Chapter Text
After taking in the view of the ocean, she fainted. It had been a long day, or a long week really. Maybe a long month. Eight had long lost track of time by that point.
She woke up at a place she would later learn was called Cuttlefish Cabin, surrounded by some familiar faces, still a bit groggy. There was of course Cap’n Cuttlefish, Three, some girl she didn’t recognize, Callie, Mar-
“ARE YOU THE REAL SQUID SISTERS???”
Everyone around the recently awakened octoling snapped their heads instantly, except for one person. She had gone from laying flat to being on all fours deeply staring at the pop star duo in an alarming amount of time, considering her condition. But she was met with a hushing sign from all the attendees, except of course for the person they were all pointing at: Three, unconscious, or perhaps asleep from the attitude everyone was adopting.
“I- I’m so sorry” she whispered. Eight, now back to sitting down normally as quickly as she got up, was staring wide-eyed at the knocked-out inkling, covering her mouth with both hands and trying to do the same for her face with her tentacles.
“Hey, don’t worry, it’s alright. And yes, it’s us,” said Callie before adopting her signature pose, Marie following shortly after.
“Oh my god I cannot believe this, I owe you two… most of my life,” Eight tried to whisper, but you could hear her pitch getting higher with each word.
“Hey! We’re also here!” interjected Cuttlefish, pointing at Three with one thumb while raising his other hand, which held his bamboozler-turned-cane.
“Oh, yeah… sorry.”
“Don’t sweat it, it’s alright. You know you’re no foe of mine!”
“He has not stopped doing that since we got here, tell me what you have done to him or who is responsible for this, I just want to have a… light chat with them,” desperately half-whispered Marie.
“Uh… I think it’s because of Pearl? Wait, talking about her, where is Off the Hook? They were in the helicopter with me.” Eight was struggling to keep her composure while talking to the Squid Sisters.
“HELI-???” screamed out Callie, before getting her beak slammed shut by Marie. “Ow, you could have been more careful…”
“Anyways,” she said, taking off her hand from her cousin’s beak, “they had some business to attend to. Pointless to ask us for more, that’s all they said. Not that you seem like the type to interrogate anyways…”
“Oh. Well, I would like to thank both of you. I don’t remember much of my past, and in fact I learned your names from a magazine, but I do remember the song you both played… I’m sorry, I do not know the title or when you played it, but it went something like… ‘Ya weni marei-’”
“Mirekyara” continued Callie.
“Hire, Juri” Marie joined in.
“Yu mirekerason” sang Marie alone.
“Yes, that one. I do not know why or how, but it has helped me push through everything, and I am so grateful for that,” and she started staring at the idols again, who were off-put rather fast considering their fame.
“Are you not going to ask for an autograph?” said an unknown voice from behind, which made Eight slightly flinch.
“Oh, sorry, I… don’t think I know… or remember… your name?”
“Yeah, don’t worry, we haven’t met before. I’m Agent Four of the New Squidbeak Splatoon!”
“Well, pleased to meet you Agent Four. But uh… what’s an autograph?”
All of the inkling girls, well at least those awake, audibly gasped in unison. “You have so much to learn…” sighed Callie.
“And we have so little time to teach…” replied Marie, receiving an unamused stare from her cousin, to which she replied with an almost inaudible giggle.
“That does remind me that we need to figure out Agent Eight’s living situation. Off the Hook told us that they were too busy before running off, so I’m inclined to believe them,” said Cuttlefish suddenly.
“And as another pop star duo, I think we should have the right to the same treatment” came in Marie again.
“I uh… live quite a ways out of Inkopolis, I need to take the coastal connector each time I want to come here, which already costs me a bunch. So if Eight wants to see anything interesting at all, I’d suggest she stays somewhere else.”
“Then that settles it,” said Cuttlefish, pointing at the still unconscious Three. This time, Marie’s laugh could be heard loud and clear.
She woke up at the somewhat familiar Cuttlefish Cabin. She had never worked there, but had come along with Cuttlefish to visit agents 1 and 2 a couple of times. She couldn’t bring herself to say no to her captain, even if she was offered a choice to do so. Looking around would be a waste, she already knew who was there from their voices, so she decided to rest a bit more.
“... Then that settles it!”
Wait. Settle what? She heard Four talk about someone staying at someone’s place. Wait, are they talking about Eight? Wait, why is Marie laughing? Oh god they chose her didn’t they. She didn’t even really know what the octoling looked like, they made brief eye contact when she woke up, and then they all went staring at the stunning view… And then she passed out from a combination of eye and head pain.
She calmly stood back up, her back to Eight. “Uh hey everyone, what’s going o-”
“Oh hey, you’re finally awake! You’ll be taking Agent Eight home with you.”
“I- uh- Cap’n I don’t know if…” She paused for an eternally long 5 seconds, tried to hide a sigh, and let out “fine, I’ll take her home with me.” She then started turning around, “hey Eight, I don’t believe we've properly met, I’m Th-”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAA” she screamed, whipping her whole body back and clenching with one hand the back of her head and with the other her right eye.
“THREE!” the other inkling girls shouted. Cuttlefish was too stunned to speak.
“Sorry… sorry I uhm-”
What are these thoughts?
“Three, are you okay?” Marie asked, panic in her voice.
“Oh yeah I just need a… a second…”
What changed?
“A- Are you sure? Y- You don’t really seem alright…” insisted Four, shakily.
“Yes. I- I’m sure…”
Didn't I just save her life?
“Three please, please tell us what's wrong," added Callie, worried with a hint of desperation.
“It's nothing really… I swear I'm fine now.”
Then why do I want to… hurt her?
“You always know how to leave me speechless. I take back what I said, we'll have to find another home for Eight,” finished Cuttlefish, with anxiety-induced comedy in his voice.
“NO! I mean no. I'm fine, really, I just don't know what got to me. I would never defy a superior's orders.”
What is wrong with me?
The whole time, Eight silently watched from behind, a dark feeling starting to grow on her.