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It’s been some time after Eight’s endeavors with cuttlefish, Three, and the popular duo Off The Hook. Tomorrow marks a year Eight has been above the surface, and when she awoke that morning, her Octophone was buzzing with notifications from the NSS, wishing her a happy 1 year.
One message in particular stood out to Eight, and it was none other than Marina. She was an octoling like her, and because of that her likeness helped her come out of her shell a bit easier. Eight felt like she could connect with Marina on a more personal level compared to her co-workers and good friends, agent’s Three & Four nonetheless, she loved them just as much.
You have (3) incoming message(s) from:
Marina
Open message(s)?
Eight clicked on it hurriedly.
Marina: Hey 8!! Happy 1 year on the surface!! To congratulate you for getting this far, me and a few friends have a very special surprise!! Meet us at pearlies place okay? See you soon! <3
sent, 9:30am
Eight sat up from her spot in bed, and decided to get ready for the day. She hated to keep everyone waiting, even though it was relatively early in the day.
She slid off her bed, right into her slippers, and carried out her usual morning routine of brushing her teeth, washing her face, picking out an outfit for the day, (she was feeling somewhat nostalgic and wore her original outfit the day she surfaced)and making a quick breakfast before heading out.
Eight couldn’t help but feel excited as she walked out of her apartment and to the elevator. She tried to guess all of the possible things Marina meant as “a special surprise”.
Maybe… it was a years worth of tickets to crusty Sean’s food truck? Since coming to the surface, Agent Four had insisted that the first step to becoming a “real citizen of Inkopolis” was to eat something from the infamous crusty Sean’s food truck. She remembered having one of his shwaffles for the first time and how delicious it tasted. It was unlike anything she’s ever had before. It still never fails to disappoint her, no matter how many times she goes.
Or maybe it’s a new kit for her E-liter? It was all she had with her, (besides her new found name as well as the clothes she wore) and while it was very well kept and in spotless condition, she couldn’t help but want to try out a new kit to go with it. Marina herself had been the most interested because she herself was an engineer. It couldn’t help but make her wonder if she designed her own E-liter with how much she knew about machinery and mechanics. Eightwas very sad to be told she couldn’t use it in turf war battles, due to it’s “illegal sub weapon and specials” as she was told, so to cheer her up, Marina had gone out of her way to buy her an authorized one from Sheldon. It’s not as good as her original, but she cherishes it nonetheless.
Could it be a brand new set of gear for her to wear in battles? As long as Eight had been living on the surface, she didn’t have a large selection of clothes to wear. “Having too many of the clothing options becomes very…overwhelming” as she likes to say. So she keeps it very simple with her things, and only buys a new set gear as a treat to herself. As of lately, she has been feeling like her closet may be a little too empty. There isn’t much color to look at and there are a lot of empty hangers. She put a mental note in to go shopping later in the week.
All of her excited thinking hadn’t made her realize that she was quite close to her destination. Pearls house, or should she say Pearls mansion, was quite visible through the trees and such covering the land below and around it. It resided on a very steep hill far back in the woods, and apparently is “the smallest building she owns”.
Eight stared at the long stretch of woods in front of her and at the end, the very visible shiny house and sighed.
“This is going to be quite joyous.” She grumbled and started her trek towards the house.
When she finally managed to trek her way to the main entrance, Pearl was right at the front door, waving expectantly.
“How’s it going Eight? We’re all waiting for you in the garage— do you need something to uh… to drink?”
Eight, panting with her hands on her knees, only nodded vigorously.
”So… we have a ton of fun things planned for your one year-iversary ! But we thought we’d let you decide on what to do.” Pearl took a seat next to eight on her kitchen island. “I can guarantee that it’s gonna be totally awesome, no matter what!”
Eight took a sip from her smoothie and smiled. “Marina had messaged me earlier of a certain “surprise”. Do you know what it is? I’m excited to see what you have in store for me.”
“Ah ah ah! I can’t spill anything about it! ‘Rina’s orders. You’ll like it though, I just know you will.” Pearl laughed.
“Well, if it’s okay.. I’d like to see this surprise that you have for me.” Eight smiled.
“Of course! Everyone’s waiting anyways.” Pearl grinned, took Eight by the arm, and led her away.
“Okay Eight! We’re almost at the garage, so I need you to close your eyes for a few.” Pearl turned around to face her. “Don’t worry, it’s for the surprise.”
Reluctantly, eight closed her eyes and put a hand over them as pearl took her free one and guided her to the garage.”
“Okay and open!”
When Eight removed her hand, there stood the entire NSS with party hats and noise makers with the biggest smiles on their faces.
And more importantly, a very oddly shaped thing covered with a large sheet in the middle.
“Happy 1 year anniversary!” They cheered as confetti and streamers flew around.
“Oh you guys!” Eight clapped her hands together. “You did not have to do all of these things for me! Thank you so much!”
“Nonsense!” Marina spoke. “We’re so lucky to have you here, it’s the least we could do!”
”Yeah! You’re the best person like.. ever!” Agent Four grinned. “You totally deserve this!”
(Next update soon.. got lazy….)