A massive dome entirely void of ink hovered in an area remote enough to be completely unknown to the average resident of Inkopolis. Whatever this place was, it was far, far away from the hotspot of inkling culture. A deep blue sky stretched far beyond what any ordinary inkling could see, distant twinkling stars dancing and pale moonlight beaming down into the circle.
A simple hemisphere-like structure consisting primarily of stone, brick and some metal scraps sat peacefully in the center of the dome. The texture looked reminiscent of apricot colored terracotta flooring. Another chunk of land sat further back, a launchpad placed in the center of it.
An inkling was peacefully sitting there on the hemisphere-like structure with a hero charger by her side, her sparkling yellow eyes scanning the violet sky before her. Soft milky sheets of moonlight illuminated her skin, turning it to a gentle shade of cool pale yellow. Distant noises of what seemed to be machinery echoed in her pointy ears.
She sat cross-legged in the center, allowing the rather chilly air of faltering autumn to brush against her cheeks with a gentle bite. Her tentalocks were up in a bun and her golden ink was stunning compared to the bleak background around her. She sighed quietly, her breath puffing out in front of her.
Quiet footsteps sounded far behind her, causing her head to snap around violently toward the sound. She snatched her charger and stiffened, aiming the weapon in the general direction of where the sound of clicking boots came from.
A dark and rather large silhouette stood atop the launchpad, its species, gender, and motive completely unknown to the inkling. The figure seemed to disappear for a minute, but a wave of dread smacked her harshly once she realized it was super jumping almost to her exact location. Relief briefly swept her mind at the realization of it at least being a cephalopod like herself, but her relief soon perished as its potential motive entered her mind.
It was relatively tall and it appeared to be an inkling but with rounded ears and sleek eyes. The mask over its eyes wasn't like that of an inkling though; there wasn't a bridge over its nose. There was only the black mask over its eyes. Its mask looked more like dramatic eyeliner than the key feature of an inkling. It was most likely a male, judging by its lanky form and lack of a chest. Strangely enough too, he had very long marks coming from his eye mask that reached down to his chin.
The inkling before him gawked at him for a second longer and then shot upward, pointing her charger point blank between his deep red eyes and storing a full charge of ink. "A-are you an octoling?" She stammered, her voice quivering. She was intimidated by this figure, but she didn't want him to be aware of that. However, she was failing at retaining a confident and authoritative demeanor.
He wore a disproportionately large witch-like hat, a thick white faux turtleneck sweater, white combat boots and black pants with a deep violet stripe on each side, indicating his ink color. He stood there, unmoving, steadily holding the gaze of the inkling opposite to him. His posture and body language were calm and relaxed, apparently unafraid of the agent before him. "Well, are you h-hostile?" She asked, gulping and straightening her spine to appear more erect and threatening whilst tightening her grip on her gun.
He smirked slightly, seeming amused. "Of course not, sweetheart," he finally answered, a thick octarian accent in his voice. She relaxed a little bit, relieved to see that he was compliant, but she wasn't entirely enthused about the nickname newly donned on her. She sighed and dropped her charger slightly, hesitantly releasing its charge and carefully relaxing.
"Then what the hell are you doing here? Every resident of Octo Valley has it etched into their dumb little brains that all octolings are hostile. I'm surprised you got past the outpost," she commented pointedly, crossing her arms over her pale red sweatshirt.
"Bored," he said casually, stepping toward her with his arms behind his back and his hands folded. "I would ask you the same question darling," he began, his little smirk widening slightly. "Bored," she mumbled, her black paisley bandana fluttering in the gentle breeze.
"This is where you fought Octavio, correct?" he asked suddenly, peering around at the emptiness. His question seemed misplaced. The inkling agent was also a bit taken aback by the fact that he even knew that. How would he have found that out? "Yeah, what of it?" she retorted quickly, sitting back down and placing her charger at her side. He took a seat next to her, but squatted instead of sitting on his bum with his knees propped up like the inkling was.
"Didn't think you would want to come back to this place, hm? I certainly wouldn't," there was an uncomfortable pause after he said that. It seemed like he was trying to sympathize with her. "Y'know, since it would bring back some.. Unfavorable memories, yes?" he continued, his voice trailing off a little. "Yeah," she murmured, gazing around the area aimlessly. "It's just so beautiful," she breathed softly, aimlessly staring off into the night sky like an awestruck child would.
"Reminds me of something," the octoling said suggestively, glancing over at the inkling by his side. "We've barely known each other for like, what, five minutes, and you're already flirting with me?" she laughed, blushing slightly by the sudden affirmation, subtle (or not) as it is. "Mhm," he replied, a twinge of cockiness in his tone. "Whatever you say, octoboy," She scoffed jokingly, glaring at him playfully while he returned her expression with a smirk.
His massive hat bounced on the strange yet gentle breeze, the deep violet undertone quite attractive. His crimson eyes sparkled against the sky and his tan skin was gently illuminated by the moonlight. The inkling next to him was starstruck, gazing him up and down. He took notice of this rather quickly, but he waited to say something until after some time passed. "Am I a flashlight, or are you just happy to see me?" He asked rather provocatively, raising an eyebrow while she quickly looked away, noticeably flustered.
"Shut up, smartass! I barely know you! I don't even know your damn name!" She shot back sharply, baring her teeth. The octoling laughed out loud at this comment. He was clearly entertained by her attitude. "Well, I don't know yours either, Miss Agent 4," he responded pointedly, still smirking at her.
"Well, I'm Natasha," she said, her expression softening slightly. "Pretty name you have there. A little better than 'Agent 4', in my opinion," he chuckled. He stood up in front of Natasha and offered his hand for her to take. She smiled and blushed slightly at this gesture but nonetheless proceeded to slip her pale hand into his tanned one. "So, you?" Natasha asked shyly, standing closely in front of him, their hands still intertwined. "Oh, my name? I thought it was smartass," he grinned, playfully giving Natasha the stink eye.
"I can't believe you," she whined, yanking her hand from his grip, slowly becoming skeptical. "Oh relax, I'm just playing around," he said jokingly, a stupid smile plastered on his face. She huffed and crossed her arms, turning her head around to look at the octoling before her with a sassy expression. His grin faltered into a gentle smile, his deep red eyes twinkling like the stars behind his mysterious figure. "Iso Dunar, Miss Natasha."