#【👤】✦✧✦【ＮＰＣ】

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[Akihiko picks up one of the files, making note of the glares he's getting from Cerrin's parents.]

「It says here that the soldier you assaulted barely survived. I can't imagine the pain and suffering you put him through...」

[Tsukuyo pauses for a moment, before her expression relaxes and a soft chuckle escapes her.]

「Is that so? Then, how about we let you experience it first-hand?」

[Taking that as a cue, Susano lunges at Akihiko in an attempt to poison him...]

「Mr. Aroz--!」

「.........」

[...But his claws never make contact. Akihiko reacts quickly, grabbing the venomous Octoling's wrist and stopping his assault. The difference between the two is noticeable -- Though Susano has more raw strength, Akihiko is no slouch, and his height gives him enough of an edge to eventually knock Susano to the floor.]

「A word of advice: Never assume you have the advantage over your opponent just because your go-to tactics worked in the past.」

「You—! How did—」

「I was a soldier too, you know. Or, did you think I just forgot my years of training because I defected?」

[A short silence follows, before Akihiko speaks again.]

「You know my terms -- Remove yourselves from your childrens' lives peacefully, or I leak this information to your superiors.」

"........."

"........."

「Now, I suggest you leave, before I call the police and have you removed.」

[An indignant huff escapes Tsukuyo before she stands up. Susano does so as well, but they don't leave immediately...]

「Don't think your little ultimatum means anything. I will take back what is mine, and you'll be properly punished for your insolence.」

[And with that, the two Octolings take their leave, slamming the door behind them. Akihiko gies a relieved sigh before he looks over to Cerrin, who looks like he's in complete shock.]

"You can breathe now."

[Cerrin snaps back to reality after a few seconds, taking a deep, shaky breath before...]

"WHAT IN THE FRESH HELL WAS THAT?!"

[Akihiko laughs a little.]

"Blackmail, mostly."

"I... I mean I know that, but..."

"Cerrin, I can tell you're worried. I won't tell you not to be, but I want you to trust me when I say that the situation is under control."

[Cerrin is silent for a moment. He still feels unsure about the entire ordeal, but somehow, Akihiko's words manage to calm his nerves a little.]

"Alright... But, why would you put yourself in danger like that for us?"

[It's Akihiko's turn to fall silent now, a few moments passing before his smile softens.]

"It may seem odd, but blood ties or no, I think of all you kids as my own. And, I would be a pretty bad father if I just left you and Ursula to fend for yourselves against people like that."

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[The next day, Akihiko is calmly wating for Cerrin's parents to arrive at his home. Cerrin, on the other hand, is internally panicking as he waits, his hands shaking as he tries to keep his breaths steady.]

"Cerrin, please try to relax. Everything will be fine."

"How can I relax?? You never told me what you plan to do, and regardless of what it is there's no way my father won't try to attack you over--"

[At that moment, there is a rather loud knock at the door. Cerrin freezes for a second while Akihiko moves to answer it, a heavy breath passing the older Octoling's lips before he opens the door and gestures for Susano and Tsukuyo to enter.]

「Come in.」

[Susano and Tsukuyo enter, barely even acknowledging Cerrin's presence.]

「Why did you call us here so suddenly, Mr. Aroz?」

「There's something important we need to discuss. Please, follow me.」

[Akihiko then moves to walk toward the dining room, with Cerrin following closely behind. Susano and Tsukuyo look at each other for a second, simultaneously shrugging a little before they follow as well. When everyone else is finally seated at the table, Akihiko clears his throat.]

「I'd like to ask you to please stop harassing Ursula and Cerrin, and return underground without them.」

「We have no reason to abide your request. Ursula and Cyren are our children, and you have no say in--」

[Akihiko suddenly slams a folder on the table between the two soldiers, opening it to reveal what seems to be multiple files on both of them. One of them in particular alerts them both, and Susano immediately stands up, his expression a mix of anger and genuine shock as he looks up at him.]

「Where did you get that?!」

[Akihiko gives an amused huff.]

「I have my ways. But, I can't help but wonder: Why are you so worked up over it?」

「I won't say this twice; Get rid of it, or I'll--」

「Hm? Does that mean I'm right in assuming that the incident outlined here -- when you assualted and poisoned one of your subordinates -- was covered up, former Second Lieutenant Izumi?」

「W-Wait, what??」

[It's Tsukuyo's turn to stand up now, her expression matching her husband's. She opens her mouth to say something, but is interrupted by Akihiko.]

「I wouldn't act rashly if I were you. It would be rather easy for me to leak this information to your superiors, and I'm sure news of this scandal would spread quickly.」

「You wouldn't dare...」

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[A few days later...]

"Hey, Urs... Are you feeling alright? You've seemed kind of off since the other day."

"It's nothing. I just thought I saw someone following me when I was on my way home from the Turf War lobby."

"Ugh, that's so creepy. If it happens again, let me know okay? I'll make sure whoever it was stops."

"Thank you for your concern, but--"

[Suddenly, there's a knock at their door. Ursula gets up to answer it, looking through the eyehole on the door... And immediately takes a few steps back, eyes wide and heart pounding.]

「N-No... It can't be...」

「Ursula? What's wrong?」

「It's my... my parents...」

「What? Really?」

[Kori gently moves between Ursula and the door and looks through the eyehole. Sure enough, there are two older Octolings standing outside -- a woman with hot pink tentacles and a beautiful face, and a man with blue rings spotting his deep purple tentacles. She can definitely see the resemblance between them and Ursula. Her voice then lowers to a whisper.]

「Okay... Okay. Let's just. Not answer it. Maybe they'll leave if they think we're not home.」

[She then moves to lead the terrified Ursula to her bedroom.. Until their door is literally kicked open.]

「Hey! The hell do you think you're doing?!」

[The two ignore Kori completely, their focus on Ursula as they approach her.]

「So this is where you've been.」

[Ursula nervously nods.]

「And your brother?」

[Ursula remains silent, much to the ire of her father. He forcefully grabs her, digging his venomous claws into her arm.]

「Answer me when I'm talking to you, traitor!」

[He slaps Ursula across the face hard, before pushing her to the floor.]

"U-Ursula!"

「Now tell me where your brother is.」

「I... I haven't seen him since I last visited Inkopolis.」

「And where exactly did you see him?」

「Like that's any of your--」

[Ursula shakes her head at Kori, effectively silencing the yellow Octoling before she hangs her head a little.]

「There's... a sweets shop he frequents, near the plaza...」

「Good girl.」

[Ursula's mother then gestures for her husband to follow her out the door, only looking back to give Ursula a wicked smile.]

「Don't get too comfortable. Once we've given him his just desserts, we're coming back for you.」

[Ursula's parents exit the apartment, leaving Ursula and Kori stunned in their wake. After a moment, Ursula shakily stands up and makes her way to the table where she left her cell phone.]

"Wait, you're father's a blue-ringed, right? We need to get you to a hospital!"

"I'll be fine. But I... I need to warn my brother..."

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[Cerrin is sitting at the table, poking at the cereal in the bowl in front of him with a spoon. It has been a few weeks since he'd last seen his parents, but their harassment hasn't ceased -- He had to turn off his phone completely to stop the constant barrage of threats, and though he was fairly certain they wouldn't try anything in broad daylight, he was still a little wary about leaving the house. This hasn't gone unnoticed, however, and after a few moments if him just silently staring at his food, Akihiko taps him on his good shoulder... and causes the younger Octoling to jump in his chair a little.]

"Oh, Mr. Aroz--!"

"Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"N-Not at all, sir."

[Akihiko sits down in the empty seat next to Cerrin.]

"How is your shoulder?"

"It's... alright? I can move my arm almost like normal now, but it still hurts..."

"You can move at least. That's a good sign."

[Cue an awkward silence, as Cerrin begins eating his cereal. After a few moments, Akihiko sighs.]

"I'll cut to the chase: I plan on confronting your parents, and doing anything I can to make them leave you and your sister alone for good. But, I don't expect either of you to be there when I do."

[Insert Cerrin nearly choking on the food in his mouth here. It takes him a few seconds to swallow and compose himself, before he gives Akihiko a shocked and concerned look.]

"What???"

"I know how that must sound, and I know how dangerous your father alone is. But, I simply can't stand by and allow them to treat the two of you the way they do."

[The older Octoling laughs softly when Cerrin's expression doesn't change.]

"I was a soldier too, you know. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"Well yeah, but--"

"And beside that, the information I got from those files should provide plenty of leverage."

"Still, I wouldn't feel right if I just let you talk to them alone. Things escalated so quickly last time, and I'd never forgive myself if I made it easier for him to hurt you. And..."

[Cerrin falls silent, taking a few more bites of his cereal as he tries to gather the rest of his thoughts. After a few moments, he speaks again.]

"...At least let me talk to Ursula about this. I'm sure she'll want to know what you're up to."

[Akihiko nods.]

"Alright. Take whatever time you need."

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[A few days later, Koa drops off the laptop containing the stolen Octarian files with Ruby, along with a message for Akihiko. When he gets home Ruby is in the living room, laying on the couch and playing on her phone while she waits for him. When she hears him enter the room, she sits up and smiles at him.]

"Koa's laptop is over there."

[She points to a plain-looking laptop sitting on the end table next to the couch. Akihiko nods and takes the laptop, before sitting down next to her.]

"She told me to tell you that she practically gutted it, and that besides running the OS and viewing the files you asked for it can't do much of anything."

[Ruby then hands him a scrap of paper with what appears to be a long string of random numbers, letters, and symbols written on it.]

"And here's the password to log in!"

"Thank you, Ruby."

[Akihiko takes the slip of paper and turns the laptop on. After logging in, he quickly finds the files he asked Koa to give him and starts looking through them. He's largely silent, until Ruby leans over to see what's on the screen.]

"So what are you looking for?"

"Anything I might be able to use against Cerrin's parents..."

[He continues to search through the files Koa gave him, with Ruby occasionally reading over his shoulder. After what felt like hours, he stumbles upon something...]

「...Interesting.」

[Ruby looks up from her phone and over to him.]

「Did you find something?」

[Akihiko reads through the documents he found buried deep in the file for Cerrin's father, his expression slowly changing into an almost devious one.]

「I think I've struck gold.」

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[After a little while, everyone is gathered in Akihiko and Ruby's home. Cerrin immediately went to his room to get some much needed sleep, while the others simply hung out in the living room -- Ruby on the couch doodling in her sketchbook, Dion playing online Mario Kart, and Ursula watching Dion get his ass kicked at online Mario Kart. Koa, on the other hand, followed Akihiko to a quieter part of the house to discuss...]

"So what's this favor you need?"

[Akihiko takes a breath.]

"Do you still have the files you stole from the Octarian army?"

"...Wait, why would you need those?"

"I was hoping to find some information on Cerrin and Ursula's parents, particularly their father."

[Koa thinks for a moment, then gives him a serious look.]

"What exactly are you looking for?"

"Anything we could use as ammunition against them." [Cue a pause.] "I thought that, given how neither of them seem to have problems with attacking and possibly killing their own son, they may have... Ah... Skeletons in their closet?"

"...Go on."

"I just find it hard to believe that people so cruel and violent wouldn't have something to hide."

[Koa falls silent for a moment, considering her options carefully. On one hand, it could be dangerous to let anyone into those files, and she probably should have deleted them ages ago so nothing bad could happen. But on the other, if there was something in them that could get those two to back off, it'd be worth looking, wouldn't it...?]

"...Give me some time to make sure the laptop with the files hasn't been traced or anything, then I'll drop it off with Ruby. Just... Make sure you're careful, okay?"

[Akihiko nods.]

"I will. Thank you for your help."

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[A few hours later, Ruby is outside a hospital room, anxiously waiting to see Cerrin. Her father is there as well, trying to keep her calm as she paces back and forth.]

"Ruby, I know you're concerned, but you need to relax. Cerrin will be alright."

"You didn't see what his father did to him! There was—He was bleeding so much, dad, and I could see the venom just... oozing out! It was horrible!"

[Soon enough, a nurse comes out of the room, and tells Ruby that as long as she's quiet, she can go in and see Cerrin. The Inktoling thanks her profusely before rushing into the room, her father deciding to stay out in the hall for the time being. Cerrin is sitting in the bed next to the window, his entire left shoulder and part of his neck and arm wrapped in bandages. When he hears Ruby enter he turns and gives her a smile.]

"Hey, Ruby."

"I'm so glad you're okay!! How're you feeling?"

"Well, the doctors told me that if my father's claws had gotten any closer to my throat, I probably would have died, and my entire arm hurts like hell... But other than that, I actually feel pretty good all things consid—"

[His thought is interrupted by the rest of the squad entering the room just as quickly as Ruby had, Koa and Dion wearing concerned expressions while Ursula's is ridden with guilt as she focuses on the floor.]

"We got here as fast as we could..."

"You alright?"

"I, uh, can't really move my arm much, but I'm fine, I swear!"

"Cerrin, you do realize how serious that sounds...?"

[Cerrin laughs a little.]

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Dude... How're you so chill about all this? I mean, it's crazy that you've had to go through your father trying to kill you twice."

[It's at this point that Ursula manages to push through her guilt enough to speak to Cerrin. She approaches him slowly, her normally calm blue eyes beginning to well up with tears.]

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you."

"Ursula, it was out of your control..."

"But I'm your sister... What's the point of me if I can't keep you safe from people like them?"

[Cerrin pauses, then smiles a little.]

"Hey, c'mon, I lived didn't I? Sure, I'm gonna be a little messed up for a while, but that's no one's fault but our father's."

"I... I suppose..."

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[Ruby leads Cerrin back to the front door. After a few seconds of silence, she looks over to him.]

"You ready?"

"As I'll ever be..."

[She sighs, before opening the door and gesturing for Tsukuyo and Susano to enter.]

「Please, come in.」

[The two soldiers do so, their gazes focused on Cerrin as they turn to him.]

「You've grown, Cyren.」

「Yeah. No thanks to you.」

[Susano glares at Cerrin, anger beginning to burn in his deep blue eyes.]

「I see living on the surface has taught you nothing but disrespect.」

[Cerrin falls silent. This only pisses his father off further, but before he can lash out Tsukuyo puts her arm in front of him to stop him. She then closes the space between her and Cerrin a bit and moves to touch him, but he immediately takes a step back.]

「Keep your hands off of me.」

[Tsukuyo slaps Cerrin hard across the face.]

「Hey, there's no need for—」

「You've forgotten when to hold your tongue, Cyren.」

[Cerrin glares at her, but remains silent.]

「Now, to the matter at hand... Why did you never return? We thought you were dead.」

「Don't act like you care.」

「You disgrace our family, disgrace the army, then have the nerve to speak to us like that? Your treachery knows no bounds.」

[Cerrin sighs softly.]

「Just tell me why you came here, or leave.」

「Then I'll make this simple, for your sake – Leave this frivolous life and come back underground, or face the consequences of your actions.」

「Like I'd ever let that happen.」

[Tsukuyo and Susano shift their gazes to Ruby.]

「What makes you think you have any say in this, Inktoling?」

[Ruby folds her arms.]

「Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that you tried to kill him when he decided to get away from your abuse, assumed he was dead when he never came back, and didn't bother to confirm that "death" until now?」

「Cyren is our son. You have no right to dictate—」

「And you have no right to make him leave! He may have been a kid when he came to the surface, but now he's over eighteen and you have no legal control over him anymore! I won't let you take him away!」

[A cruel smile then covers Tsukuyo's face as she moves aside, just enough for Susano to lunge toward Ruby.]

「Know your place, insolent half-breed!」

[Ruby flinches, bracing herself for the inevitable pain of the blue-ringed Octoling's assault... But it never comes. When she opens her eyes, she sees Cerrin standing between them, his father's claws deep in his left shoulder.]

"CERRIN—!"

[Susano rips his fingers out of Cerrin, causing him to stumble back. He's already bleeding badly, blue venom oozing out of his wounds.]

「We look forward to bringing you home, Cyren... So don't die, alright?」

[The two soldiers take their leave, satisfied with the conversation and the damage they'd done. Ruby immediately begins to panic, standing next to him and letting him use her as a crutch.]

"Oh cod, Cerrin, your shoulder...!"

[Cerrin's breathing is labored, his vision blurred slightly as he looks to her.]

"Ruby, you..." [Cue a strained breath.] 「...Are you okay...?」

"Why are you worried about me?? I’m—Oh, never mind, we have to get you to a hospital!"

[She quickly leads him outside to her car, being careful as she helps him into the front passenger seat before hurriedly taking the driver's seat. After a few panicked turns of the key in the ignition the car starts, and she doesn't even acknowledge his parents walking up the street as she speeds past them.]

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

EEEEEVIIIIILLL.png

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[After a few subway train rides and a short walk, Ruby and Cerrin arrive at her home. She unlocks the door and quickly ushers him inside, then hastily re-locks it behind them. She sighs heavily.]

"Okay... We should be good for now."

[Cerrin goes to the kitchen to put all the cake he bought away, with Ruby following close behind. When he's finished, he takes a cupcake out of the box he left on the counter and turns to her.]

"So... I guess you saw my parents while we were out?"

"Yeah, I did! Ursula sounded so worried when she called, too, so I had to get you out of there before they saw you!"

[Cerrin takes a bite out of his cupcake, one brow arched at her.]

"How are you so unconcerned about this??"

"I'm not, but I doubt they'd do something to me out in broad daylight. Too many potential witnesses, y'know?"

"I mean, I guess??"

"And besides, they didn't see me or where we went, right? That means I'm pretty much safe, and we don't have to worry too much."

"Somehow, I'm not so sure about that..."

[Meanwhile, in the shadows a decent distance up the private street Ruby's home is at the end of...]

「Hm. To think he's been hiding somewhere like this... It's almost impressive.」

「Living in the lap of luxury... How unfitting for a traitor. I should go in there right now and--」

「Calm yourself. Acting rashly will only draw attention, and we don't want that.」

「We just need some time to prepare...」

「Tch... Fine.」

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[A few hours later, in Inkopolis...]

"Cerrin, do you really need all that cake?"

[Cerrin follows Ruby down the street, carrying a short stack of cupcake boxes and a whole cake with one arm.]

"Of course! I'm not the only one in the house who eats them, and if I want them to last longer then a day or two I have to get a lot!"

"Haha, I guess you're right."

[Cerrin moves to fish his phone out of his pocket, turning it off "Do Not Disturb" mode... Only to be bombarded my "missed call" alerts from his sister.]

"...Guess I should have left my phone on..."

[He quickly dials Ursula's number, laughing a little when she picks up.]

"Hey, Ursula! What's--"

"Where are you right now?"

"Uh... Ruby and I just left Sweetfish Bakery, why--"

"Our parents are here on the surface, and you need to get somewhere safe. Now."

"Wait, what? Are you su--"

[Ruby, having heard Ursula, suddenly takes Cerrin by his shoulders and starts leading him away. When he looks to her, confused, she takes his phone and starts talking.]

"Ursula, its Ruby. Your father is a blue-ringed with dark purple tentacles, and your mom has the same color as Cerrin with two pieces of kelp tied up in her bun, right?"

"Yes."

[Ruby takes a breath.]

"Okay. I promise I'll get Cerrin somewhere safe. Talk to you later."

[Ruby ends the call and shoves Cerrin's phone into her jacket pocket, before quickly guiding him up the sidewalk.]

"Uh... Ruby? What're you doing? What's going on??"

"I'll explain later, okay? Right now, we have to get on a train and go home."

"But, isn't your car parked down the other way??"

[Meanwhile, a certain pair of soldiers are standing outside the train station in the opposite direction.]

「Tsukuyo, I can't make sense of this damned map.」

「.........」

「Are you even listening to me?」

[Tsukuyo continues looking up the street, her gaze focused on Ruby... But, before the Inktoling can disappear into the crowds, Tsukuyo notices something vaguely familiar about the person she seems to be leading away from them.]

「It wouldn’t be so difficult if you could actually read Inklish, Susano. Not that we need that thing.」

「What exactly are you saying?」

「I'm saying forget the map, follow me, and keep quiet.」

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[Ursula is walking home from Splatsville's Turf War lobby after a few hours of playing. She has her phone playing music through her earbuds, one of which is dangling down so she can hear her surroundings. Upon reaching her apartment building, she hears a noise coming from behind her. She turns around, and catches what seems like a person disappearing from her peripheral vision.]

"Is someone there?"

[No response.]

"Strange..."

[Deciding to ignore it for now, she proceeds into the building and to her apartment. Her roommate isn't home yet, so she puts her gear away and takes a nice, hot shower before relaxing for the rest of the afternoon.]

[A few hours later, in a dimly-lit hotel room in the heart of Splatsville...]

「I found her.」

「And the other one?」

「I've seen no signs he is even alive.」

「Well, I'm confident she would not have stayed in this wretched place if he was dead...」

「I believe an interrogation is in order.」

「Understood.」

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

quick doodle of ruby's dad.png

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[Ruby and her father hang around Dion's apartment for a while, and after they leave, Dion sighs.]

"Thought they'd never leave..."

[Artemis' brow furrows a little, before she starts signing to him.]

【You weren't happy to see your friend? Even after the nice gift she brought?】

【Not that I don't appreciate it, but... I don't think she or any of the others really see me as a friend.】

【I'm more like the annoying coworker who always gets into trouble.】

[There's a short pause, before she frowns.]

【Why would you say that?】

【Because they don't really care. All they ever do is scold me when I screw up or get hurt on the job, and tease me because my parents are rich.】

【I'm pretty sure people who didn't care wouldn't have helped you they way they did!】

[Dion starts to sign something, but Artemis stops him with a light slap to his hands.]

【Did you ever stop to think that they're being so harsh because they care about you? You've never liked listening to anyone's advice, so how else are they supposed to get through to you? And, if they didn't care, do you actually think they would say anything when you got hurt instead of just ignoring you like your parents did?】

[He stops, a shocked look flashing on his face before he lets out an annoyed huff.]

【If that's really the case, it's a stupid way to show it.】

[Aretmis sighs.]

【A stupid way for a stupid boy...】

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[Dion leads everyone to his fifth-floor apartment. When he opens the door it becomes abundantly clear that somehow it's hotter in there than it is in the hall, and maybe even outside...]

"You can just put that box on the couch..."

[Ruby's father nods and does just that, wiping the sweat off his forehead afterward.]

"You live in this heat?"

"Yeah, I guess. I’ve been hoarding ice packs and using those to keep cool, but…"

[Artemis tugs on Dion's sleeve to get his attention, then writes a message in her notebook.]

❛You don't have an air conditioner, or even just a fan?❜

"They all broke about a month ago. I just... Haven't gotten around to replacing them."

[Suddenly, Ruby hits the box on the couch, a wide grin on her face.]

"And that's exactly why we brought you this!"

"And 'this' is... what, exactly?"

[Ruby tears off the tape holding the box closed, revealing what appears to be a window air conditioner. It looks brand new...]

"Don't worry, we tested it before we came here, and it works really well!"

"Okaaaay... How much do I owe you for this? No one just gives away something like this for--"

[Ruby playfully punches Dion's shoulder.]

"Don't you worry your pretty little head! It's a gift! No debt required!"

[Artemis smiles a little as she writes down what she wants to say again.]

❛Thank you for looking after my cousin, Ruby.❜

"Don't mention it! He started complaining about the heat sometime last week, so we all chipped in and bought this for him!"

"To get me to stop complaining, right?"

[Insert a short silence here.]

"What? No! The four of us were worried about you... We figured if it's hot as hell in Inkopolis, it was probably even worse here..."

[Artemis' smile widens as she writes another message.]

❛Looks like your friends were more concerned about your health than you were, Dion.❜

"A-Art--! Did you really have to write that so everyone could see??"

❛Yes.❜

[orbitaldeathwoomy]

[A lone girl stands by a bench near the Splatsville Turf War lobby, her light brown eyes occasionally shifting to look at her phone. She was sure this was the spot where they agreed to meet up...]

[...Suddenly, she feels a soft tap on her right shoulder. She looks over, but there's no one there. Then, after a few seconds, she looks to her left.]

"Hey there, cousin!"

"!!!"

[The girl briefly wears a shocked expression, after which an excited smile covers her face as she pulls Dion into a tight hug. He happily returns it, and a few moments pass before they pull away and she begins signing to him.]

【Dion! I'm so happy to see you!!】

[Dion laughs a little, then starts signing back.]

【Same to you! It's been way too long!】

【Seven years... Though, I bet it would have been a little less time if you hadn't suddenly left Inkopolis...】

【Come on, Artemis. You can't blame me for wanting to get out of that place.】

【You still should have told me, or my mom or dad! We were all worried about you!】

[Dion sighs, then continues signing.]

【But what about you? You were weirdly stubborn about coming here instead of just meeting me at the station in Inkopolis.】

【What do you mean? It was pretty obvious you didn't want to come back, so I just thought I'd make it easier for you.】

【You haven't changed, Art...】