Preppy music echoed over the massive crowd of cheering fans. The angle of the stage lighting made it hard to make out any individual person, especially those close to the stage, but the crowd's deafening roar did more than enough to remind Marie about just how many people were below. This is by far our biggest turnout. (Oh, my cod. I'm going to die up here.)

Outwardly, she was the shining example of a perfect idol; Marie, one half of the Squid Sisters duo. She danced on beat, she sung without mistake, and she smiled at the crowd exactly on cue. Internally though, things weren't so neat, it was only thanks to several years of rigorous training was she able to hide that fact. Marie cast her mind outwards, shifting her focus between any and every little thing she could to try and distract herself from the all-consuming pit of anxiety in her stomach.

She could occasionally catch glimpses of herself displayed on some of the giant screens staged around the arena they were performing in. She watched her mantle bounce slightly as she danced. Her already motion-prone right parted bangs were only further pushed to move by the two longer tentacles she wore tied into a large bow on the right of her head. Small spot dotted along the length of the silver tentacles, many of which were glowing a warm yellow-green color. The lime-green tips of her tentacles also glowed, though this coloration was due to her ink.

The stage lighting reflected off her light peach skin, emphasizing the freckles dotted along her upper body. Many of these glowed like the ones on her mantle. Despite all of this, the brightest thing about her had to be her golden eyes, with their dark-cross shaped pupils. They seemed to shine on their own, regardless of the stage lighting and makeup, the effect only emphasized by the black, down-turned eye mask that surrounded them.

Marie wore her iconic outfit (not that I've ever performed in anything else.) She was dressed in a black, strapless romper covered in reflective sequins, with a tight corset to hold it in place. Horizontal highlights in the front of the dress revealed a lime green highlight layer below, the same lime green as her tights. On her head, she wore her iconic headpiece, which vaguely resembled a calamari ring, and large, clunky hoop earrings hung off each her pointed ears. White gloves and black boots with lime green heels completed the outfit.

She continued to dance as the other person on stage, her cousin Callie, began to sing. Callie's dance, much like her outfit, was designed to mirror Marie's, though her cousin's was pink. Marie continued to dance on beat, almost unconsciously, as they had practiced this performance at least a hundred times in the past month. She joined her cousin in song right on time, providing the song's harmony. Her mind continued to wander as she sang, the entire show was routine after all. This was their biggest tour yet, but barring a few variables, they always performed the same show again and again. Two months in, two more to go before they were done for a while. Well, save for doing the news. But that's not that bad. (I really need some time off.)

Both performers jumped and cheered in rhythm, before the short instrumental break played. The girls were supposed to engage with the crowd some during these sections. Beside her, Callie leaned forward and waved eagerly, encouraging the crowd to cheer. Sure, that'll do. Marie mirrored her cousin, though she kept her back straight and tilted her head with a smirk. Have to keep up appearances, I have a character to maintain after all. (Ignore the massive knot in my stomach.) The witty, sarcastic, aloof and beautiful Marie Kensaki. (Keep it together, you're almost done.)

As the song wound down, the two struck their final poses as the crowd cheered. Callie handled the bulk of the crowd work, chatting easily like she was talking to a friend, rather than a crowd of over 10,000 people. Marie threw some snarky comments in when Callie paused, and based on the crowd's reaction they landed. That was good, that meant her inner turmoil was still hidden underneath her careful acting. At least I got something out of those years.

As the instrumental for Ink Me Up started, Marie cast her mind back into space as muscle memory again took over. It was hard to keep her mind from the enormous crowd in front of her. It truly is massive, our biggest turnout yet. Despite the blinding stage lights, she could make out the shapes of several different species below.

There were inklings of course, (Some of our fans would follow us into the sun if we went there,) but that was to be expected. There were a few smaller clusters of species dotted around as well. Some Jellyfish had taken over a section of the stands. Collections of urchins, clams, and sharks dotted the middling space, as well as a dozen other species she couldn't properly see. There was probably some horseshoe crabs and anemones mixed in as well, though she couldn't tell them apart from the bulk of the crowd: the octolings.

It wasn't a surprise that the Squid Sisters were performing in Octolis City. It was by far their second largest fanbase, which made sense as a most of the population could speak Inklish. Whenever she had the chance, Marie gazed into the city's skyline. She couldn't see much, on account of the glances being, well, glances, and stands filled with fans, but what little she could see reminded her of Gramps' stories. Buildings rose far into the distance, going back further than Inkopolis' skyline ever did. She had managed to spot the tip of the Civil War memorial she and Callie were planning to go see in the following days.

I wonder how much the city's changed since Gramps was here. It's been 100 years since then. Inkopolis has changed so much in just the 5 years I've been there, I can't imagine how different things are.

Marie continued to gaze when she can until the song ends. Both girls struck their final poses as the crowd roared their approval. A moment later, Callie 'broke character' to jump and wave excitedly to the crowd. Marie gave her cousin a good natured eye roll, before stepping towards the mic stand. She used those few seconds before speaking to brace herself. She forced her thoughts still as she grabbed the microphone, and again let practice take over.

"Thank you all for coming out tonight! We've been dreaming of coming to Octolis City for so long, I can't tell you how happy we are." The crowd tried their best to deafen the performers with their cheers. It was loud enough to hurt a little bit, despite the noise-canceling earpiece she wore.

The show must go on. Marie turns to Callie with a look of slight disappointment, offering a lazy eye roll over any words. Callie just laughed, before she motioned to the crowd to cheer louder. A request which they happily obliged. Marie scoffs and rolls her head around on her shoulders, maintaining her performance despite the newfound ringing in her ears.

Marie brought the microphone back to her mouth as the cheers begin to subside. "Yes yes, thank you all for all of your excitement!" She pulled the microphone away from her mouth as she 'mutterd a thought to herself' quickly. "And thanks for the tinnitus too." Marie let the crowd laugh before she continued. "Now, if you all would please file out quickly and orderly, I can go to my hotel and take a nap."

Beside her, now holding her own microphone, Callie let out an over dramatic gasp. "Marie! We can't just leave like that!"

"Sure we can!" Came Marie's too-excited answer. "All we gotta do is walk this way!" Marie emphasizes by pointing off stage. She took an exaggerated step in that same direction, before she was stopped by Callie playfully grabbing her in a hug. (Her cousin is very careful not to squeeze her).

"No!!! One more song Marie! Please??" Callie asked, playing up the performance's campiness to a ridiculous degree. The additional pleas of several thousand fans shook the air.

Marie hung her shoulders in mock defeat, making a show of turning back around to face the crowd. A moment later, the thumping of a drum beat echoed across the stadium. And they went balistic. It's not the loudest they've been, but it's certainly the most active. Callie jumped in place, excited, before quickly running back to her spot on stage.

Their hands rose in unison as the song's buildup reached it's peak, and Marie, for the final time that night, let her practice again take the wheel as her thoughts turn inwards. That's gotta be the most direct encore bait written. Looking out over the crowd, it seems to have worked wonderfully though, sometimes simpler is better. It was a damn useful tool though, stopping any demand for an actual encore and making the crowd feel involved. There must have been dozens of variations at this point. Typically, it was Marie threatening some of form disinterest, but Callie had a few stand out moments herself. Like the time she 'was just so excited to get ice cream' she nearly ran off the stage. (Except that was actually real.)

As the song reached its end, the Squid Sisters struck their final pose. The crowd's cheer was loud enough to shake some of the stage decorations. The volume paled in comparison to the overwhelming pit in Marie's stomach. It always seemed to get worse near the end of a performance, as if it knew she was done and would let it out soon. Moving felt like she was fighting through mud, but she squared her shoulders and smiled out at the crowd all the same.

Each girl grabbed a microphone to give their closing remarks. As they had agreed all those years ago, Callie took the lead with crowd work. "You guys are freakin' AWESOME!!!" She shouted into the mic, her excitement somehow reigniting the crowd again. "We have to call it there though, quite frankly I'm tired."

Marie raised her mic and picked up right after Callie. She worked as much sincerity and warmth into her voice as she could (it really wasn't much), "Please be safe getting home! You've all been great!"

The girls turned to each other and nodded, before setting their microphones down. The crowd leaned forward in anticipation.

Callie and Marie turn to the crowd, and struck their iconic pose, hands dangling as they both shout "Stay Fresh!"

Callie was practically bounding as she walked off stage. She handled the nervous energy much better than her cousin. I'm just used to being energetic! It was mostly adrenaline though, so it was only a matter of time until she crashed.

Several members of the crew offered celebrations and thanks as they walked backstage, which both cousins easily return while unsubtly trying to push their way to their dressing room. The crew understood, the girls were near their limits after performing for such a massive crowd. Callie & Marie would make sure to seek them out later to offer sincere thanks. They deserve it after all, we couldn't do this without them! It doesn't escape Callie's notice when Marie's shoulders pulled ever so slightly closer inward. As much as she wanted to comfort her cousin, words wouldn't do any good right now, not with the night's true final trial coming up. She settled for a gentle squeeze on the shoulder instead. Hang in there Marie, we're almost done!

There was always one final obstacle after their shows, waiting for them just a few hallways ahead. The Squid Sister's production team always had to have a word with the pair after a show. It's like the don't even notice we're practically dead on our feet!

Just before they came into view of a set of double doors, Marie stopped walking. "Ready?"

Callie laughed, but there wasn't much humor behind it.

Marie stepped forward without another word. It was time to enact their two part plan, one they've used after every single show, barring the first two. As they strode towards the doors, Marie peered through their windows. She holds her hand along her back and signs a few choice words to Callie.

"Big crowd. Big. Half Good mood. Split groups. Out on my sign."

In short, Marie told Callie what to expect. Callie struggled to 'read the room' or really any tone that well. She'd learned a lot over her years, but in times like this, with so many different people who all want different things from them, having even just some of it spelled out was a major boon. One she was infinitely thankful to her cousin for.

Callie nodded as they opened the door. The room fell silent at their entrance. All eyes in the room fell on the pair. Oh my cod, she wasn't joking. That's so many people here. The silence lasted just a moment, before every person but the Squid Sisters exploded in conversation. Each person had something different to say, some useless fact or statistic that that they just NEEDED to share, regardless of the girl's condition. And so begins step 2. As the crowd started to press inward, the girls split apart, each intent to court a different part of the crowd.

Callie met the people who wanted the excitement and energy that Marie couldn't provide. She intercepted their marketing director's hug and eagerly caught their publicist's ear. She pulled their costuming director into the conversation, and managed to get their choreographer, merchandise director, and a surprisingly large cluster of interns in a few moments later.

Marie instead, hooked the people who said more than just their words, something Callie had always struggled with picking up on. She nabbed the eye of their manager and agent immediately, pulling the two across the room. Their lawyer, producer, and a representative from their record company, as well as several other people in suits all flocked to her moments later.

Callie kept Marie in the corner of her eye, even as she talked to all the people around her. She had the easy job. All I gotta do is stand here and be excited with these people. Callie saw when Marie's hand clenched into a fist. That wasn't the sign, but it was a sign that Marie was near her limit. I can't imagine being bombarded with their veiled insults and business stuff. Most of it would fly over my head and I'd still leave pissed.

The conversations continue for about a minute and a half longer, Callie easily kept up with the excitement around her. She didn't miss it when Marie leaned to the side and swiped at her mantle twice. That was the signal. Callie quickly excused herself from the conversation, sliding over to the exit door right as Marie stepped in beside her. They were out a moment later, closing the door behind them and letting out sighs of relief.

Most people who knew the pair would clock their seeming ability to coordinate things like that as some kind of sisterly bond. They're not... wrong per se, we did grow up together. Really though, it was an extensive amount of nonverbal communication, some intuited and the rest learned. Gramps had been sure to drill them to the point they could sign in their sleep. As much as they hated it back then, not a day goes by where the two forget to thank that old geezer for what he taught them.

When they arrived at their dressing room, Callie strode forward and opened the door. She watched as her cousin abandons all sense of decorum as she scrambled into the nearly pitch-black room. She stepped in a moment later, before gently pulling the door closed and plunging the space into relative darkness.

The only light in the room came from Marie. A few steps into the room, Marie was curled into a ball on the couch, her spots glowing the brightest they had all night. They revealed how her ink had turned completely white, making the lime-yellow glowspots on her now-white mantle stand out even more. The spots on her upper arms and shoulders were also glowing, Callie could even make out some spots shining through her cousin's leggings.

Time and time again, Callie was wowed by her cousin's control over her emotions. The glowing, much like the change in ink color, were emotional responses. For her cousin to hold this back for their entire multi-hour performance was truly a testament to her abilities. I just wish she wasn't forced to learn how to do that. In some ways, seeing her cousin like this was a relief. Marie's wasn't suppressing those feelings anymore, they weren't bottling up inside of her until she couldn't take it. At least, not long term. It's like having a good cry. It makes you feel so much better after the fact. As much as Callie wanted to run over and comfort her cousin, she knew it wasn't time for that yet. Marie would open up when she was ready.

Callie instead turned to the light switch, which thankfully had a dimmer setting. She slowly raised the light until there was just enough to see by, before making her way to a nearby chair. The moment she hovered over it, she practically fell into the thing. She landed without a sound, limbs dangling off the sides of the chair like she was laying under the world's heaviest blanket. Guess that adrenaline has finally wore off. Not really having any reason to move, she lay there for a time letting her mind wander.

Idol work really was tiring. Ignoring the entire 'on stage in front of hundreds of thousands of fans' part, it was just busy. Today alone she had a plane ride, work out, vocal practice, performance review, choreography practice, costuming, makeup, and dress rehearsal, all before the actual performance. She had taken to it much easier than Marie did. It wasn't surprising, she was always the more energetic of the two, but that wasn't the entire reason. Throughout her youth, Callie hadn't quite... fit in. She never seemed to react 'correctly' to things, something her peers noticed a lot sooner than she did. It wasn't ever anything malicious, she just didn't see the cues that everyone else was so insistent were there.

Over the years, she'd improved. She learned how to respond 'correctly' in certain situations, even if it didn't make sense. The hard part wasn't what she supposedly should be doing and feeling, it was what she shouldn't. It had been hard, learning to suppress her naturally cheery nature. Marie had helped her learn, when she was able to of course. Things weren't exactly good for either of them back then.

Being an idol though, that came with a book of rules she had to follow. How to talk to fans, how to act in public, in interviews. What to do if a fan is too touchy, how she should act if an interviewer asks an inappropriate question. Almost any scenario she could encounter had some kind of rule tied to it. She knew how she was supposed to act, and why.

Despite the massive workload, being an idol was the easy part. The bigger challenge was being herself. Everybody needed her to be something, specifically something they expected her to figure out on her own. Her parents want her to be 'herself', but the larger family wants her to follow tradition. Students should be obedient but Agents needs to think for themselves. Idols are always happy and bubbly but as a professional entertainer she needs to be serious and thoughtful when meeting with her managers. It felt like she had a hundred different versions of 'Callie' she had to permanently switch between.

She looked away from the ceiling, her gaze landing on the bright form of her cousin. Marie was starting to calm down, if the slowly dimming glow was anything to to by. Callie never feel like she had to hide anything from Marie. With her cousin, she was free to let all her discrepancies show. After all, Marie had been there back when she was figuring all this out! In the end, she could always turn to her cousin when she didn't know how she should act. Marie didn't mind.

With a quiet sigh, Callie turned to look the other way, catching her reflection in one of the dressing booth mirrors. Her own eyes stare back at her, their dark, cross shaped pupils only making the golden color of her iris seem brighter. Her upturned eye mask make her seem a bit more awake than she really is. She pulled off her gloves before she reached up and undid the large bow her tentacles were tied into. Two long tentacles unraveled, falling nearly to her mid-calves. She pulled one up into her lap and massaged it while frowning at its less-than-black coloration. The bow was tied too tight again...I'm going to have to talk to Bella about that.

Callie was a hooked squid, so even though her tentacles were spotted like her cousin, Callie's were less 'spotty' and didn't glow. Instead, much like the octolings out slowly shuffling out of the stands, she had claws at the end of her fingers. As an Inkling, her claws were a bit shorter and took after tentacle color rather than ink color, leaving them a cool black. She winced as she gently ran a claw along the sore length of the tentacle, and her finger along it on the way back. She turned to look back at Marie, and winced again when her other tentacle bumped into the edge of her chair. She pulled it and set it in her lap, massaging its pink end as she watches Marie's glow continue to slowly subside.

Wait a second. I don't feel my hat. Where's my hat. She turned to look back in the mirror and sure enough, her sashami-shaped headpiece wasn't there. In that moment, she suddenly became very aware of her outfit, and just how uncomfortable it was. The black-sequined puffy shorts she wore were bunched up as a result of her aggressive flop into the chair. They pulled on the strapless romper she wore, which caused the corset she wore to squeeze wrong. Like her cousin's, the romper she had three a slit design in the middle that exposed a pink layer below.

Callie stood up, grunting quietly at the effort, and shifted her outfit so that it wasn't pulling so tight. It took a bit more pulling than she'd like to un-bunch her pink leggings, but before long nothing was pushing or pulling on her uncomfortably anymore. She bent down to pick up her gloves, then spotted and grabbed her headpiece off the floor while she was down there. Some quick strides across the room landed her in front of one of two large wardrobes. She stepped out of her heeled boots, before leaning over and fishing a key from the left one and an uninflated burst bomb from the right. Gramps taught her never to leave herself defenseless if she could help it, and at this point it was more uncomfortable when the burst bomb wasn't there. Gramps'd be proud of me for that I bet.

A quick turn of the key later and the wardrobe door was open without a second thought. Callie quickly stowed away the parts of her costume that she'd already taken off, and pulled out a set of casual clothes to change into. She took a few moments to swap outfits, being sure to put the rest of her costume away in the wardrobe. She performed a sweep of the shelves for anything she might have missed, and upon finding nothing, closed the wardrobe and relocks it. She stepped over to Marie's wardrobe and unlocked it as well. Calle spots a small case of disinfectant wipes, which she quickly used to wipe down the key before dropping it into a small locked box. The performance crew would come through sometime tomorrow and collect everything.

Now wearing just some shorts, a simple tee-shirt with a light jacket, and some basic loafers (with a burst bomb inside), Callie turned back to the couch where Marie's uncurled herself and was resting with her palms facing upwards. Callie casually walks over, before sitting on the couch next to her cousin. Marie visibly relaxed once she sat down.

"Big crowd today, huh?" Callie asked, her voice gentle and soft, with just a hint of playful thrown in.

"Yeah..." Marie croaked out, her voice a bit raspy. "Biggest crowd we'll probably ever have."

"What!?" Callie asked in mock surprise. "Surely we can do better than that!

Marie cleared her throat. "You know about a bigger arena then?"

Callie laughed. Marie smiled her usual lopsided grin. This is a real smile though, Callie notes, not one of the performative ones that comes up on stage.

Marie took a second to gather her bearings. "Key?" She asks as she slowly climbs to her feet. Her mantle had returned to its usual silver color, with its lime coloration at the tips.

Her ink's returned to normal then. Callie thinks to herself. "Already unlocked."

"Mmm. Thanks." Marie walked towards the back of the room while Callie patiently waited at the front. After the quiet downtime and Marie's recovery, Callie found herself alight with energy again. But for now, she waited in the relative silence. The only sounds were the hum of the HVAC and the distant-- but still very present-- sounds of the crowd outside, as well as Marie's quiet clamor from the back of the room. Callie bounced her legs as she waited, mind rolling over the performance from earlier.

"Alright," Marie called as she walked back towards the front of the room. She had changed into a simple pair of leggings and a nice shirt and cardigan pair. She fell into the chair Callie had sat in earlier, her tentacles, which were still tied in a bow, kept her head from resting against the back of the chair. "Let's hear it."

Callie took a deep breath. "HHhhooooooly CARP Marie that was insane! There were so many people there I didn't know what I was going to do! I'm glad I didn't freak out though, but I really really wanted to! But, 'an Idol always keeps their cool' so I made sure to smile and wave as we stepped outside! I can't even imagine how you were feeling!"

Callie's consciousness flooded out of her mouth as she decompressed. It was part of their system, the unofficial step three. Marie went first, because it wouldn't be fair to bombard her while she was having a post-show anxiety episode. But, once she had recovered, it was Callie's turn. She needed to talk, to just let her thoughts come out unbridled, there were so many about the performance, how could she ever possibly organize them? So she talked, rambling on and on, jumping to different parts of the show as soon as her mind landed on them. She paced around the room with no real pattern as she raved; it wasn't the destination that mattered, but the movement. Marie would talk when she felt like she had something to add, assuming she could edge in her statement when Callie paused to take a breath. All in all, she talked for about 14 straight minutes before she collapsed on the couch in only partially exaggerated exhaustion. A comfortable silence filled the air for a minute as Callie's eyes begin to droop.

"Let's head to the hotel before we both pass out and get kicked out by the cleaning staff again." Marie offered as she stood from her chair.

Callie shook her head to try and wake herself up. "Can we get a pizza?"

"Hell, get two. I'm starving."

"Yay!!"

Getting out of the stadium was much easier than getting backstage had been, especially once Marie took the lead and marched for the doors with her death glare at hand. It was the kind that said "If you stop me, someone'd better be dying." Marie pulled Callie by the hand while she was on the phone with their driver. Cod, why can't they just have this guy parked at the back door? (Imagine getting paid to sit in your car for a few hours, not even driving!)

Eventually, they met up with the driver, and quietly piled into the back of the car. Nothing much happened during the ride home, they were both so tired and there wasn't much to say anyway. The driver was a nice guy though, (hope his kids enjoy that picture.) The hotel reception was similarly uneventful, their team had taken care of everything already, all they had to was check in and grab their keys. About 30 seconds in an elevator and a hallway later, girls found themselves in a large, open-floor plan hotel suite. A flick of the lights reveals a flood of light blue, white, and gold, the room's decorations all designed around hotel's sunshine theme. It made Marie feel more tired.

Hotels like this were (unfortunately) familiar to Marie, she had spent a lot of time traveling with her parents when she was young. I think I've been in a 'normal' hotel room maybe twice in my life. After all, there can be nothing but the best for Mrs. Kensaki. (Like Mama's ego needed any more padding). As nice as the hotel rooms were, they weren't ever anything more than a hollow comfort. A temporary break from her mother's will, nothing more than a place to just barely get a step ahead of her exhaustion. But it's not like that. I'm tired now because I was performing on stage with Callie! It's not the same thing. (As much as it feels like it is.) Her quiet reassurances did little to dissuade the almost instinctual response to the room.

The pair shuffled their way inside, each with a different mission in mind. They both set their things on the small console table near near they door before splitting. Callie wandered into the kitchen, likely looking for more snacks while Marie made her way to one of the two couches in the living room. Leftover anxiety from her earlier attack still lingered in the back of her mind as she sat down. With a quiet groan, she leaned her head against the back of the couch as she massaged her face, trying to relive the tension in her brain by proxy.

She wasn't born with this anxiety, not that she remembers much about her time without it. Expectations in the Kensaki family were high. (Too high.) Over several generations, members of the Kensaki family have earned their place in the histories of dozens of different specialties. From the arts, to the sciences, business, culture, and beyond, it's hard to find any profession that someone in the family hadn't at some point made a name for themselves in. Mama expected Marie to contribute to this legacy from the very first moment she was able. It had started out simple enough, at such a young age seeing her parents happy was enough of a reward on it's own. It didn't stay so easy for long. The work got harder, and it took longer. The moment Marie was old enough, she was pulled out of school to join them in business meetings. You'd think without school work on top of it, things would get easier? But no, mom took the chance to saddle me with even more.

She wasn't ever given the chance to choose how she wanted to contribute to that legacy. Mama insisted she learn how to take over the family business, and Marie was being trained to read sales charts and profit projections before she could properly read books. As daunting as it was, the early education was necessarily, Mama claimed. After all, The Kensaki corporation was one of the largest in Inkadia. At only eight years old, Marie was held to the standards of the most high-class, cutthroat business environments imaginable. She had to be perfect, any mistake she made reflected on her parents and the corporation at large. I had no choice but to learn to suppress everything. Boredom, fear, concern, pain, joy, all of it. A tentacle out of place could set the company back thousands of G, if not more.

She would be forever thankful to her aunt for getting her away from that.

An unsure amount of time later, Marie is awoken by Callie chanting "Snacks!" repeatedly as she paraded into the living room. She was carrying something Marie can't quite make out through her half-closed eyes. Guess I dozed off. (I really need the rest.)

"Don't we have a pizza coming?" She asks, voice her voice sounding much groggier than she thought it would.

"Yeah, but we didn't have any drinks." Callie defends with a playful tone.

"Mmm." Marie half-heartedly answers, her eyes already closing again. I'll just... close my eyes until it gets here.

Her sleepy plan was interrupted by a dull whump and a very cold sensation against her left shoulder. "Gah!" Marie instinctively rolled her shoulder away from the back of the couch, but this just causes the cold object to slide and press against her neck. Now, thoroughly awake, Marie leaned away from the couch while making some indescribable noises. Hanging halfway in the air, Marie turns to look at her icy assailant. A can of Smash Cola sat against the back of the couch, right where she had been. Callie's snickering told her all she needs to know.

"Keep your head up Marie! Just a bit longer!" Callie called to her as she walked towards the room's front door. She exchanged a smile, a quick word, and a handful of G with presumably the delivery driver, before turning back to Marie with two boxes of pizza in hand. She skipped back to their seats while Marie lazily pulls the room's coffee table closer to the couch. Callie sets one of the boxes on a small side table near her chair, before setting the other on Marie's table. Marie cracks her can of soda and takes a drink, hoping the psychosomatic effects of the caffeine can keep her going for just a little bit longer.

The girls tore into their respective pizzas with unsurprising vigor. We've had a long day after all. (Cod, I'm so HUNGRY.) Callie flicked through channels on the TV between bites, eventually settling on some over-produced reality show. Marie didn't have the strength, nor the wits to try and convince her cousin to change the channel. She just let the barrage of sounds wash over her mind while she thoughtlessly polished off the last slice of her pizza. The next two days were completely free, no tours, no practice, nothing. It's like a mid-tour break. (Closer to 1/3rd tour break maybe.) They were planning to go and look through some of the monuments Gramps had told them about when he was here all those years ago. And he wants us to bring him an Octarian history textbook of all things. There wasn't any demands for the next day, so Marie was content to just drift back to sleep right there in her chair.

...

Some time later, she slowly filtered back to consciousness. It took her sleep-addled brain a moment to remember everything, but before long, she was blearily blinking over the darkened hotel room. Callie was passed out in her chair, pizza box still in her lap. We should probably make our way to the beds. (Cod, that was so nice.) What time is it anyway? Marie half-blindly slapped around the table in front of her looking for her phone, before she remembered it never left her pocket. She begrudgingly wrestled herself from the couch's warm grasp, before fishing through her pocket and pulling out her phone.

That's odd. Marie took a second to rub her eyes, and then started walking over to Callie. "Hey, Cal?" She asked as she approached, her voice surprisingly clear for having just woken up. She gently grabs her cousin's shoulder and shakes it a little. "Cal, look at this..."

"Marie...? Whaz..." She squinted as her eyes adjust to being open again. Marie hands over her phone. Callie looked over the notifications, frowning. "That's not like him... he usually only calls once, and he never leaves a message." She hands the phone back.

"Maybe he just got lonely? It has been at least a week and a half since we talked to him, and even then it wasn't for very long."

"Hmm." Callie stood up beside Marie in an attempt to wake up, and tossed the pizza box to the floor nearby. "It's really late for him to be calling too." She paused. "Last time we talked to him he was still talking about finding the zapfish." her eyebrows raise. "You don't think--"

"--I don't." Marie cut her cousin off. "They've only just started to scrape onto the surface. We saw first hand how poorly that went for them, before we intervened. That's why we're here now, so we can be there when they do come up eventually. There's no way in hell they managed to steal one of the most valuable things in Inkopolis and remain undetected for this long."

"I'm just saying, Gramps' intuition hasn't been wrong when it comes to that DJ guy. Do you think he tried to do something on his own? Maybe he--"

Callie was cut off a second time by the ringing of Marie's phone. It was Gramps. The girls exchanged a glance before Maire wordlessly accepts the call, and places it on speaker while it connects.

Click.

"Hello, Gramps? Is everything alright?" Marie asks, a little nervously.

"Oh thank cod, an answer." The voice coming from the phone was not Gramps. "Hello? You're the only number I could find on the Captain's pin board, I-I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do! I'm, I'm just--" The voice was young, male, and sounded close to tears. Who is this guy, why does he have Gramps' phone?

"Hey!" Callie's the first to speak. "It's ok! We know the Cap'n! Um, if you don't mind explaining, what exactly is going on?"

The boy's breath hitched, but he manages to swallow whatever grief struck him. "Right, yeah ok. I can do that. I was out on a mission, I was only a few domes in, uh, I was under cover, trying to get some information. Something wasn't right, uh, the Cap'n screamed for me to run, and then I was ambushed!"

Outside of the call, the girls met each other's eyes, hundreds of unspoken words passed between them. Mission, domes? Why does this kid know about all of this. (Why did someone else get involved?)

"I ran and managed to escape, had a quick scrape with a non-combatant? I don't know. The Cap'n shouted a lot of stuff, um, his grandsquids were mentioned a lot... and then there was the sound of his bamboozler, and then the line cut out."

Marie watched horror flash through Callie's eyes, and she imagines that she looked quite the same.

The boy continues his half-panicked ramble. "I wasn't sure what to do. He told me not to look for him but I ran right back to his comms station. I only found his bamboozler and the torn up maps and scrapped equipment!" He takes a moment to catch his breath. "I ran back to the Cabin after making sure I wasn't being followed. I looked everywhere, but this place is a mess of papers and this was the only contact I could find, and I... I just don't know what to do. Do I go out and look for him...?"

"No!" Marie shouted before she has time to think of something better to say. "You don't know, and what if he's--" Marie cut herself off, swallowing the well of panic rising inside her. "If his cane was left behind, he's been squidnapped. You won't be able to get to him without fighting through everyone else."

Ok, someone needs to be the voice of reason here. (Oh my cod gramps has been squidnapped!) Marie tapped Callie on the arm a single time, begore she leaned away from the phone. She took an incredibly sharp breath, closeed her eyes and squared her shoulders. She held this position for a few seconds, straightening her back and opening her eyes. A steel edge gleamed within them. With her emotions held firm in an iron grip, she turned her attention back to the conversation at hand.

Callie was floundering, hardly able to keep herself calm, much less the boy on the other side of the phone. "We need you to, uh, just, just don't go, um running out looking for him, o-ok?" The panic in her voice was just barely held at bay.

Marie reached over and gently grabbed her cousins shoulder. She let out a quiet "eep!" as she looked up, but recognition flickered through her eyes when she saw the look Marie gave her. Callie gently relinquished her hold on the phone as she stumbled backwards into a nearby chair.

"Kid." Marie's sharp, cold voice cut through his blubbering. Male, inkling based on accent, no older than 16. _{(You poor thing, I'm so sorry.)} She softened the tone of her voice, though it didn't do anything to reduce its edge. "I need you to listen to me, ok?"

The torrent of cries from the phone slowed, replaced by the sound of several deep breaths. "Ok. I'm listening. Please..."

"You're talking to Agent Two of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, Agent One is nearby, listening in. I tell you this because you clearly know something about the Splatoon. We've not been informed of any new personal joining recently, so I'm going to need you to explain everything."

The silence that follows was tense, more tense than it should have been. Beside her, Callie leaned closer, as if she was listening into words that weren't being spoken. Marie stared intently at her phone, gaze steadily intensifying as if it would urge the kid to speak. Deep down, Marie knew she was making the same expression she remembers her mother with, but she refused to give the thought any time.

Finally, the kid spoke. "I'm Quinn, uh, Agent 3 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. I... I don't know what to do."