Pearl checked her phone one last time within the past 15 minutes, and she once again saw no notification from Dawn, which made her shake her head and slide her hand into her pocket as she sat within a stationary Limo. From the house before her, she saw Marina walk out of the home with Rose by her side, who was once again flustered from being a fangirl at the moment.

Rose and Marina Got into the Limo, and Marina reached over to the door to close it as Rose sat down next to her, but before she could close the door, she noticed Pearl's annoyed expression, with her arms crossed and looking down at the ground, which only concerned Marina deeply.

Marina: Are you okay, Pearlie?.....

Pearl:.......yeah.....I'm just kinda mad at myself......

Marina:....but why?

Pearl:.........I'll just.......tell you later, Rina.......we gotta go....

Marina:........yeah....

Rose: *confusion*.....

Pearl: don't worry about it, Rose.....

Marina let out a tiny sigh, and pulled on the door to close it, but just before the door closed, yelling was heard from within the area, and the two idols, along with Rose, looked out the slightly closed door to see Callie running down to them with a nice smile on her face.

Callie: Wait!! Noooo!! I have a present for Rose!!

Pearl's heart dropped and she looked over at Marina, then quickly nudged her head towards the door while mumbling slight words to her.

Pearl: *mumbles* Close it! Close it now!

Marina: b-but.....

Pearl: come on, Rina! We're leaving now!

Marina began to internally panic, and sweat began to trail down her head, but as she looked at Pearl's aggressive, yet pleading expression, she couldn't help but shake her head a little with a whimper.

Marina:....sorry...

Pearl: Cod Dammit!!........

Rose looked over at Pearl to see her cover her face with her hands and slouch down as Marina opened the door for Callie. The pink and black Idol looked into the car and directly at Rose, letting out a tiny smirk.

Callie: you almost forgot this!

Callie reached into the car and held out a slim paper card, and Rose leaned over to Callie, gently taking the card from her and looking at it, seeing the squid sisters logo that was covered with pretty glitter.

Callie: that's a backstage pass! Even though we just met, *giggles* I already like ya.

Pearl:....*rolls her eyes*

Callie: honestly! I was super impressed when you ate your whole plate of spaghetti within 3 minutes! I guess we both have a big appetite, right!?

Rose:.....*embarrassed blush*......

Pearl: yeah uh.........congrats on the backstage pass, Rose......we kinda have to get going, Callie. We've got something to do before the splatfest starts.

Callie: really? Do you need any help or anything? The splatfest doesn't start for another hour or so.

Pearl: we're cool.....we'll see you guys there, alright?

Callie: oh wait! This reminds me of that one time when-

Pearl: Bye.....

Callie: me and Marie got completely stuck in traffic and that almost made us late. Honestly, this is the first time ever that me and Marie-

Pearl: Bye......

Callie: honestly I'm surprised we went for years without ever showing up late to a splatfest concer-

Pearl: *sigh*..........

Pearl stood up and walked over to the door of the Limousine as Callie continued to ramble on and on. Without hesitation, Pearl grabbed the door and shut it in Callie's face, then turned her head over towards the front of the Limo, nodding her head.

Pearl: Take us to Flounder Heights....

The driver simply nodded and the Limo began to drive off as Pearl sat back down and shook her head while both Marina and Rose stared at her.

Pearl:......*mumbles* I've never seen anyone get that desperate just for a damn apology......

Marina:....sorry for not closing the door....I didn't want to be mean....

Pearl: I understand. You don't need to apologize.

Pearl looked over at Rose and saw her holding onto the backstage pass that was given to her as she stared at the card with a nice smile.

Pearl:........Yo.....Rose......

Rose: *looks at Pearl*

Pearl: lemme see that backstage pass.

Rose tilted her head in confusion, but still leaned over and handed the ticket to Pearl, and when she let go, she saw Pearl glaring at it within her own hand.

Pearl:......sorry.......

Without hesitating in the slightest, Pearl ripped Rose's ticket into pieces, which made the Octo whimper very loudly and flail her hands around.

Marina: Pearlie!!!

Pearl: it would make everything worse, I don't understand why you're upset.

Marina: well I know that we're trying keep them away from Ros-

Pearl: *shakes her head*

Rose: *looks at Marina*

Marina: o-oh uh.......we're trying to keep.......uh..........raisins away from you Rose! Because you're allergic!

Rose:......

Pearl:.......what?......

Marina: heh...uh.....yeah.......

Pearl: ......okay, Whatever......Once again, sorry I ripped up that ticket of yours, Rose. I wasn't trying to be a dick, ya know?....I did that for.....specific reasons.....

Rose: *looks away*

Pearl:....mm.......alright then. How about this: After the splatfest, I'll give you a nice present. Something way better than a stupid backstage pass.

Pearl saw Rose let out a tiny smile, but knew she was still upset. Pearl crossed her legs in her chair, then laid back a little while folding her arms, letting out a sigh as Marina looked at Rose and placed her hand on her shoulder.

Marina: s-so I know this is a very weird start.........but let's just try again, okay? *smiles* Rose, tell us about yourself.

Rose:..........

Pearl: she can't speak, Rina. The old man told me that. I forgot to mention it.

Marina: what?......

Rose responded with a simple nod, then lowered her scarf a little to show the two idols her scar, making them sit in shock, but had completely different expressions on their faces respectively.

Marina: oh........d-does it hurt-

Pearl: Yo! That scar looks so fucking badass!!

Marina: *glares*

Pearl: what?

Rose let out a faint giggle with a smile on her face, adjusting her scarf to wrap properly around her neck once more as the Idols watched her, and as Marina sat in concern, Pearl tilted her head and raised her eyebrow towards Rose.

Pearl: okay......so how do you usually communicate with Squids or Octos around you?

Rose pulled out her notepad and presented it to Pearl and Marina. Pearl stood up and reached over to Rose's notepad, grabbing it and opening it up to look at the remaining pages it had left.

Pearl: hm.....well it makes sense....sheesh, this thing had over 200 pages...now it looks like there's only like, 10 left.......damn, your handwriting is amazing!

Marina: you really do write all day in that, huh?

Rose: *nod nod*

Pearl:.....*snickers*....Rina, Look....

Marina stood up and walked over to Pearl to look in the notepad, and she instantly let out an "awe" as Pearl pulled out her phone and took a picture of Rose's notepad.

Pearl: I'm definitely sending this to her.

Rose: *tilts her head*

Pearl closed the notepad and tossed it back to Rose, and she barely caught it, then held it close to herself as the two Idols smiled at her.

Pearl: so what do you do if you run out of paper with that one?

Rose: *pulls out another notepad*

Pearl:....well that makes sense...now I feel stupid....

Marina: so...you just carry multiple notepads with you wherever you go?

Rose: *nod*

Pearl: well what would you do if you didn't have a notepad? Like, uh.....if you're stranded in the desert and your notepad got destroyed in a um....a plane crash!

Marina:......What?

Rose stood up on her feet and kneeled down to her leg, lifting her pant leg and reaching into her sock, pulling out a marker that was strapped to her ankle.

Rose: *smile*

Marina:....uh.....writing on....yourself?

Rose: *nod*

Pearl:.....wow.......this girl is prepared for literally anything.......

Marina:.....hm....actually....I do have a question that concerns me a bit....

Rose: *looks at Marina*

Marina: so....do you compete in Turf war?

Rose: *nod nod*

Marina: then.....how do you communicate with your team?.....

Pearl: true. *shrugs* Turf war is very fast paced, so you never really have time to write on yourself, or in that notepad of yours.

Marina: even if you do, your teammates aren't gonna be around you all the time.

Rose thought to herself for a minute, then got down on one knee, holding her arms out specifically as if she was holding onto a weapon.

Pearl:....uh.....

Marina: I think she's trying to describe it to us instead of writing it, Pearlie.

Pearl: for eel? oh hell yeah! I'm totally down for a game of charades!...uuuuuh.....let's see.....

Rose exaggerated her pose by closing one of her eyes and wiggling one of her fingers to make it look as if she was pulling the trigger of her imaginary weapon.

Pearl: you use the Jet squelcher!

Rose: *shakes her head*

Pearl: Dualies!? The Glooga Dualies!

Rose:....

Marina:....Pearlie...I think she plays the-

Pearl: the Splattershot Pro!

Rose:.....*confused*.......

Pearl: yeah, I suck at this game....um...

Rose turned her body and slapped her hand onto the ground, then looked at Pearl to see if she understood, but it simply only confused the Inkling a lot more than before.

Pearl:.....uh......a roller?

Rose: *tiny sigh*......

Marina: Pearlie, she uses the-

Pearl: Glooga Dualies!

Rose: -_-.....

Marina: you already said that.....

Pearl: I did?.........oh shit, I did..........

Marina: she uses the E-Liter.....

Rose: *nods*

Pearl: how was I supposed to know that!?

Marina: she was kneeling down in a steady position......a simple thing all chargers do....

Pearl: okay, then why was she slapping the ground?

Marina: She was placing her Ink mines.....

Rose: *nods*.......

Rose huffed and flopped on her seat from exhaustion and disappointment while Marina laid back and began to relax with a warm smile on her face.

Pearl smiled and held back a laugh from embarrassing herself, simply resting on her cushions as well while looking at the two Octoling girls side by side.......her smile became more warm and soft...reverting her eyes to only direct her attention to Rose.

She sat curiously, seeing that Rose noticed her stare and smiled back, letting out a little wave.......from within her wave.....her beautiful nature shined towards Pearl.......for a tiny glimpse..........Pearl saw a vision of Rose, which made her eyes widen in shock.

A simple Octarian with a black uniform, heels, and a silent, yet beautiful gaze sat before her....it was her.......or so that's what Pearl felt in thought......she blinked deeply once more....seeing Rose instead of the Agent Octoling.......but still....Pearl felt at ease from Rose.......and when she saw the muted Octoling tilt her head in concern....all she could do was look away, with a slight embarrassed blush on her face......

Pearl: I'm cool....

Marina sat in concern, but then turned her head to look out the window, noticing their destination, then looked over at Rose with a gentle smile on her face.

Marina: looks like we're here.

Rose: *confused*....

Pearl: we're dropping you off at Dawn's place. *shrugs* you'll crash there.

Rose began to slightly panic and began to immediately shake her head and wave her hands at the two, which deeply confused them as the Limo came to a halt.

Pearl: I thought you liked Dawn?

Rose:........*looks away*......

Marina: hey...

Marina grabbed Rose by the shoulder and looked at her, which made Rose look towards her, seeing her gaze of concern.

Marina: we know Dawn...and even if you feel scared, sad, or uncomfortable to see her right now...remember....deep down....*Smiles* she cares for you.

Pearl: yup. Dawn sucks at expressing herself, but she's definitely a loyal gal, that's for sure. She's mean and tough, but she's a softie deep down.

Rose:.....

Marina: uh...you're probably wondering on how we know Dawn like that....well we um....

Pearl: *shrugs* She's a huge Off The Hook Fan. She's gotten to chat with us multiple times during many splatfests, so we know her as one of our loyal squids.

Marina: *nods* yes!

Marina let out a sigh after Pearl simply shook her head at her, but then leaned over and opened up the door to the Limo.

Pearl: you should probably get goin'....

Rose:......*looks down*....

Pearl: don't worry, I'll find you after this splatfest ends and give you your gift. *smirks* Trust me.

Rose smiled at Pearl, then stepped out of the Limo and onto the hard concrete in front of Flounder heights once again, and when she looked back, she simply saw Marina giving her a nice wave while Pearl threw up finger guns towards.

Pearl: also, she has a spare key under the mat, just incase. But we'll catch ya later, little Petal.

The door closed and the Limo drove off with Pearl slouching in her seat as Marina simply stared at her, raising an eyebrow.

Marina: Little.....Petal?

Pearl: I wanted to give her a nickname. I know we're definitely gonna see her a lot more in the future.......more than we think......

Marina: true.....well, I like it.

Pearl: okay.....but I have a question.....

Marina: hm?

Pearl: *sigh*.....why did you bring up our association with Dawn?.....like, you're very lucky I thought of an excuse off the bat, 'Rina.

Marina: *sweats* N-N-No!! I just! I-I got a little nervous!!

Pearl: why?

Marina: because I brought up Dawn and stuff! And I was just scared that the girl was curious and suspicious on how I knew her!!

Pearl: well yeah, but honestly, she's been through a lot in one day. She met both, The Squid Sisters, and Off The Hook, Completely at random! I'm pretty sure she's more "Confused" than "Curious" on everything that's going on around her.

Marina:.......

Pearl: everything's cool.....we're just doing Dawn her favor.....so let's hold up our end of this deal.

Marina:....R-Right.

Rose heard the Limo drive off and she simply made her way up the stairs of the apartment complex as she felt her heart beat deep within her chest. she felt her body slightly shake, and she couldn't help but tense up when she got closer to Dawn's door....and soon, she arrived...

In front of her stood Dawn's apartment door.....she slightly sighed, then raised her hand a little, knocking on the door gently.....waiting for a response....but nothing came....

She knocked again.......then again........and still no response was made. Rose began to get a little concerned, and she hesitated, but then kneeled down and lifted Dawn's mat, grabbing onto the key that Pearl told her about.

She adjusted the Key, and slid it into the keyhole, twisting it and hearing a little "click" indicating that the door was unlocked. She gently twisted the knob and opened up the door to Dawn's apartment, taking a peek inside to instantly be met with Dawn's living room, seeing a couch ahead of her, and from the edge of the couch, stuck out a simple foot from Dawn herself.

Rose closed the door and walked into the living room quietly, still a little confused on why Dawn didn't answer the door from before.....but when she saw the Inkling's face, she saw that her eyes were completely shut, sleeping soundly on her couch as her cap laid on her stomach instead of her head.

Rose stood over Dawn's sleeping body, seeing her chest slowly rise and fall every few seconds.......She got on her knees and looked closer at Dawn's face.....her heart stopped slightly when she saw Dawn's scars along with her slight sounds of every breath she took........which made her feel very warm within her inky body......

She raised one of her hands and slowly, also gently, placed it on Dawn, feeling her rough scar located on her cheek. She dragged her thumb across the scar......feeling the toughness of Dawn's skin.....showing that she's been through many battles......

But hostile physical contact is not allowed within Ranked battles and Turf war in general.....from the scars.....it didn't look like any weapon from Sheldon's shop could do that much permanent physical damage.......maybe salmon run?.....

Not likely......after finishing a shift, a cephalopod would come back to the ship usually covered in bruises instead of actual wounds because of the salmonid's lethal frying pans and slime......Her mind went blank......she continued to rub Dawn's cheek delicately, hearing the Inkling slightly shift her legs as a little sound of relaxation escaped her mouth.

She leaned her face closer to Dawn's and couldn't help but let out a tiny smile from her adorable sleeping state, but her smile only lasted so long, because at that moment, Dawn slowly opened her eyes and let out a tiny groan, looking to see the Octoling right above her.

Dawn: what the!-

Dawn quickly lifted her head up, but from the force, knocked their foreheads together and Dawn let out a painful groan while Rose whimpered and held onto her head, backing away from Dawn, who quickly turned her head and glared at Rose.

Dawn: what the fuck were you doing!?

Rose:.....*looks away, embarrassed*

Dawn: staring at me while I'm sleeping.......every single day, you always prove to me that you're definitely more weird than I think.

Rose: *pulls out Notepad*....*scribble*

Dawn:...here we go again......

~~
"I'm very sorry!"
~~

Dawn: uh-huh.......sure........

Dawn saw Rose's pleading eyes, hoping for forgiveness, and all the Inkling did was roll her eyes and stand up, stretching as she scoffed under her breath.

Dawn: don't do that ever again.......

Dawn walked down her hallway and away from Rose, leaving her in the living room, approaching her bathroom door and grabbing onto the knob, and as she turned it, she looked back to see Rose walking towards her front door, getting ready to leave the apartment, which only made her sigh.

Remembering her plan with Off The Hook, Dawn let go of the door knob and crossed her arms at the Octo, who opened up the front door and took one step outside, and Dawn only shook her head and tried to hide her annoyed, and embarrassed expression.

Dawn: hey....

Rose:.......

Dawn: where the hell are you going?

Rose:....*points outside*......

Dawn:....................Well.........uh..........

Dawn saw Rose look directly at her into her own eyes with her innocent expression spread across her face, which made Dawn's body shake and her vocal chords tighten, feeling a giant weight press against her shoulders.

Dawn:....(just fucking....say it dammit.....why can't I just........tell her?.......)......

Rose: *confused*......

Dawn winced and let out a tiny grunt, turning her head away from Rose, looking directly at the ground instead, slowly opening her mouth to forcefully push out her words.

Dawn:......The.........Splatfest isn't over........S-So.......that means.....our deal isn't..........over as well.............

Rose:......

Dawn:......put.......the spare key.........back..........

Rose stood completely shocked from Dawn's words, and she hesitated, but then slowly crouched down to lift up Dawn's mat, placing the key under it and walking inside the apartment once again, closing the door behind herself.

Dawn:.............Sit down..........

Rose avoided eye contact with Dawn as well, walking over to her couch and sitting down, placing her hands on her lap, then from the distance, she could hear Dawn's long sigh, and when her body cooled down, she looked over to see Dawn grabbing her bathroom door knob once again, and looked over in her direction as well, pointing at her with a stern glare.

Dawn: I'm going to take a shower...........just.....entertain yourself or something......

Dawn opened the door and walked into the bathroom, closing, and locking it behind her, leaving Rose alone on the couch. She sat silently, hearing the shower water start to flow within the bathroom only moments later.

Rose simply looked at her notepad and pen, then slouched back on the couch. She started to doodle in her notepad, drawing a tiny picture of Shade holding up a cup of coffee, which only made Rose smile.

Rose twiddled her pen within her hand,  spinning, shifting, and flipping it as she looked at her paper, thinking of what she should doodle next. Since she focused too hard, her pen accidentally slipped from her fingers, hitting her head, snapping her out of her brain dead state.

She watched her pen roll on the ground away from her, then she stood up and walked to her Pen, leaning down to pick it back up, but as she did so, she looked down the hallway, seeing an opened door that lead into a room. She tried to look away, but her curiosity got the best of her, Rose began to walk towards the door, entering the hallway and passing by the bathroom door, giving off a slight warm feeling that seeped under it due to Dawn's hot water.

Rose walked into the room, noticing a bunch of trash that laid on the floor. Water bottles, ramen cups, crumbled paper, clothing and more. Rose noticed the room to be Dawn's, and even though she's already seen it before, this time it looked more dirty than before, showing that Dawn hasn't cleaned her room for quite some time.

Rose turned her head and noticed a wooden desk that stood in the corner of the room, with simply a lamp that was rested on top of it. She walked over to the desk and got a closer look, seeing a cup of coffee that looked cold and halfway finished, a plate that was under a slice of red velvet cake that was barely touched, and Rose began to get concerned.

But out of those two, only one thing stood out to her.....she noticed a round item on the desk as well.....she tilted her head at it.....from her thoughts, it looked like a toothpick, and it was made of pure gold........she calmly reached over towards the toothpick, grabbing it and looking at it from a closer view. It felt light in her hand, and it was perfectly cleaned and shiny to the point where Rose saw her own reflection in the gold......

A valuable and precious toothpick is what Rose could feel when she held it, even though she doesn't know how, or when Dawn first got it. Rose gently placed down the toothpick after a matter of seconds from when she grabbed it, then averted her attention to looking around the room once more.

Rose let out a tiny nod and walked back towards Dawn's kitchen after leaving her room, looking around the kitchen until she noticed a trash can next to the counter. She smiled and picked up the can, walking back into the hallway and entering Dawn's room again right away. She placed the can in the middle of the room, then tapped her foot, looking around to see how much trash she had to pick up.

She walked through the room, grabbing onto two ramen cups and throwing them into the can. She picked up the empty water bottles and did the same soon before grabbing onto Dawn's clothing that was littered throughout the room, gathering everything and stacking the clothes into a little pile that stood against the wall for Dawn to notice and eventually wash herself.

Rose let out a triumphant smile, but then noticed an E-Liter that was laying on the ground in front of Dawn's closet. she tilted her head at the E-Liter, noticing that that it clearly wasn't hers. She walked over to it and leaned downwards, picking it up and noticing all of the rough dents and scratches on the weapon. now knowing that Dawn also used a charger, it only made her gently smile as she walked over to the corner of Dawn's room, gently placing the E-Liter in the corner so it wouldn't fall over once again.

Rose turned around and began to walk over to the trash can to pick it up and place it back into the kitchen, but before she could act, Rose suddenly tripped out of nowhere and stumbled as she tried to catch herself, but it was already too late, and Rose fell onto the ground, whimpering and trying to soak up the pain and looking over to see that she tripped over Dawn's skateboard that was covered up by a singular shirt that Rose failed to notice earlier.

Rose got on her hands and knees, but before she could push herself up, from the corner of her eye, she noticed something that laid under Dawn's bed.

Rose noticed the object to be another piece of clothing that must've slipped under Dawn's bed by mistake. Rose reached her hand over to grab onto the piece of clothing, and when she made contact with it, she dragged it out from under the bed. But once she pulled it out, she was already lost on what type of clothing she was even looking at.

She stood up and used both of her hands to properly spread out the clothing from it's previously cluttered and wrinkled state........but from the clothing......it wasn't Dawn's pants....or Shirt, but rather.....a cape....

Rose looked at the cape and noticed it had a number "3" displayed on the back. The cape looked ripped and torn, and Rose, lost in her thoughts, turned the cape around and noticed a clip for the collar of the cape.

Rose stared at the collar, but then unclipped the collar, and slowly threw the cape behind herself, clipping the collar around her neck with a adorable blush forming on her face. She placed her hands on her hips and let out a tiny "hmph" as if she was a superhero, imagining Dawn with her and leading her to victory, and for her to simply feel honored to be Dawn's sidekick.

Within the moment, Rose heard a door open up from behind her, which made her turn around and see steam erupt from the bathroom along with Dawn emerging from inside of the steam, shaking her head and letting out a sigh as her eyes were shut, only wearing a pair of default Inkling girl shorts and no shirt, but a simple bra to cover her upper half.

Dawn: definitely needed that......fuck....

Dawn groaned in annoyance and walked into her room, slowly opening her eyes and seeing Rose looking directly back at her.

Dawn: when I said "entertain yourself", I thought you'd at least have the common sense to NOT go in my room.....

Rose pointed to the trash can and Dawn noticed how many pieces of garbage were inside of it, then looked back at the Octo, seeing that she had a gentle smile on her face. Dawn was about to speak......but then she noticed something on Rose......her body locked up, and her blood began to flow rapidly, reaching her hand out as a vein popped out of her head.

Dawn: Take that shit off..........I'm fucking serious.......

Rose: *tilts her head*

Dawn: *glares* take.........the cape off..........Now!!!

Rose jumped at Dawn's change of tone and her body began to shake, and she gently unclipped the cape and held it out towards Dawn, then saw the Inkling aggressively walk over to her and snatch the cape away, turning and walking to her closet, opening it and forcefully throwing the cape inside of it.

Dawn: *mumbles* should've just fucking burned it when I got it.......

Dawn stood stiff in front of her closet, and from a very faint noise, she heard Rose whimper.........she sighed.........looking at the ground, seeing her cape in the back of the closet with her number "3" visible to her.....

Dawn:............sorry...........I didn't mean to yell like that.......

Rose:.......

Dawn: you should know by this point that I have a short temper......

Rose stopped shaking......then saw Dawn turn her head to look at her, and to respond, Rose simply gave her an apologetic nod.....but Dawn simply shook her head and she turned back around, looking through her shirts and jackets.

Dawn:.........I appreciate the cleanup.....

Rose:......

She watched as Dawn looked more and more through her closet, and on her back, Rose noticed multiple scars on her trailing from her waist all the way up to her shoulders......she slowly walked over to Dawn......getting a closer look, and Rose soon realized Dawn's wounds that have been taken care of by stitching them shut.....she slowly raised her hand, then placed it onto Dawn's back gently, making the Inkling twitch slightly from her sudden touch.

Dawn:.....you sure love to touch stuff........fucking hell....

Rose gently and smoothly slid her hand across Dawn's scars, and from her back, she noticed a long and wide scar that spread across her body.....despite her Octoling claws.....she still managed to make Dawn shake her head in annoyance........but soon later.......she grabbed a shirt and turned around, making Rose's hand drift away from her as she put on her shirt.

Dawn: I got in a lot of fights.....

Rose then thought to herself before pulling out a notepad just as Dawn sat on her bed, then gave her the note as usual.

~~~
"I didn't know you used the E-Liter"
~~~

Dawn:.....what are you talking about?

Rose then pointed in the distance and directed Dawn to see the E-Liter that rested on her wall. Rose saw Dawn pause for a little too long......the Inkling stood up and walked over to the E-Liter, gently grabbing it, picking it up and walking over to her desk.

Rose looked up and noticed a variety of shelves that were placed on the wall near her desk, so Dawn carefully and delicately placed the E-Liter on top of a long shelf, fitting the weapon on it perfectly.

Dawn: it's not mine................

Rose began to get concerned and walked over to Dawn, scribbling in the process, then tapped her on her back, making her turn around and notice the note. Instead of rolling her eyes, scoffing, or letting out a sigh, Dawn simply grabbed the note and looked at it, and showed no sense of emotion on the outside, but Rose could notice her pain and sadness from the inside.

~~
"Are you holding onto it for someone?"
~~

Dawn:......I.......guess you could say that.......

The Inkling turned around and began to walk out of her room, and Rose began to follow Dawn, but stopped after taking a step......she turned her head and looked at the E-Liter on the shelf.....and for some odd reason, she felt like she was getting drawn towards it......

She hesitated, but then shook her head to investigate any further, walking out of the room and reaching the living room to see Dawn sitting on the couch and scrolling through her Tv channels.

Rose sat down next to Dawn and placed her hands on her own lap to sit politely. She looked over at Dawn, and saw her still scrolling through channels, but from Dawn's expression, Rose knew something was on the Inkling's mind.

For the millionth time, She held up her notepad and pen, and just as she was going to write to the Inkling, she heard a sigh, which made her look back and see Dawn place down the Tv remote after finding a good channel for once, then she looked directly towards Rose.

Dawn:.....okay.....2 questions......

Rose: *tilts her head*.......

Dawn: one.......

Dawn pulled out her phone and turned it on, then turned her screen towards Rose to show her a simple picture, a picture that made Rose blush uncontrollably from sudden embarrassment.

Dawn: why the hell are you doodling me in your damn notepad?........

Rose saw the little picture of a tiny chibi Dawn that she recently drew not too long ago. Her body shook, and she let out a shy smile while lifting her finger to gesture her explanation, but Dawn simply shook her head and looked back at her phone screen, then shut off her phone and placed it down next to her.

Dawn: Pearl sent it to me.......I'm guessing you got along with them pretty well?........

Rose:.........*tiny nod*.......

Dawn:......don't draw me please.....it's fucking weird.......

Rose: *hard blush*.......

Dawn: anyway.........next question.....and this shit annoyed me.....

Rose saw Dawn glare at her and cross her arms, but even through her glare, she showed a bit of concern, yet confusion towards her. Rose's blush began to fade, and her mind focused her attention directly towards the Inkling's blue eyes, and for a little moment....there was pure silence...

Dawn:.......why did you pay my rent?......

Rose stood as stiff as a board when she heard Dawn's blunt question. She noticed Dawn's face was not filled with pure annoyance or hatred, but was simply blank and thoughtless, but it was enough to make her comfortable so she could scribble in her notepad slowly in front of her.

~~
"A gift"
~~

Dawn: a gift?........for what?

~~
"Giving me a chance to know you. I paid your rent, then left because I thought you would want some alone time. I sent you every last bit of my splatfest cash"
~~

Dawn:.......the splatfest isn't even over......what the hell are you talking about?.......Rose, you sent me way more money than an average cephalopod would make in a splatfest.

~~
"I wasn't going to participate for this final day, so I gave you everything you wanted today, and some extra cash I already previously owned to make up for the extra bit I missed"
~~

Dawn:.....I see....but.......*sigh*....that's not what I was annoyed about....

Rose:.......

Dawn: you paid my rent.........out of your own pocket with your own cash that you weren't supposed to give me.....I was going to use the splatfest cash you gave me to pay it off myself...........but you basically wasted your extra cash and left me with more cash than I needed.......I didn't tell you to pay my rent.......that wasn't a part of the deal......

Dawn crumpled up the paper with one hand, then flicked it away from her, slouching back down on the couch with Rose by her side. The two stayed silent for quite some time, and Dawn couldn't shake a weird feeling that surged through her body......so she looked over at Rose, seeing the Octoling revert her attention to the television, and could see the slight guilt on her face.

Dawn:..........hey........

Rose looked over at Dawn, and the second she did, Dawn felt a strong weight hold her down and instantly make her body feel stiff and confused, and from her annoyance, she let out a sigh as she crossed her arms.

Dawn: I asked you already....twice, and both times we were interrupted....

Rose: *tilts her head*

Dawn: my question:......Why don't you participate in splatfests?.....

Rose stopped instantly and Dawn could already see her uncomfortable state of mind. She looked down and away, as if she was experiencing many thoughts throughout her mind, which made her grip her pen a bit more firmly.

Dawn: I already said you don't have to answer if-

Dawn saw Rose shake her head and look down at her notepad, but she could still notice the Octo's fear that was written all over her face. She slowly ripped off the piece of paper, then handed it to Dawn gently.

~~
"I lost someone. Participating in splatfests reminds me of them"
~~

Dawn:......oh........

Rose:.....*nod*......

Dawn:......then.....why did you act so desperate to hang out with me during the splatfest?

Rose let out a breath.....then began to scribble once more , handing the note over to Dawn again, and she grabbed the paper from her, feeling her body bubble from her inner ink rapidly flowing.

~~
"Because you make me feel safe and happy"
~~

Dawn:....you can't be serious....

Rose:......*looks down*.....

Dawn: you're joking......right?......how the hell do I make you feel safe?.....fuck, how do I even make you feel happy?........have you never actually...took a good look at me?........

Dawn extended her arms slightly to show many scars that ran along her completely pale skin......presenting herself to Rose.

Dawn: I look like a ghost.....I'm covered in disgusting scars........I don't groom myself like other girls.........I'm a freak.......

Dawn saw Rose stare at her in disbelief, but then her skin began to crawl as she saw Rose's stare turn into a mean glare towards her, and not even seconds later, she saw the Octoling quickly and aggressively write down in her note pad.

~~
"Don't say that!! I don't want you to lie to yourself!!"
~~

Dawn:.......lie?.......are you stupid or something?.....Don't try to tell me what to do or what to think, Rose.....

~~
"Your physical appearance isn't the only thing that makes me feel safe!! You're a good squid deep down!! I know it!!"
~~

Dawn stared at the note and felt her own body heat up from getting slightly provoked by Rose's note......she crumpled it and felt a vein shoot from her hand and forehead.....just as her lungs and heart began to rapidly rise and fall.

Dawn:......that's enough......stop with the damn notes.......

~~
"Don't shut yourself away!! Please!!"
~~

After getting another note pushed towards her, Dawn gritted her teeth as she clenched onto the couch, feeling as if she was going to break through the material to dig her fingers into the cushions.

Dawn:.....I'm fucking serious......stop trying to write me this bullshit......

Rose began to shake and tightly hold her pen, and felt her eyes get slightly watery. She wrote again in her notepad, realizing that she was on her very last page available.

Instead of ripping the note out, Rose turned the whole notepad towards Dawn to show her, but Dawn turned her head away and pushed away Rose's arm.

Dawn: I said to stop!!

Rose persisted and grunted as she forced herself to push back against Dawn's hand, grabbing her wrist with her other hand and prying it off of her arm, pushing the book closer to Dawn.

Dawn: I SAID TO FUCKING STOP!!!!

Dawn turned her head and slapped Rose's notepad directly out of her hand, making it fly across the living room and slam against the wall, falling directly onto the carpet.

Dawn panted from her annoyance and sudden outburst.....then averted her attention towards Rose, and the second she saw her, all of her anger completely vanished........she saw Rose turn her face away.......but from the edge of her face, Dawn noticed a tear stream down her cheek.........

Her thoughts began to run wild.....and she looked away from Rose......letting out a tiny sigh as she looked at her hand..........feeling the immense amount of guilt that was being thrown onto her shoulders.

She looked back slightly, seeing Rose looking at the ground, but Dawn couldn't see her eyes, due to her tentacles blocking her view. She looked slightly downwards to see the notes that Rose previously wrote. She hesitated, but picked up a specific piece of paper, and read it once more, then her body simply froze.....unable to speak whatsoever......

~~
I lost someone. Participating in splatfests reminds me of them.
~~

Dawn looked back over towards Rose, seeing her drop her pen and her body shake...........she wanted to speak.....but then stopped herself.....she turned around, looking at the notepad that was now resting on the carpet floor.

Dawn stood up slowly.....then walked over towards the notepad....kneeling down and picking it up..........she turned the notepad around and began to read Rose's final note........and from that singular piece of paper........Dawn felt a surge shoot throughout her body.......

Word by word.......she began to think back.......knowing that she heard those words before...........she stuttered her breaths.......and the only thing that went through her mind was the faint sound of her voice........the Octoling who truly broke through her......the Octoling that captured her heart........the agent that she once knew.........her teammate.........her other half.........her lover...........and from her thoughts................it finally shocked her.........and her mind.......truly faded into the past............

~~

*extra story art*

Art by kiiicho_ika That shows Dawn, Rose, and her oc, Pierce!