There was only one thought burning through Marina's mind as she practically fell into an allyway to escape a crowd of soldiers. This was a mistake. This wasn't where she was supposed to be. This wasn't what she was supposed to be doing. How could she be so naïve to think she could just walk down the street and run into Ahato?

She didn't even know where Ahato was for cod's sake. Marina hadn't seen so much as the back of her friend's head since the day the Octostomp failed, but even then it's not like they saw each other with any frequency. After they split at graduation their meetings had dropped from daily, to monthly, to every other month, until they reached the point it was at before. Try to stay calm. How many places could she even be at?

First, Marina tried looking at Ahato's apartment. She'd never been there herself, so she had to look through the records on the network to find out. Even then, knowing where the apartment was didn't mean she was there. She spent twenty minutes standing outside, knocking on the door until a neighbor leaned out of his door with a glare cold enough to freeze her to the spot.

"Mizuta? Eh, yeah, this is 'er place. But she's not been back for a while naw." He told her before slamming the door in her face.

Next, she almost went to the IT headquarters, before she remembered how averse to the proper chain of command her friend actually was. That didn't leave many options then. There was no way for her to guess where a system installation could hypothetically be happening, and there was no common place that Ahato spent time at, that I know about at least. Short of camping outside of the meal hall, there was no way to be sure she'd ever see her friend again.

That's how Marina found herself where she was. She'd had been roving the outside of the meal hall, but eventually enough soldiers started to leave, taking advantage of their free time to socialize and wander the vendors. The growing crowd started to wear on her. Then, several more units left, and a half-dozen after that. It didn't take long before she was completely overwhelmed, like she was being swallowed by the mass of soldiers.

It was a sudden stabbing pain in her side that sent her to the alleyway. After being found unconscious in her lab, the soldiers assumed Cuttlefish had somehow escaped and taken her down by surprise. She hadn't corrected them, but she knew better. She'd nearly died in that moment. That was a moment of weakness in the most literal sense possible. Her body has literally given out from below her. Starvation and dehydration had wreaked havoc on her body. Really, it was a wonder she'd been able to stand up at all, much less throw herself around like she had.

"Marina, yer going to DIE if you don't change something!"

The aftermath scared her. The last thing Marina remembered was a comforting touch, a connection, the likes of which she'd only felt echoes of since graduation. Waking up to her body literally failing was one of the most frightening things she'd ever experienced. There wasn't a way to put into words what it felt like, feeling each second tick by, unable to move as her body slowly withered away.

She'd since taken steps to recover. No meal skipped, no drink ignored. It was a step in the right direction, but a day and a half of drink and rest didn't undo two months of neglect.

So, Marina found herself half-propped against the side of a random building, clutching her side and breathing erratically. I don't know what I'm doing. I shouldn't be doing this, I can hardly walk around outside without collapsing! How did I ever think this could work!?" At least this time, when she cried, there were actual tears in her eyes. She dejectedly sunk to the ground, barely managing to stop herself from spiraling completely. This isn't the same as fixing a rounding error on a blueprint! I screwed up the only connection in my life that meant anything! That's not just something you fix by returning the thing you STOLE from them!

"Hey." A tired voice demanded from her left. "Breathe."

Marina spun to look at the voice. The speaker was a fairly plain looking woman, obviously a soldier, with skin a few shades lighter than her own. She was young, maybe half a year older than Marina herself, but no more than seventeen, and even that was pushing it. Her eyes spoke to an exhaustion much greater than her years, like she'd been tormented for months on end.

The state of Marina's mind must have been evident, because the soldier put her arms up in a placating gesture, even if she hardly moved her face to actually convey the emotions. "Trust me. Shallow breaths are only going to make the feeling last longer."

Marina turned away and pushed her back against the wall. She fought with herself to get control, and eventually managed to calm her breathing. Whether that was due to her poorly executed exercises, or just the passage of time, she didn't know. When it didn't feel like every screen was about to fall off the ceiling and crush her, she turned back to her unexpected companion.

Marina hesitantly nodded. "Yeah... um, thanks."

The girl waved her hand dismissively. Conversation stalled for a few moments while Marina caught the rest of her loose emotions, getting a grip on herself again. "Um, sorry for asking," she hesitantly ventured, "but do you get the same panicked feeling?"

The girl scoffed. "What, never heard of a panic attack?"

Panic attack? I... I have heard of those before. Back in school, I remember someone explaining them to me. It made sense at the time, but I didn't think they were something I could have.

The Head Engineer has an image she must maintain, as she is a role model for all others to look towards.

"I didn't think someone in as prestigious a position was allowed to—"

"HA!" The girl laughed, but it was a bitter, hollow thing. "Prestigious... yeah, right. I take it you're still quite new to being in a unit then?"

The Head Engineer is a position that demands respect. She should expect to be treated as such.

Marina froze. Doesn't she recognize me? I'm... no. It's better she doesn't. There's no telling what kind of damage news of the Head Engineer breaking down in an alleyway could cause. "Uhh, yup! Just starting out..."

"Well, I hate to be the one to cloud your sky, but you'd better get used to the feeling."

"What?"

"Yeah." The dead look the girl gave her was almost scary in how unflinching it was. "Right now, you're coming out of schooling with all these big ideals. 'Ah, you're doing the honorable thing by joining the military! You're doing the right thing for your people!' Bla Bla Bla... you know, all that shrimpshit."

The Head Engineer's behavior should model that of the ideal soldier. Her presence should encourage others to live up to that standard.

"It's, you can't just say that! Our instructors worked very hard to—"

"Bla bla bla bla BLA BLA BLA!" The girl cut her off while miming a mouth with her fingers. "It's all a load of scrap, and I'll tell you why. There's no 'grand goal' of the military. You're going to be a worker. You'll wake up, you'll suffer through hours on hours of training, you'll run additional hours of pointless combat drills. After five hours of useless 'training' and right when you think you're done, you'll be marched to one end of the domes, and then be forced to pull multiple tons of garbage to the other end."

Does she mean... the flooder system? But that improved transport, why would she be upset about that? With the trucks off the road, the stress on the air recycling system plummeted! The air quality got a lot better too!

The girl's rant didn't pause while Marina thought. "If you're lucky, that takes you multiple hours to complete, because if not you're right back into the field for more training! Hope you didn't injure yourself pulling enough weight completely to flatten a respawner, per sled."

The Head Engineer should take pride in her work, as it has revolutionized life in the domes.

"I... didn't think of it that way." The words chafed at her ego. No one ever spoke so vehemently when they voiced concerns. It almost felt wrong to have someone opposed to her work like that. People weren't supposed to dislike it, Marina only did things to help them! Still, she managed to temper her instincts and keep up her disguise.

"Welcome to the world, kid. The brass doesn't actually care about us at all, as long as the numbers look good." With a final sigh, the girl fell against the wall, finally seeming to relax a fraction.

Marina didn't know what to say. She wanted to defend herself and her comrades, but the words died on her lips. The was a truth to the girl's words, even if it wasn't quite the same as what she was saying.

Unfortunately, her chance for deeper reflection was interrupted by a new voice shouting from the front of the alleyway. "Arai! There you are!"

The girl flinched and tensed her entire body. Any sign of the flighting peace she was feeling vanished in an instant, and she looked towards the new voice with obvious irritation. "Melting scrap on the surface Alibi I know how to get back to the fucking barracks! I just saw someone in here struggling, ok? Go away."

The new figure stepped down the alley pausing when she could get a good look at the situation. "Girl, relax. I'm just asking if you want to come to The Hollows with us for a change of pace. Here some good music and just hang out for a while, you know? We got Imari's approval and everything!"

Music? The Hollows? Should I know where that is?

Marina couldn't see what the girl, apparently named Arai, was doing, but she could definitely feel the negative aura she was giving off.

"Ok, fine." Alibi, the newcomer, rolled her eyes. "Imari nodded her head, which means she isn't going to tell on us. It's the closest thing we'll get from her." Conversation paused long enough for things to become awkward. "So... do you want to—"

"No."

"Um, could you explain what The Hollows are?" Marina tepidly asked before the conversation could spiral any further.

Alibi paused for a moment, regarding her. "An unsanctioned music club with a bunch of musicians that gather there to put on shows every day. They're kind of like, an open secret."

Could that be where Ahato disappeared too? It would make sense, she had that music thing she was working on in her free time, and it'd explain why I can't find her. Though, the 'unsanctioned' part is making me a bit nervous.

"It's an illegal club?" Marina asked, trying to sound as innocent as she could.

"It's... em. 'Illegal' isn't the right word. The military definitely knows about it. They leave it because it's ultimately harmless, and it gives a place for all the wayward musicians down here to go." Alibi shrugged. "And it gives something for a bunch of soldiers to do. Seems like a decent system to me."

Marina nodded slowly. "Yeah... do you mind if I tag along with you guys? It sounds like—" She cut herself off. Sounds like Ahato might be there. "—sounds like a good time."

"Sure! As long as your leader is cool with it!"

Scrap! Leader, excuse... "Uhh... No, he wouldn't mind! We spent the afternoon pulling transport, so he gave us the evening off."

"Ouch, yeah. Some music will be good for you... eh..." Alibi tilted her head, like she was asking a question, as she held out her hand.

Is she waiting for a handshake or something? OH!! "Marina." She took the offered hand, and was pulled to her feet. "Sorry, I'm very scattered right now."

"Oh, like that lead engineer chick?"

The Head Engineer is a position that demands respect. She should expect to be treated as such.

"Y-yeah! I got that a lot in school. Kinda funny, right?"

"Oh, don't worry girl, I get you. You have no idea how many 'you're my alibi' jokes I had to endure. C'mon! I'll tell the group what the plan is." Alibi turned and walked from the alleyway, waving for Marina to follow.

She started to do so, but stopped as she walked past the girl who helped her initially, Arai. "Um, thank you for helping me. I don't know what I'd do if not for you."

Arai looked up at her. There was a storm of irritation in her eyes, but it subsided as their gazes met. "It's nothing."

Marina hesitated. "I hope things get better for you."

A few moments passed while Arai thought over her words. Finally she gave Marina a lazy smirk. "Keep my squad busy for a while and they might."

"I'll try my best." Marina gave her a smile, and started to walk away. "Thanks again!"

Outside of the alleyway, the soldiers were still swarming through the streets. The surge of movements immediately put her on edge again, but Marina steeled her resolve, even if she hung on the edge of the alley still. It took a second of looking over the crowds to find Alibi, who was waving to get her attention. She was standing in a group with five other soldiers.

"There you are!" she shouted as Marina got close. "I thought I'd have to go get you. Anyway, I thought I'd introduce you to the unit! This is Nick, Toshi, Kiran, Sero, and Ramona! Guys, this is Marina, she's gonna come to the clubs with us instead of Arai, who's too busy being grumpy, so she's gonna stay behind."

The sudden barrage of information caught Marina off guard. "Um, hi, everyone?"

"Hey"
"Yo"
"How's it going"

She didn't know who was saying what, but it was apparently good enough for the group because they all started moving. Conversation broke out in smaller groups, and Marina was frankly too nervous to join any of them. She walked beside the unit, more following them than anything.

The Head Engineer has an image she must maintain, as she is a role model for all others to look towards.

It was demeaning, feeling so isolated despite being surrounded by a crowd of people. She was supposed to be a role model for them. A figure they could all look towards as inspiration to be better, and yet, she could barely look them in the eyes.

Who even am I anymore?

Why is she here?

It took every scrap of effort Ahato had, but she managed to keep her cool. Even something like this wasn't going to ruin her chance to make a name for herself. It was a challenge; even if the music was all correct, the first few minutes of her performance were very robotic, as she forced herself through the motions. Before long, she started to find her groove again, as the stiffness faded away and she started to have fun with it again. Ok, ok. Everyone will just think it was nerves. Which, I guess isn't wrong.

Her spirits soared as she played. This was her moment, her show, her song. That original melody might have come from somewhere above, but she had taken it and made it something uniquely hers. No one's taking that from me.

Still, even as she fell into the groove, she couldn't stop her eyes from occasionally snapping to the back of the audience. Despite the crowd around her dancing and cheering, Marina stood stock still, staring up at the stage with a look on her face. At first, Ahato didn't know what to make of it. Marina's focus was unwavering, even someone bumping into her side seemed to barely register. What is she doing? What is she thinking?

Ahato didn't know. It wasn't until she built to the first big drop of her set that she started to piece it together. The way Marina's breath hitched as the build started, how she was practically pulled towards the stage as the song swelled. It was all so subtle. Marina wasn't jumping or cheering with the crowds, but she was utterly mesmerized all the same. Maybe even more than some of the people more into it.

But there wasn't any time for her to think about that. Ahato couldn't stare at one person in the audience, there were dozens of others here for her. She had a show to put on, and there wasn't a thing anyone could do to distract her. Thirty more minutes to go, I got this.

With a final flourish, Ahato finished her show. She immediately began unplugging her equipment while the crowd gave her a final cheer. There was a narrow window she could use to escape, and not even the ache in her shoulder was going to stop her. The moment her backpack was full, it was up on her back. She was off the stage a few moments later, arms full of equipment. I'm not risking it. I'll hide backstage for a while. I'm sure the C artists won't mind.

She paused just a moment to give a final wave as thanks, and then pushed her way through the door with her good shoulder. Ahato shared a nod with the only other person in the room, an artist named Cutter, before he grabbed his bag of equipment and left. Her own bag ended up tossed lazily on the desk in front of her as she fell into the seat. She pretended like she wasn't staring at the door. Maybe that wasn't Marina. I could have been seeing things through the lighting, or something.

That was just wishful thinking. Marina really was in that crowd, and there wasn't a thing anyone could do to stop her from walking inside this room. What does she want? Why did she wait until now to show up again? Am I not allowed to have this ONE thing?

Ahato was finally finding her place in the world. She finally had something going for her in life. People actually wanted to see her-- spend time with her. People actually wanted to hear her music. Marina could ruin all that; she could destroy this entire place with a sentence if she wanted. Maybe if I just shut up and hide, she won't take everything from me again.

As if the world was mocking her, the door didn't bump until Ahato had just started to relax. Marina stood, her back to the crowd outside, staring at her from the doorway. Fuck.

Ahato turned away, fixing her attention squarely on her hands, which she folded in her lap. She put her attention on anything but the person in the doorway: the sounds of the crowd, the hum of the lights, the pain in her shoulder. The regrets in my mind.

Marina closed the door, before slowly walking into the room, stopping a few steps away. There was a few moments of audible hesitation before Marina finally spoke. "Acht, I—"

"No." The word fell from Ahato's mouth, cold and bitter. "No, you don't get to walk in here, using a cutesy nickname, and pretending everything is alright, Head Engineer. Not after what you did."

"I want—"

"You want," Ahato sneered. "It's all about you, right? Only the best for the Head Engineer, after all."

Panic laced through Marina's tone. "Ac— Ahato, that's not—"

"You used me to boost your status with the brass, and then couldn't even look me in the eyes after I saved your life. Am I supposed to just take you at your word then?"

"I— I—"

"What am I supposed to do, Marina!?" Ahato shot out of her chair, turning to stare her former friend down. "You could shut this entire place down in an instant! It wouldn't even be an inconvenience to you, with how willing you are to flaunt your status to get what you want!"

Marina froze.

Ahato panted, turning away and wincing at the tension in her shoulder. "I ruined my arm for you, Marina. I've been in constant pain for the last month because I pushed my shoulder too far, and you couldn't even page me a proper apology. 'Sorry for yelling at you. Can we talk?' isn't enough."

"You don't even know what you did, do you?" Ahato scoffed. "You have no idea what any of this means to the people outside of Central Command. You're so caught up in your own perfect little world that you don't spare a thought for the only person who stuck by your side when we were kids!" Her voice broke at the last part as her emotions finally breached their wall. Damn it! I thought I had myself under control.

Marina's breath hitched, but she stayed silent otherwise.

"You were the only person I had Marina! No one else! My bosses hate me, my own sister can't stand the sight of me! You were the only person I had, and you left me too!" Ahato desperately blinked the tears prickling in the corners of her eyes. "How am I supposed to accept anything you try with this big of a gap between us?" Her voice wavered as she tried to hold herself together. "I don't know who you are any more, Marina..."

Ahato sucked in a breath and turned back. She didn't know if she was going to scream or cry, but the urge to do both was near overpowering. Only, as she looked, Ahato finally saw who had been before her the entire time. Marina looked terrible. Her figure was thin and sickly; obvious evidence she hadn't been eating anything. Exhaustion and grief shined as bright as stars in her eyes. The teal at the end of her tentacles was nearly white, her ink was so faded. There were visible cracks in the skin around her hands, which shook as she held something out towards her.

Ahato's headphones. She brought them back?

Marina barely spoke in a whisper as she bowed her head. "I can't do this anymore."

Oh.

There was no conscious part of her actions. Ahato reached forward, wrapping her arms around her friend. Despite the bad air between them, the difference in status, and the chasm that had grown between them, Marina had reached out to her for help.

Ahato needed it too.

Marina fell into her arms, her body devolving into a fit of shaking the moment she wasn't fighting to support herself. The comforting gesture opened the floodgates, as Marina spilled her entire story, confessing her failures and how her life was killing her. How she was killing herself to support a system that didn't care, and how she needed to escape from it all. Ahato held her through the entire process, offering the thing only she could give.

A friend.

The conversation that followed was nearly incomprehensible as the two worked to make up. There were a lot of rushed, incomplete statements, and thoughts started and stopped before they were able to finish, but Marina's messages seemed to reach her friend. I'm so sorry. I hurt you. My life is killing me and that made me lash out. I don't want to be that person anymore, but I don't know how to be myself.

Ahato in turn expressed her frustrations with her life, how trapped and miserable she had been. What Marina's careless actions had done to her. How here she finally had something to live for, something she wanted despite the struggle it'd take. And that something was beautiful. The show had been unlike anything Marina had ever experienced. The ebb and flow of the music had left her dazed and awash with wonder.

Until that point, the only music Marina had heard was from the annual show General Octavio would put on. There was no music within High Command, and when she was outside, the speakers were often too distant, and her mind far too focused to hear any of it. Ahato's show put the rest of her life into perspective. It made the already bleak memories of her past feel utterly dismal by comparison.

"Marina, yer going to DIE if you don't change something!"

If she'd already made the decision to stop being the Head Engineer, Ahato had cemented it. There wasn't any chance she could go back to a life isolated as that one. Cuttlefish was right, she had to change something.

"You changed my life... again" Marina admitted under her breath.

"I what?" Across from her, Ahato looked back with shock written across her face.

"Back in school, I was close to shutting down. Everyone hated being shown up by an inkblot, so I didn't have any friends. That only got worse as I was pushed forward, until I met you." Marina balled her fists on her knees. "You changed my life, Ahato, you were there with me. You talked to me, listened to me. You gave me someone to be myself for... and I think I lost that after we graduated."

Ahato looked up from the headphones in her hands.

Marina tightened her fists and ducked her head, but kept talking. "I can't keep being the Head Engineer. Ahato, your music helped me decide that. I can't do that to myself. I don't want to lost that. Not again. " She kept her eyes closed for the tense seconds of silence that followed.

"I'm glad I could help you, Marina." Ahato admitted slowly. There was a drag of something else in her voice. It was hard to tell if it was hope, but that's what it sounded like.

With one final deep breath, Marina asked her question. "Will you play me your songs again?"

"Will I what?"

"Your music! I-I want to hear it again. If that's alright."

"I... yeah. I'd love to play it for you." Ahato stood and walked over to her equipment, but stopped as she realized something. "Not here, though. I'm not a proper member of the C-stage yet, and we've probably already been back here for too long."

"Oh..." The sound escaped Marina automatically. If that was it then, what was she supposed to do? Did she go back to her lab? Maybe I could talk to Cuttlefish again...

"Marina?" Ahato called from the front of the room.

"Ah?!" Marina spun, looking over to her friend, who was waiting by the door with all her equipment in tow.

"Are you coming?"

"Coming?" Marina tilted her head.

"To my room, so we don't have to worry about getting pushed out by the other performers." Ahato nodded her head towards the door.

"Oh! Y-yes!" Marina cried as she stumbled to her feet. "Back to your apartment?"

"Nah. I got a place down here where my sister can't find me."

With a sigh, Ahato eased backwards and pushed her shoulder against the pillows she'd stacked. It was a miracle how good today ended up being, but despite that, her muscles still hurt from the efforts she'd put in. Maybe I can get Marina to massage the spot I can't reach very well. Ehh... maybe not.

A few steps over, Marina sat at the desk wearing headphones. Not the silver ones she'd returned, those had found themselves back home around Ahato's neck. It was easy to tell her friend was entirely dedicated to the music right now. The scowl of sheer concentration fought against a grin of pure glee as she listened. I haven't seen that face since we were in school.

It was endearing, seeing the part of her friend that had been nearly snuffed out flare back to life. Her own spirits felt lighter just watching Marina's expressions cycle as the music progressed. Maybe this can work out, too.

Things weren't perfect between them. Ahato had been clear that everything wasn't all the sudden alright because of an apology. There needed to be change, but damn it all Ahato wasn't going to pass up the chance. Even before the Octostomp incident, she'd missed Marina, and the absence only felt more prolonged after it. Marina seemed willing, and Ahato wanted to fix things more than she wanted to play on the A stage. I mean, what else do I have going on? I can take a chance on a friend, right?

Absent-mindedly, her hand returned to her shoulder to try and work out the latest knot. Turns out two back to back performances were not exactly kind to the muscles, to say nothing of when the muscles weren't known for their good graces in the first place. She got to work trying to find the unique combination of pokes and prods that'd dial back the pain. Damn, this thing is not happy with me today.

"Acht?" Marina asked, startling Ahato out of her trance.

"What's up?" She asked, smoothly hiding her shock behind a level tone.

"You made an awful looking face while clutching your shoulder... are you alright?" Marina cautiously set the headphones on the desk. Music was still playing from them.

"Not really." Ahato shrugged before returning to her makeshift massage. "It's been hurting since I had to move that metal to shield you from the ink." She prodded a particularly tight knot, which made her grunt and tense her entire arm in response. "Sometimes it's worse than others."

Marina looked crestfallen. "I... I didn't realize you did so much for me. I'm sorry..."

Ahato just shrugged, wincing in the process. "It's what happened. I... don't want to dwell on it. " That much was true. She wasn't quite sure if she was ready to reach out with her trust again, but there was no guarantee she would get another chance to try. *If she's willing to stick with me, I'm sure I can find that peace in no time.

"Uh, what'd you think of the performance?" She ventured, after a few more awkwardly silent moments. "Now that you've heard it again, I mean."

"Acht, it's amazing! I don't even know what to say about it. I want to... I want more of it. That feeling." Marina pushed her hands together, before slowly pulling them outwards. "It was eye opening. It's the first time I've felt good about anything in months."

In the background, the set reached it's apex. Duh. Duh Duh, Duh, Duh. Duh-Dah Duh-Dah Dun-Da.

"I could teach you, if you wanted?"

Marina jolted, like she'd been shocked. "Really?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Even after... all that?"

Ahato couldn't help but roll her eyes good naturedly. " 'Rina, we need something to help us move forward, and I'd be more than willing to show you the ropes."

Stars lit up in Marina's eyes. The kind of eagerness that Ahato hadn't seen since early in their school life. "Y-yes!" It seems they'd struck the cord on Marina's natural curiosity. "I'd love to!"

Something sparked in Ahato's chest at that moment. An eagerness, one she hadn't felt in so long, it was hard to tell if the memory was even real. Seems like we found my chord too. "Sounds like a plan. Now, let's start from the beginning."

Maybe being a duo act wouldn't be so bad.