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Fame And Fourtune
The concert, their first since Callie's return, had gone great. Marie ducks into their dressing room to grab them each a drink and an apple. "Ready for the meet and greet?"
"I hope so." Callie takes a bite of her apple. "That really wore me out."
"There's a jelly bringing us chairs," Marie promises. "I can't wait for Lucky to get back here."
Callie giggles. "Finally proved you're famous, huh?"
"I can't believe it took this long," Marie groans. "I only got her to come by telling her Off The Hook was opening."
"Shhhh," Callie whispers.
Lucky comes around the corner, sees them, and runs to throw her arms around Marie. "You were great!"
It's about time.
Lucky releases her and turns to Callie. "I can't believe how loudly they were cheering for you. It was so nice of you to let Marie share the stage!"
What.
Callie's smile doesn't twitch. "Well, we wouldn't be the Squid Sisters without her."
"I guess." Lucky's eyes go wide. "Omicod is that Pearl?"
Marie closes her eyes and counts to ten. She'll figure out another plan later.
"I thought we were supposed to be super busy today?" Callie hoists her dynamo with a small grunt. "Why do we get to turf? Not that I'm complaining."
Marie knows the changing room is empty, but she glances around anyway. "Ashti, Lucky, and Marlin are turfing together," she whispers.
Callie sucks in a breath. "Ashti never turfs."
Marie nods. "I think an agent lobby is worth putting off some chores."
Of course, as Marie leads the way out, she has another reason. Lucky's next oldest sister is playing with them. She was in Inkopolis when Marie and Callie were doing the news... and their disguises aren't that good.
Sure enough, when they join the right lobby, the inkling next to Lucky almost chokes. Marie pretends she doesn't want a fuss made, then takes a seat. Perfect.
And then Lucky's sister eases close to Callie. “I just want you to know I chose your side every splatfest I got to play back when you were on the news. And I love your tentastyle and wish my tentacles would grow that long so I could do the same thing with them. And—”
Marie resists the urge to beat her head against the wall. Next time. She'll convince Lucky next time.
Callie'll be gone all week, filming, so Marie covers their walls with articles.
SQUID SISTERS RELEASE NEW SINGLE
TIDE GOES OUT TOPS CHARTS
THE SPLATFEST OF ALL TIME: MARIE WINS
She kinda hates the splatfest ones, too much of a reminder of after, but they'll come down soon. She just needs the evidence.
By the time Lucky comes over for lunch, Marie's even got Team Marie napkins set out. This has to work.
"Thanks for inviting me over!" Lucky pauses to straighten the pile of magazines on the table; Marie is on the cover of the top one, and interviewed in all of them. "I know you get lonely without Callie around."
"Not really," Marie lies. "It's just been a while since we hung out. How are the Sepia's treating you?"
"They're really nice." Lucky accepts a trademark Marie mug full of hot chocolate. "I feel like they're family. I know they're not, but it's nice to pretend."
"Family isn't always the people you were born with," Marie reminds her. "Want a waffle? It'll have my face on it."
"That sounds good."
And so the visit goes. They watch a movie Marie made a cameo in. They play celebrity guess, where Marie's one of the answers. When Lucky gets her coat, Marie presents her with a Finko Pop—hers.
That gets Lucky to smile. "Hey, Marie?"
"Yeah?" Here it comes! Lucky's finally gonna admit it!
"Are you jealous of Callie?"
Marie's jaw drops.
"You don't need custom figures or interviews to be special," Lucky says, smiling at her. "You'll always be my first friend. So quit wasting your money trying to impress me! You're fresh enough just being yourself."
Lucky's gone before Marie recovers.
"Agent Four, this is Deep Cut," Marie says.
"We've met," says Shiver.
"But it's good to see you again!" adds Frye.
"If we're friends now, you should call me Lucky."
Marie turns away so no one sees her smile. Deep Cut was listening to the Squid Sisters in middle school. Lucky will have to know Marie's famous after this!
"Are you gonna be agents, or associates without agent numbers, like Off The Hook?"
"Ay. (We haven't decided yet.)"
"I offered, but they aren't sure they can handle it with the news. And I'd make them give up their... extracurricular activities." She turns to give Shiver a smirk.
"Extracurricular?"
"Ay. (Don't worry about it.)"
Marie doesn't bother to hide her smirk this time.
"You should totally be agents," Lucky says. "We need a five, six, and seven!"
"You have an eight, but no seven?" asks Shiver.
"Ashti was the first Octoling agent," Lucky says, and Shiver whips their head around to glare at Marie. "The old captain made her eight."
"And I suppose the first inkling agent was agent ten?" Frost forms on Shiver's words.
"No, why would they be?"
Marie's got some explaining to do after this.
"But Callie needs someone to be famous with," Lucky says. "None of the other agents are famous, and I think that makes her lonely."
"I'm famous," Marie mutters.
"You work on the radio."
Shiver smiles like a shark smelling blood. "Yeah, Marie," they say, "Everyone knows famous people don't do radio."
Marie's brain stutters.
"At best, it's a place for has-beens." Frye gives Marie her biggest smile.
"Ay. (I think you're famous.)"
Shiver and Frye glance at each other while Lucky smiles at Big Man. Frye turns to Lucky. "I think Callie already has an agent to be famous with," Frye says. "Like, say, an Olympink medal winner."
This is too far. "Wait just a minute—"
Shiver grabs Marie in a headlock, one hand over her mouth. "I quite agree."
"Y-you think I'm famous?"
"More famous than Marie, certainly."
Marie throws Shiver off. "There is no way—"
Big Man gives her a hug, covering her mouth in the process. She's never fought off a manta before, and can't free her arms. "Ay. (I think someone's jealous.)"
"Don't be silly, Marie's not jealous of me." Lucky's voice makes it a question.
"She definitely is," Frye says. "Let's not rub it in. Come on, there's a kettle on site 4 that's perfect for learning splatana. I can teach you!"
The two superjump away, and Marie sags in Big Man's grip.
She'll get them for this.
"I need a vacation," Marie mumbles. Agreeing to do splatfests again was stupid. The script for her next show is terrible. And her sandwich had tomatoes on it. Nothing can save this day. She should order a pizza and go to bed.
Maybe tomorrow will be better.
A knock on the door interrupts her moping. Another salesclam. Just what the day needs. With a groan, she pulls on her mask and gets the door.
Lucky tackles her in a hug. "Marie," she cries, "you're famous!"
Finally.
Marie hugs Lucky back, pulling her in and kicking the door closed. “It's about time,” Marie says, letting Lucky go. “What finally convinced you?”
There's a magazine clutched in Lucky's hand. She opens it to show... oh. Oh.
MARIE CUTTLEFISH STOPS BEING A MILLIONAIRE AGAIN screams the headline. She scans the article to see mentions of the free apartments for poor kids (and Octolings) she runs, the new playground she built in Calamari County, and the charity concerts she's organized. There are quotes, bolded, all over the place.
“You're a filin—a phalin—an amazing charity person!” Lucky says, beaming. “That's so much better than being a movie star like Callie! Everyone loves you, don't they?”
Marie closes her eyes and counts to ten. She takes a deep breath in and lets it out. A second one. A third. Fourth.
Then she opens them. “It is. But I am an idol too, right? And you know I'm famous for that?”
Lucky rolls her eyes. “Lemme buy you a Seanwich, Miss Marie Famous Fanthropist. Wanna turf together after?”