Author's note: And more writer's block for me. Probably would do only one chapter in February because irregular month lul. Anyway, that'd be all.
Night came, and the night scene of Inkopolis bustled to life once more. From food alleys to nightclubs, they all came to life as soon as night fell on Inkopolis. A vast majority of the Inkling public are out and about, though a key difference in this is that they now stick to groups, in light of the recent upsurge in kidnappings.
Meanwhile, at the NSS base, Jesse was busy practicing her aim on moving targets. Evan and Shannon are taking it easy on the couch, chatting with Callie while Marie was poring over intelligence reports from the five of them.
"Hey, maybe we should get Jesse to go with us to a bar tonight?" Evan asked Callie.
"It would seem a most difficult challenge, Agent Four." Shannon opined. "Three doesn't look all too interested." she observed.
"She needs a different environment." Callie stated. "I'm sure even Celia would agree with us." she added, sighing sadly, seeing the hard focus on Jesse. "She isn't like this when she was a new Agent…" Callie sighed.
"Tartar damaged more than her brain, that's for sure." Marie remarked.
"Sup?" Jesse suddenly appeared behind the group.
"H-hey Jess!" piped up Shannon. "We were discussing hitting the bar later this evening…whatever a bar is…" she stuttered.
"Yeah, go with us!" encouraged Evan. "Change of pace, every once in a while."
"Yeah, no." Jesse dismissed both Agents, brushing past them while depositing the practice Charger. "Celia is waiting for me, and I'm not interested." she told them in a dead tone.
"Hey, I'm sure Celia will understand. We got you, not like that you need it." said Evan.
"I can drink on my own, thanks." said Jesse dismissively, clearly uninterested.
"Pretty please?" Shannon begged Jesse.
"Yeah, we haven't done this in like forever since…" Evan paused, not wanting to say the obvious.
"Fine, fine, I'll go. Just gonna call Cap and Celia." Jesse sighed, relenting.
"I got some clothes your size, Three." Shannon offered.
I'll make do, thanks, Five. And definitely do go by real name when we're in the bar, you hear? You never know who listens in those kinds of spaces." she warned Shannon.
"Ok." agreed the Octoling. All three Agents got to freshening up and preparing to hit the club. Evan invited his friends over with him. Soon the three Agents walked out of the HQ, but not without Callie showing up to accompany them.
"Go on without me, I'll analyze this with Marina and Sheldon." Marie told her cousin, still poring over some papers and digital intelligence from the Agents at the meeting table, using glasses even.
"Kay, just call when ya need something, hear?" Marie told her cousin. Callie later hurried to Evan's side.
"Can't resist having some nightlife every now and then." Callie giggled, hooking up Evan's arm. Shannon just giggled from the show of affection Callie is doing, while Jesse facepalmed at the sight. The group soon hailed a cab after reaching the suburbs, taking them to The Squid Party, one of the famed bars in Inkopolis.
Meanwhile, someplace else, two Octolings were waiting near the club: Ecca and Josh. They were waiting for their friends, as they agreed to party together. The two Octoling lovers were milling about, waiting for someone to show up, and soon enough, a cab pulled up right where they were, revealing a green side-sweep Inkling male.
"Eagle!" both greeted.
"How's it going, both of you?" he greeted the two Octolings. "I see things got really chummy between you eh?"
"Sure it did." Ecca replied.
"How's things, Joel!" greeted Josh.
"Well, nothing much lately, I just relocated back near Inkopolis!" he said. "Finally back where I truly belong. Although…I kinda miss my buds back there." he remarked.
Soon, another Inkling came to approach the trio, a sky-blue twin-tail male Inkling.
"Yo Loper!" greeted Josh.
"Hey. Sup?" replied the new arrival.
"How's it going?" asked Ecca.
"Mmm, just more work in the ol' Warehouse, nothing much." he said nonchalantly. "How about you two?" he remarked, clearly observing Ecca and Josh's body language.
"Well…" Josh started tentatively.
"We…got together!" Ecca giggled. "Silly boy spilled right as the concert ended!" she grinned, as she held Josh' arm. "Ain't that cute?" she giggled.
"Ecca please." Josh blushed, a little embarrassed.
"Awww." chorused the two Inklings, mildly chuckling.
"So, anyway, who's coming?" asked Josh.
"Fabian, I think. Ry also too." replied Loper. "Looking to be and grand time here." he quipped. The four chatted amongst themselves, catching up with each other amidst the bustling club music from the club's inside.
Meanwhile, in some alley not too far away, a pink Octoling male was meeting with a few strange-colored Octolings. they took precaution even to conceal themselves to passerby. The group seemed to be in a serious discussion.
"Excellent work so far , Purplemist." saluted a cyan Octoling.
"My pleasure." he replied. "I still got to take care of this…little score I have." he sneered.
"Just do not forget why you were took in." said a second Octoling female, a stern but calm voice about her. The females' voices sounded way different than the regular Octo found nowadays.
"Rest assured." He replied. "Now if you'd excuse me, I'll be on my way." he told the mysterious Octolings. He then nonchalantly walked away as if the chat never happened. He then saw The Squid Party's signage up close, then soon saw a familiar group.
"Aye, what up Fabian!" Eagle greeted, being the first to see him coming.
"Ah Eagle." he greeted back. "How's it goin?" he asked the Inkling.
"Pretty fine, about you?" he asked him. "How's your studies going?"
"Ah, it's a quite a squitstorm, to be honest. But it is a necessary sacrifice." he sighed.
"Hey guys, should we go inside? Tell the rest probably to come inside." offered Loper.
"That's a good idea." nodded Josh. They did go inside, being greeted by the loud and booming beat of The Squid Party's music. The party then secured a table to themselves, right at the outskirts of the dance area. Chatter and music were equally loud, struggling to top the other.
"So drinks?" asked Loper. "First round on me." he offered.
"Vodka?" offered Eagle. "I want those flavored ones."
"Yeah, those sound interesting." Ecca agreed.
"Give me a brandy." Fabian scoffed.
"Everyone else? Ryn?"
"Yeah, I'll have what they're having." he consented. "Update, Lon said she ain't coming." he announced.
"Hmph, figures." Ecca said gruffly. "Not like I needed her around anyway." she simpered.
"Relax, hun." patted Josh. "Hey, Wes and Zoir's coming." he told them.
"Interesting." Eagle remarked. "I think that's everyone, Lope." he told him.
"Right then, off to the bar." he bade his friends. He them made his way to the bar to get his friends drinks.
Meanwhile, the rest of the gang chatted about their lives, exchanging notes. Ecca was making Josh increasingly shy on premise that she was talking about the night Josh revealed his intentions to her. Fabian wasn't impressed at the ongoing tale, but was reeling it in, lest he invoke the others' attention, which isn't ideal to his agenda.
Soon, a male and female Inkling arrived, the female having green, short hair, while the male had a predominantly blue hair that had purple accents at the tips of his slicked back hairdo. The two looked like they were lost, more so the female, but the guy was kind enough to navigate for the both of them.
Soon enough, the group spotted them, prompting Eagle to call them out upon seeing them.
"Yo!" Eagle called to them. They soon looked to the source, then found them.
"Hey, what's good?" Josh greeted the newcomers jovially.
"You came!" Ecca greeted them.
"'Sup, J?" greeted the green-haired female.
"Aye mate." greeted the blue-haired male.
"Yo, how's Aetheria doing?" asked Ryno.
"Good so far, check out the latest chapter!" the green female borderline crowed.
"Calm it down, Wes!" the male chided his partner. "As she was saying, it is going strong, indeed." He affirmed.
"Nice to hear, Zoir." complimented Fabian. "What's the scoop so far?" he asked the male.
"Hmm, a lot of crap going down for sure." Zoir smiled knowingly, settling on a nearby stool. "You gotta pick it up soon. Man, that chapter kicked both our arses for sure." he sighed.
"Yeah, had to summon all the brain cells for that and more…" Wes agreed.
"I can definitely imagine." Fabian agreed. "Meanwhile, exams have been kicking me every coddamned time, with their surprise questions." he sighed. Later, Loper came into view with the drinks, accompanied by the waiter.
"Hey guys!" Loper beamed up, seeing the two new arrivals. "Hey, you two, where had you been, you a little behind!" he chided the two.
"Oof, sorry Loper." quipped Wes. "I see we're on to the drinking already!" she observed.
"Yes, and I bought some for you two." He told them, letting the bartender do his job. Soon, everyone had a beverage in hand.
Meanwhile, a small commotion was caused by the arrival of Callie and Evan, along with a few friends, namely Jesse and Shannon.
"I swear, Cal and Evan should be a thing already…" Wes muttered under her breath. "By the way, congrats on Ecca, Josh." she whispered to him, patting him on the shoulder.
"Yeah, nice work mate." Zoir smiled appreciatively.
"Hey, thanks, you two." Ecca clapped both Inklings on the shoulder surprising them. "There'll be shell to pay if Mr. Cutie Octopus here doesn't live up to his end, right?" Ecca said, side-glancing Josh.
"Yes, love, I know." he scoffed, putting an arm around her. "I would give ya my all, so you shall too." he smiled, partially hugging her. Both chugged their drinks while Ryn, Eagle and Loper were talking in the nearby table, along with Fabian.
Soon, some of them took to the dance floor, most notably Ecca and Josh. Fabian then made a move for the dance floor, soon pairing up with Ecca as Josh rejoined Wes and Zoir back in the tables. Eagle, Loper and Ryno were still having a lively chat with each other, encompassing several topics.
They then got more drinks not too long after. Soon, the conversation got a little more slurred, the alcohol setting in. Meanwhile, Callie and Evan were snuggling in another club, much to the chagrin of Jesse. The two were whispering sweet nothings, pecking each other and random times.
"I'll let you save me over and over again." Callie mewed jokingly, laying her head upon Evan's shoulder. Jesse shook her head on how cheesy it was while Shannon was making kiss gestures, much to the older Inkling's chagrin.
"He-he, I'd rather not." Evan chuckled. "I'd rather not lose you to some villain." he said in a serious tone. "I've had enough of that." he said, snuggling Callie. The music matched the intimate atmosphere that was brewing between Callie and Evan. The pair have been dancing for quite a time, and is content to watch others from the sidelines.
"I love you Evan." Callie whispered to him, blushing. "You're my Squid Charming." she confided, blushing further. "And I trust ya above any male I know of bar Grandpa." she confided in a serious tone. "Sure, I may mess around with those other guys, but I feel confident with you." she softly told him.
"It does show." Evan smiled. "You're the best Cal, and you'll always be valid to me." he told her, swigging some drink, "You're the finest I got, Callie. And not because you're celebrity." he told her in a soft but serious tone. "I saw how you interact with your fans, with your co-idols, your cousin…safe to say, you got me sold." he smiled, caressing Callie's face.
"Aww. Did I won you over?" Callie cooed. She then took a swig of her drink. "Hmm, shall we dance?" she asked Evan. "As a couple." She smiled in a knowing manner, despite the stares and the occasional sneaky cameras.
"Does this mean they're a couple already?" Shannon excitedly.
"Can it, Shannon." chided Jesse.
Meanwhile, over at the other side of the club, Fabian was making underhanded slurs and jokes at Josh's expense. Both Ecca and Josh were mostly brushing it off, but as they've had more drink, Fabian's rants became more indecent and blatant.
"Heh, that Cathhh-fish, hhhhe-eh gon' chew out that girl, trust mheee." he drunkenly said. "And when he done, he'ssss gonna move on to some unfortunate whhoooomy or veehhmo…" he scoffed. "That'sss how he operates, guys." he laughed mirthlessly, dripping sarcasm.
"Uhm, Fabian…" began Loper.
"Sheesh, you know the guy right?" he gestured drunkenly to Loper, laughing thick with sarcasm and malice. "You know how he is with every remotely good looking girl he ever meets." he scoffed more.
"Not this time, bud." Josh interjected. "I am committed now, ya know? No more of that." He told him.
"Bullsquit, Joshua!" Fabian burst out suddenly. "I..know..for a fact you can't keep your other head in check whenever a girl shows motive!" he lashed out.
"Fabian, I'mma ask you to stop right there." Josh warned him, repressing any oncoming anger forming inside him. At that point, the rest of their group was on alert, sensing a fight. Even nearby patrons were a little cautious of the situation.
"What, too true, Catfish?" he mocked him, drunken malice glinting in his gold eyes.
"Fabian…THAT'S ENOUGH." He told the pink Octoling, menace creeping in his voice. He was not taking any more doubt of his love and loyalty to Ecca. At that point, the tension has escalated, and people were intently watching the budding clash.
"This horny squit here even lusted on his boss, Marina!" Fabian continued to blurt out. "The audacity, am I right?" he addressed the club crowd, laughing maliciously. At the mention of the name, Callie cast a look in the general direction of the argument.
"Josh?" Evan asked to himself soflty, watching intently the unfolding chaos. "That newbie.." he muttered, feeling the tension in the air.
"Fabian. STOP." Joshua thundered, anger coming full-force.
"Fabian, stop this, please." Ecca pleaded. "You're drunk." she told him. "And me and Josh are together now, he won't be doing anything you say." she pleadingly told him.
Fabian laughed bitterly. "Oh Ecca." he began, tapping the side of her face. "You have fallen into his trap." shaking his head, still laughing. "Don't tell me I didn't warn you." he said, continuing to laugh. At that point, Josh had enough of Fabian's slander.
"The fuckfish is your problem huh?!" Josh angrily roared at Fabian, shoving him with one hand, which caused Fabian to smile in a "I told 'ya" manner. "I didn't do squit and here you are, slandering me in front of the crowd and a former idol!" he thundered, gesturing at Callie.
Fabian laughed at him, which incensed Josh more. "What,ashamed being exposed?" he smirked. "Well, I'm just trying to rid the world of the likes of you." He smiled smugly. "It'd be a huge favor to the female population." He closed up, sneering at Josh's face. At that point, Evan, Jesse and Shannon are the only ones sober enough to interfere.
"Hey guys, settle down." Evan told both of them. Eagle also stepped in, restraining Fabian.
"Dude, go cool off." Eagle told Fabian. "You're drunk, mate." he sternly told him.
"Nah, I don't think I will" he smirked, "not until everyone here knows what Catfish here is." He blurted out drunkenly.
"That's enough from you." Josh growled, switching into Octo form to let loose from Evan and letting go a punch, which Fabian deflected. Fabian towered over Josh by a considerable amount, but it didn't matter when one is on their boiling point.
Fabian soon broke free of Eagle, then letting loose a mighty punch of his own, which landed on his arm, knocking him off.
"Try me, little squitch." he said, seeing Josh's reaction. Not sparing time for words, he lets loose two punches, to which he replies with his own blows. He then grabs the other Octoling, letting loose a few cheap blows, which then was answered by a punch straight to his middle, immediately followed by a kick between the legs.
Josh's eyes popped at the impact, keeling over, but not giving up. He then lunged at Fabian, readying another blow while grabbing his hair-tentacle, letting loose another blow while stamping on his foot.
"Fabian, Josh, stop!" Ecca told the fighting Octolings, desperate for the madness to stop. The club's bouncers were already moving in to stop the fight from escalating further.
"Sorry, but I can't let this slander by." Josh gurgled, blue trailing from his mouth. He then prepared to defend against another blow Fabian let fly, parrying it albeit poorly. Both males were showing cuts and gashing slightly from the mouth.
Agent reflexes springing to life, Evan got ahold of Josh, while Jesse took ahold of Fabian. Shannon then took to the middle, steeling herself to shout.
"Both of you, stop this!" Shannon barked at the fighting Octolings. "This is not bettering Inkopolis' view of our race!" she growled. All the Inklings, even the Agents were surprised at Shannon sounding real angry, more so Evan and Shannon. Josh was feebly struggling against Evan's grip, while Jesse had took to disabling Fabian, dealing a quick leg kick to his knee.
"Sorry about this guys." Loper spoke up. "Too many drinks and what not." he added. "We'll be leaving." he declared.
"I'll be with Josh." Ecca softly said, clearly ashamed from the kerfuffle that happened. Several others also accompanied Ecca, namely Zoir and Wes. The rest of the group filed out of the club. The crowd then was left chattering about the fight that broke out. They were wondering how did it break out, only to be quickly realizing that there is alcohol in the place and it may have been just it.
Meanwhile, in the taxi cab, Ecca was stroking the fast-asleep Josh, silently cursing the happenings.
"Boy you got a lot to explain when you wake up." she sighed. Josh had blue bruises on face, added by some blue gashes to on his face and knuckles. His hair had definitely been messed up, and was trying to set itself back on its proper places.
Back in The Squid Party, Jesse, Shannon, Evan and Callie were back in their table, discussing the kerfuffle just like everyone else almost.
"Ah alcohol…what it does to people…" Jesse began, shaking her head. She took a swig as she it.
"Yeah. But…didn't research say that being drunk makes you unintentionally reveal secrets and secret feelings?" asked Shannon.
"Guess so…I mean, that's essentially what happened." replied Evan.
"They must have had some beef from long before…" quipped Callie.
"Well, let's just enjoy the night regardless?" asked Callie.
"Agreed." said Evan.
"I think it's time for me book it." announced Jesse. "I'm sure Celia is waiting for me." she told the party, checking her phone for the time.
"Oh? Well, go then, Jesse." assured Shannon. "Cal and Evan got me here."
*The next day…
Josh awoke on Ecca's bed once more, groaning when the pain of his brawl last night came to remind him. Immediately, he looked for his girlfriend, who wa in the kitchen, making breakfast.
"Ah, you're awake." she said in a neutral tone.
"Ecca…about last night…" Josh began tentatively, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let myself loose." he shook his head ashamedly.
"What happened?" she asked seriously, facing Josh.
That is it for this chapter. Hoo boy, that was some fight! Someone's true colors are showing…How would the couple deal with this issue? Would Callie and Evan be a thing finally? Tune in next chapter. Chrono out.