HIATUS

      She could hardly hear him over the metallic cries ( not to mention the Inkling ones ). So Sushi was left to wonder why he was hightailing it away.

THE ONLY WAY TO FIND OUT IS TO CATCH UP.

Green ink splashes everywhere as she jerks forward, piling on the ( gas? ) to keep up.

   Noticing that she can’t hear ( or is ignoring ) his words, he continues to run. Is this really how it is going to end for him? A griller running him over right in the middle of Inkopolis? Not to mention the griller is being piloted by someone he thought was his friend.

   As he continues to run though he sees hope, in the form of a tree, that is. Easily tall enough to prevent the griller from running him over, if only he can climb it in time. He looks back, noting that the vehicle is quickly catching up. Yep, this is his only real shot.

Shes gonna lie.How could she miss this?! It was a oppertunity to actually make money! And… That isnt the only thing that she wants from him. Eh… how to explain this? Ajai didnt know what type of feelings she was feeling at the moment. Its the same feeling she once had with her ex, but that relationship ended violently. The inkling trembled at the thought of that feeling crawling back after her. Ajai was so lost in thought that she didnt even answer the question that the inkling asked.

   Dae stays silent for a moment, simply waiting for any sort of response. He asked the question, right? Did she not hear? Or just doesn’t want to answer. Either way, he’s not drinking this thing without confirmation. He needs to know if it’s permanent or not, but at the same time... each has its perks. Though he supposes he would prefer non-permanent, just in case it doesn’t work out for him.

She digs up a lemon candy, handing it to him. It’s a little bit sticky, like her hands, but she hopes he doesn’t mind. “Here!”

“Okay!” She wasn’t going to dig- this time, Dae got lucky enough. “Do you wanna visit me sometime? I love having people over for sleepovers!!” And there hse goes- Mani loves nothing as much as imagining all the FUN THINGS she could do with her friends.

   Dae gingerly takes the candy, being careful to get as few fingers sticky as he possibly can. Staring at it for a moment, he gives the sugary treat a tentative lick before deeming it safe and sticking it in his mouth.

    Don’t think you can slip a self-deprecating chuckle past this chick, Dae. On the other hand, she didn’t blame him for wanting to skip over the issue or frame it in an understating light; she does note the behavior, but doesn’t comment, either out of apathy or consideration. It’s hard to tell, and she’d rather not question it.

    At what he does say, however, she outright laughs: heartily, yes, but a tinge mocking.   “ Guess why I didn’ know howda read, huh? I skipped class like nuts for years an’ then straight-up dropped out when I was ten. Though… ”   She presses the tip of her finger to her lip.   “ I got expelled for beatin’ a classmate ‘til he had to go to the hospital, so we had to move. And then we didn’t have money enough t’ send me to school anymore, so… ”   Soda shrugs as best she can while laying down, mouth twisting uncomfortably: that was a bit more than he needed to know.   ( Way more, really. )

    “ Any-point, even dumbasses like me can learn if y’try hard enough. A— A friend, an Octoling, actually, gave me lessons. It’s got different grammar though, and there’s Traditional and Modern Octarian, so depending on which you choose, it’ll be different. I learned Modern, just from exposure. ”

     “ Hm, guess we can sorta relate, then. “  Dae leans back, letting out a breath of air as he considers... should he share more? He’s not exactly very keen on sharing his past. It’s common courtesy to tell after someone else does, especially when they are fairly similar, but...  “ Well, I beat up a few other as well, honestly. Never really got in too much trouble for it though. “  Because he was a trickster, the worst of the worst. A terrible Inkling who would lie and deceive his way through any situation, often times getting innocent bystanders roped in and punished for his misdeeds. Such information is better not shared, though. The last thing he wants is for others to not trust him now that the world has forgotten about the monster he once was.

When Ajai noticed that he was staring at the potion, she nodded lightly as she said “go on, take it! Free for first one” Ajai smiled, to be honest, she is was way to generous for her own good. This is one of teh many reasons she never makes any money. She always gives out the potions for free, thinking that they would return, but they never do. ‘Gulible as always’ She thought as she shoke the thought away.Ajai’s eyes widened. Oh… sure, the movies, yes of course thats what she ment. When she first came to Inkopolis, she remembered hearing stories about the old man who peaked out of the sewers in Inkopolis Plaza, how inkings would warn her to stay away but that never really stopped her from going in, but thats a story for another time. “Oh yes! i mean movies..” Ajai chuckled.

   Dae gives a quick nod and grabs the potion, being very careful with it as he brings it closer to his person.  “ Hm... so is it permanent? “  If it was then handing them out for free is a terrible business practice, but it doesn’t hurt to make sure. After all, all of this pretending and he doesn’t even know for sure that this is what he wants. He is horribly lost in a sea of his own emotions and doubts, and he is unsure if he can stop from drowning.

He really didn’t understand, did he? Vigorous exercise like Ink Sports was too much for their body to handle, too much for their lungs to bear. Not to mention, they never really got out and exercised to begin with, so of course that was an issue on its own. He was a stubborn bastard, though, so perhaps it would’ve been best to just nod and humor him. If anything, it would shut him up for them. Besides, they always got asked what weapon they would use if they battled, so it would answer that question.

While he had taken a seat, they had yet to sit, as they needed to fetch some things. A nod was given in response to his proposal though, even if they didn’t exactly want to do anything he talked about. Eyes scanned the room, hunting for the parts as they replied verbally. “If it would satisfy you, my friend, I would be delighted to.”

     “ Nice! I can’t wait! “  Dae throws his arms up in excitement. The action causes his balance to be offset, and sends him tumbling to the floor. However, he doesn’t seem to mind as rather than expressing any sorts of pain he simply starts to loudly laugh.

    “I’m just trying to play some casual matches, though. 11 splats isn’t even that bad…”

the dark | fire | open water (sea/ocean) | (any) deep water | being alone | crowded/enclosed spaces (agoraphobia) | confined spaces (claustrophobia) | change | failure | war | being controlled/lack of free will | prison | blood | drowning | suffocation | public speaking | supernatural monsters/animals (any kind) | heights | death/dying | intimacy | rejection | abandonment | the unknown | the future | not being good enough | themself | scary stories | talking to new people | poverty | loud noises | being touched | powerlessness | bugs | the future | ghosts | growing old | rain | lightning | natural disasters (any kind) | poison | school | hospitals | pain | mirrors | god / religion | buried alive | betrayal | people | social class | freedom | frogs | dogs | large animals | challenges | making friends | injury | powerlessness to prevent loved ones from being hurt | marriage | child-rearing | adulthood | the cold.

{     🍀 — @brushdaze doesn’t deserve this.     }

      ❝ DAAAEMIEEEE!! ❞

He’s definitely heard that shriek before! It’s from an excitable young Inkling, one that’s quickly making her way towards him!

In a griller. She’s piloting a griller. Smack dab in Inkopolis Square. And like any other griller, it has a red laser sight on him as a warning. But the Inklings around him screaming was probably just as good a warning.

   Dae is very gifted as blocking out the rest of the world. The screams? An idol passing through. That horrid metallic clanging? The zapfish must be flying again. What he can’t block out though, is that familiar voice calling to him. He turns to face the young Inkling only for his face to immediately pale as he takes in the sight. She’s... in a griller.... and the sights are on him.

      Her expression softened, squishing large green eyes between chubby chipmunk cheeks. Her smile widened along the width of her face as a sheepish gaze hastily makes its way out of the scenario. Soon enough, they come to a pleased close, her ears drooping not in dismay, but content. A singular sniffle, there only because she was in the tail-end process of calming down, precedes her hushed tone. ❝ Thank y'kindly, mista. I'un ev'n know y'name, an’ yer already reely sweet… ❞

“Okay.” She nodded. Sure. It’s uh…. melon. Sweet.” She keeps thrusting it at him in hopes he’ll take it faster. “I have lemon, too.”

“Uhhhh…… well, I kinda… where do ya live? I live in the uh. The…. what is it called. Flounder Heights!” Mani gets another candy for herself. “Eesh a gooshpash to lish.”

   Dae seems hesitant to take the candy, however he perks up at the mention of lemon.  “ Oh, yeah can I have a lemon one? I’m not too big on sweets unless they have some sour to them. “