Chapter Text
“Hey Pearl...?” Marina’s voice softly echoed as she stood alone on top of the hill. A small backpack on the verge of tearing was held tightly by the Octoling’s hands as she looked for her Pearl, supposedly hidden by all scenery, which was successfully surrounding her every view.
It didn’t take long for Marina to find her; with her towering height, she could immediately see the ornate crown besides the gravelly face - she was also surrounded by many other rocks, blocking the pathway towards each other. A beam rose onto her innocent face as she weaved excitedly through the other tombstones in relative ease; she was in no rush today, because she was agitatedly happy to tell her fiancée the good news.
Once she reached in eyes view of the white and pink decorated headstone, already ornate with heaps of flowers, she slowed quite considerably and looked admiringly the sheer beauty of the rock, the contrast of colour and how they fit so perfectly well together, plus the most beautiful face carved right below the name “Pearl Houzki”...
She took in a deep breath as she reached her destination; Marina gazed lovingly at the face, before she placed her bag carefully next to her as she silently kneeled onto the hard earth, her eyes glimmering as she faced her soon-to-be wife. “Hey Pearl... It’s already been 2 years hasn’t it?”.
The wind soothingly wove Marina’s hair as she opened the bag next to her, taking out a bouquet of Esperance flowers and placing it carefully on the purely white gravel - right away of all the other roses which littered across the outline of the gravel pit, separating both lovers from each other for eternity.
“These were your favourite flowers weren’t they Pearlie? You loved how the green and pink intertwined like that...”
Only the howling of the wind provided the answer “Yes”, as the flowers faced the tombstone, not once averting it’s gaze elsewhere. Marina watched the flowers dance wildly against the wind, happy thoughts just circulating through the peaceful Octoling’s mind. “Hey, they dance just like you Pearl ~”
Marina teasingly giggled to herself, as she remembered how clumsy her fiancée was whenever she tried to make the inkling dance with her; the giggling slowly turning into soft, and then loud laughter as she cherished the memory... how happy they both lovers were as they occasionally fell into each other’s arm like a jigsaw puzzle with only 2 pieces.
When she finally calmed down a fraction - to a point where her laughter wasn’t as strikingly hard, she suddenly remembered the most important news, and quickly took another thing out of her bag; a small photograph. Marina looked down at the picture and smiled unconsciously at the two woman in the centre. After a few seconds consisting of watering eyes, she flipped the photo around so her Pearl could take a look at it too...
“8 said yes” was all Marina wavily said, as she watched Pearl’s softly carved face inspect the photograph; it was just a simple selfie of 8 and her girlfriend, yet the main attraction were the identical rings adorned on both 3 and her daughter’s hand. Marina swore she saw the grin etched into the gravestone widen, as eyes sparkled into the Octoling’s eyes. “I’m so proud of our daughter...”
“Don’t worry though Pearlie, someone’s driving 8 to the wedding... so no dying again alright!” Marina tried to go for a smile, but sniffled instead.
She remembered waiting, just waiting along with Callie and Marie for her future wife to arrive; both sisters had spent a lot of time helping Marina with her vows, and she had just perfected it the first time before Pearl’s father stormed into the room, tears openly falling as she was told what happened. She remembers how Marie openly cried, holding onto the Callie that was screaming and crying and mourning for her best friend-
She shakily took a breath, and wiped a tear from her eye, immediately taking the memory completely off her mind; as her tentacles followed the direction of the wind, and she feel her face smile softly. “8 says that she misses you... she’s coping better than me now!”
“B-But I miss you too”.
Marina’s voice wavered uncontrollably as she finally stood up, “I’m trying to move on... but I doubt I ever will Pearlie”. The gusts of air blew softly against the younger girl’s face, almost stroking the Octoling’s cheek as she choked on her words, “I-I love you Pearl”. She leaned into the gravestone, and connected her lips to her fiancée, before softly parting.
She stood up strongly this time, and stared at the beautiful woman carved onto the tomb, and the lips on which she just kissed. She stared for a few seconds, before grabbing the bag and walking away, the wind no longer howling like it was. 8 needed her too; and she was to make sure nothing will ever happen to 3...
Just in from Inkopolis News, Marina Ida, the world renowned duo from Off The Hook, has passed away from a heart attack in Inkohostel, at the age of 88.
Ida, along with Pearl Houzki dominated the charts in the 2020’s, going Splatinum a total of 28 times with their four albums together, before Ida’s duo partner was tragically killed in a freak accident, six decades ago, on the day of their wedding. Marina Ida will be buried next to her fiancée, and a National Bank Holiday has been widely accepted by the majority of voters mourning the loss of Off The Hook, and we too mourn the loss for the greatest duo group in history...
Inklings and Octoling of all kinds come daily to visit the green and black headstone, already ornate with heaps of flowers. People of all views look admiringly at the two headstones as some reminisce, and some mourn.
But what they all agree on is the sheer beauty of both rocks as they stand, the contrast of colour and how both of them fit so perfectly well together...