Chapter Text
The sun
The luminous celestial body around which the earth and other planets revolve, from which they receive heat and light, which is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium.
The giant at the center of our solar system.
And by unfortunate circumstance, this is the first time that Agent 8 has ever seen it.
At first contact, its afterimage still lingering under their eyelids, the young octarian wonders how they managed to survive all of this time in its absence.
The warmth it exudes, the light, the sting of it…
And yet, the cold underground still lingers at the back of their head.
They're still here. On this crate carried by a helicopter, surrounded by strangers, the wind and fresh air enveloping their senses. This sensation that they've never even heard about before, something that they could never even dream about.
Would it be ironic to say that now they can't even picture themselves living without it.
The fresh air, the sea breeze, the coral hue of the sky in the time of twilight.
There were times where they dreamed of getting near Octo Canyon, back when that was their only contact with the world outside, the only way one could get out of the domes.
There's no going back there…
It’s all over now.
…
“So, what do you want to do after we get back home?” The other octoling that was with them spoke up, breaking the silence.
“Totally taking a nap. That was enough adventure for the whole year.” The inkling replied putting its hands in the air to stretch.
Marina and Pearl. The two people that have been guiding them through the metro, were here, in the flesh.
8 couldn’t say that they knew them. They may have acquainted themselves through the chatrooms and all, but they still seemed like complete strangers even now.
Marina, 8 only ever so slightly heard about her.
An octarian, deserting its platoon, going all the way to Mount Nantai, and actually infiltrating inkling society. They only ever heard stories about such a thing happening, and now, here they are, doing the same exact thing.
Marina knows all about being in this situation.
Is this how she felt back then too?
The same goes for the old man next to them.
Craig Cuttlefish.
The dried up old man.
The captain of the squidbeak splatoon.
One of the people that they are supposed to be fighting against, sitting there next to them like an ally.
Not to mention Agent 3, the same person they were told they were battling before even coming here, having to fight them again to even escape from the underground.
8 couldn't say that the inklings didn't frighten them, after all, they were taught to fear them their whole life, and now they are simply supposed to go live in a society filled to the brim with these people that they considered monsters
They all seemed…foreign.
They never would have even imagined that they'd all be sitting side to side like this, after a century of conflict.
A century of conflict that now seemed for naught.
It was all new to the octoling.
Frightening.
But another feeling, more complex, twisted in their gut.
Excitement.
Marina's question reverberated constantly in their mind.
What now?
A beat of silence passes, uncertainty clouding their mind bit by bit, causing them to pace.
Their mind goes blank for a moment that seems to drag on for ages.
It's as if the calm breeze turned to raging winds right then and there.
They look over to the others, sitting in silence, admiring the scenery laid out in front of them, yet even now, worry plagues their mind.
They thought that this was supposed to be a solution for all of their problems, but now…
Now that they are handed freedom, being allowed to take their life in their own hands, now that they're about to be thrown into a world that was said to hate them for simply existing, without even knowing how it works.
Questions start piling up inside their brain
Where could they go?
What could they do?
How would they even adapt to the world outside?
Do the inklings still consider the octarians a threat?
Would they be putting themselves in danger?
They didn't even know their own name.
All they had was a few fragmented memories,
fickle specks of knowledge that didn't make sense no matter how they tried to arrange it inside their head.
They really didn’t think this through.
This was bad.
Their breathing turns ragged, and they face the same feeling that was nearly constant in the metro, maybe even back in the octarian army. They no longer feel like they have control over their limbs, like they froze in place, cold sweat forming in their palms.
They wanted to leave.
They wanted to run.
But their legs wouldn’t move.
Did they even have where to run to?
They were above the sea, surrounded by unfathomable amounts of water.
Would the octarians even take them back?
They listened to that heavenly melody.
Would 8 even have the capacity to return to that lifestyle now?
They felt…
Trapped.
“So… Agent 8. Do you have any plans in mind?”
Marina once again breaks the ice.
Agent 8 didn't even realize that the others were all staring at them, worry etched into everyone's faces. 8's eyes darted around examining everyone in an attempt to discern what they wanted from them. They try to calm themselves down, taking a deep breath and staring down at the ground they're standing on, lowering their head.
“I mean, having gone through the same experience as you I was wondering if…”
She trailed off upon seeing the blank expression on the other octarian's face.
The calm silence from before turned oppressive, constraining, a sensation of unwell coating the air around them, like ink.
At the sudden silence, her companion chimed in.
“Until you have everything sorted out, you can crash at my place” Dragging the young octarian closer, they patted them on the back .They glared at the inkling just slightly before their face relaxed, sensing no ill intentions from the one in front of them.
“The mansion’s big enough to fit the whole Inkopolis in it, so I don't mind having a +1.
Besides, anytime ‘Rina is out of the house, the atmosphere gets boring quickly, so there's no need to call yourself a burden.”
8 wasn't exactly…against it, just… unsure, they didn't know what they could expect. But before even getting a chance to explain themselves, Cuttlesfish interfered, gruff voice reverberating due to the blades of the heli above.
“There's no need for that” The older inkling stands up, hitting the ground below with their cane.
“I'm sure they'd want a more familiar place.
So what d'ya think about Octo Valley? It's still the surface, and hey, you’re near your kin!”
The young octoling shot the man a grimace, highlighting their aversion to it.
“I'm not sure they would enjoy that, Captain.”
Marina interjected.
“When I first escaped on Mt. Nantai, I-”
“Well, how about living with Agent 3?
They have a nice place in Inkopolis Plaza.”
A proposition that would remain rejected, agent 8 frantically trying to deny even the thought of that. Even the thought of staying with the person that got them into this whole mess in the first place was uncomfortable enough, not to mention the odor.
The exaggerated reaction of the octarian got the point across just well.
Mildly offended, before even having the chance of opening their mouth, Agent 3 was interrupted once again by Marina.
“Well, If you would even let me explain from experience, it seems that Agent 8 isn't accustomed to the inkling language, so I'm sure that it would be better if we could take them in for a few months so we could teach them the basics.”
8 could understand the inklish well enough, at least well enough to understand everything they were talking about.
Speaking…
Not so much
But for Cod's sake, could they just give them a vocabulary?
Or are those so rare that they personally have to tutor the octoling.
They were as old as any teen that lived in Inkadia, so they could manage just well trying to strike up a conversation with the people that came their way.
Actually, never mind that.
They were lucky if there was anyone willing to stay near them at all.
Anyone that didn't start to question if they look off or if their demeanor doesn't quite fit into the picture.
So they learned not to question it.
Not to push.
Not to want more than what they were given.
They could just…
do what they’re told.
Like they always were.
Because it was easier that way.
They were an octarian for Cod's sake, they were made to listen. They were born specifically for that.
And if they kept their head down,
If they didn’t step out of line,
then maybe, just maybe, they wouldn’t wind up alone in this foreign world.
Wait..
NO
What were they even saying?
Wasn't that the whole point?
To escape.
To make your own decisions.
So what if they struggle for a bit?
They can manage.
If they already managed to get this far, what could deter them now?
That's the spirit!
They were good at literature.
Of course, they're a poet.
At most they could stay a day or two to get warmed up talking to other people, but how hard could it be to learn a whole new vocabulary as the poetry expert that they are? If they just put their mind to it, If they struggled a bit. That octarian ingeniosity is what they're known for. Resourcefulness was in their blood.
And so, it was settled.
All they had to do now was to tell everyone.
…
In one way or another.
8 nudged at Marina, pointing at her laptop.
Marina's face settled, understanding the other's request.
A new message made its way in the chatroom.
Cuttlefish being the first one to read it, Agent 3 struggling to see what is on the screen.
His brows furrowed, shooting them a questioning glare.
“Are y'sure? Only one week?”
Pearl hurries to get her phone out of her pocket, nearly dropping it in the process. Yet her limited understanding of foreign languages prevented her from actually understanding anything…
“What's… this supposed to mean?”
“It's octarian,” Craig turned to Pearl, sighing and pinching the bridge of their nose.
“They're basically saying that 《they are willing to move in with you for a week to accommodate themselves with Inkopolis》 and then 《they're going to find a place of their own》.”
Pearl stumbles with her words, stuttering a bit before blurting out. “Aren't they a kid? How're they going to find a place if they don't even have a coin to their name?”
With reluctance, Agent 3 tries to offer a solution to the whole charade.
Their voice is quiet, and further muffled by them laying their head on their arms.
“I may have an idea, dunno if it would work tho…”
Marina shoots Pearl a worried look, Pearl signaling to the young squid to continue.
The teen sighs, as if they are bracing themselves for what they're about to say.
“Okay… so, first of all, they have to enroll in school. It's close to the middle of June, so it's the best time to do so. All you're gonna need to do is some paperwork, which in my opinion, is the complicated part, since Agent 8 here not only has no source of identification but also can’t even remember their own name, we have no other option than to falsify documents.
The public high school in Inkopolis has no entrance exam, so that largely simplifies the whole struggle.”
“And what then?” Pearl turns to face the young Agent, her voice picking up a mocking tone.
“How's this gonna solve the housing crisis we're having here?”
The Agent's tone turns deadbeat, sitting back down, placing their hands underneath their head.
“We have someone.”
They send Pearl a grin, closing their eyes briefly before continuing.
“The New Squidbeak Splatoon has 4 agents after all.”
“And when was this decided?” Captain Cuttlefish interjects.
“If you would actually check your phone for once, you'd know that DJ. Octavio is back in his little snowglobe. And the fact that Mar- I mean - Agent 2, recruited the kid that actually managed to put him back in his place.”
The old man, perplexed, could only manage to let out an exaggerated “Oh” before once again settling in an uncomfortable silence.
Then, the young inkling turns back to the two Idols, looking for their stamp of approval.
“It's a boarding school, it has nice dorms, and, from what I've heard," Agent 3 rolls their eyes, "Agent 4 smells nice.”
Pearl scoffs, taking a moment to contemplate.
She takes a glance behind her, at Marina, studying her demeanor. The octoling gives her a nod of approval. And that was all that was needed at the moment.
“Then it's settled”
The words being ushered just slightly, as if hoping that they aren't heard.
“So who's gonna do the paperwork?”