Chapter 4 - Late Lunch

Callie Cuttlefish often felt like a walking contradiction. She was the extrovert, the easygoing and energetic one, often to a fault. It wasn’t her fault necessarily, for as long as she’s been able to talk she’s had issues understanding the tone of conversations. It’s a blessing to her idol career, it’s incredibly easy to keep up the cheery persona when she can’t tell that she should drop it. She’s ruined just as many situations the same way.

It bothers her, did she ruin that conversation? Was she appropriate to the clerks at the grocery store? Too happy? Too sad? Did she overdue it that time? Did the girl from earlier think I was sorry? I AM sorry about that, I ran straight into her! Knocked her to the ground because she stopped moving in my blind spot. I hope I didn’t ruin her afternoon… Her mind ran through the interaction again and again as she hauled the last of the groceries up to the cabin.

“We didn’t need the snacks you know. We still have half of the stuff from the last meeting to work through.” Marie scolds Callie as she closes the door behind her.

“But Clover didn’t have anything to eat! She wasn’t at the last meeting,” Callie pouts back.

Marie sends her a flat look as she holds up a small bag of cookies from a shopping bag, Callie’s favorite flavor. Callie returns the most innocent smile she can manage, Marie just shakes her head while smiling. The two move around the cabin in a comfortable silence, Callie puts the drinks in the fridge while Marie sets the chips in one of the cabinets. Callie grabs the bag of cookies and starts towards the couch. Before she leaves though, she grabs one from the bag, and sets it on the table with 6 quick taps.

The two had developed a system, Marie would flash Callie quick signals in sign language, so she’d have a batter understanding of conversation’s she’d be joining. In return, Callie picked up Marie’s tapping habit. Even after all these years, she wasn’t quite sure why Marie did it, but it brought her comfort and Callie was more than happy to provide.

Marie grabs the kettle off the shelf below the chips while Callie flops stomach first onto the couch across the room. She lets out a long drawn out breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Callie hears her cousin quickly tap the counter four times before setting the kettle down.

A few moments pass as Callie snacks on the cookies. “I ran into someone on the way home.” She eventually chimes.

“Oh? Someone I’d know?” Marie asks her as she fills the kettle with water and sets it on the stove.

Callie turns to look at Marie. “No not like that, I literally ran into the poor girl. I Knocked her down and fell on top of her.”

Marie hums in response.

“She wasn’t hurt, I got off her as quick as I could, but I dropped my bags everywhere”

“That’s good that she wasn’t hurt,” Marie affirms. “Were you just running too fast?”

“She was in my bad eye… stopped to do some window shopping I guess. I apologized and we talked briefly, but I think she might have just been being nice. I probably ruined her day and didn’t even seem sorry about it…” Callie trails off, a dejected look on her face.

“Well, you did apologize and help her up. You helped her up right?” She questions. Callie nods as best she can from her position on the couch. “Then you were as nice about is as you could be. After that it’s on them.”

“I guess… You don’t think she recognized me do you? I’d hate to have upset a fan.”

“Did she act all starstruck?”

“No…”

Marie pauses her response as the kettle whistles. She moves to make the tea as she answers, “I think you’re ok. You’re probably thinking about it more than she is.”

“I guess,” Callie answers still dejected.

A few minutes of silence pass as Marie finished with the tea. She taps the siring spoon against the edge of one of the mugs 6 times before she passes it to Callie. “How about some good news then?” Before Callie can respond she continues, “Clover texted to confirm that Nora’s coming to the meeting.”

Callie’s face brightens some. “Oh good! I knew it was a good idea to buy that bottle of Squish!”

Marie sighs with a smile on her face, before taking a sip of her tea. Callie watches her as she starts scrolling through the emails on her phone, before she takes a drink of her own.

It’s times like this when she was really grateful for her cousin. Not that she isn’t usually, she’s just like, an extra grateful right now. She always knows how to help me feel better about these small things. Her thoughts quickly derail as she watches her cousin’s face develop into a frown.

“My turn,” Callie calls, “you’re frowning. That means something happened.”

“Nothing about us, at least not directly,” Marie answers.

“You’re still frowning,” Callie insists.

“One of the employees at the merch store threw out a customer,” Marie answers with a sigh.

Callie thinks for a moment. “Isn’t kicking a customer out of the store normal though?”

“Yeah, it is. What isn’t normal is the aggression. Apparently she grabbed him by the shirt collar, and yanked him through the door. Practically threw him on the sidewalk.”

“Huh… Why?” Callie asks.

“The record says that the guy was both, and I quote ‘Verbally assaulting another customer, a worker, and was also a massive Inkling supremacist prick’ so there’s that.”

“Geez, that’s a lot. She probably handled it nicer than I would have.”

“That’s why we let our agents handle security and not you,” Marie sends her cousin a smirk.

Callie sends a playful pout back, taking another drink of her tea.

A few moments of silence pass before Marie speaks up again.”You know, I’ve seen the girl, her name is Mavi, I’ve seen her at the counter a few times. To be honest, I didn’t think she had it in her to scream at a customer, much less drag one out of the store. She’s been nothing but nice the times I’ve seen her.”

“Customer service can do that to you” Callie chimes back. She takes a couple of seconds, finger tapping against her lip as she thinks. “Think he’ll sue?” she asks after a few more moments.

“Who, the guy? Not a chance,” Marie responds with confidence, “Security footage backs up the report exactly, and no chance any jury will take his side.”

“Well that’s good at least. We should send her a thank you card.”

Marie snorts, “You know, that’d actually be kinda funny. If you want to write it up, sure.”

“You bet! I don’t want any supremacist’s money anyway!”

“Maybe I should go observe the store again, it’s been a few weeks since I was last in there…” Marie mutters to herself.

“They recognize you. I’m sure of it.”

“I’m fine, they’ve not treated me any differently than a customer”

“There’s no way you go there as often as you do without them recognizing you. At best they think you’re an inspector or something.”

Marie rolls her eyes, “I still think I’m gonna check it out in a few days.”

Callie jots a quick note in her phone about the letter, as she finishes off the last of her tea. She watches as Marie cleans the kettle before she places it back in the cabinet. Marie’s attention turns to the small coffee pot on the counter, as she again begins gathering the components necessary for a new brew.

“Didn’t you just have tea?”

“Oh, no this is for Gramps. He should be showing up soon.”

Callie gasps “Gramps is coming early?” She smiles wide after Marie confirms. “It’s been longer than I like since we’ve gotten to see him without splatoon business interfering.”

“Yeah, I’m with you there,” Her cousin responds, as she closes the lid on the coffee maker. Callie watches as she pats it 8 times.

Callie raises an accusatory finger. “You’re not making YOUR blend are you?”

Marie frowns. “What’s wrong with my blend?”

“Marie your blend could wake the dead,” her cousin’s frown deepens. “The one time I had like, two gulps of it, I thought my hearts were going to explode.”

“That’s not true,” Marie halfheartedly defends.

“Two cups of that made Quin more energetic than Nora! Post-metro! It made the only inkling in Inkadia that could out sulk you hyper!”

“Well, he clearly can’t out sulk me if he can’t handle the coffee” Marie calls back in mock offense.

“it’s true!” her cousin passionately hollers back.

Marie smiles, “I’m not making Gramps my necromancy potion Callie, don’t worry.”

“Ok good. I’m going to go ahead and set up the tables outside. I know we can all fit in here but I don’t want to cram in here if we don’t have to.”

“Sure, sounds fine, just let me finish this up and I’ll be right out.” Marie calls as the coffee pot starts to sputter out a thin stream of coffee. Marie grabs the cookie Callie left and begins to nibble on it while she waits.

Callie jumps to her feet and heads to the door, pausing briefly to slip her shoes back on. Now outside, she makes her way to a wooden cabinet lined against the backside of the house. From it she pulls 3 folding tables; 2 normal and one a bit larger, and 6 folding chairs. She meets Marie outside with a table in each hand. Callie tilts her head towards the back, Marie nods and heads in that direction as Callie starts propping up the snack tables.

The two are nearly done with setting up, Marie was setting the last chair down when they could hear the telltale gurgle of someone coming through the grate nearby. Both cousins turn to look as a figure emerges from the grate-covered ink.

The figure is short, but more due to a back bent over with age than a lack of height. His bony arms rest against a bamboo cane, shaking slightly. His balding head is covered by a bright blue Legendary Cap, a small white ponytail of tentacles sticks out behind it. The rest of him is decorated with a patchwork shirt of yellows and oranges, with a white tank top underneath. His bushy beard covers his mouth, but they two can still see that he’s smiling.

“Gramps!” Callie and Marie cry in unison, Callie jumping and waving excitedly with both hands, while Marie lazily waves with one.

“Hey there Squiddos! How have you two been?”

===

Nora was tired. Physically she was burning with energy, but now that she wasn’t able to move anymore, it was driving her insane. No, Nora was tired of adjusting. Tired of being reminded of her injury, in every single action and interaction in every single day. Tired of the pity and the sympathy from everyone. Tired of the guilt she knows she shouldn’t be feeling.

It’s not all bad, she reminds herself for the millionth time. I’ve picked up reading again! And drawing is fun too… she tries in vain to look for the silver linings. Anything to keep her mind from how she’s failing the splatoon.

She’s looking at but not really reading a book as she waits at the table. The spur-of-the-moment visit from her friends earlier did help raise her spirits some, mostly through conversation. Seeing them again also brought all her messy thoughts about the splatoon to the forefront of her mind, and with them gone she doesn’t have anything but her books to distract her. So she sits, not-really reading until she catches her friend’s approach out of the corner of her eye.

She looks up from her book, only half-needing to fake a smile as she sees one of her oldest friends move to sit in the booth across from her. “Heya! Glad ya could make it,” she calls.

“Hey Nora, how are you holding up?” She asks in turn, returning the smile.

“I’ve been pretty good. It’s wonderful to be back on my feet again, even if…” she trails off glancing towards her cane, which she’s left propped against the side of the table. “But enough about that, how have you been?”

“I’ve been pretty good myself,” Mavi replies with a soft smile. “Do you know what you want for lunch, by the way? I’m paying so I’ll run up and order real quick.”

“Ah, ummm, I guess just a BLT, light on the tomato.” She answers after a moment of consideration.

“Sounds good, I’ll be right back!” Mavi calls as she works her way to the front.

Recently, she’d have been annoyed at someone taking the opportunity to order for her. She can walk up to the counter damn self to order for cod’s sake. It doesn’t bother her, as much at least, when Mavi does it. She’s been like that as long as Nora can remember.

Nora remembered the day they met quite well, she had gotten lost in the city and encountered Mavi by chance. The girl was distant and disconnected, a feeling Nora could unfortunately relate to, both back then and now. Mavi helped her make it back to familiar ground, while Nora, as nicely as she could, forcefully pried contact information out of her. She then made a point out of meeting with Mavi regularly, gently trying to coax her back to reality.

Sometimes, Nora thought about that day. She wasn’t completely sure why she put so much into helping Mavi, but she suspects it had something to do with not wanting someone else to go through what she had.

Her reminiscing was interrupted by Mavi’s return, plate in each hand. She set Nora’s BLT in front of her before she sits down and begins eating her own salad. The two eat for a few minutes, simply enjoying the other’s company. For the first time in a while Nora’s thoughts aren’t hostile towards her.

Mavi is the one to break the silence. “Queen and Tiara finally got me.”

Nora pauses before she takes her next bite, “Oh? There’s a few ways I could interpret that you know.”

Mavi waves her hand, “No, nothing so interesting, I’m uhh, part of their band now, I guess?”

Nora’s sandwich falls to it’s place as she slams her hands on the table, pulling herself forward. “No shit! I didn’t think there was an actual band! I figured it was like, a code word or something!” She lets herself slide back into her seat. “Is it a code word?”

“No Nora, it’s not a code word, though you’re not entirely wrong,” Mavi admits. “It’s not that there’s not a band, it’s more like, they meet up, say ‘lets have band practice!’ and then don’t have band practice.”

“Ah, you’re the manager then” Nora replies without hesitating.

“I guess so.” Mavi outlines the situation she’s found herself in. A good, hour-long back and forth is cultivated, Nora being able to solve a few of Mavi’s problems thanks to her time around Callie and Marie, not that she explained where her ideas came from.

The cafe had started to empty at this point, it closed before the evening usually. Neither of them noticed, they were so engrossed in conversation. For Mavi is was a great opportunity to bounce some ideas off of someone and really start to nail down some concrete plans regarding RoyalSea and what she’d like to get done. For Nora, it was just nice to have something other than her own misery to think about for a time.

“Honestly, I think the hardest part of all this is going to be getting Tiara to cooperate. I’ll probably do this in stages to ease them into it. You know, start with some regular brainstorming, mix in a few consistent practices after a week or two, that sort of thing you know?” Mavi states, delivering her final thoughts on the matter.

“Yeah, that’s probably your best bet. She’s never been the best at starting a bunch of things at once.” Nora responds.

“It’s settled then, now that I’ve at least got a skeleton of a plan we can expand on it later. Thanks Nora, that had been plaguing my mind all day!”

“Yeah no problem,” Nora sighs.

The two lapse into another silence, but Nora’s mind is anything but. Cod, ever since she got out of that house all those years ago she’s been really easy to talk to. This is the best I’ve felt in weeks, I know no one else means anything by it but it’s just… she isn’t treating me any differently.. Maybe we can do lunch more often now that I can’t really do agent work? I don’t know, Mavi’s got a lot going on, I don’t want to derail everything she’s got going on with my stupid problems…

Mavi watches as a conflicted look forms on Nora’s face. “Nora?” She asks gently.

“Hmm? Oh right, Mavi! Sorry, I got a little lost in thought there, haha,” Nora says, trying to play it off. Cod, don’t tell me that she’s going to start fussing about me too.

A flash of determination shines through Mavi’s eyes before she reaches over and gently grabs one of Nora’s hands in both of hers. “You look like you’ve got something bothering you. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but if you need someone to listen I’m here.”

It takes Nora much longer than she would like to admit to choke back a sob, before she can weakly reply. “N-no Mavi, it’s nothing. I don’t want to bother you.”

Mavi smiles a soft, sad smile. “Nora, you’ve done so much for me, letting you vent to me is the least I could do.“

Nora’s tears threaten to escape at that moment, but she holds them for a few moments more. Shakily, she asks, “Could you come, s-sit next to me?” Mavi moves over without complaint.

The moment Mavi’s sat back down Nora’s arms are flung around her, pulling the two into a tight hug. Tears Nora had been holding for months finally come spilling out, and she cries. Cries for the opportunities lost, for her inability to help the splatoon, her friends, for the resentment of her situation and how it’s all her own fault. But she also cries for her friends and how they still care for her, for the new passions in drawing she never would have tried otherwise, for how despite it all she’s still alive.

It takes 10 minutes before she’s able to verbalize any of her thoughts, and Mavi’s patient and kind the while way through. Nora shakily begins to explain, but she’s tripped up again by having to keep everything a secret. Oh, how nice it would be, to tell someone. But I can’t. I owe it to the others, to Callie and Marie, to keep it a secret, that’s what they asked me to do.

She tries to explain how she’s struggling, but how does she explain the problem without talking about it? Eventually her emotions finally catch her mouth. “It’s just so frustrating!” She shouts, “I can’t explain it, Cod, this is awful…” I want to tell her.

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” Mavi responds after a pause. “But I have one thing I need you to understand, ok?” Mavi gently grabs one of Nora’s shoulders to get the girl’s attention. She waits until Nora meets her eyes before she continues, “This whole situation, with you leg and injury, it does NOT mean you’re worthless.” Nora starts to say something before Mavi gently cuts her off. “I know that’s not what you said, but I need you to understand that, ok?”

“…yeah, ok,” came Nora’s weak reply. I can’t tell her…

“I’m still here aren’t I? I’m still by your side, you mentioned before that your work friends are still by your side too. I know you don’t see them as often anymore but the rest of us in Fish Food, even the guys you haven’t met, they’re there too, you know? We care about you, that alone is proof you’re not worthless. And better yet, you care about us too!” Mavi’s resolute and tender tone lifts with a bit of playfulness, trying to lift her friend’s spirit.

Fuck it. “Mavi can I tell you something?”

“Yeah, Nora.”

Nora draws in a sharp breath. It takes her a moment to force herself to speak, but she manages to croaks out, “I’m, scared, Mavi. I, I can’t help the splatoon anymore, what do I do? I can’t run missions or, or go on patrols anymore! I can’t fight… I know it’s not my fault, but it doesn’t stop how it’s eating me up inside! Quinn’s already bearing so much, and now he’s down an agent and partner, he has so much more to do, and I just, can’t…” Nora pulls herself tighter into Mavi’s embrace. Between her sobs, she half-babbles an explanation to Mavi. The missions, Octavio, the metro, she even mentions the potential future missions in Splatsville. It’s liberating to finally get this off her chest, it’s been weighing down on her for so long. She doesn’t care that Mavi can only make out roughly every 3rd word, she just needs to tell someone.

After what felt like hours but was really only about 40 minutes, Nora begins to calm down. She peels herself off of Mavi, apologizing faster than Mavi can reassure her it’s fine. Mavi hands her a damp wipe, from inside her bag she explains, which Nora uses to wipe her face. As she lowers the wipe, she looks around the restaurant, embarrassed about potentially making a scene, only to find the entire place abandoned. Nora turns back to watch Mavi as stands from the table, swinging of her bag around her shoulders. Nora looked towards her own collection of items on the table, only to find that Mavi had packed them into her bag already. A glance back at her friends rewarded her with a small smile.

“I’m gonna go tell the manager we’re done now, I’ll be back in a moment,” She says.

Nora nods, and begins inching her way to the edge of the booth seat. She slides her bag to the edge of the table, straps facing away from her. Grabbing her cane in her left hand, she pulls herself to her feet using it and the back of the booth as leverage. Now standing, she shifts the bulk of the weight to her uninjured left leg, and props her cane against the side of the booth. She quickly slips her backpack on and regrabs the cane, shifting her weight so she’s not favoring her good leg as much.

Mavi returns not long after, “He’s glad you’re ok, but we should go.”

“How late is it?” Nora asks her.

Mavi takes a moment to glance at a wall clock in the cafe. “Almost 5:00.”

“Shit! I’m late,” Nora cries. “I told my friends I’d meet them for a meeting at 4! Mavi we gotta go!”

One they’re outside, Nora turns to Mavi, gratitude shining in her eyes. “Again, thank you Mavi. You probably have a lot of questions, considering I kinda bore my soul, including secrets I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“It’s no issue Nora, really. I won’t tell anyone about what you said, even if they are kinda concerning without context. Do you, ah, need help getting to your meeting? I could probably call Queen and get her to drive you if it’s far.”

“Nono, it’s close, it’s just a meeting about…” Nora trails off, her brain rapidly shooting off ideas. The meeting’s about our personnel issue… Mavi could fill in for me! I could train her! She’s a competent fighter I’ve seen her in Turf! A part of her argues. No, you’ve already betrayed their trust enough by even telling her! Another part bites back. She already knows though! “It’s a meeting about some… issues.” She picks up where she left off only a moment or two passing between her statements.

After a pause, she slowly drawls, “Hey Mavi, there’s a… really easy way I could answer your questions, if you’d like…”

“You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to Nora” Mavi repeats without missing a beat.

“Yeah. Yeah, I know, but I think I want to. Would you… like to come to the meeting with me?”

Mavi blinks at her for a few seconds, “Are you sure? I- It wouldn’t cause any issues would I?”

“Oh no, you’ll be fine! I’ll explain the situation to everyone and they should all be cool with it!.” I hope.

“W-well, ok then, if it’s not going to cause any trouble. I would like to know what all is going on.”

“Then it’s settled! We could really use your help. Come, follow me, we’re headed to the plaza.”

“Right, but I’m gonna call Tiara as we walk, I was going to meet with them tonight, I’ll just move it to tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good, I’ll lead the way, but since I’m not exactly speedy anymore, you should have time for the call.”