Jodie blinked into the sunlight of a new day. Picking herself up, she looked at the calendar Tory had bought her to help her refill her room with things after her... episode. She was almost instantly awake.

A red circle marked that very day. It was the day her ban was lifted.

Almost instantly, she hopped out of bed, and before long she was outside, her trusty roller over her shoulder. She went out to breathe the open air once again.

She missed this... the feeling she got right before she was about to start a game. She glanced at the shops, filled with merchandise she didn't have before, the weapons shop lively and filled with customers, the plaza with its many inklings itching for a good turf war with worthy opponents. It was this that she missed, if anything, from the life she loved, even if it had its ups and downs.

The lobby, however, was now an unfamiliar (but undoubtedly cooler) place. She stood quietly in the entrance, basically lost. It was a few seconds before someone intervened.

"Hello?" A girl said, her yellow tentacles hanging freely without any obvious headgear. Her Traditional Tunic and Traditional shoes made her look very... traditional.

"Oh! Sorry." Jodie apologized, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "I'm a little lost. I - uh - haven't had a chance to play turf wars since the update, and..." she gestured to the lobby as if it explained everything, and apparently it did, because the girl nodded in understanding.

"I see. Let me show you around, then. You can help me by playing some Squad battles. I don't have a team mate, and unfortunately my friend is away doing part-time work at Camp Triggerfish." Jodie agreed to the offer, and was quickly guided around the different options.

"...and this is the squad battle hall, where inklings register permanent and temporary teams. We'll go temporary. Over there is where two-person teams go to get matched up with others," the blue-eyed inkling explained.

"Thank you for doing all this for me," Jodie said gratefully. "I would ask my brother, but he's a bit too busy training. He got to A+ with his team a short time ago, and he's been training with them ever since." The blue-eyed girl looked impressed.

"That's quite a feat," She admitted. "I've been trying, but I'm only rank B+. But that isn't bad at all, is it?" she grinned. "I'm Kirsten. Who are you?" she asked as she went to a machine and began entering information.

"Ah, I'm Jodie."

"Wait, not the girl who got banned?"

"...I can tell you about it, but it's quite sensitive."

"I understand." Kirsten shook herself. "My bad, normally I'm not that rude, it just caught me by surprise. I'm sorry."

Jodie waved it off. "Don't be. It was quite unfair, but I understand. Alder's been doing everything he can to paint me as an enemy to inkling kind." She let out a laugh. "I've been waiting for today. Today the ban was lifted."

"Alright then!" Kirsten rallied. "We'll make it grand, then!" turning to the machine, it beeped, and suddenly they were dragged into Urchin Underpass.

Jodie smiled almost evilly. Splat Zones... her favourite. Confidence filled her as she fiddled eagerly with the handle of her weapon. She glanced to one side to see what weapon Kirsten used.

"A Bamboozler? Wait, that one looks different..." Jodie said doubtfully.

Kirsten grinned. "Don't underestimate the Mk II. You'll see." She turned to the map and began to calmly make her way to the center once the buzzer went.

Jodie moved in and covered the ground quickly, her trusty roller helping her face down her opponents. Her tentacles flashed into life as her special charged, and she hopped down from her perch to splat her first victim. No-one expected the roller. Ever.

She knew how to counter people. Moving about, a Squiffer on the enemy team tried to jump over her roller - a common trick - and she jumped simultaneously, meeting the inkling and splatting her. Jodie moved in and ran around to grapple with a Jet Squelcher. He was a little smarter than his team mate, and he jumped back. Luckily, he backed into a dead end accidentally, and-

SPLAT!

She only got a glance at what happened, and the bright blue ink smothered her light pink in a heartbeat. She cursed no one in particular and swam back into the middle of the fight. It was clear that while they were doing their best, the enemy team was greatly skilled.

Kirsten moved from her hiding place and charged for the Squiffer. Two quick taps of the trigger, and the shocked girl was down and out. She saw what looked like a brush user running about, and moving in stealthily, she blasted him with a disruptor. He seemed pretty startled, but he recovered quickly, and they ended up taking out each other.

They pushed in once more, teaming up on the players. They easily took out the Squiffer, and while he put up a fight, the Squelcher went down as well. They grinned as they recovered lost ground. Moving in, they went to challenge the roller of the team.

He instantly knew someone was on his tail, and he didn't make things easy. His roller was definitely faster than Jodie's, and Kirsten simply couldn't get the distance going. He danced around with a graceful ease, and Jodie found it hard to make any distance. The thing was, Jodie had been fighting for a long time. She knew this map like the back of her hand. A short signal to Kirsten, and she began to chase him. A few more meters and he would be just where she wanted him...

He caught sight of Kirsten, murmured something, and kept going, faking Kirsten out and slapping down on her. She was splatted, but in the time it took Jodie managed to close the distance. She lifted her roller over her head with practised ease, and bringing it down, she-

"OI! SIS! OVER HERE!"

She turned. That was undeniably-

SPLAT!

A huge glob of ink hit her directly in the face for a one-hit KO. Just as she re-spawned, the buzzer sounded, and she groaned inwardly. That hadn't been her best performance. She shook herself as she spawned in the results lobby, where a surprising number of young squids had come to watch.

Spotting Kirsten, she went over sheepishly. "Sorry, Kirsten," she said gently. "That definitely wasn't my best performance."

Kirsten smiled gently. "I know it was, because you were taking charge. I learned a lot, both from you and from the enemy team. Who was that kid calling you sis, by the way?" she asked.

A boy ran up to them, the well-defined markings on his eyes displaying his youth. "Hey, Jodie. The ban was lifted?" He asked. Jodie took a moment to let her hand collide with her face.

"You know, I didn't realise we were going up against you until just now." She laughed nervously. "I guess I really should have been more careful."

Tory shook his head. "No way! You're the best player I know! We were pretty lucky. Fréremont and I planned against you beforehand." He grinned. "Just the perks of having a famous turf war specialist for a sister."

"Well, Tory," Jodie said, smiling, "I'm proud. I'm certain you can beat Alder now, although I was before, too. Heck, I trained you!" She laughed. Kirsten watched in amusement.

"You mean it, sis?" He asked, as if nervous about the term. "100 percent?"

"100 percent!" She replied, bopping his shoulder with her fist. "You better not fail, you hear me? Keep making me proud." He smiled, but was quick to be dragged away by his friends.

Jodie sighed in relief once he was gone. Kirsten smiled knowingly, but before she could say anything, a small Inkling child approached with a horde of friends behind him.

"I can't bewieve it!" he snivelled. "Miss Kitten lost!" The other children seemed let down. Jodie swallowed just outside the audible range, but Kirsten was quick to react.

"Come now, I didn't really lose at all. In fact, I won. I won new information and experiences." Kirsten told him. He seemed confused.

"Expewiensies?" he asked. "ifwomashin?"

Kirsten laughed softly. "I met new people, and learned how to be a better player. So, next time, I can do better. Whether I win or lose the game itself, I still win in the end, because I get to have fun and learn new things, about others and myself." The boy thought about that for a moment.

"I don't understwand," he admitted, "But if Miss Kitten is happily after the turf war, I think I'm happily too!" He cried, and the horde of children joined him in a chorus of agreement. A few dozen hugs later, Jodie was about to sneak away, when she thought of something.

Luckily for her, she didn't have to be in an awkward environment.

"Want to go to the café nearby? I think you have something to ask me." She invited, reading Jodie's thoughts.

"Eh?! Ah, um, sure!" Jodie replied quickly, trying to rescue herself. Kirsten laughed, and led the way to a bench in the plaza after buying the two a pair of Paninis.

"So," She asked, warming her hands with the panini, "Was I right about you having something to say?"

"Yes," Jodie admitted readily. "How... how are you so good with children?"

Kirsten blinked in surprise. "I... well, I guess I just am. Perhaps it's personality,perhaps it's understanding, I don't know. But if i were to hazard a guess, it's because I'm a breath of fresh air for them. Getting away from their families to watch my turf war battles, seeing how I'm always trying my best and yet being kind and comforting... like the ideal hero. I may not be overly powerful, but I strike quite a figure, I guess. They look up to me, and I make an effort to uphold it, unlike some people. Alder, for example." Jodie shivered.

"I see what you mean, I guess," Jodie said sadly. "I guess I was being to hopeful. I was kind of thinking that you might have an answer to my problem, but..." Jodie stopped, breathed heavily, and decided Kirsten was trustworthy.

"I... I had a rough childhood. I found myself taking over my mother's role at a young age, to care for my brother, Tory. You know, the young one with the fresh hat." Kirsten nodded, not smiling, quite, but not frowning. Simply waiting for the next sentence.

"I spent a lot of my time inventing. Between what I got inventing things, and what Tory made caring for the Zapfish in Octo Valley, We managed to scrape by. I trained him from the day he could walk not just how to live, but how to survive. I was always scared, and I guess he knew, because he was always the real parent. He was always the one being the strong figure in my life when I was down and out."

"I... I couldn't be a good parent. And now, when I've let go of my childishness, and such, there's suddenly someone I feel I'd want with me." Kirsten guessed where this was going.

"And you're reluctant, because you feel you're a letdown?" She finished. Jodie nodded.

"I let down my one and only brother, turned him into an inkling of war or something." She finished the panini and buried her head in her hands. "It's only because of Marissa and the others he even has an idea of what living - enjoying life - is like. I never saw him smile when he was younger, and now..." She stopped. "He smiles. All the time. At least, that's what people tell me."

"Jodie," Kirsten reprimanded her. "You're making yourself get worked up. Relax. Deep breaths. And I'm saying something commonplace because it's commonplace for a reason." Jodie sighed and began to slow herself down, letting her body calm itself.

"Jodie, I don't think your brother wanted a mother. I think that's what you're confused about." Kirsten said, taking Jodie by surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how it was for you," Kirsten admitted. "But while you valued a parental figure above all things, I'm sure your brother felt the change was a negative one. Most children who either have parents or lose them before they get much of a chance to know them don't feel a need. They don't miss something they haven't lost or never had." She stared piercingly into Jodie.

"I think what he needed was a sister."

Jodie was at a loss for words.

Kirsten stopped herself for a moment, then smiled lightly. "Look, Jodie. You did great with Tory. He obviously loves you. And, as far as I know, you're the only family he's got. I may be a role model, but I'm no parent. You are." She stopped again, letting the words sink in.

"If you want my advice," she continued, turning to a trash can and throwing away the wrappers, "I say be who Tory wants you to be. When he was younger, he needed a parent. Now that he's fourteen, he's old enough to care for himself. Now, what he needs most, is exactly who you are inside. He needs his sister."

"So," she concluded brightly, "To put it simply, be yourself."

Jodie sighed and began to cry - or at least, cry in the way inklings did, where their skin went a little wobbly as their fluid control was lost - but a smile played on her features. She calmed down once again and suddenly gave Kirsten a hug.

"Thank you," She said simply. "I think I needed that."

"No problem, Jodie," Kirsten replied. "Look, I have to go, but I'll see you again sometime. Maybe next Splatfest, who knows." she alluded, a grin spreading on her face. "But next time, we should be opposing teams. I'll beat you fair and square, you'll see."

Jodie approached the challenge with a new burning confidence. "I doubt that, I'm a lot better than I played today, trust me." she got up and tossed her own waste away. "I won't lose. Just you wait. Splatfest will prove this." Another grin.

"See you!"


A/N; Jodie gets some well-deserved action in this chapter. And an unplanned character goes from side action to main focus of the chapter.

Who's ready to feel the FEELS for this family?!

I suck at family exposition, actually...

Today's wonderful wonder of wonders who created the lovely Kirsten is OctoInkling75! Thanks buddy! *digifistbump* Good Job!