#【ＶＥＲＳＥ：SPLATOON TWO.】

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tag drop

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@orbitaldeathwoomy // welcome up north, ruby!

A pale blue sky beamed sunlight down onto the blacktop, as Rayne Ortega surveys the block. It's the lull before 5PM, but he spots a lone figure, wandering her way up through the subway tunnel. He could spot a newcomer from a mile away, and this girl looked lost. It wasn't too hard to find your way in a grid system, and he's sure technology could play assistant if she really needed it, but... Well, where's the fun in that, when he could help her and make a new friend.

Besides, Rayne wasn't busy, and he was dreadfully nosy. So, he lightly jogs to meet her half way.

"New around here?" He asks, big grin across thick lips, "Where you tryin' to head, and I can point you in the right direction."

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"Ah, Cerrin." Tsunaomi speaks with a regulated, polite smile; the kind of smile that is more like air freshener for her displeasure. It's pretty obvious that she doesn't trust Cerrin, not with her little sister, but she's at least trying to be nice.

No, not nice. Cordial. "Are you available for a mission?" Her voice is completely flat, but she admits, "I'm not... as familiar with the area around Cephalon as I should be. A second pair of eyes would be.... appreciated."

@inkantation ❤️ for a short starter!

Cerrin approached Tsunaomi, a nervous look on his face.

"Uh, hi, Tsu--Captain. Captain. I... Eden said you wanted to talk to me?" he said, trying not to sound too terrified... Even though he was. Very much so.

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@fooltrick said,

"no matter what they tell you, the future's up for grabs." ( lyric asks! )

"Got a lot of confidence, don't you, Biki?"

Eden shouldn't really be shocked; she knew Hibiki well enough. Still, she lets a little gasp out, and crosses her hands over her hips. "I wish I could steal some," she admits with ease. Slumping forward, Eden looks... diminutive. Like the weight of it all could crush her.

"It's like, sometimes I'm on top of the world, y'know? Like nothing could ever touch me." She smacks her hands together, bringing one fist into the palm of the other, "But then, I get hit with it all over again. And it's like - am I even good at this music stuff, or are people just showing up because they pity me?"

"Do people only care because Marina and Pearl know me - I swear, I see people say that every day now."

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@investigationshoujo said.

❛  just breathe, just relax, it'll be okay.  ❜ tsuuuu ❤️

Naomi's face, for what it was worth, is drawn into a straight line.

Shaking hands share her secrets, like a mask shredded. Her knuckles are white from her tight grip, and her eyes are trained downwards, away from the window. It was.... a bad combination. Heavy rain battered the windows, hitting strikes of droplets against the fire escape; her room was lit by taper candles, the box fan whirring by the grace of a generator.

Flood waters destroyed her first home, it was only natural to panic about the second. It's just panic though, she tells herself. The power would come back on soon, the storm will roll through, and unlike the deteriorating dome, Inkopolis had real drains.

Madoka's hand rests on hers, and Naomi squeezes back gently. " Thank you. " Her voice is soft, and she reaches one tentacle over to wrap around Madoka's forearm - it was considered kind, friendly, to the Octarian raised girl. Naomi comments, " Just a bad day for rain. "

SPEAK NOW ✰ ACCEPTING

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“All our dreams… Where did they go?” ( for eden perhaps >:3c )

agatha christie starters // accepting.

❛ They're here. I know they are. ❜

It's hope that burns alive in her chest; hope for tomorrow and hope for the promised land. ❛ I mean, not in the way we expected them. There's... a lot more work, involved in peace and freedom. More than I anticipated. But isn't it worth it? Isn't our dream worth it? ❜

They both sit on the floor, Eden cross-legged as they speak. Swirly, soundproofing foam coat the inside of her closet, a makeshift recording studio. With f1sh across from her, their hands still scritch-scratching the discs on their turntables.

Maybe it was a weird place to have a debate this philosophical.

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"I'll be honest, I wouldn't know if the valley had them." Tsunaomi shrugs, her own memories of place either blurred with youth or, more likely, recorded over by her many nights spent patrolling and running. Memory like a VHS, she had to guess.

But, a practical question, that was one she could answer. As Tako comes closer, Naomi shuffles through her book bag. The disc drive on her laptop rarely saw use, so what a perfect time.

"Well," Naomi gently places her computer on her lap, "You need something - anything - with a disc drive. My computer has one, my car does too, and there are like, stand alone CD players, but pretty much you just need-"

Naomi clicks small, recessed button on the side of her computer, causing the disc drive to spring out, "Any kind of drive like this."

"Here, let me get it playing."

"CD." Tako parrots back, looking at the disc with even more curiosity, despite having a name and description for it. The rainbows that reflect off the surface are mesmerizing, and she can't help wondering if maybe music is what makes the light...

"I don't know if we had these in the valley..." The Octoling was quiet then, eyebrows furrowed together as she had to begin sorting through her jumbled, foggy memories for any sign of the round object.

Their leader played music on big speakers powered by Zapfish. It probably wasn't possible to play your own music.

"So you listen to music on this? How?" She finally asks, bringing the CD over to the other agent.

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[ GAZE ] Eden and Cerrin!!!

DOMESTIC INTIMACY PROMPTS // accepting // @orbitaldeathwoomy

[ GAZE ] sender & receiver stargaze

Most people panicked during a blackout.

Eden and Cerrin went to the roof.

Normally, the stars weren't easy to see in Inkopolis. The city never truly slept - not everyone was diurnal, after all. Lights were always on, because people were always working. But, with the power out, the city blanketed in midnight, they climbed up the fire escape, a picnic blanket in hand.

They spread it out on the concrete, and lay down. Eden curls up to Cerrin, resting her head on his chest. Her silver eyes are wide, full of wonder. Tears of light drip down the sky.

"Look, look," she spoke quietly, excitement on her lips, "Shooting stars - I think that means we have to make a wish, right?"

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@xamountofmuse​  / callie sent: 🎶 

send a 🎶 to catch my muse singing / performing a song

      on most nights, when she cannot sleep, eden goes to the roof.  she will turn to the stars for guidance, and usually, just the reassurance of the night, of being under a real sky, with real stars, confirms that she made the right choice.  tonight, though, even that was not enough to quell her thoughts.  the stars do not bring her comfort, but instead, made her think of what she left behind her. 

     a sort of... survivor’s guilt forms in her mind.  escapee guilt?  why does she get to live in the sunshine, but those who she considered her closest friends live in darkness?  why didn’t she stay longer, free more people.  so, she goes to her second recourse: with her guitar bag slung over her shoulder, she travels out.  not specifically to octo valley, but it’s where she ends up, just walking, endlessly. 

      eden would never risk going down, but no one is around, not even the snow globe - some little corner of the valley that no one really used, just some abandoned platform. 

       maybe here, she can think.  maybe here, with no city sounds, eden can think.  ( and, like a true octoling, she thinks with music. )

      her guitar is her baby - well, all of them are, really.  but, she loves this one the most.  a hand me down, a reminder of family, of the hands it’s passed through.  and so, she just plays what comes to mind.

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@m1metic​ said to eden, ‘ try not to move. ’

WAYS TO REACT TO AN INJURY   // accepting!

    (  eden yaki is floating.  miles and miles below the beloved surface, eden is floating above herself, above a girl they call ten thousand and eight.  without and within herself, eden wonders what comes next.  out cold kamabo’s back rooms, with a yellow band around her wrist that reminds her - you are a test subject.  you are not eden yaki.  you are no one.  )

      silver eyes shoot open; then, eight gasps in too thin air, lungs burning.  she tries, desperately to look around - where is cuttlefish, where is the old man she’s come to call a friend - where is she?  none of those could be answered, as her attempts to move only garner her pain, as her side alights angrily.  what happened...?  

     ever rebellious, she is reminded by the angry claw marks in her side, she had found herself sneaking off where she did not belong.  exploring the parts of kamabo co. that could have her killed - or sanitized.  of course, she was caught, and though she fought off her too-clean attackers, eight was left with a wound that she finds is now conspicuously bandaged. 

       then, the voice.  try not to move only sends her flying.  eight jumps, despite herself, only spotting the sickly green with fright in her eyes,  ❛  t-too late for that,  ❜  she tries to joke, but fails miserably,  ❛  w-who are you?  why did you help me?   ❜ 

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When his hand finds her cheek, Eden lets out a contented hum. If they could stay here forever, half lit by the sun and eyes still adjusting, in this rose colored haze, that would be paradise, wouldn't it? ( How ironic. The promised land of Tartar's make was never real - but they'd certainly forged it together. )

Eden had every intention of keeping things this way. With the two of them, together, they could weather any storm, manage any flood. They could even do it without Grizzco, if only Eden could convince Cerrin of that.

No sum of money in the world could replace him.

❛ You know I'd say the same. ❜ Eden leans closer, to place a peck on his cheek, then another. Eden seems just happy to be right there. To be with him. ❛ You look so handsome right now, did you know that? ❜

“Thank you.”

Cerrin knew exactly why she was thanking him. He knew it all too well — She didn’t want him going to Grizzco, didn’t want him getting hurt the way he did working there just for a paycheck. She knew the risks and dangers (apparent or otherwise), maybe a little too well.

But what else could he do? That work was dangerous, sure, but it paid well — Sometimes very well. It was how he helped provide for them, for her, and he couldn’t just stop because of a few bumps and bruises… And severed tentacles, sprained limbs, a minor concussion on rare occasions…

He didn’t want to dwell on it.

Cerrin gently nuzzled her hand a little, his blue eyes half-lidded and focused on her. "Mmm... That’s true." he murmured. His free hand then found its way to rest against her cheek, thumb gently stroking her soft skin. "I'd much rather be here with you than… Well, anywhere else, really.”

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@m1metic said, “i miss who i used to be.” 

midnights ( 3AM ) // accepting

     eden cannot think of what to say.  me too seems a little too blasé, no matter how true it is.  the girl who emerged into starlight on mount nantai is no longer the eden who sits here, one hand posed on dedf1sh’s lap. how she would kill for normalcy, to no longer be afraid of shadows, for her memories to no longer be knives.

      another truth crosses her mind, of course - she doesn’t know who f1sh used to be.  all she’s known is f1sh, her friend.  someone who has suffered so, and in a way only eden might ever really get.  but there was someone before, too, wasn’t there?  there’ll always be someone before. 

     ❛  we can’t go back.  ❜  is what she finally manages to say, voice choked.  it’s less thought out than she’d like, spilling out of her lips,  ❛  we can only go forward and grieve what we could’ve been, if it weren’t for them.  ❜

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@heartwilled​ / claude said to tsunaomi,  ❛ i came out here to attack people and i’m honestly having such a good time right now. ❜

𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒  𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒

     ❛  i’d sure hope you’re having fun!  turf war is like.... a game, claude.  ❜

     his description of attacking people is apt, though.  the enemy team can’t score if they’re too busy respawning.  and having someone so skilled at strategy, even in a game as loose on rules as turf war, was honestly refreshing.  better than some of the raw kids who’d jumped into solo queue with her before.  thus, with a goofy grin on her face, she adds,  ❛  y’know, you should join me in a league match or two sometimes.  my team could always use an alternate, and i’m sure you’d love to get your hands on the rainmaker.  ❜

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@xamountofmuse​ / callie said to tsunaomi,  ❛  so apparently the 'bad vibes’ i’ve been feeling are actually severe psychological distress.  ❜ 

𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒  𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒

      ❛  callie....  do i need to call marie?  ❜  callie’s voice crackling over the radio only makes her more worried.  any doubts she had were not listened to.  tsu speaks evenly, calm.  ❛  ‘cause i will.  or like, the doctor, or-  honestly, that’s concerning.  ❜

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❛ I promise, there's no reason to thank me. ❜

Tsunaomi smiles again at him. It warms her heart to see him already relaxing; other people's opinions could sting, but they would always bounce back. It helped, of course, to have someone on your side. Tsu had the rest of the agents, and she hopes to show Julian that he would have her. And the rest of the NSS, of course.

❛ You do act very different. ❜ Tsu wouldn't lie about that, there was no reason to. Julian shouldn't have to change for people to like him - no one should!

So she knocks her head against his shoulder, before saying, ❛ But I like that about you, Julian. ❜

Julian looks at her, he wasn't sure what he was expecting when he asked his question, but being reassured that she didn't think he was too much lifted his spirits. He's not sure why the thought of Tsu finding him strange bothers him as much as it does, he'd have to ask another time.

And with her answering immediately without even thinking about it, that honestly made him feel a lot better. As soon as he feels her hold his hand, he smiles.

He gently squeezes her hand back. “…I worried… I dunno, just kinda thought you might not wanna be around me… Cause I act very different. Silly thought.”

Almost immediately he moves closer to Tsu, he’s going to slowly warm up to being his usual self, but he’s getting there!

“…Thank you.”

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    the lobby may as well be the home of awkward interactions.  wether having to pretend that she, marina, and pearl are simple acquaintances, or waving at someone that she mistook for her next door neighbor;  eden had become the queen of social ineptitude.  or, so she thought.  so, normally, she keeps her head down, with one earbud in, so she can hear when her team is called.  there’s something inaudible, over the intercom, and seconds after, the inkling next to her walks off.  the door slides open.

     eden looks up, and her heart stops.  the color drains from her face, the tips of her hair turn white.  here? now?  her heart starts back up, now running a marathon.  that flash - the cyan, the sick green, immediately, all eden can think of is that smell.  the smell of nothing but cleaning products, something too sanitary.  how many times had she failed, fallen against these very same sanitized octolings?  but, it couldn’t be !!  the deepsea metro was basically inescapable.  and yet,  there they were.  and instead of doing anything, eden just sort of...  stares at them.  eyes wide, silvery and saucer wide.

for: @xamountofmuse / saan