The troubles of knowing yourself

Familiar guilt

".......Ilkani?"

The Octoling's angry yelling stopped. She turned back to Eight slowly, tears burning the corner of her eyes. "You said you didn't know who I was."

"O-Octavio told me. I mean, he told Three and she told me." She pointed at the Inkling.

Three's eyes widened. "Wait, this is her? What was she yelling about?"

Ilkani bore her teeth. "Why would you ever associate with those murderers?!" She turned back to them again, pressing an accusatory finger into Three's chest. "The shell did you do to her?!"

Three's eyes narrowed, and she used her Hero Shot to move the other's hand away. "Eight, what is she saying now?"

"She-" She began in Inkling, only to be cut off by Ilkani yelling some more.

"Garratia, what are you doing with them?! You gotta come with me, everyone's been worried sick!" She shouted, grabbing Eight by the arm.

Three grabbed her other arm, growling. "Don't you dare touch her! Eight, what is she trying to do?!"

"I-"

"Get your slimy hands off my girlfriend!"

"Let Eight go!"

Eight had just about had enough. She ripped her arms free from both of them and shouted, loudly, in Octarian. "I am not going to be an interpreter for a conversation I'm part of!!"

Ilkani looked taken aback, and Three looked confused.

Eight repeated herself, in Inkling, calmly this time. "I...I'm not going to be an interpreter...in a conversation that I'm part of. I'm getting frustrated."

Three nodded in understanding. "That's fair. We need someone else who speaks both."

Ilkani crossed her arms. "I just want to understand why you'd ever want to associate with them. You don't need a translator for that."

Eight sighed in exasperation. "But I do. Because otherwise, I'm having two conversations at once and it's driving me crazy."

She grabbed Ilkani's hand. "Would you please come with us? Please? You...deserve to know what happened to me, and I'd like to know who you were to me."

Ilkani's eyes darted from Eight's face, down to their held hands, and she blushed. "I...Garratia...I...I don't understand."

Eight gave her a pleading look.

Ilkani's resolve faltered. "But...I want to. I'll...trust you, Garratia. Even if you're crazy."

Eight blissfully ignored the last comment. She turned to Four, who'd been standing there fourth-wheeling the entire time. "Four, can you text Marie again? I need her to get our translator ready."

Four nodded, getting her phone out.

Three raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you actually know someone else who speaks both Octarian and Inklish?"

Eight smiled. "I know at least three."

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About a half hour later, the three agents, Ilkani, and Marina sat on the ground by Cuttlefish Cabin. The sun had begun to set in the distance, and an awkward silence hung over the group.

The Squid Sisters had left to go on a concert tour of all the domes that needed the Inkantation so far, so it was only the agent's and spare Octolings there. And Octavio, but no one really cared about Octavio.