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At least from the angle Pearl was looking at her, Agent 8's face was mere millimeters from the glass window, her mouth agape in awe as if this was her first time here. It wasn’t, but Pearl was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt in that regard. After all, she still caught Marina staring at the sky in bemused wonder on occasion. Perhaps because of that, Pearl just couldn’t help but be a little curious about the fascination.
“Still not used to it?” Pearl chimed in with a smile as the plane reached the peak of its ascent.
Barely letting her eyes wander from the window, Eight nodded firmly.
Off the Hook's private jet wasn't especially large with Marina sleeping just a few feet away from Agent 8's standing perch just before her favorite window. Pearl approached from the aisle, walking slowly towards Agent 8 with a sense of intrigue.
Pearl couldn't help but keep staring at her, never quite knowing what was going through Eight's mind at any given moment, her thoughts as unknowable to Pearl as ancient history. Marina and Eight almost always had little conversations and jokes, but to Pearl, Agent 8 was more or less just a great listener. She had always been an Octo of few words, but that felt even more true when Eight and Pearl were alone.
"You know, if you ever wanna talk about anything, I'm here for you." Pearl grinned, careful not to overdo it. She knew from experience her eager energy could be a little much for Eight.
"Yeah." Agent 8 said absentmindedly.
"Am I botherin' ya?" Pearl wondered aloud, preferring to ask outright. She didn't want to stew in ambiguity if she could help it.
"Nope." She replied quickly, her eyes still locked to the ocean of clouds surging down below.
"Then is it okay if I keep talking?" This wasn't the first time Pearl had asked this question and she hoped that by now, Eight had picked up that this query always meant that the Inkling had something important in mind.
"That's fine." Agent 8 confirmed, her eyes shifting slightly, but not in a way that Pearl could actually decipher the feelings she was portraying.
"I guess I just wanted to say that it's been really special having you come with us this time." Pearl briefly stumbled on her words, likewise stumbling backwards to find a chair she thought was way closer to her than it actually was. "I mean, I know it was sorta spur the moment, but you're really part of squad now, Agent 8! And I wanted you to know that, you know?"
Another bout of silence extended between the pair. Pearl thought back to the behind the scenes work Agent 8 had done for Off the Hook. Between audio engineering, stagecraft, and lighting, she'd become a valuable member of the team and a number of long-time staff had started to rely on her. But to Pearl, and especially to Marina, Agent 8's presence had become something more.
"That's great!" Agent 8 replied, a slight bit of joy encroaching on the corners of her lips.
"Well, I don't always know how to say it." Pearl nodded firmly, starting to find herself back in her memories. When Marina had first come to the surface, it had taken time to adjust. Both to the city and to Pearl herself. She had been a little distant until the duo figured out how to blend their music together. "But it's like things have been better with you around and I haven’t said thanks."
"It's okay." After a beat Agent 8 responded firmly, but with what Pearl thought and hoped was a sense of appreciation or acceptance.
Pearl felt an odd sense of relief flood through her, somehow feeling that this was exactly what she'd hoped for: a show of solidarity, a sense of connection.
"For real, when we first met on the surface, I was so surprised by everything about you. The little Octo who could that climbed out of the depths and was ready to save the world!" Pearl's lips formed into a line, a feeling of uncertainty in how to say what she was hoping to. "It sorta inspired me to dive into new things and has been ever since. 'Cause you and Marina were just so radiant. Her in her planning and you in your explosive battling and escape."
"You were too!" Something in Agent 8's eyes lit up.
"Guess I was just worryin' about losing everything I've worked for. And maybe that means I could've done more." Pearl sighed, only really frustrated with herself. "I know I have a strong vibe, but Tartar was really scarin' me too and I wish I could've done more. That whole scream into the Princess Cannon, I may have scooped a little bit of that terror in there, even if it was mostly determination and love for y'all."
"It was cool!" Agent 8 offered the slightest smile, a gesture that projected warmth in Pearl's direction.
"It just really made me wanna put even more of my heart and soul into my music. 'Cause I don't know when it'll all end. Your determination really reminded me of that. The difference you've made for me. It's… Everything, probably." Pearl struck a little pose her left hand raised over her head and grasping downward while her right arm trailed behind her back. "So I want to properly say thanks!"
"You're welcome, Pearl!" Agent 8 had this wistful look on her face, mouth opened slightly in some form of surprise.
Pearl couldn't remember the last time she'd heard Agent 8 use her name.
"And I know you know Marina's just about the most important person in the world to me!" Pearl started, sheepishly. Agent 8 nodded immediately as if it was the most obvious thing she'd heard that entire conversation. "Not tryin' to speak for her or anything, but having you here has been such a good thing for her. It's been so great to see her more comfortable with her Octoling side."
"That's true!' The words came out of Agent 8 with an extra shred of enthusiasm she normally didn't use.
"It sorta feels like I know more about her now. Like we're able to be closer for real. Not sure I really said that right, but it's been hype!" Pearl, only in this moment realized she had started to feel comfortable and more casual in her talk with Agent 8. She knew she'd been a little unsure going into this, but hadn't realized how much better she felt. "And the smile she had on her face when y'all get to do things together. Just gonna say that you mean a bunch to Off the Hook, ya hear?"
Agent 8 wordlessly, but with a sense of passion Pearl could actually read for once, put out a fist that Pearl immediately bumped in return.
A beat passed as both girls tried to live in the moment, until Pearl and Agent 8 tried to cut the silence at the same time.
"I oughta—"
"I think—" Agent 8, with the speed of a Kraken, tilted their head forward slightly, letting Pearl know she could go first.
"Aight, I'll just say it: You wanna come with Marina and me on our World Tour? I think she'd appreciate it as much as I—" Pearl was fiddling with her hands to the point where she didn't immediately notice the insistent and rapid nodding that Agent 8 had already started.
"Aw yeah!" The words practically pushed out of Pearl before she could fully feel her feelings, the excitement rushing across her face and quite possibly her entire being. "We're absolutely gonna rock this thing, bestie!"
Likewise to this being the first time Agent 8 called Pearl by her name, Agent 8 immediately noted that Pearl had yet to call her bestie until now.
"Oh right! What were you gonna say, Agent 8?" Pearl's eyebrows bounced up sightly in anticipation.
"I… belong here. I really do." She let her eyes be directed back out to the boundless freedom of sky and let a small, but wistful smile appear. Agent 8 didn't really know if she'd ever had a family or what they would've been like if she had. But she believed that family probably felt like the pure surge of everything that she felt when she was with Off the Hook.