Work Text:
Marina sighed to herself, looking over the blueprints again. The red UI covering her vision kept focusing on the wrong things, whether it be the focus of the Flooder (name pending), the legs of it, or the image of a Trooper next to it for scale.
Grumbling wordlessly, she set the blueprint down on the table in front of her again, brushing her short tentacles away from her face as one of them tried to creep into her line of view.
She tapped her pen on the side of her goggles, right below the point where the seaweed was attached. "Quit being difficult." She huffed.
"Talking to yourself again, Iida?" A familiar voice said from behind her. Marina jumped, but relaxed as she turned and saw the blue tentacles of Fuuka, the soldier quietly fiddling with their folded fan.
"Only because my goggles are acting up, Fuuka. Have you been well this morning?" She asked, turning back to the blueprints.
"As well as I can be." They replied simply.
"And how is Master Mega?"
"As healthy as ever."
She nodded, going back to quietly scanning over her blueprints.
"...Iida?" Fuuka whispered.
Their tone was different than their usual cold and calm, and it made Marina pause. "Yes?" She murmured in reply.
"One of the elders… she says that we're destined for something greater than this." They said quietly.
Marina turned the words over in her head for a moment. Definitely not quite the mentality one would wish for in a militaristic society such as theirs. Marina knew that she and Fuuka both learned from when they were hatchlings that this was their only choice, there wasn't any hope of going up to the surface.
And why would they? The surface was dangerous, crawling with aggressive Inklings who would surely kill them on sight.
"I see." She said simply. "What do you think, Fuuka?"
"I…" They sighed. "I find myself hoping for that destiny. For both my sake, and yours."
She turned to them, seeing that they were hiding the exposed part of their face with that white fan with the mysterious blue symbol on it. She found herself smiling slightly. "Thank you."
Their tentacles curled up slightly, but they didn't reply, likely too embarrassed by the affectionate words.
"You never did tell me what that symbol on your fan is." She pointed out.
They hummed, looking at the symbol themselves. A little semicircle atop a rectangle with swirled lines cut out of it, both colored in a vivid blue. It stood out strongly against the white of the fan, almost as if making a statement.
"Well…" They paused. "I'm not entirely sure. That elder, the one with the similar fan, says that it's a mark of shark taming heritage. She didn't elaborate, though."
"She has a similar one?" Marina asked.
"Yes, but with black instead of white." Fuuka explained. "...She's never told me her name. I just call her Munna." They muttered.
She felt herself smile at the sentiment. It seemed that unlike a lot of soldiers, Fuuka may have just found an actual ink relative.
"Good morning, you two." A new voice interjected. Marina turned to see vivid red tentacles and an Octobrush colored in the same ink.
"Hello, Tsubaki." Fuuka greeted. "How has your fleet been behaving?"
The other soldier shook her head. "As rude as always. Slackers." She grumbled.
"That's unfortunate." Marina commented. "You are the highest ranking among them, right?"
"Yes, but they're just disobedient." She said. "Perhaps their goggles need recalibration."
"I'll look into it." She promised.
"Thank you, Iida." Tsubaki said.
Fuuka hummed. "If you ever need, I could always adjust Master Mega's patrol path to encounter your fleet. If they know that you know Master and I, they may just be intimidated back into line." They said.
"I'll think about it, Fuuka. Thank you." Marina saw her smile slightly at the other soldier.
And Marina turned back to her blueprints, sighing as her goggles continued to focus on different elements of the drawing, frustrating her to no end.
"My fleet managed to successfully raid an Inkling city the other day." Tsubaki said quietly one day.
"Oh?" Fuuka tilted their head.
Marina continued listening, despite still struggling to focus on her blueprint.
"Yes. We managed to steal a small Zapfish from it. It was just wandering the streets. We pulled it into the sewers with us and retreated." She reported. "It's currently powering the Eastern half of Dome 3."
"Well, that's good." Fuuka said. "Isn't that one of the domes with Elite hatchling centers?"
"And nutrition block production." Marina added.
"Yes, it may not be much, but now that we've found a somewhat stable source of power, the higher ups are asking if we can manage to do it again." Tsubaki continued.
"Makes sense." Fuuka hummed. Marina noted how their subtle accent caused their voice to lilt near the end of their words. Interesting.
"Needless to say, I think I'll be traveling into enemy territory more often." She said quietly.
Marina felt her hearts drop.
And she prayed to whatever deity, real or fake, that could bear to listen to her, that Tsubaki would be alright.
"I'll try to see to an uptick in Power Egg payout as well." Fuuka said.
And Marina began praying for Fuuka, as well.
"Today's the day, Iida." Fuuka said one day. "Master Mega finally gets the recognition he deserves."
Tsubaki giggled. "He did well, scaring off that pesky Inkling."
Marina hummed. "I haven't heard about this." She said, scanning over her blueprint again (stupid goggles quit focusing on the wrong points–).
"An Inkling, looking far too young to be a threat, wandered into the borders of the Canyon the other day. Fuuka and Master Mega scared her off. She did scream loud enough to echo through the entire Canyon, though." Tsubaki said.
"I see, I see. I assume she retreated?"
"Of course." Fuuka hummed, unfolding their fan in front of their face. "It's only logical."
"And on top of that, we managed to get a few more of those little Zapfish. Even found a few even smaller ones, barely big enough to hold in one hand." Tsubaki reported.
"Wonderful." Marina complimented.
She saw the soldiers both subtly preen themselves, and she smiled.
Marina stepped out of the stadium, her goggles slung around her neck.
There wasn't that red UI that focused on every incorrect thing.
Only the dark grays and browns of the inside of the domes.
With Octavio defeated, I might be able to…
She watched as Octolings began flooding the area outside of the stadium, a few of them also not wearing their goggles, looking just as confused as she was.
"This changes everything." She said.
She didn't see Fuuka or Tsubaki in the crowd.
Marina stepped out into the light, feeling her eyes burn for a moment before she managed to adjust.
The… There was something coming over the horizon. Large and bright. It washed the area in a bright warmth, far different from the chill of the domes.
She gazed in awe as the sky above her (the sky, the actual sky) began to bleed into blues and pinks, her hearts aching as the colors reminded her of the friends she had left behind.
No. No point thinking about that. She thought bitterly. You won't be able to handle that line of thought, Marina.
She sighed, the blues and pinks of the sky now a painful reminder of who she had lost, beginning to walk.
She didn't know where. Or why. Or how she was there.
But damn it all if Marina didn't make the most of her newfound freedom.
Marina quickly stumbled upon an Inkling with a loud voice, who was covered in black fabric and sharp golden spikes.
All signs pointed toward the Inkling being a fierce warrior (the one that Fuuka scared off that one time?), especially considering the rips in her clothes. Surely they had been damaged in battle, but she seemed unscathed.
How terrifying for Marina, who wasn't a fighter.
She hid behind her hands, hoping that many of her classmates' theories about Inklings having no object permanence was true.
But unfortunately, the Inkling persisted.
However, the Inkling, likely in a show of nonviolence, removed the spikes and metal from her body, even removing her shoes, leaving her barefoot and significantly shorter.
She then sat on the ground, pushing the spiky garments away from her, and patted the ground in front of her.
It was a clear message, and she was even speaking in Inklish, likely saying what she meant: "come sit with me."
Marina hesitantly obliged, sitting on the ground and anxiously fiddling with her fingers.
The Inkling spoke again, despite the definite language barrier.
She then put a hand to her chest. "Perrl Hou-zhu-kii." She said.
Marina tilted her head. That was probably her name. She pointed at the Inkling. "Per-lii Hou-shu-kee." She responded.
The Inkling shook her head, and repeated it.
Marina tried again. "Pearlie… Houzuki…"
The Inkling smiled, showing her beak and clapping her hands. "Woomy!"
Marina felt herself smile as well. "Veemo!"
Marina then introduced herself, the Inkling picking up her name surprisingly quickly.
…As intimidating as this Inkling had seemed at first, perhaps she wasn't a threat.
Perhaps, this Inkling named Pearlie could be an ally. Or even a friend.
A few years later, Marina and Pearl were back up on Mount Nantai, and they had found a communication device that Marina quickly hooked up to her laptop.
They then met Cap'n Cuttlefish and Agent 8.
Marina thought at first that Eight looked familiar, but kept her thoughts to herself.
Until one night, when both she and Agent 8 were awake at abnormal hours, at least for Inklings.
"Hey, Eight." She said, in Octarian. "I have a question. Or a few questions, I guess."
"What is it?" Eight asked.
"You… You mentioned that you can't remember anything, right? …How many memories did you lose?" She asked quietly.
She watched on the video feed as Eight tilted her head, thinking for a long moment. "All I remember is bright lights and dark tunnels… And that song. I don't know the words, or the name. Just the melody."
Marina hummed. "Can you hum it for me?"
Eight nodded and quietly began humming a familiar tune.
The Calamari Inkantation.
Performed by the Squid Sisters.
She felt tears brim against the edges of her mask, and smiled. "Thank you. Can you describe anything you remember?"
"Um… I've been writing poems about the things I can remember… Mr. Iso Padre calls them Octopoems."
"Oh, eight syllables per line, then." Marina said.
"Yes, exactly. It feels so natural."
"Maybe you were a poet before you lost your memories."
"Maybe. I'd like that." Eight smiled.
Marina's hearts ached.
Tsubaki had always liked to share poems with her and Fuuka.
"Hey, Eight… Can you read me a poem of yours?" She asked one night.
"Um… Let me think…" Eight pulled out a small notebook, clearing her throat.
"The chill of night was your sweet home,
Sharp as a tooth, I hope that you
had surfaced from those stuffy domes."
Marina paused. That sounded so familiar.
"That's lovely." She said softly, even as her hearts ached to see Fuuka again. "...Would you mind reading another?"
"I do not mind." Eight smiled again.
"I wish to join you in the light,
Were you alive? Have you survived?
The thoughts of two lead sleepless nights."
Marina felt her ink run cold as she smiled sadly.
"Would you like another?" Eight asked after a long moment of silence.
"Um, if you don't mind…"
"It's alright."
Oh, how familiar those words were.
"My friends colored in blue and teal–
Are you okay? I cannot say.
I cannot tell if you were real."
Marina rolled her desk chair away from her laptop, holding her hand to her mouth to hold sudden sobs in.
"Thank you for the poetry, Eight. They're beautiful. I should get to bed. It's getting a bit late." She said quietly, hoping her sorrow didn't bleed into her voice.
And Eight– no, Tsubaki, damnit– nodded with a soft smile. "Thank you for listening. Good night."
Marina nodded despite the fact that the other Octoling couldn't see her and shut off the communication.
When Pearl had woken up, asking her why she was crying so profusely, so violently, she managed to force a weak smile on her face for just a moment before slumping over and crying into Pearl’s shirt instead.
When Eight had finally surfaced, they were caught up in fighting against a giant statue, but after Cuttlefish and (an extremely injured) Agent 3 had led them to the Tentakeel Outpost at the edge of Octo Canyon, the injured Inkling was dragged into being properly treated for their wounds by a familiar-looking Agents 1 and 2, the former of which approaching both Marina and Eight and sitting them down.
"Are you two okay?" One asked, in fluent Octarian.
Needless to say, Marina was a bit shocked at the Inkling's knowledge of her native tongue, but went with it.
Eight nodded slowly. "I… I don't remember everything, but I remember what's important. Like the light. And the melody. And the people." She said. "Like… Like Marina." Eight pointed at her with a smile.
"You… remember me?" Marina asked softly. Tentatively. Carefully.
She couldn't bring herself to believe it.
"Not… entirely. But I know I knew you. And I know you are kind." Eight smiled again, and Marina felt big tears roll down her face as she reached forward and buried her face in Eight's shoulder.
"I thought I'd never see you again." Marina sobbed.
Eight simply wrapped her arms around her, humming quietly. "But now you can see me all the time."
She was right, and it made Marina cry even harder.
And Agent 1 watched on with a soft smile on her face.
A few years later, Marina and Eight hung out a ton.
At least when they weren't busy.
And it was on one of these lonely evenings, both of them lying on Pearl and Marina's living room floor, that Eight posed a question.
"Marina…"
"Hm?"
"I… still don't remember everything about the domes, but… there was another person down there. Another friend. Wasn't there?" She said quietly.
Marina sighed wistfully. Just as she thought she had finished mourning.
"I… There was." She said. "It was you, me, and… and Fuuka."
"Fuuka…" Eight whispered. As if testing out the name on her tongue.
"They were quite eccentric, at least by Octarian standards. They were an Elite soldier, just like you. But they had a special assignment."
"Oh?"
Marina smiled. "They were a shark tamer." She said. She gestured in the air above them with her hands, as if telling a story to a hatchling. "A fearsome warrior, who had tamed and trained a megalodon."
Eight made another intrigued sound, watching her dimly glowing fingertips in the darkness.
"His name was Master Mega, and together, they oversaw the trading with the Salmonids, and even without Master Mega, Fuuka was still so powerful, they could bring weaker Elites to their knees." She said. "On the outside, cold, calculating, and strange, wielding a sensu fan with a blue symbol on it, telling us small stories they had heard from their munna, about a place that their family had called home before the war: the Splatlands."
"I remember hearing about it. Desert wastelands, right?"
"Yep. But the people there were tough. Inklings who could tame swarms of eels, Mantas who could produce ink through rituals, and Octolings who could tame even the most vicious of sharks." She continued. "Fuuka had seemed so proud about it, their heritage. And they seemed melancholic as well, as if longing for something beyond their reach.
"They'd say that their munna would tell them that they were destined for greater paths, to live in the light, and become it. They told us that they didn't quite know what it meant, but that it had to be true. It felt too real to be just an old tale."
"I understand. With my memories gone, I think my hearts still remembered everything important to me. Like you." Eight said. "...This all sounds so familiar." She whispered.
"...I just hope their munna's words were true." Marina murmured.
She felt tears slip down her face at the thought of the opposite.
Eight reached out a shaking hand to hold hers.
It seemed she wasn't the only one who worried about their shark-taming friend's safety.
And she tilted her head to look at Eight's face–
and saw red-stained tears dripping into the carpet.
"The Splatlands are the freshest place to be right now!" Pearl said as they all piled out of their two vans, far too early to be awake. "And the center of it all, the city of chaos!"
Callie and Four cheered, ever the loyal warriors of chaos, and Marina and her fellow orderlies were left to quietly wonder when they would go to that penthouse apartment that Pearl had bought before they hit the road.
It was in that apartment, about 36 hours after arrival (yeesh, the trip took a lot out of them), that Marina flipped on the TV, and at about 7 AM, saw a colorful splash cover the screen, blue and yellow and gray and black.
"Bankativii!" A pair of voices chimed happily.
The splash screen melted away, and–
"Listen up! It's going down. Repping the Splatlands, we are Deep Cut!"
Marina shouted out wordlessly, falling to her knees in front of the TV and sobbing her hearts out in relief.
"Anarchy Splatcast, we're live!"
"You lip-sync, we drip ink–"
"Shiver, Frye, and Big Man!"
At that point, everyone in the house, including Pearl and all three Agents, had popped into the living room, looking exhausted but also armed to the beak, each wielding their respective weapons.
"Marina? What's wrong?" Pearl asked immediately.
"Eight–" She choked out. She couldn't stop crying, cod– "The–" She gestured wildly at the TV.
Eight looked, and gasped, seeing the blue-tentacled Octoling wielding a white sensu fan with that vivid blue symbol on it.
"That's…" Recognition flashed in her eyes, and pinkish red tears slipped down her face.
Marina sobbed again, loud and probably ugly and probably very embarrassing for future Marina, but–
"They're alive! Fuuka's alive!" She shouted.
Pearl gathered her into her short arms, trying to talk her down from her sob fest, while Three and Four asked Eight about the three on TV.
All Eight could do was sniffle, wipe away some tears, smile…
"Your darkened path, you walked alone.
Sharp as a tooth. I'd prayed for you…
"I'm glad you're safe in your new home."