I'm going to make this into an image. Just imagine the most genric, soulless corporate advertisement poster that's designed to be "radical" and "edgy".
!NOW HIRING!
GRIZZCO INDUSTRIES
SALMON RUN
CREATING THE FUTURE
ENLIST TODAY
DEPLOYMENT EVERY THURSDAY
COMPETATIVE PAY
20,000G SIGN ON BONUS
-# Inkopolis Square
Twenty Thousand G, PLUS regular pay? With that much cash, I could get that curtain set and still cover three days rent! Nora's eyes bore into the poster, trying to absorb the details. This had to be a new thing, because the Square was neck deep in a massive construction project. Like, half the roads were closed and the ones that weren't were lined by that weird rubbery orange net thing that every construction site ever has. Still, if the poster says that's where to go, that's where she'd go.
Luckily, the Square was one of the few places in the city she had unshakable faith in her ability to find. Just look towards the giant pillar of scaffolding (that wasn't the business district or the Plaza Tower,) and kinda just wander around there until you find it.
True to expectations, it took looking down four different roads to find one that was open to foot traffic. It was managed chaos behind the weird orange barriers. Each building had a different swarm of inkfish, jellyfish, and a half dozen other species all a step away from tripping over one another. Steel frames were exposed, piles of bricks loomed in the distance, there were so many high-vis vests that they all ironically blended together and became part of the background. Months ago, Nora was utterly fascinated by these projects. Each one was bigger than anything her little hometown had ever seen. After some time with these sites right outside of her apartment window, however, the charm wears off quickly. It was still cool, but it wasn't interesting. Made the rent cheap though, so she couldn't really complain.
After a few more minutes of fence mazes, she found her way to the very much still in-progress Inkopolis Square. There was, however, a single corner of the space that wasn't covered in metal framing and plastic wrap. It wasn't a big area, if anything it was closer to an alleyway than a side street, but a wooden sign mounted over a shuttered entrance proudly announced "Grizzco Industries". A wireframe sign with the same logo from the poster hung in the center, confirming beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was the right place.
Approaching this clearing, it let her get a better idea of just what she was in for. By all accounts, it was a plain, uninteresting building. The only notable thing about it, aside from the sign, was the fact that it wasn't covered in construction equipment. Walking up to the shuttered door, she peered inside, trying to see if there was someone nearby to open it up. It was hard to see, on account of there being a surprisingly dense amount of clutter inside. It mostly looked like it was decorations, signs and lights designed to go on the outside of the building at some point.
A loud rickety slam to her left made Nora scramble away from the shutter. "HEY KID! OVAH HERE!"
To the left of the grate was a window, it had also been shuttered shut, but now had an Inkling woman leaning out of it. She looked... rough. Thin, scarred tentacles, bags under her eyes, disheveled, wrinkled shirt, and a visor cap so dirty it probably hadn't ever been washed. "ARE YA HERE FOR DA SAIMON RUN?"
Nora scurried up to the window, and then immediately took two steps back as a cloud of cigarette smoke threatened to engulf her. "Y-yes Ma'am! Though, I'd like to uh, know a little bit about it first?"
The worker gave her a sideways look, eyes squinted like she was studying something. Her head dropped into her hand as she took another drag on her cigarette. "Listen kid. Alls yas need ta know is dat, you's a tree odda wokas is gonna defend aland and getta buncha eggs."
"That... sounds deceptively simple." Nora took a half step forward, out of courtesy. "What's the catch?"
"Da fishes. Saimonids. They's ainta fan of us gettin them eggs, so yous gotta fightem off." Another drag on the cigarette. At least she looked away from Nora to blow out the smoke.
"Salmonids?" Frankly, she should have seen that coming. It was in the name Salmon Run after all. "What kinda fight, is it—"
The worker gave her a bored look. "Havya plaid toif waas, kid?"
"Um, yes?"
"Yous is fine. It'll be easy as pah." The worker gave her a not-at-all-reassuring smile. "Watsya name kid?"
"Nora Sheller. Um, I've got my ID an—"
The worker marked something on a piece of paper. "Andya suit soize?
"Sorry?"
"Suit soize? Ya clothes!"
"Ah— Medium? I wear medium shirts?"
"Kay. Yous in the books." She lazily slid a piece of paper to the side, before fixing Nora with a stern gaze. "Now, ya sure yous is gonna show brite an early Thuusday mornin? Seven thoiughty?
"Yes Ma'am!"
"Poifect. You'll need ta sign somethin that mornin. Come here ta get ya geea. Wea'll tell ya where ta go afta dat. Taanks fa choosin Grizzco." Without another word, she reached up and pulled the shutter down with a deafening clang, leaving Nora standing alone in the alleyway, surrounded by construction sites.
"What did I just sign up for...?"
Like she agreed to, Nora found herself shuffling through the desolate Square at the even more desolate 7:00 in the morning. The city was never empty, but walking through the construction district before the day's work started got really close to feeling like it was.
There were, however, a small handful of other inkfish around the Grizzco window though, most of which were holding an impossibly bright orange something in their arms. Nora fell in line behind a few people, waiting for her turn at the window. Thankfully there was someone different behind it this time. I don't know if I could have handled that woman again.
The worker behind the counter was a sharply dressed inkling. His outfit was something halfway between a butler's uniform and a business suit. Every little motion was refined and elegant, from stacking papers to passing another horrid orange monstrosity out the window. "Thank you, sir, for choosing Grizzco." Even his accent was regal and refined. What the heck is this guy?
"May I help whoever's next, please?"
"Oh!" She quickly stepped forward. "Um, hi! The worker here told me to come here first when I sighed up the other day."
He gave her an appreciative nod. "Thank you for your cooperation thus far, Miss...?"
"Sheller! Nora Sheller."
"Ah, excellent! Miss Sheller, welcome to the employ of Grizzco Industries. We look forward to working with you in the future." A slew of items were set on the counter in front of her: several papers, a pad of ink, and a blank ID card. "Look up, miss."
"Huh?" Nora was blinded by a sudden flash of light as a camera fleshed in her face. "Bwh??" She staggered back, rubbing her eyes. "What-why didn't you do that for the last guy! Then I woulda known it was coming!"
The worker bowed, to her. "Apologies, Miss Sheller. He already had an ID card prepared." The apology didn't so much a slow his efficient work. Papers were shuffled and a pen was proffered before Nora had a chance to track what was happening. "Before us are your employee contract and records. If you wish, we can review what each document means, or if you'd rather, I have a brief overview I can provide instead."
That stack of papers was thick. Nora swallowed her hesitance. "I'll take the summary, if that's alright."
"Very well, Miss Sheller. Simply sign when I point to a line. The top bulk of the pages are the details of your employment contract. They specify your working conditions out in the field. You are to study the reference materials provided before your shift starts while in transit. Any injury attained as a result of not doing so is not the fault of Grizzco Industries. Sign here." He was flicking through the pages rapidly, until he stopped in an instant with a finger pointing to a blank line.
Nora scribbled her name.
"You understand that this contract can be terminated at any time, by either party, provided you are not currently employed on a shift. To do so, you must come back to this location and speak with the staff here." She signed a second time.
"This form outlines your agreement to our alternative to a traditional pay scheme. Rather than G, you will be rewarded with tokens with which you can exchange for different goods, included among them is G, the day after a shift. Sign here." Again, she signed.
"Here, you acknowledge that you understand that in order to receive the 20,000 G sign-on bonus, you must complete a full shift and reach your team's quota. Sign here." This proceeded for several more forms. Equipment operation, weapon operation, suit rental, one of the forms even took her finger print and ink sample. Some time in the middle of the process, he slid her the ID card from before, only now it had been filled out with her information, and the unflattering photo of her flinching at the flash.
Finally, though the infinite paperwork came to an end. "That is all, Miss Sheller. Your next step is to go to the ship which will join you with your assigned team and take you to your station. You will find my associate there to guide you. Here—" A business card was set on the edge of the window— "is the address you should go to. Finally, you will need this." Nora watched with dread as another one of the neon orange rubber suits was passed over the counter to her, complete with a hardhat. "This is your assigned suit. If there are any problems with it, you are to report them to staff on the ship. Assuming the damages were caused by working for Grizzco, the suit will be replaced at no cost to you. Otherwise, it is yours so long as you continue to work with us."
She clumsily took the rubber mass into her arms, immediately languishing under it's bulk. "Thank you, s-sir."
He bowed to her once more. "It is my pleasure, Miss Sheller. Thank you for choosing Grizzco."
Nora stepped from the line, struggling to carry the suit and read the address on the card at the same time. Where the heck am I going. Somewhere in the docks, right? Around the bay? I'm sure I can find it.
Fifty seven minutes later, Nora was running down a concrete dock towards the largest ship she'd ever seen. Granted, she'd not really seen a ship in person before, but she wasn't capable of understating just how big this thing was. It was almost completely plain looking, save for a simple orange highlight along the top and bottom rims, and the Grizzco logo on the side. A massive satellite dish occupied the bulk of the boat's front. Two cargo containers occupied the back, and that was the end of any identifying features the boat had.
A single walkway was lowered onto the dock for boarding, manned only by a single octoling stood next to it. She looked exhausted. A few other gaggles of inkfish were making their way towards the ramp around her.
Good, I made it in time! Nora's jog petered out a short step from the ramp. Desperate for breath after running up and down the docks, she bent over and rested her hands on her knees for a moment to catch her breath. She let the suit tumble to the ground in front of her. Jogging through the city, not good!
One group of inkfish walked past her as she recovered; two octolings with green or maroon ink, and an inkling with silver ink. They all wore the same garish orange suit she was carrying. The green octoling seemed to be the leader of the group, as he walked backwards with his hands behind his head, acting like he was the biggest deal in the area. His two companions were making pointed efforts to not acknowledge this.
"It's nothing." He said, shrugging. "And if it is something, then it just makes this whole thing more dynamic."
"That's not what I'm saying." The other octoling rebutted. "Whatever's going on with the salmonids isn't just some random thing. It's som— No, Lusca, No! I see that look in your eye. We are NOT—"
The leader held up one finger to cut her off. "Shh... It'll be more fun. TRUST me." Not waiting for a response, he spun in place, meeting the worker with a lazy smile. "Caroline! It's a pleasure to see you again!"
The worker, presumably Caroline, didn't say a single word. She just gave him the most loathing, tired expression Nora had ever seen someone give.
With a scoff, the third member of the group, the inkling with silver tentacles, shoved the leader up the ramp. "Sorry. Same cabin?" The worker nodded very, very slowly.
"Aww, wait!" The leader shouted, but silver tentacles did not even pretend to grant his request, pushing him up the ramp without remorse.
Nora watched them ascend, their conversation fading as they got further away. When she looked back down, she realized with a start that the worker was staring at her.
"Ep! Ah, sorry!" Nora quickly gathered her suit back into her arms and scrambled forward. "I wasn't sure where to go so I ended up jogging to the wrong end of the docks and got a liiiitle bit lost, but I made it in time so no harm done!" She gave a nervous smile as she tried to make herself look as presentable as she could with a massive rubber suit balled up in her arms. "Right?"
"It's... fine." Caroline eventually answered, with a tired huff. "Last name?"
"Sheller!"
"Right..." The worker pulled a clipboard from somewhere and started lazily flicking through the pages. "Is this your first time on a Grizzco Salmon Run?"
Nora nodded. "Yeah, I saw the posters in the Square."
Caroline let out another sigh, this one particularly tortured, as she continued flicking through the pages. "Ok.............
Thank You For Choosing Grizzco Industries Today It Is Thanks To Prospective Workers Like You That A Brighter Future Is Not Only Possible But Inevitable Please Listen Closely To The Following Disclaimers and Recommendations Necessary To Ensure Your Continued Success And Safety While Working With Us Grizzco Industries Henceforth Referred To As "We" Or "Us" For The Remainder Of This Section Is Not Responsible For Personal Injuries Resulting From The Abuse Or Misuse Of Provided Equipment Or Other Harm Caused By Gross Negligence Or Willful Misconduct On The Part Of You The Employee Employees Are Advised To Exercise Caution And Follow The Safety Guidelines Outlined In The Provided Handbook and Orders Espoused By Managers The Employee Hereby Releases Us From Any And All Liability Claims Demands or Causes Of Action For Any Injury, Loss Or Damage To Property Not Approved For Use While Working Or Death Workers Should Closely..."
She spoke these words utterly devoid ANY character, personality, or spark of life. It was impossible to keep her attention on the monotone deluge of words, so they quickly became nothing but a ceaseless wave of noise that washed over her ears. Nora watched Caroline as she droned on and on, her eyes not really focusing on anything in particular. The rant made the poor worker seem even more tired than she already was. Her light blue tentacles were pulled back into a messy bun held in place by a rubber band. Her clothes were plain and wrinkly, and the bags under her eyes were big enough to sleep in. That said, even so tired, she did look kinda cute... It wasn't hard to picture what she could look like with a smile under those tired eyes...
A clipboard was thrust into her vision. "Sign here." Caroline said, holding out a pen.
"Gh —r-right..." Nora shook her head struggling to bring her mind back to the moment, before taking the pen and signing the line at the bottom. "Anything I should uhh, know about what I just signed?"
"You've been assigned to Grounds Team 4-2. Take two lefts and a right to find the Spawning Grounds common room. Next time, put your suit on before you arrive." With that, Caroline pointed up the ramp, her eyes staring dead ahead.
"Got it! Thanks!" With nothing else in her way, Nora quickly ran up the ramp and onto the ship.
The first thing she noticed was the sheer lack of any decoration whatsoever. The walls, floors, and ceiling were utterly utilitarian. "Alright, um... she said take a left and a right, right? Wait, yeah, right. No! Left, right? It's um. Ahh..." She unconfidently pushed through the hallways, forced to reckon with the fact that she was decisively not going the right way. "Um... turn right?" Rows of rooms lined the different hallways she turned down, all of them with basic numerical labels on the doors. Some of the doors had four small name plates on them, but she never found her own name.
"Oh gosh..." Nora stumbled around another corner, hoping it was supposed to be her destination, wherever that may be. It was not.
What she did find, was the green-inked octoling from outside with his face pressed to the glass on one of the doors. He immediately pulled back, a smooth smile crossing his face as he started to raise his hands placatingly. They lowered half a second later after he got a look at her. "Oh, hey. You tryin' to sneak a peak into the weapons lab too?"
She was about to ask for directions, but... "Weapons lab?"
"Heh, yeah." He knocked on the door with the side of his hand. "Good ol' Grizzy's cooking something fun in there. Modified weapons to make the job easier."
Isn't modifying weapons illegal? ... I'm sure it's fine. Nora shook her head. "No, I'm... lost."
The octoling blinked. What is his name? I heard it earlier. "You got lost. On the Grizzco ship?"
"I'm new!" Nora defended, scowling at him.
"I can tell!" He stopped for a moment, a scowl flashing over his face. "Alright. What team are you on?"
"Grounds Four Two." It started with an L I think. Um.
He sucked air between his teeth. "And how much turf have you played."
That was enough to finally make Nora look avoid his eyes. "A... little bit."
"Tsk." He shook his head. "Spawning Grounds is going to eat you alive." With a nod of his head, he started walking down the hallway opposite the way Nora had come from. "C'mon, follow me."
Nora sheepishly falls in step behind him. Lu... Luke? No, Lu... Lo.. Lonnie? Also No. "Is it that obvious?"
"It is more than obvious. If this place had actual standards you'd have been denied for sure, but lucky you! You get to experience hell on earth without the prerequisite self-defense skills." He spun around, again walking backwards and giving her a thumbs up.
L...L... Larry. It's gotta be Larry, right? "You make this sound like it's gonna be bad."
"Oh, it is. But that's what makes it Fun." He gave her a look that said 'are you impressed yet?' before he suddenly spun around and shouldered his way into one of the rooms they were passing. No knock, no slow courteous open, just plowed his way straight through.
"Hey, clowns. I'm trading teammates with you." Larry said, uncaring about the active conversation he interrupted.
After a confused pause, one of the members, an Inkling with bright red tentacles, frowned. "Like hell I'm going to do anything that YOU want." He sneers.
In response, Larry leaned out of the doorway, letting him see Nora in all her awkward glory. Her suit was still bundled in her arms.
The red inkling scowled. "Does your guy know what a splattershot is?"
"Sure does."
"...Fine."
"Thank youuuuuu~!" Larry turned on a G, and strolled out of the room. "Grab your nameplate —" He gestured to the door — "Nora."
"My — huh?" It was only then that Nora noticed the "4-2" marked on the door, and her name printed on a magnetic strip below that. "What did, I — okay??" Unsure, she peeled the magnet off, and turned to look at Larry. Who was already halfway down the hallway. "Wait!"
He wasn't moving fast, but he wasn't exactly waiting up either. "What the heck did you just do? Aren't I supposed to be in there?" She asked as she caught up.
"Nah." He waved his hand dismissively." You're on my team now."
"I... no, wait, I was assigned to that team though. Can you do that?"
"Well... technically no, but I'll let you in on a little secret. Not a damn person here cares as long as there's four people a team and everything gets done. So long as you swap the door badges and return your weapons, you'll get the right pay at the end of the day.
"I... see." They walked in silence for a few moments, before the ground lurched below her, and a muffled, but still loud horn blared.
"We're off! Isn't this exciting?" It was impossible to tell to what degree Larry was exaggerating.
"It's uhhh, nerve wracking!" Nora smiled right back. After a few beats, she let the smile fade. "And, um, thanks. That guy didn't seem, um, like he'd be super eager to help me correct mistakes."
"Hm? Oh yeah no, that's Nickolas. Total asshole. Anyway, we're here!" Larry gestured grandly to a door identical to every other one on the ship, save the label 3-3. Without waiting, he shoulder checked the door, throwing it open with a shout. "I'm baaaack~."
"Oh tides." The silver inked inkling from before was lounged on an uncomfortable looking couch. They had a relatively thin build, and was only a hair taller than Nora was. Their mantle was cut into a bob style, framing one of the most intense resting grump faces Nora had ever seen, complete with the glare to match shining in dull golden eyes. The effect would have been incredibly intimidating, if not for the slight downward droop of their eyes, and spattering of freckles around the edges of their cheeks and the bridge of their nose.
Gosh, she's cute... Nora could feel a heat in her lower neck as a blush threatened to overtake her.
"Hmmm?" The other octoling, the one with maroon ink was also there. She jolted like she'd just been woken from a nap. The was tall, broad, and chubby, but Nora felt the need to reemphasize tall in her mind to get across how tall this girl actually was. Her mantle was unstyled, probably because of the nap that just ended. She seemed practically like the opposite of the silver inkling, with a perpetual smile and bright eyes instead of a frown. Something about the dopy tired but still smiling look made Nora's heart flutter a little.
A third person was in the room, another inkling with a particularly bored expression. Larry snapped his fingers at the guy. "Hey, you said you hated Marooner's, right?" He nodded. "Traded you to Grounds 4-2. No need to thank me."
"Shit, really? Alright, fuck it, thanks." The inkling said, already standing to leave.
"The hell did I just say?" Larry scoffed, rolling his eyes as the inkling walked past. He chuckled as he peeled his name from the door, and disappeared without another trace.
The inkling and octoling didn't say a word, their eyes scanned Nora for a moment, before they both just sat back and stared at Larry, waiting for him to talk.
"So, just a heads up, I might be trading our random out." Larry said lightly as he plucked the name strip from Nora's hand and slapped it on the door.
"Really? You don't say." Silver tentacles deadpanned.
"Everyone, this is Nora." He looked between his companions "Say 'Hi Nora'."
"Hi Nora!" maroon tentacles rolled her eyes playfully, and gave her a good natured smile after.
Larry stepped behind her and pushed the door closed. "Nora here has never held a splattershot in her life and doesn't know what a splat bomb is."
"Wh- hey! I never said THAT. I said I don't play much turf!" She could feel the heat pooling in her cheeks already. She pulled the orange suit a bit closer to her face to try and hide the blush.
"Oouhh..." Silver ink's face twisted into a nasty grimace. Even maroon ink's face scrunched up a little bit. "She's gonna get torn to shreds out there."
"Ah!" Larry held out a finger. "Was going to be torn to shreds, but that was before she was traded to us by a miraculous, and very handsome, stroke of luck."
Silver ink sunk further into their chair, hands flying to their face. "Hoooough Tides. You're insufferable."
"Thanks, I try." Larry gave a tiny performative bow. "Anyway, I figured it'd be really nice to have the basket perpetually inked for one of these shifts. The three of us already hit quota anyway, so it's not like we're risking anything here."
"That... actually isn't bad." Maroon ink perked up. "Getting shoved away from the Marooner's boat bucket makes the whole thing miserable."
"Alright, fine. I'll concede that." Silver ink scowled pointedly at Larry before she looked towards Nora with a much more gentle expression. "Do you have any idea what you've signed up for?"
"I..." Nora wanted to defend herself here, but try as she might, every piece of marketing material and employee she'd encountered had failed to explain what a 'Salmon Run' actually was. "No."
"Great." Silver ink's attention shifted back to Larry. "Have you told her anything?"
Larry straightened his back. "I think education is best undertaken as a group effort."
"Oh my fucking..." Silver ink's head fell into her hands. "Where did you even find her?"
For once, Larry was silent. He seemed to have taken particular interest in the scratches in the metal walls.
"I found Larry trying to peak into a weapons lab." Nora volunteered. A devious little smirk found its way onto her face. If he was going to present her like this, the least she could do was pull him under the bus with her.
"The weapons lab..." Maroon ink scowled.
Larry turned to her, hand up like he was about to deliver a witty counter, but he stopped, his confidence bucked by a sudden groaning sound.
Silver ink's head was held in their hands, shoulders shaking while a sound reminiscent of a frog croaking while driving a lawnmower escaped them. "Phh... FFph.... Fuuchking LARRYHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" The drone gave way to an uproarious laughter so intense it actually made them tense so hard they swapped to swim for for a moment.
Oh cod, they're laughing at me... She wanted to bury herself in the suit in her arms to try and hide from the laughter. Following the instinct, she crouched trying to escape their line of sight.
"Hey..." A gruff voice accompanied a gentle hand on her shoulder a few moments later. Looking up revealed the maroon octoling giving her a reassuring smile.
Tides she's tall... Even crouched beside her like she was, the octoling easily had a head of height on her. More blush crawled up her neck.
"Don't worry about Splinter." She said, nodding her head towards the silver inked inkling, who was finally coming down from letting out sounds closer to a malfunctioning woodchipper rather than laughter. A playful smirk crossed maroon ink's face. "Anything that gets back at 'Larry' tends to do them in." Just like that, Splinter was thrown back into the throes of laughter.
"That's... not his name, is it?" Nora's voice was muffled by the suit her face was still half buried in.
"It's not, but he's gonna have to get used to it now, because they are NOT going to let this up." Maroon ink gave a pointed smirk to Whatever-Larry's-Real-Name-Was, before standing up and offering a hand down to her. "C'mon up. I'll try to help you prepare for what's about to happen. They'll help when they get over themselves."
Nora took her hand. "Thanks..."
"No problem! I'm Asari by the way. That's Splinter over there, currently having a stroke, and beside them is Lusca."
"Nora... though I guess you know that already." She took a moment to gather herself before turning to face Larry Lusca. "Um, sorry. I'm not good with names, and I—"
He held up a hand, letting out a sigh before brushing his tentacles back with the other. His face fell back into an increasingly familiar dirt-eating grin. "No worries. That's on me, I shoulda introduced myself. You meant well. Anyway, can we—"
His attempt to push things forward was cut off by a particularly powerful wheeze escaping Splinter. Lusca just rolled his eyes and defeated took a step back. "It really wasn't that funny."
It took a few more minutes for Splinter to wind down again. Nora watched probably a bit too closely as their ink color shifted from the bright yellow of glee back down to a much more subtle washed out green that she hadn't noticed earlier. Turned out that the silver was actually tentacle pigment rather than ink. "Bwh. Ha, sorry. That was good." Not twenty seconds after they'd calmed down was the resting grump face back. Their speaking voice was much more terse and monotone than Nora would have assumed based on the laughing fit. "Alright, let's get you up to speed newbie."
A raspy, somewhat droll but professional voice started speaking over the ship's intercom system. At first, Nora thought it was the worker from the place at the stand, but the voice didn't match hardly at all.
"Ignore him, that's just the boss. It's the same recording every time. Anyway, what weapons have you used before" Asari asked as she walked to the edge of the room.
"Um, a Splattershot Jr..." Nora answered hesitantly.
Splinter let out a whistle. "This is going to be fun."
From a chest, Asari pulled four things and laid them out on a table nearby: a weird teal blue power drill with a nozzle, a REALLY big looking tube that vaguely resembled a ballpoint pen with a handle near one end, a charger that had an incredibly long coiled tube affixed to the side, and a roller that only had the edge guard along half of the actual ink roller. All three of the others looked at the odd collection with grimaces on their face.
"Well. That fucking sucks." Asari huffed. Oh, she swears too. "Um, Nora, do you... recognize any of these weapons? Like, do you think you could use them?"
"That one's a charger..." She said, pointing at the item on the table. "I don't..."
"Welp!" Lusca threw an arm around her shoulder. "Get ready to learn how to use a BUNCH of different weapons today, because you're gonna DIE if you don't!"
"D-die?!" Nora looked desperately at her other two teammates. Neither seemed particularly eager to reassure her.
"Only if you don't learn!" Lusca grabbed the ballpoint tube and shoved it into her arms. "Get ready, we got about an hour before we reach the Bay, and you've got a LOT to study."