Aftershock

Train of Thought

"Alright, one at a time," Xiun instructed as he, Loretta, and Etian made their way through a couple crowds. Although their jellyfish friend was nice enough to drop them off three blocks from the manhole, Xiun was evidently growing more homesick by the second. Loretta scoffed beside him.

"How about Etian goes on ahead?" She suggested as she pulled Xiun further towards her side. "We have some groceries to buy."

"And they won't get crushed by the fall?" Etian questioned quietly, yet he slowly began to drift further from them. Loretta gave him a look while grinning.

"Who do you think I am?" She laughed before waving him off. "Just get home; we;ll meet you there sooner or later."

"Okay, don't get kidnapped," Etian teased over his shoulder as he spun on his heel and turned to the manhole-alleyway. He could just barely hear Xiun scoff at his remark over the faint music in the background. With a friendly wave to Beff, Etian disappeared into the shadows of the alley.

The fall was more relaxing this time around. Although, the worn-out cushioning became more and more noticeable every time his back hit the padding. Etian inwardly thanked himself for ditching the ink tank hours ago. By the time he reached Patty's balcony, Coco was already playing around with some of the older Inkling's childhood toys.

"Well, look who's back," Patty greeted once she heard the glass door slide open. She turned her head a couple seconds after Coco, who stopped playing with her pink stuffed rabbit upon seeing Etian's purple hair. While she rushed to hug him, Patty stared past him.

"Did the other two get lost?" Patty asked without much concern in her voice. Etian lifted Coco up into his arms before responding.

"Loretta just got distracted with shopping," He said. "Shouldn't be long until they're back since they're faster than me."

"If that's the case, then you should get downstairs before I'm the one on the short end of the stick," Patty huffed as she stood from her sloppy couch and over to her stovetop where a couple of eggs were cooking. "And here I thought I'd have to feed that girl myself."

"I could've gotten my own food," Coco said in return, looking over her shoulder before Etian set her down. Patty snorted in reply.

"Yeah, I bet you could, but Loretta would have my ass if you got any food poisoning," She groaned, tossing a brown towel over her shoulder. She then looked at Etian, whose slippers were already on instead of his shoes. "My days of being a mom are done."

"I can tell," Etian commented under his breath before motioning for Coco to follow him downstairs. Patty must have pretended not to hear as she simply turned her back to the two of them and focused on flipping her eggs. Just as Etian set his hand on the knob of the door, he heard Coco's trotting footsteps behind him.

"Can I keep this one for tonight?" Coco asked innocently when Etian flipped his head around to see her. She held up the pink rabbit from earlier, to which Patty's eyes softened a little.