warning: this chapter is rushed and really dry, still little rusty 😭

"Lilith, is there a way we can cancel the concert?"

You were now in the alleyway, hidden away from the big crowds of cephalopods. You leaned against the brick wall, phone against your ear waiting for Lilith to respond.

"What do you mean, (name)?"

You bit your lower lip, looking down at your shoes, "I mean, I can't do it."

The other side of the line went silent, only the sound of footsteps and voices could be heard going past the alleyway you hid in.

"Lilith? Lilith?"

No answer, she hung up on you. Frowning, you shoved the (squid/octophone) back into the pocket of your shorts and slid down onto the ground, bringing your knees to your chest.

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Lilith arrived at the square, making her way through the big crowd. Plastered on the walls of the buildings was you. Many young inklings and octolings surrounded them, talking amongst themselves.

Where would I go if I was (name)? Lilith asked herself, looking around the square before noticing the alleyway.

"Bingo!" She smiled to herself, making her way over to the alleyway.

It was mainly dark, trash scattered across the floor, and empty cardboard boxes tossed to the side, your typical alleyway.

"Lilith?"

A voice called out her name, causing her to jump up in surprise.

"Goodness, it's just me, chill."

Oh, it was you. Lilith looks down at her side to see you sitting down on the ground, hugging your legs. She gave you a playful glare as you snickered, getting up from the floor, and dusting off the dirt.

"Don't scare me like that." She said, calming herself down.

"Can't make any promises," you shrugged, "Why are you here? Did you hang up our phone call just to come to find me?"

"..Well, yeah. Not the best at comforting people through the phone." Lilith responded, looking over at you, "Why exactly are you nervous about the concert? You've had short noticed concerts before."

You leaned back against the wall, fiddling with the hem of your shirt. Unsure if you could tell her the reason why it sounded so childish to you.

"..I think it's stupid honestly. I happened to make some new friends here that treat me normally (squid/octo). Now with the concert happening.."

You trailed off your sentence, not finishing it. The thought of their reactions made the anxiety twist in your stomach.

"You're afraid of their reactions aren't you?" Lilith broke the silence.

You slowly nodded, "I lied to them, about my identity."

"All I have to say is I feel like they would care if you're an idol or just a normal squid. You're still the friend, I think that's all that matters."

You ponder on what Lilith had just said, your eyes still glue to the floor.

Growl...

The sound of your stomach rubbing snapped you out of your thoughts. While it was just Lilith, you felt embarrassed that it was obvious that you hadn't eaten yet.

The purple octoling only gave you a chuckle, "You want to grab some Crusty Sean's?"

"Yes, please, I'm starving!"

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After ordering the food with Lilith, the two of you sat down at one of the tables not so far from the truck and began enjoying your food.

"So," you asked in between bites, "what do you think about the square so far, Lil?"

"It's better than what I expected, it feels relaxing actually."

You nodded in agreement, "It's nice to get a break from the craziness back in the city."

"Like that one time, some girl got her belongs stolen," Lilith said before taking a bite from her sandwich.

You raised a brow, "That's the norm. Every day someone gets their valuables stolen."

Lilith chuckled in response, nodding her head in agreement.

"F/N!!!"

Both you and Lilith gave a confused look each other before looking back to where the voice came from. Much to your surprise it wasn't Goggles, instead, it was the pink inkling, Aloha, making his way toward your table. Behind him was the rest of the S4.

Aloha noticed Lilith first, a smug grin appeared on his face.

"Hey, there~," Aloha leaned closer towards Lilith, who was leaning back away from him.

"Aw, come on, don't be shy." He said.

Lilith rolled her blue eyes, pushing him away, "Aren't you a teen or something, go hit on someone that's your age."

"Hah, look at youuu, Aloha. Getting rejected againnn." Mask snickered underneath his gas mask, ignoring the glare that the pink inkling had shot him.

Aloha huffed, crossing his arm, pouting, "Shut up, it's not funny!"

Mask just continued to poke fun at Aloha, while Skull kept silent most of the time.

Army gave Lilith an apologetic look, bowing slightly, "I apologize for that idiot's behavior, uh.."

"Lilith."

"Lilith," he bowed once more, "I apologize for his behavior, he's a bit of a flirt."

Lilith simply shook her head, "No need to apologize, I've dealt with worse, it's fine." She said, going back to eating her food.

Aloha then put his attention on you, returning to his cheerful self.

"Hey, (f/n), about earlier."

You hummed in response.

"When Pearl and Marina were announcing about (name) performing, you suddenly left. Are you okay?" Aloha asked.

Since when did he see me leave.. Cod, I probably looked so suspicious.

"They're not good around crowded areas." Lilith spoke up.

You nodded in agreement, "Yeah, crowds make me anxious."

The group of high level players gave you a glance of concern.

Lilith, got up from her seat abruptly, "I think we should get going, come on (f/n)." She said, grabbing her trash and dumping it in the garbage bin. The young manger walked off before stopping in her tracks, turning back towards you and the group.

You have the boys apologetic look before getting up from the table, grabbing all the trash and throwing it away before you walked over to Lillian.

You gave the S4 one last look, waving them goodbye before you and Lillian made your way out the square.

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this chapter ain't it. most likely will get an update later in the future. 🤡
sorry for being gone for awhile, life just sucks honestly.
since i'm on break, i'll try to squeeze in another chapter this week if i feel the motivation.
anyways, have a great day:]