The Time from Before

Service

Excitement surged through Callie's body like a tidal wave as she crossed the threshold into the room, her eyes widening with anticipation at the familiar yet long-forgotten surroundings. "Wow! It's been ages since we were last here!" She exclaimed, a grin spreading across her face.

Marie couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, a hint of amusement lacing her tone. "Calm down, Callie. We're just here to do a favor, remember? And don't forget to give Gramps a call."

"What for?" Callie turned to her.

"He asked us to call him?" Marie replied, a touch of confusion in her voice. "Did you forget?"

"Oh, right! It slipped my mind for a moment." Callie chuckled sheepishly, reaching for her phone. Her smile faded as she realized she had no signal. "But uh..."

Rolling her eyes, Marie gestured towards a slip of paper taped to the nearby wall. "Just connect to the network Allen set up. It's there for a reason."

"Ohhh..." Callie giggled to herself. "That'll do the trick!"

A soft knock at the door announced Mel's arrival, her presence commanding attention the moment she stepped into the room.

"Good evening, ladies." Mel greeted them warmly, her tone professional yet inviting. "I trust you're both doing well. I certainly am."

Callie waved cheerfully in response, while Marie simply crossed her arms, her expression neutral.

"I want to get this done as quickly as possible. No fuckin' around." Mel pulled out Allen's PDA, having borrowed it for a bit. "Please, stand in front of that camera."

The camera she gestured towards was the same one Marina and Pearl often used for announcements and stage performances, at least as far as Mel knew. Or, well, for whatever else.

It was a newsroom, if you hadn't already guessed.

This room was stationed on the first floor, with a large, curved glass window stretching across quite a large portion of two exterior walls.

As Mel spoke, Callie couldn't help but steal glances at the gathering crowd outside, a mix of Inklings and Octolings, their curiosity fueling the buzz of excitement in the air.

"I'm starting to feel a little nervous." Callie confessed with a nervous chuckle, her gaze darting back and forth between the window and the crowd of onlookers outside. "It's been ages since we've done something like this."

"Just be yourself, Callie. You've got this." Mel reassured her, walking up to the camera.

Focusing on the PDA, Mel issued a command in English, briefly switching from Inkling.

"Can you connect to this camera for me?" She requested.

"Order confirmed. Attempting to connect."

...

"Connection successful. For a more stable connection, please connect the device physically."

Mel grabbed a wire on the back of the large camera, inspected the port, and sighed.

"No can do. But let's make sure the wireless connection stays strong." Mel placed the PDA beside the camera. "And remember to hand off the connection to Cv-7."

"Understood. Prioritizing connection now."

"Alright, girls, we're going live in three... Two..." Mel flashed a thumbs up, activating the camera.

Hearts pounding with anticipation, Callie and Marie took their places, ready to face the world after its recent... turbulent events.

...