You'll be mine, Octavio!

Chapter 6 "I don't really get out the house much... "

  The two boys sat in the royal garden in silence.

 Tavi was feeling a bit red in the face, so he turned away from Craig and became extremely interested in the life of a passing krill completing his daily duties while eating more of the matcha biscuit sticks. 

 Craig was unable to find the words to alleviate the awkwardness of the situation, so he decided instead to close his eyes and listen to the sounds of the garden:

 The gentle, rippling water of the nearby pond. The faint voices of inklings and octolings mingling within the city. The light whistle of the breeze cutting through the heat of summer... 

 The soft munching of Tavi, scarfing down his new favorite treat next to him. Wow, way to ruin the sentimentality, dude. 

 All these sounds reminded Craig of something... 

 Ah! The festival! He couldn't believe he had forgotten! 

 Craig dragged his bag closer to him and started digging through it in search of the flier he had gotten from the inkling girl. After pulling out a crumbled-up piece of paper from the depths of his bag, he called out; 

 "Tavi! Guess what?".

"Hmm... ? ". Tavi managed to turn away from his krill-drama. [The krill had just gotten married to its childhood best friend, despite the wishes of its mother. ]

"There's gonna be a festival in town in a few days! I think it's some type of celebration ! ".

 "Wow, I had no idea that festivals were celebrations." He replied sarcastically. "What about it?".

 "I-...Well, think we should go together!". Craig exclaimed excitedly. 

 Octavio looked over at him skeptically and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know about that, Craig...I don't really get out the house that much... ".

 "Oh come on, it'll be fu-".

 Suddenly, a weathered voice rang out from somewhere inside the garden. "Prince Octavio!". 

 Tavi's eyes widened, and he quickly turned to Craig. "...Carp! Quickly, hide!". 

 Craig wasted no time hastily gathering his belongings and shoved them behind the tree and out of sight. He then looked around aimlessly, clearly unsure of what to do with himself... 

 "Hide behind the tree, go in your squid form, quickly!". Octavio whispered. 

 Craig rushed behind the tree, and much to his fortune, the long grass hid his squid form near perfectly. From the front, anyway. 

 "Prince Octavio? Where are you, sire? ".

 Prince Octavio composed himself to face the aging Octoling General who had come around the corner. 

 "Good day, General Akituo.".

 "Ah, Good day, Prince Octavio. I thought I had heard some commotion just now. Is everything alright, sire?".

 "I'm perfectly fine, General. You might have just heard the rustle and bustle of the town today . They seem very lively.". 

 Craig held his breath. 

 "...Perhaps you are right, Prince Octavio. My hearing has been pretty hard as of late... However, that is a topic for another time. I have come to collect you for training. One of these days, you must learn to be on time. It's not proper for the Prince of the Octarian empire to be so unpunctual...". 

Octavio mentally rolled his eyes. He had heard that more times than he could count. 

"I apologize, General. I lost track of the time.".  

"Hm. Let us get on with your lesson then, shall we? Come.". 

As the general turned to leave, Octavio elegantly strode behind the general. After the Older Octoling was farther ahead, he gracefully pivoted and...

Made a desperate movement that could only be described as similar to how a dying bird flaps it's wings, hoping it would communicate to Craig that it was time to make his escape. 

He then followed the general and disappeared into the palace.