Chapter Text
Raian never asked to be here.
The surface was a bright, noisy, bustling place. Too much so, to their taste. While they enjoyed all the beautiful sights and vibrant cultures, it wasn't enough. Not to mention, they always sort of… stuck out. They hated it. This wasn't helped by the fact that flapjack octopuses aren't as common on the surface as they are in the abyss. Nor by the fact that they dreaded the idea of telling their peers that they were, in fact, an octopus.
Would they blend in better if they did? Is it better to be known as some sort of mysterious cryptid species or as an octopus in post-Great Turf War Inkopolis?
…that's it. He needed to get out of here. He barely remembered how exactly he ended up on the surface, but it didn't matter. In one week, he would run away and find his way home, to the place where he truly belonged. Nobody here would miss him.
“Alright, class!”
The history teacher's voice snapped Raian out of his thoughts. The classroom got gradually quieter as the class started. Then, the teacher proceeded to explain today's assignment: an oral presentation.
Great. More public speaking. Dammit…
“Now, for this project, we're going to work in teams of two. Don't forget to write your topic on the blackboard after getting it approved.”
And, just like that, the classroom became agitated again as friend groups started separating into pairs. The sound of chairs and desks getting pushed and carried from one spot to another started mixing itself with the sound of various conversations between his classmates. However, Raian didn't budge from his seat. He was perfectly content with working alone. Among these friend groups was a local punk band called BariBari. Or, well, part of it. Right now, in this specific class, only three members were present. An odd number. They could've easily been the exceptional three-man team, but…
“Hello!!”
Raian jolted in surprise with a small, barely audible yelp. They turned their head to see who had just greeted them. Standing next to them was one of the band members: a cheerful, purple-haired Inkling. His shirt was unevenly tucked in with two buttons undone, and a brightly-coloured tie hung loosely from his collar. With how many rules his uniform was breaking, Raian wondered why the teachers were letting it slide like that. Combined with the accessories he was wearing, his attire gave off an admirable sense of freshness fueled by a rebellious, free-spirited style. A stark contrast to their own appearance. Indeed, they tried to look as plain and inconspicuous as possible since-
“Name's Noiji. Wanna be my teammate?”
Raian realized that they were so focused on analyzing the situation that they forgot to greet the Inkling back. They tried not to look too embarrassed by this. Why would Noiji want to be their teammate anyway? Why them, out of all people? But now wasn't the time to think about this, they had to say something.
“...h-hey.” Their voice cracked awkwardly. When was the last time they spoke today?
…
Oh, right. They still had to answer Noiji's question.
“I mean, uh… yeah.”
“Aaalright, cool!” Noiji pulled a chair from an unoccupied seat and sat next to Raian. “So, uhh, any ideas for the project?”
“Well, I've been thinking…” Raian looked at the blackboard, where everyone was writing their ideas. Each team had to prepare a presentation on a different historical event. Since the mammalian era got approved by the teacher, he decided to tell Noiji his idea.
“...I think it would be cool to- to do human technology. You know?”
Raian had always loved technology, especially the kind that would be considered “outdated” today. After doing some personal research, he took a liking to the mysterious yet somewhat explainable similarities between human tools and modern tech. He planned for this to be the core aspect of the presentation. Luckily, Noiji seemed to be on board with his idea.
“Yeah, totally!” He said before trying to think of an example. However, his mind was focused on something else entirely. Noiji wanted to know more about his mysterious, soft-spoken teammate. Ironically, their firm dislike of standing out from the crowd made them rather conspicuous. Are they hiding a dark secret? Or, are they just particularly shy? The answer didn't matter. Noiji felt like making some new friends, and this person piqued his interest. Which reminded him…
“Ah, right!! I almost forgot! What's your name?”
“Raian.”
“Nice! So, Raian, what kind of stuff do you like?”
“...”
No answer. Raian didn't seem to be much of a talker. Noiji didn't let this stop him, though, as he continued talking while his classmate took out their laptop.
“Well, call me weird if you want, but I love vending machines! Especially the really big ones with all kinds of unusual stuff in them! Though I still like the regular ones with the usual snacks and drinks and everything. What's your favourite snack?”
“...we should focus on the project now.”
Noiji would be lying if he said that Raian's answer didn't sting at least a little bit. However, he didn't prompt them any further. Raian didn't seem to like small talk, and trying to engage in more of it wouldn't do any good to either of them.
Or… maybe they just didn't want any friends. Maybe their personality drove any potential friend away from them. Noiji tried to put these thoughts aside: after all, he barely knew the guy. As much as he wanted to do anything else on this Monday morning, schoolwork was the only reason why they were together.
And so, the two worked on their project until class was over.
***
The rest of the day continued normally. In the late afternoon, while making their way to the bus station, Raian ruminated on their encounter with Noiji. They felt bad for rejecting his attempts at socialization, but it was in their nature to avoid such things. They weren't in school to talk to people, they just wanted to learn. With how chaotic and nonsensical reality was, it was better to stick to what they were good at instead of bothering themself with needless stress.
They didn't want to socialize. They just wanted to be left alone.
Though, sometimes, he wondered if that truly was the case. His loneliness could be painful at times, and he loved talking to people online about his interests. He would express himself with a sense of confidence that would immediately vanish when it came to talking in real life. Was he truly asocial, or was he just afraid of people?
Raian sat down, opened his bag and carefully took out his DS. Tiring himself with all these thoughts wasn’t a wise thing to do after a school day. Right now, he needed to turn off his brain and play some games. This wasn’t particularly hard to do, as he had recently gotten invested in an odd platformer-racing hybrid game called Go Gar Go! and could not stop thinking about it for the life of him. Raian turned the volume down, booted up the game and observed his surroundings. He felt a little embarrassed for playing a children’s game at the age of fourteen. Or, rather… he felt like he should be embarrassed. Though he still felt like a child at times, he knew that the gameplay of Go Gar Go! had enough nuances to be enjoyed by teens and adults, and that just because the game looks friendly and colourful doesn’t mean that-
“WOOOOO-” *BLAM*
Once again, their thoughts were interrupted by that same bright purple Inkling they met in history class. He had just tripped and fell on the concrete, presumably after running towards his destination. This destination, they noticed, would be his bandmates. Raian wanted to see if he was okay, they really did, but they stayed frozen in place. Then, Noiji got back up. He took a few seconds to regain his focus before smiling with a barely noticeable smidge of pain. “I’m okay!” He yelled out before running towards them. His bandmates ignored him and continued talking to each other. They seemed embarassed. Though he felt bad for the guy, Raian didn’t blame them. He was about to go back to his game before noticing that Noiji was actually running towards him.
“Hey!”
Raian quickly held their DS close to their chest. “Hi.”
Then, they saw Noiji’s injuries up close. His forearms were tinged with blue blood, and so was his forehead. “...a-are you okay? That was a pretty bad fall…” They put down their console next to their bag and got up. Raian probably intended to check on his wounds, but instead, they stood there while awkwardly reaching their hand out.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve been through worse.” He then looked over to Raian’s DS. “...ah! Same game!!”
“Wwhuh- ???” They quickly turned around to close it. “W-What do you- mean?”
“Hold on, lemme just-” Noiji took out his 3DS and turned it on. Raian sat back down as the two waited for a few seconds. Then, he showed them his activity log. “Look!”
And, there it was: Go Gar Go! was among the games he played, along with some other titles they could recognise.
“...!! Same game!”
“Same game!!”
“Same game!!!” Raian felt much more comfortable knowing that the two of them had some interests in common. This made them feel even more bad about ignoring his talk on vending machines back in history class. They had to do something. This wasn’t the first time that they saw someone in real life with the same interests as them, but they were usually too shy to approach them. Sometimes, they felt like their own timidity kept them from living like a normal teenager. But this time, they were the one being approached. After avoiding people for years out of fear of getting bullied again, life decided to hand them a friend on a silver platter. Just like that. It felt almost insulting (and even humbling, in some weird way), but it didn’t matter. They couldn’t let go of this opportunity. They had to say something, anything… but they couldn’t afford to mess this up.
“Um! Can- can I show you my progress?” said Raian, grabbing his DS. Noiji opened his mouth to say something, but was immediately interrupted by his bandmates. They were calling out to him.
“Ah, shoot- I’m coming! Hold on a sec!” he turned back to look at Raian, putting away his 3DS without even bothering to turn it off. “Sorry, I got band practice. Tomorrow, lunchtime, schoolyard. We’ll sit somewhere in the shade. See ya! Bye!!” and with that, Noiji waved at them before running towards his friends. Raian waved back hesitantly with an incredulous look on their face. This was soon replaced with a smile.
***
Noiji joined the rest of BariBari as they boarded the bus. Every member was there.
“Are you gonna be okay?” asked the drummer. “Yeahh, no worries! I didn’t fall on my hands this time.” he said, grinning while wiggling his fingers. “Alright, cool!”
“Who was that guy? He’s from one of our classes together, right?” the bassist chimed in, leaning over from behind the seat. The lead vocalist filled them in before Noiji could reply. “Yeah, that’s his teammate for the project. We have to present some history event next Monday.” “You’re friends with the teacher’s pet??” “Crazy, right?”
“I mean, we’re not friends, but…” Noiji tried not to sound too defensive. It probably failed. “We’re just teammates. For school. And he’s not THAT bad, he’s actually pretty chill!”
“Chill? You call ratting on us to the fucking teacher for eating in class ‘chill’?”
“Uh, calm down now-”
Noiji looked at his bandmates, confused. Raian didn’t seem like the type of person to speak out over something so unimportant. “...huh?”
“Yeah! You don’t remember?”
“Oh! I was probably out playing turf war.” he stretched before pressing a hand on his forehead to check if it was still bleeding. Luckily, it seemed to have dried out. “But still. I think you guys should give him a chance.”
The lead vocalist smirked. “You’re always seeing the good in people, aren’t you?”
***
Raian opened the door to their room and carefully dropped their bag on the floor. They flopped on their bed and transformed into an octopus to snuggle further into their blanket.
He looked around his room, which was perpetually dark save for a few LEDs. It was filled with videogame cases, books, a few figurines, notes, wires, small projects, and some posters (the majority of them being printed out PNGs). In one week, he will leave this room behind. In one week, he will take as much as he can with him and escape from this place. Knowing that he couldn’t take all his belongings with him made him sad, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. Raian looked at a poster of a sci-fi movie he especially enjoyed.
In one week, the alien will return to his home planet.
But for now, the alien must blend in.