Better Eight Than Never

Chapter 34: Eight no rest for the wicked

The last thing Bato remembered was sheer panic. And then the next he felt nauseous and dizzy, but on something soft and warm in his squid form. Rhythmic clanging rang in his ears, each one sending pain through his head. The air was dry and stale, like he was trying to breathe in a cotton ball. Where was he? He cracked his eyes open, even though such a simple act seemed to take far too much energy, and found himself looking at a metal ceiling with crosshatched beams. From many of them hung drying plants, herbs and the like. As he stared, he heard the sounds around him come more into focus. The clanging, like a cup and a piece of silverware, some sizzling from a stove, the crackles of a fire, and finally... a voice singing. It was unmistakable, he'd spent most of his week with that voice.

"I got my ticket for the long way rooound~, the one with the prettiest of views~, it's got mountains, it's got rivers, it's got sights to give you shivers and it sure would be prettier with you~."

Hachi.

It wasn't until he registered who the voice belonged to that everything that had happened came rushing back to him. Splatfest. The attack. He'd been shoved into a small tank, they'd filled it with sweet smelling gas which knocked him unconscious... Oh Judd, where were the others? And why was he here? Careful not to move too quickly or to make any noise, he turned his head and tried to get a look at the rest of the room. Was there something he could use as a weapon?

The first thing he was able to take in was the coarse blanket he was currently laying half-under. Now that he was more awake it was much scratchier than it was soft, but it was still warm and welcoming. Naturally, he noted he was laying on a bed, which folded out of the wall, and resting by the bed was the tank he'd been kept in, which looked a bit dejected. All the walls and ceiling were made out of stone and metal, giving the room a cold and sharp look to it. In the far corner, which honestly couldn't be more than ten or fifteen feet away was a wood-burning stove, which had a pot resting on top of it.

Pan a little to the left, and he saw Hachi standing at what he considered to be a more normal stove, her tentacles were holding the metal cup providing the clanging sound which she seemed to actually enjoy as she continued to sing the final chorus of the song. She was tossing what seemed to be veggies in a pan, adding a bit of a crumpled leaf. If the bed was just a little longer, she could sit on the end while she worked. Continuing to the left, he saw his inkbrush hanging from the ceiling on the far end of the room, far from his reach, and right next to Hachi's own weaponry. Even though the components of this room could probably all be rearranged to fit in his living room, he'd still have to push past her if he wanted to get to his brush, and she could easily lash out and trip him if he tried.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you." Hachi said, and he jumped as he noticed she was staring him down. "After all, I did rescue you. Besides, if you change back, you're probably going to fall out of that bed." She turned back to the stove and set down the cup she'd been using as an instrument. "You've been out for most of a shift, in your terms, you've been asleep since 'yesterday', and that dizziness you've got? It'll probably last for another... ah... half an hour... a quarter? One of those sounds right from what I know of your time system.-" She took a sip of sauce from the pan before continuing. "-And I'm splitting my day's rations with you, so you better eat up when it's ready, or you're not gonna get any until next shift."

He gave a small squeak of surprise when she said how long he'd been out. Since yesterday!? What about the others, what had happened to them? And... why? Why was she sharing her food with him? Why did she rescue him to begin with? Deciding that he couldn't wait half an hour, he de-squidded there on the bed... and immediately regretted it. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut as his head spun badly, and Hachi's voice shifted in and out of focus again.