Better Eight Than Never

Chapter 43: Shut up and take my confidential information!

Warning: Has topics of ableism

"Come on you—FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!" Hachi shouted as she got shocked for the fourth time that morning. The octoling mask she was trying to hack was being excruciatingly unwieldy. She slammed her fist down on the dining room table in an attempt to let out her pent up frustration.

In doing so however, she awoke Bato who had still been resting in one of the many chairs encircling the table. Her eyes awkwardly locked with his, but he just stretched and yawned. "Not going too well?"

"No, not really..." She admitted. "I can't see a damn thing I'm doing and I'm used to my tentacles being there to help. It's hard... Plus I lost the screws for this one..."

He grimaced. "Oh jeez, finding screws that small in the carpet isn't going to be easy..."

"I might be able to find them with a magnet or if I had my own mask, but if I had my mask, this wouldn't be so hard because I could zoom and stabilize the image." She ranted, then rubbed her forehead with her palm. "My head hurts and I'm hungry."

Bato stretched again and stood up. "I think we have some oranges left, will that be enough?"

"Probably not... I'm still unfamiliar with what you have up here." She said. "I don't know what else to ask for."

"Alright." He said over his shoulder, then vanished through the kitchen door, returning a moment later with an orange and peeler on a plate. "Last one." He said as he set it down.

She gently pushed the mask aside and pulled the plate over. "Right... how's your back?" She picked up the peeler, then started to try to peel the orange like she'd seen Bato do, though she was a little sloppy about it.

"It's okay." He replied, lightly touching where one of the deeper cuts was and cringing. "How's yours? And your.. your tentacles?"

She sighed. "I'm like made of pain right now, my back still hurts, and I still keep trying to use my tentacles, but given a hundred or so shifts I'm going to be fine, hopefully... You have no idea how jealous I am of your friend right about now." She broke a piece off the orange and nibbled on it. It was then that she noticed that Bato was sort of staring at her. "What?"

He blinked, then shook his head a bit. "It's nothing." He said, then paused for a second. "I could make a grilled cheese sandwich for you. That wouldn't take too long."

She nodded slowly. "Yeah. That sounds good."

He started to turn back towards the kitchen again, but paused. "... You think I should make one for him, too?" He asked, jabbing a thumb at Oz's ink tank. "Or should we leave him in there a while longer?"

She grimaced, then sighed. ".... Ugh... We probably should let him out." She muttered as she reached over and grabbed the tank.

As soon as she got the cap off, Oz burst from the tank and landed next to Bato, his tentacles wrapping around his neck.

"Fucking hell Oz!" Hachi growled, grabbed her frying pan, and slammed it into Oz's back hard enough to make him crumple to the ground. "Take a fucking breather!"

"Or what? Ya kill me?" Oz asked, then burst out coughing.

"For Judd's sake." Bato muttered, as he rubbed his neck. "Can you watch him well enough by yourself while I make the sandwiches?"

"Yeah." She replied, tapping the pan against her palm in a threatening manner. "He's not going anywhere."

He nodded, and went back into the kitchen, leaving her and Oz alone. "Ya bein' rather strict Ha-chi." He huffed, sitting against the wall.