Outside the aquarium, a short man with an oversized grin approaches Tova, introduces himself as Bruce LaRue, and identifies himself as attorney for Lars Lindgren’s estate. He hands her a manila envelope listing Lars’s personal belongings at Charter Village in Bellingham and tells her to collect them. LaRue admits he located Tova through a chatty Shop-Way cashier with a thick accent. Tova, unsettled by the thought that no one claimed Lars’s things, quietly resolves to go.

Beginning her shift, Tova notes the aquarium is tidy and pauses at the octopus tank. She addresses Marcellus, airing her dread of freeway driving and distaste for nursing homes, and reflects that Lars always left messes. The octopus watches closely, and Tova feels oddly heard before moving on.

At the seahorse exhibit, a sign warns of mating in progress, which prompts Tova to recall last year’s playful staff celebration and Erik’s school project on the hippocampus. The memory underscores her private tenderness for such milestones.

Later at Shop-Way, Tova confronts Ethan, who sheepishly admits directing the “bloke with the muckle teeth” to her. After explaining the errand to retrieve Lars’s effects, Tova—uncharacteristically—asks for help with the drive. Ethan apologizes and readily agrees to take her to Bellingham.