The troubles of knowing yourself

Collecting

Octo Canyon was...a weird place to be. She used to live here? Or, no, it was the Valley where she was stationed, wasn't it? She was there for the concert, so...but then again, Ilkani was here in the Canyon so if she lived here and they were dating then did she live nearby?

Or could it even be called living when you were a full-time elite soldier? Ugh. Eight had no idea.

Regardless, it was Ilkani that she was waiting for that day. The last time they'd spoken (last week, the day after her belated party) Ilkani had mentioned that she still had some of 'Garratia's' old belongings back at her station that she'd kept after they'd broken things off initially. Eight asked if it would be ok to have them back, to see if they'd jog a memory or two, and the other had promised she'd have them gathered in a week's time.

So she sat there, by Cuttlefish Cabin, waiting for her old friend to arrive with her stuff.

Octavio had been oddly silent when she arrived, and he seemed keen to continue to keep quiet while she waited. It was almost eerie; he was just...there, quietly watching.

He seemed super nervous every time she stopped by the canyon now. Like he didn't want to ruin what little progress he'd made in speaking to her last time.

Was he this considerate to other Octarians? Because from what she'd heard, he was the farthest thing from a softie. Was she a special case or something? It couldn't have been because of what she'd told him she'd been through; he seemed nervous even before she said anything.

Just as her curiosity began to get the better of her, she heard the distant cry of a greeting from Ilkani. She supposed she could find out what his majesty's deal was later.

"Hey, watch your head, Eight! Incoming delivery!" The Octoling yelled.

Eight stared up and observed in slight amusement as a pair of Octocopters flew in, gently setting a crate on the ground in front of her. They unhooked their footwear and landed, doing some stretches to relieve themselves.

Ilkani ran in moments later, giving them a thumbs up. "Nice hustle fellas. Have fun exploring the mountain."

One turned and raised a brow at her. "And you're 100% positive there aren't any Inkling soldiers around that'll shoot us down once we leave our safe zones?"

Ilkani gave a smile, turning to Eight. "She says there aren't. I trust her."

Eight gave a laugh and scratched her cheek. "From what I've heard, the only Inklings ever up on Mount Nantai are tourists, so you should be fine."

The other Octocopter blinked. "What is 'tourists?'"

She blinked in turn, realizing that of course the concept would be lost on the other Octarians. "It, uh, it means they're unarmed. Just sightseeing. Mountains have nice views."

The Octocopter pair made matching sounds of understanding. "Ooohhhh. Ok, just checking." Replied the first one, and then the pair flew off. Not before one of them took a moment to stare at a certain snow globe, though. Octavio glared back, indignant, and the Octocopter made himself scarce.

Eight mentally added the interaction to her evidence list.

Ilkani laid a hand on the crate, giving her a gentle smile. "This was everything I could find. Some of it was stuff you left at my station, but most of it was collected from yours when they stationed someone else there."

Eight stood up and approached the container. "What kind of stuff did I keep? I honestly remember exactly none of my time down there."

Ilkani patted the box. "Open this bad boy up and find out!"