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Acht had always found Inkopolis to be almost too expansive, borderline agoraphobic. The limitless freedom and opportunity the city promised almost felt like a shackle around Acht’s neck. What good was freedom when it made you feel aimless? What good was openness when you have nowhere to belong? Just because anything was possible didn’t mean you could actually do anything. As far as Acht could tell, Inkopolis had about a billion head-spinning social rules about what you couldn’t do and not one of them was in a handbook or a lawbook.
But a train ride later and all of that felt… far more than 86 kilometers away.
The filthier concrete jungle towered over them, the buildings feeling only millimeters away and like they were casting shadows onto Acht’s soul. Creatures of all kinds swarmed left and right like waves of chaos washing over the streets. Left felt like up and right felt like forward and gravity felt like it was fading in the mayhem of the city. All the windows and balconies and miscellaneous details all blurred into a mess of colors like a tri-color turf war while Marina’s directions tangled in Acht’s mind like kelp. Their sense of direction felt like it had run away as their breath started to do the same, an intense sense of aching forming in Acht’s lungs.
“You must be Acht.” A sharp voice stabbed through all the chaotic noise as a hand latched around Acht’s forearm and the form of an Octoling emerged from the nonsensical lump of pedestrians.
Blue hair contrasted their drab beige cloak that was seemingly blocking the view of their entire silhouette from the public. The long draping of cloth flowed and waved in the wind, providing Acht with a brief glimpse of the bag wrapped around their stomach. Though it was the pins it held that stole all of Acht’s focus: one had an odd insignia of an upside down semicircle and a rectangle while the next was a flag sporting a familiar striped pattern in purple, yellow, black and white. The final pin showed the visage of a manta ray holding a rectangular sign that read “she/they.”
And despite the sudden movement their legs were being forced to make, the ground felt more stable below Acht’s feet. The mushy kelp of instructions from Marina untwined into a single word. A name: Shiver. The buildings seemed to stretch away from their previously antagonistic shadowing. The disorderly crowd suddenly started to feel like a team of strangers all playing by the same rules. Meanwhile, the pressure upon Acht’s chest didn’t dissolve, it simply transformed, metamorphosing from the strain of suffocation to the welcoming grip of a hug. As this bizarre Octoling pulled them along, the road before them seemed clear and welcoming. The path ahead made all the sense in the world.
“Hey, Shiver?” Acht’s voice was louder and more stable than they ever could have expected it to be.
“Yeah?” Her voice was coated in a nonchalance Acht couldn’t even have achieved while sanitized. Acht’s focus was on Shiver, yet their eyes bounced about the city of Splatsville now that it didn’t seem to want to collapse on them. The balconies of nearby apartment buildings ranged from having flags of various colors and identities dangling from them to hosting makeshift concerts featuring drum sets and keyboards.
“So, I just wanted to know exactly how much further we’re running.” The words burst out of Acht quickly in between heavy breathes.
“Not much longer. Can’t have ya falling over on me.” Shiver’s harsh red eyes beat into Acht’s own alongside a downright maniacal smile through her fanged teeth. It likely struck fear into whoever saw and yet, the aura of this mysterious enby was almost… intoxicating wasn’t quite the right word. But Acht felt like they were exactly where they were supposed to be for the first time since the spire.
Before much longer, the sprawling heights escaped Acht’s glimpse as their attention turned to a small wooden door built into a concrete frame a few inches off the ground. After taking a pensive glance behind them to check if the coast was clear, Shiver knocks on the door five times to the rhythm of the Calamari Inkantation.
“We’re not in Inkopolis, for squid’s sake…” They grumbled. Despite this, the door flipped open to reveal a crooked wooden staircase that creaked as the pair descended it.
Acht’s eyes took a moment to adapt to the relative darkness of the dimly lit room though years of life below the surface meant it felt more natural than their run in the sun to get this far. Shiver offloaded their cloak to a coat rack before rushing off towards the source of a sensational sound not like anything Acht had ever heard before.
Two musicians stood firm at the front of a small stage that ascended just a few centimeters off the ground. One had vivid green hair, grey skin and was locked in with a guitar that was colored light blue, pink, and white in alternating stripes. The one to her right was a fish whose scales alternated between hues of coral pink to sea blue. She gripped a mic stand firmly in his right fist, the central shaft of the stand adorned in black, white, purple, pink, and blue vertical stripes.
“Those two are from Riot Act. Kiki and Nia.” Shiver explained, aware of the painfully obvious look on Acht’s face that told her that Acht had never heard the song before. “They’re pretty popular, actually.”
Acht’s focus shifted back to the song they were playing, an upbeat track with energetic vocals and violin. They were surprised having not noticed such the latter's unique sound, their eyes suddenly drawn to the back of the stage towards another musician, a fact that Shiver quickly picked up on. The violinist in question had dark skin and bright red fins that really ought to have stood out to Acht by now. Just behind her was a haphazardly placed violin case with a vast multitude of stickers affixed to it. Various band logos, venues, music companies, and of course, pride flags dotted the metallic case. Acht recognized a pink, red, white, and orange flag, another with gray, black, and green, as well as a blue, pink, and white sticker in just the same shades as Kiki’s guitar.
“That’s Finn.” Shiver had a slight, sort of facetious frown. “She’s more on the Inkopolis side of music, but she performs with Riot Act a lot so I guess she can be here.” Their frown did eventually make way for a smile as Acht’s eyes shifted to the drummer of this group.
They recognized him instantly as Garris, the Octopus drummer Pearl had scouted for her side project. She introduced him to Acht when Damp Socks opened during Off the Hook’s world tour. He was going hard on each drum in the set, the shells of which were striped with another pride flag, this time with greens and blues of different shades. Acht, content with the vibes of each member of this crew, closed their eyes and focused on each note as the song continued.
“That’s Garris. He’s-”
“I know him.” Acht interrupted as the song's final bridge started, a sound that Acht was clearly far more interested in hearing. Not that Shiver blamed them in the slightest.
After the song wrapped up, silence moved across the venue and audience members did the same. A group of five made their way towards Shiver and Acht. The first was an Octoling with bright blue and orange tentacles. She held a trombone case with the colors of the lesbian flag painted across its surface, her eyes locked on Shiver. Next was an orange crab whose well-worn jeans had a non-binary pride pin affixed to them and a pair of drumsticks emerging from their pockets. Behind them was a particularly spiny urchin whose jacket sported a black and white flag with a single green stripe in the middle. Next was Garris, followed finally by Kiki who had put their guitar back into its case, holding it firmly at her side.
“By cod, if it isn’t DJ Dedf1sh in the flesh!” The voice came from the urchin, whom Shiver quietly identified as Murasaki.
“You… recognize me?” Acht’s voice held an air of surprise within it.
“Your music is… it spoke to me in a way nothing else had. #8 regret helped me confront my gender dysphoria for the first time when I first heard it five years ago and then when you finally put out a new track last month, I…” Murasaki paused, their words needing more time to form. “Well, your music changed my life, if I can be honest.”
Acht made out the form of a tear forming in Murasaki‘s eye.
“I, uh, don’t really know how to respond, but… thank you for finding enjoyment in my work.” Acht forced the words out, stunned with the opportunity, but also thrilled by knowing their music touched
“Your music actually inspired me to try a new sound with my stuff. It got me out of a rut so I’m honored to get to meet you.” Said the crab. Shiver whispered from behind that they were Sid from Chirpy Chips. “So thank you, Dedf1sh!”
The mention of Acht’s stage name resulted in Shiver rushing up next to Acht with a very quick burst.
“Ah right. This is Acht! Also known as Dedf1sh.” She motioned dramatically towards the much greener Octoling to their left. “Unfortunately, they’re from Inko-”
Shiver’s eyes suddenly grew wide upon realizing she’d been interrupted. By Acht.
“I’m from deep underground and I’ve been…” Acht’s words jumbled up in their mouth until their clearest emotions finally bubbled into words “Looking for somewhere to belong.”
“Well, aren’t we all?” Garris chuckled.
“Though to be honest, a few of us have found our place to belong and…” The blue and orange Octoling started. Shiver identified her as Tao Blu.
“Splatsville is home in a way nowhere else managed to be.” Kiki concluded.
“Wherever our paths take us, I suppose we do sorta belong here.” Garris smiled.
“It’s a special place here, Acht. If you ever decide you do want to stick around…” Sid paused. “Well, I shouldn’t get so ahead of myself.”
“Cause, you’re just here for a show tonight, yeah?” Kiki asked.
Just a half hour earlier, that was all Acht had cared about. The show. This trip to Spatsville was supposed to be all business. This forbidden fortress with a task to do and a job to finish. That was all. And now that seemed like an obligation. An obstacle. To something more. To everything Acht had ever been looking for. To all these people who were more or less… just like them. Coming together in this sort of chaotic symphony. But, after this show, they’d be back in Inkopolis and, for reasons Acht couldn’t describe, that seemed blatantly incorrect.
‘Well, you know Acht…” Garris‘s words rushed Acht back into focus like a Zipcaster. “You’re welcome here anytime. I’m sure we can get you on the schedule anytime.”
“You’re not really an Inkopolitan at heart.” Shiver nodded. “I can tell that at a glance.”
“So just know we’ll always be happy to have you here!” Tao Blue said with an energetic grin.
After a few conflicted hours marinating in a cramped, disorderly green room, Acht felt their legs moving on their own, dragging them on stage to a slightly beat up turntable. As the opening notes of Acht's set started, their fears flew away like a super jump as the audience came into focus. Murasaki, Nia, and Kiki were right at the front with Shiver, Garris, and Tao Blu not far behind, all of them smiling and cheering. All of Acht's dread and sense of isolation faded away as they knew without a shadow of a doubt this was not gonna be their last time playing this venue.