How long had it been since they'd visited Arowana Mall together in their free time? They wandered past new stores and some of their old favorites, enjoying the leisure of window shopping. After checking out all the spots they were interested in, they'd worked up quite an appetite and stopped at a café for lunch. Callie ordered a burger, Marie a slice of pizza.

At times like this, talk turned naturally to the work they'd each been doing lately. They swapped stories of workplace happenings and gossiped about their costars. Each was concerned for the other, but neither wanted to darken the mood by discussing anything too serious. Callie decided to mention that she'd seen Marie at the café that morning. Marie seemed a bit caught off guard but began talking about her conversation with Crusty Sean without missing a beat.

It seems Sean had recently quit his job at Shrimp Kicks. He'd been the store manager there for years but had long dreamt of opening a place of his own. A friend introduced a new opportunity, and Sean went for it.

"I hope he'll be OK," Marie said with some concern. "He's always been a bit impulsive."

According to Crusty Sean, Annie had been looking for a new gig as well. Truth be told, she'd never been much of a people anemone and felt like she'd given retail the old college try. She'd been keeping busy recently, helping decorate weapons at Ammo Knights. The more she did it, the more she felt like this detail-oriented part-time job suited her perfectly.

"Do you think Annie and Sheldon...?!" Callie blurted out in excitement.

"No way," Marie said, smiling. "Not a chance."

It turns out Sheldon was busy himself, planning to expand Ammo Knights to a second location. He had his eyes on a prime spot in the part of town that was quickly becoming the new hotness for the Turf War set.

"That Sheldon has always had a nose for business," the girls agreed.

The conversation turned to Cap'n Cuttlefish, more precisely that neither of them had seen him lately. It was true that their schedules had kept them too busy to pay him a proper visit, but they hadn't seen his head poke out of the usual manhole recently, either. There was no real cause for alarm now that the Octarians had gone tame, and thinking of their grandfather gave them a good laugh. Surely the old rascal would turn up sooner or later.

They got lost in conversation, and time slipped away. When they noticed the sun beginning to set, Callie and Marie decided to head for home. They remembered just how much fun they always had when they were together.

"Fun" didn't quite do it justice, though. It was more than that—something special that made their hearts feel full.

They felt as though the clouds that had been gathering around them had suddenly blown clear…