The Time from Before

Settling Down

"Damn, you're good." Pearl threw her cards on the table, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Gambling nights in the bunks always paid off." Mel smirked, revealing her cards.

A Royal Flush.

Reef groaned, dropping his cards as well.

"You were never this good at any games. Except the ones that involved violence, of course." Reef eyed Pearl's cards. They were worthless, just like his.

"Are you sure you're not cheating? Sneaking in some extra Aces?" Pearl picked up the cards, shuffling them again.

"Ooh, you think I should try? Haven't cheated in ages." Mel chuckled.

"Mm, me too. The last time I did it was because I... Nah, never mind." Pearl dealt the cards.

"We all have our secrets, right?" Mel glanced at her cards.

Reef did the same, but he had no clue what he was doing.

"That we do. Some more than others." Pearl clicked her tongue, discarding her cards. "Carp, again."

"Yeah, same here." Mel sighed.

"W-We've been here for a long time, haven't we? Maybe I should just-"

"Reef, sit down." Mel crossed her arms, then leaned back into the couch.

Reef obeyed, feeling uneasy.

"I'll go check on them. Sit tight." Pearl said, getting up.

As she left, Reef sighed a breath of relief. As if a sudden weight lifted from his shoulders.

"Are all idols like this? So... intimidating?" He muttered to himself, letting go of his cards.

"Nah, that's just you." Mel smiled, looking at him. "What, are you starstruck by their social status?"

Her comment clearly confused him, as he gave her a puzzled look.

"Ugh, dude, stop being so dense. Relax, will you? I swear, you used to be more outgoing." Mel said, words just flowing out of her mouth. "Ever since that incident when we were kids-"

...

"Huh?" Mel sat up. "Did I just...?"

"You... Are you remembering something?" Reef perked up, hopeful.

"When we were kids..." A sudden shock pulsed through her head. She winced, waiting for the pain to fade.

Memories were flooding into her head. Memories from Ange. Memories of a, subjectively, dead squid.

She could suddenly recall all kinds of things. Childhood memories, recent events, and even some trauma. Or, well, "Trauma". She had seen worse than anything Ange could share.

"Are you okay? You look pale." Reef got up to check on her, but Mel waved him off.

"I'm fine. Just... Memories are coming back. And wow, you really are a wimp, aren't you?" Mel teased, but another pulse in her head silenced her.

"I would offer you some water, but uh..." Reef sat back down.

"Yeah, they're terrible hosts, aren't they?" Another pulse, and Mel almost passed out. "Fuck, it's like a migraine on steroids."

"Uhm, you can do this?" Reef tried to encourage her.

With each pulse, another memory came back from the back of her head. It was like suddenly remembering something, but more painful.