Pearl: Hey Marina, it's Pearl. Quick question for you: you sent me your
address the other day, did you intend for that to be an invitation,
or just information passed along?
Marina: Invitation!
Out shopping currently
Be home in an hour
Pearl: Awesome glad to hear it! Just to be clear; this is a second
invitation to come over, right now, correct?
Marina: Please do!
Excited to see you!
Pearl: I'll be over in about an hour then, looking forward to it!
Marina was practically giddy with excitement as she ran up to her apartment. Weekends were not something she expected when she ran to the surface, but now that she had one it was really easy to see the appeal. It was impossible to maintain any semblance of "a life" when under 24/7 military orders, so to have this kind of thing not only be normal, but required was a really good change of pace.
She'd spent the morning walking through the streets of Inkopolis. Her goal was to have no goal, simply wander around and learn as much as she could. Maybe grab a few groceries in the process. What followed was three hours of shopping, sightseeing, a bit of crowd watching, and even a conversation with a store clerk, albeit in very simple Inklish. Everything was just going so well! It really felt like she was making a place for herself now.
Pearl's text had only made her more excited to get back. The inkling might still be something of a stranger to her, but so far, Marina had enjoyed every minute of time they'd already shared. Is Pearl waiting for me there? I hope not, but it has been more than an hour...
With probably a bit too much haste, she blitzed her way through the lobby and into the elevator. Thankfully, but also unfortunately, Pearl was not waiting outside of her apartment door. Marina turned her key, and stepped inside her apartment. Her apartment, that she could do whatever she wanted with. That idea alone was still enough to trip her up.
She could do whatever she wanted, but what did she want? The only interior organization she'd ever thought about before was clearing the countertops in her lab. Did she want another lab? Maybe I do want another lab. Can I even make another lab here?
There was still so much to consider, but right now, she wanted to put her groceries away. She barely had time to get everything in the right cabinet before her phone buzzed again.
Pearl: Marina, hello! I'm downstairs at the front desk
Pearl: I hope I'm not too early.
Pearl: Down in a moment
Excited to see you!
Downstairs, Pearl stood awkwardly next to the front counter. trying to avoid making eye contact with the crab behind the desk. She jolted in surprise, shaking her head before looking at her with a smile. "Marina, there you are! I was starting to think you forgot about me!"
Marina gasped. "I would never!"
Pearl laughed, easing Marina's nerves just a bit. "I don't doubt it, just giving you a hard time."
They stood for a second, neither one exactly sure what to say next. "Well, uh, follow me, I'm up on the fourth floor." Marina used calling the elevator as an excuse to break eye contact for a moment. Pearl wandered in with her, but neither of them spoke as they rode up.
"This one, here." Marina pointed to the third door on the left as she grabbed her key from her pocket. "Pam helped me find this place, and it has so much inside it, I hardly know what to do!"
The door swung open to reveal the apartment's living room. Two cushioned chairs sat atop a beige rug, facing a currently empty entertainment center. Further into the room, a small, but fully functional kitchen was separated by a round table with three chairs at it. A hallway pressed further inward leading to a closet, bathroom, and bedroom.
Sbe still couldn't stop the swell of excitement she felt whenever she saw it. There was so much in here already, more than she'd thought possible to dream of back in the domes, and it was all hers. Honestly it was a bit overwhelming, but in a good way. There were so many things she could do— and she could get more! As long as she didn't damage the building, she could do anything she wanted!
With a happy sigh, Marina stepped on inside, stepping aside for Pearl.
"Wow, nice place. A bit sparse, but I can't really blame you for that."
Marina's smile faltered. "I-I'm sorry?"
"Well, I mean, you just got the place so you can't have put much in it yet."
"You think this isn't a lot?" The question came out softer than Marina meant it too.
"Not really. It's a few chairs and a table. Probably a bed and a nightstand. Not much." Pearl shrugged.
"O-oh... I..." Unsure, Marina looked away from the room, and started to wring her hands. "I guess... most of it came with the apartment anyway..."
There was a suffocating lull in conversation. Marina couldn't bring her eyes away from the corner where they were locked. "Is this really... so little?"
Pearl made a startled noise. "Uh, I mean, I guess? Is... Do you think it's a lot?"
Marina wrung her hands faster. "It's the most I've ever had." She mumbled.
There wasn't a response, leaving Marina's mind to spin away in the silence. Is this really nothing? Images of her old apartment flashed through her head, the one she stayed in maybe 4 times a year. A single bed, desk, wardrobe, and chair. A hook on the wall to hang her Octoshot. That was it. No, that was luxury. Soldiers didn't get a wardrobe or desk.
"I... I come from a place with a lot of crap."
The sudden words were enough to draw Marina's eyes back to Pearl.
"A lot of crap. Too much, to be honest. But, uh, sorry. I didn't.." Pearl looked shyly at the floor. "I didn't mean to, uh. Yeah... I... You know, spacious isn't a bad thing, actually. Plenty of rich people pay far too much money just to get empty space!"
"They do?" It sounded odd the way Pearl said it, but the underlying logic made enough sense that Marina could see it.
"Totally! Most hotels have a thing called the penthouse, which is like, the entire top floor dedicated to only them."
"T-that's ridiculous! One person doesn't need that much space!" A breathless chuckle followed the end of her words, the ghost of a grin starting to play at her lips.
Pearl seemed bolstered by Marina's own returning confidence. "Yeah, it's completely crazy the things some people will buy. You're only like, what, a single paycheck into this place, I shouldn't have expected you to have it full already anyway."
Am I supposed to fill it? With what? More furniture? I don't think I need any more of it. "What else do I need?"
There was a pause as Pearl looked around, before she took a confident step forward. "Marina, you can put whatever you want in here!"
"Like a lab?" The question slipped out before she could think about it.
Pearl faltered for just a second, before her smile returned, twice as bright. "Ab-so-lutely, whatever that means! But between you and me, you might want to cover a few more basics first."
"Basics? Like what?" I already have everything I need.
"Well... you don't have a TV, or a couch, or really anywhere to lay down at all."
Marina had to give her a side look. "But my bed's in the other room?"
Pearl waved her hand. "Yeah, but like. that's for laying down to sleep, you need a place to lay down and rest."
"Um?"
"You know, like, get back home, hand o-err, throw off your stuff, and then just—" Pearl made some kind of jumping motion, before putting her hands on the back of her head and miming a relaxing motion. "Just kick back you know?"
"A place to lay down and... relax... but not sleep?"
"Yeah, exactly! It's great for watching TV and stuff."
"Pearl, I don't have a TV. We just..."
"Not YET, but you totally should get one. It's worth it, trust me." Pearl turned dramatically, pointing towards the empty entertainment center. "And it'd fit right there!"
Marina couldn't help it. A giggle slipped out before she ever realized. Pearl's antics were just too... silly. How could she not? "A place to lay down and relax... that's not a bad idea."
True to her musing, Marina had gotten a couch, just not the type Pearl expected... unfortunately. She was expecting a nice couch, maybe a black, beige, or brown, made of waxed canvas. The kind you'd find in any sensible person's living room.
Instead, Pearl was laid out on the brightest, most neon orange piece of furniture she'd ever seen. It was huge, she could lay down on it twice over, or more since it didn't have arm rests on the sides. Begrudgingly, she had to admit that the fabric seat and stuffing were rather comfy, even if it burned her eyes to look at.
"Where did you get this thing again?" She asked in Inklish.
Marina cleared her throat. "Ah, I was talking with Ezme in warehouse,"
"In the warehouse, don't forget the conjunction." Pearl corrected.
"Right, uh, in the warehouse, and I tell her I am... um, rescuing for a couch?"
"I'm guessing you mean saving, like saving your money. That word is 'saving' what you said is 'rescuing'" Pearl kept her tone light, smiling to herself. She could practically see Marina absorbing the information in real time. She's picking this stuff up incredibly fast. It took me months to be conversational in Octarian, and that was back when I was a kid!
"Grr... stupid words. I said it right when I was talking to her!" marina shook her fist playfully before letting out a light laugh. "She said I should look for an... a... Oh rust it I forgot the word. It's a store where everything is being resold."
"Hmm... A pawn shop? Flea Market? Thrift store?" Pearl threw the likely unfamiliar terms out to see if Marina found any of them familiar.
"Mmm... it was a store... eh, flea?" Marina shook her head. "It was— it started with the letter 'a' I think."
"Oh!" Pearl snapped her fingers. "Antique store."
"Yeah, yeah! I went to one of those!"
"And that's where you got the couch?"
"Mmhmm! It wasn't very expressive either!" There was a pride in Marina's voice that almost made the burning neon couch seem worth it. Almost.
"Expensive," she corrected again. Pearl sluggishly threw herself upright, grunting with a quiet effort. She'd been hanging her head over the edge, so she needed a second to let her ink and blood settle. Marina sat in the corner of her vision, blocking Pearl from seeing whatever it was she was working on. She was explicitly instructed not to peak, and as much as Pearl wanted to anyway, she had enough restraint to be patient about it. Even if it meant dangling her head of the world's orangest couch for forty minutes.
What she could see, now that she was sitting up and looking the opposite way, wasn't exactly the most exciting. The kitchen was, unsurprisingly, practically barren. Not even a microwave adorned the counters yet, though Pearl was sure that'd change with time.
The only notable thing was tucked deep into the corner of the room. An odd contraption sat, an incomprehensible conglomeration of wires, screens, and a small satellite dish. The only thing vaguely recognizable about it was the walkie talkie in the center. Woah, what the heck is this? it looked crazy complicated, and, if she had to wager a guess, currently nonfunctional. There wasn't really any one thing she could point to for that conclusion, it just felt incomplete. There were no blinking lights or beeping sounds, so Pearl turned away from it, back towards the living room.
"And... there!" Marina triumphantly called. "It's as good as it's gonna get for now."
"Alright, let's see watcha got!" Pearl confidently jumped from her chair. As her eyes fell on what the octoling was working so diligently at, Pearl found herself slowing down, hesitating as she looked over what was done. The entertainment center, the one she pictured snugly holding a TV mere weeks ago, was covered in a staggering amount of merchandise. Squid Sisters merchandise.
"You became a big fan pretty quick, huh?" The teasing question came out more flat than she'd wanted, but Marina didn't seem to notice.
"Of course! Something about their music just..." Marina froze, before continuing more reservedly. "Drew me in, I don't know. It's good music!"
Truly, the only way to describe it accurately was to call it a shrine to them. Albums, posters, figures, charms, keychains, art prints, bookmarks, stickers, and tee-shirts. Already nearly half the entertainment center was gone, and that was only after two weeks! The CD player Pearl bought her sat in the center, slightly askew, like it was set down recently.
"Geez, I know you like their music but this feels like it's a bit much?" Pearl half scolded, half asked.
No matter how much delight it gave Marina, the entire thing would always feel a little off to Pearl. It wasn't her fault, and it wasn't the merch's fault either, it was purely a her thing. Even though Marie looked different, both due to aging and the dubious quality of the merchandise, there was enough familiar there that the entire thing felt uncanny. It was just... really damn weird seeing her childhood best, and really only, friend plastered around the space a dozen times over.
"I mean yeah, they're popular for a reason, but like, don't you think it's a bit... fanatical? Like, they made some songs you like, this seems like a bit much?"
Marina stopped, where she was, before reaching towards a CD. "Their music... changed my life," she said slowly. There was a contemplation in Marina's eyes, a quiet, almost fearful deliberation about something.
Pearl suddenly found herself in an all too familiar situation, an unspoken negotiation. One party had information it didn't want the other to know, but some of it had to be divulged. What's going on up there? It's clearly something related to the music, why would it resonate with her so much? It was sheer instinct that drove her thought process. Her mind flashed back to the music store.
Pearl looked up from the Ink Theory CD in her hands to see Marina staring, fixated, at the speaker on the ceiling. A song she didn't recognize was playing, but it was a voice she did.
Marie was one of the two singing, so it had to be the Squid Sisters then. Why is Marina so transfixed on it? She looked back to the octoling, what could she see? Her mouth was open, not in awe but shock. Her posture was straightened, like she was jumped by something, likely the song. Her hands at her sides twitched mildly, and her face flashed through several emotions second.
There was no doubt, Marina was remembering something when she first heard it. "You'd heard them before the CD shop?" She offered, gently trying to prompt a response.
"I... yeah. I didn't know who they were, I just... heard them. They sang the shock to my system that told me I needed to run. To get away from... where I was."
Oh. Well, that was a fair bit heavier than Pearl was expecting. "I'm glad you heard them, then."
Marina let out a single breathless laugh. "I guess in a sense, I owe them my life? I want to support them as best I can in that case."
There was no arguing with a story like that, Tides. Pearl looked back to the wall of merch, and decided that, yeah, she could put up with a few uncanny feelings if it meant that much to Marina. "Well," She shrugged. "I can't really fault you for liking them with a story like that."
She wasn't really sure where to go with things after that, until her eyes landed on one of the posters. It was Callie and Marie posed in front of a large TV. "Though, you really should get a TV you know."
Marina paused, tiling her head in curiosity. "Why's that?"
"The Squid Sisters are the daily news hosts." Pearl sat shifted back, watching the machinations play behind Marina's eyes in real time. Oh yeah, that'll set a few things in motion alright.
"Oh!" Marina jolted, knocking herself from her thoughts. "I have something else I want to show you!" She scampered from where she was standing and grabbed Pearl's hand, leading her to the bedroom.
Pearl smirked to herself. Rather forward, aren't you girl? She suppressed a chuckle, even though she knew that wasn't what was going on here.
"Here! Look!" The room was just about as plain as the rest of the house, but that wasn't the focus. Sitting in the center of Marina's bed was the dinky little keyboard she'd played back on the mountain. That melody she'd made, Pearl couldn't remember the words, but the melody was still there. It made her hear hearts beat a bit faster.
There were more instruments sat on the desk across from the bed. A turntable and a keyboard, and a handful of what Pearl could only assume were synthesizers. She didn't immediately recognize any of them, but it wasn't hard to mentally place them all in that big ass bag Marina was carrying around with her. Notably, none of the instruments had their batteries... inside them, since all the batteries Pearl could see were distinctly too big to fit within the instrument. Instead they were duct taped to the side rather firmly. Wires ran from the ends of the battery, presumably into the instrument's internals. It was a miniature jerry-rigged synthetic orchestra, produced in a way that felt uniquely Marina.
"Oh, you got all your stuff set up huh?"
"The batteries I could afford didn't really fix, but that wasn't a problem." Marina shrugged.
"I can see that... Pearl's eyes bounced between the different items on the desk, but her eyes ultimately fixed onto the little keyboard. I wanna here that song again. Fuck it. "Hey, Marina? You remember that thing you played for me? Back on the mountain?"
"Yeah! Ebb & Flow!" Marina nodded eagerly, sitting down on her bed.
Pearl stalled for a moment by clearing her throat. "Could you, uh, play it again?"