"Well I don't know about you, Iggy, but I seriously need to get some food…" Dani said, as they both emerged out of the Battle Lobby. She looked at him for a response. Iggy looked away. He didn't know whether to tell her he already had lunch, or to go with her anyway.
"Iggy!" a familiar voice yelled from across the plaza. Said boy looked towards the voice to see his sister jogging towards them with a grin on her face. "You started Turf Wars without me?" she pouted. Iggy smirked.
"Haha, you'll get over it Sam," Iggy chuckled, but remembered the girl standing next to him. "Oh yeah this is Dani by the way, I met her playing Turf Wars." Sam glanced at the girl, then back at Iggy.
Made a new friend already? She wondered. Dani looked at her.
"Sup, who might you be?" she asked with a casual lean against the nearby wall. The girl in pink grinned with her sharp teeth.
"I'm Sam, Nice to meet you Dani!" she beamed with a cheerful wave. "Nice to see my loser brother has made a friend already," she snickered. Dani giggled, and Iggy frowned, crossing his arms.
"Why do you have to be like this CONSTANTLY?" he muttered. Sam exhaled sharply, and lightly kicked his ankle.
"Come on dude, don't be a drama queen," she cooed.
"Nice to meet you too, Sam," Dani chuckled with a small wave to the other girl.
"Well… what do you have planned next?" Sam asked her younger brother. Iggy shrugged, and glanced at Dani for an answer. She cleared her throat.
"It's about time I grab some lunch, you won't like me when I'm hungry," she sighed with her eyebrows raised.
"Hey me too, how about we go together?" she asked. Dani shrugged.
"Works for me, I could use a sub sandwich right now," she replied. Sam looked at Iggy, and lifted her arms in the air impatiently.
"Well, are you in or are you out?" she questioned him. He felt put on the spot.
"Uh, I already ate, so…" He rubbed the back of his head. Dani slightly frowned; it was the first time she stopped smiling since they met.
"Well… see ya later then," she said, walking towards Sam. Iggy watched as they turned and walked towards the Inkopolis Café, and sighed. Suddenly, he felt a boom of confidence.
"W-wait! I'll come!" he shouted a bit too loudly, and hurried after them. They stopped, turning back towards him. Sam placed her hands on her hips, while Dani snickered at his indecisiveness.
"Two lunches in a day? You're gonna be a chub if you keep this up," she teased pointing her finger at him. Her response surprised Iggy.
"Oh whatever! And besides, I only wanted a smoothie anyway, you two are the chubs," he snapped. Dani looked shocked at his sass-back. Iggy saw the alarmed look on her face and immediately regretted his comment. "I-I'm sorry! I d-didn't mean it like that!" he stuttered sporadically. She chuckled at his distress.
"Relax dude. Touché, you win. Now… let's go to Inkopolis Café before my stomach tries to murder me," she laughed. Together, the three inklings made their way to the famous café. While they were walking, Iggy checked his phone, and to his surprise, it was in the early afternoon.
"Wow, time goes by fast when you're battling," Iggy said in amazement. Dani nodded.
"Yeah, been there done that. Sometimes I only get a few dozen battles in, and it's already evening!" she exclaimed. Iggy nearly tripped.
"Few… dozen? Doesn't that get tiring after a while?" he asked her. The girl shrugged.
"Meh, not if you take a couple of breaks. I go to the café every day, it's a nice place to wind down," she replied.
"So how long have you been living here Dani?" Sam asked.
"One week, I live in the Greenfield Condominiums, same as you," she responded. Iggy laughed.
"Oh Yeah! I remember seeing you near the elevator," he recalled aloud. Dani nodded at him, but Sam had a puzzled expression.
"From the elevator? I don't… Oh, wait a minute! You're the one with the sparkly eyes!" Sam said as she gazed into Dani's eyes, a little too closely.
"Yeah, thanks, I guess?" she said sheepishly with a slight blush. Iggy looked at her eyes, and smiled.
"Yeah, they are pretty cool, they look like glistening diamonds," Iggy said, but realized how weird of a compliment he just gave and looked away in embarrassment. They arrived at the Café, where dozens of hungry inklings were eating various meals. Since the Café was the prime place to eat in the plaza, it was crowded nearly every afternoon. The three teens looked around in disappointment.
"Wow, there aren't any tables," Iggy pouted. The girls looked around. They scouted for some seats, after a few seconds, Dani pointed at a distant table.
"Found one!" she remarked with a smile. Iggy glanced over to where she was pointing and squinted. He saw a table for four, but an inkling was sitting there sipping a smoothie while reading a newspaper.
"There's someone already sitting there, Dani," Iggy said with a confused look.
"Who reads newspapers?" Sam whispered, furrowing her brow. Dani chuckled at her comment and turned to Iggy.
"Maybe so, but I see three open seats, we have no other choice. Let's give it a shot," she said and started towards the table. Iggy stepped in her way.
"You want to sit with some rando? Didn't your parents teach you about stranger danger?" he remarked placing his hands on his hips.
"Move, you dumb squid!" she ordered and playfully pushed him aside. Iggy exhaled sharply in defeat. He looked at his sister, and she shrugged.
"Worth a try," she said. The siblings followed their new friend across the café.
"Let me do the talking," she whispered to the siblings. As they got closer, Iggy realized it was the older boy from the elevator this morning, the one with the Green hair and Zircon eyes. Dani's face lit up. "Oh hey, it's Alex! Sup dude," Dani punched the boy, and he spilled his smoothie all over his polo. He narrowed his eyes at the girl and ripped a few paper towels off a nearby rack.
"Really Dani? Why do you have to ruin my favorite shirt?" he asked in annoyance. She grinned at him innocently.
"Sorry man," she said patting his shoulder. "Oh hey, meet my new friends, Sam and Iggy," she gestured towards them.
"Sup," Iggy said, trying to be cool.
"Nice to meet you Alex!" she said with a profound smile. Alex glanced at the two inklings. He smiled when he noticed Iggy.
"Hey, I know you! You stay at Greenfield Condominiums right?" he asked him, tossing the paper towels into a nearby trashcan. Before Iggy could say yes, Sam nodded.
"Wait, but how did you know that?" she asked him.
"I saw him in the elevator earlier this morning," Iggy said quickly, growing tired of the meet and greets. Sam eyed the two boys, then shrugged.
"Neat," she said softly. Dani pointed at the spare seats.
"Is anyone sitting here?" she asked. Alex folded up his newspaper and looked at her with a frown.
"Yeah sorry, these seats are taken," he replied. Dani looked over and didn't see any belongings that signified the seats being occupied.
"By whom?" she had the courage to ask. Alex gave her a small smile.
"To you of course! Have a seat, guests," he gestured to the empty seats.
Some comedian you are, Iggy thought sarcastically. Dani took the seat next to Alex, while the siblings sat across from them. The waiter appeared and took their orders. The girls ordered sandwiches and cola. Iggy ordered a pink lemonade and a quesadilla. As soon as the waiter left, Sam grinned devilishly at Iggy. He rolled his eyes.
"Ok, I guess I was a little bit hungry," he mumbled, unable to suppress a smile. Meanwhile, Alex folded up his newspaper and took a long sip of his smoothie.
"So, what brings you to Inkopolis?" he asked looking at the siblings. Iggy was about to say Splatfests, but then he remembered those weren't a thing anymore.
"I guess the same reason as all young inklings, we want to be rebellious and live on our own, and we want to do fun things, like shopping and battling," Sam replied in a passionate tone. Alex nodded his head at her response.
"True, true. I see you two already have some pretty decent gear," he said, sizing up the two inklings. Sam closed one eye.
"Actually, our mother bought us most of our clothing, so we kind of cheated in that aspect," she admitted. Dani looked over at the older girl incredulously.
"Lucky! Most of us have to earn our gear, the shopkeepers can usually tell when an inkling is fresh off the boat," she pouted, crossing her arms. Sam chuckled.
"Yeah. But come to think of it… Iggy, you've been playing Turf Wars, right? What kind of weapon did you buy?" she inquired. Iggy gulped.
"He has some crazy weapon I've never even seen before!" Dani exclaimed before he could speak. The others looked at him, now interested. He eyed all of them nervously.
"Um, well… I guess Sheldon thought I was a fresh squid you know?" he lied. Dani rolled her eyes, not believing him.
"That's very funny, sneakers," she chuckled.
"Crazy weapon you say?" Alex chimed in. "Let us see it!" he begged. Iggy stopped to think for a moment.
What could possibly go wrong, he thought to himself. He sighed, then pulled out his blue Aerospray. Sam gasped in shock. Alex, a normally calm inkling, stared at the weapon in disbelief.
"W-where did you get that?" he demanded. Could it be? he thought to himself. Alex was looking right into his eyes. He looked somewhat confused, perhaps a bit alarmed.
"Is there something on my face?" Iggy asked in slight annoyance. Alex shook himself and looked away with a smile.
"Lucky," he said dismissively. Sam slapped her brother's arm.
"So? Where the heck did you get that?" she demanded. Iggy wasn't sure if he should tell her about the mysterious box.
Later, in private, he thought. "Well… Sheldon was having a special sale; it was a one-time exclusive. He said any inkling could purchase it, though it was seriously expensive," Iggy said all in one breath. Good lie, he complimented himself.
"And you were the one to get it? How lucky is that!" Dani exclaimed. "You better play the lottery, bucko. And give me some money when you win, I want new gear," she complained. The group chuckled as Iggy put his new weapon away. The waiter appeared, bringing in everybody's food on a large platter. She set down their plates; they all quickly started eating.
"Ugh, I'm STARVING!" Dani said with a mouth full of her turkey sub. Iggy laughed and tried his quesadilla. His face lit up in surprise of how good it tasted.
"Wow! This is just like the ones mama used to make us!" he exclaimed looking at Sam. There wasn't too much chatter during their meal, mostly because everyone had their mouths full. After they were finished, they all leaned back in their chairs
"Wow, I am stuffed. That was one hearty meal," Dani groaned happily. Sam gave nodded in agreement.
"Thanks again you guys. it was cool making some new friends on the first day," Sam said to their friends. She stood up and slipped on her Ski Jacket.
"Yeah, you guys seem fun. Here, let me get this," Alex said as he pulled out his wallet. Sam felt guilty, and put her hand on his arm.
"Are you sure? The food here is pretty expensive. How about we all pitch in," she suggested. The green inkling shook his head.
"Nonsense. I've lived here for years. All those turf wars leave me with too much money to spend," he insisted.
"Works for me," Iggy said quickly. Alex paid using his Battle ID card's credit feature, and left a hearty tip. Soon, the four inklings left the café. Iggy glanced at the sun, and checked his phone's clock.
"Geez, time goes by really fast sometimes doesn't it?" He said looking at his friends.
"Having a lot of fun Iggster?" Dani teased with a raised eyebrow. Iggy gave her a puzzled look.
"Iggster? Where did that come from?" he demanded. She shrugged.
"I dunno. Instead of Sneakers I guess. Hey, what are you guys going to do next?" she inquired. Sam snapped her fingers in realization.
"Iggy, we should give Mom a call, let her know we got in safe, hm?" she said to him.
"Ah, right. Well, looks like we gotta go, Dani. It was nice meeting you," he said, managing a smile. She smirked back at him.
"Alright, dude. We'll talk tomorrow?" she asked him. He looked at his sister, then back at Dani, and nodded. Alex pursed his lips.
"Nice meeting you all. Iggy, you lucky dog you, use that Aerospray well. Sam, Dani, I'll see you again sometime," Alex excused himself from the group, waving goodbye to the others as he walked away. The girls waved back, and Iggy nodded at him. Dani turned back to the siblings.
"Well thanks for hanging out, see you guys later!" she said to them. The girl turned towards Booyah Base, waving as she walked away.
"Bye!" Sam called out. Iggy smiled and waved. Sam turned to her younger brother.
"Ready dork?" she teased.
"Shut up," Iggy sneered, punching her shoulder. They started towards their condo.
…
"Well, that's great to hear!" Their mother exclaimed over the phone. "Thank you for checking in, kids," she said.
"Bye mamá!" they both said in unison. Sam disconnected the call, then sighed happily.
"I can tell she's relieved we called," Iggy said to his sister.
"Yeah," she replied. She was staring out the window. Iggy's smile slowly faded, as he sensed her dull mood. He knew she was thinking about their older brother, she always got quiet when she did. He was about to put his hand on her shoulder but she abruptly faced him.
"Iggy, I forgot to put some ice trays in the refrigerator, will you go down to the ice machine?" she requested, pointing at the ice bucket.
"Sure thing, sis," he said taking the bucket. Iggy started towards the door, bucket in hand, and opened the front door. He was about to leave, but stopped and looked at his sister one last time. She still was looking out the window, with her head resting on her hand. He sighed, and slowly shut the door.
Iggy walked down the hallway. He followed the sign that read 'Ice Machine' to the end of the hallway. Around the corner, he spotted the ice room and started towards it. He was a few feet away when the sound of voices stopped him.
I know that voice. He thought to himself. Iggy crept closer to the doorway.
"So you didn't see him at all today?" The first voice spoke. Iggy winced at the sound of his voice. It was the green inkling who had interrogated him before; the one who shoved people around in the train station. Iggy moved his hand to his chest, still feeling some the pain from the punch he received that morning. His fear nearly got the best of him. He wanted to run away.
"I told you, Jack, I haven't seen him in a long time, he's gone silent and I don't know why," the second voice responded in a conflicted tone. Iggy's heart skipped a beat.
That voice! he yelled in his head. It was Alex.
"But the question is, why is he gone?" The boy now revealed to be Jack uttered.
"It doesn't matter; we need to focus on the task at hand…" he sighed.
Iggy gulped. Then shook his head violently. He closed his eyes. I won't stand for this. He fumed in his mind. I'm tired of everyone taking advantage of me. He clenched his fists and literally felt the heat in his anger. His eyes shot open, and he stepped towards the door.
"Yes, but you realize if we can find him, he can tell us where…HEY!" Jack noticed Iggy standing at the door. Alex turned, and jumped to see that it was Iggy standing there with a scowl on his face.
"I told you not to get in my way!" Jack yelled and started towards him. Iggy didn't flinch.
"Iggy?" Alex said, bewildered. Jack froze. He slowly turned towards the other boy.
"You know this kid?" He bellowed. Alex stared at Jack and lifted his arms.
"What's up with you? This is my friend, Iggy," he gestured at said boy, who was still scowling at both of them. Jack narrowed his eyes in disbelief.
"You're making friends… with the enemy?" Jack roared. Alex gave him a stern look.
"Enemy? What are you talking about? Iggy is my friend! He has nothing to do with…" Alex stopped himself. Jack looked between the two.
"But Alex…Don't you see? He's… he's the one," he insisted. Alex looked back at Iggy. After a few seconds, he shook his head.
"Not even close. Do you even hear yourself?" Alex asked, crossing his arms. Jack was about to respond but Iggy stomped the ground.
"ENOUGH." The two inklings looked at him, alarmed. Iggy stepped towards Jack. "I swear, if you come near my family ever again, I will rip you to shreds with my bare hands," he hissed. Jack furrowed his eyebrows, taking a few steps back. He said nothing. Iggy glared at him for a long time. His stare was menacing, to say the least. He slowly began turning to leave, but not before giving Alex a scowl. He walked out the door and stormed down the hallway. The two green inklings looked at each other.
"Yes, Alex. He is clearly the one."