Sunset Boulevard

Katelyn coughed, as her movements disturbed another pile of dust. Shrugging off the coughing fit, she stretched her arms as far as she could to pull herself along from her crawling position.

The pathway this inkling chose had led her into a mostly darkened ventilation system, which judging by the abundance of dust bunnies and cobwebs and most notably the abundance of stale air hasn't been active in a long time. She was mostly blind inside the maze of vents, only the soft glow from rips and fissures lining the steel paneling lit her path.
Crawling nearby a fan that has long since ceased moving, Katelyn stopped to take a breath. Despite the broken fan, a trickle of fresh air indicated there was at the very least a part of the ventilation system that still worked.

The inkling fumbled with her headset, eventually finding the call button and began to speak. Her voice was weak from the lack of oxygen.
"H-Hello? Is there anyone there?" She asked, before coughing again from the dust particles.
There was a crackle in her headset, before a familiar voice replied. "Agent 2 here. How can I help?"
Katelyn sighed. "Oh thank goodness. I think I've gotten lost in this ventilation system, I don't suppose you can help out over there?"
"I'm not sure. We don't have any diagrams of the ventilation system in Octo Valley, let alone this Sector 0. Maybe I could ask Octavio once he gets back here, but until then my tentacles are tied."
"Is that so…?" Katelyn replied, coughing. "That's…not good."

"Giving up so soon? You inklings are more unprepared than I thought." Another familiar voice spoke through her headset.
"What in the...?" Marie spluttered, "How come we keep getting uninvited guests in our transmissions?!"
"Oh hey, Eliza! I didn't expect to hear from you again so soon!" Katelyn said. Her smile however diminished somewhat as she recalled the Octoling's rashness towards Mei-Lin.
"Eliza? I'm…kind of in the dark here." Marie sounded somewhat skeptical at Katelyn's response. "Who is this?"
"She's some Octoling that Octavio asked to help us. Apparently she knows Sector 0 from top to bottom… I think." Katelyn clarified. "Though I'd say she's a bit difficult to work with…"
"So I noticed… But never mind that for now. Eliza, what have you got to share?"

"I'll get straight to the point." Eliza replied sternly. "Katelyn, send me your camera feed, I'll direct you out of the vents."
"If you say so…" Katelyn began twiddling with one of the buttons on the side of her headset, eventually switching on the camera.
"Katelyn, are you sure you want to trust this Octoling?" Marie asked, "I mean…"
"Lord Octavio entrusted me this task of guiding these inklings to their destination. I may not like it, but I have to do as he says, no matter what. You have no reason to doubt me." Eliza retorted, "Sit back, Agent 2. You shall witness how a proper navigator is supposed to operate."
While Katelyn couldn't really see what was occurring on the other side of the transmission, it wasn't hard to imagine what accompanied the ensuing groans of exasperation. With a resigned sigh, Katelyn began to wander through the maze of vents, with Eliza guiding her towards the right path.

As she rounded another corner, Katelyn began to stagger as she started to feel weakened. Even with Eliza giving her directions, her stay in the claustrophobic vents took longer than they had all expected, and by this point the stale air was starting to take effect.

"Can't… breathe…" She choked, a shaking hand rubbing her neck. "Eliza…hurry…!"

"Hmm…" Eliza mused, "It seems like the air quality down there's gotten worse than I had thought. No matter, there should be an access hatch just ahead of you, bust that open and you're out of there."
"O…okay…*cough*" Barely able to keep her balance, Katelyn began to slowly trudge towards the passageway ahead of her.

Looking ahead into the darkness, Katelyn could barely spot what appears to be a door embedded into the side of the vent, while the ceiling seemed to slowly rise in gradient before her. No longer having to crawl, Katelyn tried to get up onto her feet and make a run for the exit. Unfortunately for her, she immediately stumbled on the spot, falling onto the side of the vents with a loud *clang*.

"No…" Katelyn wheezed, her lungs starving for oxygen. "Must…endure…"

Leaning onto the wall for support, she weakly began to walk towards the exit hatch. Her feet felt like it was being weighed down by lead boots, each step taking more effort and more painful than the last.

Katelyn's vision was starting to swim. She could practically feel herself slowly losing consciousness by the second.
"A bit…further…"

"Don't speak, Katelyn!" Marie's nervous voice blared through her headset. It sounded to the inkling like it was being muffled by a pillow. "Save your breath, just focus on getting outta there!"
Katelyn simply nodded. It was not like she has much strength for another word anyway.

Reaching the access hatch, Katelyn stopped leaning onto the wall for support, but immediately afterwards fell down onto the floor in front of it. Her hands struggling with effort, she pulled herself up onto the doorway, her fingers gripping onto a valve embedded onto the center.

With the last of her strength, Katelyn pulled on the valve as hard as her arms could muster. The door creaked open, but stopped only just a few millimeters in its turning circle as a harsh screech screamed down the vent and deafened the inkling's ears. Regardless of such however, Katelyn could feel air flowing from the edges of the doorway.

"Dammit, it must've been rusted shut!" Marie sounded even more panicked than before. "Katelyn, think of something, anything! Blow that blasted thing open if you have to!"

"Blow it…open…?" Katelyn's eyes shot open as she realized she did have the capabilities to do so. Blackness swimming around her vision, she deployed an Ink Mine just right in front of the doorway, and braced herself as the ink-based explosive ticked down on a set timer, flashed and detonated. While the ink didn't do anything to the rusted door, the kinetic force of the explosion was enough to force the door open an inch wider, and a soft yellowish light shone into the vent accompanied by a welcoming burst of fresh air.

Invigorated by the sight as well as the sudden flow of oxygen into her system, Katelyn gritted her teeth and charged into the door head-on with a shoulder tackle. Undoubtedly with the rust shaken off by the explosion, the door swung open without much resistance as she collided with it, and the inkling was stopped short by a guardrail situated on the balcony at the other side of the door.

"Woah, woah, woah…! Careful now…" Katelyn backed away from the dizzying drop just beyond, before her legs gave way and she fell back onto a rocky wall, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Oh thank goodness. You almost gave me a heart attack." Marie sighed as well. "You would not believe how worrisome it was to be all the way over here and not be able to do anything about it."
Just as relieved as the popstar was, Katelyn decided to take a rest on the spot, sitting down as she took in as many deep breaths as she could muster.

A few minutes later, Katelyn pulled herself up from the floor, letting out an exhausted sigh.
"So…how are you feeling?" Marie's voice replied, "Still frazzled by what happened back there?"
"Well it's not often you almost suffocate in a ventilation system." Katelyn groaned, "I suppose I-" She stopped mid-sentence as she looked up beyond the guardrail in front of her, and was promptly bewitched by what was located beyond. Walking up to the guardrail, she looked around at the sight that lay before her.

"Woah… Marie, are you seeing this?"
"Yeah… now THIS here I most certainly did not expect."

Down below where the balcony was situated, laid an entire complex of shanty houses. Built in a massive spiral pattern, the corrugated roofs and the partially rusted walls of the houses were packed tightly together and wound slowly down towards the very center, where a giant bulb has fallen from the ceiling of the remains of what looked to be another dome, the wire still attached to it. Strangely, the giant light source still worked if barely, with a soft yellowish glow illuminating the entire complex. Coupled with the remains of a sky diorama lining the walls of the dome, it gave the entire place the tranquil atmosphere of a setting sun.
As Katelyn looked closer, she could even spot a small dirt road that lay to the side of the shanty houses that wound down all the way to the center, and remarkably there were even Octarians of various types idly strolling on it, presumably on their daily rounds. Even from her location, she could hear the nonchalant banter occurring between them.

"It seems like you found the civilian district." Eliza interrupted, snapping Katelyn out of her trance.
"Civilian district?" Katelyn repeated, looking down at the complex below. "That?"
"Yes. Not every Octarian is able to fight, so this place is built to house those that are either too young to fight or have long since retired from either old age or crippling injuries. This location used to be contained in a dome that was far within Octo Valley to ensure that civilians are safe from any possible invaders from above, but unfortunately the earthquake that occurred when Smokestack became active caused this place to become buried down here."
"Hmm…" Katelyn mused, "I can see why people would come here to retire. This place feels…peaceful."
"Don't be too certain." Eliza sternly replied. "The Octarians down here may not be fighters, but I'm certain some of the old war veterans would not take lightly of your intrusion. Be on your guard."
"Eliza, do you have to always be so strict all the time?" Marie cut in. "I can't say being this tense all the time would be good for your skin…"
"Hmph. I said enough." With that, there was a short beep as Eliza dropped out from the transmission.
"Well…" Katelyn said as she eyed a ladder nearby that led down onto the dirt road. "Guess I'll be on my way…"

As she began making her descent down onto the civilian district, she failed to notice a shadow watching her from above. With the whoosh of helicopter blades, the shadow flew off, unseen.

"You know, I feel like asking a question." Katelyn remarked, stopping halfway down the ladder and wrapping an arm around the rungs for support. "What's life like as a famous pop star?"
"Huh?" Marie's voice replied. "That's a pretty random thing to ask right in the middle of a mission."
"Aww… come on! It's not every day you have a direct hotline to the Squid Sisters!" Katelyn laughed, "It just seems like a lot of fun, you know. Being up on stage… singing and dancing... having the occasional talk show…"

"Heh, well I don't blame you for imagining it would be fun." Marie chuckled, "But if I'll be entirely honest… pop star life can actually be quite strenuous. Waking up at 7 in the morning, for starters! Any inkling's worst nightmare!"
"Hahaha! Seven in the morning?! You can't be serious!" Katelyn laughed, "Even I struggle with waking up at ten!"
"Yeah, it's a real pain in the tentacles. Callie and I adore being singers, but I gotta admit there's a lot of hassle involved. Recording songs, handling merchandise, sifting through the pile of fan mail and getting rid of any ones sent by weirdos- oh good grief THAT task always drives me up the wall. We often had moments where we sneak out of the studio, blend in with the crowd and play some Turf Wars with the others."

Katelyn's eyes widened. "You two play Turf Wars as well?! Omigosh, I really should've played Turf Wars a lot more often, I could've bumped into the two of you!"
"Oh? You're not a Turf War enthusiast?" Marie asked curiously. "Practically every other inkling I've met played Turf Wars all the time!"
"Well… I mainly play Turf Wars with my friends just for fun whenever they invite me. Outside of that, I try my best to practice singing and dancing as much as I could." Katelyn blushed slightly, hoping the headset wouldn't pick it up on camera. "I was… um… kinda inspired by the two of you. Mei-Lin once told me that she thinks my dancing is beautiful, though the singing sounded like a seagull being strangled…"
"Heehee, I suppose just being able to dance is still fine. Though this Mei-Lin friend of yours sounds like a bit of a harsh critic…"

Upon mention of Mei-Lin's name, Katelyn's mischievous smirk dwindled by a fraction. "Oh… Mei-Lin's not much of a harsh critic, but she does have a habit of being rather gloomy at times. Though she's my best friend, I always had to take care of her because she literally cannot take care of herself."
"Does it ever get too tiresome?"
"Ehh…not really. She doesn't leave her house too often, but whenever she decides to do so I'm always there to back her up. She's like a precious sister to me, I'll do anything to support her."
"That sounds very sweet." Marie giggled, "The two of you must've been inseparable."

"Yo Marie!" Katelyn could hear Callie say from the background, "How's Katelyn doing?"
"She's doing ace, aside from a bit of a bump right at the start." Marie called back. "I'm just having a relaxing chat with her right now. Why'd you ask?"
"Cobalt was wondering how everyone else was doing, just asking round for him."
"Hey Callie! If you can hear me, tell Cobalt I said hi!" Katelyn called out cheerily.
"I'll make sure to pass on the message!" With that, there was the sound of fading footsteps as Callie wandered elsewhere.

"Well, I enjoyed this little chat." Marie finished, "But don't you have a mission to attend to, or something?"
"…oh, right!" Katelyn laughed to herself as realized she's briefly forgotten about the task at hand. "Sorry, it's just so much fun talking to you! Maybe when this is all over we could play a match or two together!"
"That sounds like a nice possibility. Well, be on your way now, and good luck!" With that, the radio transmission shut off with an audible click.

With a content sigh, Katelyn resumed her descent downwards towards the path below. However after a few rungs lower, she unknowingly stepped onto a section of ladder that was showing signs of heavy erosion, and as she reached that section the entire ladder began to shudder from her weight.
"What the-" Katelyn began, but not before the rung she was holding onto with her right hand snapped off from the ladder. The other rungs supporting her also snapped off in quick succession, and before she could properly assess what was happening, Katelyn realized she was in freefall.

"Oh… this is gonna hurt."

Timmy was a child that rarely saw anything interesting. Then again, life in the civilian district is often rather uneventful. It didn't help either that the adults always seemed on edge, rarely venturing out of their houses. He's asked them why in the past, but never once he had gotten a straight answer. But then, being a tiny Octotrooper child the size of a zapfish, it was hard to be taken seriously whenever he wanted to ask questions.
Today was a day like any other. The bulb shone brightly as it usually did, and little Timmy was absentmindedly doing small laps around the dirt path, casually trundling along on a pair of rollerskates. It was a rather dull day for him, all the other children seemed to have gone somewhere but they forgot to invite him, so he was skating around where the path ended to alleviate his boredom. Yes, it just seemed like any normal day.

At least, until a large shadow plummeted down from above, and landed into a spiky bush.

"Aaaaagh! Prickles! Owie!" The object yelled, limbs flailing in the leafy plant. Startled by the sudden appearance of something falling from the sky, the child quickly hid behind a nearby lamp post with a yelp.

A battered and bruised Katelyn dragged herself from the bush, before she dragged herself up and yanked out one last thorn embedded into her left leg, wincing as she did so.
"Urrgh… Why can't I have landed in a pile of feathers or a stack of mattresses?" She groaned, before realizing that there was a tiny Octotrooper child peeking out from behind a nearby lamppost.
"Oh. Umm…" Katelyn pondered for a second on how to respond. "…Hello?"

"H-hello." The child replied, coming up to her on a set of skates. "Umm…what are you, exactly?"
"Ah…" Katelyn leant down and smiled in what she presumed was a welcoming manner "I'm an Inkling, name's Katelyn. Pleased to meet ya!"
"Umm… my name is Timmy." The child peered up at her with eyes of wonder, though there was a slight glint of fear. "I never saw an Inkling up close before. Morgan's always told me that Inklings are these scary monsters with these pairs of HUGE sharp teeth that can jump five feet in a single leap and feed on small children that have been bad. Um… I haven't been bad, so uh…don't eat me?"
"What?" Katelyn laughed, bemused by the absurd misconception. "What kind of description is that? I'm none of those!"
"Oh. So…are you not an Inkling?" Timmy tilted his head curiously. "Are you…an angel?"
"An angel?"
"Granny's told me this story once, about two angels descending from the sky to create the world. You fell from the sky, so…"
"Oh! No, no. I'm not an angel either."
"Erm…" The tiny Octotrooper tapped his face with a miniature tentacle, his face scrunched up in concentration. "Hmm… what else could you be then?"

Katelyn chuckled, and sat down next to the small child. "Heehee, does it really matter what I even am? I'm just someone that doesn't mean any harm. Don't think too hard about my origins, I don't really like to anyway."
"Okay!" Timmy replied, also propping himself down. "So… are you going to be my friend?"
"Of course I will!" Katelyn smiled warmly and extended a hand to shake. The tiny Octotrooper shook back with the tip of his solitary tentacle, returning an innocent smile.

"So what exactly are you doing here?" Timmy asked, tilting his head curiously.
"Not that much, really. I'm just passing by here to reach this place called Smokestack." Katelyn looked down at the child, "Would you know anything about such a place?"
"Hmm… naw. Maybe Granny might know a thing or two if I ask her though!" Hopping up again on his feet, Timmy turned towards the path, motioning Katelyn to follow. "Come on, big sis! Follow me!"

As the child began trundling along on his skates and Katelyn began slowly walking after her, a thought drifted through her head.

"Did he just call me…Big sis?"

Katelyn softly giggled to herself.

"I could get used to this."

After a short trip down the dirt road, Timmy stopped by the fourth shanty house they passed. This particular home stuck out slightly from the rest with a small box of lavender flowers being grown on the front porch, and Katelyn could smell the appetizing scent of a marinated fish being cooked. A slight rumble from her stomach made the inkling realize that perhaps she should take care of dinner right about now.
In front of the potted plants, there was an elderly Octoball about Katelyn's height tending to the lavender flowers. With a set of mechanical arms, she was gently picking some of the petals and placing them into a pouch.

"Granny! I'm home!" Timmy cried.
Hearing the voice, the old Octoball looked up from her meager task, and smiled warmly at the tiny Octotrooper. "Oh, Timmy! You're just in time for dinner!"
"Oh, listen, listen!" The child hopped up and down excitedly. "I made a new friend today, Granny! She's a very nice person!"
"Is that so? I'm so proud of you! Now, who is this friend that you speak of…" It was then that Katelyn saddled within the elderly Octoball's view. "…oh! Now isn't this a surprise."

"Hey there! My name's Katelyn!" the inkling girl introduced herself. "Nice to meet you…uh…"
"Mmhmm. It's okay, just call me Granny, everyone does in this neighborhood." The Octoball self-proclaimed Granny turned to the door, motioning Timmy and Katelyn to follow. You're just in time for our dinner too. Come, we'll talk more inside."

Following the two Octarians inside, Katelyn took a moment to take a look at her surroundings. The inside of the shanty house could barely even be qualified as a living space, consisting of one giant area and a small room tucked away in the corner that Katelyn presumed was the bathroom. The furnishings were at the bare minimum, with three dusty mattresses placed on one end and a table with four chairs surrounding it on the other. To the side next to the table there was a small kitchenette with three fish steaks being sizzled on a small frying pan, which was emitting a waft that made Katelyn's mouth water.

"Oh, goodness me! Seems like I cooked too much again today!" Granny walked up to the gas cooker and turned off the heat. "Well, it is most convenient that you decided to show up. Come, we'll eat together, shall we?"
"Ah…um…" Katelyn stammered awkwardly, rummaging through her rucksack and withdrawing a sandwich. "I…um…bought my own food with me."
"I see. That is fine, you can sample my culinary arts whenever you want."

While Timmy and Granny began digging into the food, Katelyn awkwardly looked at the two of them as she nibbled on her sandwich. It felt a bit rude to the inkling to be eating her own food while Granny's left a fish steak untouched on the plate, and there was the matter of that very appetizing smell coming from it…
Her curiosity piqued, Katelyn decided to take a fork and took a bite out of her share of the fish steak, and her eyes promptly widened as she tasted the dish. The meat was unexpectedly juicy, and there was an explosion of flavors that went off in her mouth all at once, a touch of spiciness along with just the right amount of sweetness and saltiness.

Granny chuckled as she noticed Katelyn's pleasantly surprised expression. "Well, well! It looks to me I just earned myself another fan!"
Swallowing her mouthful, Katelyn immediately turned to the elderly Octoball. "THIS IS DELICIOUS! Just what did you do to this thing?!"
"Oh, it's a secret family recipe! My own father was the one to come up with it, bless his soul. Come now, you don't have to hold yourself back. Eat, eat!"

Katelyn didn't need the old woman to repeat herself. Within the course of a minute, Katelyn's portion was all but demolished, and she's gone back to nibbling on the sandwich she bought with her, which now felt a lot more superfluous than before.
"I gotta say Timmy," Katelyn said, turning to the small child who has just finished his own meal as well. "Where I come from, they don't cook meals like this. If your granny ever goes up there, she'd knock 'em dead in any cooking competition!"
"Haha, Granny's amazing! She catches the fish herself and even grew all the ingredients for it in her own farm not far from here. Maybe I'll… take you there… tomorrow…" Abruptly, the tiny Octotrooper began to feel drowsy, yawning as his entire body began to droop lazily.
"Oh now, you must be tired." Granny said, turning to Timmy, "Come now, let's get you to bed."

A short while after, Timmy has now fallen fast asleep on one of the mattresses, snuggly tucked under a patchwork quilt. Smiling contently as Granny watched the Octotrooper child fall asleep, she then turned to Katelyn.
"Now…" she turned to the door, motioning Katelyn to follow. "What say we have a little chat over some tea?"

As Katelyn sat out on the porch, Granny shortly followed with a small kettle, pouring a slightly viscous liquid into two misshapen cups. Taking a sip, the inkling could smell from the ink tea a calming scent of lavender flowers. Instinctively, her eyes turned towards the flowers growing on the front porch.
As the elderly Octoball took a sip from her own cup, Katelyn looked out towards the horizon. The giant bulb that's in the center of the district still maintained its glow despite the hours that had passed, as if the setting sun has frozen on the spot.

"So… Katelyn is it?" Granny began, turning to the inkling.
"Yeah. What is it?" Katelyn asked.
"Well." The Octoball looked back into the distance, nodding. "I must personally thank you for making friends with Timmy, even if you are an Inkling."
"Oh…right." Katelyn turned to the old woman, "You're not mad that I'm an inkling at all? I've been told that there were still some war veterans down here that still carried some discrimination from the Great Turf War."
"Animosity fades with time, Katelyn. While the people that live down here will never see the true sun, I believe many have come to call this place their home." Granny sighed, "I admit that I miss the sight of the sun ever since I was only a small child, but I won't hold it against inklings. What matters now is that we are blessed with simple needs, and we don't ever have to ask for more."
"That's… rather open-minded of you, Granny." Katelyn replied.

"Heeheehee, perhaps so." Granny took another sip of her tea, and sighed. "What brings me joy now is watching Timmy grow up every passing day. He's an innocent one, but he does get very lonely at times, especially when his sister left and never returned."
Katelyn's interest was piqued by that remark. "Timmy's got a sister?"
"Yes. Anna, an Octosniper. Just as innocent as her sibling was, though I sensed that she had issues she refused to talk about. I have seen her with Morgan a few times, talking about leaving this place and whatnot. I thought it was only mere curiosity, but it turned out I was wrong." Granny looked down at her tea, and sighed audibly. "If only I had spoken to Anna sooner, maybe Timmy would be less lonely now. It's the only regret this old woman has."
"So… the reason you cooked three portions…" Katelyn looked at the elderly Octoball before her with a look of realization.
"I suppose you can call it a habit."

The two sat together for a while, just staring into the horizon. In the distance, the chatter of other Octarians began to fade as time passed, the dirt path becoming deserted.

"I suppose you've listened to this old woman ramble long enough." Granny said, turning to Katelyn. "Perhaps you would like to tell me what a pretty girl like you is doing here."
Katelyn shrugged. "It's a very long story. But currently I'm on my way towards this place called Smokestack to reunite with some friends of mine."
Upon mention of the geothermal plant's name, Granny frowned. "Ah...I was hoping I'd never have to hear about that wretched place ever again. It was all due to an earthquake caused by that place that we're now cut off from the outside world for good. There is a path that leads there right in the very middle, where that bulb is, but I advise you to watch yourself."
"Mmhmm, thanks for the reminder." Katelyn finished her tea, setting the oddly-shaped cup to her side. "You know, once we're done here, Octavio and Cuttlefish's Agents will be coming to rescue anyone trapped down here. I'll promise you that you and Timmy will be able to see the sun too!"

"Octavio, huh? Hmm, I guess even after all these years, that old coot hasn't forgotten about us." Granny also finished the last of her tea, and set it aside. "It's getting late now. I'll direct you to how to get to Smokestack tomorrow. But before that…"
"Hmm?" Katelyn looked to the Octoball as she got up, "What else?"
"Perhaps play with Timmy a little before you head on your way. It's the least you can do to return the favor."
Katelyn nodded, "I understand, Granny."

As the two went inside the shanty house, the last of the Octarians left the streets, leaving the entire complex in a tranquil silence, the yellow glow of the bulb ceaselessly illuminating the dome with its calming light.

AN: You know, I realize the concept of life inside the Octarians domes have been done to death, but I might as well do it myself. Wonder if I pulled it off right?
Also, apparently May 28th was Splatoon's first anniversary. Wow, time flies, doesn't it? Though I admittedly lacked any proper memory on it until around August. Well, here's hoping this game keeps going.