her. Then- Peso thought it was curious- then Dashi went over to Shellington and seemed to help him on his inquiry, holding the microphone for him as he fiddled the controls.

Huh, Peso thought. Dashi's helping out in the science stuff now? Must be a new thing. Then Peso shrugged internally. If no one said anything to him, then he shouldn't pry. He couldn't be rude, now. 

He went back to work, about to greet the next patient in line, when all of a sudden he heard screams. It was a flurry of them, rising in intensity.

And he could hear Shellington and Dashi among them.

Peso's heart quickened as he looked at the source of the noise. The group of creatures had scattered. He saw blood.

"Octonauts. There has been an attack," Captain Barnacles' voice came staticky on his intercom. "Shark."

At that one word, Peso's mind seemed to freeze; but his body went into action. Using his penguin flippers, he swam as fast as he could, slipping past the creatures that were zipping each way in their chaos. 

Where's the shark? Where's the shark?

He had to get to a safe place. Somewhere among the coral. 

"Help!"

The voice was raw, fear-stricken. It paused Peso in his tracks, his gaze trying to find the source of it. 

There.

A white marlin was drifting, sideways, in the water. He was large, about five feet long, and his snout was similar to a swordfish’s. Blood was oozing from his side. 

Wasting no time, Peso came up to the marlin. He grabbed him and pulled the heavy fish along with him to the coral. Once behind a large mound of coral, Peso turned to him.

The marlin’s side has been ripped open. His gills were working overtime.

"Help me, I can't breathe, I can't breathe-"

"Calm down," Peso said as gently as he could, softly putting his flippers on the marlin’s head, trying to figure out what to do. His own flippers were shaking. 

A part of his side is gone. Major bleeding. Portion of stomach and intestines missing, making bile and digested food able to escape. They are contaminating the other portions of the body.

Peso's heart sank. 

I need to perform surgery. I don't have the proper equipment for this! 

"Octonauts," Peso said to the radio. "I have a marlin that needs intensive care. I need to bring him to the Octopod. Is it safe?"

Peso looked above the coral and immediately ducked his head down. In that one moment, he could see a gray blob swimming quickly, which must have been the shark.

"We'll come as fast as we can," the Captain said. "Kwazii, you distract the shark, Shellington, you-"

Peso tuned them out, needing to focus on the patient before him. 

Peso couldn't take the marlin now. Even if he did, he would need help to transport him to the Medical Bay. This marlin was as big as Peso was, and two times heavier. Out of the water, there was no way the medic could carry him alone.

"The shark- the shark it-!"

"Sir, breathe in with me." Peso needed him to calm down, or else he might hyperventilate. The penguin breathed in and out slowly, trying to make the marlin do the same. It took a couple tries, but he eventually followed the doctor.

All the while, Peso put pressure on the wound with one flipper, using the coral reef to hold the marlin in place. With his other flipper, he opened his medical bag. Even if he didn't have the proper tools, he had to do something. 

The stomach contents are spilling. That needs to be taken care of first. 

Peso took out a syringe and used it on the marlin. It would help with the pain a bit. Especially with what Peso had to do next.

"Octonauts, two other sharks have arrived. I repeat, two other sharks have arrived."

Peso's breath quickened, but he controlled it again for his patient's sake. He was hidden; he had to focus on the marlin. 

Peso took out a cloth and, removing the pressure on the wound, used it to try to clean as much of the stomach filth as he could. If it stayed in there, it would cause infection. 

He was glad he couldn't smell it with his helmet on.

Not all of it was gone- a little bit was sticking to the other organs-but he got most of it out. Hopefully that was good enough for now.

Peso took out a packet of blood clotter. He could use it to stop the wound from bleeding until he could properly stitch up the organs and flesh later.

Stupid! That can't work! What, you have pieces of marlin stomach lying around? Half of it is missing. It's too late for him. 

He knew that. Peso wasn't stupid, he knew exactly that. But, maybe, something could still be done. "I have to try," he muttered. 

He activated the blood clotter, and it started to harden over the wound.

The marlin was breathing shakily. "Ah-that hurts!" He tensed up. "What's happening?" His voice became slurred.

"It's okay," Peso tried to soothe. "This will help with the bleeding. As soon as possible, I'll get you back to the Octopod and fix you."

The marlin didn't seem to listen. He tensed up again, and his gills slowed. Peso's eye's widened, and checked his pulse. It was low.

He was going into shock.

"No no no,” Peso tried to do chest compressions as best as he could, with half of the marlin’s side gone. 

"Stay awake. Can you hear me?"

He didn't respond.

"Octonauts, I need backup!" Peso said into the collar radio. He tried to stay calm, but it wasn't working.

He continued the compressions.

"I got your coordinates." Dashi's voice, thank goodness she was alive. "We're coming."

He should have been glad, he should have, but the marlin wasn't responding to the compressions and his gills have stopped and he can't feel a heartbeat anymore and he had to keep trying and he had to keep going and-

A white paw landed on his shoulder.

Peso painfully slowed.

He was dead.

Chapter Text

The minute they arrived, Shellington knew it was too late. Peso was frantically doing chest compressions on the marlin; but the marlin's body was still, his eyes completely lifeless. 

"It's going to be okay, it's going to be okay," Peso muttered over and over. 

Shellington tensed, taking in a shuddering breath. Dashi touched his arm. "Are you alright?" she asked, her face full of concern.

Shellington nodded. His expression must have been convincing enough, because Dashi looked away again.

Don't think about it. Don't think about it. It's over. It's in the past-

Peso did not acknowledge them.

"Peso?" Captain Barnacles asked. He swam a bit closer to the medic.

"It's going to be okay, it's going to be-"

"Peso," Captain Barnacles said again, placing a paw on his shoulder. 

Peso slowed his movements until he finally stopped, staring down at the body.

"He's dead, isn't he?" He said it so quietly; he looked dazed. "I didn't even know his name. I didn't, I couldn't, I..."

"We need to go back." The Captain wasn't harsh at all, but it had a commanding tone to it. Shellington figured it was like that so the Captain could get to the emotionally compromised Peso and get in charge of the situation. The Captain knelt next to the penguin on the coral, paw still on his shoulder. "Tweak is taking care of the other survivors that have been hurt. It seems like they only have superficial injuries, so she can take care of it. What's important now is that we take you back to the Octopod."

Peso nodded. "Ok," he said, an octave higher. "Ok..."

Captain Barnacles helped Peso up, and the four of them slowly swam to the Gup A.

The drive back was completely quiet. The sad and awkward atmosphere surrounded Shellington, climbing up his back in shivers and clawing into his heart. Peso was quiet, eyes half lidded, seeming almost dead himself. It was like a switch had flipped in his head, and he just shut down completely. 

Shellington could see Captain Barnacles glance at the penguin every few minutes as the polar bear drove. 

When they finally landed in the Launch Bay, Kwazii ran up to them.

"I heard everything on the intercom," Kwazii said. "Is everything ok? Is the marlin safe?"

Peso's eyes scrunched up, and his face crumpled. He shook his head.

Kwazii grew alarmed. "Peso?"

"I- I need to be alone," Peso choked out, running out of the room.

Kwazii held a paw out. "Peso!" But the penguin didn't stop.

Kwazii turned to the others. "It... It didn't go well, did it?"

"The marlin died right in front of him," Shellington said. Because one of them had to say it out loud, as much as it killed him.

Kwazii tsked sadly, looking at the exit Peso went through. "Poor guy. I can't even imagine..." 

"And it's worse,” Dashi added. “Apparently three other fish were killed. It... It wasn't pretty..."

“What should we do?” Kwazii asked. He seemed lost.

"Peso said he wanted to be alone," Captain Barnacles said. "I believe we should adhere to his wishes. Later on, when he calms down a bit, we should come to him. Maybe only one of us, depending on the situation. We shouldn't swarm him."

Kwazii nodded. “I hope he’ll be ok,” he murmured.

The Octopod was different after the mission, Inkling noted. It was more quiet, more somber. Thank goodness, none of the crew themselves were hurt. Particularly Dashi and Shellington, who were closest to the shark during the attack. But that was the extent of the shield of safety from the carnage. No one saw Peso for hours, and no one really had the heart to question it. The Octonauts discussed in-depth of how to approach Peso, and Professor Inkling immediately volunteered to be the one to talk to the medic. 

For him, to hear how heartbroken Peso was after that disastrous mission... It made the octopus wish that he hadn't hired him in the first place, just to make sure the young penguin would have never lived through such a tragedy.

But he had - that was the reality - and Inkling had to do something. It was his responsibility. Peso needed to be heard and comforted through the loss of someone that he was supposed to save.

Inkling knew all too well what that was like. 

Inkling found that the entrance to the medical bay was locked, which to him, was a telling sign. The motion of his soft, boneless tentacle knocking loudly on the metal door was uncomfortable and slightly painful, but it was all worth it in the end. He heard shifting, and a voice appeared on the other side.

"Who is it?"

The voice sounded like it would crack any second from unshed tears. How could a voice sound so much younger than it actually was? 

"It's me, Professor Inkling," he replied. 

The door opened, and the medic peeked out. It was technically impossible, but he seemed smaller than normal, hunched up like he was withering from the inside.

"May I come in?" Inkling asked.

"Mm-hm" Peso said, shuffling out of the way. Inkling slithered in, and Peso closed and locked the door behind him. 

"How are you doing?" Inkling asked gently. He wanted to cut down to chase; it would be better for Peso that way. Peso sat down on one of the empty beds for patients. There was no one else in the room except for the two of them.

It took a good whole minute for Peso to speak. He kept trying to say a sentence, gesturing while doing so, but he always cut himself off. He finally sighed.

"I... I don't know. Not good, not good at all. I just... keep seeing him. His wound... And I couldn't even-"

Tears filled his eyes, and he sniffled. "Sorry," he said, trying to smile; but it became more of a watery frown. "I should be okay with this. This is the risk I decided to take with this career."

"Has this ever happened before?" Inkling asked.

"Not with me," he replied. "It would happen in the hospital I used to work in, but not that often. And not with any of my patients. It was always a possibility, I knew that. But I had to try. But now..." He wiped his eyes, "It didn't even matter."

"It does matter," Inkling said, coming a bit closer to him. "You can use this to your advantage."

Peso sniffled again. "What do you mean?"

"I have been in your position once," Inkling said. "One day, when I was traveling home, a dolphin crashed nearby me. He was sick; he couldn't breathe. I had no idea how to help him; there were no doctors nearby, no way to get help. He died there, right in front of me. Much like what happened to you today, unfortunately."

"Wow," Peso breathed. "That must have been horrible."

"But through that loss, I decided to start the Octonauts. It was the push I needed to do it. Now others can be rescued. This situation can be the same for you. You could use this to propel yourself to keep going, to renew your determination."

Peso was silent, presumably taking it all in. His face was unreadable. 

"You started the Octonauts, just like that?" Peso asked. Inkling nodded. Good, Peso seemed to understand what he was getting at. 

"But..." Peso furrowed his brow, and almost had a look of incomprehensible-ness, like he was concentrating too hard. "How could you just move on like that? How... How did it not effect you?"

Inkling raised an eyebrow. "But it did affect me. That was why I started the Octonauts."

"No," Peso said, and he wrung his flippers agitatedly. He kept looking at the ground in front of him, not looking at Inkling in the eye. "How did it push you to do stuff? How did it not stop you from going out in the ocean again? Wouldn't you have wished to be alone; wouldn't you have wished to say condolences? But instead, you just got up and went away on an adventure. You... You got over it, just like that. Isn't that, I don't know, irreverent to the dead?"

"What? I do it because of the dead,"

For some reason, Peso flinched and became quiet again, hesitant. "I don't want to make you mad again," Peso murmured. "Let's talk later?"

"Peso, I'm not angry with you."

"It sounds like it.”

"What do you mean?"

"The tone of your voice," Peso said quietly. "It shows that you're mad. I don't want to get you mad like when we first met."

That day raced to the forefront of the professor's mind.

Oh, that encounter. When he was pleading with Peso to join them, because he could do great things, because he could save a dolphin who couldn't breathe.

When Inkling couldn't.

Something heavy and sickly went into Inkling's chest, the same feeling he had in Dr. Galen's office. He didn't like it; he didn't like it one bit.

"It... It doesn't sound like you were even sorry for him." Peso wasn't looking at him, but he kept talking. Like once he started, he couldn't stop. "Like... Almost like you used him..."

"I did not use him as an excuse.” Ok, now Inkling was angry. But not just that.

"This," Inkling looked around the room, strongly gesturing the Octopod, "all of this, was for him. How could you possibly say that this was for my own gain? Do you know how much I think about that day, how many nights I stay awake, replaying what happened over and over in my mind? How I think about his pod, who he had grown up with. What if he had a mate? What if he had a child?”

Peso was looking at the ground, hunching in on himself, pure fear on his face. Inkling should have stopped raising his voice, should have noticed. But that unnamed feeling wasn't going away. It kept surging and surging and surging…

"I can never undo what happened. I wasn't prepared; I didn't know how to help my fellow creature. The one chance I could truly, physically change a life - not all this worthless research or countless hours teaching in classes - When I could actually have saved someone, I failed. I have to make up for this. I have to do this, or else..."

Or else I could never live with myself.

Peso was looking at him now, all his attention on him. He looked sympathetic, almost liked he looked at the octopus with pity. Peso was supposed to be the one telling Inkling his woes, his darkest emotions. Inkling was supposed to be the quiet one, listening intently. But Peso had his full rapt attention on Inkling now; it wasn't supposed to be about him.

"... It does not matter. What I am attempting to say, is..."

What? How could he help someone when he frankly didn't know how to help himself? Because even now, sometimes, the shadow of the dead still hung over him. He thought it had gotten better, but this conversation just proved how much that experience seeped into him, how much it still haunted his every major decision. How much it haunted him.

He now understood what this unnamed feeling was. It was despair.

...He didn't have the right to help Peso, did he?

His words failed him, and for the first time, the professor could not continue the lecture. 

He looked down at his tentacles.

"Professor?"

Now Peso was worried. Of course.

Peso cared so much.

"I'm supposed to help you," Inkling whispered. "I really thought I could. But I couldn't even help myself. I'm sorry." 

When Peso didn't reply,  Inkling sighed, "I am not over the loss. I thought I was, I thought by doing this, I would make the world a better place. I still firmly believe that. But now I see, it was also a way for me to make it up to him. If I couldn't save him, then maybe, I could save someone else. But... That's not bad, is it?" 

"I don't know," Peso pondered. "It seems dangerous, in a way. If you spend your whole life trying to make up for a mistake, for something that you tried so hard to do before but failed, well, it seems like an obsession. It doesn’t really seem like a life worth living." 

"But wallowing does not help either," Inkling stated. Peso flinched. "Sorry, I'm not saying that you are doing an unhealthy amount," Inkling said. "It just happened this morning."

Peso lowered his eyes.

"I am speaking of when creatures wallow for unhealthy amounts of time, not doing anything. Wouldn't you say that it also allows loss to dominate their lives?" 

"Well, when you put it like that..." Peso suddenly hit the sides of his bed with his flippers. "Ugh! Then how do we go on? If we do something, it's wrong; if we don’t do something, it's wrong too. There's no way out of this! Can we ever feel better? Should we even?"

"Peso," Inkling said gravely. "Things may seem dark now, but I am convinced that there is light on the other side. There is a way to overcome this. Don't lose hope, my boy."

"But what if it happens again? What if I can't save them again? I can't handle that!"

The professor was silent for a few moments.

"Would you want to go back?" Inkling asked quietly. "Back to Antarctica?"

Peso seemed to jolt at the words. "What?"

"If... If it's too much, I can't force you to stay here,” Inkling replied somberly. "Even with all of these questions, I at least know that would be wrong." 

Conflict oozed from Peso’s expression.

"I could see my family again..." Peso said. He thought for a few moments, wiped his eyes again. "Can I have some time to think about this?" Peso asked. "I...I need some time." 

"Alright," Inkling complied. "Do you need anything else, Peso?"

"No. Thank you," he replied curtly. ”If it's alright with you, I think I would like to be alone. Please."

"All right," Inkling said, trying to keep his expression from falling. He turned towards the door. "If you need anything, let any of us know. We'll be here for you."

"Thanks," Peso said quietly, ever the polite creature.

Once the door was closed, Inkling leaned against the wall in the hallway. He heard the door get locked behind him. He breathed out and put a tentacle to his face.

He absolutely, positively failed. Again. He couldn't help his teammate. He couldn't do anything.

Breathing another weary sigh, he pushed himself from the wall and headed away, glancing back at the door one last time.

After Inkling had left the room, Peso couldn't stand sitting around anymore. Peso got up and locked the automatic door. He then proceeded to pace back and forth, wringing his flippers. He dimly remembered how his grandmother told him to never do that, pacing wasn't polite; but he was never quite able to break that nervous tic.

"What should I do?"

"The shark- the shark it-!”

"Should I stay, or-"

Blood. Blood was everywhere. His side... It was-

"Stop!" he said, raising his voice. He couldn't concentrate. His thoughts always circled back to the Event; he couldn't escape it.

He wished he had taken an interest in psychology instead of just the physical side of the medical field. Then he would've been able to tell if something was wrong with his own mind.

He had said he would stay here, be an Octonaut, even if it was the death of him. But he wasn't prepared for the death of others. How could he possibly be? He's the weak one, the timid one, the sensitive one. Of course he would not be able to handle it. Of course he would not be able to make a difference here.

Should he leave? Pack up his bags and go home to his family?

Oh, how he missed them...

Pogo ruffling the top of his head as he passed (which Kwazii did sometimes, which Peso found ironic yet endearing). Sledding with Pinto. Having family get-togethers. Being able to ask his mother for advice. He really needed that now, that's for sure.

He could get a job at Dr. Galen's hospital again. He was confident that the doctor would take him back; he was the one who gave Inkling the recommendation in the first place. Sure, Dr. Galen might be disappointed in him, allowing a patient to die through his sheer inadequacy, calling him a coward for running back with his tail between his legs...

But what would he know? Whenever tragedy happened, Dr. Galen handled it like a pro. Among all his other achievements, he's a psychologist too; so he could even handle the breakdowns of others. 

Peso was not Dr. Galen; he wasn't great. And it was stupid for Galen to have said otherwise.

He sighed and stopped waddling. Peso looked out the window. He didn't know how long he stayed there, pondering over everything. Life, death, purpose. All he knew was that the water outside was getting darker and darker as the sun moved. 

He finally found out about Inkling, what had caused such an outburst before in their first meeting. This subject was like a fire, setting Inkling off like one of those firecrackers Peso and his brothers would light on Christmas Eve. At least the professor wasn't in denial anymore that the dolphin didn't affect his emotions.

Peso leaned one flipper against the counter, propping up his head with it. He kept looking at the window. There was a reflection of himself in it, growing ever more apparent as the water slowly turned into darkness.

Could Inkling ever move on? Could he?

It must be possible, right? Every generation must deal with the loss of the prior. His grandparents had to deal with it, and they were the most kind and joyful creatures he knows. 

Should he call his relatives? Ask them for the advice that he kept saying that he wanted?

In all honesty, he probably couldn’t handle another emotional outburst. Who knows? Maybe the creatures who he thought had handled it, never really have.

What a depressing thought.

The water turned black, signaling that the sun had set. "Maybe I should go to bed," Peso murmured. There was a curfew onboard that he was supposed to follow, but he had a feeling that no one would come in here to enforce it on him. There were no missions tomorrow, and even if there were, he had the feeling that he had been relieved of duty for now. 

Maybe sleep could stop the endless buzzing in his head. Peso put his face in his flippers. Who was he kidding? He wouldn't be able to go to sleep tonight. 

That, ironically, was the breaking point.

He growled. "Why did this have to happen?" he asked out loud. "Why do predators have to eat prey? Why can't we find a way to fix this? Why did I have to be there to see it?"

He looked up at the ceiling.

"Why do I have to be here? Is this even my purpose? Why did You make me? Why did You make it like this? I just want this pain to end, I just want this all to be better."

And a whisper sounded through the night, a quiet one, but one that went right into his heart.

"That is why I put you here."

He felt a presence there, something otherworldly, resting on him, seeping into his flippers. Somehow, it made him see the light in the darkness. 

One creature had died, but how many have been saved by Peso's work? It must have been dozens, maybe a hundred, by now. If he stayed here, that number would grow. More creatures would get better. More lives would be saved.

He felt a fire within him, pulsing through him, stirring. This pure energy, adrenaline. Was this righteous anger? Some godly determination? He didn't know. He had never felt like this.

It couldn't matter how much it hurt. It couldn't matter how much pain it caused him. He was there for a reason. He was there for a purpose. He couldn't turn his back on the creatures he could save.

He had said he would pursue it, even if it meant the death of him. Well let it! It didn't have to be a physical one. It could be a mental one! It could be an emotional one! Let him bleed, let him become an empty husk. It wouldn't matter, because this was so much more important, much bigger, than him. He couldn't let this go, no matter what. 

"I won't let this go!"

He looked back at his reflection, small amongst the vastness of the ocean outside. He teared up, grit his beak. He shut his eyes, yelling as if no one might hear him. Yelling as if he didn't care about what others may think. 

Because for the first time in his life, he truly didn't. 

"Whatever happens, I'll stay! I'm not leaving! I don't care if I can't do it! I don't care if I'm not good enough! I still have to try! " 

He threw his head up, tears falling, facing the heavens.

"This is where I'll stay!”

It was a long journey, but when the medic finally went to the other side, the other Octonauts felt a difference in him. He was still quiet, gentle, saying "Please," after every request. He still stuttered occasionally and gulped nervously whenever he was told a scary story.

But there was something fundamentally different, a burning passion underneath, that reared its head occasionally. They could feel it like electricity sometimes. When they talked about the future, when a patient was in critical condition. When the penguin would gaze out the window when he thought no one was looking, with an expression of pure determination, almost looking like, surprisingly, anger. When asked, he would always say that he wasn't mad; it... it was something he couldn't explain.

"But remember how I said I was glad I was here?" He would then put his flippers together, as if nervous of saying it out loud. But then he would look up again.

"Even when things are bad, I still feel that way. This is where I belong. This...

... is where I’ll stay.”

Chapter Text

When Kwazii first did it on missions, Captain Barnacles had almost found it amusing. 

"Kwazii, you go out of the Gup and attach the hook to-"

He turned, and the pirate wasn't there.

He saw the orange cat swim away, hook in hand.

Captain Barnacles hit the button on his collar. "Kwazii, while I appreciate your intuition, you have to wait until I finish the commands and dispel everyone. That way, the timing is correct."

It made sense for there to be a blunder like that. This was a new team, new protocols. Kwazii had a different upbringing and experience with pirates, who must have been more lax in hierarchy, so there would be differences. He thought that Kwazii had understood then.

Nope. 

"It was me grandfather's spyglass! It should be mine!" 

Captain Barnacles remembered having to physically drag Kwazii away from the slime eels. Yes, it seemed like the spyglass was important to Kwazii, but it did not belong to him anymore. It was now too dangerous to pursue it.

He said as much to Kwazii when they got back to the Octopod. "You don't understand," Kwazii shot back. "That there spyglass is the most important thing to me. You might not understand the history of it, but that doesn't take away it's importance."

"Well, tell me then," Captain Barnacles said. "You just talked about this Calico Jack for the first time today. I remember vaguely about your last pirate crew talking about him, but I was preoccupied with the circumstances. If it’s that important, then why didn't you tell us in the first place?"

Kwazii rolled his eyes and looked away, like what you would expect with a moody teenager. By then, Peso jumped in, asking Captain Barnacles what their next move should be. Captain Barnacles didn't see it, but Kwazii gave him a grateful smile. 

That night, Kwazii had went against Captain Barnacles distinct orders and invaded the slime eel's territory again. That made Captain Barnacle's internally exasperated. And while he was proud that Kwazii did the right thing and left the spyglass there when he realized there were creatures living in it, he was internally pleased that he got to the eels to slime Kwazii (all for the cause of un-trapping him, of course). 

And don't even get him started on with way Kwazii crashed Gups and treated Tweak. As Captain, he was told about it. But she handled it herself, so he didn't get involved. But it left a sour taste in his mouth when he thought about it.

Professor Inkling had put Kwazii in the position of a lieutenant, and while he currently did not perform all the duties that the position contained, one of the main ones was for him to be second-in-command. For now, like Inkling had commented, he was "plugging the holes," filling in any tasks that no one else could do at the moment. 

When Captain Barnacles had seen the cat for the first time, fighting against evil for the sake of the good, he had believed that Kwazii had the potential for such a role. He wanted, though, before jumping the gun, to see how Kwazii would do with this new crew, and see if he meshed with the protocols and with others well.

Unfortunately, it seemed like there were problems. And as irritating it was, Kwazii could do better; the polar bear knew he could. And that's why it hurt to see him squander it and have an attitude about things. 

But Captain Barnacles was an optimist and believed creatures could change, so he kept an eye out, holding out hope that eventually Kwazii would change his ways.

Just you wait, Captain Barnacles thought to himself. He'll come around.

Kwazii ran out on the Gup B during an OctoAlert, because he believed, "I know I'll have to leave anyway. So why bother with the details?"

He'll come around.

"Kwazii, I need you to-"

He's not even there.

He'll come around.

"Ok, I need you all to be serious and focus on your roles," Captain Barnacles said to everyone in the HQ, pacing. "Keep your eyes on our values. Explore, Rescue, Protect. I know we've been out at sea for a while now, but we need to keep going.”

Captain Barnacles walked with steady, slow steps in front of the crew, paws behind his back. He eyed Kwazii the most. "Everyone understand?"

Everyone said positive remarks to the effect of "Yes," or "Aye, sir." 

But Kwazii only shrugged.

Captain Barnacles narrowed his eyes.

Ok, there's a chance that he won't come around…

"Kwazii, for the hundredth time, you need to wait for the "ok" before you move!" Captain Barnacles called over the radio.

"All right, all right, I'll get it next time."

The Captain rolled his eyes. "That's what you always say."

He won't come around, will he?

Kwazii was too much of a free spirit to be a well-oiled part of the machine. He's all for self expression, but if he signed up to be part of a team, there were some rules and protocols he needed to follow. 

How could Kwazii ever become second-in-command if he couldn't handle the basics? 

"Ugh!" Followed by a clang.

Captain Barnacles turned towards the noise.

"Dog-nabbit, stinking, stupid, no good..."

"Tweak, what's the matter?" Captain Barnacles went around the Gup A, finally able to see what all the ruckus was about.

Tweak was getting up from the floor, brushing herself off. A metal piece of the Gup B, with some scratched orange paint on it, was on the ground next to her.

"Kwazii crashed the Gup!" Tweak cried. She wrenched another beat-up plate of metal from the Gup B. "I have to replace the stupid outer layer again."

"I thought Kwazii and Shellington were getting better," Captain Barnacles remarked disappointedly.

"Shellington is, thank goodness; but Kwazii got back into his old ways. This is the second time it was crashed again. It's just so frustrating! He just expects that, since I can fix them, he can wreck it as many times as he wants! That's not fair to me, or for the professor, who has to pay for all this!"

"You're absolutely right," Captain Barnacles said steely. While Captain Barnacles was trying again and again to get Kwazii off the hook, he had been negatively affecting other members of the crew. As Captain, he should have done better.

"Don't worry," Captain Barnacles said steely. "I'll fix it."

Kwazii liked to polish his Gup. It made the teeth and eyes shine, which made it cooler. Thankfully, Tweak was able to fix it quickly. He was thinking to take it out for another spin.

He felt a bond with the Gup that he frankly didn't feel with the others. The closest would be with Peso. But now that the marlin had died, Peso seemed even more distant. Peso was quieter, that's for sure, and the fact that he had gotten quieter was crazy in itself. It was like the medic didn’t exist anymore, spending most of his time in the medical bay. Kwazii wanted to help, he really did; but he just didn't know how. Facing fears, that's easy. Just put him in a Gup until Peso stopped screaming. 

But this... This seemed more delicate.

Everything seemed to be delicate, really. The Gup B was simple. Whenever he drove it, it was just him and the world. He didn't have to be cooped up in the Octopod all day, which was the case when they didn't have missions. He could have excitement and adrenaline and all the things he craved from pirate life.

And, on those moments when he was having a bad time (when he was remembering Calico), he could distract himself with it. The Gup B was freedom, and he needed that kick.

Blue boots arrived next to him. "Kwazii, can I speak to you for a moment?" Captain Barnacle's deep voice rumbled quietly.

"Sure," Kwazii replied, finishing the polish with one final swipe. "But can ya be quick about it? I'm gonna take the Gup B out again."

Captain Barnacle's lips went to a thin line. "I was actually going to talk to you about that."

"What do you mean?"

"Tweak has made me aware that you'd been reckless with the Gup B again." 

Kwazii snorted. Was that it? "It's just a dent here and there. It's not bad.” He had been working on it. Sure, there was the occasional mishap, but Tweak never had to repair the engine or anything serious anymore. He made sure it was just superficial dents.

Captain Barnacles narrowed his eyes at him, and Kwazii just realized that he might be in Big Trouble. He forced himself to laugh again, though. "But it's not unfixable, right? So it's ok."

"Making Tweak spend hours on repairs is not 'ok.'"

Ok, now he was in Big Trouble. 

"For the next month, you will not be allowed to take the Gup B, or any other Gups, out unless it is strictly for a mission.”

"Wait, you can't do that!" Kwazii screeched (yes, he actually screeched). "I'm sorry, alrigh'? I'll be careful next time."

"It's one thing to be insubordinate to me," Captain Barnacles said. "But I will not have you negatively impact anyone else on the crew. You will comply with the rules. Understood?"

Kwazii grit his teeth. "Understood," he ground out.

"Good." Captain Barnacles about-faced and left the room. 

Kwazii sat next to the Gup B, seething. "He can't do that to me. Who does he think he is?"

The Captain, he imagined the Gup B to say.

"Shut up," he snapped at it. He was doing better! He made sure there wasn’t any bad damage; it’s just maybe a dent here and there. But that’s nothing serious, like it was before. He had made progress, and they’re not even acknowledging it? What, did they expect him to drive all nicely, perfectly, at 20 miles an hour or something? That wasn't him! He needed to be daring, do multiple flips at a time with the Gup, race the fastest sailfish. It was in his DNA to be reckless. It was part of being a pirate. If they couldn't understand that, they didn't understand him. 

What did the Captain know? The Captain made bad calls on missions anyway. Kwazii didn't need to listen to anybody.

And he didn't have to go through this punishment either. He didn’t deserve it.

Kwazii stood up and looked at the Gup B, all shiny and new.

Feeling particularly bitter, he smiled meanly.

And what was Tweak whining about? It's her job to fix the Gups.

I'm just doing her a favor.

Captain Barnacles was a patient fellow, but even his patience was running out.

With each turn, Kwazii proved to be more and more inadequate to be second-in-command. He was unruly, too reckless. As a follower, he did not listen; he did not work well with others. A leader needed to think of others before himself, consider their needs. If the cat had any power on this team, it may well fall apart.

But Captain Barnacles did not want to give up on him, as much as it seemed he should. One more chance, he thought. I'll give him one more chance. 

This punishment was a test. As much as Kwazii wrecked the Gup B, it was his Achille's heel, his prize possession. If he could listen to instructions and practice some self control, especially with the thing that he most prized, then it would prove that there’s hope for him to get better. 

Captain Barnacles really hoped he would listen.

The Captain stayed up that night, keeping an eye on the security cameras in the HQ. He payed particular attention to the cameras in the Launch Bay. 

For many hours, everything seemed quiet. Nothing stirred; nothing moved. The logical part of Captain Barnacles thought Kwazii would wait a few nights before breaking the rules; but the optimistic part of him triumphed that he hadn't disobeyed.

But at 11:45 pm, Captain Barnacles saw the Octochute open in the Launch Bay. A cat jumped out, now looking green and white from the camera's night vision.

Captain Barnacle's blood boiled.

As quick as he could, the Captain ran to the nearest Octochute and went down it. In less than a minute, he landed in the Launch Bay.

Kwazii was in the Gup B, about to turn it on, when he heard him arrive. The cat turned, his eye wide like a deer in the headlights.

"What are you doing?" Captain Barnacles thundered, coming towards Kwazii. The cat narrowed his eye and jumped out of the Gup, heading towards him.

"I turn around, and you disobey my order? You couldn't even wait one night for it?"

Kwazii went up to Captain Barnacles' face, puffing out his chest, balling his paws into fists, putting his chin up defiantly. His fur was standing up.

"You don't need to dictate every part of my life! We're your crew, not your slaves!”

“You're only thinking of yourself! To think, I actually thought you could be a leader!"

"I could be a better captain than you!" Kwazii thundered. "You carry your weight around, acting like you're the best. You don't care about us!"

"That's absurd!" Captain Barnacles said. "And you know it!"

"Then why didn't you let me get the spyglass?"

"We were invading another creature's home!" Captain Barnacles said, exasperated. "And you let it go anyway!"

"See, you care more about random strangers than yer own crew!" Kwazii said.

"Did you hear what I just said? You let it go; this shouldn't be an issue anymore."

“You have no right to decide that!”

"What, so I can't say anything about you, but you can go do whatever you want to others?" Captain Barnacles scoffed. "That's rich."

"I'm not!" 

This was getting nowhere. Kwazii's not listening. He would never listen.

Captain Barnacles looked away as the realization sank in.

There was no way Kwazii could be second-in-command.

"You are incapable of being a lieutenant," Captain Barnacles said, suddenly quiet. "You didn't pass the test."   

Kwazii furrowed his brows, surprised by the change of tone. "What are you talking about?"

"I was seeing if you had what it took to be a real lieutenant. This punishment was your final chance. If you would have just listened, maybe you could've made it."

Why did this hurt him so much to say this? It should have been easy, he was angry enough as it is. But...

Kwazii's eye's widened, and his mouth moved dumbly, as if trying to form words.

"Wait," Kwazii finally said, quietly now as well. "You were testing me? Why didn't you tell me?" 

"I needed to see how you really are," the Captain said steely. "And I've seen enough."

Captain Barnacles left the room, leaving Kwazii alone.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Tweak was sitting up in bed in the section of the Launch Bay that was her living quarters, her back ramrod straight, her hair band gone and her bangs disheveled.

She stayed completely silent.  

Chapter Text

Tunip had an unexpected epiphany. 

"Ok, I need you all to be serious and focus on your roles," Captain Barnacles said, pacing. "Keep your eyes on our values. Explore, Rescue, Protect. I know we've been out at sea for a while now, but we need to keep going.”

Oh, we need to be serious? Tunip thought. He thought of the times he and his brothers played tag in the Garden Pod, sprayed each other with the hose. How many times Grouber snuck a fish biscuit or two from the batch. How the Vegimals chattered and played while they were cooking. They weren't supposed to do that?

Oops.

"Everyone understand?”

Tunip nodded his head enthusiastically.

He'll do his best.

"Alright everyone," Tunip clapped his flippers twice. He didn't need to. It just felt nice. "Can everyone come here? I need to tell you something.”

The Vegimals slowed down their cooking tasks. Barrot shut down the mixer for the kelp pudding. Tominnow stopped cutting the tomatoes.

They came up to Tunip. "What's this about?" Grouber asked.

"I just came from a meeting with the other Octonauts," Tunip said. "And Captain Barnacles said that we need to be serious.”

"What!?" they all cried, appalled.

Tunip frowned. "What? I thought you guys would be ok with this.”

"So we can't play anymore?" Tominnow asked.

"Or have water fights?" Codish asked.

"Or wrestle?”

"Or bake cakes?”

"We can still bake cakes," Tunip cut in. "Not the other things, though. But come on, we need to do this for the crew. And we'll be more adult, like them!”

"But I don't want to be an adult," Tominnow whined, even though he technically was one.

"Are you sure they want us to be serious?" Barrot asked suspiciously.

"Absolutely!" Tunip said enthusiastically. "Come on, brothers; I know we can do this!" 

The others looked unconvinced.

"We could at least try it for one day. One day's doable, right?”

They considered.

"Ok...." they finally gave in.

"Again, we can do this," Tunip encouraged. "How hard could it be?”

Too hard, Tunip came to realize.

A splat caused him to turn. He waddled to Grouber, whose head was covered with a bowl.
 
"What did I tell you about licking the bowl?" 

"Only do it when we don't need it anymore." The purple Vegimal raised the bowl enough to show his face, grinned cheekily, and winked. Tunip rolled his eyes playfully. Ok, that was funny. 

"We have to focus! Captain Barnacles is counting on us..." Tunip trailed off.

Most of his brothers were juggling kelp cakes.

Ok, that looks pretty fun…

Tunip shook his head.

Stop that! It’s a big responsibility that Captain Barnacles gave us. I’m the representative, so I have to be serious.

Barrot walked on the thin space between the sink and the floor. He did a front flip, throwing icing in arcs onto three cupcakes on plates that were on the floor. The icing landed perfectly, and he stuck the landing, throwing his flippers out to the side when he touched the ground.

That's just plain awesome.

Was he sure that he had to be serious? 

A spoon covered in leftover pudding went in front of his face. Grouber held it out to him. "Want some?”

Maaaybe just this once, Tunip thought, accepting the spoon. 

He never became serious ever again.

"We can't do it!" the Vegimals declared in their language. Shellington stared at them, confused. He had just arrived in the kitchen for his daily Vegimalnese lesson.

“We know you guys want us to, but we can't!" Tominnow said.

"Freedom for the Vegimals!" Grouber raised a fist in the air.

"Yeah!!" They all cheered, raising their fists.

Shellington blinked. "Am I missing something?” he asked in English.

"At the meeting, Captain Barnacles said we all had to be serious," Tunip said, coming to the front of the group. "We tried to be, we really did; but we weren't able to for very long. Or at all, for some of us." He gave a sharp look to the others, but turning back to the sea otter. "It's just not like us.”

"Oh," Shellington said, putting the pieces together. “Oh.”

Then, surprisingly for the group, Shellington began to laugh. The Vegimals glanced at each other. 

"...Oh no, no, you're fine," Shellington giggled. "The Captain was talking about something else. You are all doing well.”

"Then... what was he talking about?" Tunip asked. He was sure he understood what the Captain was saying.

"He meant serious as in... He wasn't talking about you guys," Shellington tried to explain. "It was more of an accountability thing, like making sure we were keeping the values of the mission, doing all our tasks, and helping others. Does that make sense?”

"Huh," Tunip put a flipper to his mouth, trying to process this development. "So.... We can be ourselves?" he asked the sea otter.

"Of course!" Shellington said. He almost looked appalled. "We're not going to change who you are. You're doing everything that you're supposed to do. You help Tweak and make the meals on time. If you're having fun while doing it, then by all means, keep doing it your way.”

Your way. For some reason, that made the Vegimals’ hearts grow warm. Especially Barrot’s.

"Sorry, brothers," Tunip said, turning to the group. He scratched the side of his head sheepishly. "Guess I made everything complicated.”

The others went around him. "No problem," Grouber patted his back. "At least things are straightened out. That's what matters.”

"And we can be as fun as we want!" Codish jumped excitedly.

"Speaking of, why don't we all have a water fight?" Tominnow offered.

"Yeah, let's go to the Garden Pod now!”

"I call getting the hose first!”

"Nah, it's my turn to go first!”

“Nuh-uh!"

“Uh-huh!…"

Their voices faded away, leaving Tunip and Shellington in the kitchen. 

"Go," Shellington said understandingly. "We can always have the lesson later today.”

Tunip whooped, gave Shellington a big hug, said "Thank you," and headed out the door.

It might be obvious to say, but they had a blast.

Chapter Text

Captain Barnacles sighed as he sat down at the table for lunch. Peso was quiet; Kwazii's not talking to him. The whole atmosphere in general was restless, suffocating, melancholic, even for the crew members who were not immediately effected by recent events. The only exceptions were the Vegimals, who were bustling around serving the dishes, being their cheerful selves. Captain Barnacles had to smile at that. At least they weren't down in the dumps, like the rest of them.

Grouber put a platter of red seaweed-on-sticks on the table. The polar bear picked one up absentmindedly, saying an automatic, "Thank you." It was his favorite entree meal, but he didn't have the heart in him to be too happy about it. 

How do I fix this? Captain Barnacles thought, taking a bite. As Captain, it was his responsibility to make sure crew morale stayed high. Things had hit them recently, and things had bubbled over like a pot who had been put under fire for too long. They needed a break, somehow. Something positive for everyone to calm down and hopefully lift their spirits a little.

But what?

He looked down, and the food in his paw came into focus. He knew there was a lot of seaweed right now in the Octopod's reserves; he had to make a check of all their food supplies a few days back.

An idea came to his mind.

That's it! 

"Um... Captain Barnacles? What is this about?" Peso asked timidly. They were headed to a beach in the Gup A. The rest of he crew were in the other Gups, following close behind.

"We're taking a day off.”

"A day off?" 

"Exactly," Captain Barnacles said cheerfully. "I think it's about time to sit back and relax a bit. Don't you?"

Peso needed to be out there saving creatures. He didn't have time for this. He had declared that alone, had felt such a strong fire and drive.

But then it seemed like that fired died down. He was still staying, that was set in stone. But at the same time, all he's been doing the last few days was stare at the walls in the Sick Bay. He couldn’t bring himself to do anything more than that. He didn't even come to the OctoAlert this morning, which was probably when the Captain explained today’s plans (though, he was still relieved of duty, so he wasn't being completely irresponsible). But Peso was being stupid again. Saying one thing but doing another. It was just... he couldn't bring himself to go to the others and ask to go on another mission. 

Maybe he should take a break, not a physical one but a mental one, get away from the Octopod for a bit.

But that might be useless after all.

But maybe it could help...

All of these thoughts went through his head at once, tumbling and mixing with each other until they were just a wordless mess. He didn't want to say anything out loud, though. They might laugh at him, or think it's dumb, or just... He didn't know. Something bad might happen.

Peso flinched when Captain Barnacles gave a sigh next to him. "I'm sorry!" He cried quickly.

"Whatever for?" Captain Barnacles seemed surprised. "I'm not angry at you."

That's what they always say it's just a lie a lie-

"I know that things have been hard for you," Captain Barnacles said. "If you need anything, need to talk to anyone, I'm here."

He didn't want to talk to anyone. They might get mad at him.

"Thank you," he sweetly said all the same. He needed to get them off his back.

"We're here!" Captain Barnacles said, landing the Gup A on the sand. If Peso didn't know any better, he would've thought that Captain Barnacles was truly excited. But how could that be, when everything was so gray?

The other Gups parked beside them. Dashi got out of them first and stretched, putting her paws up. "Wooh! who's ready for some volleyball?" 

Dashi seemed excited too. Peso furrowed his brow. How could she, when creatures had died? 

"I do!" Tweak said.

"Me too, me hearties!" Kwazii's laugh was a bit too forced.

Captain Barnacles lightly nudged Peso with his paw. Peso flinched all the same. "It would be a good idea if you joined them," Captain Barnacles encouraged.

No, I really don't want to, was what Peso wanted to say. But he nodded and mumbled "ok" instead, numbly waddling over to the others.

Right now, he wanted to stare at the walls in the Sickbay again, all alone. But, he sighed mentally, that's not good for him, isn't it? But they were still way too cheerful, that's for sure.

The creatures who eventually decided to join the match were Shellington, Dashi, Tweak, Kwazii, and Peso. Captain Barnacles was helping the Vegimals take food out of the Gups. Inkling sat on the sand, reading a book. 

After the creatures who were going to play set up a volleyball net and drew a court on the sand, they came together to discuss teams. 

"Hmm... It seems like there are an odd number of us," Shellington remarked.

"You three can be a group. Peso's on my team!" Kwazii said, forcefully pulling the penguin next to him. Peso jostled a bit, his head moving back and forth from the motion. “We can handle it ourselves.”

Peso gulped. "We can?"

Kwazii patted him on the back once. "Sure we can." Kwazii winked at him. "Leave it to me."

"Don't listen to him," Dashi told her own team, a competitive gleam in her eye. "We got this in the bag!"

"Then let's get going!" Kwazii declared. "Let the game decide for us."

Dashi and Kwazii dominated the court.

Not that Peso minded. He still felt like sitting down and staring at the walls, but standing there and staring at the sky was good enough. And it looked like he was participating, so he was adhering to Captain Barnacles' wishes. It was all good.

"Peso, look out!"

There was a bonk on his head, and he suddenly felt sand against his back. The volleyball bounced from the ground and rolled to a stop. “Ow," Peso groaned.

Footsteps. "You alright there, Peso?" Kwazii's concerned face appeared in his vision.

Peso sat up. "I'm ok," he squeaked. His eyes teared up from the pain (and buried emotions), but he blinked them back. Please don't draw attention to me don't draw attention to me…

Kwazii lent him a paw, and Peso took it. "Pay attention," Kwazii said as he pulled him up. "I might take the most hits, but I need you too.” There was something in Kwazii’s face and tone that the penguin couldn’t identify.

"Ok," Peso nodded.

Kwazii turned and chased after the volleyball. Peso sighed in relief. That wasn't so bad.

Yeah, being hit in the face hurt, and he was pretty ticked that he didn't see it. But it could've gotten worse. 

His heart still pounded, though. From what, he wasn't quite sure anymore. He just knew that this was going to be a long day.

Barrot wanted to play volleyball.

He looked out over to the players, the sizzle of the grill a background to his internal ears. He was supposed to flip the kelp patties, but he wanted to look at the game for one more moment.

Barrot wanted to play volleyball.

He had never played before. In reality, he didn't even know the rules of it. But it looked new and mysterious and fun and he had this ache in his heart of what he is supposed to be and how was he going to know if he didn't try new things and-

"Barrot, the food's getting burned!" Tunip's flipper went in front of him, and Barrot took a surprised step back as the other Vegimal flipped the parties for him.

"Sorry," Barrot said, ashamed.

"It's not a big deal," Tunip said. "Just pay attention."

Barrot glanced at the volleyball court and sighed. Who was he kidding? As much as he thought all high and mighty about the idea of finding himself, he was too much of a coward to do it. He was tired of being categorized with his brothers, but they were also safe, what he was familiar with. What if he couldn't find who he was? What if he ended up hating who he was? What if he was nothing without his brothers?

Sometimes... sometimes he didn't want to know the answer.  

Inkling frequently glanced up from his book, eyeing the volleyball game.

Earlier, Grouber and Captain Barnacles had been kind enough to set up some umbrellas for shade, and so now Inkling sat on a towel, his soft skin being protected from the sun's rays. 

Inkling could see Peso clearly from where he sat. Peso was not paying attention, his posture slumped, his gaze unfocused. 

Inkling could only imagine what Peso was thinking about. A stab of regret shook through him.

Peso, I'm sorry. 

Instead of going out there, slithering among the players, interrupting the game, eyes focused on Peso, giving him a hug and saying those very needed words, Inkling just sighed and looked down at his book.

Maybe... Maybe another time, he thought.

The game was tantalizing. Barrot's job was finished. Lunch was almost ready. The Octonauts will be called to eat, and the volleyball game would end. Time was running out. And since when do they have parties like this? Where the entire crew go and have fun and have a barbecue and do these kinds of games? It might not happen again. Barrot's eyes widened as that sank in.

There might not be a next time. 

"Brothers?" he asked without thinking. Tunip and Grouber, the closest ones to him, looked at the orange Vegimal. Barrot looked like a deer in the headlights, but he gulped, clearing his throat. He got their attention; might as well go forward. "Since there are enough of us cooking, more than needed, actually, and everything's almost done... Can I go play volleyball with them?" He pointed at the Octonauts.

He expected an outpouring of negativity, of them saying that it's not fair for him to play while they work, that he is siding with them, that he's not a true Vegimal, that he's stupid for trying.

What he didn't expect was a trill of affirmation.

"Sure," Tunip said. "We'll call you back when we need you again."

"O-ok..." Barrot suddenly felt weak in his bottom fins as he turned in the direction of the game. He was actually free.
 
Barrot came towards them. He stopped very close, at the line of the court. 

What should he say? How should he get their attention?

"Barrot!" Shellington called out happily. The ball landed right next to the sea otter, causing an exasperated noise from Dashi and a whoop from Kwazii. "Want to join us?"

They looked at the Vegimal.

"Yes," Barrot said in his native tongue, stepping past the line into the court. That was surprisingly easy. "But I don't know how to play." 

"Don't worry; we'll teach you," Shellington said. He then turned to the others. "Barrot would like to play. If he joins Kwazii's team, the number of players would be even."

"Sure, me hearty," he ruffled the green appendages on top of Barrot's head. "Welcome to the best team." 

"Don't listen to him. We’re the best." 

Barrot laughed with the others, just glad to be there. He was all jittery, nervous, afraid to do something wrong. But he was glad to be there all the same. 

"Ok, Barrot," Kwazii said, taking him by the flipper. He directed him towards the back of the court, on the left area. Peso was a few feet to the right of him. "So you go right here,” Kwazii said, releasing him during the last word. "We're not playing all the fancy rules-"

“Normal rules," Dashi said from across the net.

"Fine, fine, normal rules," Kwazii rolled his eyes playfully. He winked at Barrot. That cheerful action calmed Barrot somewhat.  "Though this version is the best one there is, 'cause it's simple. All ya gotta do is hit the ball over the net. If it lands on the ground on your side of the net, the point goes to the other team. If the ball lands on the ground on their side, the point goes to us. The ball can't land outside the court," he pointed at the drawn lines surrounding the, "So always try to aim inside. If the ball lands outside the court, there are no points; and the team who did not mess up gets to start the next round. That's all you basically need to know. Got it?"

Barrot nodded furiously.

"Alright. Then as our dear, old Captain always says," Kwazii said sarcastically. Barrot raised an eyebrow, confused. “'Octonauts, let's do this!’"

No one else seemed to notice, because they cheered. Well, except for Tweak, who seemed uncomfortable. Barrot cheered along with them though, putting all of that out of his mind. He didn't need to step on anyone's toes. 

“Your team gets to serve next!" Dashi declared. Everyone got to their positions, ready for the game to begin again. Barrot stayed exactly where he was. He tapped his flippers against his sides in anticipation. 

He hopes he won't regret this.

Kwazii hit the volleyball. Dashi returned it. The ball zoomed over the net. Peso got it, putting his flippers together to hit the ball. Barrot noticed the placement of the flippers.

That's how I need to do it, Barrot thought. He didn't have fingers, like Kwazii or some of the other Octonauts. 

Shellington was next to hit it, and the ball came right towards Barrot.

Barrot followed it with his eyes, his face going up higher as it went closer.

Oh snap oh snap oh snap

Barrot put his flippers together, and the next moment the ball hit them, sending a strong pain through them. But Barrot didn't notice. The ball went back from where it came, right over the net.

"Great job!" Shellington said. 

"That's how you do it!" Kwazii said.

Barrot beamed, but he crouched down a little. He had to get ready for the next opportunity.

The ball came back as quickly as it left, and the others on his team hit it for the next couple turns. It fell on the ground of Dashi's team.

"Yaow!" Kwazii cheered, putting a fist in the air. Barrot clapped. Peso smiled a little.

"Rats!" Dashi said, picking up the ball.

She seemed a little ticked, almost. At least, very determined. "We'll show you!" She called, throwing the ball up for her serve. She smacked the ball with a large force. The sound coming from the hit was a strong crack, whipping the ball insanely fast over the net. It was headed straight towards the space between Peso and Barrot.

"Get it!" Kwazii yelled.

Peso turned, muscles taut. But for all of the self awareness, he could not move fast enough.

Barrot's mind went on autopilot, and he moved.

Sand hit his side as the ball landed on his flippers, barely inches off the ground. Sand specks flew as Barrot hit the ground, pretty specks of gold floating, as the volleyball seemed to slowly rise up to the sky again.

The sense of slow motion disappeared, and the ball zoomed back up in the air. Peso got in position and struck the ball, sending it over. 

Barrot quickly got up and jumping as high as he could to receive the ball as it sailed towards them again. He successfully got it, and his team received another point.

Barrot landed on the ground, heart pumping. He panted.

This was awesome! 

"That was amazing!" Peso said, turning to him. "You're reflexes are very good."

Barrot stopped. "They... they are?” He asked in his language.

"Definitely," Shellington answered from the opposite side of the court. "You're really good at this. Are you sure your kind doesn't have a similar game as this?"

Barrot was touched that Shellington thought that he was that good. 

"No, we don't." Barrot said sheepishly. 

"Now we're talking," Kwazii said, getting back to position for the next round. 

The game resumed, but Barrot could not stop thinking, They like me. They really like me. 

This pushed him to perform his best. Diving up, diving down. Hitting the ball whenever he could. I need to make sure they keep liking me, he started to think. At each juncture, they cheered for him; and he beamed little bit more on the inside.

"We're tied," Kwazii said enthusiastically. "One more point, and we'll win!"

High on his good performance so far, Barrot got ready again. The match was quick, and Barrot reached out to catch the ball. 

But then, he missed.

The volleyball landed on the sand a couple inches from his flippers.

"Ugh, Barrot!” Kwazii ran a paw through the fur on his head.

Barrot sat up. A sinking feeling appeared in him.

"We were so close!"

I don't really like this game anymore, he thought.

"Yes!" Dashi cheered, making a "ca-ching" motion.

Kwazii paced, his paws against his head. Barrot stood up, curling in on himself.

"Come on, Kwazii, lighten up," Dashi called, laughing.

Barrot's muscles in his flippers were tight, his blood pressure was higher. But he calmed down slightly when Kwazii stopped and took a deep breath.  "We'll win next time" Kwazii said, then smiled determinedly.

"Time for lunch," Captain Barnacles called out. 

"All right," Shellington called back. Kwazii swung his arms back and forth as he walked towards the portable tables, which were set up by Captain Barnacles and the Vegimals.

Kwazii ruffled Barrot's head again, which surprised him.

Barrot’s breath slowed, and his tenseness went away. 

What just happened? 

Why did he react like that? Why did he get so nervous? 

Because he had disappointed the others.

Wait. He had not cared what the other Octonauts had thought before. Why... Why did it flip like that all of a sudden?

Then he realized.

He had took in the praise, as if he was thirsting for it. He had been so blown away by their compliments, by the fact that he was good at something, that he relied on their words too much. He realized that he was pandering towards them. It wasn't their fault at all; he was doing it himself.

This wasn't how you're supposed to find yourself.

...But, how do you, then?

He put a flipper to his mouth, taking in this informational overdrive. He noticed the volleyball on the sand. 

He didn't know the answers, but even though this was a step back in some ways, it was progress in others. At least he knew one thing about himself now. He was good at volleyball. It was a start, and he learned something else: he was never going to act that way again. He wasn't going to pander to others. Would he hang out with the Octonauts again, though?

Barrot put his flipper down, smiling to himself.

Definitely. 

Inkling had not told anyone about what happened when he visited the Sick Bay. He had just said a vague, “Peso’s not doing well,” and left it at that. 

How was he supposed to say anything else? “Oh, I made Peso infinitely worse by not having the answers”? He couldn’t, he couldn’t do it. 

But now it felt like a burden. The Octonauts around him at the lunch table, smiling, enjoying. Completely oblivious. He couldn’t ask for their help. What he would give to just have someone nudge him, say “I’m right here.” Maybe then he would have the fortitude to make things right.

“Oh, this is childish,” Inkling thought angrily. But when he looked at the medic, staring pensively at his food, the fear would come back and stab the professor again. 

I can’t do this.

But he needed to. No matter what he felt, he needed to.

“Peso,” Inkling called out from across the table. Peso looked up sharply, his eyes widening. He looked what Inkling felt.

“Can I speak with you for a moment?”

Peso nodded a little, mumbling, “Sure.”

A few of the others looked over at them questioningly throughout this exchange and when Peso stood up, but they kept their distance as the two of them walked a little ways from the table.

When they were out of earshot, Inkling turned towards the medic.

Peso was looking down at the ground, ignoring his gaze. Just like he was earlier. Irritation, much to Inkling's horror, started to bubble up inside the octopus again. He tried to hide it, though. It's just... Inkling felt so helpless.

"What do you want to talk about?" Peso said, wringing his flippers, after the silence was too long. Inkling kept himself from wincing. 

"I... I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier," he finally said. It was his turn to avoid Peso's gaze. "I should not have become angry with you."

"I should have been more sensitive," Peso replied quickly. "I should not have accused you of using other's tragedies for your own gain. I was... I was just wondering... I was confused... It just sounded like...."

"I know what you mean," Inkling said. And he did. "I was trying to help you, and it came out cold. It looked like I was impartial, and so you asked about it. That's what happened. We should move on from it."

Peso nodded, but he did not look convinced.

"Is something else troubling you?"

"It's just... I don't know how to say it, but.... Yes, now this is fine. I forgive you; you forgive me. It's all right. But what if this happens again? What if someone else gets angry? I can't handle it."

“You used that wording before,” Inkling pointed out, “when you said that you couldn't handle the pain of losing someone. But here you still are."

"I don't quite follow you," Peso said. "Another person hasn't passed away."

"But you're still here, even though there is still a chance that it could happen. I was so surprised -and proud- when you had announced that you were staying. You're very strong, Peso."

Peso laughed quietly to himself, sheepish at the comment.

"And if another creature gets angry at you, this will just happen again. You'll forgive each other. This is a good crew, Peso," Inkling said, looking at the table where everyone else sat. "I don't think you have to worry about rejection here."

Peso was silent for a moment, considering. But then he nodded and smiled. "That's... That's great to hear." Peso finally said, genuinely. "Thank you, Professor." 

Captain Barnacles sat on a towel underneath an umbrella next to Kwazii, who, in contrast, was sitting on the sand in the sun. Kwazii's paws were holding himself up, as he was currently leaning back. Captain Barnacles leaned one paw on the ground for support as well.

Kwazii sighed. "I had a feeling you'd come over sometime today."

Captain Barnacles chucked quietly. "How could I not?"

There was silence between them for a few more moments. There was no heat or bite to it, like their interactions before. 

They had the whole view in front of them. Dashi and Barrot surfed on the same surfboard. Inkling, Tweak and Shellington laughed together. Peso sat under a palm tree, enjoying the view as well. Most of the Vegimals, now finished with cooking, explored the beach. Codish buried Grouber almost up to his mouth in the sand.

Captain Barnacles chuckled quietly at that last one. 

It was all... peaceful. Maybe now, this time, they'll be able to get into the heart of the matter and resolve this. 

The question was, where to start?

"I know what you're going to say," Kwazii said, still looking forward. "I shouldn’t have tried to leave with the Gup."

"Why did you, though?" The Captain asked. It was a good place as any to start. "You disobeyed immediately, as if..." It finally clicked. "Did.... Did you do that to get back at me?"

"Maybe," Kwazii pursed his lips, looking down. He absentmindedly traced a finger through the sand. It was in random patterns. "You were trying to crack down on who I am. Being a pirate is about the adventure. I can't be tied down to all this protocol. It sucks the life out of me."

"Kwazii, I'm not asking you to not be a pirate. It's just, now that you are part of this team, there are certain responsibilities we each must share. We need to be kind to each other, and not take advantage of each other."

"You're talking about Tweak, aren't you?" 

Captain Barnacles nodded.

"With her, it's..." He scratched the back of his neck. "I just..." He stopped and put his arm down forcefully. "It's weird."

"Weird?"

"Yeah, I know I cause trouble. I know I'm being a nuisance. But... It's her job to fix the Gups. It really shouldn't be that hard, especially if it’s just dents.”

"From the outside, it probably seems like that," Captain Barnacles conceded. Kwazii looked over in wonder. The Captain wasn't berating him. "I keep track of Tweak's progress on projects and whatnot, and it takes her hours to get a Gup fixed. Sometimes that pushes back her schedule. She has other responsibilities of maintenance in the Octopod."

Kwazii was silent for a few moments, his paws folded together, face looking down. "I'm sorry, for causing her trouble. But... The Gup B is important to me." Kwazii was surprisingly vulnerable. "I just can't not ride it anymore."

“You can still drive during missions."

"I mean, like the way I drive it," Kwazii seemed to struggle to put his thoughts into words. “I don’t think I can go any more slower than I already am. The Gup is freedom. I can't find it anywhere else on the Octopod. I can be myself there." Kwazii quieted, as if he regretted saying that last part. 

That caught Captain Barnacles' attention. "What do you mean?"

"I don't belong here, all right!" 

Captain Barnacles was taken aback by the sudden velocity, the emotion in his words. 

Kwazii's mind burned. "I'm not like all of you." I'm different. I don't belong anywhere. Not with normal creatures; not with pirates. Calico, why did you have to die? I'm just... I'm just…

"I'm all alone." Kwazii was surprised that he actually said that out loud. His eyes stung (again!), but he quickly balled up his fist and rubbed it against his eye before his emotions could betray him.

"And I know you all are good creatures,” Kwazii continued. “Peso has already heard this 'ole shpiel. I hate that this is still a problem." I hate that, even though I'm closer to Peso now, I still feel distant. "But I still feel this way. And I don't know how to fix it. So the Gup is my escape. I can forget everything there. You understand now, right? I can't lose that. I just can’t."

Captain Barnacles' heart immediately went out to Kwazii at the admission. At times, he could have guessed that Kwazii felt this way, but he didn't know that it went this far. He was glad that Peso talked to him. It made sense, too. Their conversation probably happened sometime after Captain Barnacles had noticed the animosity between them, and they had been able to become friends over it. No wonder the rift lifted between them. 

The Captain also mulled over what the pirate said, about it only being dents now, and that he was driving more slowly. The pirate kept saying that. The Captain remembered the state of the Gup before, compared to the crashes now. And it fully sank in just how less frequently, and less damaging, the crashes happened.

And while it was still not ok, it was like the Captain was punishing him for improving behavior. If the cat was truly trying, this would only discourage him.

And Kwazii’s resistance now made more and more sense.

Captain Barnacles wanted to give Kwazii the Gup, let him continue on riding it, just so he wouldn't hurt anymore, and for him to continue his improving behavior. But his mind caught up with his emotions. Tweak's feelings and well-being were just as important, and this situation was driving her crazy.

However...

"I think we should get Tweak into this conversation," Captain Barnacles said. 

Kwazii's eye widened, but he didn't stop the polar bear as he called her over. As Tweak went closer to them, her brows furrowed uneasily, guarded.

"Cap, what's this about?"

"I would like to discuss the Gup situation," he said matter-of-factly. He shuffled over and gestured to the space on the towel next to him. "Would you like to sit down?"

"Sure," she said, and complied. She still looked guarded, though. 

"It seems like there is a conflict of interest regarding the Gups," Captain Barnacles continued in the same tone. "Driving the Gup B is important to Kwazii..."

Kwazii noticed, and was grateful, that the Captain did not get more into it.

 "...And Tweak feels overwhelmed by the amount of work it takes to repair said Gup. Is this all correct?"

Kwazii said "Yep." Tweak nodded.

"So why don't we make a compromise," Captain Barnacles lightly put his paws together. With both paws together, he gestured towards Tweak. "We still allow Kwazii to drive "ahem" in a more 'spirited' fashion as a hobby. However, he will continue to improve his driving and reduce the amount of crashes.”

He gestured towards Kwazii. "But Kwazii will now help Tweak in all the repairs she has to do on the Gup B. That way, she does not need to do it all on her own. How does that all sound?"

"I'm fine with that," Kwazii immediately jumped in.

Tweak's lips were in a thin line. "I already have the Vegimals who help me with this kind of stuff. Why can't Kwazii just be more careful and drive normally?"

"No one asked you!" 

"Kwazii, that's enough.” And there was that tone again. The one that made Kwazii's stomach tighten. Captain Barnacles was not to be taken lightly.

"Alright, alright," Kwazii muttered, crossing his arms. 

"See that right there. That's the problem!" Tweak said heatedly, pointing at the cat. "He's still doesn't respect me! If he did, he wouldn't be messing up my life's work over and over!"

"Tweak, I will not tolerate yelling from you either," the Captain said. "Let's all just calm down for a moment."

There were more layers of animosity, it seemed.

"There's a solution here, I'm sure of it," Captain Barnacles said. He turned towards the engineer again. "Tweak, what do you mean when you say that Kwazii ruins your life's work."

"Exactly that," Tweak said. At least her voice was a bit calmer, if not still frustrated. "He simply does not care about anyone else's contributions. He keeps wrecking everything."

"Don't you think that you're overstating things a bit?" Captain Barnacles asked. Since when did she think about Kwazii like that?

Ugh, if he keeps missing all of these interactions and dynamics between his subordinates, he must be really dense.

"Well..." And here Tweak seemed to stumble a bit. "That's all I see, with the way he behaves."

By this point, Kwazii looked like a kicked puppy (pardon the expression), his ears bent back and his head lowered. 

“But… I am doing better.” Kwazii said. “Do you really not see it?”

As Captain, what should be do? Tweak is bitter beyond belief. Kwazii feels isolated. He sides with Kwazii, personally; but the cat did do wrong. Tweak's feelings are justified, though not to the extreme that she believes. They both have good and bad points. Kwazii is willing to compromise, but Tweak is not.

He really hated it when the world was gray, instead of black and white. 

"Tweak, are you willing to make any compromises?"

"Why do you want to make any? He's been mistreating you too." She got a bit nervous. "I... I saw you two fight in the Launch Bay. He acted way out of hand. Enough is enough." 

"We should give him another chance," Captain Barnacles said.

"Why?" Tweak asked. “It will only stay the same."

"How do you know that?" 

"Creatures don't change," Tweak shrugged her shoulders in marked nonchalance. "You can't ever expect them to. It's just going to have you disappointed in the end."

"Sounds like you know that from experience."

Tweak did not answer that for a while. "It's the nature of things," she finally said. 

"I don't believe that," Captain Barnacles said. "Creatures can always change."

"They can; that's not what I'm saying," Tweak cut in. "It's just, you can't change who they are. There's no use trying. They have to want to change themselves; but they usually don’t, even when they ‘promise’ that they will. It's better to just drop them and move on. It's saved me a lot of grief in my last job."

"But... This must be different," Captain Barnacles said. "You're not dealing with an evil corporation. You're dealing with one creature-"

"Who's still right here, by the way," Kwazii snarked.

"-and he's willing to make some changes. He’s already been doing them.”

"It sounds more like you're trying to make me change.” Tweak said. “With what you’re proposing, he’ll still be able to take the Gup out on joyrides. He’s still gonna trash my work, plain and simple."

Did it sound like that? Maybe Captain Barnacles was going about this the wrong way. Maybe he should try to get Kwazii to not feel alienated anymore.

What a concept. Maybe he really was dense after all. 

Maybe he should just tell Tweak what Kwazii had told him? Maybe it would make Tweak more compassionate towards Kwazii. But that might backfire in some way.

Also, Kwazii might just kill him for sharing his personal experiences. Figuratively, of course. 

"I don't think your work is bad. I'm not disrespecting it," Kwazii said.

Oh, there he goes. Kwazii is taking the lead on this one.

“Sure,” the cat continued, “maybe I get mad at you sometimes, but I love the Gup you made. It gives me the freedom I need."

"How do I put this," Tweak sighed, putting her fingers to the bridge of her snout. "What if I went into your room and constantly broke that treasure chest that you have in there? You would be upset if I did that. This is basically the same thing."

"No it isn't; you gave the Gups for everyone to use. The treasure chest is my own personal possession."

"But the Gup B is not specifically for you, Kwazii," Tweak said.

"Isn't it?' Kwazii said. "No one else rides it; no one else even wanted to. You let me paint the blasted thing. It's basically mine."

"It's the Octonauts’," Tweak answered.

"So it's not yours either," Kwazii pressed. "You made it, yes; but now you gave it away."

Tweak actually spluttered.

"But-! But it's still not yours! And I still have to fix it!"

"And I'm offering to help you! And the Captain's ok with me driving it! I think your too attached to the Gup."

"Don't give me that! You're even more obsessed that me. And whenever I asked you to stop doing it, you keep crashing."

“But I have gotten better," Kwazii said. "I sometimes slip up, yeah. But I have been crashing less, and never as bad as it used to be. And yeah, I was wrong for asking too much of you for upgrades, but I'm not asking for them anymore! I'm trying to be better."

"But you didn't listen to me the first time!" Tweak was full of animosity, scowling. Her voice got a bit lower. "Making up for it does not negate that fact!"

"What more can I do to make it up to you?" Kwazii was exasperated. 

Tweak physically seethed.

"...Tweak, I think you are too bitter about this," Captain Barnacles said.

"No, I'm not!" 

"Then what can Kwazii do for you to forgive him?" Captain Barnacles kept his voice calm, understanding.

Tweak squirmed, ran a paw over one of her ears agitatedly. “Fine!" she finally said sourly. "Kwazii can drive the Gup B; see if I care. Cap, you obviously side with him. Do whatever you want. I'm done with this conversation." She stood up.

"Tweak, wait!"

She was gone. 

Captain Barnacles ran a paw over his face. "Why does this have to be so complicated?" he groaned.

"For what it's worth, thanks for letting me drive the Gup again," Kwazii said. His voice was quiet, but he was truly grateful, the Captain could tell. 

"I just hope Tweak calms down," Captain Barnacles said. "I don't want animosity within the crew."

"Me neither; but that's the way things are," Kwazii said. "When many creatures are together, they fight. They have different opinions. It's bound to happen."

"I guess," Captain Barnacles pouted. He sighed, suddenly weary. "There was one more thing I wanted to talk to you about, but with all that's happened, I'm not sure if now's the right time."

"We're here already; best get it over with." Kwazii shrugged and put on a smile. "I've been hated all my life; I'm used to this."

Those words were concerning; but if Captain Barnacles dealt with that now, they would be talking till midnight at this rate. So he decided to pick his battles and just tackle the things on his mental list. 

"Why do you go out before I finish my commands?" Captain Barnacles asked. He was intent on listening. 

"'Cause I know what you're already gonna say," Kwazii replied. "In missions, we don't have time to loiter around. We need to act. If not, creatures can get hurt, or worse."

"How do you know what I'm going to say?" he asked, his lip pulling back in a slight smile, "You're not a mind-reader, are you?" 

Kwazii smiled enigmatically. "It's not hard to figure out."

Captain Barnacles didn't know if it was a jab at him or a signifier that Kwazii naturally thinks on his feet (and can therefore deduce what the best course of action is)  and has leadership abilities as a result. 

"But in all seriousness, what if you come up with a different solution than what I think of?"

"Pshah, whenever has that happened?" Kwazii asked.

Captain Barnacles gave him a deadpan look. "Like when we had to copilot the Gup A together, and I turned left while you turned right, at the same time? And we crashed?"

"Oh yeah," Kwazii rubbed the back of his neck. “I see what you mean. But ya gotta give me credit. Remember when I saved that jawfish's eggs?"

Yes, it was at a point where there was no time for commands, no time for Captain Barnacles to say anything, to lead. Sharks were after that final egg, and Kwazii had the egg in a special vacuum-cleaner gun. Kwazii had thrown the gun, and the Sharks swarmed and chewed on it.

It had almost given Captain Barnacles a heart attack. His voice even rose an octave higher in his fear (Kwazii never lived that down). But it had all been a ruse. Kwazii took out the egg, giving the gun to them as a red herring.

"Good point," Captain Barnacles brought a hand to his chin. "It had been a brilliant thing to do. That was some fast acting on your part. Hmm... I'll have to consider that.”

“Me too,” Kwazii said quietly, almost to himself. Then he roused himself.

"So... Do I still have a chance at being second-in-command?" Kwazii asked.

Captain Barnacles wanted to flat-out say yes, but he considered. He credited himself as an optimistic creature, willing to give second (or third, in this case) chances. But having a power position on the Octonauts was very important, and a big responsibility. Not only was he responsible for the other crew member's lives, but for the creatures they have to rescue as well. It was a big deal, and he couldn't just give it willy nilly because he liked the pirate. And he did. He was fun to be around. But that wasn't enough to give a position to someone.

If he said "yes," then it would give Kwazii incentive to work at it more. It could also be a chance for Kwazii to be untruthful in his motives.

"Why do you want to be second in command?" Captain Barnacles asked after a moment. 

"At this point, it's a challenge," Kwazii said in a heartbeat. He stretched nonchalantly. "As much as it probably doesn't seem like it, I actually don't like it when we fight. Having a competition. Sure, count me in. But this.... It's not good, 's one way to describe it. But if I'm eligible to get 'promoted,' or whatnot, that means I'm doing something right."

“Huh,“ Captain Barnacles remarked. "I didn't expect that answer."

"I'm just full of surprises," he smiled cheekily at him.

"There is a lot to being a leader, but I think you really could be one, one day. You're already on your way." 

"Heh, that's good to know." Kwazii leaned forward, running his paws through the sand again. He was deep in thought. 

He then playfully punched Captain Barnacles on the shoulder. “Hey, Tweak might still be mad, but at least it ended well between us. I'm glad we talked."

"Yeah," Captain Barnacles chuckled as well. “Me too." And he meant every word. 

Peso looked out onto the ocean. It still looked huge, but it almost seemed more manageable, less daunting. But at that thought, paradoxically, his stomach sank. Fear and grief rose up in him again.

 Flappity flippers. 

His breathe caught in his throat.

 This pain...

He noticed the others, talking amongst themselves around the table as they ate. Dashi, long ears dripping from her recent surfing session, was animatedly telling Shellington about her most recent photo shoot (Luckily not the one she had right before the atta- No, don't ruin this moment.) Kwazii and Captain Barnacles were sitting together a bit farther out, talking in more serious tones. The Captain was in the cooler shade of an umbrella, while Kwazii lazed in the sunlight. Inkling and Tweak just started a checkers game.

 He was glad that the professor talked to him. Peso was still a bit shaken, anxious that Inkling did not actually forgive him and was secretly harboring anger towards him. But Inkling did truly seem to be fine when they talked. There was no evidence to back the medic’s emotions. Oh well, only time would tell. Until then, Peso would continue to act like everything was ok.

But...Already this pain, the pain of losing a patient, was fading. That wasn't saying much. Instead of a strong, stabbing pain through his chest, it had become a dull, loud ache that infiltrated his mind all hours of the day. Only when he was asleep did the pain go away, but that was always temporary. 

But he had made a declaration, and he was intent on keeping it. This was where he would stay, even if this pain would be with him for eternity. 

But... the sun felt warm on him, his cold suit counteracting it until it was the perfect temperature for him. It felt... nice.

And the lunch he had today was delicious. The Vegimals outdid themselves with the seaweed-themed dishes. 

These things by no means took the pain away. But... It made his heart lighter, in a way. It wasn't all hopeless. He had creatures nearby him, creatures he would even claim, in his heart of hearts, were his friends.

Maybe... Maybe this pain would go away eventually. He didn't know; but... 

At least he had hope.

Chapter Text

It was late. How late, Tweak did not care to check. 

The sprite of her character moved across the screen. It jumped from platform to platform, catching a mushroom-or-other. She couldn't bring herself to care about her well-loved game.

She sighed, lowering her controller forcefully. The events from earlier today wouldn't leave her alone. The Captain sided with Kwazii, and not her!

It's not fair! It's not fair!

Creatures don't change.

Tweak fiddled the controller with her thumb. 

Why couldn't Cap understand it? It's too late for Kwazii. He might be “getting better” now, but that’s just because he was reprimanded. He’ll soon get back to his old ways.

She had to look at reality. The world was a cruel place. It was very lucky, a miracle, for her to meet someone principled and kind like Professor Inkling. He had given her a chance, when no one else could. And yet, even with a crew of idealistic creatures, even then, there had to be someone to sour the whole bunch. 

Cap asked her to forgive? Sorry, but no. Kwazii did enough. And she's tired of saying that.

"Cheepa-to."

"Barrot? Codish? What are you guys doing up so late?" 

There they were, the orange and pink Vegimals, coming up the small ladder into her living quarters. Codish gave a clumsy little wave as they waddled towards her bed, which she was sitting on. 

"Not tired?" she teased lightly.

They shook their heads in the enthusiastic way that they always did. But then Barrot frowned nervously.

Where are my manners? "Would you like to sit down?" She asked. She motioned the spaces on both sides of her. There was enough room. Besides, the Vegimals were small; they could fit basically anywhere. That actually came in handy when they had to repair parts of the Gup that were hard to reach. 

With a small jump, they both got on the bed and sat next to her. "What brings you guys here?" she asked.

Barrot pointed at the game controller. 

"You want to play video games with me?" Tweak asked. That was surprising. "Didn't see you guys as the type."

There it was again; Barrot looked nervous again. But Codish just laughed merrily. 

"You're definitely welcome too," Tweak said. She slipped off the bed and went towards the television. "Hold on; I'll set up the second controller."

Glad I got this, Tweak thought, connecting the extra controller. After living alone in her own apartment for a while, and not many friends coming over (Sandy was a sea creature, after all), she had chalked up to the extra purchase as being a poorly-thought impulse-buy. Glad to see that she was wrong.

"There," she said. She sat back on the bed and picked up the controller. "I'll show you guys how to play, then you'll both try out a level together. We'll all take turns after that."

The two Vegimals trilled and nodded, and it wasn't long before they were all playing. 

"Where are the other Vegimals?" Tweak asked.

Barrot, who was not playing at the moment (and Codish was having a blast destroying enemies), put his flippers against the side of his face. He leaned towards the flippers, shut his eyes, and made a snoring sound.

"Sleeping, huh," Tweak said. She grew a bit concerned. "Are you two having a hard time falling asleep?" 

Barrot just shrugged noncommitingly and pointed at the controller again. Codish ignored the whole conversation and yelled triumphantly at the screen.

...Guess they just really wanted to try out video games.

If this becomes a re-occurring thing, though, she would have to let Shellington and Inkling know. She had promised that she would keep an eye on the Vegimals. Hopefully someone more Vegimalnese-savvy (aka Shellington) would be able to figure out what's going on. For now, she decided to ignore it and let them continue on.

It wasn't for very long, though. She was solo-playing a mini-boss level when she felt a soft pressure on her side. Not two minutes later, there was pressure on her other side. 

Pausing the game, she found Barrot and Codish, leaning on both sides of her, fast asleep.

The sight blew her away. Ooh, they were so cute! 

How had I ever disliked these guys?

That thought gave her pause, and the warmth was replaced with a tightness in her stomach.

She used to be super annoyed with them. Their lack of experience and language barrier had Tweak trying to replace them in a snap. She was willing to kick them off the team, before they had an opportunity to show what they could really do. Thankfully, the Vegimals had convinced her to try them out; otherwise she would have never come to know them and become friends. 

Would Kwazii.... be in the position where the Vegimals used to be?

After all, Tweak had give the Vegimals a chance; and she had not regretted it. She just told herself earlier: even Inkling had given her a chance. What would have happened if he didn't?

Yeah, but... Tweak hadn't done anything to upset Inkling. And the Vegimals had never jeopardized her work, never took her for granted. They never lied to her and made her work for something she didn't believe in and there was smoke and pollutants everywhere...

She shuddered. 

Once upon a time, she had felt the same way as the Vegimals: naive, friendly, idealistic. But oh, how things have changed. It was actually surprising how far she had gone from that original mindset, now that she thought about it. 

"I thought it was only a slip up," she muttered quietly to the sleeping Vegimals. "Why is it still shadowing me?" 

But, was it really her becoming pessimistic and bitter, or had she just finally seen the light?

She knew the answer.

And if the world really was idealistic; if Kwazii really could change, then she needed to see proof. Hard, undeniable, proof. Because without that, she just wasn't buying it. 

She was never going to be cornered again.

Chapter Text

Tweak stomped away, fuming. They had just been beat down over wrecking the Gups... repeatedly. 

".... I really should be more careful," Shellington murmured. "It's just... It's just so exciting.”

"Right ya are," Kwazii said just as quietly as they exited the Launch Bay. "Doing flips, death-defying stunts: it's all the best.”

“…That’s not what I was talking about," Shellington said. He had meant, of course, the thrill of scientific discovery. But he couldn't expect Kwazii to understand that.

There was a reason neither of them had ever hit it off. They were completely different in every aspect of the word. Interests, places where they brought up, values, intellect,…

Shellington stopped in front of the lab doors, and they opened automatically. Kwazii stopped too. "We should apologize and stop doing that," the sea otter continued. "We really made her mad back there."

"We shouldn't apologize for who we are," Kwazii countered. 

"Really?" Shellington raised an eyebrow pointedly.

"Tweak-or you- can't convince me otherwise," Kwazii crossed his arms.

Shellington decided to change tactics. 

"What do you suppose will happen if you keep acting like this?" Shellington said patiently. "She'll tell the Captain, and he'll ban you from driving the Gups at all."

"I... I hadn't thought of that."

"Exactly." 

Kwazii pouted. When he didn't reply, Shellington turned away.

"It's not my place to tell you what to do. I'm going to apologize; you can join me if you want.”

He went into the lab. The doors closed behind him, leaving Kwazii alone. 

Really, Shellington thought. Does the pirate have no remorse?

There was no way they could ever relate to each other. 

Shellington was surprised that Kwazii apologized with him, and then turned around and thought Of course when Kwazii crashed the Gup again. But to his credit, and Shellington's surprise, it was a lot less frequent than it used to be. And it was just dents, instead of engine problems or anything deeper. Anyone could see that the cat was trying. 

And it's not like Shellington could really talk, either. No matter how hard he tried, his mind would still sometimes wander. He would almost drive into something, steering clear at the last moment. But he was getting better too, so that was good.

He and Kwazii were a bit alike. Slightly. That was more than Shellington ever thought was possible. 

"Why does this always happen?"

Shellington was among pipes, one leg dangling. What on earth happened? He got too curious, that's what.

He just wanted to see the eel that lived in the shipwreck. That's all he wanted. He just forgot that he couldn't fit in very small spaces. 

"Jumping... Jellyfish," he muttered, the fight leaving him, hanging his head in defeat.

"Hang on, matey! I'll be right there!" Kwazii's voice echoed within the cavern. 

"Over here!" Shellington called out. The voice spurred him on; he tried to struggle out of the cramped space again. 

The pirate's face appeared out of nowhere, silhouetted in the dim lighting.

"Oh," Shellington said, a jolt of fear going through him as his mind already assumed it was Kwazii. Surprising how the mind works. 

Kwazii surveyed the situation and tutted. "Got yourself in quite a pickle, eh?"

"Don't patronize me," Shellington groaned, trying to keep what little dignity he had left.

"Sheesh, it's a joke," Kwazii said as he swam to the right side of the sea otter. "Can you move your leg closer to your body?" His leg was in between two pipes, separated from the rest of him. 

"A little," Shellington replied, moving it. He can pull it out slightly, but not completely. 

"Ok, this might hurt a little." Kwazii grabbed his foot.

"What are you-Ah!" 

Kwazii pushed the foot through the pipes. Shellington's leg came towards the scientist's body. His thigh went to the side of his stomach, in a way that was way past his natural flexibility. It stung; he could feel his hip give way. But just as fast as the pain came, it was gone. The foot was released, and Shellington was a lot more free than before. 

"Ok, now you're arm's next," Kwazii said. He reached towards the appendage.

"Is this really necessary?" he whined. Shellington knew it was, but... you know. Just had to say it. Maybe he would feel better.

"Ok, one, two..."

The same thing happened. Pain, then relief. Shellington rolled his shoulder. 

"Are you able to get out now?" Kwazii asked.

"Let me try," Shellington said. He grabbed onto the pipes, using them to pull himself out of the small space. It took longer than expected, and he had to wiggle here and there, but he eventually got out. 

"Thanks," Shellington said. His muscles felt sore. "I need to watch where I'm going."

"Maybe," Kwazii said. He then strongly pat his shoulder. "But hey, that's part of the adventure. You hunt for treasure, in a way, with all these science-y discoveries. If you played it safe all the time, what fun would that be?"

Kwazii swam away, leaving Shellington staring.

He hadn't thought of it that way. 

Kwazii had no reason to be here, so why, Shellington wondered, was he in the science lab?

"I never took you to be the science type," Shellington said, glancing at the pirate before looking back into his microscope.

"I'm not," Kwazii said, twiddling with the centrifuge, looking at it this way and that.

"Then why are you here?"

"The Captain wanted me to tell you that the seaweed feast was a success and that we'll do it once a year."

Shellington furrowed his brows. "Ok... But he could have just talked to me through the radio-"

"Fine, you win," Kwazii rubbed a paw over his face before looking at him. "I'm just bored, ok?"

Shellington blinked. It just kept getting stranger and stranger. "Why don't you drive the Gup? You usually do that when you're bored." 

"Yeah, but..." Kwazii paused, indecisive. "It's still weird between me and Tweak."

"How so?" Shellington asked, finally turning towards the cat. He was genuinely curious, now. "I saw you talk to the Captain and Tweak during the seaweed feast, but I don't know the details." 

"She's still mad at me, even when I try to drive the Gup better. I used to ignore that, would drive it without any consequence, but I don't need to do that anymore."

"Finally come to your senses?” he teased.

"No," Kwazii said annoyedly, until he stopped and understood the implications of the answer. Shellington snickered. Kwazii cracked a smile himself, much to his dismay. "I actually don't know why," Kwazii pondered. "I can't put me finger on it, but something's changing."

"How's the Captain taking all this?"

"Well, he did let me drive the Gups again..."

"You were forbidden before?"

Kwazii's eyes widened. "Oh, you really didn't know, did you? Yeah, I was. For a little bit, but yeah."

News really didn't spread around this ship. Surprising, usually gossip would be expected. Guess the crew members kept to themselves.

Kwazii laughed hollowly, "Guess you were right all along. But during our talk on the beach, the Captain actually sided with me."

"But... you were wrecking the Gup. Isn't Tweak the one in the right?"

"No..." Kwazii said defensively, then slumped. "Maybe? It's just, the Captain tried to make a compromise. I'm already trying to drive better. She's just not having any of it. But, maybe I should stop... But it's who I am, you know? But I don't feel like I have to defend it. Does any of this make sense?"

"Sorry, you'll have to run that by me again," Shellington said. 

Kwazii paused, trying to put it into words. "I realize that I fought for the Gup because riding was my way of being free. I feel... out of place, here. The Gup was the only place where I could find peace, really be myself. But... the Captain understood that. He didn't judge me. And he was willing to let me keep that peace. It... It's way more than I expected."

The cat saw Shellington look at him with an unidentifiable expression, and Kwazii chuckled sheepishly. "Why am I even talking about this?" He rubbed a paw behind his neck, looking at the ground. "Forget I said anything."

"I know what it's like, being out of place."

Kwazii looked up. The sea otter was deep in thought. "Sea otters aren't supposed to live on land for too long, but my family moved to Scotland all the same, when I was small,” Shellington said. “It felt so strange, like I was not supposed to be there. I was also obsessed with marine biology, even at that young age. You've seen me; if my mind gets fixated on something, it's hard to stray from it. None of the other kids were into that same interests as me. It was basically impossible to make any friends."

"Yeah," Kwazii nodded vehemently. "The moment you go to middle school with an eye patch and tell people that you're a pirate, they just look at you all funny and leave." He crossed his arms grumpily. "I just don't understand why. You do it in elementary, and they think you're just playing pretend!"

Shellington tried his hardest to keep from snorting in surprised laughter. Though it sounded ridiculous, it mattered to Kwazii and had effected him a lot. 

Also, it was surprising that Kwazii went to school. Shellington always thought that he had been raised on a ship or something.

"You've had the eyepatch for that long?" Shellington asked. "To be honest, it's mighty strange to see you without one.” The sea otter would never forget the first time he saw Kwazii lift his eyepatch to see through his spyglass. Shellington all but dropped his jaw to the floor at that. "At first, I thought you wore it because you had lost an eye or something."

"Nah, it's all about the pirate garb. Though that was hilarious."  Kwazii laughed, and Shellington joined him. 

Though Shellington remembered the loneliness, he also remembered the smiles Dashi would give him. He remembered the insights the Professor bestowed on him, un-appalled by his unabashed curiosity. He remembered the Captain putting a paw on his shoulder, saying "Welcome back," when he had just been rescued from a jellyfish bloom. He remembered the Vegimals' enthusiasm, glad to see him every day. And now, he enjoyed talking to and laughing with Kwazii, going into other topics, making jokes and laughing even more as if there was no care in the world.  

For Kwazii, his chest seemed lighter than ever before. This was the third creature Kwazii talked to, the third creature he spilt his guts too, and the third creature who had not turned him away. They all seemed to understand. How could they have understood? I was so different. There ain't enough of me to be called a breed. Yet, here they were.

And yes, Tweak's anger hurt. It hurt like a knife in the chest. But... did it really matter? 

Yes, and no. Because for every Tweak, there was a Peso and Shellington and Captain Barnacles.  Even though Kwazii still hoped it'll change with Tweak, it was enough. It was enough for him.

 Both Shellington and Kwazii realized.

They were the same. 

And they belonged.

Dashi walked with purpose, camera in paw. She was ready to download all her new pictures into the HQ's data banks.

As she passed by the laboratory in the hallway, she heard a couple snickers. She stopped, her ears perking up slightly.

Was that Shellington... And Kwazii?

She could hear them talk behind the door, exchanging witty banter and jokes. Dashi was surprised that such different individuals were spending time together, but she was pleased all the same.

As they laughed behind the laboratory door, Dashi secretly chuckled with them. She shook her head in amusement as she continued down the hallway.

Everything was peaceful. 

Chapter Text

Kwazii was different.

And it confused Tweak.

He was more chipper, if Tweak could call it that. Oh great, she thought. A good mood probably means that he'll want to take the Gup B out for a spin.

Turned out, it was the opposite of what she expected.

"See, you banged up the Gup again!" Tweak said one day, running a paw over the dents. But even as he talked back his reply, her eyes widened. These dents were different.

"I used the Gup as a shield," Kwazii said. "If I hadn't, a triggerfish would have been lunch by now."

But… Kwazii was obsessed with the Gup. He would never sacrifice it for anyone else.

No one changes. How was this possible?

Kwazii went away without another word, leaving Tweak to ponder. And ponder she did.

Kwazii was different.

And it was the medicine Peso didn't know he needed.

"Want to play ping pong today?" Kwazii asked.

"No thanks, Kwazii. I'm not really feeling up for it," Peso said. Because he was too exhausted to deal with any pretenses, after everything he did today. He couldn't bring himself to care.

Peso thought that that was that (Huh, that's kinda fun to say, he thought wryly), but Kwazii didn't move away. 

"Guess I have no choice but to join you, then," Kwazii said. He sat next to Peso in the medical bay, where the medic had gone back to staring at the walls again.

"You don't really have too..." Peso said, realizing just now, again, how bad of a habit that was. Not bad, but... something was off, at least.

"I want to," Kwazii said, settling in. 

Peso had thought that the silence would be awkward, and he would get nervous from that awkwardness. But, it must have been the thrumming of the ship or the pure relaxed form of Kwazii, not even a restless tap-tap of his foot or flick of his tail, that sent Peso at ease. Kwazii really meant it, sitting down in the silence, taking it all in (whatever it was) with Peso. 

And with Kwazii next to him, the dark emotions and sadness that had been on the fringes this whole day, and that had been pulling him closer and closer into their clutches, did not overcome him, like they usually did when he succumbed to being alone in the Sick Bay. Instead he felt... peace.

"I think I'm getting better," Peso said after countless minutes.

Kwazii lazily looked at him. "Mm?"

"I... I've been getting better after... after the death," Peso said. "But maybe now I can actually, fully get past it."

"You're already on your way," Kwazii encouraged, "Going out there today."

Yes. It hadn't been easy at first, going out on a mission again; but after the first couple of patients, it almost felt like Peso had never left. He fell right back into routine, his muscle memory working for him. It must have warmed the Captain's heart, the way the polar bear looked on with pride.

Peso's own heart had swelled with joy.

He wanted that feeling to stay.

"Thank you," Peso said abruptly, before thinking. "You really didn't have to do this. I know being still isn’t your thing."

"I should have helped out sooner," was the surprising reply.

"What?" Peso said, appalled. "You didn't have to do anything. You're not obligated-"

"You would’ve done the same."

Peso snapped his beak shut. Kwazii had said it so matter-of-factly, so surely, that Peso wondered at the trust the cat had in him. He would never betray that. 

"I didn't know how to handle it, so I didn't talk to you, not really. Other than that volleyball match, I wasn't near you that much."

"But I was pushing everyone away, being holed up here," Peso said.

Kwazii shrugged noncommitingly.

"Why are you so..." Different, “… Why are you thinking about this all if a sudden?"

Kwazii chuckled quietly, his paws together as he leaned forward. "I was thinking about a lot recently. Long story short, things have become clear for me."

Before Peso could respond, an orange arm wrapped around his neck, pulling him into a hug/ loose chokehold.

"Hey! Stop!" Peso laughed as Kwazii did a noogie, rubbing the top of his head with a fist.

"And it's thanks to you guys!"

They laughed, and Peso could feel the final pieces of his heart come back together.

He was whole again.

Kwazii was different. 

And Captain Barnacles could not have been more proud. 

He could see it, whenever Kwazii willed himself to stay still while they hid on a mission. He would be stiff and uncomfortable, but he didn't charge head first when Captain Barnacles gave instructions. It only now happened rarely, when there could be no danger or when there was no time for instructions. 

The Gup's crashes went to an all-time low, being basically nonexistent. Surprisingly, even with the permission, Kwazii rarely went out on the Gup B. And when he did, it came back without a scratch. 

He was more responsible, more caring. Captain Barnacles finally believed he had a chance again. 

The sacrifice of the Gup B spoke wonders. He only put it in danger when it counted now, and the fact that he gave it up for someone else spoke a lot. 

Captain Barnacles believed he was ready. 

Kwazii's eyes were wide when the polar bear told him the news.

"You think so?" The pirate's voice was quiet, surprisingly vulnerable. 

"Yes."

It was later that day, in front of the rest of the whole crew, when the words became official. 

"You are now second-in-command of the Octonauts," Captain Barnacles declared.

The crew cheered. Tweak crossed her arms. 

And Captain Barnacles witnessed again the thing that made him most happy. 

Kwazii smiled genuinely, like that rare glimpse at the ping pong match. He had seen it appear a few more times recently, like something had lifted off the cat. And now looking at Kwazii's beam, giving an enthusiastic "Yaow," among the cheers, the Captain could tell that it was here to stay.

He couldn't be happier.

Chapter Text

"You are now second-in-command of the Octonauts," Captain Barnacles declared.

Cap must be joking, Tweak thought. She half-smirked, crossing her arms and crossing one foot in front of the other as she leaned against the counter in the HQ. 

Of course it's a joke. There was no way the Captain would willingly give Kwazii a promotion. Or realize his full position. Or whatever it's supposed to be. 

But as the other Octonauts cheered, Tweak's smirk faded. When they surrounded Kwazii, speaking to him enthusiastically, especially Peso, she left the room.

They're all crazy.

Through the Octochute she went, finally arriving in her space, the Launch Bay.

This'll blow over. He'll be demoted in less than a week.

She spotted the Gup B, devoid of dents, making her stop. 

"Ugh," Tweak rubbed her eyes, frustrated, "Why does this have to be so complicated?"

The Captain could be biased; but deep down, Tweak knew he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't just give anyone a position. Kwazii must be worthy of it.

Tweak kicked an empty oil can along. 

What was she missing? This didn't make any sense!

Is it possible that Kwazii willingly changed himself? 

No, a thought hissed. No one changes, not really. You can't change anyone, and everyone is too selfish to willingly change themselves for the better. Unless he's doing it for his own gain…

Yeah, couldn't he have just done this to get raised up the ranks? Yeah, that's it... That must be it...

But that didn't sit right. It just wasn't in Kwazii's nature to be conniving. Tweak's heart sank.

Did she need to face the music?

The sinking in her chest intensified, and she was surprised when her eyes pricked. Why am I getting so riled up about this? she thought, miserable and appalled. 

Her ears picked up a sound behind her, and she wiped her eyes before she turned. Barrot arrived through the Octochute.

"Barrot, what are you doing here?" she asked, surprised. Did he notice her leave? 

Barrot didn't answer. He instead pointed at the game controls in her room space. Luckily, that one time, when he came late at night, was just a fluke. Ever since then, he only came during the day.

"Can you come by later?" Tweak asked. Her voice came out more steely then she liked. "I'm not in the mood to play."

Barrot winced and seem to curl in on himself. “Sa ti cheer-o?" He asked tentatively, taking a slight step forward. 

The rabbit didn't know much of Vegimalnese, but she knew it meant, "Are you alright?"

He had puppy dog eyes, looking at her all concerned. He was innocent; all the Vegimals were. She needed to look after him. She couldn't bother him with this. 

"I'm ok," she answered. "You don't need to worry about it."

Barrot still looked concerned, but said nothing. There was an uncomfortable silence. 

"Why do you keep coming down here to play video games?" Tweak said, just begging for something to fill in the silence. As the words came out of her mouth, she mentally face-palmed. It's because he likes video games, duh.

But to her surprise, Barrot seemed to take the question seriously. He put a flipper to his mouth in contemplation (which was adorable, Tweak couldn't lie).

"I'm trying things out,” he said, from what Tweak could gather. She could tell he was also talking in simpler terms, so she could understand better. "I want to know what I enjoy, and what I do not.”

"You don't know what you like?" Tweak asked. "I thought you liked to hang out with the other Vegimals and play and stuff."

”Yes..." Barrot said tentatively, "But there must be more than that. I am not them. I need to find myself.”

I need to find myself.

For some reason, that one sentence resonated with Tweak, making her core hollow. But, she pleaded, I already know who I am! It's Kwazii who needs to figure himself out.

He already did.

He's the one who's wrong!

He righted himself.

He doesn't deserve to be forgiven!

Shouldn't he? Shouldn't you?

She didn't understand any of this. It was like part of her soul was missing. Something was missing, but logically everything was fine. It was them with the problem, not her! It couldn't be otherwise! 

But... If she really did use logic, then she couldn't agree to this without lying to herself. 

"Do you think you can do it? Find yourself?" Tweak asked hollowly.

Barrot nodded. 

Tweak chuckled emptily, "Wish it was the same for me."

She turned on the video game console, gave Barrot the controller, then went away.

It was days later when Tweak walked right up to Kwazii.

"Do you have a moment?" Tweak asked. "I'd like to talk to you about something."

Kwazii raised an eyebrow, but followed her to a nearby hallway.

"Look, if it was something I did, I didn't mean it...," Kwazii said. 

"I know that," Tweak said, making him more confused. She turned to him. "Before, you might have done things selfishly, or out of spite. But... you changed." She furrowed her brow, deep in thought, as if puzzling that herself. "You changed..."

He looked at her, really looked at her. "Are you ok?"

“Yeah,” she gave a small smile. It didn’t reach her eyes. "I just wanted to say congratulations on your promotion, and that... I hope everything between us is in the past?" She looked so uncertain, yet hopeful, one of her ears flopped halfway.

Kwazii could not really believe this is happening. "Sure, matey," Kwazii said, not really there. 

"I'm glad," Tweak said. "Then maybe I could join in one of your ping pong games sometime?”

Tweak wasn't angry at him anymore? She actually wanted to hang out with him? The only enemy on this ship wanted to be friends? With that last realization, it finally sank in. Kwazii smiled widely. "Of course. You're always welcome to join us!"

Tweak chuckled, turning away and giving a half-wave. "I'll hold you to that." They separated amicably, and Kwazii felt the last piece in his life fall into place. 

Tweak was deep in thought when she left.

Chapter Text

"Are you sure about this?" Tweak asked, fidgeting in the chair. She was in Dashi's room, her ears tied back with a scrunchie. As if they would drop, but Dashi had insisted. Huh, Tweak said, looking at Dashi's drooping ears, pulled back like in a ponytail as well, I guess she's just biased about it. 

"Don't worry, I've done this countless of times."

"Not with green fur, ya haven't."

"Pshah, it's not going to be so hard. You're going to look great."

When Dashi offered to give Tweak a makeover, the rabbit scoffed at the idea. But now seeing the countless of vials and compacts and other makeup items, she knew Dashi wasn't kidding when she said it was a passion of hers. Sure enough, there was even green foundation (though she wondered why on earth a brown dog would have that). 

She was surprised when Dashi opened up a bottle of cream.

"Uh, what's that?"

"We'll do a mask first, before we put on any makeup," Dashi said, turning towards Tweak, a glob of the stuff in her paw. "It'll rejuvenate the skin."

"... Maybe I'll pass."

Dashi pulled her paw back, noticing the clear discomfort of the engineer. She pouted. "Come on, you promised you'd try this. As if any of the guys on the ship is going to do this. This is the time where we could have a girl's night out!"

"A nice 'girl's night out' is a night of engineering," Tweak snarked.

"We do that all the time," Dashi said, putting the cream back in the container as well as she could. She had to scrape her paw against the container's edge to get rid of most of it. "I was thinking, we could do something else... just this once?"

Tweak hated when she was like that, all downcast, her mouth shaped into an elegant frown. Her eyes literally being puppy dog eyes (though she was sure Dashi didn't do it on purpose. She had too much dignity for that). Tweak sighed. "Fine." Dashi smiled softly, but Tweak knew it was the equivalent of her jumping and pumping a fist in the air.

Dashi already put a glob on her face before Tweak muttered, "Just don't expect me to like it."

It was something else, that's for sure. Dashi even brought those cucumber things for their eyes. They pampered themselves, lay back on chairs and just talked about nothing and everything. 

It was ok, Tweak mentally shrugged. 

While they wiped off the mask, Dashi said, "It's been a long time since I last did this."

"Oh?" Tweak asked. "I'm kinda surprised, to be honest. You have a ton of makeup here."
  
Dashi started to apply eye shadow. Tweak closed her eyes as she did so, eye twitching a little at the pressure applied. "Yeah, well, I like to collect things; and I get gifts." Dashi said. "The last time I did this was with my little sister. We had a little sleepover at my place. It was fun."

"Your sister still lives with your parents?" Tweak asked.

"Yes. She's still a kid. Very bright. She actually enjoys the same mystery books that I liked when I was younger. She likes to solve them."

"That's good practice for thinking outside the box. That'll be useful when she's older."

"Yeah," Dashi agreed. She blended the different colors on Tweak's eyelids, making sure she didn't push too hard. "I'm only doing neutral colors, so it's going to look more natural. It won't pop out so much."

 "That's good to know," Tweak said, and she meant it. At least it won't be that noticeable; the others won't give her weird looks, then.

Tweak sighed, her chest filling with that hollowness that seemed to float around her recently.

Dashi eyed here through the mirror as she went to pick up some blush.

"Are you alright?"

Tweak opened her eyes in surprise. Dashi seemed concerned. "You've been a bit off the whole night."

Tweak chuckled hollowly, then moved to hold the bridge of her nose. "I keep getting asked that," she sighed, before remembering she had makeup on and stopped herself from touching her face. One of the other reasons why she didn't like the stuff.

Dashi didn't reply, instead waiting with an elegant, dainty patience that only she could pull off. How did she even do that?
 
Tweak sighed again. "Have you ever... felt that something was wrong? Like you don't know who you are anymore?" 

"What brought this on?"

"The whole Kwazii thing," Tweak said. They talked about it earlier during the mask part of the girl's night out. "It's just so frustrating." She sighed and put a paw over her face, wrecking the makeup.  Dashi pursed her lips. "It's not that I'm mad at him. It's not even about him anymore. It's just... something's wrong. With me. I don't know even know anymore." She said the last line dismally. 

Darlon's sign came to mind, the smoke of the broken cars coming into the service center. The smoke suffocated her.

"I keep thinking of Darlon,” Tweak said quietly.

"That's the place you used to work at, right?" Dashi asked. "The one that would make their cars malfunction so they could 'fix' them?" 

"The one and the same," Tweak replied. "It's weird, how it's been popping up in my head. It's been a while already. And I wasn't this affected when it actually happened."

It hurt, and everything was uncertain. Darlon had betrayed her. She didn't know how she would get by. 

But the betrayal had not meant bitterness, once upon a time.

Why was it now?

"It takes a while to get over these sorts of things," Dashi said. "And, what, it happened a year or two ago? That's pretty short, in the grand scheme of things. I've known some creatures who were still bitter decades after events happened. It's understandable if you feel like that."

There was that word. Bitter. Dashi said it without Tweak mentioning it at all. 

Interesting. 

"But I didn't feel it at first."

"Sometimes it takes a while for feelings to develop to their full force. From what you told me, it all happened pretty quickly, right? You were working happily for them, you realized their actual character, and immediately you quit. And before you knew it, you already switched jobs. It was-" Dashi snapped her fingers “-in the blink of an eye. Of course you wouldn't feel the full brunt of it, or all those facets of emotion."

"Facets of emotion?"

"Yes," Dashi explained. "All those emotions that twist together, or the underlying emotions that are the real cause of how you act." And now Dashi's mind seem to buzz in the back of her head, like this red haze that made her realize, just a fraction too late, that this was quickly becoming personal. "Like when you make yourself not care about interacting with others, just because when it happens to you, it hurts too much." 

"When what happens?"

Uh oh. Now the feeling was blue and white, in her chest, above her right shoulder. That nervous feeling that shows "Oops, you just messed up." But it just ached, not burned; and so Dashi was not too bothered by it. 

"When creatures don't give you the time of day," Dashi shrugged. "They're busy; I understand. We all are. Work and projects are more interesting, anyway."

On any other day, that last sentence would have been 100% true; but as it left her lips, a slight sarcasm, slight bitterness, barely noticeable, came out as well. But Dashi could feel it. The white spread. 

"I don't do that, do I?" Tweak's worried face immediately brought Dashi's paws up.

"No, no," Dashi said, waving them a bit placatingly. "You're an amazing friend."

There was that word again. 

"I'm thinking about other creatures, not the Octonauts." Most of my family. "You're fine."

Tweak let out a shaky breath and smiled, and that immediately lifted Dashi's spirits. 

"In fact, I haven't connected with anyone like this before, except for my sister." Dashi looked off in to space, a content look on her. "I haven't had these many close friends before."

True, it was just two- Tweak and Shellington- but she was closer to them than any of her prior peers. 

That was kind of sad, if she thought about it, to not have these kinds of connections sooner.

But hey, no time like the present.

"Let's get that makeup off, shall we?" Dashi smirked as she got a makeup remover wipe.

Tweak gave an inquisitive look, then looked at the mirror and blanched. "Oh me oh my."

Dashi laughed at loud, and Tweak couldn't help but chuckle along with her. "Hey, I said I would let you put it on. Never promised I would wear it well."

"It's fine, it's fine," Dashi finally calmed down, wiping one of her eyes. "Would you like me to redo it, or are we done for tonight?"

"Ya know what, I think I'm up for another round," Tweak said. Dashi beamed.

"Then let's get right to it," Dashi said cheerfully, and she started taking off the makeup. 

Tweak was quiet again, her eyes closed because of the cleaning, before tentatively asking, "Hey, Dashi?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think this will ever go away?" 

Dashi pulled back the wipe and gazed at Tweak's face, her eyes closed, surprisingly vulnerable, in a way.

She wanted so much for her friend to feel better.

And Dashi would give her 100%, just like anything else she put her mind to.

"I think it's possible," she said, beginning to clean again. Tweak relaxed. "And now that you're aware of these feelings, you're well on your way."

Chapter Text

One thing that Professor Inkling never expected, was how bored and quiet it could get in the Octopod. Granted, it could be loud and full of life, but only when there weren't any missions. And now that they basically happened on a daily basis...

Inkling lounged in his hover chair in the library. Normally, a quiet day of studying would be welcoming to him, but he had been doing that for countless weeks now. It was so spacious in the library, being two stories and all; he felt like he was swallowed up in it, that he was too small. 

Hm, maybe I should join the Vegimals again, Inkling thought. It had been fun when he was baking fish biscuits with them. Even better, Peso eventually needed them for his patients, so the snacks were useful after all.

Useful.

Inkling paused, but then shook his head and slithered off the chair. He headed towards the kitchen.

The Vegimals welcomed him with open arms, er, flippers. Today, they were making kelp brownies for dessert and had Inkling stir the dough.

It went amicably enough, but then those dreaded feelings started to bubble up again. 

The stirring slowed and Inkling stared at the dough, which was all sad and sloppy and limp. 

It's fine between him and Peso, but it's not like he helped at all with the marlin incident. Shellington was fine by himself, whenever he's researching. Even here, in the kitchen, the Vegimals were letting him help them out of pity than out of actual necessity.

He felt restless, staying within the cold, metal walls of the Octopod, not out there, not really making a difference.

Wasn't that what he was here for?

The dolphin seared into his mind, but he put it away.

He felt he was running out of time, always running out of time. It didn't feel like they were making a big enough difference. Like he wasn't making a big enough difference.

He could feel aches as he slithered into his hover chair after he returned to the library an hour later. He was getting old. While he could hold his own when push comes to shove, this was exactly why he kept himself from volunteering on any missions. It may be bad for his health, eventually. And even more importantly, it wasn't his role; and he might hold the others back.

His role. He was the Founder. He had started this project, but it was already underway. He wasn't needed anymore. Maybe it was time for him to leave...

"Professor!" Shellington cried happily, running into the room. Inkling turned his hover chair around. The sea otter panted; he must have ran for quite a while. 

"Yes, my boy?" Inkling said.

Shellington blushed at the endearment, but then showed some papers in the professor's direction. "I've been running calculations and simulations of fish schools. I want to see if there are any patterns that might show common behavior. Can you please look them over? I've been trying these over again and again, but something doesn't seem right." 

Inkling took each paper in each arm and held them all up, looking them over. "Hmm, I see what you mean..." he muttered. He could see that Shellington factored in basically everything: temperature, month, mate-to-female ratio, species, age…”Have you considered the time of day?" He asked, the idea bursting in. He felt that familiar thrill of realization. 
   
"Of course!" Shellington cried. “The time of day would affect the pull of the ocean by the moon, and that could possibly have some affect."

"And their behavior could then be affected!" Inkling said excitedly.

"Professor, you are brilliant," Shellington said, taking the papers back. Inkling’s heart stilled, marinated in warmth. "Would you like to join me in the lab?"

"Must you even ask?" Inkling joked, following him out of the too spacious library.

Maybe he was still useful after all.

Chapter Text

Captain Barnacles was chipper as he walked down the hallway, whistling an old tune, his gait pretty lively, not stiff like when there was a serious mission. He could be a laid back individual, if you were at the right time and at the right place; and this was one of those perfect moments.

Because he was going home.

The Octonauts were heading to the Arctic to make a couple rounds and see if all the creatures living there were all right. They would probably do this about once or twice, maybe even more times a year, depending on what they would be dealing with in the other parts of the globe. 

It wasn't until they turned to the direction of the Arctic that Captain Barnacles realized just how much he had missed home. It wasn't a negative feeling, in a sense. He loved being an Octonaut and would not trade it for anything. Yet, there was a longing to see the beautiful, bright ice expanding in all directions, down into the horizon, with the blue sky solid above him. Hopefully he could see his friend Boris, the narwhal, and maybe even his friends from the Cub Scouts, all grown up now. His sister was in Alaska, so he wouldn't be able to see her. He would love to see his mother too, but bless her, she had passed away five years ago. 

With a swoosh of the automatic doors, he was in the HQ; and it was already inhabited. Dashi was at her station, typing away at the computer and seeing if everything was all right. 

He looked at Peso, wondering, did he, did any of them, miss home too? He was sure Peso did, being the youngest of them. He talked about his family quite frequently too. Thankfully, it seemed that he was over the marlin’s death and he’s acting like his normal self.

But the captain wondered about everyone else. Would Kwazii miss home? When he had been gone for so long, traveling the seas way before he set foot on the Octopod. And what about Dashi, who said that her life had become a bore before this? What about Inkling, who was always away from home too? The Vegimals? They always looked chipper, and since Captain Barnacles could not understand their language, he could not tell if they ever talked about their tropical homeland. He assumed that Shellington might know, but he never really talked about it.

But he gently pushed all of that out of his mind, dreaming of when they would arrive, hopefully seeing creatures that were his friends again.

They met Boris all right, saved him and his narwhal friends in the nick of time, actually. Captain Barnacles would have never known what to do with himself if he wasn't there, if the Octonauts weren't there. He could only shudder at the thought of receiving the news of Boris' death. 

But that didn't happen, and everyone was safe.

Boris had spent time with him for the past couple hours, swimming and catching up, but now he had gone away. They parted on the most enthusiastic of terms, telling each other that they'll meet again sometime. It left a warm feeling in the Captain.       

The water was the perfect temperature. He chuckled to himself. Too bad no one else had the same opinion. He had asked his crew mates to join him, but they all declined, saying that they were busy. He had a feeling that wasn’t the case, but oh well, it was their loss.

He actually preferred this solitude. It was not all the time that he had time for himself.

He stretched his body out, parallel to the ocean floor, and looked down. He couldn't even see the bottom; it was a deep chasm. Icebergs seem to go down in the edges of his vision. The occasional fish swam by, some even poking out of the darkness before going back down and being surrounded by it again. The view blew him away, just like it did years ago. 

He never considered himself a philosopher, but this must be what it felt to be alive.

He had always done this when he was a cub. He would do it for several minutes straight before he got too cold and had to move again. He had felt like a bird looking down at land. Or like an astronaut floating in space, peering down on earth. At that time, the deep had a sense of mystery to it. He had always wondered what was down there, what amazing adventures awaited there. 

But now, he'd been there. He knew what’s in the deep. He couldn't decide whether he should feel elated or wistful about it. It’s a different feeling than what he had felt when he was young, but he welcomed it anyway.

He reached out, feeling the water pass through the spaces between his fingers. He reached out to the deep.

Gosh, what was that feeling?

It was longing, flitting in his stomach like blue butterflies. It almost hurt, but in the most beautiful way.

He wanted to keep looking, to keep searching the deep. There was so much more to see.

He turned towards the surface, looking up. The sun's rays went through the water, dazzling and dancing. Again, he reached out, as if trying to touch the light, to have it wrap around him in the dance of life. 

This feeling burned, it was like sadness, yet it was beautiful. 

It was so different than that one time...

Eyes opened blearily in the ice burrow. He did not know what woke him up, why this was happening, but all the small polar bear child could see what the darkness surrounding him. The moonlight cast barely-visible rays into the cave; snow fell outside heavily. 

It was quiet.

The falling snow, nor the wind, did not make noise.

His movements did not make noise.

Even his breathing seemed to not make noise.

The quiet was overwhelming. His chest clenched.

The small cub did not understand.

He could see the mound of white fur, moving slowly up and down as his mother slept.

A lump formed in his throat.

He still did not understand.

His paw wrapped around the warm fist of his sister, who was curled in a ball. Through the dim light, he could see her contented face.

His eyes welled with tears.

It was too quiet. The darkness surrounded him. The quiet was suffocating.

And he couldn't understand why it wasn't enough that his family was around him. 

He was alone, and it suffocated him.
 
A sob slipped past him, but he kept quiet-
          
The Captain forcefully snapped himself out of it. He panted once, shaking his head. No need to go over that. It was a one-time event. He had eventually cried himself to sleep and felt better in the morning, once he saw his mother's smile and his sister run about. That loneliness had been abnormal, intense. He was alright spending time alone; he actually preferred it sometimes, to recharge and to think.

This current feeling was nothing like that intense loneliness.

But he was here now, he reminded himself, and he was content and excited for the future. Among the light above and the exciting deep below, he knew what it was like to be alive.
       

Kwazii glanced outside of the HQ's window while Tweak and Dashi chatted. What was the Captain doing?

He seemed to be floating, just floating. Fur on his paws moving lazily in the freezing water. His face calm and serene, closed eyes for a long moment before contentedly opening them. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

Kwazii shivered at the thought of being out there in the Arctic waters. He hated the normal cold as much as it is; there was no way in Davy Jone's locker that he would willingly put himself out there for fun.

But then Captain Barnacles put his arm up, as if reaching towards the sky, and Kwazii suddenly found the gesture both weird and strangely intimate. Like it was something that he wasn't supposed to see. Like it spoke thousands of words what creatures could not speak. Reaching for something. Being enveloped in something bigger than himself. 

Huh, Kwazii never though himself poetic.

The pirate turned away and joined in the conversation, enthusiastically waving his paws, leaving the Captain to reach the intangible.

Chapter Text

"Dashi, can you please do me a favor?" the Captain asked as he came into the HQ. Dashi swiveled around in her chair.

"Of course, Captain. What do you need?”

"I was thinking about future generations of Octonauts. They would need training.”

Dashi nodded. He was, in fact, correct. 

"Do you think you would be able to make a list of training videos?”

Her ears twitched, confused if she heard that right. "Excuse me?”

“Videos," he repeated. "Ones that would educate future cadets on protocol and what to do during certain types of emergencies. I know you have much experience in photography. So filmmaking might be similar." 

“Oh," she said. Thinking a million miles a minute of how to pull something like that off. "Of course, Captain." She never did something like that before. What kind of equipment should she use? Did her current camera have a video feature? Do they need lighting? What kind? Would her lights for photography work? 

"What did you have in mind?" she said while thinking all this, pulling up a blank document on the computer. "Any ideas on the subjects - in concrete form, I mean. What is the tone or look you want to give?" That applied to photography, so that should work for film, right?

"Hmm, I'm not sure," the Captain put a paw to his chin. "I guess like the average educational video," he said vaguely.

Great.

"I'll research into it and see what I can do." Dashi said.

And research she did, pouring over countless of websites about filmmaking and educational videos (for references) and everything she could think of. Good thing they were not that deep in the ocean, so the ship had good internet connection. It took several days, but she finally felt like it was something she could pull off. Of course, she would need a few victims- er, helpers.

"Ok, so when the rope goes down, grab it; and the Captain will pull you up," Dashi said, using her paw to direct Kwazii and Peso in the "set." Kwazii and Peso were in green pudding, making it look like a blob. The Captain was in a Gup, which was suspended about them. He had a rope in his paw. 

Dashi also held an object: a megaphone. She found it in the storage area in the Octopod, among some random crates, and thought it was perfect. 'Cause hey, she had to look the part. 

"Um, how long do we need to hold onto the rope?" Peso asked. He looked at his lanky flippers. "I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on for too long.”

"Don't worry, Peso," Dashi said. "You'll get to rest in between takes.”

Peso nodded, still a bit uneasy.

"And don't forget your lines," Dashi said in the megaphone, which screeched. Kwazii covered his pointy ears. 

"Ok," Dashi said wearily. She didn't know how, but her ears were more droopy than usual. "Kwazii, for the hundredth time, it's a blob, not pudding. Peso, you have to hold on longer, until I say 'cut.' Not before. Captain, you need to pull the rope a bit more slowly, or else I can't follow it with my camera.”

At this point, she might just have to edit the camera move out. It was just too bothersome to keep in. 

"Sorry," they all chorused.

"It's fine," she said, still in the same tone, and waving her hand. "Let's just do it one more time.”

She did end up having to edit around the move, and Kwazii did end up saying "pudding" again, but Peso did not fall down, so she called it a wrap anyway.

"Ugh", Dashi groaned, laying her head on the desk. "Just kill me." It was 3 in the morning, the lamp on the desk was too bright for her liking, and she was stuck in the terminal pit that was post production.

No wonder the websites recommended that you should not try to “fix it in post.”

The tutorials seemed simple enough. To make a background appear digitally (like a picture of the ocean, or a video of the Grand Canyon, or stars, (the last one was what she wanted to do)), she had to do a green screen. Of course, she didn't have the proper materials that they recommended, so she just opted to have a regular old green blanket for the Captain to stand in front of and give his lessons. 

But nope.

The blanket gave a weird texture in the background, even when she digitally replaced the green with another background. And it was noticeable. So noticeable. And she had found an old video camera (her photo camera ended up not having a video function), and the age showed. It was so grainy that she couldn't look at the screen without cringing.

Sure, she guessed this could have been expected, since this was her first time filming; and she never did something like this before. But she wanted it to be flawless!

She sighed and put her head back up. "Ok, there must be a way to fix this," she said, searching on the internet again. She had been searching for the past hour, but there has to be something, right?

So there was a way to minimize the blanket texture, but no way (at least to her knowledge) of fully taking the grain away. 

She was ashamed, and so sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck as the other Octonauts stood in front of the screen in the HQ. "It's a work in progress," Dashi said. "It's not that good." But she needed their feedback on the tutorials, just in case she missed anything. 

She didn't really hear what they said, but it was probably a "don't worry about it" or "it's gonna be fine." As if it could be fine.

But she calmed herself, and refrained from bouncing her leg as she put the cursor on the start button. "Ok, let's go," she muttered. 

She stayed still as the video played, glancing every now and then at the audience's reaction. But she never looked at the screen, too overwhelmed and nervous. It was only a couple of the tutorials; there would be too many for them to sit through at once (and for them to be able to give good feedback).

Once the video ended, she took an inconspicuous breath and turned towards the audience. She was about to speak when she was bombarded with applause.

"Excellent," Captain Barnacles said.

"This is going to be very useful," Professor Inkling remarked.

"I really like those graphics!" Shellington chimed in. 

"Uh... Thank you?" She took a hold of herself. "Are there any things that need to be changed?”

"I think there needs to be a video about how to handle a Gup," Tweak said. 

"Aye, and a video about the basics of Vegimalnese," Shellington added.

"I can definitely do that," Dashi said. "Anything about the videos I showed you, though?”

They considered.

“Nope."

"Not that I can think of, at the moment." The Captain said.

"You did a marvelous job.”

She raised a confused eyebrow, but said "Thank you," all the same. After they left, Dashi quizzically looked up at the screen, the frozen image of a grainy Captain in front of a weirdly textured sky of stars. 

She raised a paw to her head.

She was getting a headache. 

Chapter Text

The submarine rose from the water, and Pinto jumped with excitement. Through the windshield... could it be...?

Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh!

An eyepatch, a beat up ear. A mischievous glint in his eye.

"It's the pirate, Mom!" he yelled, swinging his mother's arm back and forth in his excitement.

"I can see that, dear," she said amusedly, not minding at all.

The windshield opened. 

"It's really you!" Pinto cried, coming as close to the edge of the dock as he could. "You're so cool!"

"Aye, that I am," the pirate replied, chuckling. "Hop on in. We’ve got a lot of cool stuff to show you!"

"Yahoo!" Pinto jumped in, and the Gup started to turn away, closing the windshield.

"Take care of my son!” Perlita called, waving goodbye.

Kwazii did a thumbs up, and they sank into the water.

"The name's Kwazii," the Pirate said, a lazy, very awesome smile on his face as he glanced at the young one, before looking back through the windshield. "And you're name's Pinto, right? Peso told me a lot about you." 

"Really?" Things were getting cooler by the minute!

"Aye," Kwazii replied. "He said you liked adventure and pirates." 

"Sure do!" Pinto replied. "Do you go on adventures?"

"All the time," Kwazii said. "Before, and even now with the Octonauts. Sometimes, I search for treasure..."

"Ooh"

"...and sunken ships..."

"Oooooh"

"... and even monsters!"

"Ooooooh!"

"Yep, the life of an Octonaut is really exciting. You have to be prepared for anything to happen."

"I wanna become an Octonaut. Or definitely a pirate! Or both!" Pinto said, then looked down. "Though I don't really sound like a pirate. That's gonna be a problem."

"Nah, that can be easily fixed," Kwazii said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, anyone can talk like a pirate," Kwazii said. "It's all about the gruffness and the lingo. Actually, when I was a wee kitten, I talked like this,” And just like that, his voice transformed into the average Joe. It was jarring. It was uncanny. It was also incredibly British. But then he went back to his usual voice. "But I trained meself to talk like a pirate. 'Tis pretty natural, now.”

"So I can really become just like you!" Pinto beamed.

"Yeah..." Kwazii laughed, a bit uncomfortably. Won't ya wanna be like Peso too, though? Kwazii knew how much the medic was looking forward to his little brother’s visit. Oh well, he's probably going to be excited about seeing Peso too. Might as well not worry about it. 

"Can you teach me how to talk like one?" Pinto asked, looking up at him with huge eyes.

Kwazii thought of his gift for Pinto and grinned. The little squirt would definitely love that.

"'Course I can." 

Peso waited with bated breath until he saw the Gup rise up in the Launch Bay. 

Peso was excited to see Pinto again. He couldn't wait to give Pinto his gift: a medical hat that Peso made, just for him. So they could both have the same uniform, and Pinto could feel like a real Octonaut.

Kwazii just gave Pinto the eye patch. He accepted it with warm flippers and wide eyes, and Peso's heart was warm as well. Peso and Kwazii had coordinated those gifts, since Peso knew how much Pinto would appreciate the pirate garb. Now he hoped that Pinto would appreciate his gift. He probably would; Peso was his big brother, after all. 

He should've known it wouldn't be that easy.

"I want to learn how to be an Octonaut, not a medic,” Pinto said later, in the Sick Bay.

"But I'm an Octonaut and a Medic.”

"I mean a real Octonaut, like Kwazii.”

That was like a slap in the face. Sure, a medic might not be as flamboyant and glorified of a job, but he was still important. How could Pinto think that lowly of him?

But then Kwazii whisked Pinto away for lunch, cheering and playing with the young one, a ball of energy, and Pinto following faithfully by the pirate's side. Peso could only sigh.

Kwazii, and pirates, were just so much cooler. No wonder Pinto would not be interested in what his big brother does.

He didn't even have the chance to give him the gift.

But then the OctoAlert sounded, and Peso was soon tangled up in untangling seaweed.

Peso didn't know how it happened, but Pinto had changed his mind about him.

Thank goodness.

Scratch that, he knew exactly how that happened. In the end, he was glad that Pinto had stowed away on their Gup, even though he wasn't suppose to. They all ended up safe, they had an extra set of flippers, and most importantly, Pinto saw exactly what he did for a living. Now Pinto saw how much cooler he could be. Peso probably shouldn't be, but he was immensely glad that he was still on his little brother’s radar. 

Now, in the HQ, Kwazii turned to Pinto, "Your brother kept everybody safe today." 

"Thanks to you, Peso, our mission was a success," Captain Barnacles chimed in.

Peso laughed sheepishly, not sure how to handle the compliments. Pinto looked up at Peso. "Can I try your hat?”

This was the perfect segue.

"Actually, I made this for you," Peso brought out the smaller medic hat. "If you want it." He still didn't want to risk it. It was still a bit too good to be true.

But Pinto passionately put it on his head, and that solidified it for Peso.
 
"Wow!" Pinto cheered. "Now I'm a pirate and a medic!”

"You can swashbuckle!" Kwazii said.

"And swash-bandage!" Peso added.

"Just like a real Octonaut!" Pinto said, and hugged Peso. The older penguin knew that he was going to remember this for a long time. 

He didn't know how one could be so blessed.

Chapter Text

The day seemed more sunny than usual. Scratch that, it seemed like every day was brighter. The weird notes of the Captain's accordion, from his room, wafted in the air. The cat covered his ears, but still smiled fondly.

It was just like any other day.

Kwazii saw Peso come towards him in the hallway.

"The Captain's going at it again," Kwazii remarked dryly, though there wasn't any bite to it. It was the Captain's hobby to play that instrument.

"I quite like it," Peso said. "It would be fun to play a song with him with my xylophone." They started walking, side by side, down the hall.

"Ya should ask 'im," Kwazii encouraged. "No doubt he'll love that sort of thing." 

Peso smiled slightly, in a way that Kwazii knew was contentment. "I think I will.”

It was so great to have Peso back, even stronger than before.

Kwazii used to think of how scared and nervous the penguin was. But now, he saw a strength there. That even if Peso was terrified or heartbroken, he stayed and kept going.

Something that Kwazii saw in himself.

Huh, he really did have a lot of common with this lot. 

They turned a corner, and the cat saw Shellington wave to them and walk towards them. Dashi was close behind, paws clasped amicably in front of her.

"Hey guys," Shellington said. 

"I can't wait to get started," Dashi said.

"Argh, it's gonna be great!" Kwazii said. Enthusiasm seemed to be contagious, because everyone else seemed to catch it.

It was a slow day, meaning that the Octopod was parked; and they could do whatever they wanted. These opportunities were hard to come by, so they used the most of it.

Though, now that Kwazii thought about it, these free days became more common after the seaweed feast. That could not have been a coincidence.

"Is anyone else going to join us?” Peso asked.

The Captain was obviously preoccupied.

"Tweak is working on the Gup F," Dashi said, talking about the engineer's side project.

"The Vegimals are planning a new recipe. Some sort of cake, I think," Shellington said. "But I think we should ask the professor again. He might have forgotten. You know how he gets when he's found something interesting to study.”

"Takes one to know one," Dashi chuckled.

"Alright, let's talk to him," Kwazii said, leading the way. They followed him down the Octochute into the library where, as if on cue, the professor was.

Inkling seemed surprised, elated, and relieved to be asked to join them. "It does this old octopus good to be included by the young ones," he said, following them out of the room. "Though, what are we doing today?”

"We're not sure yet, professor," Shellington said.

“Oh?"

"We just wanted to hang out together," Peso said. 

It was a welcome strangeness to Kwazii, to hang out just for the sake of it. He could see that it was the same way for Dashi, by her happy but awed expression. 

Kwazii had always wanted it. He would hang out and play with Calico Jack all the time as a child. He would play pirates with other kids in elementary. It's just, after that, it didn't really happen anymore. He almost forgot what it felt like.

Again, his heart swelled in warmth. 

"You know, maybe we can go out on a research expedition together," Shellington offered. "That'll be fun.”

Maybe the pirate won't be alone anymore.

Kwazii's heart stilled at that thought. "We can go swinging on vines," he offered, for some reason nervous. He tried to keep it nonchalant.

"You know, I never tried that before," Dashi said, after considering for a bit. "It must be quite exciting.”

"Yeah, 'tis quite the thrill," Kwazii replied, wiggling his eyebrows in fun. Though on the inside, his heart was pounding. 

"Is it dangerous?" Peso said, wringing his flippers.

"Not any more dangerous than the daily missions we do," Kwazii said. "Compared to that, this is a walk in the park.”

He considered. "O-ok," the medic finally said. "I'll try it. But only a little.”

Kwazii was legitimately surprised that Peso was ok with that. With Peso's considerate smile towards him, he shouldn't have been.

"If you three want to, then count me in," Shellington said.

"Not sure if it's good for me," the professor said. "Don't want to accidentally pull something.”

"Can you, if you don't have bones?" Kwazii asked.

"I think you can do it," Shellington said. "After all, just last week, you protected some fish when the lion’s mane jellyfish couldn’t look after them. You're as fit as a fiddle!”

Inkling blushed at the compliment. "Alright, then. I'll give it the old try.”

They looked at Kwazii, who seemed to be shocked. He cleared his throat. "Alright, then. Follow me!”

It was amazing.

Peso was a bit nervous, naturally, giving a shocked yelp when he did his first swing. But even he laughed and yelled ecstatically as he swung later on, holding as tight as he could, of course. Dashi was really into it. Kwazii should've known she was an adrenaline junkie, with the way she would surf. But it always astounded him, just because of how calm she usually was. But here she was, doing tricks as well, once she got accustomed to the basics.

Shellington and Inkling had fun as well. Kwazii didn't know how he pulled it off, but the sea otter was clumsy while holding on to the plant. His trajectory kept wobbling on his turn. Luckily there were no mishaps, because it could've gone south pretty fast. Or it could have gotten hilarious, however you wanted to look at it.

The professor had the advantage of having several appendages, and he used them to his advantage. He ended up being the most graceful and ambitious of them all, even more than Kwazii, but only because of his ability. He did several flips, seemingly glided from vine to vine, and used his flexible body to make cool shapes when he was in the air. It was a sight to behold. "And you thought you were too old for this," Shellington laughed, patting the professor on the back.

They all laughed with him, including the professor, as they continued on their antics.

Kwazii could only take this all in with wonder. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that the Octonauts would join him on this, do something he was so passionate about. That notion had died in the beginning of his time with them, when he felt so alone. But he didn't feel alone anymore. Far from it. In fact... It felt like he actually, finally... 

He couldn't finish that sentence, but it was in his heart, all the same.

Kwazii never knew he could be so happy.

“Wow," he murmured.

Out of all his wildest dreams, this was one of the ones that he thought would definitely never happen. Well, there was one crazier dream, one that he truly wanted, but... he sighed. There was no way Calico Jack was still alive, after all these years.

But this.... this was the closest thing. 

In his paws were the words of Calico Jack himself, a message specifically for him. They found it on an island inhabited by coconut crabs. Apparently his grandad had to be nursed back to health there, after a bad wreck. Kwazii could only assume this was when he was on his way to the Amazon River, in search of the Lost City. What got Kwazii the most, though, was that through all of that, probably not feeling well, having the pull of adventure waiting for him, Calico had thought of Kwazii and took the time to leave a message.

Of course he did, Kwazii cleared his throat, which suddenly had a lump in it. No need for him to get emotional, 'specially when the other Octonauts were in the Gup with him. They were coming home after their mission with the coconut crabs.

“Oh, and if ya ever run into me grandson, Kwazii, tell him from me…”

He concentrated on the words again, bringing the paper closer to his face, mouth moving softly as if speaking the words. He knew immediately that he'll have this remembered by heart by the time they're home.

“Oh, and if ya ever run into me grandson, Kwazii, tell him from me that I am surprised and ecstatic that he chose to become a Pirate. He could only get this message if he were out adventuring, after all." It was as if he could hear the chuckle through those words, echoing through his mind. "I wish him all the treasure in the world and much swashbuckling to come.”

Kwazii snorted. Calico was surprised he's a Pirate? Kwazii found that hilarious. It was certain from the start, as if it was fate itself. 'Specially with someone like the great Calico Jack leading him.

Kwazii was lucky to have found this message, after all these years. Maybe there were even more?

Kwazii was giddy at that thought.

Once upon a time, finding messages would have both been amazing and heartbreaking at once. And while Kwazii was still wistful, it was nowhere near the grief and loneliness he would have had. Back then, he would have wished that he could still travel with his grandad, meet him again. And while he still wished that occasionally, he was at peace with it.

It was never going to happen, but now.... He was ok with that. He had what he truly needed, even if Calico Jack was out of the picture. Something he couldn't get out of his parents, even though he loved them, and he knew they loved him back. A togetherness and sense of understanding that went to the deepest part of his soul.  He had what he truly wanted now, after his whole life of searching for it. 

He finally had his own family. 

Chapter Text

Captain Barnacles played on his accordion, closing his eyes as his fingers skillfully went over the keys. 

Today was a day off, and he used it to his advantage.

He had it planned out: practice his accordion for a couple hours and then revise his manual for driving the Octopod. It was his second revision; it had become a hobby of his, at this point. Because even with hobbies, he liked to be productive.

He sensed a presence behind him. He opened his eyes and glanced back. At the door was the professor with a contented look on his face. 

"You play remarkably well." Inkling murmured. He seemed relaxed, and it just shot through the polar bear, the notion that maybe his music had something to do with it.

"You should see me when I learn a new song. Takes me ages to get it right," Captain Barnacles joked quietly. He didn't want to break the spell. He remembered one time, when he kept doing the notes wrong when he was trying to learn a tune, and Kwazii had burst into his room and loudly asked him to stop. That was embarrassing, to be sure, but the pirate never complained about his playing afterwards (though, Captain Barnacles still had a notion that he might not be the biggest fan). And a pod of orcas seemed to like it, so it didn't hurt the Captain's pride too much. Looking back on it, it was quite funny. 

Inkling went deeper into the room. "I was just with the others, swinging on vines," He laughed. "Can't believe I actually did that. It was quite an adrenaline rush!”

"Looks like you enjoyed it, though." The Captain said.

"Quite so. I can see why Kwazii does it frequently." 

"Maybe I should join him one of these days," the Captain looked down, gripped the accordion a bit tighter. With all that's happened, and the more he had learned about the pirate, the more he regretted declining his offer to use the vines earlier. 

"You'll have a lot of opportunities to do so," Inkling said. Whether the professor knew what he was thinking, he wasn't sure.

He nodded and changed the subject. Even when he did, that feeling of regret, of not being quite as good a Captain as he should be, did not fully leave.

"What will you be doing for the rest of the day?" Captain Barnacles asked.

"Not sure," Inkling said. "Shellington might help me research in the library. Dashi also offered to show me the pictures that she digitized. I might take her offer on that.”

"By any chance, would you accept any more audience members?" He asked curiously. "That sounds very interesting.”

"I wouldn't mind at all," Inkling said. "In fact, maybe we can invite the others.”

"Great idea, professor.” It would be great for bonding.

Though, at this point, it felt like they were quite knit together as a bunch. They were way more than crew mates, way more. He felt it, and he had a notion that the others felt it too. 

"I'll tell everyone," Inkling offered, and went on his way.

Captain Barnacle's went to his bed and took out his manual. Might as well do it now, instead of playing the accordion. His plans changed slightly, but it was all for the best. 

Everyone, including all the Vegimals, ended up joining them in the Gaming Pod. They all sat on chairs or bean bags, looking at the projector. It was like a movie night, but with pictures. This contentment would not leave, and everyone accepted it with open arms.

It was so funny, how it all seemed too good to be true. How, after a lot of events happened in their lives with the marlin, and the falling out, and the heartbreak, it all seemed so far in the past now. How it all seemed to settle, and they seemed closer now. How they seemed like a…

Captain Barnacles laughed with the rest of them as Inkling explained several funny stories from his youth. 

Inkling's pictures eventually ran out, and now it was the next Octonaut's turn. Dashi had offered everyone to digitize any pictures they had; and over the past few months she had slowly but surely put a collection together. They were all categorized by individual. Even the Vegimals, who had no original pictures, had their own category, because of the pictures Dashi took of them on their Octonaut expedition.

It was one of those pictures now that drew everyone's attention.

In the picture, it seemed like Barrot was having a great time surfing with Dashi during the seaweed feast. Huh, Captain Barnacles didn't remember that. They were both on the same surfboard. Barrot was doing well, balancing on the board, holding his flippers out to his sides. 

"Wow, Barrot, how you've grown!" Tweak said. Barrot seemed to blush, and the Captain did not know what she meant. That feeling grew again, the feeling that he was too dense; but he put it to rest. 

From Barrot’s perspective, that day at the seaweed feast was so much progress. Yes, there were setbacks, but even with them, he learned more and more about himself. He was definitely into sports and athletic activities. And thinking back, he realized he was always like that. He liked to do flips and climb on palm trees on his home island. He liked to participate swimming races with his brothers, sometimes jumping through the waves. He remembered how his mother would joke at how energetic he was as a child, zipping this way and that.
 
Barrot felt like he knew himself more than ever before. And he cherished every second of it. And the fact that Tweak noticed made it all the more sweeter. Because it was actual progress, then, if someone else could see it too. 

Next, it was the Captain's turn. The crew oohed and awed at the pictures of the polar bear as a cub, with his little cute jumper and small paws. There were images of him sliding down ice hills, as well as one of him and his badges from the Cub Scouts. There was a picture of him and Bianca; another of him and Boris. It flooded the Captain with memories of the past, circling his mind with gentle nostalgia.

There was a picture of him under the water (he had no idea how his mother caught that shot without him noticing), floating still, paw outstretched toward the deep below.

"I've always liked to swim," he said lightly, but he could not really put into words what exactly that image invoked in him. What it meant to him.

Kwazii was still, lips in a tight line as he contemplated.

Now it was Shellington's turn.

"Ooh, you must have looked adorable as a child!" Tweak squealed. Shellington seemed uneasy.

Oops, that wasn't the best thing to say, Tweak, the Captain thought, cringing.

"Actually, I don't have pictures of my childhood," Shellington said, paw rubbing behind his neck.

Tweak seemed to come to her senses. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean-“

"No-no worries," Shellington said, and he smiled genuinely.

Kwazii raised an eyebrow, and the Vegimals looked confused as well, but everyone else seemed to pointedly look at the screen during this exchange. It looked like the pirate was about to ask what that was about, but he seemed to think better of it and backed off.

Just as well. There was no way the Captain was going to bring it up until Shellington talked about it first. He felt that was common courtesy, the right thing to do. 

Shellington did, however, have pictures of his college years. The awkward atmosphere seemed to go away again as Shellington showed his lab experiments in university and his trip to study the basking shark.

It was soon Peso's turn, and he pointed out each of his countless relatives by name. Captain Barnacles wondered how he could remember all of them, especially when most of them started with the letter "P," but he saw the love in the penguin's eyes as he looked at the pictures and got his answer. 

They continued to look at photographs far into the night. They were supposed to have curfew, but the Captain allowed an exception, just this once. 

Captain Barnacles looked back in the Gup A as Peso drove. The polar bear saw Kwazii looking intently at a piece of parchment. The cat moved his lips silently, reading the precious words.

If he had to bet, he would say that Kwazii would have Calico Jack's message memorized by the time they got home.

After he got promoted, after everything seemed to settle, Kwazii finally told everyone about his grandfather. It seemed like a huge step, with the way he talked; and how he had always hid the older cat's identity before. That pirate was the most important individual in the world to him, more precious than any treasure, diamond, or ruby Kwazii could ever find. It showed in his voice, showed in his face; and the Captain took it to heart.

He was never going to betray his trust.

He was never going to betray any of their trust.

Everyone else seemed to have the same attitude. The Captain could see it now, feel it in his very bones.

They were family.

Chapter Text

Shellington was excited as they drove the Gups to the kelp forest. The others kept asking what the surprise was, who they were going to meet; but he kept his lips sealed. It was just too much fun to keep it a secret; they will meet his newborn nephew soon enough.

It was amazing when his sister, Pearl, told him the news. She sounded so proud to be a mother, and he was so happy for her. It would also help manage the sea urchin population, once the little one was old enough to eat them. That was actually why Shellington and the Octonauts were going there now. With Pearl having to raise Periwinkle- or Peri, as she called him sometimes- she had fallen behind on regulating the urchins. The Octonauts would help move them away (they wouldn't just kill or eat them; that was against policy and what the group stood for). And while they did that, Shellington was to help Pearl teach her son how to dive. 

He was going to help them.

And that made him feel warm and wistful at the same time. A golden feeling, sinking in the base of his chest.

But he was ecstatic to meet his relatives all the same, and it showed when he introduced them to the crew.

Of course, the age old topic, the one that Shellington never wanted to hear, came up.

"But I've never seen you eat an urchin," Peso said. They were just explained what a keystone species was, a species that was integral to an ecosystem, making sure it didn't get out of balance. 

His eyes lowered- he couldn’t help it- unable to look anyone in the eye. "Uh, well, actually, as it turns out… I'm allergic to urchins.”

Pearl got closer. He looked up at her. 

"Shellington helps the kelp forest in a different way...," she said.

Shellington smiled a little.

"...As an Octonaut.”

Pearl always knew how to make him feel better. 

The day went pleasantly enough. It was a joy to train Peri, and quite hilarious when, instead of bringing up a red urchin, the young one brought up a red rock or a red clam. He even brought up an angry, red crab. Ok, that last one was not that fun; but it made for a good story. Peri was still very young, but at least he knew his colors.

There were only a couple of other awkward moments, with one particularly bad one.

Shellington was swimming down to the bottom of the forest, about to get another urchin (he was able to touch them; he just couldn't eat them) when he overheard. 

"Wonder where all the other sea otters are?" Kwazii wondered.

The sea otter stopped, and Kwazii noticed and looked over. Everyone else around them became still. 

Shellington shifted uncomfortably in the water, holding one arm with his paw. Tweak looked at the cat like he grew a second head. 

"What?" Kwazii said, genuinely confused.

"Kwazii," Peso said. He swam forward, then wrung his flippers. "Years ago, there was an epidemic among the sea otter population.”

Kwazii's eye's widened. Shellington gripped his arm more tightly.

"They are on the verge of extinction.”

So they finally brought it up, Shellington thought as he was getting ready for bed.

Tonight, he was going to stay with Pearl on the surface of the kelp forest. The other Octonauts would be in the Gup A, making sure the urchin population didn't return at night, since they were nocturnal.

Urchin population. Shellington shivered. How he hated those words.

In actuality, he was surprised the crew hadn't brought up the epidemic, and the state of his species, for so long. What was it now, a year since they all met? Sure, there were hints here and there, like when Inkling talked to him in Florida, or how the others seemed to get more quiet during awkward parts of conversation. But he was actually surprised that some of them didn't even know about it. Granted, it would have been when Kwazii (and him) were young, but still. But hey, sometimes creatures didn't pay attention to world events. 

Shellington grabbed a piece of seaweed with one paw before clasping his sister’s paw with the other. Peri snuggled into his mother's chest, dozing. Pearl gazed down at him fondly. 

"You did really good," Shellington said quietly, as to not disturb him.

"I guess we'll only see when he's grown up," Pearl shrugged, but didn't lose her soft gaze. 

The fact that she gave birth to a healthy baby was enough. He didn't have any defects, any imperfections...  

He gripped the seaweed tightly, but didn't say anything.

"You're doing it again," Pearl said.

“What?"

"You're thinking deeply. It's written on your face.”

"Sorry. You know my problem," he shrugged. They've talked about it ever since the Incident. "The sea otter population needs more members and needs to take care of the sea urchins. There are things that desperately need to be done, and I can't provide them. I can’t help take care of the urchins.”

"But you can have kids, can't you?”

"Technically yes, but should I? There aren't many sea otters as it is; I can't contaminate the gene pool with my allergy. If it was anything other than sea urchins, then it might be ok.  But this…"

He slammed the water with his fist. Those feelings, the ones that writhed and tangled in him for years, for as long as he could remember, rose up. But he quieted down and grabbed the seaweed again. "Sorry, I'm just frustrated.”

"I know it must be hard for you.”

"The funny thing is, I never saw myself as the type of guy who'd want a family." He chuckled sadly. "I guess you want what you can't have.”
 
Pearl looked up at the starry sky, beautiful in its simplicity. "... Keep soldiering on. You are making a difference. You may not believe me, but I'll always say it. And no one holds it against you.”

Shellington looked away sadly. 

"I mean, you're helping me teach Peri how to hunt. You’re helping the next generation.”

"And my research can help others," Shellington said, though his heart wasn't really in it.

"That's right," Pearl encouraged. "And you're doing what you love.”

"Yes," Shellington said, feeling a bit more comforted. Science could cheer him up like nothing else. It thrilled him, and it did have a positive impact. 

So he locked away the pain in his heart and focused on that. Though as hard as he tried, the door was still slightly ajar.

"Thanks, Pearl," he said. She yawned.

"No problem. I'm always here for you," she said.

Shellington yawned as well. "Same here," he replied.

The Captain briefly called them through the radio on his collar; Shellington grabbed the kelp again, making sure his hold was secure; and the three sea otters drifted into slumber. 

Chapter Text

They weren't really sure when, but the perfectly-planned-out chore schedule started to slide. 

Tweak looked at the dirty area where she was doing a side project. I can do it later, she told herself. 

Captain Barnacles was too busy on missions to notice, having to think of a million contingencies and plans at once with the responsibilities of other creature's lives on him. He was fine with it, of course; but at the end of the day, when he's bone tired, eyes half-open, he would look at the mess in the Octopod and groan. We'll clean up tomorrow, he would tell himself. But then the craziness would start up again, and it became a cycle. 

Shellington was so excited with bringing samples on board that he didn't notice sludge or water being spilled on the floor. Kwazii was happy no one was bringing the chores up. Peso kept his Medical Bay spotless so his patients wouldn't get infected, but he thought it would be mean if he told the others to clean up after themselves. Dashi thought that it's the Captain's job to tell the others to do chores. And if an onlooker saw the state of Inkling's desk during his prior years in university, then it would not be a surprise to find that, frankly, the professor did not care. 

It almost took a collision with two mixed-up whales before they would be consistent with the chores again. For the Captain especially, he believed he should have done better. He was going to make sure they never slacked off again.

Dashi knew that Shellington was a heavy sleeper. What, with the whole event of him drifting off to sea while asleep, and the other time where he literally fell asleep standing up, it was no surprise. He could literally sleep anywhere.

And, in those nights where he fell asleep at his desk, Dashi brought it upon herself to remedy the situation.

"Five more minutes, mom," he mumbled, face against his arm on the desk in his lab. His face looked so serene.

"I'm not your mom, but thanks," Dashi quipped. She gently grabbed his shoulders and had him sit up. She put his arm across her shoulders. "Come on, Shellington, off to bed.”

She just giggled when he blearily opened his eyes, so different from the passionate, lit-up gaze when he was awake, and mumbled, "Ok," as he shuffled along with her as she directed him to his bed.

She put him on the bed, placed the blanket on him, and turned off the light.

"Really, what would you do without me?” she said amusedly, wiping her paws in satisfaction at a job well done as she left. 

The Octonauts were protective of Peso, particularly Captain Barnacles and Kwazii. Even when Kwazii was deathly scared of a supposed ghost, he protected him, blocking the medic from the threat, treating himself like a shield. They put themselves as shields in front of Peso when there was danger, and he swam behind them, accepting the help. They would do it at the same time, instinctively; like it was how they rolled, how it should be, in a sense. And when it came to their occupations, the Captain and Lieutenant went into battle first and protected those around them; and the medic then took care of them if the need arose. It fit their roles, their occupations, their personalities, them, and not a word was said. It only lasted for a few seconds, and before Peso could even thank them for their help, they would be off continuing the mission.

It all started with the Captain's whistle.

They were all in the HQ, each doing their own chores.

It was unclear if the Captain was chipper or uncharacteristically bored, but he stars to whistle a sailor's ditty. It was lively, lovely, filled with ups and downs in the notes.

Kwazii started to make a beat, tapping his paws against the counter.

Tweak munched on a carrot, the loud snap of each bite timed with the beat.

Tunip sprayed the window cleaner against the window in time with the music.

Peso swept the floor, the scritch-scratch of the broom against the ground, joining in the melody.

Shellington brought the bucket up and down, making a metallic clang, joining the chorus.

Inkling, chuckling, used his suction cups on his arms to make a popping sound.

Dashi, quite weirded out yet amused and wanting to join in on the fun, finally acquiesced and typed on the keyboard, the click-clack joining the rhythm.

The song went to a crescendo, into a climax, and they all stopped, laughing.

Chapter Text

"Alright, Kwazii, here you go. If you need anything, let me know. I'll be taking the backseat for now." Captain Barnacles said.

"Aye aye, Captain," Kwazii said, giving a playful salute. Funny, before, he was wary or hesitant to say captain; now he was totally fine with it. Had been, for quite a while. 

This was going to be the first day where Kwazii would take the reigns of a mission. This was training, basically. The polar bear would be watching over him, making sure he did everything correctly. But Kwazii wasn't worried. He was confident that he would be able to pull this off. 

He was even allowed to choose what they would do today. 

He gleefully opened one of his maps on the counter. They were in the area, so this was perfect. "A'right, Octonauts. Gather 'round here,” he said. Everyone obliged, trying their best to peek at the parchment. 

"Nearby, there's a coral reef and a sunken ship. Today, we'll do the usual research and medic sweep, but we’ll also search for lost treasure! There's apparently one in the ship, with a relic from the ancient Meow-ans." 

"Really? Fascinating," Shellington commented. "I'm sure the archaeological community would love that.”

To be frank, Kwazii wasn't sure what they would do if they found the treasure. Should they keep it? Sell it to a museum? He mentally shrugged. They'll figure it out when they get there. It's mainly the thrill of finding the treasure, anyway. (He had the luxury of saying that, now, instead of half-starving on a raft in the middle of nowhere). 

"Shellington, Peso, Captain, you're with me,” Kwazii said. "Shellington will conduct research, Peso will take care of patients, and the Captain and I will stake out the ship." 

He couldn't tell if he was doing everything right, because the polar bear's face was unreadable, just serene. So he just assumed he was doing ok and broke up the group, having everything get started.
       

"Kwazii, have you forgotten anything?" Captain Barnacles asked casually as the two of them swam through the belly of the sunken ship. It was dark, with some light sources here and there from the holes in the walls. Peso would probably think it was creepy; but to Kwazii, it was just plain exhilarating.

"Hm," Kwazii said, thinking back. "I told everyone the objective of the mission, assigned everyone roles, made sure everyone was settled before going into the ship... No, I think I'm good." 

"What about the octocompass?" 

"Oi! I forgot! Sorry, Captain," he said, bringing out the octocompass that he borrowed for today. "I'm so used to relying on the radio.”

“And usually, that would be fine. But since we are so deep in the ship, the radio signals can be weak.”

"And the octocompass keeps tabs where everyone is, right?" Kwazii asked.

"Correct. We still haven't figured out how improve the radio connection. Tweak is working on it. But at least with the octocompass, it can give a general idea if everyone is alright, and where they are." 

"Makes sense." Kwazii looked at the mini map in the octocompass and saw the symbols of the others. "It seems like Peso and Shellington are doing ok..." Kwazii said. But then he squinted his eye and looked closer. "Shiver me whiskers!”

"What is it?" The Captain was at his side in an instant, looking at the small screen as well.

"What's that?" 

There was a blue circle on the map. It looked like it was getting closer to all of them.

Captain Barnacles' mouth was set in a thin line. "I'm not sure. What should we do?”

Kwazii was surprised that he was still having him lead, even with the potentially dangerous situation; but then he composed himself and got back into the role. He turned on his collar. "Shellington, Peso, can ya hear me?”

“Yes.”

“I’m here.”

The radio signal was dim and had much more static than usual, but he could make out the words. He hoped they could hear his warning.

"There's something coming towards us. Not sure what. Stay on your toes.”

They both spoke in the affirmative, and it went silent. Kwazii then looked everywhere, this way and that, to see if anything was in the ship. "We should go back to the others," Kwazii said, swimming towards the exit. "Just in case.”

"But what about the relic?" Captain Barnacle's asked.

"We'll get back to it once we make sure everyone's gonna be ok," the cat replied, turning back towards the exit. He didn't see it, but Captain Barnacles smiled in pride as he followed him. 

The medic and scientist met them outside, and they both seemed alright. "We haven't seen anything," Peso said. 

”You sure there's something out there?" Shellington pressed.

Kwazii took out the octocompass. "I was sure I saw…"

Suddenly, he heard a movement behind one of the coral. 

”Evasive maneuvers!" Kwazii cried out, and they all split up. There is something here, Kwazii thought, trying to peer behind the coral where the sound came from. He saw some sort of mound. 

"Ah, it got me!" Shellington screamed. And when Kwazii turned, he saw Shellington's body dragged behind another wall of coral. 

"It's an ambush!" Peso cried.

Kwazzi’s heart started to pound.

What to do? What to do?

"Dashi! Do you have a reading on what they are?" Kwazii asked into the radio. 

"Not sure," her voice answered back. He could hear the clanking of the keyboard and the beeps of pressing buttons. "Whatever they are, there seem to be two of them.”

"Everyone, back to the Gup! We have to save Shellington!" As he swam back to the mini-submarine with the others, it occurred to him that evasive maneuvers was probably not the best thing to do. He should have automatically made everyone retreat. If he did, Shellington would still be with them. He grit his teeth.

There's no way we'll lose him!

"Captain, drive the Gup! Take it behind the coral. We're going after him," he said determinedly. 

The polar bear nodded once and set straight for it.

The pirate was not one for tricks or subtlety; he would just go in straight into battle. If it's a fight they want; it's a fight they'll get!

The Gup careened towards the destination, careening around the wall. There was nothing there.

Kwazii's eyebrows furrowed.

"Keep searching," he ordered. "They've got to be here somewhere.”

Captain Barnacles moved the Gup forward, and they continued on their way. After a several feet forward, Peso pointed excitedly through the porthole.

"There! I see something!”

Captain turned the Gup in the direction of where Peso pointed and-

There. Kwazii could see it too.

A mound, but it moved. He had no idea what it was. It was a sort of beige color, and strangely textured.

Almost as if it wasn't natural…

He turned to Captain Barnacles. "You've got to be kidding me," Kwazii said.

The Captain looked like he was about to burst out laughing, the way he forced his lips together and the color under the fur of his cheeks; but he had the dignity to keep it in. 

"I think he figured it out," Peso said into the radio.

"You knew about this too?”

"We all did," a male voice said, and there he was. Shellington seemed to appear out of nowhere, right in front of the windshield of the Gup A. Behind him, the mound rose up, and it turned out to be the Gup E, covered with a beige tarp, driven by Tweak.

That was when the ice broke, and everyone started to laugh. Except Kwazii, of course. "Ya nearly gave me a heart attack!”

"We had to keep it a secret," Captain Barnacle's said, as his laughter started to die down. "How else would we know how you’ll lead in a stressful situation?" 

"Yeah, well- It wasn't that stressful," Kwazii said, crossing his arms, trying to salvage his dignity.

"All things considered, you did rather well," the Captain said.
 
"What do ya mean? I lost one of the crew members,” Kwazii said.

"That was part of the plan. Even if you did everything right, Shellington would automatically get captured. This test would be how you would react when others are in danger," the Captain explained. "And by how you conducted yourself, collecting everyone and going after the captured party, I think you'll be fine.”
 
"Shellington's one of our own. ‘f course I would try to save him." Kwazii said. 

"And that's why I think you'll do great," Captain Barnacle's said with such confidence, such assurance, that Kwazii took it as good as fact. 

As much as he liked heart to hearts, the pirate felt that this was getting too mushy.

"Glad we got this out of the way; I'm gonna be good, yada yada. Can we go back to treasure hunting?" Kwazii asked seriously, resulting in surprised guffaws.

"Yes, you can go," Captain Barnacle's laughed. "That'll be enough training for today.

Kwazii “yaowed!," jumping once in the air. He turned to exit the Gup, but before he did so, saw Peso's face. He was smiling, pleased at the cat's own happiness. The penguin also seemed proud. They stared at each other for a second, and Kwazii returned the smile, before heading out. 

An hour later, he was in the belly of the ship, excited at the discoveries he made. He ended up finding the relic; a beautiful small statue of a Meow-an cat. The jewels on it sparkled under the few sun rays that seeped into the hull. He lifted up the statue, inspecting it, his breath blown away. 

He lived for these moments.

He was overcome with the moment, the excitement and giddiness of discovery compounded by the love he felt for his new family and the adventure that still beckoned to him, reaching out to him like a promise for the future. 

And it was then that he told himself, reaffirmed his decree that he lived by ever since he first got a boat into the water.

"I’ll explore everything in the seven seas.”

Chapter Text

It's funny, how things change.

     In the beginning, he had been terrified of everyone and everything. The submarine scared him, talking to others scared him, Kwazii scared him. He would stutter and apologize profusely, his heart would pound a hundred miles a minute, and his mind would go to the worst case scenario in a snap. He would be excited for the future, but it would be buried under paranoia and fear of the unknown.

       And while it wasn't all the way gone, he hadn't noticed how much more comfortable and relaxed he was until he shared a joke and laughed with the others during breakfast. 

      Huh, he thought, mystified at himself. Since when did I stop stuttering?

      Because it was true, his stuttering, stumbling over his own words while his brain froze in fright, barely happened anymore. 

      Since when have I become so comfortable with everyone else?

      And he noticed it, to, when he skillfully backed up the Gup E and sank into the Launch Bay without any thought. When was it when Kwazii dumped him in a Gup and took him on a crazy ride? A year ago? Things happened so fast. And now he was so comfortable driving; it was like breathing. 

      Their days were both full of routine and full of chaos: there were scheduled meals, a curfew, chores and missions. Yet each day presented something new. Sometimes it was truly scary, like when a colossal squid attacked them in the midnight zone. But other parts were beautiful, like when they saw the stars on a quiet night, or when Peso and the others helped baby sea turtles go into the ocean. There was the cycle of life, death, life; but the life overcame the death and it was so full of beauty. The fire in him still burned, so long after the marlin incident. He wanted to care for life, keep the beauty of it. It was what he was here for, and this was where he stayed. And he still kept that close to is heart, never letting go.

        So in the dead of night, or while bandaging a patient, or seeing a sunset with the crew, or just living life in this mad Octonaut world, he would always tell himself:

         "I will rescue anyone who needs my help."

Chapter Text

They were in the Arctic during winter, when it was always night; and the temperatures dropped even lower than usual. The Octopod was making its rounds there, driving slowly among the glaciers. The great machine was always on the move, so it wouldn't freeze.

It was a lot more dangerous during winter, but that was all the more reason for the Octonauts to be there. They needed to make sure that the animals were able to make it through these bitter months, and see if they needed any help.

"It's hard to see out there," Shellington commented, looking at one of the screens in the HQ. It showed what was on the surface, but there was only falling snow, forcefully blown by the wind. "There would be no way of knowing if there’s anyone nearby.”

"Then we just need to bring a Gup out there," Captain Barnacles said in his deep, confident voice. "It will be easier to find them. Peso, you'll come with me to the Gup A. Dashi, keep the Octopod moving. Kwazii, you stay here and watch over everything while I'm gone. We should be back in a few hours.”

Everyone nodded, and the Captain and medic were soon off in the freezing waters. Captain Barnacles skillfully drove the Gup around the glaciers, weaving this way and that; and with him at the wheel, Peso was at ease. It was always that way, when the Captain drove. Peso was sure the others felt the same way.

They were able to meet some narwhals (but not Boris, unfortunately), and a pod of killer whales. They were all fine. Then Captain Barnacles drove to the surface. It was dark, and a blizzard was brewing. Snowflakes quickly hit the windshield, and they could hear the wind's roar. The Gup A slowly waded through the water, while the creatures inside inspected the land for anything living. All the Gup's outside lights were on, so they were able to see far. At first, it seemed like no one was in sight, but after a few moments the Captain pointed.

"See that small, white mound?" he asked. Peso peered through the windshield.

"I think so.”

"That's actually a mother polar bear with her cubs," he explained. "I would recognize that anywhere. But they don't look like they're in trouble. They are in a hole that the mother created, so they are pretty warm. Let's not disturb them.”

They continued on.

"Captain, look!" Peso said, alarmed, a few minutes later. The polar bear saw a walrus on the land. He was next to a large wall of ice, jutting out from the ground at a diagonal angle. Ice was on his tail, pinning it to the ground. The walrus struggled to pull his tail out, but it wouldn't budged.

"Let's help him," Captain Barnacles said, landing the Gup. He opened the windshield, and they immediately felt the chilling wind. They both grew up in freezing environments, so they were used to it. That’s why they were the ones out there, instead of any of the other Octonauts. But the blizzard still made them shiver. They walked towards the walrus, fighting against the wind.

As they walked closer to the him, the large walrus spotted them and growled, "If you get too close, you'll be wishing you hadn’t!"

"We are here to help," Captain Barnacles yelled over the wind. "Let us take the ice off your tail.”

The walrus considered then nodded. "Alright," he consented. The duo started to walk closer while the walrus warned, "But be careful. The snow is putting weight on the ice, and it’s breaking apart. Some of it fell on my tail, and that's how I got stuck.”

The polar bear and penguin noticed that the ice wall was pointed at an angle, going above their heads. They and the walrus were now under them.

"We need to move fast," Captain Barnacles told Peso. They proceeded to take the ice off, and Captain Barnacles had to use his polar bear strength to lift the larger pieces. After a few minutes, they were done; and the walrus's tail was free. But it was sprained.

"It needs a bandage," Peso declared, taking the supplies from his medical bag. He quickly set to work; and with amazing speed, he was able to finish. But just as he put away the bandage roll, they all heard a loud crack. Looking up, they saw the parts of the wall starting to fall.

"Everyone, run!" the Captain ordered. They all started to get away, with the polar bear in front. The walrus was so frightened that, although hurt, he was able to travel quickly. Peso ran quickly beside him, but right before they were out of the wall's range, he felt something hard hitting his head. He fell to the ground, seeing white land and black sky swirling as he tumbled. The swirling finally stopped, and as the darkness took over, he heard the Captain call out his name.

Peso's eyes slowly opened, with his vision fuzzy at first, but then clearing. He saw a flipper, with two blocks of ice on either side, wrapped to it by seaweed.

Pogo? he thought, before intaking a sharp breath in pain, and realizing it was his own flipper. His mind was woozy, but he was lucid enough to remember who he was and what happened. He didn't remember his arm getting injured, but a piece of ice must have fallen on it after he already passed out.

He looked around, noticing that he was in some sort of icy cave, and that the outside had blistering winds, carrying bitingly cold snow just outside the entrance. But there was a fire inside, alive, healthy, and warm; and although he usually did not like it too much, he enjoyed the warmth on his feathers. Winter in the Arctic was brutal.

He closed his eyes briefly, to enjoy the warmth, for his head still felt dizzy, and he tried to control it. He opened his black eyes again, and he noticed the Captain near the entrance, with his left paw on an ice wall, looking out into the storm.

"Captain" he called, his voice a lot more hoarse than he expected. The accident must have taken a lot out of him.

Captain Barnacles turned and smiled, "It's good to see you awake," he said gratefully, coming closer and sitting near the fire.

"Where did the walrus go?" Peso asked, “Is he all right?”

"He is," he answered. "He went back into the sea and is looking for the Octopod. There is bad connection here, so I can't contact them nor see where everyone is. And it’s better if we stay in one place instead of wandering aimlessly, especially since you're injured. Once the walrus finds everyone, he'll bring them to us.”

"Okay," Peso said, snuggling down, curling more into a ball, a bit closer to the fire. Even though he wasn't all there, he trusted the Captain. He'll get them out of this. He always had. 

"You know," Peso said. Because it was as good time as any. At least, that's what his foggy head seemed to say. "I've always admired you. You're the best Captain ever, you know that?"

The other Octonaut chuckled. "Thank you Peso,” he said, "but I think you're not in the perfect state of mind right now.”

"No, I'm serious," Peso pressed. As if he was making this up! "I wouldn't be where I am today because of you. We're all that way. The professor goes on and on about how impressed he is with your conduct." Because he had heard Inkling say that, on more than one occasion. "And you helped Kwazii feel like he belongs. You make the Octonauts who they are." 

He had always wanted to tell him that, because although everyone thought highly of him, they never really told the Captain outright how they felt. And he deserved it.

It was silent for a few seconds, and Peso could not figure out why.

"Rest," the Captain finally said, resting a white paw on his shoulder. "I'll take care of you." His voice then went quieter, and later on Peso wondered if he even heard it. "I'll take care of all of you." 

The other Octonauts eventually found them, and Peso was treated. It was a slight concussion; he was all better after a couple days of resting.

All throughout those days, and long afterwards, Captain Barnacles repeated the penguin's words in his head; and he would smile quietly towards himself. He felt warm; he was glad he earned the affection of the others. For he felt affection towards them as well. He felt a bond that he never had with his prior crew. He had earned their care and love with his leadership, conduct, and drive to protect others. It was this last thought that he was inspired and strengthened, and declared to himself, with conviction, "I will protect others with my life."

Chapter Text

How do you let go of bitterness?

Tweak had been thinking a lot, pondering and wondering.

How do I even find myself?

As a child, repairing her first car with her father, feeling the elation of parts coming together, the engine revving to life, seeing something work because she did it, she thought she already knew herself. She already thought her life was put together, wrapped in a shining bow. 

But no, it just had to be more complicated, didn't it?

She found herself spending time with Barrot a lot. Since their conversation, she felt a connection with the orange-headed Vegimal. They both seemed like they were going through similar situations, looking for similar goals; and so they teamed up, helping each other. 

They would sit in her room, play video games, and converse with each other about anything and everything. Of course, the language barrier was an obstacle; but over time, Tweak became better and better at understanding Vegimalnese. Not as good as Shellington; but between all the Octonauts, she was the second best.

“How's your search been going?" Tweak would ask every day. Barrot would then tell his findings, like "I realized I love to listen to stories," or "I found that I hate cherry kelp jam." They were small discoveries, but little by little, he was moving towards his goal.

"What did you find?" Barrot would return in his own language. The green engineer was at a loss for words, every single time. 

"I don't know how you do it," Tweak finally said, pausing the game and putting her controller down. 

"What?" Barrot asked, concerned. He looked at her with large, almost child-like, eyes. He was so innocent; Tweak wanted to protect him, all the Vegimals, so much.

"You made so many strides; I barely found anything," she said. "Am I doing this wrong?" 

Of course, what Barrot was looking for was really broad, very vague. With his upbringing, he didn't know anything about himself, anything about his individualism. It was buried under the group mentality of the Vegimals. And while she did not condone nor criticize that way of life, she had to acknowledge that it had a huge affect on Barrot. And with this background, any little thing, any little like or dislike he acknowledges and experiences, was a win. 

But with her, it was different. She already had a foundation; she already had her likes and dislikes. It was just this gnawing in her, this sinking feeling.

Was this the feeling of not knowing who she was? Or was it something else? 

She told this all to Barrot, and he put a flipper to his mouth.

"Are you just sad?" he asked.

"I... I don't think so," Tweak replied. 

"What do you want out of this?”

"Just not to feel this way anymore.”

"Are you thinking about this too much?”

It was almost insulting to ask, if it weren't for the fact that Tweak did not actually know the answer. It could very well be that she was overthinking everything. But she didn't know... She didn't know…

"It started with Kwazii," Tweak said, looking back, concentrating to see if there were any patterns. "He proved me wrong. He showed me that creatures change. I did not react to that well. I- I was very bitter.”

Barrot knew this, he did; but Tweak was still ashamed to say it out loud, over and over. Her pride was chipped away, and it might even be chipping away at her healthy self esteem. Was she bad for feeling that way? Should she not have reacted like that? But he had done wrong.

And he was different now.

"And I was angry at him because Darlon had cheated me before, lied and betrayed me.” But as Tweak said it, it felt like she was beating a dead horse (pardon the expression). It kept on going over and over in her head, and she was getting tired. The anger was getting out of her; it was more of an ache. And it felt like it wasn't as important anymore.

Barrot must have read her mind, because he said, "Tweak, it doesn't matter what happened. The past is the past. All that matters is what you do now, what you do in the future." 

"Yeah," she nodded, but she wasn't convinced. That bitterness spiked within her.

"You are friends with Kwazii now, yes?”

She nodded again.

"You don't fight anymore, right?”

She shook her head. "We've... We've been closer than ever before, actually.” With everyone, now, with the way they spent time together, laughed together. The smoke in Darlon would never float into the air again. The cars would never get "broken" again.

“I think…” Barrot said, taking a deep breath, “…that you need to find something to replace that bitterness. Something else to fight for, instead of battling something that has already been won. It seems to me that you have a lot that you can focus on.”

She thought of the other Octonauts, of the good times. Warmth filled her with emotions she could not put in words.

They overcame the bitterness, and she found a new resolve.

She would fight to keep this connection, this sense of family.

“I can do that,” she declared. He could tell her sincerity, and the fire underneath that statement.

"Then focus on that. And with time, the feelings will go away," he said. "Sometimes the best thing to do is to let go.”

It seemed impossible that it could happen, but even as that thought crossed Tweak’s mind, the tightness in her chest and stomach lessened slightly.

She could feel the connection between her and everyone else, and it was like a blanket of safety that said, "It's ok; you can rest here.” With that last gentle nudge, she was able to truly rest. Able to fall into the blanket of warmth, wrapped up in dreams of the future, surrounded by others who cared for her.

The sinking disappeared, and she was able to let go.

Barrot had helped her, he could feel it. With the way Tweak thanked him, how her eyes seemed at peace, and how her shoulders were not so tense anymore. It filled his heart, and he added another thing onto his list.

He liked to help others.

He felt like he had a good grasp of who he was, after countless months of searching. Talking to Tweak frequently did wonders, helping him put his thoughts and feelings in order. She helped him so much, and although he would thank her for it, he doubted she knew just how much he was indebted to her.

Through it all, he found that he was very athletic, playing volleyball, ping pong, and other sports. Doing flips while working in the kitchen. Being one of the fastest Vegimals while playing in the Garden Pod.

He was sometimes cynical, other times afraid, but overall had an affinity for others. He had a passion for desserts, not just because it's his own task, but because of the craft itself. He enjoyed when others liked his food (as long as they didn't tail him for days because of it). He liked to see others smile. He liked to spend time alone, walking and racing down the hallways by himself from time to time. He loved his brothers wholeheartedly, ready to do anything for them at a moment's notice. He also came to love the Octonauts, instead of having that weird complex of admiration, jealousy, and uneasiness that he had at first. 

He knew that it was not over, that it might take a lifetime to find out everything about himself, the little details and quirks here and there. But he could feel it.

He knew who Barrot was.

And he couldn't be happier.

Chapter Text

It took years, thousands of miles of travel, and countless nights of planning and searching; but today, Kwazii found what he was searching for. 

It was surreal to swim in Calico Jack's boat. It was shipwrecked, alright; structural damage showed it. But he knew it was Calico Jack's; there was a portrait of him still attached to the wall. Even with all the water, the picture was not too damaged, and he could see it was his grandfather as clear as day.

This must have been the ship that he used while trying to go to the Amazon River. This must have been the wreck that did him in. While Kwazii was still melancholic about that, it did not hurt nearly as much. He had support to fall back on, now. And with it, he ended up actually enjoying himself, avoiding the sharks and dashing this way and that to find the treasure. The most important treasure ever to him, the map that would lead to the Hidden City. Because if Calico Jack was unable to get to the treasure, he would do it for him, in honor of the great late pirate. And when he found the golden medallion, which was in the shape of a half-circle, with images of the location of the city and jungle engraved in it, he knew that it was the greatest object he ever obtained.
    
He would soon realize that there were even greater treasures to find.

Like any Octonaut mission, things tended to happen out of turn, unplanned. A huge tidal wave, also called a tidal bore, knocked out the Gups in the Amazon River, separating everyone. Kwazii had a bit of a scare with an alligator (or was it a crocodile? Kwazii could never remember the differences), and next thing he knew, he was knocked out cold. 

He should have been a goner, but in between periods of clarity and unconsciousness, he saw an orange head with pointed ears, much like his own. He heard a parrot squawk, and felt the soft waves of the river. He smelled wood and water. But through his muddied mind, he never could have dreamed what he was witnessing, what was happening.
 
He woke up, groaning, putting a paw to the side of his head. That knockout was not fun. He noticed his surroundings.

"What? Where am I?" he asked out loud. He seemed to be on a hammock. There were boxes and doodads strewn about. Wooden masks on one wall, rolled up scrolls on a crate, a map as well. On the wall straight across from him, he saw a black flag. On it were crossbones with a cat's head on it. The cat had an eyepatch. If he wasn't so jostled and confused, he would have recognized that immediately.

"Argh, so you're awake, are ya?" a deep, gravelly voice appeared. Kwazii swung his gaze to the right, revealing a silhouette wrapped in darkness. 

"Avast! I've been captured!" Kwazii cried. 

"What's the matter, Kwazii?" the voice asked. Kwazii jumped at that. How did he know his name? 

The voice continued. "Don't you recognize…"

The shadow went into the light, and it took Kwazii's breath away. 

"...your own grandfather?”

"Shiver me whiskers," Kwazii whispered, lifting up his eyepatch to see the almost ghostly figure with both of his eyes. Because there was no way that Calico Jack was there, in front of him, in the flesh. 

Kwazii must have died. That's the only explanation. 

"Calico Jack.”

Kwazii started to realize that yes, he was actually there, alive. And yes, he finally saw his grandfather after so long. And yes, his life long dream, buried so much by grief over his death and the notion that it can ever happen, was all of a sudden brought to the forefront, crystal clear, as bright as day and as bright as the fond look his grandfather gave him.

Kwazii could not take it and, he was not even ashamed to admit it, full-on fainted again.
           

Calico Jack had been in these jungles for almost twenty years, and had seen a lot of things; but he had not expected to see his grandson floating down the river. It was a glance, but at that one moment he knew it was his kin, it was Kwazii. Calico had wasted no time in taking him out of the water and bringing him to his treehouse. 

Calico Jack looked down at the unconscious form. Kwazii was so surprised at seeing him, that he fainted again. Calico of course checked if he was ok, but it seemed like it was just pure shock. Not that Calico blamed him. It must have been like seeing a ghost. 

He wished that they would have met in better circumstances, but he wasn't going to look at a gift horse in the mouth.

My, how Kwazii has grown, Calico thought to himself. He could only think how much Kwazii looked like him. Kwazii was a spitting image of the older cat, just with a less gruff muzzle. He has an eyepatch, Calico thought, chuckling a bit painfully. He had checked when Kwazii was passed out and saw that it was fake.

When Kwazii had woken up the first time and talked, Calico was even more surprised. He even talks like a pirate now, Calico thought.

His late wife's, Amelia's, words came to mind, spoken all those years ago.

He smiled fondly at the young one's sleeping form.

He had affected Kwazii's life so much. Kwazii may never know just how much the young cat affected his. 
       

When Kwazii woke up again, Calico made sure he would stay conscious this time. Once it was clear he was ok, he served Kwazii some food, some native fruit that he had picked earlier that day. 

"Eat up, Kwazii," Calico Jack said warmly. "'Tis good to see you again."

"But what happened?" Kwazii asked, concerned. "You've been missing for years."

And then the great Calico Jack told his epic tale of a shipwreck, storms, killer red ants, and a huge anaconda snake attack. 

Kwazii had no idea if it was real, or if it was an exaggeration, like whenever he himself told stories. But he felt like a kid again, sitting on the sand on the beach in his hometown, listening to the tales of the great Calico Jack as the sun set and the stars came out. How he would fall asleep to those stories at one in the morning, dreaming of pirates and swashbuckling and adventure. 

Oh, how he missed this.

But as the story ended, the initial euphoria at Calico's presence faded away, and Kwazii frowned.

"But, why did you go?... And why didn't you say anything?”

Kwazii could feel it, like tendrils wrapping around his gut. "Ya could've at least visited once. Told us you were fine.”

"But I did send messages," Calico said, ”all over the world, while I was traveling to the Amazon. There were supposed to be for when you were older. I didn't expect to be here for so long.”

Kwazii wasn't the only one affected. "Dad was worried sick about you, heartbroken when you never came back.” Kwazii voice started to get louder. "We all thought you were dead!”

Calico was alive this whole time, and he didn't care enough to do anything.

He must have looked as angry as he felt, because Calico raised his arms placatingly.

"Now Kwazii…"

He was having none of it. "Don't you realize what I went through! How much I missed you? You didn't even care, did ya?”

"I never said-“

"And I had thought, if I acted like ya, I would have gotten closer to you. That I could have continued your legacy. And... And it was all for nothing.”

"It's not a game anymore," the middle schoolers said, one of them pushing him to the ground…

…”There’s barely enough of you to be called a breed…"

…All those days and nights alone, surrounded by others, but always ostracized.

"It was all for nothing!" 

His heart felt like it was about to burst.

"Why would you abandon yer own family-“

"I did it for Amelia!" Calico snarled. Kwazii stilled. "Do you think I enjoyed staying here for eighteen years? That I didn't miss you all and wanted to see you? I had to be here. I had to finish things, for her sake."     

There was a ferocity there, eyes wild and teeth bare; and Kwazii had no heads or tails of what to make of it.

There was silence for a few moments, them both looking at each other, emotions high yet slowly dwindling. 

Kwazii had barely known his grandmother. He had vague recollections, feelings, sights and smells. He remembered that she gave him candy from whatever countries Amelia and Calico had traveled to. He was so young, then, probably around five, maybe even less. Then one day, she just stopped coming. He was gently told that she had passed away; and Calico Jack stayed with him and his parents for six months. That was his earliest, foggiest memories of Calico; and he was sure that was when they had first shared a bond. Kwazii remembered playing with him in the house, and Calico would sometimes stand up abruptly and leave the room. He didn't understand completely at the time, but Calico must have taken the death hard. 

He probably still did. 

They never really told him how she died. And suddenly, Kwazii’s stomach started to sink.

 "What happened to her?" he asked uneasily. 

"Tis a simple yet said tale," Calico said somberly. He cleared his throat and shifted his jacket, clearly trying to compose himself. "We were searching for the Hidden City. Our boat was docked in the Amazon River. One of our prior boats had been sunk years ago, and we lost half of the map.”

Kwazii's eye widened. So the ship he had visited was one of their prior ships, not the one that did Calico in. He knew it - it was obvious, now- but he was surprised at the details. No wonder Kwazii found the map. 

"But even without it, we still set out to find the Hidden City. It didn't end well." Calico lowered his head. He was quiet. "Amelia got sick…"

Calico Jack had never seen anything like this before. Just like that, in a quick two or three days, Amelia went from a normal cough to bed ridden, shivering from fever. The skin underneath her fur had dark, purple blotches, almost like bruises. This was way out of his element. But even now, if they set out to a city for a doctor, it would take up to a week. He could see it in her beautiful face, tired and in pain, that they didn't have time. 

"Calico, listen to me," she said. He put her paw in his own. Her eyes held that serious, determined fire he admired and loved and respected so much. 

"Even if I don't make it-“

"Please, don't say that," he said painfully.

She looked at him sadly, their expressions telling each other that they both knew it was coming.

"If I don't make it," she said, more softly this time. "I want you to still live life to the fullest. Don't give in to despair again, even if it seems impossible.”

She knew what he was capable of. 

Tears filled his eyes. "I'll try my best," he said. 

"Go to the family, see our son, see Kwazii. Finish what we started here. It will keep you occupied," Amelia said. She looked out of the window of the tree house. "The Hidden City is out there; I just know it.” 

She had passed away that night, and Calico was devastated. Although he knew Amelia told him to find this treasure so he could be occupied, he had took it as a personal challenge, as a way to make it up to Amelia.

"There was no way I was going to give up," he told Kwazii. "I told her I would find the Hidden City; and I be hanged if I stop searching now." 

Kwazii understood. He himself went after the Hidden City in honor of his grandfather. Wasn't that what Calico Jack was doing, at the very core of it? Finishing the dream for someone else's benefit, in honor of someone else? 

"It took years to finally muster up the courage to go back to the Amazon," Calico said. "And once arriving here, I vowed to never leave until I found the city."

"That's why you never came back," Kwazii muttered. "You were still looking for it."

"Aye."

Kwazii had so many swirling emotions. 

"But why didn't you write to us? Visit once?"

Calico looked away for a long time, his face full of emotions himself. But Kwazii could see a heavy weight on him, a sadness that he never remembered seeing. But then again, he was a child at the time. It might have been there all along, and he just never noticed. 

"Truthfully?" Calico glanced at him again, chuckled humorlessly. "I knew if I left, I would never have the courage to come back to the Amazon. This place has bad memories, Kwazii. And I thought you wouldn't have remembered me. And with your father... He has his own life, ya know? What would he and his pretty wife want to do with an old geezer like me? I thought... I thought you all forgot about me." 

"Calico..." Kwazii said. It was so wrong, and so disturbing and sad and, just, wrong that he thought that. "Of course we remember. Yer the pirate that gave me the life I gotta live.”
     
Guilt flashed across Calico's features, as if he had really not understood that concept before. "I-I'm so sorry, Kwazii. If I had known..." Amelia's words passed through his mind again, and he felt like rubbing a paw over his face. 

"What's done is done, Calico Jack," Kwazii said. "I get it know, understand why you did it. If I were in yer shoes, I might've even done the same thing." He stepped a bit closer. "What matters now is that you're here, and that I get to see you again. I've wanted to, for so long."

Calico swallowed painfully; he tried his best not to cry right then and there. He was one of the luckiest cats around, that his grandson still cared for him this much. 

Calico rested his paw on Kwazii's shoulder. "I missed you so much."

Kwazii's eyes pricked, a lump forming in his throat. He wrapped his arms around his grandfather and choked out, "Me too."

They stayed there for a few moments, taking it all in and processing everything.

Then finally, Kwazii asked, "The Hidden City. Did you ever find it?"

Calico let go and paced across the room, his wooden leg plink plonking the floor. 

"Nah, not yet, Kwazii. I've been going in circles for all these years, thanks to this no-good map." Calico took out half of the medallion. 

Yes, he had lost the other half in one of his shipwrecks. He shivered internally. He had his share of wrecks, and usually got out of them Scott free and with no hard feelings. He always had the notion that they could rebuild again, get a new ship again. But that wreck was the one that was truly terrifying. But he was distracted by Kwazii before he could reminiscence.

"Hold on," Kwazii said, taking out the other half. Grabbing Calico's half, he brought both parts of the golden medallion together. The fit perfectly, and the map became whole.

"Well I'll be a sea monkey's uncle!" they both cried in unison. 

"It takes both parts to make the full map!" Kwazii said.

They could both feel it in the room, rising up. The thrill of adventure was calling them. And it felt like they had an understanding, and Kwazii was able to see his grandfather with good eyes again; and the thrill and care and fondness for him returned. 

"Ho-ho! Well, what are we lolly gagging around here for? Let's go!" Calico Jack said excitedly. Kwazii followed him out of the cabin. They both swung on rope simultaneously, each doing a flip and yelling "yaow!" at the same time before landing in Calico's row boat. Calico handed Kwazii an oar, and both rowing down the river, they cried, "To the Hidden City!"

It was like a dream come true. Kwazii had to pinch himself, just in case this was all a dream, and he would wake up in the Octopod in the dead of night, all alone. But no, this was real, and it was like Calico never left. Here in the boat, with Calico laughing jovially at the adventure ahead, Calico was more like how he remembered: adventurous, loving life, a bit gruff yet having a big heart. 

"I still can't believe it,” Kwazii said. He's breathless from the adrenaline of the rapids in the river, and there was awe in his voice. ”I'm on a treasure hunt with Calico Jack.”

"Oh Kwazii," Calico Jack said in that tender way that he spoke when the younger cat was a child, "Call me Granddad.”

There was a moment, and no words needed to be said.

"Aye, aye, Grandad,” Kwazii smiled. 

So much happened that day: exploring, running into capybaras, saving said capybaras from anacondas. They also ran into the Octonauts, and once the excitement was over, Kwazii had the opportunity to introduce them to Calico Jack.

"Octonauts," Kwazii said, directing his arms towards the older pirate. "Meet the greatest cat pirate who ever lived," Kwazii brought a paw to is chest, the pride and happiness taken up a notch, "my Grandad, Calico Jack!"

There was so much pride in Kwazii's voice, it took Calico aback. He felt a bit guilty. Even after everything, of him being gone for so long, Kwazii still had such a high opinion of him? He thought that Kwazii, as a child, would have barely remembered him by now; that he would have gone on with his own life, leaving the memory of him behind. That was why it was a bit easier for him to stay in the Amazon; he thought the only difference he was making was towards Amelia, bless her soul. 

And Calico truly believed he had done Amelia right when, past the capybara's marsh, the waters cleared and the living structures of the Hidden a City showed through.

"You mean, there's no treasure?" Kwazii looked disappointed, his head down. The polar bear-Calico wasn't sure of his name, put a paw on his grandson's back in support. 

Calico shook his head fondly, like he was going to teach a lesson like he used to.

"Yar, ’tis the hunt for the treasure that counts, Kwazii. We've had ourselves a wild one." 

Amelia would have said that any day, when years ago, the young Calico would get discouraged at finding that a treasure they’d been looking for was already long gone. Even now, he was sure that she would have felt the same way.
 
“Yeah, we have, haven't we?" Kwazii nodded innocently. He was so young. There was something looming, like it was nearing the end of their travels. Calico could feel it; he wasn't sure if Kwazii sensed it too.

"Jumping jellyfish!” the sea otter cried excitedly. "These fish, I've never seen anything like them- any of them. They're all new species! This really is a treasure.”

"Well done, you two," the polar bear told the pirate pair. 

All the Octonauts gathered together and saw the fish, talking excitedly among themselves. One of them even took pictures. 

Calico Jack looked wistful. "Well, Kwazii, time for me to set sail.”

Kwazii gasped. His face made Calico’s heart clench, but he was sure to make it right. 

"Oh, I've spent enough time here in the Amazon," His debt was paid; he did what he set out to do. "I've got a lot more adventures to have, treasures to find, and swashbuckling to do. What say you join me?”

"Me, go with you?" 

Calico Jack went beside him and put a paw on his shoulder. "Picture it. Calico Jack and Kwazii, together on the seven seas.” He let go of Kwazii, eyes forward, as if he could see the future himself.

Kwazii was stunned. His grandad still remembered his promise, that one day Kwazii would join him on his adventures. That opportunity still stood. The way his grandad looked forward at the future was like how they both looked at the sunset on the little beach in Kwazii's hometown, when he was a wee kitten, looking out onto the big world. 

But... things had changed. 

Kwazii looked down, going through the warring feelings, the uncertainty. 

"Grandad, I-" he reached out to him slightly with both paws, imploring. What should I do? 

"Kwazii!" He was interrupted by Captain Barnacles. He was with the other crew members in the water. "Come and have a look at these fish!" None of the Octonauts were aware of the big decision Kwazii had to make. 

"There's a really fast one you're gonna love,” Peso said. 

Peso knew what he liked. All the Octonauts knew who he was.

"Well, Kwazii?" Calico asked. 

The Octonauts knew him. Grandad did too, but…

Kwazii sighed. "It would be an honor to set sail with you, Grandad. But there's only one ship I sail on now, and that's the Octopod.”

It hurts, but this is where I belong.

If it had been a year ago, even six months ago, he would have decided differently. He would have dropped his Octonaut role and go with Calico in a heartbeat. There may have been a little regret, but he would have seen it as completely worth it. He knew the other Octonauts would understand, and would see him off with a blessing. 

But now…

"The truth is," Kwazii said, "I'll always have the heart of a pirate, but I'm an Octonaut now." I'm part of a family. You are part of it too, and I love you, Granddad. But I have responsibilities now, and I can't just leave the others behind. He couldn't say it, couldn't say it out loud. But he hoped Calico understood.

"Yar," Calico shook his head slightly, taking in the answer, "I understand." Then he smiled slightly, a knowing and proud look in his eye. "'Tis a hearty crew you've got there, Kwazii. You're a good pirate, and a brave Octonaut.”

Calico drew Kwazii into a hug, and the young cat held on tightly. He wanted to stay there forever; but when they let go, he found he was surprisingly ok to move on. He was so different than how he would have reacted before. He realized, just then, how much he had truly grown.

"If we're to part ways, then I want ya to have this," Calico said, then whistled.

Pete flew to them from seemingly out of nowhere, carrying a rope in his beak. Attached to the rope, trailing behind the parrot, was a small boat with a sail. Calico hopped on, took out an object from underneath a pile of rags, and got back next to Kwazii.

"Here," he said, handing him the object. It was a softcover book, worn from age and use.

"These are all my travels," Calico said. Kwazii's eyes widened, and he tightened his grip (but not enough to damage the priceless book.)
    
"My life is in these pages," Calico said. A shiver (of excitement or solemnity?) went through the younger cat, "And I need you to keep it well. Besides, it might help you on your travels."

"I'll protect it with my life," Kwazii said, and he meant it with every fiber of his being. 

Calico chuckled softly. "I know you will."

They each said their goodbyes, promising to keep an eye out for each other on the seven seas. Calico gave a final wave as he went away on the boat, going round the river bend.

Even though there was no way he could see his grandson, Calico Jack looked back one last time as he sailed away. He thought about his journal. "I hope you don't see me differently," he whispered.

Kwazii saw him go, and although there was bittersweetness, he felt like he made the right decision. So he put a smile on his face and, mustering up his energy, joined the Octonaut fray, excitedly looking at the fish and commenting on the fastest one. 

His task was done. He was scared for their reactions, for his reaction; but he had to do it anyway.

He was remembered. He was missed.

He did make a difference. 

His shadow appeared on the door as he walked to the front of the house. It took a few months, but he was finally here. There were a couple of differences, various flowers in the front garden, a cat gnome here and there. But other than that, it was like he had gone back in time. He knocked. 

The door opened, and the young cat couple- not as young, anymore- looked on to see the visitor. The female gasped, white paws going up to her brown face. The orange cat- his boy- looked as if he was in a daze. Tears immediately pricked his son's eyes.

"Hey, mateys," Calico said, his own voice wobbly from emotion. "Mind if I come in?”

They accepted him with open arms. 

Chapter Text

It was two in the morning when he heard his private monitor ring. 

Captain Barnacles stirred, growling in distaste at the intruding noise. He finally roused himself and sat up, getting out from under the blanket and stepping onto the floor. He shuffled towards the still ringing screen with his eyes half closed. He finally looked up. It was a video call from Bianca.

Great.

Captain Barnacles answered. "Bianca?" He rubbed his eye. "You have to remember I'm in a different timezone. It's an unholy hour in the morning and I have a mission tomorrow. Could it wait for a little while?”

"Sorry, didn't realize. I forgot how much you hate being woken up." She giggled. Full on giggled.

The polar bear raised a sleepy, but curious, eyebrow.

"Care to tell me what's going on? You haven't been this excited since I came home as a surprise that one Christmas." 

"It's just surprising, that's all." She smiled. "It's big news... I'm pregnant." 

The sleep shot out of him, as if an electric bolt went straight through him. 

Bianca, his sister, 

Was pregnant?

.... His sister was pregnant!!

"Bianca, that's amazing!" 

Wait.

"So I'm going to be…"

"Yes," Bianca replied, looking at her brother fondly. "You're going to be an uncle." 

It was like time stopped, and he was trying to process it.

"Wait, so... Whaa?”

Bianca laughed out loud. To see her brother not say words eloquently was a very rare time indeed.

But Captain Barnacles' mood changed as he thought of something else.
 
"And what about the father?" he asked quietly.

Bianca's laughter cut off, put off guard. She looked at him, not necessarily sad, but with understanding. "He's not around. You know how it is with our species. The couple always go their separate ways, and the mother has to raise the cubs on her own.”

"It's not fair, though," he muttered.

Especially when it came to his sister.

Captain Barnacles was always proud of his species, of their culture and instincts and way of life. But this was something he had always felt uneasy about, ever since he was a cub and was explained by his mum why he never saw his dad. He knew it was instinct, but it somehow felt... wrong. That's why he had decided (but not told anyone), that if he had ever fallen in love, he would stick around. He would never have a clear conscience if he ever left his children. It just wasn't who he was. 

"It's fine, really. I'll be able to handle it on my own.” She was completely determined, and he had to inwardly chuckle, despite his brooding.

"Oh, I don't doubt that," he replied. "Just, if you ever need a favor, don't be afraid to ask, alright?”

"Fair enough," she replied, the levity slowly coming back into the conversation. "There is one thing that I think you can help with, actually. Remember how we talked about taking the Journey together...?"  

By next year, Captain Barnacles arrived in the Arctic, his footsteps sinking ever so slightly into the snow as he and Peso walked.

He hoped everything would be ok with the Octopod. It felt so strange to leave it after all this time. Yes, he was technically on break while it was being repaired, but he meant what he said: “I may be on vacation, but I’m never off duty.”

(Again, in the future, he would look back on this statement with a feeling of wistfulness and, surprisingly, regret and sorrow). But now, he was covered with reassurances from the others, especially Tweak, that everything will be fine, and the Octopod will return to her full glory.

But all those concerns went away when he saw his family emerge from a den on top of a hill.

His niece and nephew, Ursa and Orson, reminded him immediately of when he and Bianca were children: adventurous, curious, and ready to take on the world. They were quite cute, and a smile lit up his face immediately upon seeing them. The young ones slid down the icy hill towards the two Octonauts. He caught them easily, laughing at their squeals and giggles.

“Orson, Ursa,” their mother said, walking towards them, “Meet your uncle, Barnacles.” The male adult polar bear put the younger ones down.

“Should we call you Uncle Barnacles, or Captain Uncle Barnacles?” Orson asked.

“Just Uncle Barnacles,” he said, though it was kind of flattering that they would want to call him Captain. But he was family; he was just going to be himself around them, so it wasn’t needed.

“Mom says you’re strong,” Orson continued.

“I wonder how strong,” Ursa said.

“Strong enough to carry you two on my back,” Captain Barnacles said, getting into it, going on all fours. The young ones obliged merrily, and they both got onto his back with more laughter. He rose to his legs.

“And mom says you’re brave.”

“How brave?” Ursa asked.

“Brave enough to be an Octonaut,” Bianca put in.

His heart was warm at this point. He seemed to get on their good side, too. He’ll do anything to keep them safe.

“And I’d like you all to meet my fellow Octonaut, Peso,” Captain Barnacles said, directing them to the penguin. Because Peso is also brave, he thought with a smile.

“Hello,” Peso said pleasantly.

Orson and Ursa were back on the ground at this point, and they came up to the penguin.

“We’re brave, too.” Orson said.

“And strong,” Ursa chimed in. “Watch this!” She lunged at her brother, and they started wrestling. Peso looked at the sudden behavior quizzically.

“Reminds me of the way we used to play together when we were cubs,” Bianca reminisced.

“Really?” Peso asked, turning to the older polar bears.

“Oh yes,” the Captain nodded. “That’s how polar bear cubs develop their polar bear strength. We wrestled all the time, didn’t we?” he asked Bianca.

“And I used to knock you over like a feather,” she replied, playfully shoving her brother. He chuckled in return. She went over to Peso. “That’s why I used to call him Feather Paws.”

Captain Barnacles perked up at the old tease name, a shot of embarrassment going through him.

“You used to call the Captain Feather Paws?” Peso asked incredulously, though a hint of a smile was on his beak.

Captain Barnacles thought his cheeks turned red underneath his fur. This was the same penguin who said that he looked up to him, but now this incriminating information came out.

“Oh, uh, excuse me while I check in on things back on the Octopod,” he said, turning away from the conversation and activating his Octocompass.

“Hiya Cap,” Tweak said cheerfully when the connection went through. “Now aren’t you supposed to be on vacation?” She needled jokingly.

“Uh, yes,” the Captain said, putting a smile on his face, making sure it looked as genuine as possible. “And I’m having a wonderful time.” He was; he just needed to get out of the conversation because his stomach was in a bit of a knot. That’s all. “How’s it going there?”

And he let Tweak’s explanation wash over him, talk about work and mechanics and the Octopod itself; and by the time he hung up and turned to the others, he was back at 100% and ready to go on the adventure with them.

And what a wild adventure it turned out to be.

Chapter Text

Captain Barnacles had not expected today to end like this.

He had expected to go in a lot of dangerous situations in this occupation, expected a lot of close calls. He didn't expect a normal drive in the Gup would result in saving manatees and running out of air.

The "bleep bleep bleep" of the alarm in his helmet blared, telling him what he already knew.

Running out of air…

He took a nearby plank and continued the attempt to pry the large clam's mouth off his arm. Any other time, any other day, this predicament would have been hilarious, would have been a joke, a funny "hee hee haw haw.”

The lack of air must be making him delirious.

The intercom went on.

"Captain, all the manatees have been saved," Kwazii's voice went in.

This was not the time. 

But he hummed an answer anyway, not speaking, trying to save as much air as he could. Trying not to show how much trouble he truly was in. He didn’t want it like how it was earlier today, when he messed up and accidentally made them think that the mission was going to fail. He was leading them, after all, telling them all the steps through the intercom, so they couldn’t see him while his arm was stuck in the clam. Any questions that they asked-which there were quite a lot- any advice that they needed, he would be there, even when he physically couldn’t be there at the time. It was hard, but he was doing the best he can.

But he messed up when he had almost fallen off of a whale (long story), and had cried out “Yes!” at the victory of gaining his balance again. But he said it right as they asked if it was impossible to save the manatee. Their surprise, their shock, at his answer- he never wanted to lose their morale. So he quickly backtracked, mentally catching up on their situation, going into his “Captain-mode” voice, anything to keep them going, to focus on the manatee, and to keep them from knowing what was going on with him. Because what he was going through wasn’t important.

And he was trying to keep doing it here, even when he couldn’t talk at the moment. But it must have been too suspicious.

"Captain?" It was Peso this time.

He tried to hum back, show he was fine, though he was suffocating.

Instinct took over, and his humming turned to growling as he tried to pry the clam's jaws with all his might, with his last huzzah.

In a moment, the clam finally loosened, and he was able to get out.

He didn't have air he needed air he needed…

He swam up. The surface was so far away…

But then he saw the Gup C, that blessed Gup C, and an overturned Gup D attached to it. Under the entrance of the Gup D was the huge tail of the manatee.

The air pocket! Captain Barnacles thought. He focused his sights on that.

He focused so much that, when Kwazii and Peso saw him swimming outside through the Gup C’s windshield, he actually shook his head "no," when they asked if he was ok.

He hadn't meant to. He still had that positive voice when he did it (true, it was a hum, but still). But he couldn't be completely comforting. He still showed weakness. Later on, when he realized this, he berated himself.

But when he finally came up for air in the Gup C, panting deeply, he went into his role again. "I'm... fine... I'm fine..." He looked at the manatee. “How are you?”

“I’m cool, man," she replied lazily.

The day was saved, the manatees sustained no injuries, and everything was as it should be.

After all, the Captain had a role to fill.

Chapter Text

"You two ready?" Captain Barnacles asked. 

Peso and Kwazii nodded, putting the last of their equipment into the Gup A. 

"You sure I can't come with you?" Shellington asked. "It would be lovely to research the caverns.”

"That won't be necessary today," the Captain said. "We want to do a preliminary sweep first.”

It was for the best. They could set up lights inside the cave, so it'll be a bit easier to navigate. It would also give them time to make a map.
 
Shellington's experience with caves wasn't the best. He remembered the time where Shellington was so enthralled by research that he dove into a cave willy nilly, without any preparation. 

Needless to say, he ended up lost. 

"But you can go tomorrow," the polar bear said, and it seemed to appease him. 

"It's just as well," Inkling butted in. "I'll actually need your help, my boy, if you're interested.”

That cheered the sea otter right up. 

"Of course, professor!”

The Captain secretly smiled at the exchange and, with the medic and lieutenant, left the Octopod. 

"Alright," the Captain said, putting the Gup in park. They were at the mouth of a huge cave. It was quite deep, stretching out until it went to pure darkness. "Everyone be on guard. Let's get the lights and ropes out.”

They did so, and entered.

It was uneventful at first. Things were going well, as expected. They attached ropes along the walls, so tomorrow, the other Octonauts could feel it down the path if needed. It would be a way for them to find the entrance again. Also, every ten feet or so, they put up a light. It scared away the darkness, making the cavern a bit more friendly. But darkness mainly dominated the space, no matter how many lights were put in there. 

Captain Barnacles was the furthest inside the cave, putting up a light, when everything started to shake. A large crumbling sounded throughout the cave, and debris began to fall. Little specks at first, but then, when the Captain turned in the direction of the entrance, the light from the opening became snuffed out. The ceiling collapsed, blocking the entrance.

"Kwazii! Peso!" he called. He remembered the radio and pressed the button on his collar. "Are you two alright?" 

"I'm ok," Peso said shakily.

"We're ship shape," Kwazii joined in.
 
"Good. Seems like I got blocked off from the rest of you." He placed a paw on the newly-made wall that separated him from his crew.

"Don't worry, Captain. We'll get you out in a jiffy," Kwazii said. 

“I don’t doubt it,” he said. He turned towards the cave, peering into the darkness. He turned on a flashlight. “Just, do it as fast as you can,” he said.

“Roger that,” Peso said, and the radio went silent.

Well, now he just needed to wait.

But their was just something off here. He had goosebumps, but he was nowhere near cold. He could feel a presence, as if something lurked in the shadows. But when he moved the flashlight back and forth, he couldn’t find anything.
 
“Argh, this is a tough one,” Kwazii said. He heard movement on the other side. “We’re trying to move the rocks one at a time, but it’ll take a while. We don’t want to cause another cave-in on accident.”

“Good thinking,” he replied, but the feeling didn’t go away.

There.

He could see it now. Two glowing eyes, reflecting off his flashlight.

He tensed up.

“Octonauts,” he said. “I’m not alone.”

Automatically, as if it was instinct, he set his radio collar to be on at all times.

It was just two eyes, but he could see that the creature was huge. 

“What is it?”

He couldn’t answer, too concentrated on its movements. They were both stock still.

“Captain?”

It lunged.

“It’s attacking!” he shouted into the radio. He dodged and swam out of the way. Though the creature tried to stop its momentum, it slammed against the caved-in wall. The rocks shifted, but the wall didn’t come down.

“What was that?!” His cremates seemed to hear it on the other side.

Captain Barnacles quickly turned and put a flashlight on it. It looked like a huge gray serpent or eel, as big as a school bus. On its forehead was a scar. Huge, sharp teeth jutted out of its large jaws. It turned towards him again. 

His heart started to pound.

He sped away, and it went after him. He went deeper into the cave.

“It’s some kind of snake!” He said. But he tried to swim faster, faster. He flashed the flashlight this way and that, trying to find a hiding place. There really wasn’t one. The walls were pretty smooth, with no crevices or boulders to hide behind. And he realized.

This was probably its burrow.

Another realization came.

That tremor and rock slide was unnatural.

The snake sped behind him. There was no where to hide; he couldn't out-swim it.

And suddenly, he was more scared than he ever was in his life.

Pain shot through him, in his chest, and everything was gone.

He screamed, loud and terrified. It seemed to radiate from the radios on their collars. Kwazii and Peso froze, frightened. They had never heard the Captain scream before.

Then suddenly, it became quiet.

“Captain!” Kwazii yelled. Without having to say a word, they both raced to the Gup. Taking the controls, Kwazii accelerated the Gup towards the wall. Forget it if they made another cave-in; they had to do something now.

The Gup crashed straight through, the wall collapsing; and they sped through.

Where is he? Where is he?

Peso’s flippers were to his beak. The lights on the Gup shown into the cave as they sped through.

But then…

They gasped.

There was the Captain, with his eyes closed. Blood drifted upwards from his chest. His mouth was a bit open; his glass helmet was cracked. His suit was ripped in the chest area. He was floating, oh so still, face towards the ceiling. The fur on his paws swayed lazily in the water.

Among it all, Kwazii was immediately brought back to that one time, when the Captain floated in the water in the Arctic, reaching for something.

“I have to get to him!” Peso screamed. But then they both saw the eyes reflecting off the Gup's lights, about fifteen feet behind the polar bear.

"I'll distract it! Peso, you get to him!" Kwazii said, going into captain mode. The medic immediately opened the hatch and dropped into the water outside. Kwazii pushed the accelerator full throttle, charging right towards the creature…

No, this monster.

The serpent seemed to be surprised by the bold assault and backed away for a second. But then it pounced again, ready to devour its new opponent. Kwazii dodged the long fangs and went deeper into the cave (it must have spread out for miles). The serpent chased after him.

Among the adrenaline and fear and concentration, Kwazii had the feeling that he heard of this creature before. He had heard of this before…

Peso swam to the fallen Captain. His helmet was cracked, but thankfully it was small. There was water going into the helmet, but it hadn't completely submerged him. 

The Captain still had a hard time breathing.

"Kwazii, I got him!" Peso said. He glanced at the wound. "Time's of the essence!”

"Tell that to the serpent!" Kwazii said, turning at a steep angle, just so the jaws didn't grab onto the submarine.

Serpent. Kwazii's eyes widened.

It clicked.The name that he heard other pirates say over the years.

The Bánaithe Serpent.

He remembered what Calico said all those years ago. "I still try to do whatever I can to keep a sea monster back and get away without killing it, 'cause a life is a life. But, if I am in a life or death situation, and I've tried everything I could and it is still after me, then I kill it.” Kwazii became grim. This was one of those times.

The Captain did not have time for him to dilly dally.

He swerved into the beast, striking as hard as he could into the creature's side. They crashed into the side of the cave, making the walls tremble. Peso looked up at the sound. A couple more pebbles fell from the ceiling.

"Kwazii!" Peso yelled, concerned.

The cat rammed the submarine against the serpent, again and again.

"The cave's gonna collapse!" Peso said. He could hear it, but he didn't see what the cat was doing in the darkness. 

That brought Kwazii back into his senses, about his priorities. The serpent looked dazed, but he was going to get a grip soon. The walls kept shaking, though; and he didn't have time to finish the job. The Captain came first.

He turned the Gup away from the monster and sped back towards Peso and Captain Barnacles. The serpent shook its head and began the chase again, opening its wide jaws. But before it could get far, the ceiling above fell, crushing it.

Kwazii just barely made it past the falling debris.

The shaking finally stopped, and Kwazii wasted no time in opening the Gup’s hatch and helping Peso drag Captain Barnacles into the hold. 

Kwazii glanced out as he went back to the controls. He could see bits and pieces of the Bánaithe Serpent’s flesh peek out from the rubble, and blood was oozing from its head.

The monster was still.

He didn't know what the Octonaut policy would be, but he personally was glad that the monster was dead. No one hurts the Captain. He sneered at it, mentally spit at it, then looked forward and focused on driving.
 
His indignation turned to worry again as he thought of the Captain lying on the floor behind him.

As Kwazii began driving again, speeding straight back to their home, Peso inspected the damage. 

It did not look good.
        
Captain Barnacles lay on his side on the cold floor, coughing horribly, trying to get the water out and the air into his lungs. Blood came out of his mouth at the coughs, splattering across the metal floor. He must have woken up when he was jostled into the Gup, because he wouldn't have been coughing if he was still unconscious. But he could not speak, and his eyes were scrunched in excruciating pain. Peso looked at the scene, and at the blood loss from the coughs and chest.

“This is bad; this is bad,” Peso muttered, flippers to his own head. Judging where the bite marks were, one of the lungs had been pierced. Peso could feel himself start to panic, but then he steeled himself. 

Peso thought of the marlin, about his promise to rescue anyone he crossed paths with, and about the sanctity of life. He thought about that dolphin he saved once, who also had a pierced lung. It was the very assignment that had the professor hire him in the first place. 

The medic took a deep breath. "It's ok, Peso. You've dealt with this before." He looked down at the Captain again with fresh eyes.

He could feel the fire rise within him, angry and determined and hot.

His lung was pierced, and so the air was rushing out, causing the organ to collapse. This could stop blood flow, and the Captain could die very quickly. The water pressure outside, when the damage was done in the underwater cave, could also affect it. The first rush of air was actually stopped, briefly, by the water pressure, so that actually worked to his advantage. But now, no doubt some water had pooled into the wound and lung. That would also add more pressure against the heart and diminish the blood flow. Not to mention the blood also getting in his lung, hence why he was coughing it up. Right now, the Captain could barely breathe.

He had to act fast.

He lay the Captain on his back, but made sure his head was still sideways so he wouldn't choke on his own blood. Takin out his med kit, Peso took out a needle and, after carefully sliding his flipper on the Captain's chest to find the right place, he stabbed at that exact place between his ribs with all his might. It pierced through the cold suit and skin, and immediately the hole within the needle spouted out bloody water and air bubbles. The Captain seized, trying to arch his back; and Peso had to use all his strength to keep the polar bear in place. 

"Hold still. It's going to be alright, it's going to be alright…"

That should help relieve some of the pressure, hopefully to keep him from dying before they get to the Octopod. But he will need a bigger tube to relieve more of the pressure. There was just too much in the collapsing lung.

He also needed an oxygen mask and to perform surgery, stat. Peso couldn't do this alone, though. He was going to need help. 

After making sure the Captain would stay still, he got up and dashed to the intercom on the Gup’s dashboard.

"Octonauts, the Captain is in critical condition, and needs immediate medical attention. Whoever can, I need assistants for surgery. I also need some of you to help transport him to the Medical Bay. Meet me in the Launch Bay with a gurney.”

Kwazii stared at the penguin for a second, before necessity had him looking through the windshield again. He had never seen Peso so confident and grim. He didn’t say his usual timid “Please” after a command like he usually did. And he had a determined glare that Kwazii had never seen.

"How much longer until we get there?" Peso asked him, turning the glare on the cat. Kwazii actually lost his tongue for a second, before he got a hold of himself.

"Five more minutes.”

"It'll have to do," Peso muttered to himself, turning back to his patient.

When they finally arrive in the Launch Bay, a gurney was thankfully already prepared. Kwazii opened up the windshield and helped transport Captain Barnacles to it. Shellington and Dashi were there, strapping the polar bear to the gurney. Tweak was watching.

The Vegimals just arrived, and Tweak turned around. "No, guys! Don't come here!”

They saw the Captain, the blood and his white paw hanging off the gurney as Dashi, Shellington, and Peso wheeled him away; and they screamed. Some of the Vegimals couldn't take it and fainted on the spot. Tweak tried to shield them from the image, and they huddled around her, hugging her legs. She eventually just knelt there and gave them all a hug.

Peso did not notice any of this, just focusing on the Captain. 

Inkling was in the Medical Bay when they arrived. "I'm helping with the procedure," he said flatly, and no one contradicted him.

Shellington also volunteered, and so with two assistants, it was enough. Everyone else was shooed out, and they waited in the hallway. Once Tweak was able to calm down the Vegimals somewhat, she told them to stay in their room. She then joined the others outside the Medical Bay. Kwazii joined as well. So it was Dashi, Tweak, and Kwazii in the hall.

In the operating room, they immediately put an oxygen mask on the Captain and cut open the Captain's uniform, above his waist, so they could work on it. They also put him under. They shaved off the fur where they needed to work. As the white fur fell off, black skin appeared underneath. Polar bears had dark skin to absorb the warmth of the sun, while the white fur camouflaged them in the icy Arctic. Blood oozed out of the wounds, and they continually cleaned it.

Peso removed the needle and attached a bigger tube to the Captain to diffuse some of the pressure. They then got to work, trying to keep the lung from collapsing further. It was tedious work, but Peso’s flippers were stable and did not shake. Inkling and Shellington were thankfully not averse to blood, and so they were able to keep their composure as well. At least, that's what Peso thought at the time. They always gave the penguin whatever he asked and stood guard, accomplishing the little tasks Peso needed done.

The heart monitor was normal, but then, things started getting out of hand.
 
The heart rate started to climb and climb, seemingly out of nowhere, and the Captain started to convulse.

"Hold him down!" Peso yelled, and they immediately followed the order. Peso also put a towel in Captain Barnacle's mouth, so he wouldn't accidentally bite off his own tongue.

Peso didn't notice, but Shellington started to look really pale; and his brown paws shook as he held them down with the other two. Inkling's eight tentacles were very helpful in this regard.

"What's causing this?" Inking asked urgently.

Peso looked confused. He wasn't sure.

Shellington started to hyperventilate.

"Shellington, Shellington, stay with us." Peso said. 

The sea otter stayed still and swallowed, and the penguin could see that he was trying, really trying. But he couldn't have a bedside manner towards him right now.

The medic had to figure out what was going on.

Captain Barnacles stopped convulsing and became still, but his heart rate was still way too high. Then Peso noticed that underneath the Captain's fur, his skin was incredibly dry. And with the bare chest, it all clicked into place. 

"He's overheating!" Peso yelled. "We need ice, right now!”

Dry skin and high heart rate were all symptoms of heat stroke, and sometimes convulsions could happen. Since his cold suit was compromised, the Captain was basically boiling in this temperature. 

"He's overheating!" Peso yelled. "We need ice, right now!"

Up until then, Shellington felt the fear, felt the tightness of muscles and shortness of breath, felt the knots and coils in his stomach. He felt like throwing up, he felt woozy and felt like lying down.
   
But somehow, when Peso yelled those words, the world around him seemed to change.

Shellington knew.

The Captain was going to die.

His family, the ones he was closest to, was going to die. Again.

And with that realization the world suddenly became hazy, started to shift round Shellington, even though he was still. The fear was buried by a fog. He wasn't really there. Everything became surreal. He couldn't really feel himself as he ran to the doorway to the hall, yelling for someone to get ice. He saw, but didn't fully register, Tweak dashing off, being the fastest of the group since she's a rabbit. He didn't know he was already back at the operating table, waiting for orders, the still form of the Captain there.

The image filled his mind, among the countless other images of bodies floating in the water, the screaming-

"Shellington, Inkling can take it from here. Go and stay with the others," Peso said. Shellington jolted, a bit more in reality; but the haze seemed to overcome him again.

"Are you sure?" He felt his lips move.

"Yes," Peso said briskly. 

And suddenly Shellington knew he was holding them back.

"Of course," he said, because that was never his intention. The fog's foundation of fear was overwhelmed by guilt. He saw himself out, his footsteps making a noise, but they seemed far away…

The door opened, and Shellington was there with a paw on the door frame. He seemed deflated, his chest and shoulders drooping. Yet his face was unreadable. He moved to the right and sat with his back to the wall and bent his legs. He drooped his head to his legs and draped his arms over his knees, covering his face. No one asked any questions.

Tweak soon came back with a whole cart full of ice, and she brought it inside the Medical Bay. 

The door opened and closed, and she was outside again, without the cart, unsure of what to do. 

"I got the ice," she said lamely. No one really reacted. Shellington buried his face further into his arms; Dashi looked up at her. "I hope it was enough," Tweak continued. 

"What attacked him?" Dashi asked. She seemed lost; timid. Afraid. 

"It was a Bánaithe Serpent," Kwazii replied. He walked towards the center of the hallway, his footsteps quietly echoing. "Me ol' pirate crew told me about it. It's a giant serpent, said to destroy whole ships and ruin the lives of some of the best pirates who had ever sailed. It's said that it has-

"Can you just stop it!?" There was a shocked silence, and everyone stared at Shellington. He was looking up, and an unnatural anger was in his countenance. "No one cares about your stupid tales! Don't you have any idea what's going on around here? The Captain is dying right now, and you're just standing there, being useless!”

Because that was what Shellington was, useless. The fogginess went to clarity, drowning him in reality. He couldn't do anything and help anything and his very being was flawed and he was a mistake and he hated it and was so devastated and angry and just wanted to yell at the world and rage and rage-
       
"W-what?" Kwazii stuttered. He was completely surprised that Shellington, of all people, would say such a thing.  "Useless?" But then he scowled. "What, are you calling me a liar? I saw the thing with me own two eyes."  Shellington was standing up now, and his paws were balled into fists. The others saw where it was going, but they felt it had to be some nightmare. They couldn't be falling apart in disunity, after everything. It wouldn't come down to this. 

Shellington pushed him, and Kwazii started to counteract, to attack. It was all coming downhill too fast.

"Guys, guys, stop it! Stop-”

A sharp yelp rang through the air.

Dashi was there- how did she get there? Her paw was on her shoulder, looking like she was in pain. Stumbling back for a second, she looked at Shellington with gritted teeth.

What had Shellington done?

But before he could do anything, she went back into the fray, in-between them, spreading her paws apart to keep each other away.

"We cannot fight at a time like this!" she said, bring her head down at the emphasized word. Her usually calm voice was firm, harsh. This had to end now.

"We have no idea what's out there; no one's seen the whole ocean. It could have been a Bánaithe Serpent, it could have been something else. It doesn't matter. What matter's is the fact that the Captain's hurt, and we need to do everything we can to stick together and help him, not break apart and fight!”

She looked sternly at them both. As her eyes met Kwazii, he sighed, lowering his head in affirmation, although he was still angry and upset. But when she looked at Shellington, whether she truly had it or not, he could only perceive disappointment in her eyes. It was somewhat expected for Kwazii to react like this, given his personality; but Shellington. He was the calm one, the logical one. He shouldn't have reacted this way. He had disappointed everyone, let them, her, down.

He had done this to her.

And with the shock still in him, and with the unidentifiable shame, anger, and other emotions that came over his mind, he turned away. 

Dashi sighed, moving her head and slackening her shoulders. "Shellington," she called, all of a sudden weary. But he didn't look back. She called out again, but he did not respond and went through an octochute, disappearing.

Dashi sighed, looking at the ground in dejection, before she sat with her back to the wall and bent her legs. She drooped her head to her legs and draped her arms over her knees, covering her face.

Tweak, witnessing it all, rubbed a paw over her face, trying to will the memory away. Kwazii put a paw to the wall. During the short scuffle, his Octonaut hat had fallen to the floor and had been bent, but he didn't bother to pick it up.

They all stayed in their positions, an unhappy, unmoving picture, for what was probably hours. Much passed through their minds: fears, anxieties, what-ifs. But a large question hung among them, in the forefront of everything:

What would become of the Octonauts?

Chapter Text

Shellington wasn't prepared for it. Not at all. It wasn't like a college class where the students dissected creatures who had willingly signed up for their bodies to be examined after they died. No, this was his friend, his Captain, a member of his family. And to see him so still, all cut open... It was too much.

"Jumping jellyfish", he muttered. How could Peso, and especially Inkling, handle that?

It had been hours since he left. The sea otter was in his laboratory, working intently on his projects. He needed to put his paws on something, anything to distract himself.

That's what science did. It soothed his woes and made him forget-

An image slashed through his mind. The same ones, over and over again. 

Bodies…

No, don't do this to yourself. You're over it, you're over it-

There were bodies. Everywhere.

Please...

As far as the eye could see. It was like he was there. The rocky, cool water. The horrid stench. The panicking crowds. The screams. 

Shellington whimpered, putting his head on the desk, experiments abandoned, paws pulling at his fur.

His small paw was pulled forcefully as soon as he gave a cry. It was just a few sea otters that were sick, his mother had said days ago. They would get better. We just didn't need to touch them, keep our distance at the edge of the seaweed forest. But now as his eyes had peeled open from slumber, there was a stench in the air. Among the seaweed floating, there they were. Eyes lifeless, some having parts of their flesh nibbled away by fish. 

His cry was joined by a multitude of others as the rest of the sea otters woke up. 

"My kids!" 

"Get back!”

"We're all going to die!”

Shellington was forced against Mother, who wrapped an arm around him protectively. 

"What's going on?!" Pearl screamed as Mother did the same with her. The older sea otter looked at them both with a face that would haunt Shellington forever.

"We need to get out of here. Now.”

"Stop!" He yelled, and the spell was broken at the sound of glass breaking.

One of his beakers lay on the other side of the room, shattered to a million pieces. He found that he was standing, chair toppled over.

He got his breathing under control and wiped his face with a paw.

He would have to clean that up.

He would have to leave the lab to get the broom and dustpan.

His stomach clenched, and he decided right then that he would do it later. 

Suddenly tired, he picked up the chair and sat in it, leaning against his arms on the desk. 

His equipment was there, a foot away from him on the counter. They had held the promise of discovery. Science had promised him that he could pay it all back one day. That he would one day help his species, even if it meant the littlest thing. That he could help the world. 

That he wouldn't be a defective sea otter. 

That he would be worth something. 

The Captain's bleeding body came to mind again, and he curled in on himself, gritting his teeth as his eyes stung. He lost most of his species, and now he was going to lose his family. And he couldn’t do a single thing about it.

What a joke.

It was late into the night when Dashi heard the news. Inkling stepped out of the Medical Bay, exhausted.

"He is stable," he told the three Octonauts in the hallway. "But it is unclear if he will make it.”

"When will we know?" The dog's mouth was dry.

"In a day or two, hopefully tomorrow." Inkling let out a shaky breath and rubbed one of his arms underneath his monocle. "Peso will keep watch tonight. The rest of us should go to sleep.”

"Ya sure?" Kwazii asked.

"Can we do anything?" Tweak added.

"No, not anything right now," the professor gave a small, sad smile, "Though I appreciate it." He seemed to stop, thinking of something.

"I... I should probably do this," Inkling said to himself distractedly. "Kwazii," he said, looking at the cat.

The lieutenant straightened up at his name.

"Captain Barnacles... If he makes it, it’ll take time for him to fully recover. And... And if he doesn't..." Inkling stopped and composed himself. "What I'm trying to say, Kwazii, is that you are the Captain for now, either temporarily or... permanently." 

Kwazii was silent for a moment, then gulped and nodded harshly once. "I'll do my best." 

"That's all I'm asking," Inkling said. "Now, we should all try to sleep. We need to be rested." 

For what, Dashi didn't know. They were definitely not going on missions anytime soon. She would flat-out refuse if that was the case. But she did have to look at it logically. They had to be prepared for anything now.

"I'm going to update the Vegimals," Tweak said. 

Inkling nodded. "That's a good idea.”

"I'll tell Shellington." Dashi said.

The others looked at her. "Are you sure? Do you want one of us to come with you?”

"I'm ok," Dashi said, though she wasn't entirely sure if she actually was. "I'm his friend; I'll tell him about it." 

Shellington needed to know what was going on.

Even though she had no idea what to expect from him, from his outburst earlier today.

It still disturbed her, just how different he was. It was like something primal came out of him. She swallowed. Stressful situations seemed to take the best or worst out of individuals. 

She went through an octochute and walked down another hallway, her footsteps echoing down the corridor. She went to the lab, and the automatic doors opened.

She didn't expect what she saw.

A beaker lay broken on the other side of the room. And at the desk…

Shellington was fast asleep, his head leaning against his arms.

It is very late, Dashi thought. Her mind went back to his reaction earlier. I'm just surprised he was able to fall asleep.

She walked a bit closer, stopping right next to the sea otter. She was about to turn away and leave when she noticed.

He wasn't actually asleep.

She woke him up countless times before, always dragging him to bed when he would attempt late nights, too enthralled in his research. Whenever he slept, he was relaxed, muscles loose, face content. Here, it was the opposite.

His muscles were taut, like they would break any second. And while his face looked serene at first glance, she noticed the crinkles around his eyelids. He was closing them just a little too tightly, just enough that she could tell he was faking it. 

It was clear to Dashi that he did not want to face her.

Her heart clenched at that realization.

"The Captain is stable, but it is unclear if he will make it. We will know in the next couple days,” she said. He made no move.

Her face scrunched up, and her lip trembled, much to her chagrin. She could not break down. She wouldn’t.

"If you need anything, let me know, ok?”

She reached forward; she was going to put a paw on his shoulder. But at her movement, before she even touched him, he flinched. It was barely a movement, but it felt like a stab in the gut.

She pulled her paw back. 

"That's what friends are for. I'll be here for you.”

After another moment of silence, she left the lab. Once the doors swooshed closed, Shellington lifted his head up, looked back at the lab’s entrance, and put his face in his paws.

Chapter Text

Kwazii sat down on the chair solemnly, his weight coming onto the cushions as if the furniture itself sighed under the weight of his heavy heart. It was late, too late to even bother checking the time. He hoped everyone else was asleep and not morosely awake like him. 

Inkling had made him captain today. 

That was wrong on so many levels. 

He took a deep breath and closed his eye. He was fine taking over for a while, sure. When Captain Barnacles was busy during the manatee mission, he had stepped up; when he and his polar bear family needed to be saved, Kwazii rallied the other Octonauts and took the lead. But those were only temporary, and more importantly, under the guidance of the true Captain. This... This was different. 

He activated the dashboard's computers and went to the archives. Pulling up one of the training videos they made (he had to stop the swirling memories of those days when they filmed this, those good days), he hovered the mouse over the video for the captain position.

He stilled, but then clicked on it. 

"Hello," Captain Barnacles said warmly towards the camera. It was him, whole, alive. Not the unconscious polar bear on a hospital bed downstairs. It was such a huge change that it took Kwazii's breath away. And made his eyes sting. "If you're watching this, congratulations. You are the next captain of the Octonauts.”

No, no, he wasn't ready for this, he wasn’t-

The Captain, his friend, smiling, healthy. Unconscious. Broken. 

The Captain... He might not survive... He might die-

Kwazii bent over, gritting his teeth. 

He's going to live! he said angrily in his mind. Don't talk like that! Calico can be raised back to life. The Captain can too. Don't lose hope.

He couldn't lose hope. He needed to get himself under control.

'Cause that's what Captain Barnacles would do, right?

Kwazii stayed there, taking a few more breaths, before forcing himself to look back up at the screen. Captain Barnacles' cheerful face greeted him, but he continued to stare at it until the despair forced itself to leave. 

Kwazii was the captain for now. He needed step up and learn how to be one. Not just for his sake, but for everyone else’s as well. Especially Captain Barnacles’.

Kwazii paused and rewound the video, then played it again, watching it with the most intent eyes anyone had ever seen.

Chapter Text

The shout woke Tunip with a start. He immediately sat up in bed, his blanket falling off him; and he leaned over the side of the bunkbed. The yellow Vegimal was on the top bunk, and he could immediately see the small, trembling red form of Tominnow on one of the lower beds. His heart sank. Tunip knew that Tweak tried to protect them from what was happening, but her efforts didn’t work out completely. The Vegimals had seen a small part. The sound of pained coughs coming from the area, the quick orders of Peso, who was different than how he usually was. The Captain's limp paw hanging over the gurney. Red everywhere…

He closed my eyes, trying to get the picture out of his head.

"Tunip?"

Tunip looked to his right to Barrot's concerned face, looking at him from another top bunk.

"I'm okay," he managed to say, and he looked back down at Tominnow. Grouber, bless him, was already at his side, embracing him. All of the other Vegimals were awake. The pink one, Codish, also headed to Tominnow's bed. It was clear that he had a nightmare. Tunip glanced at the digital clock that was set on out wall. 2 am. He was surprised they didn’t have nightmares sooner.

He did not expect what Tominnow was saying, however. 

In tears, with his flippers in his face, he sobbed, "I wish we never came here! We should have stayed in our homeland.”

At this, the other Vegimals murmured. Tunip’s brows furrowed.

"We need to get out of here! There is only sadness here," another Vegimal piped in.

"W-what about all that we went through?" Tunip stuttered. He was surprised at how quickly panic was overcoming them. "Friends, please. This is not the way to go about this.”

"But we can't do anything here," Grouber, said, still holding Tominnow, whose weeping was now quieter. Tunip knew the purple Vegimal was on his side, that he would never just up and leave. Yet he now was thoughtful, voicing what Tunip was dreading in his heart, what was in all of their hearts. "We can’t heal like Peso, or run fast like Tweak. The other Octonauts are trying to keep us out of this, to protect us. What can we do to help?”

"We can help them emotionally," another Vegimal said. "How do they say it in English? Moral support?“ And he spoke the English words in his high pitch voice, his accent punctuating the words. 

"I wish we could," another Vegimal said, "But how can we, when we don’t relate to them? What we are feeling now is nothing compared to what everyone else is going through. We weren’t there when the attack happened, or the surgery, or even the fight. How can we help when we can’t truly understand them? I think that in this situation, truthfully" he quieted his voice, "we aren't good enough."  

"That does not make our fear any less real than theirs.” Tunip countered. “And where our experiences don’t match, we have sympathy and compassion. It will be pretty easy to imagine what they’ve been through, and we can still be beside them, even when we can’t. Friends, brothers, they may have shielded us from most of what happened, but that is to our advantage. We are the ones least battered. They may need someone to help lift them back up after everything, when Peso's done his part, and there will be nothing left but to move on. W-Whether Captain Barnacles lives or not." His voice lowered at this, "We need to be here for them.”

Tunip had all of their attention, their eyes looking at him. It was a moment before Grouber and Codish nodded in agreement.

"You're right, Tunip," Barrot said. The other ones started to voice their agreement as well. Tominnow wiped his eyes.

"You okay?" Grouber asked quietly to Tominnow.

He nodded and said, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I'll try to be strong.”

"That's all we can do," Tunip said. Their hearts became less tight, but none of them could fall back asleep that night.

Chapter Text

The night had been quiet yet overwhelming.

That fired burned within Peso for hours, even in the dead of night, with the beep beep of the heart monitor and the fogging of the oxygen mask, showing that the polar bear was breathing.

He had Inkling tell everyone to go to bed hours ago. There was no use in keeping them in suspense; Captain Barnacles’ state wasn't going to change anytime soon. Other than the lung situation, he also had many stitches on his chest and shoulder, where the serpent's teeth had individually pierced him.

Peso looked over at the Captain.

He was lucky to be alive. 

The hours passed, and soon the darkness outside the windows became lighter.

The professor came in soon after.

"How is he?" Inkling asked.

Peso looked him over. Did all the tests. He was hoping against hope, but it all paid off.

"I think he's going to make it."

Inkling breathed a sigh of relief. 

"I want to check the pressure in his chest one more time, just in case. If it's all good, we can take the tube out. I'll need your help, though."

"Anything you need," the professor answered, and they set to work.

Everything seemed to be ok, and they were able to pull out the tube and stitch up the wound without a hitch. Finally, something good seemed to go their way.

"We have to tell the others," Peso said. "Why don't you share the news? I'll stay here and keep looking after him."

"Actually," the professor said. "I think I should take over for now. You need rest. And we can tell the others in a more efficient way."

He went to the wall and activated the intercom system.

"Good news, everyone," Inkling said into the speaker. His voice echoed along all the rooms in the Octopod; Peso could hear it outside of the Medical Bay's doors. "The Captain is going to be alright. He is set for a full recovery."

"That's great!"

"Oh, thank God!"

"Peso, you are fantastic!"

They cheered over the intercom. Peso could also hear the relieved chatter of the Vegimals.

"We'll keep you all up to date on his progress," Inkling said. Then he hung up and turned to the penguin.

"I'm so happy he's going to be ok," Peso said. He seemed to all of a sudden deflate, like the adrenaline suddenly fizzled out of him. He swayed from one webbed foot to another. 

"Don't forget what I also said," Inkling reminded him gently. "You need to rest."

"But-"

"No buts. I can take care of him."

"But he'll need to have his bandages changed every couple hours," Peso argued. He kept swaying, and his eyes were half-lidded.

"How about this? Set up an alarm for yourself and come back when it's time to change the bandages."

Inkling wasn't sure if the usually-timid Peso would've argued in normal circumstances, since it was about a patient; but he could tell that the penguin was too tired to make a rebuttal.

"M'kay," he said. After giving the octopus a few more instructions, Peso left the Medical Bay and went to his room. When he arrived, he flopped onto the bed, not going under the covers nor changing into his coolant pajamas. He fell asleep instantly.

When he woke up, Peso bolted out of bed. It was late afternoon, several hours after he was supposed to bandage Captain Barnacles. He raced out of his room and entered the Medical Bay, breathless from the exertion. In the room was Inkling, still at his post, and the unconscious Captain, with new bandages wrapped around his chest.

At Peso’s surprised face, all Inkling said was, "Well, you needed the rest; and I knew what to do. After all, we learned from a great teacher." 

 *Hours earlier*

Inkling watched as Peso waddled away, eyes half lidded and clearly exhausted. The medic did well. Although Peso would probably want the professor to wake him up in a couple hours, Inkling was absolutely not going to do it. He would be able to change the bandages; the penguin needed all the sleep he could get. 

Inkling didn't mind this task; in fact, he welcomed it. There was something that the professor couldn't shake. It kept rustling in the back of his mind, this feeling. 

He looked down at the Captain's face, peaceful in slumber.

If the professor hadn't helped Peso, he wouldn't be here.

The feeling rushed to the forefront in full force.

 If he wasn't there, the Captain could've been dead.

He helped a creature breathe again.

He wasn't useless.

.... He helped a creature breathe again.

The dolphin went back to his mind, his writhing body, his soulless eye when he passed on. His fear and his look of resignation. Inkling couldn't do anything then. He couldn't do anything at all. 

But now, when another creature needed to breathe, when he was on the verge of death, Inkling was able to bring him back from the brink.

Inkling was able to change it this time.

He could finally put the dolphin to rest.

That thought immediately brought tears to his eyes. He brought two tentacles to his face, trying to wipe them away. But the tears continued. The back of his throat burned. His eyes squinted, and he held back his heavy breathing. He didn't want to wake up the Captain. He didn't want anyone to see him.

But it was true. He made up for it. Finally, after years of putting together the crew, working tirelessly over and over again to bring a change, he finally felt that, for once, it was all worth it. He wanted to bring the dolphin back, he wanted to rectify his mistake of not knowing what to do. Oh, how he wanted that! But this was the closest thing.

He didn't fail this time.

He couldn't save one creature, but at least he was able to save someone else. And he was so relieved that Captain Barnacles, someone so close to him, would live to see another day.

That thought overwhelmed him, and he completely broke down, wiping his eyes, quietly letting out the grief that he had held back for so long. 

He could finally move on.

Chapter Text

There was a heaviness throughout the Octopod. The was no laughter, no noise in general. Everything was much more quiet. 

Like a morgue.

It baffled Codish.

"Why is everyone still so down?" the pink Vegimal asked. "Isn't Captain Barnacles going to live?”

"It's not something you can just get over," Barrot snapped. Codish curled in on himself, ashamed of asking.

“I'm still not over it," Tominnow shivered.

"Yeah, and there's also the fight that happened, too," another one said.

"The Octonauts are still hurting, but it is up to us to help in anyway we can," Tunip said to the group. "I know we can do it.”

The Vegimals agreed, and Tunip smiled. But Grouber just looked on suspiciously. That smile did not reach the yellow Vegimals' eyes.

They set out to work, giving moral support in any way they could.

Dashi sat at her post in the HQ, mind full as she stared blankly at the controls. The Octopod was parked on the bottom of the ocean, and it was to stay there until the Captain was well enough. She did not have any duties for now, except for checking the charts and weather updates, which she did absentmindedly. 

Basically, all missions and extra tasks were out of the question. Only the minimum was done now, to keep the ship running. Which was just as well, because as much as she loved her work, she didn't think she (or anyone else) would be able to function at full capacity right now.

This also meant that she didn't have any photo shoots…

Her eyes widened, and she straightened at the realization.

She had consistent deadlines with National Sea-ographic, sharing photos and accounts of what the Octonauts were up to, what their last missions and adventures were. 

They would expect another account soon. They would ask what's been going on.

She put her face in her paws. She couldn't show them this. She wasn’t cruel. That would be like putting the Captain's misfortune in print, sharing it across the world. She couldn't do that, knowing that he was unconscious right now. What if he was against it? 

But they would be asking anyway. They could cut ties if she didn't have any materials.

Another thought seared through her mind, and she breathed heavily.

They'll have to tell the Captain's relatives what had happened.

And the situation suddenly became very real to her. It was just her luck, just like her, to finally have it sink in once work was involved. 

She couldn't handle seeing his sister's face. Bianca would be devastated.

What are they going to do-

A soft thump got her gasping, and she pulled her head up out of her paws. Before she could see what was happening, she heard an Octochute close. She looked at the desk, and her eyes pricked at the kindness.

It was a bowl filled to the brim with blueberries.

When Dashi told him her concerns, Inkling told her not to worry. He would take care of it. In actuality, he had been wondering and worrying about this since after the surgery. He told her to not share what happened to National Sea-ographic. Through looking at the dog's hard drive, they were able to scrap just enough pictures together from extra photo shoots to send to the magazine. It may have not been the best quality work, but it was more than good enough for now.

He also assured her that he would tell Captain Barnacles' family. As the founder, and the one who had hired the polar bear, Inkling felt that he was responsible, way more than the current captain, Kwazii.

The professor was alone in the room, the only light visible was the computer screen, flashing blue onto the octopus and the immediate area around him. 

He dialed the number, and it began to ring. He pulled at his collar nervously. He had to do this in the evening, after the sun had long set, so it would match Bianca's time zone. 

His stomach was in knots, but he kept his gaze resolute. 

"Yes, hello?" Bianca laughed, turning towards the camera. In the background, her son and daughter played. They were all so happy. 

His throat constricted.  

Without the professor registering it, the automatic doors behind him opened and closed.

Bianca must have noticed his somber demeanor, because she immediately frowned. "Professor Inkling?" she asked cautiously. She obviously remembered him, when they last met in the Arctic. "What's this about?”

"May I speak to you in private?" Inkling said.  

She seemed to realize that something was really wrong. "Kids," she called, not looking away from the screen, "run along and play outside. Mommy needs to take this call.”

Inkling's heart started to pound as the children laughed and excitedly talked to each other as they left.

It was going to be now or never.

He didn't want to do this.

He couldn't do this.

But suddenly, he felt a flipper wrap around one of his arms. He looked to his left and saw Tominnow. The red Vegimal held his arm with a flipper, looking at the screen like he was supposed to be part of the meeting. 

Tominnow gave his arm a comforting squeeze and glanced at him. The eye contact was short, but his gaze held a strength there that was rarely seen in the usually timid Vegimal.

And so while Inkling told the news, and Bianca's face teared up, though she tried to be rational and strong, and he promised that he will keep giving her updates on her brother's progress, he held tightly to Tominnow’s flipper, never letting go.

It made this nightmare a bit more bearable.
      

“Can we help with anything?” Barrot asked in Vegimalnese. He and Codish were in the Launch Bay, looking concerned as Tweak inspected the Gup A. Its hull was seriously messed up, like it was caved in.

She didn’t face them.

Barrot’s heart tightened.

“Tweak?”

Her head lowered; another moment passed.

“…Can you clean some tools for me?”

At this point, they knew that she would have understood what they said in Vegimalnese; but they weren't sure if she got what they meant. But they kept quiet, only whispering small talk amongst themselves while they worked. They set up a portable table so it would be easier to do the task.

Barrot glanced frequently at the green rabbit as time ticked by. The two Vegimals thought that Tweak would have complained about the Gup’s damage, like she would have before; but she didn't say a word. And with the way she pulled off a metal panel, staggering back at the force, shoulders slumped as she limply dropped the metal plate, seemingly so tired, it looked like she didn't really care.

Barrot looked down at the wrench between his flippers, wondering if he should do anything.

"Hey, how are ya guys doing?" Tweak asked lazily out of nowhere, swinging a leg over a chair as she sat across from them.

Barrot and Codish looked at each other, confused.

"It's my break now," Tweak declared. "I'll just sit here for five minutes. I was thinking about one time," Tweak said jovially, "when Pa and I had moved to the Everglades, and I had to drive the boat for the first time. Yeehaw, that was a wild ride!”

She talked so animatedly, so much spirit and joy, that the Vegimals were immediately put off by it.

"I just put it full-throttle, and away we went!" She laughed and put her face into her paws. "I was just like Kwazii, reckless. Pa gave me a racket for accidentally crashing it against a tree." Her laughter became more broken. "I was just like the cat." There was silence, but then her voice suddenly lowered. "Oh, how I wish our problems were like before." 

They looked behind her, at the Gup. It was unfinished, barely touched, other than that one panel.

"But, as I was saying," Tweak put her face up, seeming to compose herself, "There was another time, when I was helping Pa fix a car…"

And right then, they understood. So they let her talk, share lighthearted stories. The two Vegimals would also tell stories of when they were in their homeland, making sure their words were simple enough for her to understand. Though, at this point, she basically understood everything. Those five minutes became hours, and they allowed themselves to be the distraction that Tweak needed, the lightheartedness that would keep reality from crushing her.

It was exactly what she needed.

One of the Vegimals’ main focuses was to keep the food schedule on time. They made the best dishes that they could, and they put in two servings of desserts per meal. There were some small smiles from the other crew mates, so it was a start.

Shellington never arrived to the dining room. The first time, breakfast the day after Captain Barnacles was injured, Tunip noticed immediately. By the time everyone was finished, the sea otter was still missing; and so with a plate filled to the brim with food, the yellow Vegimal waddled to the lab. When he got there, he furrowed his brows in concern at the broken glass on the floor. 

All Shellington said, after Tunip set down the food, was, "Can you please get me a broom?" He wouldn't look at the Vegimal. "I need to clean up the... mess.”

Tunip brought two brooms and ended up helping him. They both didn't say a word.

As days passed by, Tunip would bring dishes. Shellington wouldn't talk to him, except for a quiet "thank you," whenever the yellow Vegimal placed the plate next to him. Some were eaten; others half so. Some weren't even touched. Tunip wanted to throttle him at times, because he hated what Shellington was doing to himself. But Tunip kept on coming, like clockwork, patiently waiting.

One day, during lunch, Tunip came into the lab and put the meal on the table, like normal. Shellington looked blankly at it, weariness suddenly overcoming him. Tunip wasn't sure why until he looked at the soup, and it all clicked.

It was a kelp stew that was introduced to the Vegimals by Kwazii. The cat called it a "pirates' stew,” and Kwazii used to make it all the time. Once the Vegimals learned it, it became a permanent staple of the Octonauts' menu. 

He should've realized sooner.

"Am I... am I a bad person, Tunip?" Shellington asked, the most he'd said since he locked himself away. He looked so broken, hunched like that, his arms wrapped around himself like he’s trying to hold himself together. So small.

"Shellington," Tunip put his flippers up, as if wanting to reach him. 

"I messed up, Tunip. I wasn't strong enough to complete the surgery with Peso. I ended up holding him back. I shouldn't have caused that fight. And Dashi got hurt. How... How could I have done that?”

The Vegimals was supposed to help them, but Tunip suddenly realized that he didn't know how. 

Maybe his brothers were right.

"I need to apologize. I need to make this right, somehow. But," the sea otter moved his gaze towards the doors. "Whenever I think about leaving the lab, it's just so overwhelming. I just... I can't do it. I hate it." And then Shellington said quietly, "I hate myself.”

Tunip couldn't take it anymore. He wriggled his way under Shellington's limp arm and gave him a hug with his small flippers.

The gesture took Shellington completely by surprise, and he could only look down at the compassionate Vegimal, trying to make him feel better.

"It'll be ok," Tunip said, "They all love you." And his tone was so heartfelt, so compassionate, and so sure, like he believed it with all his being.

A warmth grew within Shellington, and his mind was immediately taken into the past. But instead of screaming and half-decayed flesh, he remembered when his sister would hold his paw while they slept. His mother’s fur when she hugged him. The Captain' paw on his shoulder, the fist pumps and high fives between him and the other Octonauts.

Those points of contact, which suddenly meant more to him now than he ever thought possible.

He tightened his hold on Tunip.

The outside still screamed at him, threatened to drag him with its claws and tear him apart. But here, at this moment, the burden was lifted, if even a little.

It was the beginning of recovery.

Tunip cracked his eyes open slowly. All that met him was the ceiling a few feet above him. It was dark, the only light source was the night light that the Vegimals had asked to be installed. It was to keep the monsters at bay, and to give at least a semblance of the outside, of the moon and stars, even though they were in the bowels of the earth. It was silent too, the only sounds were the soft whirring of engines and the several breaths of his brothers.

Once upon a time, the Octonauts would see their sleeping states and gush over them, saying how adorable they were. They would take the Vegimals by the flippers and lead them to safe pastures, away from the hurts. The Octonauts would bring them when it was fun, when they would be in their element. Only rarely, when things were most dire (that one Christmas came to mind), did they rely on the Vegimals to save the day.

But that was over, the sweet laughter over endless days. Lying in the shallow sea, Shellington lazying away, the sun going down on Tunip through the water. That bliss was gone, only to be replaced by flashes of gore, of a white paw hanging limply from a gurney. 

Tunip sat up, looking unfocused at his blanket before gathering his wits. He listened for any stirring; none came. He took off the blanket and went softly down the ladder. Pausing now and then, to make sure that no one was awake, he finally was able to leave the room. The last thing he wanted was to wake any of his brothers up. They had enough on their plate already.

His tail flippers pitter-pattered across the hallways, down the Octochute and into the kitchen. He had been down this route countless times over the years; he could do it in his sleep. 

He finally entered the quiet room and opened the cupboard. Taking out the ingredients, he set to work.

He knew this was Barrot's job, that the orange Vegimal was very protective of his role. But it was just one dish, and with the circumstances, Tunip was sure he wouldn't mind.

And frankly, he could not bring himself to care.

After about five minutes, he heard the door open. He whipped his head towards the noise and saw Grouber, the purple Vegimal that was the tallest of the group.

"What are you doing, Tunip?" he asked in his deep (at least deep by Vegimal standards), gravelly voice.

Tunip didn't know his expression; he couldn’t look Grouber in the face.
     
Tunip didn't answer, and there was the pitter-patter of steps. 

They were right next to each other now. Grouber grabbed his flipper, a sign of strength. Tunip breathed out; he needed it. But it didn't solve anything.

"I-I have to do something..." Tunip whispered, the floor still filling his vision. No one else was in the kitchen, but he still had to talk quietly. Any louder, and his voice would break. "It calms me... And, maybe, the Captain would come back." 

Grouber tried to say something, but Tunip couldn't take it anymore.

"I know we're the ones least battered. I know. I was the one who said it. But... But I-“

"You are not alone, Tunip.”

Maybe it was because Grouber said his name, maybe it was because it was directed towards him, and only him, but Tunip finally looked up.

"I know how hard this is for you too. Don't think the rest of our brothers don't notice. You've been helping the crew the most. As our representative, they know you the best, and they can open up to you the most. Especially Shellington…"

Grouber stopped, but took a deep breath and roused himself.

"But even though you help everyone, you need someone to help you when needed, someone to listen to you." 

Grouber's grip lessened, but he didn't let go.

"Talk to us, Tunip. If you need anything, it applies to you as well. We all need to support each other. If we don't, then we won't get through this, or we will at least be more battered than we need to be, and get scars.”

Tunip exhaled shakily at the honesty but nodded. In times such as these, they couldn't afford to push others away. 

"You're right," Tunip admitted. He sighed again and looked back at the mixing machine. "I guess you think that it's too early to be up.”

"Yes, I do," Grouber said flippantly, letting go and walking towards the mixing appliance. Tunip looked at him quizzically. 

Grouber grabbed a bottle of vanilla and brought it next to the bowl. "But it's also the only time we're free. And we have to give our Captain his favorite dessert, now don't we?”

Tunip was dumbstruck.

“Grouber..."

"C'mon Tunip. The pudding's not going to make itself." Grouber softly smirked back at him.

Warmth filled his chest, and for the first time in a long time, Tunip's features relaxed into a genuine smile.

Ever since then, Grouber would join Tunip early every morning, way before dawn, to create the dish. And every day, a single bowl of vanilla kelp pudding was placed on Captain Barnacles' bedside table, waiting for his awakening.

Chapter Text

The new captain made his rounds across the Octopod, making sure everything was ok. Kwazii was trying his best, but was only trained lightly in this new position. Huh, he inwardly chuckled sadly. They had expected that Captain Barnacles had a much longer time, that nothing terrible was going to happen.

If Kwazii was honest with himself, he never thought that anything bad would happen to them, not really. Sure, there were injuries here and there, close calls on missions. But they always seemed untouchable, that it was never actually close to death, that no one actually got seriously hurt. It seemed like that would never happen, that they would stay as the happy family that they became, for all eternity.

His thoughts drifted to Shellington, and his stomach tightened. He had no idea how to approach that situation. The pirate shouldn’t have fought back. He needed to be better than that.

A beep beep beep got him out of his thoughts, and he took out the octocompass. It had felt so wrong to take it away from the unconscious Captain, but he needed it for his new position. 

"What's going on, Dashi?" Kwazii asked.

"There's someone outside the Octopod," Dashi said. His eyes widened, but he calmed when she continued. "They don't seem hostile, but it looks like they want to talk to us.”

Kwazii raised an eyebrow. "Ok, I'll check it out. Where exactly are they?”

"Outside the front door.”

The front door was at the base of the tentacles on the Octopod when it parked. It looked like an actual door. Sometimes the Octonauts used it, but they mainly used the octohatch that allowed the Gups access into the Gup. 

Kwazii thanked her and headed over there. He went to the Launch Bay, activated his helmet, and swam down in the water until he reached the bottom of the deep ship. As he came closer to the door, which was at the bottom of this chasm, he could hear knocking. Floating down to the ground, he opened the door.

"Hi, can I help ya?”

"Are you the Octonauts?" 

"Yes. Who are you?”

In front of the cat were three fish, each a multitude of bright colors.

"My name's Gus," the fish in the middle said, pointing towards himself with a fin. He had a lisp. "These are my friends, Bob and Margaret." The other two said their hellos.

"A couple days ago," Gus continued, "There were some earthquakes, and our homes were covered in rocks. We stayed at another friend's home, and tried to clean out the rocks, but they are just too big. But then we found out that you were nearby. Can you please help us?”

The crew had way too much on their plate right now, given everything that happened.

"Sorry, we're not taking missions right-" But then Kwazii stopped.

The fish looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

What was he doing?

He was the captain now.

The Octonauts were there to help.

"Sure, mateys," he said, changing gears. "I'll get a couple of me pals and be right back." He closed the door and immediately set out to assemble a small team.

Given their situation, they didn't have a high morale. Given everything, other than this one task, he won't start any other missions.

But they had come specifically to the Octonauts for help. He couldn't just turn them away.

He recruited Dashi. Peso was not to leave the Octopod unless (he shivered) something bad happened again. For now, the medic was much more needed here. And Shellington was also out of the question.

Kwazii was ok until he put his paws on the Gup C’s steering wheel, starting the great machine up, with only Dashi beside him.

Was just the two of them enough? Should Kwazii have gotten a third member to come? What if something bad happened? But the job did not seem difficult, so he only needed one more.

Was he overthinking this?

His swirling thoughts did not leave.

They went out of the Octopod and followed the fish. After several minutes, Kwazii let out a shaky breath when they finally neared the destination.

"What's wrong?" Dashi asked, noticing the movement.

They parked, the mouth of the cave looking nearby them.

"This was where the Captain was attacked," Kwazii grit his teeth.

Dashi's eyes widened, and she turned her head towards the cave.

"It's over here!" Gus said, swimming to the right. The two Octonauts activated their helmets and followed the fish. They swam clear of the cave, instead going to the right, along the wall outside the cave. After a couple dozen feet, they saw a pile of rocks.

"Our burrows are here," Gus said, swimming towards it. His voice was sad, "we were out foraging for food. By the time we came back that evening, it was already like this.”

Kwazii’s throat was dry. This must have been caused by the Bánaithe Serpent's attack, and when Kwazii fought back in the Gup. There was a lot of shaking of the walls when the Serpent hit the rocks, and when it had separated Captain Barnacles from him and Peso. Because that had to be planned; it was too clean cut and way too suspicious for it to just be a coincidence, for only one of them to be separated like that.

He wondered if the Serpent targeted Captain Barnacles on purpose. What did it want with the polar bear? He was the biggest of them; maybe it just wanted a bigger meal. Kwazii assumed it was to eat the Captain, but who knows? Maybe it was just cruel. Or, the pirate may just be looking too much into it. He may never know.

"Let's get to work," he said, trying to distract himself. They started to clean.

Since they were much larger than the fish, it was much easier for them to move the rocks. It probably took about fifteen minutes, but for Kwazii, it felt like an eternity. He kept glancing and staring at the mouth of the cave, just waiting for the Bánaithe Serpent to rush out, teeth bare. 

Everyone, both crew and civilians, were his responsibility now. He had to have countermeasures. He had to make sure no one else hurt. His stomach tightened.

It was all on him.

It wasn't like the Captain looked over his shoulder, making sure he did everything correctly, gently asking him questions and reminders to do certain protocols. There weren't any "monster" Gups that would scare him just for a test. This was real, and there were real monsters and bad things out there. Everyone depended on him. Everyone's lives depended on him…

How did Captain Barnacles handle this responsibility 24/7?

By the time the burrows were all cleared out, Kwazii was sick of this.

"Have you seen the Bánaithe Serpent?" He told the fish. He pointed at the mouth of the cave.

"I've never heard of that name before," Bob said. "You mean that big snake thing?”

"With the big teeth?" Margaret added.

"Yes," Kwazii replied.

"Of course we have," Gus said. “She's not interested in small fish like us. She prefers larger prey.”

Kwazii's lips went into a thin line.

"Over the years, she hasn't come out as much as she used to, maybe about once a day now. We try to stay out of her way when she does. But over the last couple days, we haven't seen her.”

She was dead; Kwazii had seen her under the rubble. He looked at the mouth of the cave for the hundredth time. The gaping hole, like jaws, seemed to call him. He had to make sure that the job was done, that the Serpent was actually dead, that none of the other crew was going to suffer.

He could practically hear the professor disagree with him, saying that the Serpent was a creature too. But she had hurt Kwazii's family. 

"Dashi, stay here," Kwazii said, not looking at the dog. The cave was the only thing in his vision. "I'll be right back.”

If he was to go in there, he wanted her to stay clear of any danger. He didn't want anyone else to get hurt.

He started for the Gup.

"Where are you going?" Dashi said as he passed. She realized the direction he was headed, and it all clicked. 

"You can't be serious," Dashi said.

"I have to make sure," Kwazii said.

"You're not going by yourself.”

"The Gup will protect me," Kwazii quipped. 

There was a silence. Kwazii swam towards the Gup again.

Dashi suddenly appeared in front of his vision.

“I’m coming with you.” That wasn’t a suggestion. Her gaze was intense, cold.

Kwazii wasn’t captain for a week, and he was already dealing with insubordination.

Her voice became soft. ”It's best if we stick together," and she meant more than just this situation.

After a tense moment, he finally sighed and acquiesced. "Fine, come on," he said and lowered his head in a self deprecating manner.

He didn't really have the respect of the crew, not enough to just follow his orders.

He smiled slightly. But then again, if Captain Barnacles ever pulled a stunt like that, Kwazii would have done the exact same thing. So really, he shouldn't be surprised. 

That didn't mean that he was comfortable for Dashi to also go into the cave. He shuddered at what could happen, but pushed it down. Personally, Dashi seemed just fine, maybe a bit smug or proud of herself, when she arrived in the small submarine. 

Once the Octonauts were in the Gup (the fish stayed in their burrows for safety, and just to live in them again), they went in.

I don't remember going this far last time, Kwazii thought. He could see the wires and small lamps that they were putting up before, not completed. They would have to clean that up later. Only if there was nothing dangerous, though.

They saw rubble scattered about, and some small piles of rocks. They drove above them. That was the rockslide that had separated the three of them last time. The Gup A must have had a good whack at them, because the rocks were now scattered about.

And farther, they found what they were looking for. Another pile of rocks, and under it, the Bánaithe Serpent. It had not moved an inch since Kwazii last saw the beast. Blood had stopped oozing, though. They went a little closer. Kwazii was tense only until he saw the tell-tale signs of decay on the body. He even saw some small fish, really small fish, pecking away at the flesh.

It wasn't a pretty sight, but Kwazii breathed a sigh of relief.

They were safe.

And while the weight of Captaincy still weighed on him, that one particular burden was lifted; and after about an hour of removing the lights and wires, they packed up and went home. 

Chapter Text

Kwazii stood in front of the closed laboratory doors, which blocked the situation from him. He kind of wished he didn't have to go inside; he had no idea what to expect. He hadn't seen Shellington in days. But that was all the more reason to talk to him. Kwazii was the captain now- for now, he forced himself to think. He had to step up. 

He activated the doors, and they slid open with a finality in its sound that seemed to travel through his blood. Stepping inside, he spotted Shellington at his desk, but the dentist scraper thing (the cat didn’t know what it was) and rock in his paws were still, gripped tightly. Shellington had felt the swoosh of the doors too and had looked back for a split second, seeing the cat. But now he looked forward, away from the new captain.

Kwazii came forward hesitantly. The silence was heavy, and his footsteps rang. He didn't know, really, what to say; and the sea otter's behavior threw him off even more. He tried to form words in his throat, trying to say something, before they were cut off.

"I'm sorry.”

The words hung in the quiet room, and Kwazii looked on with surprise.

Shellington didn't turn around, but now his shoulders were slumped. "I shouldn't have said those words. I was panicked and desperate, and I took it out on you.”

With those words his tongue was loosened, and Kwazii came forward, next to Shellington's chair. "You weren't the only one who wasn't thinking straight.”

Shellington looked to the side and then up, finally having eye contact. They both didn't say it out loud, but they could see the weariness and melancholy in the other's face. Mirrors of each other.

"It was a dangerous situation, that was," Kwazii continued. "I couldn't blame anyone for reacting like that.”

Shellington was quiet. “I- I was.... There's more..." He mmphed, shutting his eyes briefly like he was disappointed with himself. 

"Take your time," Kwazii said, and he only belatedly realized that it was something that Captain Barnacles would say. 

Shellington put down the equipment and swiveled the chair towards him. He put his paws on his lap and kept looking away. "I reacted to more than just the incident, back there," he said with a gesture with his head towards the hallway. "I... I was remembering... You remember why sea otters are endangered?”

"Oh," Kwazii breathed painfully, and Shellington flinched. Peso had told Kwazii that there was an epidemic, though Shellington doubted any of them knew the details. He wasn't sure if he wanted them to know.

"Yeah." 

"I should've come sooner," Kwazii tightened his paw.

"It's better this way. I honestly don't think I could have handled it if you came earlier." 

"Then what changed?”

The sea otter thought about Tunip’s hug and couldn't possibly put it into words.

When Shellington didn't answer, Kwazii decided to change tactics. "Is there anything I can do to help?" the new captain asked.

There was so much that rushed through Shellington's head: sights and ghastly smells, the cries of his species, the terror and grief in his gut. He didn't know if he should tell Kwazii, if that would even help with anything. 

Shellington breathed out through his nose and focused on the here and now. Anything that Kwazii could help with in the present circumstances?

"It... It may sound strange, but..." Shellington breathed out again. "I have a hard time leaving the lab. It's weird," he said, suddenly defensive, looking up at the cat briefly. "I know that, but that's just the way it is. I was hoping," he calmed down just as quickly, becoming hesitant, avoiding eye contact again, "that maybe you could give me a boost or help with that?" 

"Ok," Kwazii said, but he had no idea what exactly he was supposed to do. "Why is it hard to leave the lab?”

Shellington almost flinched again, but didn't. He had the sneaking suspicion that Kwazii was being accusatory, but the cat’s voice proved otherwise, like he was legitimately trying to figure out why it was this way.

"Out there is overwhelming," Shellington said. "I keep thinking about the Captain, how he was all cut open, and-“

Kwazii could tell he was starting to breathe really fast.

"He's all bandaged up, now," Kwazii said, trying to be comforting. "Each day, he's getting better and better. Peso says he should wake up soon.“

Shellington tried to keep his breathing even, and Kwazii could tell he was taking those words in.

"He's nowhere near as bad as when you saw him in surgery. He's going to be ok.”

Shellington nodded his head. "He's going to be ok..." he repeated. 

"If ya want, I can take you to visit him- “

Shellington's face blanched.

“-only if you want too," Kwazii put his paws up placatingly. "I'm not gonna force you to do anything.”

Shellington nodded again.

This was a lot harder than Kwazii thought it would be. And he originally thought touchy-freely, emotional stuff was hard enough as it was. 

"There's also Dashi," Shellington said. "I hurt her during our fight too, when she tried to break us up. I'm pretty sure I gave her a bruise or something." He shut his eyes painfully. "I feel really bad about that.”

"Aye, matey, I think with that, you'll have to talk to her directly," Kwazii said truthfully. "'Cause you can tell me how much you feel about that; but until you tell her, it won't really change anything.”

"You're right," Shellington said, even though he looked pained. "Though, between us... are we good?”

"The way I see it, it's like it never happened," Kwazii said reassuringly. And he truly meant it. They were both being hot heads because of the situation. They didn't really mean any of it, if that made sense.
 
"Let's go to her right now," Kwazii said, holding out a paw to Shellington. "I can be a mediator or somethin', and be right next to ya the whole time.”

Shellington looked at the paw for a moment then took it. At the contact, the two paws clasped as Kwazii pulled him up, his legs stiff from underuse, Shellington again felt the togetherness that he missed during his quarantine. How much he relied on others. How much they meant to him. 

The sea otter was beyond nervous when they left the lab and headed to Dashi's room. Kwazii said that she was probably there, because she already did her tracking tasks for the day.

When they arrived at Dashi's door, they both stopped for a moment. Kwazii looked at Shellington, asking silently if he was ready. Shellington took a final breath and nodded slightly, and they went forward.

When the doors opened, Dashi was sitting in front of her mirror, brushing the fur on her long ears. Shellington could see a flicker of surprise cross her face before she schooled her features. 

"Shellington, Kwazii," she said. She put the brush on the desk then her paws in her lap as she turned towards them in her chair. "I was not expecting you here.”

Shellington knew it was actually directed at him, but the knot in his stomach kept him from replying.

"Can we talk to ya, matey?" Kwazii asked, stepping into the room. Shellington followed.

"Of course," the dog replied sincerely, maybe even a bit urgently. Or was it intently? Shellington wished he knew what she was thinking. 

"Shellington wanted to talk about what happened earlier." Kwazii nudged him, giving him a look. It was supposed to be encouraging, Shellington figured.

"So, um..." Shellington fidgeted. Dashi looked at him expectantly. "I'm sorry I hurt you, during the..." Again, Shellington couldn't look anyone in the eye. He placed a paw on his arm, rubbing it subconsciously.

But then there was a movement, and Shellington gasped in surprise.

Dashi hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. He stumbled back a step from the momentum. His paws flexed reflexively, but he didn't know what to do. His heart hurt too much.

"I know- I know we could never replace your species. But you can trust us. We're family too.”

He was shocked, but he figured that he shouldn't be. Leave it to Dashi to be able to fill in the dots and realize what it all meant, what had happened.
 
His eyes pricked.

He gently touched her back, then returned the hug just as fiercely. 

"I’m sorry I hurt you!” he blurted out. He sobbed once, but he tried to control it. “I never, ever wanted to do that. I shouldn't have let the emotions take over me. I'm so sorry!” 

His breaths came out in short gasps, unable to contain whatever writhing, twisting emotions that held him with their tendrils. 

Would this pain ever end?

Yet Dashi was warm, and she had forgiven him too; and Kwazii put a paw on his shoulder. The contact from his family- because Dashi was right; that’s what they were- grounded him.

He wasn't alone. 

Chapter Text

In what he could recall between bouts of conscious was a scream and piercing pain. Flashing lights, the beeping of a machine…

It was beeping now, a steady, almost calming sound.

The polar bear slowly opened his eyes, looking at his surroundings.

Something sweet hit his nose, and he looked over. On the stand next to his bed was a bowl of vanilla kelp pudding.

The scream seemed so far away. The pain too. Not all the way, but it was dull.

His felt drowsy, like he was about to fall asleep again.

He growled softly, and something on the other side of the room shifted. Her green ears flicked towards him.

“Tweak?" His voice sounded weak, he noticed.

"Cap, you're awake!" she cried. "Wait right there. I'll tell everyone!”

And like that, she was gone.

He lay there, trying to figure out what just transpired. 

He lazily looked around the room- the Medical Bay- seeing equipment everywhere, cotton balls and popsicle sticks. Plastic and glass containers of all sizes. The huge tank on one end of the room…

He must have fallen asleep again, because his eyes snapped wide open when the doors slid apart. 

"Captain, it's so good to see you," Peso said, waddling next to the bed. The medic looked down at him, smiling. "How are you feeling?" 

"M'kay," the polar bear answered, though truly, he wasn't really sure. He just wanted to fall asleep again.

A flipper squeezed his paw lightly. "Rest," Peso said. "It'll be ok.”

He listened to the medic's advice and went back into slumber.

Tweak kept her word and told everyone that Captain Barnacles had woken up. Peso had to slow down the zeal, though, by saying he just went back to sleep. But it was a huge step in the direction to recovery. He was going to be ok, it was clear now.

It was several hours, later in the afternoon, when the Captain woke up for real this time. 

"What happened?" was one of his first questions, and the Octonauts glanced at each other. They were all in the Medical Bay, even all the Vegimals.

"There was an incident," Peso said, stepping forward. "A large creature called the Bánaithe Serpent attacked you.”

"Is anyone else hurt?”

It was endearing that he immediately thought of that.

"No, matey," Kwazii shook his head. "We're all fine.”

"Good, good," Captain Barnacles said, closing his eyes for a moment, before opening them again. "How long was I out?”

"Four days," Peso answered. "With what you endured, I'm not surprised. It took a lot out of you.”

He didn't really feel it, but it might have just been the painkillers administered to him. In fact, he felt numb. 

They fed him in the Medical Bay. Peso moved the medical bed into a sitting position. Everyone joined him, bringing out a couple portable tables and a lot of chairs. It was clear that the Vegimals outdid themselves this time, pulling all the stops with a variety of dishes. There was a lot to celebrate about, after all.

The Captain ate pretty well, considering the circumstances. Peso noticed that he almost ate a full plate, which wasn't bad. During dessert, Tunip handed him a bowl of vanilla kelp pudding, and he took it happily. The Vegimal practically beamed. 

"Thank you Peso, everyone," Captain Barnacles said. He put a finger along the rim of a plastic cup, following the rim with his finger. The dessert had been finished, and everyone was lazing around, talking amongst themselves. It felt like a party or a family gathering. He smiled a bit to himself, though he didn't feel it all the way. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here," he told the medic seriously.

"We worked together to bring you home," Peso said, gesturing to everyone. The others nodded. Shellington looked down at his own paws. 

"Kwazii also did an amazing job taking over," the professor added. 

"I didn't really do anything," Kwazii said. 

"Guessing what happened, I'm pretty sure you did," Captain Barnacles told him. He smiled, but the polar bear’s eyes looked a bit glazed. 

Kwazii’s expression turned, surprisingly, bashful; but he didn't comment. "Actually, there's some Octonauts I really wanna thank,” the pirate said instead. He looked at the group of eight. 

"Vegimals, we all noticed just how much effort and help you put in. You all went above and beyond, keeping morale high, making sure everyone was ok. We all really owe a debt to you.”

All the other Octonauts nodded and said agreements to that.

The Vegimals were still, just stunned at what was happening.

"And also, I think we all need a break," Kwazii continued. "So I think we should all do something special.”

He turned to the polar bear, "That is, with your permission, Captain.”

He would have said it was fine, but Peso beat him to it.

"Um," the medic said, wringing is flippers. "I'm sorry, Captain Barnacles, but I think Kwazii should still be in charge, at least for now.”

Captain Barnacles must have looked confused.

"You still have a long way to recover, a couple weeks, at least," Peso continued. "I think this would be the safest course of action.”

"If it'll keep him safe, then I agree with your proposition," Professor Inkling said.

"Ok," Captain Barnacles said, not really there. He really didn't mind though.

He couldn't feel what was under the shroud that surrounded him.

But that was quickly forgotten as Kwazii spun towards the Vegimals again. "If that's the case," Kwazii said, "Let's take a break and visit your island.”

The Vegimals gasped, but then they erupted in cheers. 

"We're going home! We're going home!" they shouted happily.

The rest of the Octonauts laughed and cheered with them, and it seemed like everything was going to be ok. 

When the Octonauts landed on the beach in the Vegimal's home, the eight little guys ran straight into the arms of their people. Hugs were thrown around, cries and yells of joy.

It did Shellington good to see it.

"These are the Octonauts," Tunip told his clan in their language. He listed off all of them, one by one.

"And this one," he said last, pointing to Kwazii, "He's the one who let us come back!" His clan started to murmur amongst themselves.

"What's that, now?" Kwazii asked. He took a step back. They were all looking at him.

"Group hug!!" one of the Vegimals shouted, and they all came towards him, tackling him to the ground. The other Octonauts burst out laughing. 

"Looks like they really appreciate what you did," the polar bear commented. Captain Barnacles was well enough, days later after waking up, to walk around and be out of bed. He still had to take it easy, though. "You make a very fine captain.”

To Kwazii's surprise, his voice sounded sad; but when he looked up at the Captain, he was smiling. 

He sniffed and ran an arm over his nose as he sat up. "It was no walk in the park, I'll tell ya." Kwazii said. "It's amazing how you were able to handle it for so long.”

The Captain shrugged. "Just trial and error, I guess.”

Peso ran up to Kwazii, who was still sitting on the sand. By then, the Vegimals had scattered. "Are you alright?" Peso asked, but the penguin was laughing. He helped pull the cat up.

"Here's the funny thing about being a pirate," Kwazii said, brushing the sand off. "They either love you, or they despise yer very bones.”

"Or are completely scared," Peso joked. 

"Oh yeah, that too." Kwazii said.

"The Vegimals want to show you around," Shellington called out to them, and they were taken on a tour.

The locals showed them their huts, favorite places on the island, beautiful beaches, and their cooking equipment. The professor took it all in with contented glee, glad to see it all back. Dashi literally took hundreds of pictures. Shellington took out a notebook from his book bag and wrote everything he saw and what the Vegimals told him, but he wasn't as enthusiastic as he usually would be. 

Captain Barnacles was towards the back of the group, flanked by Peso and Kwazii on either side of him. Sometimes walking put too much exertion on him, and he would start breathing hard. He would have to stop and rest a moment. Peso was going to ask the rest of the group to stop the first time this happened, but Captain Barnacles waved it off.

"I'm fine. It's not fair for the others.”

"You sure?”

"Yes. I think you should join them. You guys need the rest too.”

"Not on my watch," Kwazii smiled determinedly, and Peso nodded in agreement.

Captain Barnacles didn't know how he felt about all this.

After a couple hours of spending time together and showing the Octonauts around, it was dinner. Fortunately, the local Vegimals had enough to make for the extra, unannounced guests. If they could have, the Octonauts would have told them that they were coming in advance, but the Vegimals had no means to communicate.

Tweak was about to change that. 

"These are solar powered tablets," she said, bringing two of them out. The locals oohed and awed at them. "With these babies, you can talk to your friends on the Octopod anytime ya want. And all you have to do to keep them charged is lay them out in the sun. So they should last a long time. Here, I'll show you.”

She gave them all a tutorial, and while it took some time to teach everyone, it was soon a success.

"Thank you so much, Tweak!" Tunip told her in his language. He jumped up and down, his brothers next to him. "We're so happy!”

"Glad to help," she smiled.

They had a wonderful dinner, trying all sorts of local dishes, even some that the Octonaut Vegimals never cooked. The local Vegimals shared tales; and this time, Inkling understood everything with the help of Shellington's translation skills. The Octonauts also shared stories, mainly about their times on missions. The Vegimals were enthralled by Kwazii's daring pirate adventures.

They talked long into the night, even staying over on the island (the Octonauts brought sleeping bags, just in case it happened.) Peso had also brought medical supplies and antibiotics that Captain Barnacles would need, so the polar bear was alright. Though because of his medical needs, they could only stay for one night. So they enjoyed, and laughed, and lived life; and only until the next day did they say their goodbyes and went back to the Octopod. The Vegimals, both in the Octonauts and outside of them, were over the moon at the experience and promised each other to meet again soon. 

The rest of the Octonauts agreed wholeheartedly. 

Chapter Text

Captain Barnacles entered the bathroom with a new cold suit and towel. At this point, he was well enough that he could take a shower. He would just have to come to Peso to look over and re-bandage everything. 

He was glad that he could clean himself up. He was filthy. He could feel his fur turned oily from not washing for a long time.

The numbness was still there, ever present for the last few days. As strange as it might seem, he didn't think too much of it. He was more focused on getting back on track, getting back to where they were before. The numbness wasn't a bother; he could still do day-to-day tasks (at least, what his body and Peso would allow). So it wasn’t of much concern. 

He put down the towel and unzipped the front of the suit. Underneath, he could see the shaved area of his chest and shoulder. Fuzzy, white fur starting to grow back, but the darkness of his skin was still very noticeable. There were also bandages, blue ones for land animals that Peso had stocked so long ago. He had to take these off, but he knew how to do that.

There was discomfort, but soon they were off, and Barnacles stilled. 

In the bathroom mirror, he could see a horrid sight. 

It was ugly. Stitches throughout parts of him, keeping his flesh literally together. Red, raw. Pieces of string. He couldn't stare at them, but he couldn't keep himself from looking at it.

It was not him. It was the polar bear in the mirror. The shroud in his head intensified, as if it was becoming cotton in his skull, as if wool was pulled over his figurative eyes. Like there was a curtain covering everything, covering what he really felt. He could feel himself reach out to the glass, the shrouded cloud. He couldn't pass through it.

He reached out, touched the paw that was reaching out towards him. It gently hit glass, the cool, smooth texture being out of synch with what he saw in front of him. He pulled his paw back, and not looking away from the mirror, brought the paw towards his own chest. He touched the outskirts of a particularly large wound, right where the swelling began. He took his paw away with a hiss of pain. 

It stung.

Of course, his mind said, of course it would sting.

The shroud cracked, as if it was made of glass.

The one in the mirror was him.

The one with the wounds was him.

It had happened to him.

The shroud broke, and he was flooded. 

Emotions overwhelmed him, knocking him off balance. Like he was filled to the brim with them, until he was drowned, air bubbles leaving his mouth, as the crack in his helmet slowly but surely drew in water. How his lungs gave out, how the beep beep of his alarm went off as the air tank ran out of its life-giving contents. How the water seemed to push him down. The darkness closing in.

The needle in his chest. How he writhed. The pain. He couldn't breathe couldn't breathe-

He leaned against the sink, trying to get his breathing under control. His chest felt tight, and he couldn't get air in.

It's over. You're not there anymore. Peso said your going to be fine. You're fine. Your'e fine…

Why didn't it feel like it?!

Foot-long teeth had cut into him, going through his fur, his flesh, drawing blood, going through his cells, splitting flesh apart, rupturing veins. He wouldn't have been able to see the crew again. He wouldn't have seen his relatives again. He wouldn't have seen tomorrow. 

He almost died.

He was like that, hunched over the sink, for a long time. He was too terrified and disoriented to check the clock for how long. But eventually, he was able to calm himself down enough to be functional, to take the stupid shower. 

He figured that this was a one-off experience. A terrifying one, but just an experience nonetheless. He'd be over this after a night of rest. He just needed to finish the shower, get bandaged from Peso, and go to bed. Yeah, that's all he needed. So with the diligence of a Captain, he did all of the above and crashed into bed, hoping for a peaceful rest.

None of it helped. 

Chapter Text

The night was still. Two eyes looked out from its hiding place. 

It was the perfect time for a hunt.

The Bánaithe Serpent floated up from behind the rocks and slowly slid forward. The Octopod stood there, the orange paint dulled by the darkness. But the Serpent could see it all. And it would never stop, never stop until it found it's prey again, until it finished what it started.

Swimming and slithering ever so quietly, it looked through the windows, peering in. It finally stopped when it saw its prize. On a bed, under a blue blanket, was the white head of the polar bear. 

It curled itself up, ready to pounce.

Barnacles was woken up to a crash, and water immediately filled his lungs. He could see, in the dim darkness, a gaping mouth and yellow, reflecting eyes. It grabbed him-

And he sat up in bed, panting horribly. He was surprised when air entered his lungs. His chest hurt from the overexertion, but he couldn't stop. He scanned the room, looking for those glowing eyes. It was only after a few moments that he realized the Bánaithe Serpents' eyes would only glow if there was a light reflecting off of them. That should have calmed him down, made him convinced that it was a dream. But he just stilled, muscles taut, as he looked outside the window.
 
The window in his bedroom was massive, covering the entire side of the room and most of the ceiling. Before, he had loved it. Enjoyed seeing the fish and breathtaking views every morning when he woke up, or when he would practice his accordion.

But now it was pitch black. Before, at night, it would not bother him; but that was before. Now all he knew was that something could be out there. All anyone needed to do was to break the glass, have a strong enough force.

Kwazii told him that the Serpent was dead, that he had checked the body days later. That should make him feel at ease, but it didn't. What if there was another one?

He was a target here.

He was still tense, trying to stay as quiet as possible so nothing could notice him. As discreetly as he could, he slowly stood up, took his blanket and pillow, and left the room. He immediately felt better in the hallway, where there were no windows. He could even imagine he wasn't under the ocean, that he was on land somewhere. He started to slowly but surely calm down more, but shame came instead as he wandered the halls, blanket and pillow in paw. 

None of the others could see him like this. This was way too embarrassing. But even though he felt that way, he couldn't bring himself to go back to his room. There was no way he was doing that, no way at all.

So he found a secluded section of hallway, after several minutes of walking around different corridors, and laid the blanket on the ground. This was a good enough place as any; it was furthest from anyone else's room. He would just have to wake up earlier to make sure he was out of there before anyone else saw him. So he made arrangements, using the blanket as a mattress and put the pillow on top. There was just enough blanket for him to have it under and over him, like he was the center of a pita sandwich. He set the octocompass to 4am, an hour before everyone was to wake up and, trying to get as comfortable as possible, attempted to sleep.

He was able to get a bit of sleep, but unfortunately, not enough. He kept waking up for multiple reasons. The uncomfortableness, or sometimes he would hear a sound and thought it was a predator or another Octonaut. Either way, that night was dismal, but he didn't say anything when he got up the next morning and went about the day like normal. 

At least, what was normal for him, now. He was still recovering from his wounds, so he was taking it easy. Having check ups with Peso, talking to the others, reading in the library. That ended up in his favor, because he could snag a nap here and there if he was tired enough; and with his recovering situation, no one asked any questions or were the wiser.

It baffled him just how much he wanted this to be all kept a secret from the other Octonauts. Sure, it was embarrassing; but he thought that he would have trusted them enough by this point to at least be able to bring it up. If not everyone, then at least to the medic.

But he could feel it. It was like a growing knowledge, like he knew all along why he couldn't trust them, share this with them; but among that shroud, it was still hidden. The fear was there, though. The fear that left him gasping.

This wasn't Captain-worthy protocol. He wasn't in charge now, but how would he possibly be ok enough to do it if he kept being terrified like this? He wouldn't be able to lead at this point.

What if the others didn't accept him anymore?

He had to snort at that. Of course they would still accept him. What, after everything, they would just look down on him and leave him?

He remembered how Tweak had done so to Kwazii, when he wasn't doing the proper protocols with the Gups.

He laughed to himself uncomfortably. But that was just one time, right? They couldn't possibly be like that, not all the Octonauts?

Right?

Chapter Text

Barnacles landed on his feet from the Octochute. He crouched down after landing, took a deep breath, and stood up.

Over there, on the other side of the ground area of the Launch Bay, he saw Tweak amongst the Gups. The Gup A was raised on metal supports, allowing Tweak to be under it to fix it.

He needed to do something about this, to calm his fears and paranoia, to make sure that it was actually okay between himself and the others.

Taking another inconspicuous breath, Barnacles stepped forward.

"H-Hey Tweak," the polar bear said, before forcing himself to calm down.

What was wrong with him? It should be easy to talk to Tweak, or to any of the others, really. He just wanted to know the truth, and the rabbit would definitely be the one who wouldn't lie to him. He figured everyone else wouldn't either (maybe), but Tweak's love for integrity and truth would help with this situation.

He knew he was being stupid and silly. Of course everyone cared about him. What, after all the missions they've been through, all the times they've hung out, all the pats on the back, the way everyone admired his strength, fearlessness, leadership-

But was that the only reason why they cared about him? Because he was good at what he did?

"Hey, Cap," Tweak said chipperly, pulling out slightly from underneath the Gup to look at him.

He forced his voice to become normal. "What are you working on, Tweak?”

"The Gup A's taken a pretty nasty beating from the Incident," Tweak replied, going under the vehicle again and continuing to work. "The main parts of the battery are a bit weak from the strain, and I'll have to be pretty careful. One wrong move, and it'll start falling apart.”

"If I'll be in your way, then I'll just-“

"You don't have to do that, Cap. I can multitask when I want to," Tweak chuckled, and it put his heart slightly at ease. "What's up?”

"Nothing in particular; just checking how everyone is," Barnacles lied. Why do you have to be such a scared, useless-

"Well, I'm glad you stopped on by," Tweak said. While Barnacles couldn't see her face, her tone got softer. "I haven't really seen you that much since you woke up. You gave us all quite a scare, you did.”

"I hope I'll be back in shape soon, and that it'll all go back to the way it was," Barnacles said.

"That would be nice," Tweak smiled through her voice. "But you won't be pampered as much by the Vegimals though.”

Barnacles chuckled, and before he could really think, asked, "Say, Tweak…"

Tweak looked up at him, "Yes, Cap?”

"Um... What do you guys think of me?" Barnacles asked, finally getting it out. "I mean, all of you guys. Peso, Shellington, Inkling..." It was a silly question; he shouldn't have asked.

What was he so afraid of?

Tweak tilted her head to the side, thinking a little. Barnacles wasn't sure what she felt about the questions, but he kept a neutral face.

"Well, you're definitely brave, can think quicker that a snake's strike, and extremely strong, not just in body but in mind and character as well.”

Barnacles liked her words, but the anxiety didn't go away. It didn't answer his question.

"And if I wasn't those things?" Barnacles asked. He tried to keep it as nonchalant as possible.

It took less than a moment for Tweak to answer. "You wouldn't be you,” she responded, going with the first thing that came to mind.

Tweak went back under the Gup, not seeing how Barnacle's eyes widened.

"I can't imagine you like that, to tell you the truth," Tweak carried on, fiddling with the wrench, not noticing how a part of Barnacles crumbled, how he started to fall apart.

"By the way, why do you ask?”

Barnacles looked at her sadly, a part of him gone. But he kept his voice level.

"No reason, no reason at all."

He was in the bathroom again, door locked. Although it was day time, he didn't want to be near the window in his room right now.
 
No, that can't be right, he thought, leaning against the sink.

But the evidence was right in front of him. But then again, all the times they spent together, all the times they played ping pong, or told stories, or made music. Would they truly reject him after all of that? But then again, what qualified him to join the Octonauts anyway? His strength, leadership, calmness. But he definitely wasn't calm now. He was being weak, spineless, useless… Stop it; calm down, Barnacles, he chided himself, shutting his eyes. He only allowed himself to show that much of his emotions because he was alone.

He was alarmed that he was so shaken. Sure, he had been afraid before. Who wouldn’t, with all of missions and dangerous situations he had been through. But fear had never taken such a hold of him. It was unnatural. Yet, and at this his spirits sank, this was the first time something truly terrible had happened. It was like the magic had disappeared, the feeling of invincibility. And with it, his confidence and bravery. He felt that something was taken from him when he was attacked. 

And now, what about everyone else? Would they accept him? He thought it was silly, not right, to ask. After all, they had been through so much.Yet what Tweak said-

And then, his own sister, Bianca. What was the first thing that his niece and nephew saw him as? Brave and strong. His sister had told them that, made them view him only as such-

But that's not fair, he thought. He had thought it flattering at the time, played along with it, carried his niece and nephew on his back to show how strong he was. What alternative should Bianca have said? Should she not have said anything about their uncle? Should she have insulted him in front of them? No, she did nothing wrong.

It's me, he thought, and he lowered his head. Because he used to be strong, he used to be brave; but now he was slipping. He was less than the standard he himself had subconsciously set up over the years, ever since he was a child. After all, all the compliments happened after he was doing amazing things, facing danger without a wince, leading others when needed. If they became disappointed by what he was now, then it was his fault.

I need to get better, he thought, before I slip even more. He’ll fix himself before they could ever find out and get disappointed. 

He'd make sure of that.

Chapter Text

The oncoming nights were still dismal; and no matter how much he tried, Barnacles couldn't keep himself in his room. The nightmares were frequent and intense, making him yell out sometimes in his room. Once in the hallway, it was dramatically reduced. Nightmares were there, but not as bad.

He considered sleeping in one of the comfy chairs or couches in the library, but he wasn't sure if Inkling sometimes wandered there, studying at times. He technically wasn't supposed to, because of curfew; but Barnacles did not want to take that chance. So he stayed in the most secluded hallways, trying to stay quiet. 

He would wake up an hour before everyone else each morning, at 4am. He would sit up and rub his eyes with a paw, then get up and wander. He took his sweet time brushing his teeth, taking a morning shower if necessary. Weeks had gone by at this point, meaning that his stitches had been taken out. He didn't have to get bandaged by Peso after each shower anymore. It was still sore at times, and it left some nasty scars, but he was better. He hated seeing them in the mirror, though.

He kept up appearances with the others, pretending to be his normal, confident self. He would talk to others, make sure they were ok. Even if he wasn't leading now, he couldn't keep himself from doing it. He just wanted them all to be alright. He loved them too much.

A month had passed in this constant state of tension, hidden behind a small smile, when Peso declared that he could start going out of the Octopod again.

"But we'll take it slow," Peso said to Kwazii pointedly.

The cat waved him off, “Of course, of course," he said. "Don't want anything bad ta happen to ya, eh Captain?”

Barnacles had mixed emotions about it. He knew Kwazii was being sincere, but something rubbed him off the wrong way. And he didn't want to be coddled.

But of course, he didn't say anything out loud and followed the cat, penguin, and sea otter into the Gup A. It was to be a calm mission, just researching and having a check up among the fish. Barnacles was to only fill in the gaps, help in any way he could. It was for him to start getting into the swing of things again. He knew all this, and appreciated it; but his tightening stomach seemed to disagree. But he stayed quiet and followed protocol, like the good Octonaut he was supposed to be. 

Kwazii was doing wonderful. He was still himself, loud and excitable and enthusiastic, but he was also responsible and made sure everything went smoothly. Barnacles could only observe, watch numbly, from afar. Kwazii was such a good Captain. Why should Barnacles be there anyway?

The mission was uneventful, and it barely passed through his mind as it quickly sped by. When is was time to go, they packed up and went into the Gup.

Kwazii looked at Barnacles, not unkindly, but with a twinkle of mischief or mirth in his eye. 

"Would ya like to have a go at it?" the pirate asked, stepping to the side of the steering wheel.

“Sure," he said naturally, and he grabbed the wheel and automatically started the Gup. But as they lifted off the sea floor, it lurched a bit. He knew it was small; he knew it was fairly common, especially when the Gup had sunken into the sand a bit. But all he knew was that something was wrong and they were all in danger. He stiffened a bit, keeping on course because that was ingrained in him, but inside he tried to calm the adrenaline surge that coursed through him. He could feel his paws shaking. He hoped no one else noticed.

After five minutes (though it felt like an eternity), Barnacles said as naturally and with as much levity as possible, ”Kwazii, why don't you take over for a bit. My shoulder is a bit sore." Not the dominant reason, but he uses it.

"Oh, sure, Captain," Kwazii soon replaced Barnacles’ paws with his own. "Maybe it's a bit early for you to start missions again."

The polar bear put his paws to his sides and discreetly clenched his fists, trying to stop the shaking. His face was sickeningly serene (Why are you acting like this?)
 
"I assume you're right," he replied. He doesn't want to be here.

"Ok, we'll go out again later, maybe in another week," Peso said, looking earnestly at Barnacles. He was taken aback by Peso’s eyes. They were deep, and it was like he could see the other Octonauts in their depths. How the young medic looked up to him. How they all did. It was like how he saw Peso in the Arctic, when his flipper was hurt and he woke up next to the fire Barnacles made. The polar bear had felt their love then, their admiration. He could see it now again, and he tried and reached as hard as he could to not disappoint them, to stop the shaking of his paw, still hidden away in one of his pockets.

The shaking didn't stop.

But he still breathed and looked forward, not trying to bring attention to it, and once he was talking to the others for a few minutes, about nothing and everything, he finally realized that he was finally calm enough for his paw to become still.

He hoped it would stay that way, that his fear would be at bay; but he started to think that it was not going to be the case. 

Chapter Text

It was another week, a way-too-long-but-way-too-fast week, when Peso declared that Barnacles could officially take the Captain role again.

Barnacles was inwardly terrified.

"Are you sure?" he asked calmly. He was in the Medical Bay. Peso was finishing up an examination.

"Absolutely! Everything's healed nicely. We don’t even need to do daily checkups anymore. I’d say you're as good as new.”

He didn't feel like it. He felt like his soul had gone dimmer, and that he was a fraction of his former self; but he nodded anyway because Peso of course did not mean it that way. 

The nights were still nightmarish, he still had to sleep in the hallway, he still felt tense, and it seemed like it was slowly and slowly getting worse.

But there was absolutely, positively, no way that he was going to bring this up. He had kept his problems away from the others before. The situation with the manatees immediately came to mind. These circumstances weren't even as bad. With the manatees, he was about to die. This was nowhere near to a life or death situation. It had been a month, and he was tired and frustrated and scared all the time. It was a month, and it felt like he was losing himself, like he was slipping away. It was a month, and he could feel his reserves draining. It was a month, and he already felt like he couldn't take it.

But he had to hold on. He couldn't see the end, but he had to hold on.

"We'll have missions starting tomorrow," Barnacles declared, a sudden spike of determination going through him. If he had to deal with this, better do it head-on. 

The day came and went, and they were soon in the Gups leaving the Octopod. Barnacles had Kwazii drive, so he wouldn't have to deal with that stressful situation again. Though he internally sighed. It shouldn't be stressful. It never was before. Why did he have to be so irrational and weak?

It was another normal outing, a check up and research mission. There was no danger nearby that needed their attention. But Barnacles was always ready. Always ready for the other shoe to drop.

They went to the coral reef- or sea mount- or whatever it was, he really didn't pay attention; and they all got out. Jumping into the water was like electricity to him, unnaturally cold, snapping him back to that dark cave and the fangs and glowing eyes that reflected off his flashlight. But though the images filled his mind, he kept his expression as neutral as possible and went ahead of everyone else, so they couldn't see his face. He tried his best to concentrate on what's around him, and though it was difficult -so difficult- he made it happen. 

"Captain, what should we do about this?" Shellington asked, bringing up some glass bottles he found on the bottom of the sea floor.

Barnacles let out a frustrated, though discreet, sigh. 

"Just do the normal protocol, Shellington. The one that we. Always. Do.”

Shellington looked at him, surprised, but he nodded and quietly swam away, picking up more trash.

When the sea otter left, Barnacles immediately felt his stomach sink. Why did he get so annoyed? He was supposed to lead them; Shellington asked a question-

-An obvious question to an obvious answer. Really, why are they always like that? Even with the manatees too. They always asked and asked and asked. Why couldn't they just think for themselves?

Barnacles was surprised at this animosity. It never aggravated him before. Sure, sometimes it was mild, but he was never angry. 

The Incident did something to him. He was changing. And he hated it.

The rest of the mission went without any more mishaps. It started. It ended. That was all there was too it.

Barnacles breathed a sigh of relief once the bathroom doors closed, back in the Octopod. He leaned against the sink, relieved and angry that he was so relieved. It was just a normal mission. Why did it have to be so complicated?

He felt like just sitting down, curl up into a ball. He scoffed. That was socially unacceptable, even if he's alone. He's a Captain, for pity's sake. He needed to step up and act like one.

But, all things considered, it was a good day.

Though it didn't feel like that at all, he looked himself in the eye in the mirror. "It was a good day," he told himself seriously, eyes angry and determined, willing it into existence just because he said so. 

He didn't believe it, but he decided to focus on it. 

This nightmare was horrendous. The others were there, too, being eaten alive, torn apart. Barnacles had woken up shaking, and he just automatically went to the bathroom. It was smaller; not so wide. It felt safer. He couldn’t even stop himself at his half-asleep state, and just automatically sat down and curled up into a ball on the floor, his back against the wall.

When he finally got to his senses, he was indignant at himself but could not bring himself to stand up. At least like this, he felt safer. It didn’t make sense, but he felt safer.

And he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

He was back in the bathroom. Of course he was; he guessed it was his sanctuary now. He just hoped nobody thought it was strange. No one probably would come to this part of the Octopod anyway; it was the closest to his room and far from anyone else's.

It was 4 in the morning. He had just woken up. Not that it really mattered; sleep was barely nonexistent.
 
He was sitting on the floor again, curled in the fetal position. He was ashamed - You stupid, worthless polar bear! - but at this point, he couldn't bring himself to get up.

In fact, he was supposed to get ready for the day.

Ten more minutes, he told himself, hugging his legs a little tighter. He had two hours before reporting to duty, anyway. He could wait a bit.

He ended up staying for fifteen minutes before he made himself get up with a grunt. 

Worthless, you stayed too long, he berated himself.

Spirits lowered, he robotically turned on the faucet and brushed his teeth. 

"Enjoy your breakfast!" Tunip called out, putting the last dish on the table. Everyone was gathered around. Tunip said it enough times over the last few years for him to understand that Vegimalnese phrase.

Barnacles looked out onto the trays and trays of food.

He felt nothing.

There was even a bowl of vanilla kelp pudding. Funny, how they seemed to make it more often.

But even looking at it, his heart sank. He didn't want it; he just wasn't hungry. The Vegimals made it for you! he yelled at himself. They'll be sad if you don't eat the dessert. The others would notice if he didn't eat anything at all.

So with almost numb, robotic movements, he brought the fork to his mouth, slowly filling his undeserving stomach with different helpings of various dishes, including the pudding. 

He still felt no hunger, nor satisfaction.  

Ten more minutes, Barnacles told himself again, putting his head on his knees. He was in the bathroom again, in the fetal position.

You're weak and stupid and not worth being a Captain and you can't even brush your own teeth and-

"I can, and I will," he gritted his teeth, muttering darkly to himself. He looked up at the counter, where the sink was. The faucet seemed to tower above him, menacingly. His heart started to pound.

Stupid! Why are you scared? It's just brushing your teeth!

"I don't know!" he whispered. He truly didn’t.

It just seemed to be getting harder, day by day. It's taking a longer time to get through his morning routine. And taking showers? It was out of the question. 

You're better than this, Barnacles! Just come on! They might notice.
 
They might. He sure hoped not, he prayed not, but they might.

His fear spiked, and he buried his head further into his legs.

This isn't how a Captain should be.

"I know," his voice cracked. "I know..." 

He was unable to brush his teeth; he only quickly used mouthwash at the last minute and changed his clothes. From then on, he didn't even do the mouthwash. It was the new normal, and he was ashamed. 

These days, he was always ashamed. 

He leaned his head back on the cool metal wall, his arms limp. He was back in the bathroom, sitting on the floor, legs sprawled out in front of him this time, needing to stay away from everyone, needing a break.

His chest was full, his eyes had pressure. He wanted to cry, but it wouldn't come out. Even if he could, he probably would have pushed the emotions down anyway.

Lunch was supposed to be soon, but he wasn't hungry. His stomach was in too many knots. 

He couldn’t even explain it. It hurts; it just hurts. Tears almost appeared, but they didn't fall. 

It still hurts.

Chapter Text

His emotions had been out of control, flaring up, as of late.

He growled. How were they supposed to know how he felt?! He hated everything at this point. Things started to irritate him when they usually wouldn't. The loud noises from the engine (when they weren't actually that loud, before. At least, they never bothered him). The crew asking him advice all the time. Why couldn't they just figure it out? 

Of course, he never revealed his anger. Of course, he stuffed them down. Why did he feel this way? It's not ok to be so angry. They hadn't done anything wrong. It was all him.

It always was.

The anger flared again, but he breathed it out.

Then he would see Peso's eyes, and shame grew within him.

Peso always looked up to him, ever since he helped the medic make that first aid presentation. He saw the innocence, the reliance and dependence on him. In Peso, he saw everyone else counting on him.

Barnacles felt like he was going to be sick.

He suddenly felt stuck. Like he wanted something else. 

He took in a sharp breath, realizing what it was.

He wanted freedom. 

But then he furrowed his brow.

With the Octopod, they could go wherever they wanted. (Again, it was with they). He could go out and travel anywhere.

He couldn't show his real emotions, though…

He couldn't show who he really was, now.

He clenched his fist. This isn't who you are, he thought. I just.... I'm just having a setback, that's all. I'll feel better. I'll feel better…

He kept telling himself that.

Codish skipped down the hall, humming a tune that the elders would sing around the campfire. He was happy, happy that the Captain was ok. That everyone was together. That the last batch of fish biscuits were cooked really well. And that Grouber hadn't eaten them all. 

Yep, all was right with the world.

He heard the music of Captain Barnacles' accordion waft in the air as he walked down the hallways. As much as Kwazii hated it, the pink Vegimal loved it when the Captain played. It was the few moments when he was really free and happy. Codish wasn't sure why the polar bear wasn't like that all the time, but he guessed he had his reasons. 

The accordion gave an out-of-tune note, but Codish ignored it. He kept going, but another Scree! went through, followed by low growling. Codish covered his inner ears that time. That was really loud!

There was more playing, a few more broken notes; but then a roar rang out, followed by a crash.

Codish stood still. What was…?

His heart quickening, he ran towards the Captain's door. Did the Captain get hurt again? Did he need to get Peso?

He skidded to a stop in front of the door, and they automatically opened. It revealed the Captain, unhurt, standing with his back partially turned towards the door. He was panting, looking down at…

Codish looked down and gasped.

The accordion- Captain Barnacles' prized accordion- was on the floor, broken into pieces.

“What…?"  Codish couldn't help but say in surprise. It came out in his native tongue, not only because it was out of reflex, but because it was easier. Out of all the Vegimals, understanding English was the hardest for him. He had the growing suspicion it was because he was dumb, but he didn't like to think about that. 

The Captain's face snapped towards him at his voice, and they both stopped. Codish could see fear in his eyes. Why?        

Codish couldn't find his voice, so he just pointed at the accordion.

"Yes, it’s broken. Sorry about that, Codish. I tripped and dropped it.” His voice sounded so normal; the Captain was so calm. 

The Captain came up to Codish and knelt in front of him. Codish backed away one step, but he didn’t know why. He wasn’t scared, but he noticed something more empty in the Captain's eyes, even though he was smiling softly.

“Could you please not tell anyone else about this, Codish?” 

What was Codish supposed to do? The Captain was giving mixed messages. Oh, how he wished he was smart! His brothers would have known how to react.

The Captain kept looking at him, that gentleness still there. If... If the Captain was truly going through something, he would have told them about this, right? Maybe he did just drop it on accident, and the roar was out of reflex. 

That must have been what happened, right?

Codish nodded, smiling a bit hesitantly. Captain Barnacles smiled back, more reassuringly, and got up, “Thanks, Codish.” 

The Vegimal chirped a response and went back to the hallway. He still had a feeling of dread in his heart, but he pushed it away. Because he was the Captain, and Codish could always trust him, right?

The dread did not go away.

His heart had practically jumped out of his skin when the automatic doors opened (he had forgot to lock them) and Codish appeared. He was trying to get used to the windows, playing the accordion to calm down. It obviously didn't work; he kept messing up with the keys, just like he kept messing up with everything else-
   
And now Codish was gone, and he was numb.

Codish saw enough. Barnacles was ruined.

It finally happened. The others were starting to notice. This was getting too big, too out of control.

He couldn't seem to stop it.

You’re not worth being a Captain.

That thought hurt, it hurt so much...

His chest was tight, sinking like a ship, sinking and choking like he would in his dreams, like he had in real life. It was like ever since then, he was always sinking. He never got to safety, not really.

You’re not worth being a Captain.

He found himself breathing quickly.

You’re not worth being a Captain.

It was like a mantra, going over and over again in his head. His whole body felt like he was on fire, pressure boiling, erupting.

You’re not worth being a Captain.

He snapped. 

I hate you! Why can't you be normal?! Why can't you be how you used to be?! You're failing everyone!

The anger and frustration surged up again. He wanted to destroy something else, anything else. The accordion wasn’t enough. He wanted-

A pain struck him out of his thoughts. He looked down at the back of his paw.

Curious, he thought, not really there. The numbness returned in an instant, almost like a whiplash. His head seemed to become full, like cotton.

If he moved the fur apart, he could see scratch marks there. Very superficial; no where near enough to bleed. But it stung. He felt relieved, the thoughts seeming to scatter away like butterflies.

This was really bad, but he forced himself not to think about it. 

The marks were a bit pink, but with the white fur covering it, it was not noticeable. 

No, you're not really thinking…

But that feeling, of almost not being there, of this morbid fascination, was still in him. Because this, this physical pain, was way better. Because anything was better than what he was going through, the turmoil in his mind, the feelings running rampant everywhere, hurting so much.  

He was at a crossroads, and he knew it. He felt horrible, with a bit of horror. Yet…

You stupid, worthless-

He pulled up his sleeve, the arm feeling warm in the air. And swiped. The arm stung; it felt even warmer from the scratches, but no blood came out, and he felt better. The thoughts stopped. But he knew it was only for a while.

The rational part of his mind knew, somehow, that his irrational part had gone to the point of no return. The scratches hurt, but it felt like a breath of fresh air. He wouldn't be able to let this go, to stop.

Ok, he thought, trying to be rational, trying not to let this go too out of hand, because in actuality, he was a bit scared. You can do this, he told himself, But I'm not going to make myself bleed.

And that was how it was, the new reality. He hated it, and cherished it, and wanted to change, but seemed like he couldn't. 

"No, no," he whispered, lightly touching his arm. 

Over the next month or so of constantly hurting himself, unexpected consequences came about. It had also spread not to just scratching arms, but to also hitting his head. He didn't do the latter as often, but it still happened. When he was alone, when he couldn't take it anymore, he would smack his head against the wall, or hit it with his paw, several times in quick succession. Sometimes his head would still hurt five to ten minutes afterwards. That would scare him. What if I went to far? Could I get a concussion with this? But then the pain would go away, and he would never in his wildest dreams talk to the medic about it. He also wondered if the other Octonauts could hear it- the bam bam coming from the metal wall, but no one came and asked about it, so he highly doubted it. 

He looked at his arm again, silently panicking.

Over this period, he also scratched his arms, and sometimes his legs, several times a day. At first, the scratches would disappear in a couple hours. But then, his skin seemed to wear down over time or something, because the scratches lasted longer and longer, for about a day and a half, now. And they would become redder quicker. 

There was one time- he didn't even know how he did it. His claw must have gotten jagged somehow, or maybe he did it in a different angle, or did it too hard, but it was deeper than ever before. One long, straight line, at a diagonal from about his elbow to his wrist. It was on the inside of the arm. It turned red, and he could tell that, if he pressed down even a little bit, it would start to bleed.

He stopped scratching for the rest of that day. He was afraid that he got scarred, because that mark wouldn't go away. One day turned to two, two turned into seven. It only faded away completely after a week and a half. During that time, he made sure to scratch on the other arm and legs, and to leave that deeper scratch alone. And from then on, he tried to be more careful.

(Though, in the back of his mind, among the fear, he also enjoyed that pain, and wondered what would happen if he did it again. What would have happened if he bled. But then he would shut himself up, because that was the wrong type of thinking. He was engaging in a destructive-enough habit as it was. He couldn't make it worse).

But sometimes, that desire did linger…

His fur also started to suffer; some was coming off. At first, not that much, but with the continuing scratching, clumps started to fall off his arms. Sometimes, in emotional turmoil, he would pull some of those hairs off, but that was not the norm. Usually, he hated seeing his arms in such a state. He was insanely glad that he always had to wear the cold suit, and that it was normal for him to wear long sleeves and pants. If he had to suddenly change his wardrobe now, to accommodate for these… changes, then the others would become suspicious. They could never find out. He was ashamed and guilt ridden as it was; he couldn't handle them knowing on top of that. He never brought himself to think about what they would do if they ever found out. It was just too painful.

He was not ok. He knew that he wasn't going to be ok; that this wasn't just going to magically change. That things weren't going to go back to the way they were. That he was now defective; that he was not what he should be, not what he used to be. But he kept trying to steer the train wreck, because what else could he do?

Chapter Text

Barnacles was in his room. It was daytime, so the windows did not scare him nearly as much. Sometimes, it still overwhelmed him; and he had to go to the hallway. Other times, like now, he would be ok. He could see danger. It was just night, when he couldn't see, that overwhelmed him every single time.

Barnacles pondered pensively as he lay on his bed. Couldn’t they think of him as not the Captain? He reached up, as if trying to get something that he had lost a long time ago. But then he let his arm fall, crashing down, onto the pillow next to his head.

When was the last time they had just called him by his name? Not "Captain Barnacles," or "Cap," but just "Barnacles." He knew they didn't mean anything offensive by it, and it was a bit flattering that they trusted him so much. But he wasn't only a leader. He wasn't perfect.

He shut his eyes.

But it felt like he had to be.

He winced as he thought of Kwazii's and Peso's voices, when they thought he believed they couldn't save the manatee. Barnacles had to always smile, be the calm one, never phased, when all he wanted now was to crawl away and fade. Yet, he couldn't really do that. He made a promise to protect others with his life, and this was the place where he was most needed. So with a deep breath, he got up. He would have to keep going.

Yet after his mental exchange, he felt even more faded than ever before. And the feeling only increased.

Lunch started.

Barnacles started to play a little game. It had to be that, because otherwise it was too horrible. The game was "sneak how little food you can eat without it being unacceptable." The goal was to get no one to notice. That was always the goal in his life, it seemed.

He found that leaving half of a plate was good, as long as he piled it in such a way that it looked like it didn't cover much of the plate. 

Even then, he still wasn't hungry. 

He sighed, shame filling him again.

He could easily eat seconds, before. But it was always before, wasn't it?

Anger flared, but he breathed it out.

Hey, at least he didn't have to worry about gaining weight.

At this point, he would take any silver lining.

He would frequently get tense during meals; maybe a line of You're stupid or You messed up on the conversation! would pass through his mind and make his muscles taught and anxiety spike. He would then discreetly put his paws underneath the table and, putting one paw a little bit under the sleeve, dig his claws into his forearm. It was only the part next to his wrist, so he didn't have to pull the sleeve back much. He did it discreetly, face as serene as could be, while he inwardly focused on the pain and try to calm down. Or punish himself for any mishaps, whichever the situation popped up first. 

He always made sure he didn't bleed. With his claws and polar bear strength, he always had to be careful with that. Later, when he was alone and could see his arm undeterred, he usually saw nothing. The marks would usually go away, hours later after they finished a mission. But sometimes- sometimes, he could still see the indents, pink and hot and unhappy. He would cover them again with the cold suit and go on his way, another brick on the pile of shame. But he never could seem to stop, and he was too tired to fight it all the time. 

He just wanted this to end.

Tunip noticed that the Captain did not eat as much as he used to.

Hey, it was his job. They had to anticipate how much food they had to prepare per meal, after all.

It had taken the yellow Vegimal by surprise. He took a good, long look at the Captain. He didn't seem different. Sure, maybe a little tired - there were bags under his eyes- but he still seemed jovial, talking warmly with the crew. 

Tunip furrowed his brow.

He's gonna have to keep an eye on that.

Chapter Text

Barnacles arrived in the kitchen through the Octochute. He felt a bit uncomfortable; his cold suit was more loose than normal. He had already tightened his belt. He mentally sighed and looked down at himself. He was always a healthy weight, before. At this point, he knew for sure that his lack of appetite was getting out of hand. But he forced himself to stay composed, smile, and keep going. No one was noticing, so it could not be that bad.

The polar bear did his rounds, walking around the kitchen and talking to the Vegimals, seeing if everything was alright. They needed some new cutting boards. He wrote that down; they'll order it as soon as possible. 

He looked across the room at Tunip, who was at the counter on a stool. The chop chop of carrots seemed to draw him to the spot, and the glint of the sharp knife kept his gaze.

He had always wanted to fade away…

It took a few moments, but he forced himself to look away. 

Later that night, Barnacles was in the kitchen, when everyone was asleep.

Barnacles looked down at the knife in the drawer. He considered it, but then briskly turned away and paced, hitting his head as he went. Stupid, don't think like that! He pulled up his sleeves and scratched his arms. With his fur, not all of the scratches were visible, but he could feel the stinging sensation.
 
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" he whispered angrily in time with the scratches. It was so tempting to scream his frustrations, but he needed to make sure no one would wake up, would hear him. He almost wished he could truly be alone, so he didn't have to keep it all in. 

Maybe then I could even make myself bleed…

With great effort, he put a stop to that train of thought. It's tempting, but he had told himself that he wouldn't go that far. He wouldn't cross that line. 

If that's the case, then why would you jump right past cutting yourself and consider suicide, you hypocrite?

His heart seized in panic at the thought of not having the chance to escape this world, of having to stay here.

I don't have the self discipline for that, he thought flatly, though he couldn't find it in him to be upset about that. This was probably a bad sign, that he was thinking about death like this; but he didn't really care. He was too worn out.
 
He looked back at the drawer. Though he felt this way, he knew it was wrong to put an end to himself. He still had it in him to resist, to fight; and he would. 

And, he thought, closing the drawer and walking out of the room, if it doesn’t get better, then I'll do it. Then I'll escape.

"I think we need to make a new safety protocol," the Captain said one morning.

"Protocol?" Dashi asked, following him into the kitchen.

"Yes," he said, and pulled out a drawer. Inside were the utensils and knives. "I was thinking about that one time,” he continued, “when marine iguanas snuck into the Octopod and stole our seaweed. They could have gotten in here and hurt themselves. I think these should be locked up, and the Vegimals should be the only ones to have the key.”

Oh yes, that happened during their second annual seaweed feast. 

"That... makes sense, Captain..." Dashi said, but something seemed off. 

One, that happened countless months ago, way before the -she internally shuddered- Bánaithe Serpent Incident.

Two, the marine iguanas hadn't even gotten close to opening that drawer. She was certain they probably weren't capable of it. Of course, if any other creatures snuck in here, then there was a big chance they would be able to open drawers. So she guessed that made sense.

Three, this would be a job of maintenance, which was what Tweak is in charge of. For some reason, the polar bear asked her, not the rabbit.

But fourth…

The Captain seemed off. She couldn't figure out exactly what, but she could feel it. Something was definitely wrong.

"I think the Vegimals shouldn't be the only ones with a key," Dashi said, still not pinpointing what it was. "You should probably have a spare key, just in case they lose it. There is a high chance they would, actually," She would have smiled fondly at that, if it wasn't for the troubling atmosphere.

"I won't need it," Captain Barnacles said, “since I’m on missions all the time. But if you or Tweak would like, then you could have spare keys. You stay in the Octopod more often.” 

Although it was logical, it was strange that he wouldn’t keep one himself. As much as Dashi was puzzling over this, she never came to the real conclusion.

"Alright, Captain. If you say so," Dashi said uneasily. "I'll get to it straight away.”

He put a paw on her shoulder, squeezed it gently, then left the kitchen.

Of course, this will be harder to escape, he thought to himself. But that was the whole point. 

When he had successfully slept for a couple hours and entered the HQ earlier that morning, it did not seem as dire as it did last night. He was not kidding himself; the desire was still there, lurking in the back of his mind whenever he wasn't distracted. But the desire was weaker, and he was able to get a hold of himself and start to think clearly, at least a little bit, to do something to prevent his own end.

With locking up the knives, at least it would be easier to resist the urge. It would be a fail safe; he would have to go through the other crew members to be able to pull it off and kill himself.

Kill himself.

He shook his head and continued on. He was taking precautions; that was all that mattered.

Chapter Text

He considered it for a couple moments, then put his paw slowly in there, softly touching the hilt of the appliance. He picked up the knife slowly, inspecting it. He was hesitating; he was unsure if he should continue. Dread started to appear in him, a foreboding that he did not have enough time. It was coming. 

Footsteps came down the hallway, and the doors slid open. Peso leaned against the doorway haphazardly, tears in his eyes and utterly broken. "We're being attacked, Captain,” he cried. His flipper, the one Barnacles had wrapped in the Arctic mission, was laying limply at his side, injured. The medic put his head against the doorway, trying to shield himself, "It was only a matter of time. We can never run away.”

And then the ship rocked. The water came, sweeping them in the current. Barnacles was lifted up from the floor, floating. He tried to scream, but the water came into his lungs. He was always drowning... always drowning.

He sat up, struggling against the blanket. He panted, looking around. He was in the hallway.

He rubbed a paw over his face, trying to calm his breathing. The nightmares were usually bad, but the hallway was supposed to prevent such big outbursts. He wasn't sure, but he thought he screamed in real life. But sleep was still over him, draping him like a smothering blanket.

He was away from the bedrooms. No one should have heard him.

Oh, how wrong he was.

He stilled when he heard automatic doors open, somewhere along the hall, around a corner. 

“Hello? Is someone there?” It was Shellington, sounding rightfully nervous.

Barnacles' heart quickened. The sea otter was supposed to be in his room! Why was he in the lab right now? 

Barnacles was so stupid. It was slow going the last few days, so he thought Shellington wouldn't have anything to research. It seemed that he was dead wrong. 

He heard footsteps. Shellington was getting closer.

What should he do? What should he do?

Shellington must have fallen asleep in the lab again, because when he was jolted awake, he was at his desk with equipment strewn about.

He listened for anymore sounds. He could've sworn he heard a scream. The voice sounded sort of familiar, but just barely in his half-asleep mind. He looked back at the desk, his paws in nervous fists, the lamp still on from before he drifted off. There weren't any ghosts in the bottom of the sea, right?

But he was being irrational, like Kwazii. (Though with everything that's happened, Shellington didn't really know anymore). If there was anything, it's probably a creature that stowed away on the ship. It had happened a few times before; and the Octonauts were always able to find them and convince them to find another home. But he never heard any of them scream like that.

He got up and cautiously went to the doors, which opened on their own accord.

"Hello? Is someone there?" he called out. 

He stilled, terrified, when he heard shuffling around the corner.

It took a moment, but he gathered his courage and went forward. He quickly turned the corner, trying to surprise the creature. There was nothing there. 

Ok, this was getting creepier. 

The sea otter continued down the halls, looking for any signs of life. After about fifteen minutes, he decided to call it a night and head to bed. He was still shaken and nervous; and he decided, I'm gonna have to tell everyone about this tomorrow.

That way, if it really is a creature, they would be able to find it.
         

Barnacles was able to slip away in time, discreetly going through a couple halls and entering the bathroom. He crouched down, keeping the lights off, trying to stay quiet. The blanket and pillow were haphazardly strewn onto the floor next to him. 

His back was against the locked door. He tried to quiet his erratic breathing, trying to not make any noise. He heard the sea otter's footsteps, and he held his breath, hoping he wouldn't come into the room. Yet, he could not lie to himself, he at the same time did want to be found.The footsteps got louder, but then they passed the doorway, getting quieter as they went by. And then everything became silent. There was no noise, nothing. No sound of the air conditioner, none of the ocean outside. Barnacles couldn't even hear his own breathing. It was only darkness in the room and pitch black in the mirror, and the pale, sickly lighting that his eyes could scarcely pick up in the room, that wasn't really light at all.

It was a silence that Barnacles only had once, when he was a child, and he woke up one night in the darkness of the Arctic and saw that he was alone, because his mother and sister were still asleep. It was dark, heavy, surrounding him and causing his throat to tighten. Because it was true loneliness, the one where there was no sound, no movement, nothing; and it caused a despair unlike anything one would normally feel.

That same despair came upon him, and a lump formed in his throat. He lowered his head, and he couldn't completely control the sob that escaped him, although he stifled it by biting his lower lip. (Why wasn't it enough? Why weren't they enough? Why wasn't he enough?) 

Because although, before, his despair was just an illusion; this time he was truly alone.

Chapter Text

Kwazii sometimes had a hard time falling asleep. 

He was usually very energetic, and so he would read a comic or a pirate tale to calm down enough to fall asleep.

With Calico's journal, reading was a nightly ritual now. It was fascinating learning about his grandfather's life, all the adventures he had with his pirate wife, Amelia, and his parrot friend, Pete. There was adventure, treasure, and as much swashbuckling as Kwazii wanted. Sometimes, when reading the journal, he would get wistful and wonder if he had made the right decision. But Kwazii knew that the Octonauts was where he belonged, and so he was glad and grateful to stay there.

In the journal, Kwazii was even able to read about his own father, how he was born and raised on the ship. Lucky, Kwazii would think. Calico's love for his son bled through the pages and ink, and the parents did everything they could for him. But it was a dangerous life, and after a few adventures as a young adult, Kwazii's father left to live on land. 

"It's his life," Calico wrote. "We'll miss him heartily, but it'll be right wrong of me to claim to have a life of freedom, but restrict it with me own son. I wish him all the best."
   
That was one of the more interesting events, and over the last few weeks Kwazii had read countless other entries, spanning a couple years in Calico's lifetime. 

As the night grew near and Kwazii was doing his night routine, he reached over to his bedside table and grabbed Calico's journal. For once, he was actually quite tired already. But I'll just read one entry, he told himself. 

Kwazii opened to the next entry. He had this thing where he never looked ahead of where he was. He kind of treated it as a novel; he didn't want any spoilers. So he was no doubt surprised when the entry date was about a year later than the previous one.

"I haven't written in this dingy old thing in a while," Calico Jack wrote in his scrawling writing. "So much has happened. I... I wasn't able to talk about it, to tell the truth. Amelia says that writing it down could help, so... I'm giving it a try.”

Kwazii furrowed his brow. Calico sounded so hesitant, so tired.

"If I have to say it, then I guess I should get it over with and start already," Calico continued.

"Amelia told me what happened…”

It had happened so fast. Amelia, Calico Jack, and Parrot Pete were having breakfast downstairs when all of a sudden, they were knocked out of their chairs. The ship jerked.

"Something's hitting us!" Calico cried.

They ran up onto the deck, but they didn't see anything. The boat rocked again; they had to hold on to the rail as they looked out. 

"There!" Amelia pointed. 

They saw the gray flesh of a snake-like creature rise and sink in the water. It sank deeper, disappearing under the waves, only to rise up again. 

"What is that?”

It lifted its head up; soulless, beady eyes stared at them. It's long, sharp teeth jutted out from its closed mouth.

Calico Jack stilled. "It's the Bánaithe Serpent," he whispered.

To see Jack like that, not whooping for adventure nor confident against the adversary, immediately made Amelia uneasy. 

The great Serpent sank into the water again. 

Pete squawked in alarm.

They never stood a chance.

Next thing Amelia knew, the ship was wrapped around by the Bánaithe Serpent, the wood cracking under its sheer strength as it constricted the vessel like a python. They tried to stab it with swords, but it didn't even flinch.
  
"We need to get to the lifeboat!"  Amelia said. "This ship is lost!”

She started to run to the side of the ship, where the lifeboat was. Calico Jack did one more swipe again the flesh of the Serpent before following. But before they could reach it, there was a final crack, and the boat and cats went under. 

Amelia wasn't sure, but she thought she heard Calico scream.

She was surrounded by black and cold, and her lungs immediately filled with water. She was disoriented, but she tried to swim her way to the light. 

Amelia's head burst out of the water. She gasped and coughed, trying to get her bearings. There were planks of wood here and there, the pieces of the wreckage. She spotted Pete flying in circles above her, a bit wet, but no worse for wear.

She scanned around herself. She couldn't see the Serpent.

Her heart clenched.

"Calico!" she cried. She kept looking around. 

He wasn't there. 

"Calico!" she cried again. She took a deep breath and went under. The salt water stung fiercely, but she kept her eyes open. It was so dark, but she could see silhouettes of the ship, the main part of the hull sinking into the deep.

Did he get caught among the sails or rope? Was he being dragged down there?

Did the Serpent get him?

She kept scanning, not wanting to get air, even though her lungs screamed, because she couldn't bear to miss Calico for a second.

There.

She saw the silhouette of her husband.

She took a quick, deep breath then submerged again, swimming with all her might towards him.

She could see it, the long form of the Bánaithe Serpent in the far reaches of the deep, curving in and out of the darkness.

Faster! she pleaded with herself. 

She came up to Calico. He was unconscious, but other than that, she couldn't see the features on his face. 

The Bánaithe Serpent was staring at them, she could tell.

She grabbed under his armpits and immediately dashed up towards the surface.

As quick as lightning, it sprung towards them, its long body going side to side as it went straight for them.

She was almost there!

Calico was pulled down, and she along with it. The movement jostled her, and a burst of air bubbles flew out of her mouth. She looked down, and her heart leapt to her throat. 

The Serpent's huge jaws were around Calico's leg, crimson blood oozing from around its jaws.

Let him go!

Taking out her sword, she struck with all her might, right at its head. It must have been a weak spot, because it reacted, writhing away. It left a deep gash on its forehead. It slithered down into the deep again.

They broke into the surface. Amelia wasted no time, though, and searched the area again.

Did that scare it off? It was quite a deep cut. Was it coming back?

She looked down at Calico and screamed.

Calico Jack's left leg was gone. Bitten clean off. Blood pooled out where it should have been.

Blood also dripped from her husband's left eye. She looked closer, and she almost threw up.

During the wreck, when they all fell, some splintered wood must have gone into his eye. A big chunk was lodged in there.

She looked away, gagging again, but then cooled her breathing.

Pete squawked in despair, seeing the pair.

"Calico needs help!" she cried to him. "Find someone, a boat or land nearby. Please! He doesn't have much time.”

He was losing so much blood. 

Pete nodded and flew off, leaving her alone with her charge. 

She had to do something. If not, he would die way before help arrived. 

Getting tired, but still mustering her strength, she dragged him towards a large slab of floating wood. She made sure his face was above the water as she went to their small sanctuary.

Finally, she reached it and dragged him onto the wood. It was just enough room for him to lay on it. She held on to the edge of the wood, inspecting the damage more.

With her sharp teeth, she ripped off strips of cloth from her sleeves. She would need to make a tourniquet. That was her top priority. 

She started fastening the tourniquet, and it must have hurt something fierce, because all of a sudden, Calico screamed.

He snapped awake and struggled. Amelia held on to him.

"Let go of me!”

"Calico, it's me, Amelia!”

He seemed to be a bit more lucid, staying still, taking short, jagged breaths. He winced. He reached towards his eye, but Amelia grabbed his arm.

"Don't touch your face, Jack.”

He seemed a bit calmer and put his arm back down, so she moved back to finishing the tourniquet. He still screamed occasionally, and she would apologize profusely. She tried to keep her tears back.

"What... What happened to me leg!?" 

He was looking down at it, one eye wide and disbelieving. She couldn't stop them; her tears finally fell.

He gave a wild cry that resounded and echoed throughout the sky, one that she never heard before, and knew would never forget. 

Her face crumpled, and she held on to him tightly. But she didn't give in to despair. As he gripped her tightly back, processing what just happened, she vowed that she would be strong for the both of them. For Calico's sake. 

Chapter Text

"Pete was able to find a nearby ship, and we soon received help," Calico wrote. Kwazii continued reading on, eyes scanning from line to line, word to word. Completely numb. "They immediately took me to the hospital. The captain of that ship radioed the Coast Guard, and they actually had a helicopter come out and take me to the emergency room. Throughout it all, Amelia stayed by my side, a pillar through all of this.

“...It was difficult, to put it lightly. I had to get used to walking again, using a wooden peg leg. It would hurt like crazy; still does, sometimes. I also have to wear an eye patch. Though I guess it makes me look more like a pirate, so that's something good, at least. Amelia says I should try to find the good things in life, so I'm trying. It's quite hard, though.

“‘Bánaithe’ means 'Desolate,' and the Bánaithe Serpent definitely holds up to its name. I don't know how to describe it, but it does something to you. I don't know how true it is, but it seems to me that it takes the biggest part of you as it's own, leaving you empty and with want. I have seen a pirate who was once known as the smartest pirate in the seven seas, but now sits near a building in a port, shouting and muttering like a lunatic. I've met another, who used to be strong, so strong that he could lift five tables with one paw. Now, he's been paralyzed and will never be able to lift anything again. And as for me, it took away my love of adventure, and love of life itself.

“And it's not like the Serpent literally takes it away." His handwriting was more scrawled, as if he was hurrying, as if he was trying to take this off his chest as fast as he could. Because he may not have the courage to write it again.

"My own actions and weaknesses brought this on myself. For me, it was gradual. I couldn't shake off the Serpent from my mind. I couldn't look forward to another adventure. After a while, the color seemed to be sucked out of everything.

“The attack had got me thinking about my life, in ways worse than I wanted.

What was the point of it all, when eventually I'll die? What was the point, when I'll be forgotten? I'm just a cat on a boat in an empty sea. What legacy am I leaving behind? I'm not even making a difference. I'm well known, sure; but only as the eccentric pirate, the one who's different. I know that there are tales out there that make me seem dumb, and strange, and inexperienced. It's all because I'm not like them, I’m not willing to cross the line.

“But I'm not making a difference either. I'm just looking for treasure; that doesn’t mean anything. But the worst part is that it’s the biggest thing that makes me feel alive. I can't do anything else, because if I stop being a pirate, my life would then become a straight line, gray.

“And, I'm ashamed to write, my thoughts from then on turned darker.

‘Wouldn't it be better that I get death over with? That's the only thing that is sure in this life, and nothing even matters anyway.’

"Sadly to say, I... had begun considering to end my life.”

Kwazii dropped the book. It fell on his legs, kept perfectly open, taunting him.

"Calico Jack, me own Granddad, wanted to end his life?" he couldn't help but whisper in shock. Kwazii wiped his face with a paw, keeping back the wetness that tried to escape. He knew it was alright now, that Calico didn't do it; but it was still a stab in the gut. He had not known this side of him at all; but then again, he was always a child when Calico Jack visited, and the adventure in the Amazon River didn't allow Calico to tell him anything about it. And why would Kwazii need to know?

But now it was staring at him in the face, and he didn't know how to handle it. The one he had looked up to for so long wasn't perfect, but Kwazii was old enough to understand that. But he couldn't shake off that feeling of grief forming in his chest. Imagine what Calico experienced, the feelings he had, the thoughts that ran amuck in his Granddad's head... Kwazii’s paws curled into fists when his thoughts turned to the Serpent.

That monster! he thought, How dare he turn the most life-loving, adventure-seeking, swashbuckling cat in the whole world into this? I'm glad this beast is not around anymore to hurt anyone else. The Captain was attacked, but he didn't seem to be any different. The curse of the Bánaithe Serpent hadn't fallen on him, thank goodness.

He picked up the book and continued reading. He couldn't go to bed now. He had to know how it ended, how Calico was able to keep himself from falling over the brink…

Calico looked out over the water, his paw touching the ship's rail. The night was still. There was no wind at all, yet small waves gently lapped against the boat. The moon illuminated everything, making it easy for him to see what he was doing. 

The rope was tied around his waist. The box of cargo was tied as well. It wouldn't take long; the box was heavy enough to drag him down like a drop. 

He lifted the box with a grunt and set it on the railing. It stayed there, balanced on the wide-enough support. He then lifted himself up, holding on to one of the ropes that was attached to the sail.

The view really was beautiful, especially covered in the pearly whiteness of the full moon. He let out a deep breath and was about to finish the job before he heard a voice.

"Calico?" 

The voice was only too familiar. Of course it was; it was the only other voice on this quiet ship in this lonely sea. He sighed, his shoulders drooping. He didn't want her to be here.

He turned to see his pirate wife, standing stock still on the deck. The moon accented her silhouette, but shadows covered her face.

"What are you doing?" she shrieked.

She pulled him down unceremoniously, making him stumble, before putting both paws on his arms. He could see her face now, this passionate face that he always loved, now scrunched up in fury and pain. He couldn't handle it. He looked away.

"What are you planning? Were you going to jump?! Calico, why would you do this?”

He kept looking away. She shook him, but he only limply moved.
 
"Answer me!”

He didn’t.

He was glad his boy wasn't here, that he had grown up and moved out of the ship. Imagine if he would have heard this, their parents fighting, the yelling. What would he think of him?

"You've been different recently," Amelia didn't let up, but her voice was quieter. "Ever since that Serpent attacked.”

"How could I be the same?" he finally answered softly, numbly. His eye socket burned. He directed at his leg.

Amelia closed her eyes, tightened her grip on his shoulders for a second. She was in pain. He hated it.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Calico, don't worry about me. If you're feeling this bad, and you are, then talk to me.” She was so earnest. Her voice choked; her eyes pricked. "I don't want to lose you…"

He brought her to his arms. She hugged tightly back, trying to compose herself but failing. He hated seeing her like this; he hated being so down. But he needed to go. It was like a fact in the universe, as plain as that moon over the horizon.

But he didn't want to hurt her. So he did as she asked and talked to her, finally expressing his listlessness, his fear, how his more friendly pirate way of life kept him an outsider. Outside of common life and normal creatures because he's a pirate; ostracized from pirates because he wouldn’t hurt anyone. What he did didn't even matter, and he was filled with pain. Nothing mattered.

"You do matter," Amelia said. At this point, they were in the hull, sitting at the kitchen table. She had taken that blasted rope off of him. "You changed my life; I wouldn't be where I am today without you. I was just a cat who tried to follow her dream, have a life of adventure. But without crossing the line. And you made that possible. Right when those murderous pirates were gonna do me in. Remember, Calico?”

He did remember. The memories came back to him, flooding his mind with how they first met at the port, when they shared their hopes and dreams, when they went on their first expedition.

"And we found Pete, who's with us now and is enjoying life too. And we have our son, who has his own wife now. And we're going to be grandparents.”

Yes, Calico's daughter-in-law was expecting. "We've changed their lives. You changed our lives. That's gotta count for something.”

He wasn't really convinced; it must have shown on his face.

"Think of your grandson that is going to be born,’"she said. “He would love to meet his Granddad!' 

His heart softened a little. "I... I'm being honest, Amelia. I don't know if I can even last that long.”

Amelia swallowed, but then her eyes were filled with determination. "Try for that long. If you still want to die by the time he's born… then I'll let you do it." Her eyes teared up, but they were still resolute.

She was playing a gamble; they both knew it. But he was one to play high stakes, and he couldn't say no to those teary eyes, so he agreed.

It was excruciating. Amelia didn't tell anyone else about Calico's plight, even to their relatives; and Calico never brought it up. He constantly thought about death, felt the pull of the waters calling to him. But he kept his word, and he trudged on. Eventually, as the weeks and months went by, the pull went softer. It became bearable.

And when he saw his grandchild, it was like a moth to light.

"I focused on him, when he was born." Calico wrote. "He was so small! Barely with any fur, which is normal for kittens. Yet some of his orange coat was already growing in. I remember visiting him when he came into the world. His paw was so small that it could wrap around my finger. It was precious, seeing the new life in that hospital. My own son and his wife were beaming. In all three of their young faces I was reminded of the fun and good things in life, and was reminded of how easy it was to be taken away. And in that moment I decided to live, to live for my grandson, for Kwazii, and to protect in him that enthusiasm and life that I had once forgotten.”

While later on, I decided to live for you, Kwazii thought among his tears. He couldn't keep them back anymore, and they silently slid down his face.

"It's still hard," Calico wrote. "But I'm feeling more and more like myself each day. I have things to live for, and I can feel joy in life again. But I know that I wouldn't be here today without Amelia finding and helping me. If it had even been a half hour later... I can't even think about it.

I owe Amelia everything, and I love her so much." 

Chapter Text

It was the next day, and Barnacles was at the end of his rope.

He was playing another game: fantasize how many ways and manners in which he could die. He imagined with a knife, drowning himself, hanging. It was gruesome, but he was too tired to fight off the thoughts. He just didn't want to be here anymore.

"How 'bout a round of ping pong?" Kwazii asked him. The cat needled, "Bet I'll beat ya this time!”

Ping pong was the last thing on Barnacle's list. Truthfully, he'd rather much be alone. But that wasn't normal. The normal him would be out and about. He had to fix himself. If he acted normally, he should start getting back on his feet, right?

He had already spent enough time in his sanctuary as it was. He had already scratched himself countless times this morning. The sting still lingered on his arms, a mess underneath his fur and sleeves.

But it wasn’t enough.

He took an inconspicuous breath, trying not to think about it. He focused on the game. At least, as much as he could.

Kwazii started, whooping a loud yell. That made Barnacles quirk a small smile, but it didn't overcome him. He hit back, and on they went. The volley was short, though. The ball whizzed past Barnacles as he stilled for a moment. 

The windows were staring at him. They didn’t move, but they somehow seemed to get bigger. Looming. Overwhelming.

His chest became tight. 

He served, focusing on the ball. As it flew to the other side, his eyes lingered on Kwazii's look of pure delight-

He saw eyes of pure darkness, eyes that accompanied a large mouth, coming towards him-

The ball sailed past him again. 

"C'mon, Captain, you can do better than that!" Kwazii laughed. It shouldn't have, but that stung him.  

"I'm just getting warmed up," Barnacles jested. He made sure it sounded genuine. 

He hit again. And again. And again.  

He kept missing.

His heart sunk. 

Kwazii changed from a smile, to a confused expression, to one Barnacles didn't understand. 

Barnacles hit it again. It sailed, went over the net-

And completely went past Kwazii. The cat's arms hung limply at his sides. There was silence, except for the sound of the ball rolling, rolling, then stop. (Thank goodness there was noise, the noise of the cat's breathing. It was close, but it wasn't that overwhelming quiet.) 

Kwazii looked at him, really looked at him. Barnacles eyes started to sting, but he forced himself to keep it in. He was not going to cry in front of anyone. 

He'd rather die. 

"Captain, why are you holding back?" Kwazii said quietly, in a way that was clear there was a double meaning. 

Barnacles was about to speak, but the stupid lump in his throat prevented him from saying anything.

Barnacles was sure that the events of last night did something to him, broke some dam. That unnatural loneliness had corrupted him more. Now he was at a deeper level, deeper in this brokenness.

His mind screamed in frustration.

He didn't know how to fix this!

"What's wrong?" Kwazii pressed. He rounded the corner of the table but stopped when Barnacles took a step back. 

Get away. Get away. Get away.

"You've been acting weird today. Ya haven't been yourself.”

Getawaygetawaygetawaygetawaygetaway…

"What is going-“

"Get away!" It roared from his lips, this feral cry. Kwazii stopped short, completely shocked.

He had to get out of here.

Without looking back, he ran as fast as he could to the Octochute. Down the tubes, through the Launch Bay, in the Gup, out the door.

Getawaygetawaygetawaygetawaygetaway—

Next thing Barnacles knew, he was out in the open ocean in the Gup A, several miles away from the Octopod. 

His paws loosened from the controls, horrified.

What had he done?!

He lost control. He always loses control! He grabbed his head, not caring that his claws dug into flesh. He barely registered when blood dripped from his head onto the dashboard.

What’s he to do now? They'll know he left. Not only did Kwazii see him go, they would be able to track the Gup A down. Should he swim out of the Gup? Should he go to land, just give up and leave the Octonauts? 

No, he made a promise to protect others with his life. This was where he's needed the most. He couldn't back out. That wasn't how he was raised. That wasn't how he was supposed to live. And he knew, if he did leave, he wouldn't be able to handle the guilt for the rest of his life.

...But... If he didn't live anymore...      

He felt weak in the knees. He leaned against the dashboard. The Gup had been parked a few feet above the ocean floor. 

If he didn't live anymore, he wouldn't feel this, the pain sadness regret fear he would be free from all of this he doesn't have to deal with expectations-

"Get a hold of yourself!" Now he was on his knees, eyes unfocused. First the emotional breakdown last night, now this. This was happening more frequently. 

...Was this insanity?

He didn't know.

"Dashi to Captain Barnacles," the radio sprang to life.

"Stop calling me that!" he cried. A part of his mind wondered where the other half had gone.

The radio link wasn't opened; she couldn't hear the last slip up, the last mistake.

"Dashi to Captain Barnacles. Please, answer me-“

The radio cut off with a crackle and spark. Barnacles pulled his paw back, palm filled with wires. Another gouge. The tracking device was destroyed as well.

He was alone, finally alone. He sank down to the floor again. 

What should he do now?

Kwazii was livid.

"If we don't get the Captain back soon, I swear that I’ll-"

"I'm working on it!" Dashi snapped. Everyone huddled around her in the HQ. After the Captain left, Kwazii's cries stirred up the entire Octopod. Everyone came to him in a hurry, but the only thing he could tell them was that Captain Barnacles left. 

"I don't know what happened. We were just playing ping pong, and he wasn't doing as well as before. Then he's yelling at me to leave him alone and ran off.”

Dashi pressed a couple buttons. On the map appeared the Gup A. "I have a visual on him," she said. "He's a few miles away.”

She pressed a button. "Dashi to Captain Barnacles." She waited a few moments. Nothing. Her anxiety spiked.

"Dashi to Captain Barnacles. Please, answer me-“

Everything erupted in static. A second later, the Gup A disappeared from the map.

Dashi frantically pressed buttons. It was all in vain.

"I lost visual on him!”

"Did he just..." Peso stepped forward. He was in total disbelief. Dashi couldn't blame him.

"Could something have happened to him?" Shellington asked.

"No, it doesn't look like it." Coming from the engineer, that was as good as fact. "I think..." Tweak paused, then swallowed. "I think he doesn't want to be found.”

The Vegimals huddled together, talking to each other quietly in distress.

"But why!?" Kwazii cried. "Did I do something wrong? Is something bothering him?”

Tunip saw Codish wring his flippers and look away. The pink Vegimal opened his mouth, then shut it. 

"Codish, do you know anything about this?” Tunip asked in Vegimalnese.

Codish stilled, tense. All of his brothers’ eyes were on him. He felt so confused.

"I'm... not supposed to tell anyone…"

Shellington overheard and looked over, furrowing his brows. 

Tunip asked, "Tell anyone what?”

"What is he saying?" Kwazii demanded. Codish flinched. 

"Hold on,” Tweak raised a paw to shush him. 

Shellington got closer to the pink Vegimal. "Please," he said softly, "Tell us all you know. It could help him.”

That seemed to do the trick, because after a few more moments of uncertainty, Codish took a deep breath. He then spoke a long dialogue, and Shellington translated. Shellington condensed everything, sharing the most important parts.

"Codish says that he was hearing him practice his music, and the Captain roared. When Codish looked into the room, the accordion was broken.”

"I thought he had thrown it," Codish said. "That he was angry because of his lessons. But he said he just dropped it, that it was an accident, and not to tell anybody.” He looked down. "I know I'm stupid and don't understand things, so of course I believed him.”

"You're not stupid," Grouber cut in, putting a flipper on his back.
       
"But I had a bad feeling,” Codish continued. “He seemed strange, different.”

"He wasn't eating as much as he used to," Tunip added. "But he was acting normally, so I didn't think much about it. I kept an eye on it, though.”

Shellington translated, then said, "Last night, I heard a scream and shuffling, but didn't find anything. I thought it was a creature that stowed away on the ship but…" His brow furrowed, as if he didn't know what to think "... could that have been the Captain? The voice had sounded familiar…”

"I also noticed that his behavior was off," Dashi added. ”Recently, he wanted the knives in the kitchen to be locked up-“

"What?" Kwazii suddenly felt cold.

His fear must have seemed like anger, because Dashi took on a defensive tone, "He said he was afraid that outsiders could come in and accidentally hurt themselves.”

"That's not an unreasonable concern," Peso said, wringing his flippers. 

"Yes, but it was his demeanor, his eyes..." Dashi said. "Besides, it’s been so long since anyone had snuck in here; it rarely happens. The timing of it all seemed off." 

Kwazii got a sinking feeling, a dawning realization that what had happened to Calico could very well happen again. That history would repeat itself, and that the curse of the Bánaithe Serpent would continue on in the Captain. 

They were running out of time.

He headed to the Octochute.    

“Where are you going?" Tweak asked, surprised.

"I'm going after him." 

Kwazii entered the Gup with all senses on high alert. Thankfully, the Gup hadn’t moved an inch from where he had seen it on the map. Kwazii blinked, then suddenly felt nauseous. The Captain sat in a fetal position, head against his knees. There was blood on his head, dripping down onto the ground. Kwazii could see it on the dashboard too. He was about to run to him when the Captain peeked up at him with one eye.
 
"Please, go away.”

He then put his face back down, acting like he wasn't bleeding everywhere. Kwazii stood still, feeling completely at a loss again. This situation was the most delicate that he ever had to navigate through. He wasn't good with emotions. But, he couldn't just leave him there. Calico's journal came to mind. 

"I'm not going anywhere, Captain," Kwazii said. For some reason, the polar bear curled even more into himself. "If ya don't want to talk, that's fine. I'll just be here." He glanced at the blood between the fur on the Captain's head. It honestly scared him. "Just making sure nothing happens." With that, he took a seat himself, sitting against the wall furthest from the polar bear. 

There was silence for several minutes. The Captain didn't move from his position, only occasionally tightening his arms or rubbing his face against his knees agitatedly, as if he was restless. Kwazii had never seen him like this before, and it made his blood turn cold. But he was staying there no matter what. 

Kwazii had no idea what went through the Captain’s mind, if the polar bear forgot Kwazii was even in the room, but the pirate leapt forward even before he could comprehend what was happening.

"Woah, woah! Stop!"

A couple orange paws grabbed his arm before it could land another blow. If Kwazii was scared before, he was terrified now.

Captain Barnacles immediately stopped moving his arm.

"Why are you hurting yourself?" Kwazii's voice was an octave higher. With blood still on him, he was hitting his head. It was the most messed-up thing Kwazii had ever seen. And the Captain was doing it.

There were a few tense moments, but Captain Barnacles didn’t answer. Kwazii lowered the polar bear's arm. "We need to go back," Kwazii muttered, making his way to pushing his radio collar.

Now it was the Captain’s turn to hold onto the cat. "No, don't do that! They'll kick me out of the Octonauts!" 

"And that's better than you going off the deep end!" Kwazii said. He stood up and pressed on his radio collar. This needed to be dealt with now.

Barnacles was limp, letting him go without a fight, gazing dully as the cat paced on his call, asking for reinforcements.

They all know. A sinking feeling landed in his stomach, keeping him from moving. He had failed. There was no use fighting anymore.

He got his answer.

He needed to die.

Chapter Text

It seemed like Kwazii somewhat heeded his pleas, because only one Octonaut came. When Peso saw the polar bear's head, he went straight to work. Kwazii never left Barnacles' side.

"Do you have any other wounds?" Peso clipped.

He is disappointed, Barnacles thought, noticing the tone. The penguin's face was unreadable. Barnacles tried to answer.

"My.. hihm..”

He couldn't talk.

Barnacles’ anxiety spiked through the roof. His head was foggy. He tried again.

“Aa…di…”

Just sputtering happened. Unnatural sounds, like he was choking on his own words, though he could breathe just fine. He looked slightly to the right, off-kilter, eyesight going in and out of focus. He couldn’t even maintain eye contact.

Why couldn't he talk!? 

He rocked back and forth, back and forth. He didn’t have any control anymore.

They still looked at him.

He was crazy. If he wasn't sure before, he knew for sure now.

But before he could get deeper in the fear, an orange paw went on his shoulder. "I got you," Kwazii said. The contact was welcome, and he shakily nodded his head in acknowledgement. 

There was a moment, and a flipper waved in front of his face. "Captain," the medic's voice appeared. He sounded like he had been saying it repeatedly before. Barnacles looked at Peso's face - his eyes. 

"I'm going to have to check for more wounds," Peso said as clearly as possible. Barnacles shook his head frantically, but Peso went ahead anyway.

The polar bear's behavior stupefied Peso. Did his head wounds cause this? But when the medic looked at them and bandaged them, they were just shallow. Yes, they bled a lot, but that was the nature of head wounds. Captain Barnacles did not have a concussion or anything.

But he wasn't concentrating, the speaking was bizarre, and he just seemed so high strung and tense. Peso furrowed his brows. Was this some sort of anxiety or mental thing?

He would have to talk to Dr. Galen about this, because if that was the case, this would be out of Peso's depth. 

Careful not to overheat the Captain, he pulled one sleeve up.

Peso blanched.

His fur... A lot of it was gone. And there were scratches everywhere. 

Without speaking- because he did not know what to say- he went from limb to limb. There were scratches on both arms and legs. There were even some on his stomach, though it was very little, with most of the fur still there.

Captain Barnacles looked away the whole time.

"Did... Did you do this to yourself?" Peso asked.

Captain Barnacles didn't answer, and Peso just saw emptiness in his eyes. 

He waved his flipper in front of the polar bear's face again when the Captain said quietly, "I can see you.”

The change in speech was confusing, but Peso took what he could get.

The fogginess in Barnacles' head thankfully started to dissipate, and his stomach was in knots, but that was also going away. He was numb, just numb. Good, maybe he will be able to function properly now.

Everything was found out anyway, so it didn't matter. When he's alone, he'll just kill himself then and there. Someway, somehow. He slowly looked at the hatch that led to the ocean outside. He should probably relive his nightmare of drowning, just one more time, and finally be quiet. 

Another flipper went in front of his face, and he roused his concentration, looking at Peso again, eyes half lidded.

"We're going to take you back to the Octopod," Peso said clearly, and Kwazii helped him up.

The ride back was quiet, not that Barnacles minded. It's going to be ok. He'd just kill himself. This was just a setback. He won't have to deal with this anymore, deal with their disappointment anymore.

He laughed for several moments, uncontrollably. It wasn’t like his normal laughter, open and free. It was unnatural; quieter, distorted. He could feel it rumbling deep in his chest. Acting on it’s own, without his control. It felt uncomfortable, almost like his chest was about to hurt. After a while, he forced himself to quiet down.

If they stared, he didn't care anymore. He was going to fix this. 

Kwazii looked back as discreetly as he could. Captain Barnacles was sitting against the wall in the Gup in a loose fetal position, face against the wall, blankly staring out the window that was on the other side of the room. He laughed to himself again, smiling slightly, then became blank once more. It was like he was comatose or something. Kwazii had no idea what this was, but the self-inflicted scratches and Calico's tale came to mind, and he internally winced, heart troubled. He couldn't take this anymore.

He turned towards the Captain. The movement got the polar bear's attention, and he shifted his dead gaze over to the cat. Peso was driving this whole time, but he heard the oncoming exchange. 

"No matter what happens, I'll be there," Kwazii said. "If you need anything, I'll get it. I'm on your side, ok? We'll get through this," he said, eyes vulnerable and sincere. He turned back to the windshield. "We'll get through this.”

Kwazii had no idea how Barnacles reacted, but the polar bear's eyes were a bit more alive for a moment, before becoming numb again. No matter what he was feeling, he was glad that Kwazii was here.

That warmth grew when Kwazii turned to Peso when they were close to the Octopod. "The Captain doesn't want the others to see him like this," Kwazii said. "He mentioned it earlier.”

"Ok," Peso nodded.

If this was to happen, Barnacles was glad that at least everyone wouldn't be physically there. If their situations were reversed, Barnacles would've done the same thing.

He laughed again.

Kwazii would be, and already was, a great Captain. The Octonauts will be in good paws once he's gone.

Kwazii talked into the radio, and when they docked in the Launch Bay, it was purposefully empty when they left the Gup and walked through the large room. While they traveled to the Medical Bay, Barnacles noticed that Kwazii was nearby him, probably ready to grab him at any time. He didn't need to worry; he wasn't going to run away. He'll just bide his time.

"You two stay here, please. I'll be right back," Peso said, leaving the Medical Bay. Barnacles vaguely wondered where he was going, but he didn't care too much. He'll probably find out soon enough.         

Under Peso's orders, he and Kwazii stayed in the Medical Bay overnight. Peso had apparently contacted his prior boss and mentor, Dr. Galen, for assistance; and the older penguin would speak to Barnacles in the morning. Barnacles felt like a school boy about to go to the principal’s office, but he didn't mind too much. He just needed to be alone; just needed to find the right window of opportunity. Then he'll be free.

But Kwazii was a sly one, and throughout the night was awake. Barnacles would pretend to be asleep and peak out from underneath a medical blanket. Kwazii would still be up, sitting in his own bed with an old book on his paws. By the time it was 2am, Kwazii was still going strong, and Barnacles was so annoyed that he thought Forget it and actually fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Upon waking up, his soul was calm from being unconscious. His dreams were about nothing; a wonderful, rare respite.

But then he opened his eyes, and he remembered everything. Like that, the calmness was blanketed with dread, and it filled his chest to the brim. Barnacles put his face against the pillow and shut his eyes tightly. He couldn’t believe this was reality, that he still had to deal with this.

But at least that laughter-thing seemed to have disappeared, and he was a bit more present than yesterday. And so with the help and encouragement of Kwazii, who was at the bed next to him, he was able to get up.

Today was the meeting. Barnacles first had to fill out a questionnaire about how he was feeling, how his sleep was, if he had thoughts of suicide, etc. 

What should I do? he thought, staring at the intimidating questions. Thankfully, the others had the decency to not look over his shoulder.

If he answered truthfully, he could get into even more trouble. He would disappoint the others even more, or worse, get kicked out of the Octonauts. If he lied too much, though, they would see right through it. 

He didn't want to lie, though. That's not what a Captain does.

But then, he wasn't a true Captain anymore, was he?

Even though he felt guilty, he opted to lie. Whatever was obvious- like "Do you hurt yourself?"- he would answer truthfully. He only answered what the other Octonauts knew. He lied about how little he ate. He lied about wanting to commit suicide. He lied about being angry. He lied about his sleeping habits. He lied, and he felt dirty. But it won't matter, he told himself. It would all go away soon.

A while later, he was in front of a laptop in the Medical Bay. Peso did not want him to leave the room. Barnacles asked for privacy while he talked to Dr. Galen, and thankfully, it was granted.

"I'll be right outside this door," Kwazii said right when the doors closed, probably trying to be reassuring, but that just lowered his spirits. The video call would happen any minute. Barnacles looked around, finally alone. 

He stood up; stretched his legs. He had to think fast. Kwazii was outside. There were no other exits. Maybe he should go through the vent? His eyes landed on the water tank, meant to hold Peso's large patients. 

That was his escape.

If he tied something heavy enough to himself, he would sink and drown. Hopefully they won't find him immediately.

He was looking for heavy items when the laptop started ringing. He whipped his head at the screen and stared at it, a box in his paws.

What should he do? If he didn't answer, Dr. Galen would be concerned and contact Peso somehow. No, he couldn't blow his cover.

Putting down the box gently, he sat back down and answered.

"Hello?" Barnacles said. He put his paw away from the screen as he saw the penguin's face.

"Good morning,” the doctor replied. "I'm Doctor Galen. Are you Captain Barnacles?”

"Yes," the polar bear replied. "But please, Barnacles is fine.”

"Alright then," Galen replied. Barnacles had some bandages around his head. The polar bear seemed a bit tense, nervous. All understandable, though.

"Peso... Peso probably told you everything that happened." Barnacles didn't look directly at him, and he tugged at his sleeve.

"He told me everything that he saw," Galen replied. He leaned a bit closer to the computer. He wanted to steeple his flippers together, but he wasn't sure if that would accidentally intimidate the Octonaut. "But I would very much like to hear everything directly from you, from your perspective.”

"I was... I was just having a bad day. I needed to think." Barnacles said. "It won't happen again.”

He thought of the tank on the other side of the room.

He would make sure of it.      

"Is that so?" the penguin asked. Galen took out a small packet of paper that he printed half an hour ago.

"I see you haven't been honest with the questionnaire, Barnacles," Dr. Galen said.

Barnacles’ blood turned cold. "What do you mean?" he asked serenely.

"In the questions, it said that you have not changed your eating habits," Dr, Galen said, ruffling through the papers. But then he looked up right at him. "However, according to the Vegimal, Tunip, you have been eating less in the past few months.”

Barnacles could not keep a straight face. Dr. Galen could see it; the fear in his eyes.

"Also, according to Shellington, he noted that you were most likely not sleeping well, because he believes he heard you in the hallways late at night. Also, Codish mentioned that you were so angry once that you wrecked your own accordion. Now, I don't know about you, but that is the opposite of not being angry all the time.”

"You- You talked to everyone?”

Barnacles was floored at how much they were noticing. Did they know all along? Did they know he was hurting himself?

Why didn't they say anything?!

"Yes. This usually does not happen with the intake process. In fact, it is usually very private. But with the incident of running away yesterday, everyone basically begged me to hear them. They all know that something is going on.”

Barnacles stayed silent.

"Now, in light of all this, I do not truly know where you are on certain issues," Dr, Galen said. He did a nonchalant shrug. Barnacles could tell it was coordinated. "How can I know you are not suicidal right now? Many of the other points of the test are false; how can I know you are telling the truth in that area?”

Barnacles lowered his head. This is what you get for lying, stupid, he thought. But what was he supposed to do? He would've gotten in trouble. 

But, he started to realize, if they didn't trust him anymore, his only chance of talking his way out of this was void. He had just dug his own grave.

"Tell me the truth, Barnacles," Dr. Galen said gently. He leaned forward on the desk across the screen. "Tell me what's been going on.”

Barnacles shifted uncomfortably, feeling the pressure. What if he shared everything? The others might already know, anyway. Could... Could the doctor actually help him? Could he ever get better? 

No, death was the only way. It was too late for him.

But... he didn't want to die. 

It seemed like a surprise, but he could feel it. His instinct, his desire for self preservation. His desire to live, to feel like he used to, confident and content and happy. 

He looked up at Dr. Galen on the screen, considering. 

He took a deep breath.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

"It... It started with a mission a few months ago," Barnacles said, looking down and nervously clutching the fabric of his pant legs. "We went to a cave, and I was attacked..."

Chapter Text

Dr. Galen sighed and leaned back in his office chair. He had just finished the virtual meeting with Barnacles. While he was glad the Captain eventually became honest with him, he knew that this was going to be tough.

It was clear from his admission that he was suicidal. Even if he continued to lie, Dr. Galen had a feeling he would have figured it out pretty quickly. Galen couldn't diagnose it in one sitting, but it definitely looked like he had some form of PTSD and either anxiety or depression. They all could be linked anyway, but more tests would be needed. More questions needed to be answered for him to pinpoint the symptoms.
 
But the most pressing thing was that he was suicidal, not just with passing thoughts, but with an actual plan. The dog’s, Dashi’s, comment about locking up the knives was concerning. Could it be that he was trying to stop himself? But Barnacles admitted he was at the end of his rope, and he didn't know what to do anymore. That he felt like dying all the time.

Dr. Galen sighed again.

What to do? What to do? 

This was a big decision, capable of changing the polar bear's life; and Galen had to take it with great consideration.

If he just hurt himself, then he didn't need to be taken away. Self harm did not automatically make someone susceptible to being hospitalized. But it was his other behavior. The polar bear tried to hide it, but it was clear that he had a plan to conduct his suicide. And true, he himself was taking steps to stop it, but with his recent lack of impulse control, that could very quickly backfire. In fact, it was like he was a ticking bomb, ready to go off at any moment. It could be a week, years, months, or tomorrow. But with what Galen could see, it would probably happen very soon.

This was a dangerous situation. He frankly didn't know how Captain Barnacles would react. He definitely needed psychiatric care; he was a danger to himself, but thankfully not to anyone else. It may not be long before the polar bear did something drastic.

Captain Barnacles needed to go to the hospital.

The Octopod was thousands of miles away. They couldn't come to Galen in time.

But they had to do something.

Dr. Galen had an idea.

"Barnacles, thank you for attending this meeting," Dr. Galen said through the screen later that day.

"Thank you for having us," Barnacles said. He kept a smile on his face, his paws tight around each other on the table. Peso sat nearby the polar bear. He was there because he was the medic. Kwazii was there because Barnacles had asked him to; he felt safer with him there, even though he would never admit it. As for everyone else, Barnacles wanted them to be as far away as possible. He couldn't handle them listening in. 

Barnacles couldn't put his finger on it, but something was off. And that kept him even more on guard.

"I'll go straight to the point," Dr. Galen said. "After the intake and much consideration, it is clear that Captain Barnacles will need immediate psychiatric care. He should go to the nearest hospital and be put in a 72-hour emergency hold."

It's actually happening. Barnacles smiled thinly, because that was the only thing he could do in this horror. Because he knew this was a possibility, that something terrible would happen as an inevitable result of him losing control. If only he stayed quiet.

"Is that really needed?" Kwazii asked.

"I told you the truth. Why are you punishing me for that?" Barnacles said, his voice steely.
 
"This isn't punishment. This is the necessary steps for you to feel better," Dr. Galen said. 

"You can't make me," Barnacles stated. He was going on autopilot again, his head full, everything hypersensitive, to the point of his surroundings ironically becoming hazy. It was almost like a dream.

"You're closest to California," Dr. Galen said. "I can contact a hospital near the closest port, and they can take him in."

"I'm still right here!" Barnacles slammed a paw on the table, making it shake with a loud bam. "Don't talk like I don't exist!" 

"My apologies," Dr. Galen said calmly. 

Barnacles was breathing heavily. 

"I know that this sounds like bad news, but this is for the best," the doctor continued in that same, calm voice. "You will feel better."

No I won't. Being gone will make me feel better. There's nothing else here for me, now.

If he could just breathe, maybe he could talk his way out of this.

But he couldn't even do that.

He didn't deserve to live anymore.

But now they're going to deprive him of that.

"You can't make me," he said again, standing up. The chair scooted loudly behind him. 

"At this point, you have two choices," Dr. Galen said calmly. "You can either go willingly or unwillingly. There is no other solution."

Barnacles finally realized what had been bothering him this whole time.

The Octopod had stopped moving.

"I'm sorry, Captain," Peso said quietly.

The doors opened, and a couple of EMTs entered.

Barnacles looked at them, then back at the two Octonauts. "We told Dashi to drive us to California already," Peso explained quietly.

Barnacles should've been angry, but he just felt betrayed. 

"Kwazii?" Barnacles asked. His voice was pleading. "You can't seriously side with them. I thought you were on my side.”

Kwazii looked pained, yet determined. "I am," he said. He stood up too, went a couple of steps towards him. They were a few inches apart. Kwazii looked up at him. "I will fight them off for you; I'll help you stay out of the hospital, put all this under the rug as if nothing ever happened. But only if you can look me in the eye and say no to this one question. Do you want to kill yourself?"

All he had to do was lie, say one word. It bubbled up, but choked in his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say it, even after all this time. 

Kwazii got his answer.

He went away with them quietly.

Chapter Text

They strapped him to a gurney. "This is procedure," the EMTS told him. Made sense, Barnacles guessed, just in case the person being taken became hostile. But really, this seemed a bit much for him. He stayed still as they strapped down his arms, breathing as calmly as he could to not feel claustrophobic. He wasn't going to do anything to them.

It came again, when he was finally in the hospital, after the ride in the ambulance. He was freed from the gurney and taken to a chair where he was given pamphlets that talked about his rights as a patient and informational booklets about depression and anxiety. He wondered how this affected him, since he was not a citizen of this country, but he figured that Inkling dealt with that somehow.

"If you misbehave, you'll be put into the unit for the patients that are more disturbed," the nurse said. Barnacles could hear the slight threat in her words. But she didn't have to say that. Barnacles was always a rule follower (except that one stupid time when he failed to follow cleaning protocols because he was lazy and useless and all of a sudden his paws were gripped tightly and he discreetly dug his claws into his arm for just a moment before he came to his senses and stopped). He was always a rule follower, and he won't do anything here. He had no ill will towards anybody; he would never want to hurt anyone. 

All of Barnacles' possessions on him, from his octocompass to his belt, to even his clothes, were taken from him. He was going to get a medical gown, but when the hospital realized that he needed to stay cool, one of the Octonauts (he did not know which one) gave the hospital his pajamas, which were cooling clothes. When asked why he could not keep his day clothes, he was told that it was because it had metal in it, namely zippers. It was a safety precaution.

They seemed to have safety-proofed the whole facility, at least where the patients were at. The bathrooms had shiny steel instead of breakable glass for mirrors. Toxic-free shampoo and toothpaste. The bathroom door had an opening on the bottom of it and flimsy velcro as a “lock,” just in case a nurse needed to get a patient out if he did something dangerous. 

They monitored how much everyone ate and drank, periodically did blood tests to make sure everyone was healthy, had daily group sessions that were voluntary, if the patients wanted to talk. There were daily, mandatory meetings with a psychologist or psychiatrist. Each patient could make one call a day, and there were visiting hours. There were exercising classes that were also voluntary where they would do yoga, push-ups, and the like (anything with dumbbells were out of the question).

There were books and coloring supplies. The coloring supplies were with soft markers and crayons (which were all nontoxic); there were no pens or pencils. There was also a TV, high up on one ceiling in one room so it was out of reach, that they could watch if they wanted (and a remote, so they could thankfully change the channels to something good). There weren't any doors between any of the rooms, except for the velcro ones in the bathrooms that were already mentioned.

Barnacles did not know how to feel about any of this.

He was technically caged, stripped away to the core of his very being. He had failed in every sense of the word, been put in a madhouse. He was angry that he was put there in the first place.

But he also felt free.

Everything was structured, simple. There was a schedule, a simple schedule, where the only mandatory tasks were to get medicine, have meetings with the doctors, and eat. Everything else was voluntary; nothing was expected of them.

No one knew who he was. He wasn't a Captain. If he didn't want to talk to anyone, he could just go to his own corner and do whatever he wanted. Social expectations were non-existent here. Of course, if anyone acted out, the nurses dealt with it; but Barnacles didn't have to make small talk if he didn't want to. He didn't have to be a Captain and initiate conversations or friendships. He didn't have any responsibilities, not a hundred tasks that he had to do all at once. 

Although he was technically not allowed to leave, he was the freest he'd ever felt in a long time. He wasn't sure if he should feel thankful, strange, or ashamed of it.

But, and at this he chuckled bitterly, that shame was outside, with everyone else, looming over like dark shadows that wanted to tear him apart for his inadequacy. In here, he could actually be himself. He didn't have to worry about anything. 

He found himself coloring a lot. There was a coloring book full of Mandala designs, which were circular, flower-like patterns that were intricate and extremely detailed. It didn't seem like anyone else was using it, so he took the whole book and spent most of his time on it, slowly coloring in every single space with different colored markers. He liked markers instead of crayons became they spread more easily, and they didn't cause as many weird lines within the color itself. It was relaxing; and he randomized all the colors, so it did not require much thought. 

He should’ve been ashamed that a tall, strong polar bear was hunching over and coloring for hours on end, but frankly, he was too tired to care anymore.

He was calm enough that he was able to jumpstart a bit of his morning routine again. He would brush his teeth once a day; the toothbrush and toothpaste were provided by the hospital. It didn't seem as intimidating as before, though it was still a bit unpleasant. Taking a shower was still incredibly difficult. But maybe he'd be able to do it later. Baby steps, after all. 

Kwazii visited Barnacles every day. The rest of the Octonauts would have gladly come along with him, Kwazii had said over the phone; but Barnacles didn't want them to see him like this. Peso could have come, since he was a doctor; but frankly Barnacles never wanted to see him ever again. He was initially mad at Kwazii as well, but... He couldn't really stay like that. He understood why Kwazii (technically all of them, but he forced himself not to think too much about that) did what he did. As the new Captain, he had to take care of his crew's wellbeing, even when the party himself didn't want to be safe. 

And even more importantly, when Kwazii first saw him, greeted him enthusiastically and put an arm around his shoulders, the first contact in hours, other than needles and nurses tying him to a gurney, it was like a breath of fresh air. Barnacles was right; Kwazii was someone he could rely on. At least, it sometimes it felt like it; other times, it felt like he was just like the rest, judging him. 

Gosh, he was sick of flip-flopping all the time, his perception of his emotions changing on a dime. He hated it. He hated himself. It was no wonder why he belonged here.

The first time Kwazii came, he had vanilla kelp pudding in a plastic container from the Vegimals, but the doctors didn't let him bring it in because it could have been poisoned. He didn't bring in food after that.

Barnacles wasn't thinking about death much, but he brought it up every time he met with the psychologist, because she asked what had happened. He would explain his day-to-day life, how he couldn't sleep at night, the attack. He talked about his feelings, which was surprising; because he thought that he would never be able to talk about it. It was never easy with any of the others, who knew his life, had expectations of him. But with the doctor, she didn't know anything. She was a complete stranger, and that made it so much easier. He found words to feelings he had never been able to voice, because the panic was sucked out of him. He didn't have to worry about what she thought. He could finally unpack what was in his head, his natural experience of talking with others finally appearing to the forefront, making the ideas and thoughts eloquent and understandable.

Was... Was who he was coming back? The person he had always imagined he was, his internal perception of himself, before this nightmare started?

He was hopeful, but not hopeful enough to really think anything of it.

There was always the matter of what happened after this. This emergency hold was used, he was told by the doctors, to stabilize the patient. To make sure that they weren't intent on killing themselves anymore. They were required to stay for 72 hours, but it could be taken longer, to a few weeks, if it was bad enough. But that was the problem: it was temporary. He would have to face the real world again. Go back to the stresses of life.

He didn't think he could take it. 

"I don't want to leave," he eventually told Kwazii once. They were sitting on the couch in the room with the TV, the place where the patients ate, and where all the coloring supplies were. The doctors had eyed Kwazii's eyepatch weirdly the first time he had came, but they had let him in anyway. By now, though, he was a regular; and they did not give him a second glance. 

Barnacle's bandages on his head were off. They were superficial anyway, so they were healing pretty fast. Kwazii knew that the scabs were there. Smaller, but still on the polar bear's head. The fur just covered it up. 

"I know I didn't want to come here in the first place," Barnacles quickly defended himself, his heart starting to pound, his muscles starting to tense. "I know you think that I'm washy-washy and stupid-" Kwazii tried to interject, but Barnacles didn't let him, "-But it's nicer in here than out there. I have food, water, and a bed to sleep in. I don't need anything else."

"I don't think any of that stuff about you," Kwazii said. Barnacles couldn't take that at face value.

“How’s everyone doing?” Barnacles asked instead.

Kwazii blinked, surprised at the obvious topic change, but after a moment decided to oblige. “They’re ok. They’re trying their best to keep their hopes up,” Kwazii told him.

Barnacles could feel the familiar weight of guilt in his stomach. He did this to them. A thought of, You need to kill yourself, flitted through his mind, but he pushed it aside. If he did that, then they would be in so much more pain.

“And Shellington started to have therapy sessions with Dr. Galen,” Kwazii continued.

"Really? Why?" Barnacles asked, shocked.  

"Ya know that whole sea otter epidemic thing?" Kwazii asked. The polar bear nodded. "Well, when the whole Serpent thing happened, he didn't take it well," he said tactfully. "He did calm down, but I think he's not all the way better. He says he's never been better at all, ever since his childhood. So he's doing something about it now. I think he's going to be okay," Kwazii said. "I think you will be too."

"Not sure about me, but I'm confident in Shellington," Barnacles replied. "At least he didn't have to go to a madhouse." At least he wasn't suicidal. That was why he wasn't with Barnacles here in the first place.

But then, he couldn't afford to, the more Barnacles thought about it. There weren't enough sea otters as it was. They couldn't off themselves now, could they? 

"It's not fair to compare yourself to him," Kwazii said. "Your situations are different."

Barnacles shrugged. He couldn't take that at face value, either.