#But do you know HOW many people write inkling and octolings purring

[mariecuttlefish]

Getting Lost Together [2k words, OCxOC Fluff]

Another writing commission, this time for @hotsugarbyglassanimals and featuring their OCs, Grii and Tenta!

External links: [Google Docs], [AO3]

Warnings: None. Appropriate for all ages.

Description: Grii and Tenta visit Splatsville for the first time together.

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The desert was quickly becoming one of Tenta's least favorite places.

It wasn't that the visuals were lackluster - the Splatlands were a place that looked beautiful in pamphlets and stunning in person. Tenta had spent most of the train ride since crossing into the desert staring absentmindedly out the window, watching the sea of orange sands and towering rock formations roll by, admiring the unique flora that skirted the tracks. It was a whole new world compared to the lush, tropical mountains she was accustomed to seeing around Inkopolis. No, the Splatlands were undeniably gorgeous.

The problem was all the darn heat that came along with them.

Tenta blinked slowly and rubbed her eyes. They weren't far from their destination and so she was trying to avoid dozing off, but even in the air-conditioned passenger car the heat was exhausting. Much of the past hour had seen her with her head buried in her arms, drained of the energy to do anything but watch the scenery.

What was the time, anyway? Reluctantly she lifted her head to glance up at the clock hanging on the wall. It had been a while now; shouldn't Grii have--

No sooner had that thought entered Tenta's mind than she heard the telltale sound of one of the car doors sliding open. Peering over the booth across the table she saw her girlfriend stepping into the car, making her way back over to the table Tenta was sat at. "I'm back, dear," Grii said with a smile as she slid into the booth beside Tenta and placed a paper bowl of pale pink ice cream on the table before her. "The dining car had red bean after all."

"Mmh," Tenta hummed cheerfully, "that is good news." As soon as Grii was settled in the seat Tenta scooted up to lean against her, making herself comfortable while she dug into the refreshing dessert. She felt Grii shift a bit in surprise, but before long the inkling's arm was draped around her, holding her in a snug embrace. "Thank you for getting this for me, my love."

"N-no problem, dear." It wasn't hard to notice the bashfulness in Grii's voice. Tenta giggled to herself between bites of ice cream; even after as long as they'd been together, it was still adorably easy to fluster her girlfriend. Were she less exhausted, Tenta thought, she would probably push the affection just to enjoy the reactions. For now, though, she just wanted to relax and enjoy her snack.

"So... how long until we get to Splatsville?" Grii continued after a moment, idly rubbing Tenta's shoulder while the octoling rested against her.

Tenta purred and nudged in closer to Grii, lazily nodding toward the window. "I was able to see the edge of the city come into view a moment ago. We will probably arrive in just a few moments."

Grii nodded. "Will you be able to stay awake that long?" she teased. Tenta simply poked her tongue out, and the two giggled before Grii continued. "Why's Marin performing out here anyway? It's a long way from Inkopolis."

"Ah, as I understand it, there is a music boom in Splatsville right now. Because so many inkfolk have moved here recently, many performers see it as an opportunity to build a reputation more easily than in other cities." Tenta stretched out in her half of the booth, the cold and sweet ice cream slowly helping her wake up. "Marin told me it is the best place to find an audience right now."

"Mm, makes sense," Grii replied, nodding slowly. The buildings of the city were starting to come into fuller view now; just barely visible in the middle of it all Tenta could see the famed tower where the city's primary ink sport league was based, a sleek structure illuminated with light displays in a variety of colors. It was almost a bizarre sight to see, a gleaming wall of steel and concrete rising out of the ground after so long with barely any signs of life save for distant ruins, but it was an impressive one nonetheless.

"Marin also mentioned that this city is a much different atmosphere from Inkopolis." Her ice cream depleted, Tenta gestured idly with her spoon. "They said it is very... crowded."

"More crowded than Inkopolis?"

"Much more crowded. There are only half as many people living there as in Inkopolis, but the city itself is a fraction of the size. They told me it feels almost like living back in Octo Valley at times, with how dense the buildings can be."

Grii tutted in acknowledgement. "You might have to lead me around if that's the case," she said with a grin. Tenta smiled back and shifted to rest her hand in Grii's. As she did, the quiet of the passenger car was interrupted by a quiet static crackle as a voice filtered in through the train's intercom.

"Attention, passengers, this is your conductor. We'll be entering the Splatsville city limits shortly, so it'll only be a few more minutes before we reach Central Station."

"Oh, there we go," Grii noted. "I guess that's our cue." She scooted away from Tenta gently - much to Tenta's dismay - and reached over to gather the suitcases resting on the opposite booth as the conductor continued.

"Please ensure all your belongings are accounted for, and please remain seated until the train comes to a complete stop. Oh, and for those of you visiting Splatsville for the first time from other cities: don't worry, you'll get used to it!"

A few sparse chuckles rose from passengers seated in other booths as they all similarly began to prepare their luggage. Tenta let herself smile along while she helped Grii get their things together, glancing out the window once more to see the desert suddenly give way to crowded streets and blocky apartment buildings. Welcome to Splatsville.

* * * * *

What Grii had taken as an exaggerative in-joke between octolings turned out to be more accurate than she'd anticipated. The city's primary train terminal being jam-packed came as no surprise; it was usually the same in Inkopolis, and this building was much smaller than the biggest Inkopolis stations, likely built without any expectation that it would ever see an influx of traffic as major as the present one. It wasn't until the couple had successfully left the station, though, that Grii understood just how crowded it was outside as well.

The streets of Splatsville were much narrower than those of Inkopolis, accented by street performers and groups of loitering pedestrians wherever there was enough space to set up without getting in people's way. Dense, blocky buildings towered overhead, broken up only by narrow alleyways that all seemed to open into tucked-away plazas and side paths that were just as busy as the main roads. Grii knew that the buildings here couldn't be any taller on average than the ones back in Inkopolis -- she even stopped at one point just to count the floors on a few and confirmed they were shorter than some of the office buildings near the city center back home -- but their architecture made them far more imposing from ground level. What little space was alotted to the roads was encroached upon by overhangs, evidently seeking to get as much floorspace out of the land as possible; wherever there weren't people crowding the streets there were instead storefronts, many of them small affairs built into the bottom floors of apartment complexes; higher up, the monotony of the buildings' facades were broken up by air conditioners and balconies and unlit neon signs, all arranged in a jumble of shapes and lights that made Grii's head hurt to look at for too long. It was clear to see why so many knew this place as the City of Chaos.

"You doing alright?" Grii asked, leaning up against an empty patch of wall. They had stopped to rest in a reasonably quiet alleyway, sitting in the shade while Tenta fanned herself with a travel brochure.

"I think I will be fine," Tenta replied, looking up from her spot on the ground with a lazy half-tilt of her head. "All of the people around does not help how hot it is."

Grii smiled and crouched down to sit level with her girlfriend. "Here," she said, pulling a bottle from her travel backpack, "have some water." Tenta accepted the bottle, taking a long and slow drink before screwing the cap back on and handing it back. Grii returned it to her backpack before stretching, standing up again, and offering a hand to the octoling. "Ready to keep going now?"

"Mm, I believe so." Tenta took Grii's hand and slowly rose to her feet, using her spare hand to brush the grime from her clothes as she did so. "Thank you, Grii-ni," she said sweetly, lifting Grii's hand to gently kiss the back of it.

Grii felt herself sink into her jacket a bit, the familiar heat of embarrassment tingling in her cheeks. True to Tenta, the moment she'd regathered her energy she was right back to taking any opportunity to fluster her girlfriend. Grii would have thought that by now she'd be immune to Tenta's love of endearing petnames and surprise shows of affection, and yet…

Tenta giggled to herself at the sight of Grii's sudden freeze. "You are so adorable, my dear," she said, shifting her grip on Grii's hand to lace their fingers together. "Shall we continue? The hotel should not be far." She batted her eyes as she asked this, and Grii felt the blush on her face grow hotter. She was absolutely doing that on purpose.

Grii decided to respond by teasing in kind, giving Tenta's hand a gentle squeeze as the two stepped back out onto the sidewalk. "Lead the way, Teeba."

Tenta's eyes widened and she stifled a snicker; when she noticed Grii watching her reaction she quickly turned her head, putting on an air of indignance as best she could. "You know I do not like that name," she pouted, not particularly trying to be convincing.

Grii smiled. "I know you love it, dear." She rubbed her thumb over the back of Tenta's hand slowly, leaning in to press her forehead to the side of Tenta's own. Tenta let out an affectionate hummm, purring quietly through the brief and tender display.

The rest of their walk was mostly quiet, the both of them content to relax and take in the sights as they navigated to the hotel they'd booked a few blocks from the train station. The city's unique architecture, intimidating as it was at first, grew quickly on Grii as they made their way through the city center. It was an interesting break from what she had become accustomed to in Inkopolis, after all, and more than that it meant there was an ample amount of shade draped over the street to help ensure her girlfriend didn't melt in the heat (a comment which earned even more pouting from Tenta, though she couldn't pretend to deny that it was true).

"You know," Tenta piped up at one point, breaking a lengthy silence, "there is another way this city is a lot like Octo Valley. There are a lot of other octolings about."

The thought hadn't occurred to Grii previously, but she realized after a moment of thought that it was true; while Inkopolis had seen a substantial increase in its octoling population in recent times, in Splatsville they seemed to be almost even with inklings, coexisting in a way that would have seemed impossible just a few years prior. "You're right," she agreed.

"It is nice to see." Tenta leaned and rested her head on Grii's shoulder, the long tentacle over her face swaying relaxedly. "I remember when we feared that I would be in danger if anyone discovered me living in Inkopolis. I am glad that inklings and octarians seem to be getting along again."

Grii hummed, leaning her head gently against the octoling's. "Me too."

The afternoon was fading into evening now, and the sky overhead had begun its slow transition from the clear, open blue of the Splatlands to a dusky grey. As the first streetlights began to click on along the shadier roads and store owners started to switch on their outdoor lights, Grii and Tenta rounded a corner to finally see the hotel waiting just ahead of them. It was an unexpectedly elegant building, designed with more detail and grandeur than many of the apartment complexes and businesses surrounding it; probably to help appeal to tourists, Grii rationed. As they neared the building's entrance Tenta leaned away from their passive embrace, stretching and loosing a slow yawn.

"I am so tired," she murmured. "Now that I know the hotel is near, I just want to get inside and curl up for a nap…"

"I'm feeling worn out too," Grii agreed. She looked to Tenta with a smile as the octoling rolled her shoulders and adjusted the straps of her backpack. "We can always save sightseeing for before Marin's concert tomorrow. Once we get to our room, you wanna just order food and spend the night cuddling?"

Tenta smiled back at her, planting a quick kiss on the inkling's cheek. "That sounds like the perfect start to a vacation to me."