Headspace

Unfortunately. If there was one thing Soda prided herself on, it was keeping her emotions behind lock and key, behind a velvet curtain she’d manipulate per the act. She was losing her touch.

It was always people with green eyes that tried to get her to talk, wasn’t it? A hand rises to cover, and rub over, Soda’s mouth, teeth gritted behind it.   ( She didn’t even like the color green. )   The other covers the top of her coffee, steam building beneath and singing her palm. Y’know, it wasn’t their problem, trying to act the therapist. She had one, thanks.

    “ Oh, I mean — I got all their current stuff. Minus the — Yeah. That thing. ”   She’s got to snort, tipping back in her chair, sunlight glinting over the edge of the parasol.   “ I mean like, new gear. Anything in the works, maybe? ”

With her lean forward, all four legs of the chair sink back to the ground.   “ Oh … I mean, ‘s supposed to be confidential, s’all. Not that Agent 3 was s’posed t’ ever exist to the public, but … I just … ain’t relevant like I used’a be. Y’know? ”

Listening intently, she kept a close eye on the other’s body language. Always a tough one, this one. But then again, most Inklings lived rather blissfully compared to this one. While she didn’t want to pry to the point of discomfort, she knew there was certainly something on the Inkling’s mind.

Before speaking her mind, Flow reached out to stop a seemingly random Inkling that happened to be passing by, handing them a bit of money.

“Dear, would you mind fetching me an iced tea? I’ll make sure we hold that Skalop gear you wanted.” With a quick nod, the Inkling was off. Flow’s eyes moved back toward Soda, a tinge of concern in them. She waited a good moment or two, gathering her own thoughts before leaning forward a bit, her voice taking on a more serious tone.

“You know... I might seem like I’m always zoned out and blitzed beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, but I’m not dumb. I hear about everything going on from the other Inklings. Maybe they’re not the most accurate things I’m told... but I can easily put together what’s been happening lately.”

“...I mean, I am the way I am only because it’s kept me sane through the years.”

What seemed like an eternity passed during her brief pause, a transparent plastic cup filled with iced tea appearing in front of her. She took a small sip before continuing.

  Giving the matriarchal nature of his society, he knew when to call it quits. That terrifying gaze was his sign to actually take this seriously. With those words, he found himself straightening himself out ( as well as his octopus form would allow, anyways. ) It almost seemed ridiculous that he was being made to stop his only past time activity, but, well … those eyes. 

  “ Yes ma’am, sorry ma’am. It won’t happen again. ” Two tentacles are brought together as he stares at the floor in shame. It seemed he was trying to remember the faces of the Inklings he bothered. The silence that pursued made obvious that he didn’t remember at all. An attribute that certainly didn’t help his case with her. 

   “ Could I get a list or something. Squids all look the same. I can’t possibly get to ‘em all. ”

“No.” 

Her initial answer was short, cold, and sharp. 

“You got yourself into this mess, you’re going to embarrass yourself to get out of it. If you really don’t know who they are, then you’re going to have to ask around. And you better not make another scene doing so, do you understand?”

“Nah... I’m just pulling your leg. Do you really think the hippie life was a pure and innocent one?

    To think he’d even been alive longer than the other. Possibly every sea creature in the general area. Yet, somehow the other displayed a demeanor he hadn’t seen in a long time– one of a mother to a child. How long had it been since he had been scolded like this? Somehow it still sent fear into his three hearts.

  “ I, uh, er .. ” Tentacles begin to wrap around each other, almost as if he was hesitant to speak. It was evident he had NOT been prepared for a moment like this at all. When the hell did he even apologize last? “ I guess it’d be I’m sorry? ”

   … Man, he was lucky this gal wasn’t Agent 3. He would have lost a lot faster and far more humiliated than he did two years back.

Though somewhat pleased with the response, she knew better than to leave it at that. She already knew his type — always quick to go back to exactly what they got in trouble for. Staring right through him with a cold gaze, her stern, motherly tone only intensified.

“You guess? Child, you’re going to promise to never do it again, and you will apologize to those Inklings. I’m going to make sure to ask them about it later, and I better hear good news from them. Do I make myself clear, young man?”

   “Man, I don’t know ‘bout no auras or nothin’, yo, but… I get it.” She’d somehow only just figured out the zombie part, but she got everything else, at least.

She has to… take really small steps to match Flow’s pace - Dedf1sh is… she’s just too long.

“Buncha weird green Octolings come up from the underground to end all undergrounds, ain’t no doubt someone’s gonna get freaked out, dawg. s’far as I know though, ain’t nobody get kidnapped. These Sanitized kids is just tryna live their best lives up here, y’know?”

She was a Sanitized herself, but she hadn’t gone through any of the horrible things that had happened to them - in all honesty, she was just… green. She didn’t think it was fair if she talked like she was one of them, considering all they’d dealt with.

“You’re takin’ it better than a lotta other people though, yo. Be nice if everyone was as chill as you, dawg.”

Well, that was a new one. While she wasn’t unfamiliar with this underground, being a traveler in her younger years and all, these Sanitized Octolings were still a pretty big mystery to her. She was certainly told some things, but not really enough to know the full scope of things.

“Oh my...! That underground? I couldn’t possibly imagine what kind of heavy stuff is going on down there this time, but I hope you and your friends find a good home here. I’ll make sure to clear things up with my kids, they’re not too good with figuring out new changes. They don’t even have normal Octolings figured out, poor things.”

Stopping at the shelves, she turned toward the other, having to look quite a ways up.  “Look to your heart’s content. This is where we keep all the hottest stuff, the stuff that really makes you stand out! Perhaps a Jellyvader Cap, or a King Flip Mesh?” One of her arms gestured further upward toward the top shelves, several mannequin heads decorated with masks and headphones. “And if you don’t think any hats call out to you, we have all sorts of headphones and masks near the top there. ”

“This is your conductor speaking.

She’s aware of her surroundings, of course. It’s hard not to be in places that made her anxious, and crowds did have a knack for it — maybe trying to relax in the Square wasn’t such a good idea. The rotation had just hit, and so Inklings and Octolings alike came pouring out of the tower in a tidal wave to rival her brother’s team; a fair few of them were headed straight for the outdoor café she was seated at, and she can’t help but bristle as they near.

Yet distracted like so, Flow’s voice next to her does startle her — not a fact she’s proud of.

Her hand tenses around her coffee   ( she’d almost made to throw it ),   but her muscles do relax, if slowly. Flow poses no threat to her, she reminds herself; she notes Craymond’s absence, though dully, as well. And slowly, her gaze falls back to the glass-topped table; a spread umbrella kept the sunlight off and, along with the eyepatch, hid her face from view.

Despite it, a hand gestures to the chair across from her, if Flow so wished. Speech takes a moment longer.   “ … Just work stuff. Got assigned to a new place an’ it ain’t doin’ me wonders. ”   More than she needed to know, but whatever.   “ You, um … Yanno if Forge ‘as got any new stuff I could get? ”

Carefully climbing atop the chair and safely positioning her tail in a maneuver she was quite used to by now, her deep green eyes focused on the other’s face. If there was one thing she was good at, it was knowing when someone seemed troubled. She laid her arms on the table, hands peeking out of her sleeves to rest one over the other.

“Of course, darling. We just got stocked by Forge yesterday, if you’d like to stop by soon and take a look before it goes again.” Her words were followed by much quieter muttering. “Seems we can’t get rid of all those Ghillie Helmets, though...”

   “Soul-searchin’, huh? I think this soul’s searchin’ for somethin’ loud, actually. Somethin’ that matches my shades, an’ reall-” The Sanitized glances up at the voice, eyes scanning across the store before settling back on Flow.

“… That you?” She could never understand the whole ‘zombie’ thing she’d started being associated with - she was kinda green, sure, but what part of her looked… okay so she didn’t breathe, either, but she didn’t look dead, right?

… Okay so she’s starting to get it.

“I don’t eat brains, dawg. Hell, I barely eat anythin’ these days. Don’t gotta.”

If it were anyone else, this would be painfully awkward. Thankfully, Flow was never one to lose her cool. With a slight turn of acknowledgement, the emperor shrimp hiding behind her had already shot off, now hiding behind a far-off shelf.

“Forgive him... his aura’s all out of whack, you know?”

With a wave of her hand, she gestured the oddly tall... Octoling? toward a set of shelves containing some of the latest trends before slowly making her own way toward it.

She wasn’t shaken in the slightest by the octopus’ demeanor. She’d been alive far too long to care about anyone trying to intimidate her. Her usual smile dropped slightly—a very uncharacteristically terrifying sign to anyone that knew her well. Thankfully she was rather patient, the irritation in her voice not yet fully evident.

-

   “Uh- yeah, I think ya can!” Last time Dedf1sh had been on the surface, Annie had been running the freshest clothes store in the city - the DJ had yet to meet all of the new store owners, actually.

“I hear you got the freshest gear around, yo. You got anything that’d go well with my tentas?” Her cap is removed, and she crouches down slightly, letting the other get a good look at the unusual ink gradient she was sporting. Apparently she hasn’t noticed the other’s slight wariness.

Huh... she doesn’t seem all that bad after all. Though she’d matched the appearance Flow heard of, she didn’t seem so scary. Maybe it was coincidence, or maybe there was something else going on...? Either way, Flow wasn’t going to act hostile towards someone that seemed so friendly, it just wasn’t like her. Her features quickly shifted back to the usual carefree smile.

“Of course! Anything’s possible with a little soul-searching. Tell me, what’s the type of thing you’re looking for? Something loud, something subtle... maybe something that brings out your other features too?”