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inklingleesquidly · 7 years ago

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THE WISDOM OF LEE SQUIDLY

CHAPTER 5

Lee Squidly has been called into action. Callie has gone missing and according to Marie he’s her only hope in finding her. There is a lot more going on in Octo Canyon than Lee truly knows but Is he up to the task when he is uncertain of even his own feelings?

A new journey of discovery awaits our hero as he comes to realize what the true meaning of the relationship between the Squid Sisters is, and what they mean to others..

Featuring @agentis-zephirum‘s squid and a special mention of a special squid by @splat-tendency

Chapter 4 can be found here

Word Count: 3,372

“Let’s see; green ink, pink shirt, innocent starry eyes, and probably found getting bullied by everyone everywhere. Yup, you definitely fit the bill, Squiddo.”

Out of all the places Lee had been to in Octopus country he never would have imagined finding himself in what he could only describe as a secret safe house bunker. It was quite cramped but seemed to provide basic amenities. There was a cot for sleeping which he and Mooky sat upon. The squid that had brought them here was brewing a pot of tea at a small area for preparing food. He noticed a sequestered room behind a closed door which he presumed was a restroom, and finally there was some sort of big work desk with monitors depicting multiple windows with different video feeds.

He was getting too caught up in observations that the urgency of the situation suddenly returned to him. Lee wearily worried, “With all due respect ma’am, we have to get back, we gotta help my friend, he’s in danger, he’s–.”

“Plant it,” the older woman said sternly, pushing him back down with her hand on his shoulder. After adjusting her glasses and offering him a cup of steaming tea, she explained, “This new generation of hypno shades the Octarians are using are unlike anything I’ve seen before. The technology is so sophisticated that even if you got them off, the victim keeps hearing the same song in their head. Wherever the signal is broadcasted from, their brain has been fixed to keep hearing the frequency no matter what.”

Glancing over at a pair of those shades laying dismantled on the work table, she bluntly said, “You and that pink squid are better off where he is. You’ll just get yourself splatted, or worse running in and trying to rip off his shades.”

That was a crushing blow for Lee, “Fynn,” he helplessly squeaked under his breath. Knowing another friend of his was in danger and utterly beyond his help according to this woman… he could only let out a defeated sigh.

The mystery lady’s eyes shifted from side to side and she grimaced at the site of him. This kid looked like he was about to cry and she wasn’t particularly experienced when it came to handling crying children. “Hey, hey,” she tapped him on the shoulder with her palm, “Come on, I got you out of there didn’t I, and your friend is probably gonna be fine so cheer up, Squiddo.”

Squiddo, Lee repeated, she keeps calling me that, just like–.

He gasped at a thought he had, “Say umm—umm uh—Miss–,” he bit his tongue, suddenly realizing he had forgotten her name.

“Miss Pearlessence, Master Lee,” Mooky reminded, “She is one of our contacts.”

“Right,” Lee breathed, “Miss Pearlessence do you know a man named Mister Zephirum?”

Pearlessence let out a noise through her pursed lips; they quivered as she tried to force herself not to smile so wide. She then giggled, “Hoo hoo hoo, do I know him? I practically babysat that doofus for 20 years.” She adjusted her glasses again and sized up Lee, “Hard to believe the Miracle Kid he’s so fond of is the one I’m supposed to meet.”

“Miracle Kid?” Lee repeated questioningly. Putting aside his optimism; he never would’ve imagined “fond” would be a word used to describe him by the grumpy ex-agent who lived on his apartment floor.

She said, “You bet Squiddo, Marie Calimari seems to think the same thing to, she wanted me to meet you especially and help you out. No offense though but I can’t see what they’re seeing, you’re definitely not Agent material.”

There was nothing Lee could do to argue with that, nor would he want to, he had a much bigger concern in mind. “With all due respect Miss Pearlessence, do you have anything about Callie for me?”

His last bastion for information aiding in his quest quickly dashed his hopes, “Nope, afraid not, sorry Squiddo.” She spun around in her chair and examined the glowing monitors. Her fingers skimmed across the screens, enlarging and minimizing some windows, studying them. “I’ve been keeping tabs on just about every squid Marie got to roam around this canyon and not one of them knows anymore than you or me.”

Lee and Mooky peeked over her shoulder and the little butler held his clamp hand to his cheek. “Oh my stars, there are over 100 simultaneous audio and visual feeds running at once on these all-in-one compuers.”

Pearlessence groaned, “It’s more of a strain on me than it is the computers.” She lifted her glases to rub her eyes, “If I didn’t owe Cuttlefish and his family a favor I wouldn’t be doing this.”

“Huh,” Lee wondered.

Her next remark seemed utterly cruel, “Let’s just say out of Cuttlefish’s granddaughters, Callie is the one I’m least fond of.” Lee gasped, speechless at what he heard. He was so flabbergasted that he looked to Mooky for guidance on how to react but only saw the same uncertain look as his own in the pint sized servant. Pearlessence wasn’t finished there, “Don’t get me wrong, she’s a sweet girl, and has such a kind heart, a little too kind I would say. She’s so sympathetic to others that I’d say it’s possible she’s willingly working with the Octarians.”

Lee said nothing but he silently agreed with everything the woman said. He knew Callie had particular reasons making her especially sympathetic to the plight of Octopods so that wasn’t an impossibility. He didn’t take too kindly to Pearlessence‘s continuing criticisms, “But if not and she went and got herself captured, that just proves what I thought that she’s sloppy and has bad instincts unfit for an Agent.”

Her tone completely changed, much to Lee’s dismay on another subject, “Now Marie on the other hand, she’s top agent material!” He grumbled but she started to smile with an almost passionate excitement, “She’s focused, organized, stays true to her mission, gets exceptional scores on the Agency physical and psychological evaluations, and is an insanely talented sniper. It’s no wonder Agents far and wide these days look up to her,” she revealed how countless Agents idolized and strived with all they had to emulate her. “She’s one of the best of the best, no doubt about it; field agents know it and especially the top brass of the Agency know it. That’s why she’s in the top consideration to succeed Cuttlefish for the rank of Captain once that old fart finally decides to retire.”

“Huh,” Lee wondered, bewildered as he took in all of this information.

Blowing a puff of air and readjusting her glasses, Pearlessence then said, “Believe me when I tell you, Squiddo, that girl is staking a lot on this operation, A LOT. If the Agency finds out about everything she’s done here–,” there was a pause in her words as she strived to really elucidate her thoughts. “Let’s just say it’s crazy what she’s going through to get her cousin back,” hoping that would encapsulate the sheer scope of this mess they found themselves woven into.

All Lee could do was dwell on those thoughts. He was only able to keep listening as Pearlessence really drove the point home. “Seems like no matter what she’s always being eyed by everyone all the time; that singing that they do, when she plays Turf Wars, and her work as an agent. When I was her age I had to put up with that much scrutiny to, it nearly drove me up a wall.” Lee looked down into his cup, taking in the final words she said, “But if anyone can handle it, it’s definitely Marie Calimari!”

Without uttering a word, Lee stood up, set down his untouched cup of tea, and started to leave. Though confused, Mooky followed him, and they got the attention of Pearlessence who didn’t notice until she heard the sound of door sliding open. “Huh, you’re leaving?? Well all right then, don’t do anything crazy, Squiddo, and I’ll be sure to keep you posted if I find anything.” He had nothing to offer in response, just an unceremonious shutting of the door concealing the safehouse once again.

It was still the early afternoon of his second day meandering through Octo Canyon and he hadn’t anything to show for his efforts; no clues, no hints, no information at all. Still trying to keep spirits high, Mooky asked energetically, “Well Master Lee, what shall we do now? Perhaps we should reconnect with one of our informants to see if they discovered anything new?”

“No,” Lee mumbled, “C’mon Mooky, we’re heading back to Tentakeel Outpost.”

“Whatever for, Master Lee?”

The weary Inkling ran his hand through his hair, weighing his options as his tentacles bounced back in to place. “There’s someone I need to talk to,” he divulged.

A hop, skip, and a jump later; Lee and Mooky returned to the hub in which their adventure began. There, Lee instructed Mooky to wait nearby while he made his way to the lone wooden structure in sight. “Marie, hello, Marie are you here,” he shouted urgently as he circled the shack, seeking out the idol in question.

The door slid open and out came the weary woman. Rubbing her eye with the back of her hand, she groggily mumbled, “I’m up, I’m up, I’m here, who’s call–,” seeing him out of the blue caused her drowsiness to swiftly fade away. “–Oh Lee, it’s you,” she grumbled under her breath. Making a lazy attempt to fix her robe and adjust her collar, she cleared her throat, “All right, let’s hear it; what did I do now that you came all the way back here to yell at me for?”

That tone of contempt and exhausted exasperation she had toward him wasn’t going to deter Lee from saying what he needed to say. “Marie,” he began, “I’m sorry.”

Her breath got caught in her throat, causing her to sputter in disbelief, “Peh- pih- whu—you’re sorry? W-Why?” Marie stomped her foot and grinded her teeth, “Someone upsets you and you apologize to them? Do you say sorry to people who bump into you or splat you a dozen times?”

She was ranting and raving with disbelief but Lee quietly, calmly restated his apology. “Marie, please, I really am sorry. I’m sorry for everything I said to you before.” He bit his lower lip, and his fingers fidgeted until they were practically tied in knots, struggling to approach this subject as best he could to truly show his sincerity. “All this time I was thinking about how mad I was at you but I never thought of why, because of how much Callie meant to you.”

Her posture grew more relaxed and she said nothing as she and Lee slowly made their way to sit down on the stoop of her wooden command center. There, Marie listened to him report everything he had done and learned from his informants over the past two days. He was supposed to learn about Callie but he ended up learning far more about Marie instead. From Blueshift, Jonn, and even Miss Pearlessence, he shared everything.

After what felt like forever; feeling like he was endlessly repeating himself and struggling to get his point across, Lee concluded, “And that’s why I just—I—I was really unfair to you. I do know what it’s like to not think straight when you’ve lost someone really important to you, an-and I was so—I was really kind of thinking of myself. With things between me and Callie being what they are I didn’t think at all about—just, what she meant to you and everybody else. Again I’m just, I’m, I’m so sorry.”

He didn’t expect her to accept his apology, but he couldn’t tell what Marie was thinking. Did she even listen to him? He probably shouldn’t have expected her to do that either what with how wishy washy, angry, and dismissive he had been. The tense silence between them could be cut with a knife.

“You know it’s funny,” Marie finally said, “When you’re always in the limelight, people just lay and wait for you to screw up. They expect it, they want to use it against you however they want. For me, everyone wants to me to meet their expectations; They tell me all the time that I’m perfect, that I’m a model Agent, that I’m such a big influence, that so many others look up to me and want to be me, that I’m the ideal squid for… whatever.”

He could just barely hear her next words, the ire in her voice made her mumble, “I hate it,” she said. “They all say they love me but I bet if they really really got to know me and had to deal with me, they’d change their tune.” The look on her face changed from one of aggravation to sorrowful remorse. “Callie is the only one who truly understands me; she’s the only one I don’t have to worry about being myself around.”

That confused Lee, surely she knew her fans and friends did know they really did like her for who she was? The realization would hit him when she admitted, “She’s the only one who truly accepts that I can be selfish, and bigheaded, and mean even though I don’t try to be. She takes all of that from me,” she mumbled, covering her eyes with her palm, “And all I ever do is take her for granted.”

Lee opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. He had even less to say when he heard quiet sobs escape from her mouth, and saw her shoulders start to jerk with each sob. “She’s always been there for me, through everything in my life, and that’s why I keep trying to be as perfect as everyone else wants me to be. It’s for her, it’s always been for her. Callie’s the one who always believe I can do anything and with her around, hiff, I really feel like I can.” The influence Callie had on Marie really resonated with Lee. He touched one of his hands to his ear, the silver metal of Callie’s earring he kept so near and dear made his hand tremble. Marie quaked anxiously as she said, “But without her around I just—I—gyuh—I don’t feel like I can do anything.”

Marie uncovered her face to reveal an unimaginable sight; her eyes were puffy and welling up with liquid as she stared up at the canyon’s false sky. She huskily breathed, “Lee, do you remember when I told you how much I want to go into space?” He did remember, so he answered with a nod. “I want to go—and never look back, just find somewhere I can call my own, away from all the pressure, the glamour, the fame, and all that garbage and just be with the people I love—especially Callie.” That was enough to finally break her, with a loud gasp she covered her face with her hand and began to weep, no longer caring about restraining herself in front of the boy before her.

Bawling loud and unrestrained, Marie squeaked, “I miss her so much, I want my cousin, my sister, my best friend back so bad.” Her cries grew louder, raspier, desperate as she pleaded, “I can’t do this without her—I just can’t! I want so bad, so so so bad to go back to the way things were. I want to sing and dance with her again, I want to go on missions with her, I want us to go to home together, I want to go back to the way things were, just like the old days.”

Lee needed to say something, anything to the distraught woman whom he now knew more than ever desperately needed the squid they were seeking– more than he did. He could’ve and should’ve said something to ease her woes but what she had said cycled repeatedly in his mind.

Just like the old days, he kept hearing.

“The old days,” Lee repeated under his breath. Suddenly, not unlike a light bulb in an animated cartoon turning on, a miraculous idea popped into his head. “That’s it!” He declared out of nowhere.

“Huh,” Marie choked out through her tears.

Springing up to his feet, Lee had an energy about him that was completely different from when he arrived in Octo Canyon. His eyes twinkled bright, his smile stretched wide, and he shook his balled fists in inspiration, “I think I know where Callie might be!”

“What,” Marie breathlessly asked again, trying to inhale through her stuffed nose and rub tears away with her fist.

In response he offered her a packet of tissue paper he stored in one of his cargo pockets. Then, he exclaimed, “Maybe we haven’t found Callie in Octo Canyon because she’s not even in Octo Canyon!”

Using the tissues to purge her sinuses and wipe away her tears and running make-up she wondered, “What are you talking about?”

“It’s a long shot but I think it might be worth to check one more spot.” His clenched fists vibrated to match his excitement; he was convinced his hunch was correct. “Just hang on for a little bit longer, okay, if I’m right, we’ll have Callie back before dinner time!” With that, he turned around and with his certainty driving him; he was ready to race away.

“WAIT,” Marie shouted, stopping him just before he could move. His sudden complete shift in attitude and tenor was bewildering but Marie found herself awed and dumbstruck by his hopefulness. When he turned to face her, she gingerly held her parasol in her hands and said, “You know, there’s a lot of crazy weirdos that are obsessed with my cousin. Out of all of them,” she peered up to flash him an earnest, optimistic smile, “I’m really glad she met you, Lee Squidly.”

At any other time Lee would be bothered by a backhanded compliment like that but not now, “Thanks Marie,” he said, not losing his confidence. With that he sped off, collecting Mooky and running with all of his might.

Mooky yelped as he looked over his shoulder at Lee, “Acck, what is going on Master Lee, where are we going?”

Lee looked back at him, excitably proclaiming, “Hold tight Mooky, we’re going to Octo Valley!” It finally came together for him; he couldn’t do this for himself anymore. He couldn’t do it for a fleeting chance to see Callie again—and maybe, possibly reconcile their differences after their talk about his life. He couldn’t do it for the slim chance of being her knight in shining armor. He had to find Callie for the sake of others, others who wanted Callie back and to see the Squid Sisters reunited.

Not stopping to rest for even a moment, Lee ran and ran and ran, running until he reached a sewer he could dive into. He was on autopilot; making his way to the other major area of Octopus country. He found the kettle he was searching for; an uninhabited unclaimed background piece in the heart of the Octarian Homeland. He smacked away an overgrowth of plants caught in his way, remembering this place as if he had been here yesterday.

It was the same kettle Callie had brought him to for his training in Special Energy control. He was thoroughly convinced she was here, or at least had been here, he wouldn’t waver in that belief. Suddenly, SQUISH, his foot touched something that definitely wasn’t grass. Lee looked down to find something that made his heart skip a beat, pink ink! The ground was absolutely covered in it, and low and behold, as improbable as it was, someone stood a short distance away with their back turned to him.

Those unmistakable black and pink tentacles, it was too good to be true, but Lee wanted to leap for joy. Callie, he thought, even short of breath in his mind, Don’t worry Marie, Callie is coming home, I promise you!

#splatoon #splatoon 2 #nintendo #inkling #fan fiction #lee squidly

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