158,888 views.

Marina rubbed her eyes and stared at the number again. "That's... how many people have heard the song?"

"Yeah..." Pearl's voice sounded just as dumbfounded as Marina felt. "Well, it counts repeats as separate views, but generally, yeah..."

Even with that caveat, the number was staggering. More people than the entire population of the domes have heard our song. In a single day. "I... that's amazing, right? That this many people have heard it?"

"It's... we need to talk about that." Pearl pulled her phone away. "What do we like, do with this many views?"

"I can't even picture half that many people..." Marina murmured in response.

Pearl's eyes remained locked to the screen as she spoke. "Why did you upload the song in the first place? I didn't think we were going to..."

"Ah, um, I didn't mean for this many people to see it!" Marina's hands started to wring. "I just showed it to Pam this morning, because I was really excited about it. She was sad she couldn't listen to it after I left, so she showed me how to upload it. I-I didn't—"

Pearl looked up from her phone. "Hey, chill. I'm not mad. I'm just..." She puffed her cheeks before letting out a heavy exhale. "I don't think either of us could have expected it to do this." Her eyes fell back to the phone as she swiped at the screen. "I only found out because a worker in a cafe I frequent was humming the hook."

After a few more beats of pause, she offered her phone back towards Marina. "Here, look at these."

The video's comment section was opened. Over 40,000 comments were waiting and ready to read. The number made Marina's head spin.

Wtf this is so catchy????

Fuckkkkkk that's catchy. Tides, this is going to be stuck in my head all week isn't it?

I hope this get an official release!

Lmao did they record this on a toaster? Like the music's good but damn.

Seeing all the positive responses, an stirred something Marina. "We, we could remake it. If you wanted to..."

In response, Pearl stilled, All of her usual fidgeting vanishing. She didn't say a word, but her face turned blank.

It felt like the room dropped in temperature. "We don't have to, of course!" Marina quickly surrendered, even though it bit at her hearts to do so. "But... it could be fun to make some more songs?" She wanted to, really, really badly. Maybe that was why she couldn't stop herself from offering, "W-we, um, could start a band together!"

Pearl visibly tensed, her breathing speeding up as her eyes went wide.

"Ah! No ignore that! We don't have to do if if you don't want to! It was just a stupid idea! I liked making music with you so much which is why I suggested it butifyoudidn'tlikeitwdon'thavetodoitagain, really! (But if you didn't like it we don't have to do it again, really!)

Marina's spiral was stopped by Pearl holding up a hand.

There was a poignant pause before Pearl next spoke. Her voice was very measured, each word being weighed before she spoke it. "I... liked making music with you Marina. I think we made something amazing last night."

In her chest, Marina's hearts hammered away.

"But... a band is a really, really big commitment. It changes things, you know? Are... you sure you're ok with that?"

"With you? Y-yeah. I think I am."

A slow, almost reverent exhale escaped Pearl. "Ok... ok... I'll... let's... give it a try then.

Simply walking down the street was enough to make Marina feel like she was floating. The only think keeping her tethered to the ground was the bag of music equipment on her back.

Pearl walked a step behind her, hands shoved into her pockets and her eyes glued squarely on the ground.

I can't believe I'm actually here! I'm going to OFFICIALLY record music... WITH PEARL!! "Are you excited?! I'm really excited! I haven't gotten to do anything with s... real recording equipment before!"

"Mmh." Pearl didn't give her much of a response.

Marina's smile faltered for a moment. Pearl hadn't exactly... matched her enthusiasm so far. Every attempt Marina had made to get more out of the inkling was met with a stone wall, this utter lack of a response, and frankly, she'd be lying if she said it didn't put her a little on edge.

This wasn't a new thing, though. Well, it was new compared to how long Marina had known Pearl, but it happened at a few points last night, too. It was... strange. The way Pearl would ping between her usual smooth and excited self, until she suddenly shut down like she was right now.

Clearly, something happened to her in these past two weeks that's still on her mind. I hope she's doing ok... The music should help. She seemed like she was having so much fun last night.

Marina's eyes lingered on Pearl for a few moments. It physically looked like something heavy was weighing down her every step. I want to find that groove again. For me, and... for her.

It took a few more attempts, but Pearl did start to engage with her again after some time. "So, do ya know what kinda studio this is?"

Marina quickly pulled up her texts to double check what Pam had said. "Well, um, she mentioned microphones and, um, sound... foam?"

"Oh, sick! This sounds like the real deal then. Way better for recording than some shitty garage."

"Um, probably! Yes!" Marina smiled, glad to see Pearl getting her enthusiasm back. And not a moment too soon, because they were stepping up to the front doors of the library.

"There you areeeee!!! Like, welcome back!" Pam was waiting just inside for them. She was practically singing herself as she ushered them forward. "I've like, got it all set up and like, ready to go for you guys! Here! I'll lead you to the equipment checkout so ya can like, learn how to get goin real quick!"

"Pam! Thanks for setting it all up for us, you're a lifesaver!" Marina gave her a smile as they followed beyond the welcome desk. "Color Pulse got so big so fast, we didn't really know what to do at first."

Pam spun in place, walking backwards as she led them through the library's main section. "Like, I know right?? I knew you guys would go crazy, but like, so fast? It's crazy!!" She effortlessly weaved around desks and patrons without seeing them as she talked. "And you must be Pearl! Like, He-llo girl! Marina's gushed sooooo much about you I feel like we're like, best friends already!"

"Gwuh-huh? Uhh.. yeah, that's... that's me. Haha..." Pearl sounded surprised that she'd been addressed directly. A flush of red colored her cheeks as she processed Pam's words. "Wait, what do you mean gushed about me?"

Pam spun around as they entered one of the side corridors, talking back over her shoulder. "Oh yeah! No, like, you're like her favorite thing to talk about! I originally thought, like, you were like, some kind of sleeze because of how you left her at the hotel, but like, I'm soooo glad I was wrong!" At the first set of double doors, she pushed one open, and held it for the pair to walk through. "You've been—"

A sudden, gaping silence formed as Pam finally got a chance to study Pearl's face.

"Houzuki." Pam's eyes narrowed to slits as she stared into Pearl's. "Marina, head to the counter over there." She pointed without looking towards what resembled a concession stand. Various pieces of equipment lined the shelves behind the counter. "That's Jefos. Just tell him your name, he'll walk you through everything."

"Um.... um, o-ok?" Marina sputtered, utterly bewildered by this sudden shift in demeanor. "Should P-Pearl..." The words died on her lips as she noticed Pearl staring right back at Pam just at intently.

"I'll be right there Marina." Pearl's voice was almost entirely devoid of emotion, save for the slightest hint of a sharp edge. "This shouldn't take long."

"U-uh..." Marina's eyes flicked back to Pam.

"We'll be right back hon. I just want to have a quick word with... Pearl." Pam spoke with a false sincerity.

"R-right..." With a shaky breath, Marina turned away from her friends and approached the counter. As she walked, she strained her ears for anything they might be saying, but she couldn't make out a single sound.

"Hey-heya! Welcome-a to tha service-a counter!" Behind the counter, a large, burly octoling, presumably Jeofs, spread his arms wide. "How-a can I help-a?"

"Um, hi!" Marina gave him a nervous little wave. "Um, Pam said she reserved the creator space for us?"

"Ah, you must-a be-a Marina! Yes yes, That-a she has!" He quickly turned around, grabbing something from behind him before setting it on the counter before her. "Three hour-a session! Just-a sign right-a here! Do you know-a what, eh, equipment you're-a gonna need?"

"We're um, recording some songs? So two microphones?" She looked down at the clipboard he'd set before her. It was some kind of form that consisted primarily of blank lines. Each one held the date, a section for names, a description of what service/item(s) were used, and a signature. Marina quickly scribbled her own signature, the blocky letters sitting neatly on the line below the haphazard squiggles above hers.

"Perfect-a! And-a, do you have-a a computer to-a plug-a the microphones into?" He asked as he pulled the clipboard back.

"Oh! No, I don't. Is that a problem?" Rust! I didn't think about that. I need to start saving for a computer or something. That Squid Sisters poster is going to have to wait.

"Oh, a-no worries!" Jefos made one final mark on the paper before turning around again. He quickly pulled 2 microphones from a frankly impressively sized set of shelves behind him, and set them on the counter. A moment later, two pairs of headphones, a laptop, and a key appeared beside them. "Here-a you go! You-a take-a the second-a door on the left-a! Bring back to me when you are-a done!"

"Thank you!" Marina quickly turned back to look at Pam and Pearl. They were leaned in close, staring intently at each other, but Marina still couldn't hear a sound from them. "I'll, um, let you know if I have any questions."

She picks her things up and slowly stepped towards the indicated door. Every few steps, she stopped to turn her gaze back at the pair, hoping they'd have suddenly lightened up in the few seconds she'd been looking away. No such luck. There was a window next to the door that looked into the room.

A quick twist of the key revealed a frankly cozy little space, maybe half the size of her apartment's main room. There was a table on the far wall that ran about a third of the room's length, and four chairs set around it. Along the edge of the table was a strip of some kind, with many different plugs, and a single wire snaking from the end. Presumably, that was what connected to the laptop.

The walls were lined with a checkerboard of odd red and black spikes. A touch revealed that they were made of foam. "How odd..." She murmured, only to be surprised by how... muffled the sound was. There wasn't any echo, and even the small sounds that came from shifting her bag or the headphones seemed dulled.

Marina busied herself with setting things up. The library's headphones and microphones each had obvious slots on that strip, but her own equipment posed a bit more of a challenge. Marina had encountered the surface's computer ports at work, and while she didn't exactly have a converter to plug into the instruments, it shouldn't be hard to hack something together to get the job done.

She used her claws to strip the end of the wires, carefully sorting each individual strand out. It was just a simple data communications wire after all, just a matter of matching pins to pins. As such, her mind started to drift as she worked. Does Pam know Pearl from somewhere? I guess it's not impossible, but why did she seem so... cold?

Did Pearl do something to Pam? I mean, I guess it's possible, but I don't know if that's right. Maybe it was her family then? Stars, I don't want them to keep fighting...

A tapping on the window broke her train of thought. A glance revealed Pearl waiting outside, an unreadable expression on her face.

Marina quickly scrambled to let her in. "Pearl! There you are! I was starting to get worried!"

Pearl was silent for a moment, before she pulled the door closed, leaning on it with a casual shrug. "Nothin to worry about!" She quickly looked around the room. "Wow, not a bad setup. I was expecting worse." She paused when she saw the tangle of wires Marina had been working on. "Um. Did... something break?"

"That? Oh, n-no! I was just rewiring my instruments so they could plug into the system here! I don't have the right plug." Marina held the cut plug next to the rectangular port on the way, showing how it wouldn't fit.

There was a beat of silence while Pearl squinted in confusion. "Right... that's... impressive, that you can just do that."

"I-!" Marina looked away, trying to subtly fan away the sudden heat in her cheeks. "It's nothing complicated! Just simple data lines. Um! Shouldn't take me longer than a few minutes to finish!"

"Cool. Cool." Pearl nodded, before awkwardly taking a seat next to Marina. She sat still for maybe forty seconds, before reaching over to the laptop and pulling it open.

Marina kept working, but her mind, and eyes, kept being drawn to Pearl. "What, um, what did you and Pam... talk about?"

"Hmm? Oh, that? Haha! Yeah that was, hm..." Pearl's boisterous smile faded as she looked down. She quickly recovered, looking back with confidence. "She was just giving me a tough time! You know, she just, wanted to... know... about that first night in the city! Yeah! Um..." Pearl's eyes snapped downwards again. "Nothing, bad, if uh, that's what you were wondering."

Marina couldn't stop the quiet sigh of relief that escaped her. "I tried to tell her it wasn't anything bad!"

"Yeah, she's... she seems like a good friend." Pearl trailed off for a moment, her eyes not really focusing on anything before she clenched her fist. "ANYWAY! Are you ready to do this? We got a song to record!"