Beginnings

Backstage

The sky sat still, dark and shining with a spread of stars, the bustling of the city continued on at the same pace as always.
Marina walked patiently along the side walk, as inklings rushed past, readied with gear and grizzco suits, or simple attire.

The octoling adorned an oversized black puffy jacket, along with sleek leggings and a white t shirt, her tentacles flowing downwards. Her backpack ruffled as she continued down the street, and her eyes focused on the small club a couple of metres away.

She smiled, picking up her pace until she reached it, pushing open the glass doors being greeted by the warmth of the place.
She walked over to the reception counter, catching the attention of the attendant
"Uh, hi, Marina. I've got a gig in fifteen?"

"Ah, yes. Down that hallway to the left will get you backstage"
Marina said a chirpy "thanks!" And followed the directions.
The backstage was small, inside sat a slim stand up mirror, a small couch, and a table which already had someone's things situated on it.

Marina, a former octoling engineer, now sat in inkopolis, trying to find her way in the music industry. She wrote music, and performed at small clubs and festivals to earn her money, but her originals were going no where.

She placed her bag on the floor and took a bottle of water, she could hear the performer on stage at the moment, it would be hard not to, the voice was loud, fast and accompanied by large bass.

Checking the time she readied herself in front of the mirror, moving her tentacles in a somewhat more flattering way. She adjusted her clothing to flow nicely and then snuggled into the soft couch.

It was getting quieter and soon the beat of the drums was replaced with the applause of an audience. She stood up and took a breath in, she'd be up next. Taking another sip of water, she watched the door, startled as it was slammed open with a loud "WOO!"

A short inkling stood in front of her, short white tentacles with pink ombré, she wore a pair of expensive leather leggings, a black singlet and a large pink fur jacket.
They stared at each other for a full 10 seconds before the short one broke the silence

"Good luck"

And with that Marina went on stage, looking at the crowd of strangers, most drinking some kind of alcoholic drink. She made her way to the speaker and plugged her squidphone in. She readied a backing track and took the microphone from the stand.

"Hello! My names Marina, uh, I guess I'll cut the rest and get going" she said in a confident tone, though a tinge of nervousness was detectable. She started the backing and began to sing.

Her round lasted 15 minutes before she was off stage, she rested for a few minutes before collecting her things and heading off.
It was considerably early in the night, and Marina wasn't keen on heading home yet, so she journeyed over to the nearest food court, where she treated herself to a basic bitch smoothie.

Seating herself at a small table she looked up to surprisingly see the same girl from before, yet this time she was arguing with another inkling, who towered over her. The man looked aggressive, Marinas brow furrowed as she looked away.