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Eight could feel the pain in her cheeks as she could finally stop forcing a smile. The refugees were safe and accounted for. Everything was fine.
The octoling threw off her gear not caring about the mess she made and flopped on her bed ready to vibe out for a bit and forget about the day she had.
“ Hey, I saw you didn’t get dinner so I brought you up a peanut butter and banana smoothie, ” Marina said with a weak smile.
Eight winced feeling the strain on her neck. She placed her claw over her injury. The phantom feeling of Four’s hand slamming into her throat formed a pit in her stomach.
“ Thanks, I wasn’t hungry, ” Eight said. Her cleaver ruse may have worked if her traitorous stomach didn’t wail out for the smoothie.
Marina didn’t say anything, just placing the food on the nightstand.
Eight smiled and gave her a quiet “thank you”.
Marina sat on the bed. She noticed Eight’s hero gear and octoshot were on the ground. “Is everything alright? You didn’t come down for dinner.”
“I wasn’t that hungry,” Eight said, holding the now half finished smoothie.
Marina laughed, as she smiled gently at her ward. “You’re a good octo, but that makes for a terrible liar. I know something is wrong. Remember asking for help isn’t a bad thing.”
Eight was about to speak when she felt another stab of pain in her throat. The way Four looked at her.
“Are inklings dangerous?” Eight whispered.
The thought seemed so foreign a long time ago, but now she couldn’t be sure. Were her friends really who they said they were or were they hiding something more to them? Four’s furry, Pearl’s battle cry, the Calamari Inkantation? What were inklings capable of?
“Did something happen after the mission? Were you attacked? Did someone threaten you?” Marina tried to reassure her ward. “Whatever happened Pearl and I will handle it.”
Eight shook her head, pulling away from Marina. “Nothing happened after the mission.”
“Did Four do something?” Marina asked.
Eight nodded, she wished Marina hadn’t gotten it right, but she needed to talk to someone. “I never saw her look so angry. She looked like she was ready to splat all the octolings there.”
“Agent Two contacted me about a situation. Octarian spies mixed in with a group of refugees Four was escorting attacked her. When I arrived on the scene Four attacked me. She grabbed me by the throat like she was going to rip it out.”
“Eight.”
Marina hugged her ward. Four and she had just started dating to see such a brutal side of her must have been a lot. “Did you try to talk with her?”
Eight shook her head. “ No, she needed medical attention and I was still needed to handle the refugees when Three and I arrived, Four was already sedated. ”
“Would you want to speak with her?” Marina asked.
The young octoling didn’t know. On one claw she didn’t want to acknowledge that Four did that. On the other claw, Eight didn’t want to pretend that everything was okay.
Eight felt the tug on her wrist as Marina pulled her to her feet.
“Look, this is a one time only thing, but you should probably deal with this now,” Marina said.
All Eight could manage was a confused ‘wah’ at Marina’s proposal.
“Eight, this is important. You should deal with this now before this becomes a bigger deal,” Marina said. “Think about it, I’ve yelled at you for coming home late every time. If I’m telling you to go into the city and deal with this now you should know it’s serious. You don’t want this hanging over you for the rest of your relationship. Talk this out now before it’s too late.”
Eight gave her mom a big hug and a quick ‘thanks’ before getting her stuff and leaping out the window. She could hear Marina yell, “Be back before sunrise!”
After a quick call with Marie Eight exited the drainpipe to Cuttlefish Cabin. As she approached the door she could hear voices on the other side.
“Hey there, sexy. Boy, I could get used to you waking me up,” Four said before quickly apologizing.
It seemed like Three also wanted to talk about what happened during the mission as well.
“I was angry I was ambushed by the inkfish I was helping,” Four said.
Three sighed looking away. “I know it’s only been one date, and we’re not girlfriends or anything, but would you mind telling me more?”
For some reason this struck a chord with Eight, both of them wanted answers from Four.
The yellow squid forced herself into the kitchen. “I’m not a hero, Kaori. Marie didn’t want a hero, she wanted a soldier. She was in a dark place and I was the monster she needed. I have a darkness inside of me, a part of me that can be violent, mean, and cruel. I have this part of myself that can hurt squids and not care. I can do whatever it takes to get the job done.”
Three looked at her confused or in disbelief. “We all have a darkness F-Alice, I’ve had to do a lot to survive. It’s honestly kind of hard to see you as dark.”
Eight nodded along from her hiding place; agreeing with what Three said. They all had some darkness in them they all had to fight.
This seemed to upset her as Four showed her just how dark she could be. Four grabbed Three by the collar lifting her out of her chair. A boy’s voice came out of Alice’s mouth. “I need you to understand when I say I have darkness. I mean it.”
Four dropped the visibly shaken agent to her feet. The two sat back on the floor of the cabinas Four began again.
“I killed an Octarian with a tree branch, I stabbed one in the eye with a stick, I terrified a boatload of refugees, and I nearly crushed Eight’s throat!” Four said, as if she were begging Three to see her as this horrible creature.
“So why’d you use it?” Three asked the question she and Eight both wanted to know.
Four looked ashamed of what she was about to say. “I don’t wanna fail. When I set my mind to something, I’m not going to back down, and I sure as hell am not going to lose.”
Eight knew she couldn’t keep watching this play out; she needed to be here. The octoling walked into the cabin looking like a student brought to the principal’s office. “I heard what you were talking about.”
Eight looked at the two before her. This was the inkling that nearly killed her, covered in tears and shaking like a leaf because of her actions. “How much did you hear?”
“Hey there, sexy,” Eight said, letting out a mirthless laugh.
Four nodded, looking up to Eight ready to face whatever punishment she deserved. “So what do you think of it, of me?”
Eight walked over and sat down on the cool kitchen floor. She didn’t really know what to think Four was her friend, girlfriend, but she was also capable of so much violence. But couldn’t the same be said about her?
The Octarian traitor of the Splatoon.
Eight let out a tired sigh. “Since coming to Inkopolis I have had to discover who I am. I’ve had to relearn what I love and what kind of octopus I am. For the longest time I’ve struggled with who I am and who others are, but you both taught me that we’re not binary objects. We are more than one thing. Looking at the world as just black and white is how a hatchling sees things.”
“Three, you’re a battle hardened warrior, as a great dancer who loves music. Four, you’re a goofy carefree squid and a thoughtful and wise inkling thinking of the bigger picture.” Eight’s cheeks filled with ink as she said, “You both are more than one thing. You guys are the inklings I-I daisuki .”
Three clenched her fist. “You’re not going to hear any complaints from me,” Three said, ready to get off the floor.
Four stopped her putting her hand over her fist. “I know autistic squids struggle with getting their emotions out, you can take your time. You don’t just have to make a quip and move past it. I, we, want to hear how you really feel.”
Eight smiled in agreement as the two of them gave Three her time to sift through her emotions.
“Sorry if you don’t get what I’m trying to say. Or if this comes out weird. I’m kinda glad that you’ve got this darkness. I know it’s totally fried, but for a while now it felt like I was this freak, you and Eight could handle all this mess up squit and not be affected. I thought I was the problem. I was so sure you were above all the violence and stuff that you made me doubt if fighting these wars were that difficult. I know it’s screwed up, but you having that beast inside of makes me feel happy.”
Eight brought both of her girls into her embrace. She placed a kiss on both of their cheeks. Eight wasn’t perfect her entire life was a giant contradiction built on the choices of a woman who lost her memories. “Wrath, fear, and guilt. It seems nobody in our trio is free of sin.”
Four’s head shot up. “You girls are more than that. I know this was mostly about me, but like Eight said we’re not binary objects. Three you fight like hell for what you believe in and Eight you chase your dreams, no matter what. You’re too stubborn to give up. Those are what make a real hero to me atleast.”
Eight and Three laughed.
“That’s very sweet,” Eight said, for the first time this day if felt like she was talking to the old Four again, the earnest goofball that wore her heart on her sleeve.
“Nah, I’ve heard better,” Three said.
Four blushed, throwing her hands up. “Hey, those are great things to live by. Chasing your dreams and fighting like hell, that’s not a bad thing.”
Eight smiled and asked. “And what do you bring to the table? How do you live your life?”
“I, I defend my honor,” Four said, hoping nobody would call her out on her bull shrimp.
“Chase your dreams. Fight like hell. And no matter what happens, defend your honor as a member of the New Squidbeak Splatoon,” Four said, rather pleased with herself.
As silly as it was, Eight couldn’t help but think that that wasn’t a bad way to live.