Well, Splat me.

So I kind of just need to recount something to myself here.

Yesterday, Iko nearly got killed by one of Donver's shenanigans, and some watergirl saved him, and now I'm walking with that watergirl - who can transform into an inkling - into the hospital to meet Iko.

What. The. Squid.

Well, whatever. This girl - whoever she is - seems very kind. Surely, anyone who saves the life of a stranger has to be. Anyhow, we were admitted to the hospital room, and the nurse left us to have some peace. I stared at the near-empty room, with sunlight streaming through the window, and Iko sleeping fitfully on his bed.

The watergirl stared at Iko, shedding her inkling form, in a very peaceful yet tired manner. It was almost as if she recognised him, as if she knew him from sometime before. She sat down on a chair next to Iko, and stared at him calmly. I decided he ought wake up, and with a gentle shake he turned to face us, his eyes blinking in the midmorning light.

"Hey Kala..." he muttered, still half asleep. Turning, he slowly began to compute what he derived from the girl sitting on the chair next to him.

Wait for it...

Any Second now...

"Hello, miss rescuer-person..." he muttered, and I nearly fell over.

THAT was his reaction to his awe-inspiring rescuer?!

The watergirl, however, nodded in approval, and smiled. For the first time, she spoke.

"My name. It is Reine." She said, though her voice was quiet and mechanical, almost as if she didn't quite know how to speak. Iko thrived in the peaceful nature of his rescuer and became much more talkative than he normally was.

"Thank you, Reine," he said, smiling as he lifted himself. The full extent of his injuries were visible; his tentacles were bandaged almost entirely. He was stuck in his squid form, and his eyes, tired, blinked rapidly. I noticed that Reine seemed almost thrilled by his appearance. She lifted him effortlessly out of the bed and placed him on her lap. Stroking his head, they seemed to almost naturally assume what the other was doing, and I merely stared.

For the second time this day; What. The. Squid.

At least Iko seemed to be enjoying the attention for once. Reine was smiling seemingly uncontrollably, as if stroking Iko's head somehow gave her a strange sensation of satisfaction. It was weird, seeing the two of them act like they'd known each other all their lives, especially since as long as she had known him Iko had been terrified of everything - so terrified that he had never been able to relax.

"Well, uh," Iko said, after dwelling blissfully in the attention for a few minutes, "what now?"

Reine looked to me, and I suddenly realized I had nothing.

At. All.

So. I guess she could live in my house or something. I live alone, after all, and I would assume she was female. Yeah, that would work. As long as she stayed in her inkling form it would be ok to have people over. Ok. That'll work.

"She'll stay with me, for now. I don't know where she came from, but until stuff gets sorted out, my place is probably our best bet." Reine smiled at me, as if accepting my offer. There. I did it.

"I nearly forgot, Kala," Iko said, distracting us. "Weren't you planning on going to your first turf war today?"

I mentally banged my head against a wall. How did I forget?! Well, I guess your friend nearly dying and discovering a new species is kind of a big thing, but still! The very definition of fun, forgotten! By the wayside!

"Well," I stuttered, thinking fast, "I- uh- wanted to play my first one with you 'n Donver... but I guess you aren't quite up to it yet, huh?" I said nervously, and Iko looked sadly down. I suddenly felt a huge pit open in my stomach.

"Not for another two months," He groaned, glaring at his currently useless tentacles. I didn't even know what to say, but I was saved by Reine.

"Turf... War?" she muttered, as if she'd never heard the words. It occurred to me that only inklings knew the joys of turf wars. Iko beat her to the punch and began to explain.

"Turf wars are the biggest sport ever," Iko began, and Reine listened intently. "All Inklings look forward to the day when they have full control of their two forms and they can participate."

"Turf wars are a basic version of Ink Battles, the source of all battle types," I jumped in, hoping to keep the motion going. "You basically have to shoot ink and cover more turf than the opposing team - and try not to get splatted. Mostly by splatting others. They get sent back to spawn when that happens." Reine nodded in acknowledgement, understanding my explanation.

"I," she said, choosing her words, "would someday like to see a turf war. It sounds interesting." Iko looked up at her, then at me. It was obvious what he was thinking.

"Well, I have to sort stuff out for Reine at home," I said nonchalantly, "But I'm sure that Judd will let you two watch from his judging seat. Especially if it was my first battle." Iko practically leaped with joy, and Reine smiled, quiet as ever, yet her image spoke a thousand words.

Just then a loud banging ensued at the door.

"Ugh, not Donver again," Iko groaned, and Reine quickly placed him back in his bed and transformed. Iko gasped, but said nothing, even as she hid herself in the corner of the room. She seemed unnerved by the mere thought of Donver, perhaps because of Iko's tone, but she glared even as Donver burst into the room.

"Iko! You won't believe the fun I had! Turf wars really are the coolest!" He yelled, garnering glares from the nurses. In the corner of my eye I saw Reine cringe and spear him with her eyes. She was still in inkling form. Grabbing a doctor's coat, she began slow approach as he spoke.

"-And then I splatted like, five people before the game ended and it was-" he was cut short as Reine covered his mouth, though he quickly broke free and turned on her. I noticed that Donver was much larger than Reine, even in her inkling form.

"Hey! I was telling an awesome story!" he cried, but Reine merely held a finger to her mouth and produced a hissing sound. Confused, Donver fell silent, and she smiled, seemingly satisfied. She then proceeded to sit on the chair next to Iko and acted exactly as a doctor would, as if she had done it all her life, though I was almost certain she was definitely not a doctor. It was good enough for Donver, however, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Anyway, Iko-" he stopped, noticing Reine's glare. Iko seemed slightly scared of the change in personality.

"So, uh, my turf war-" Reine had had enough from Donver. She rose, and grabbing the neck of his shirt, she hissed again. His eyes widened, then changed to a squinty stare. He seemed confused and vengeful all at once. He scrabbled at her face, and Reine sighed in exasperation. With a casual toss, she sent him flying out of the room.