A New Family

Chapter 5: Argument

That day turned out to be quite a busy one at Inkpolis. The league battles were open, so all the freshest and most skilled teams had shown up at the lobby entrance to challenge each other, and to prove who the greatest among them was. Every weekend was like that. League medals were quite a big flex in the city.

In fact medals were the biggest flex of all. The more you had, the more you were wanted in teams, the more sponsors you'd get, the more glory you'd achieve. But there was a record of medals at Inkopolis that no one had quite managed to beat. Not even get close to it, at all. The record's holder was none other than Agent 3...but with her real name, Jessica.

During the old league days, back when specials like Kraken and Inkzooka were still allowed, Agent 3 had set an undefeated record of 174 gold medals, 59 silver ones and 26 bronze ones. Where she kept all of those was a mystery.

And as said before, her record remained unbroken ever since she suddenly disappeared from the competitive scene. The truth behind her disappearance was that she had become a full-time agent, and she just didn't have time to play anymore, but of course, she couldn't tell that around. People wouldn't recognize her in the streets anyway, especially because she had gotten older, and the last photo that was taken of her was when she had won the last league battle she would have ever had when she was barely 14.

Her scar did not help, either. She didn't know if it was a blessing or not. Being a "Mysterious Legend" sure was fun, and people wouldn't harass her on the streets, asking her for autographs and photos, which she had always hated to give. But she was often asked about her scar anyway, so there was not much of a change.

Jessica just happened to be there that day, with her two closest friends. Leah and Chloe were sitting at one of the many tables, protected by the annoying sunlight by an umbrella stuck in the middle of their table.

"I'm a mess, she probably hates me now!" Four whined, covering her face with her hands. She seemed to be desperate.
"It can't be that bad Leah, come on..." Eight tried to reassure her, putting a hand on her shoulder. The two of them were sitting close to Sean's food van. 3 had just left to go and get everyone some food. And the two agents found themselves talking about something that had happened to Four the previous night...

"I CALLED HER MOM! IT IS  THAT BAD!" The inkling slammed her head on the table, truly in desperation. She wasn't actually completely sure if Marie had heard that, considering she had just tried to fall asleep as soon as possible as soon as she had realized what had come out of her mouth. And she didn't dare ask her in the morning, either.

Eight sighed, a slightly amused look by Four's exaggerated reactions to her own silly mistake. And Eight wasn't the only one finding that amusing. Some inklings nearby were overhearing their conversation. Four was actually quite making a scene. Most inklings were actually very curious, it was a common trait in the species.
"I think you're making this look way worse than what it is..."  In the mean time, Three waited impatiently for Sean to finish up with their orders, looking around herself.

At first, in all honesty, she had invited both of her friends at Tentakeel outpost to check on the octolings a bit. Her mindset had always been very hardworking-like. "Just because Octavio is defeated and confined into his snowglobe, doesn't mean that the octarian forces are defeated for good." That's what she'd always say. However, after not even their third stage, Four was starving, and Eight started to feel uncomfortable being forced to go back into places she so much wanted to leave behind, and never remember again.

So they had to leave and get something to eat, and there they were. Three didn't go to the plaza much often. She would usually just stay in Octo canyon, by the cabin, (which was the closest she had to a home), or follow Cuttlefish wherever he went. She took her job very seriously, to the point where she almost never had a break to meet up with her friends or just relax a bit. But at least she wanted to make up for it. Though maybe inviting her friends into one of her missions wasn't the best idea...but hey, she had offered the food with some left over tickets she had, so that was something.

Crusty Sean eventually handed her the 3 plates and wished her a good meal. Three thanked him and quickly went back to the table. It was only then she realized everyone was looking toward her friends.
"...What's happening now...?" She muttered to herself annoyed, approaching her chair. She passed her friends the food they had asked for, and then sat down. The situation didn't seem to change as time went on, and Three started to lose her cool.

"Alright, why is everyone looking to us? I'm about to yell at them." She asked, groaning.
"...well, Four was talking about Marie aga-" Eight was abrubtly interrupted by Jessica's voice.
"Again with what you've called her?? Seriously Four??? You've been talking about it since you arrived at Tentakeel outpost!" She said, face-palming. Four simply looked down, upset.
"Trust me when I say she doesn't care. I called her granny once, and she didn't think about it much."
"You called Marie Granny...?" Eight questioned, with a concerned look.
"Yeah. She hit me on the head with her Brella thrice, but whatever." She added, slightly smirking. Three had always enjoyed teasing Marie. And so did Marie with her. They didn't hate each other, but they loved to get on each other's nerves.

"I-...I do really consider her my mom though!" Continued Four, her mouth filled with food.
"She was probably sleepy and she didn't hear you. Though if you really care that much, you should probably just be honest with her. It's not genuine to hide something from the ones you love...Marina taught me that." The octoling commented, munching on her meal.

Three couldn't help but smirk. A very rare occurrence, but their voices were so dumb when they had food in their mouths.
"Stop talking with your mouth filled with food, come on!" Eight laughed as well, scratching the back of her head.
"Oh my! Edgelord smiled! Incredible!" Four commented, swallowing down what was in her mouth.
"Hey, just because I'm KIND OF edgy doesn't mean I never smile." The older Agent answered in her defense, crossing her arms.

They had a pretty good time together. They talked about trends, music, and silly things, joking about them. It had been a while since they had a moment like that together. That was until all of them finished their lunch.
"Anyway, I'm going now. Captain Cuttlefish is waiting for me at the metro in five minutes. I cannot be late." Three got up from her sit, as she said that. Both Agents looked at her, sadly.

"What...? You're leaving already?" Eight asked, her smile turning upside down.
"...Yeah? Why?"
"Three...come on! We just got to hang out after so long and you already want to leave?" Four grabbed her arm, trying to convince her not to leave so soon.
"We hung out yesterday at Tentakeel Outpost. Now, let go of me." Three's tone was quick to become harsh.

Four away, confused, not believing that she actually wanted to leave them that badly. She really didn't want to let go, there was still much that she had planned to do...but Three knew how to be scary. She started to sweat a bit, until she found the courage to confront her, looking right into her eyes.

"That...that was work purposes! We always see each other for work purposes! Not as friends! It's like you don't even want to see us, sometimes! Why do you have to be like this!?" Four said, more hurt than angry, once again turning up her voice's volume. But Three was quick to lash out back at her.
"Well I'm just taking my job the way it's intended to be taken, seriously, instead of being like you, an immature child who always screws around and refuses to grow up and face her responsibilities!" Four let go of her, watching her with a look of pure pain. As if last night's nightmare wasn't enough for her to bear with already...

"Girls..." Whispered Eight, trying to not make the situation escalate any further. She was acquainted to being the voice of reason in the group, but it seemed like Three had definitely gone a little too far this time for her to do anything about it. Leah felt as if Jessica's words had hit her harder than a stab would do. She would take her job seriously too, when needed...she was doing her job too...right? Three looked at her, late to realize that she had gone way past any limit. Her rage flow slowly vanished from her body, leaving her with a feeling of sorrow and guilt. She didn't mean to put an even thicker wall between her and her friends.

"...Four, i-"
"You can go, Jessica. Leave, please." Four cut her off, looking at the ground, refusing to watch her any longer. Three remained silent, aware that what she had caused was unacceptable. Four had done nothing to deserve such harsh treatment. But almost as a coward, Three lowered her head, turning around and walking away towards the metro. She hated herself at that moment, there was so much she could have done, and instead she just decided that fleeing from her mistake was the best choice. She was so tired of running away from her problems and her mistakes. 

But she wasn't able to do any better. Never. 

"...Are you... okay, Leah?" Eight asked, clear worry in her voice. The young agent sighed, looking down.
"Yeah. I'm...I'm okay. I...just didn't want this to end like this. I...I miss Three so much, Eight." She said, just accepting what had happened, but not happily. Her friend hugged her, patting her back.
"I'm sorry it had to end like this as well. I miss her too. Sometimes Three is just like that...I've been meaning to ask her to reconsider taking this whole Agent the way she does, but...it almost looks like nothing can change her mind on that topic. She's so...frustratingly stubborn, and I keep being scared that the way she's treating herself is doing her more harm than good." She confessed. Eight was always worried about her friends, particularly Three, but not because she cared less for Four, not at all. She just was sure that Four was always alright, living with the Squid Sisters. But Jessica had no one. And the way she pushed back everyone else didn't make things better.

"...Hey, how about you follow me back home? I don't think Pearl and Marina will mind having you as a guest for an hour or so." Offered the Octoling, trying to cheer her friend up.
"Yeah...sure. Why not, I guess." Four accepted, although a bit reluctantly, but not showing it. The two of them got up from their sits and started heading towards Off the Hook's place.