"It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?" Her blissful tone matching her peaceful expression, looking over to her partner that sat beside her. Her cheeks are welcomed by the gentle kiss from the warmth of the sun's rays as she gazes at her aloof partner, who kept a focused gaze on the bluish orange horizon.
"Yes. However, something feels strange. I don't know why, but this morning I feel...uneasy."
"I wasn't too rough with you during the night, was I?" she teased with a wink showing a little bit of her tongue, knowing just the right things to get her to blush.
"S-stop that! It's too early in the morning for your usual antics."
"That's why we're married! Til death do us part, I'll continue being the excitement in your life. Even if you get annoyed." she said booping her nose with a giggle; around that moment, their butler arrives with a tea set that matches the decor of the room behind them.
"Madam Reina, I have brought the tea as requested." he announces in the most respectful of tones, bowing before the couple and then awaiting placement.
"Ah, Matsuamo!" She clapped happily; "Thank you." Reina said gesturing for him to rest the tea beside the couple as they gaze at the orange glow of the ascending sun off into the horizon of blue from the comfortable seats of two cushioned chairs facing the east. A tranquil morning for the couple, they drink their tea and enjoy the ambiance of nature as the morning birds chirp. Reina's gaze at Hanazami was as warm as the calming heat of the tea in her hands, her cheeks reddening a bit as she looks ahead with a smile. "I wish moments like this could be everlasting."
Hanazami's uncertain eyes wander to her cup of fresh tea, staring at her reflection with doubt that these peaceful days could last. As she looks over to her wife who looked to have found a rare type of peace, she couldn't deny this strange sensation of guilt overcoming her. With a hardened look, she gathers the courage to disrupt the serenity of the moment. "I don't know why, but I feel like chaos is approaching. Whether it's good or bad is still unknown, but I have a sneaky feeling like I'll be absent."
Reina smiled to herself as she sips her tea, "Those types of thoughts are so like you-though I don't mind it." Hanazami's eyes soften as the shine from the sun hit Reina at such an angle that it creates a glow that magnifies her beauty, which made her appreciate the time she spent with her and understand that her comment just now was out of place. "What's wrong? Is that all?" she joked, saying afterwards that her beauty must've caught her off guard.
Hanazami shakes her head, "Never a dull thing said out of your mouth…"
Reina makes a victory sign, "Guilty as charged!" She joked, taking her hand. The two take in the beauty of the morning sun that overlooks Meiju, lighting up the village like lantern during a festival at night.
Deep within the city of Inkopolis, the capital of the nation with the same name and epicenter of all things relating to the culture of inklings as well as the continent of Inkland, A critical meeting is about to be held within a conference room. This is no regular meeting. The fate of an entire nation and even other nations are all in their hands as the sum of about 50 leaders and their closest of followers attended this meeting. From gangsters and mob bosses to leaders of mercenary groups, this meeting constructed by Cap'n Cuttlefish and the Squidbeak Splatoon was an attempt by the elderly leader to create a force strong enough to intercept the attacks of the enemy and also dish out an attack of their own-all under the noses of the government, which is in shambles with their future in a path of uncertainty as they wrestle with finding out who murdered their newly elected prime minister that left a vacant spot yet to officially be filled. That cloud overlooking the meeting room, it was gathered with many notable names and faces as well as some fresh ones that held incredible power within the industry, in the underworld, and all walks of life. From the New Squidbeak Splatoon led by Cap'n Cuttlefish to Akane Yoshikara of her family, to the many other dons and kingpins of the underbelly of inkopolis, they're also joined by the royale siblings, who were in attendance in secrecy of the government they served. Even Mario Sororia of the Sororia-Galloway alliance was in attendance thanks to the influence of Violet, who was also in attendance by Sky's request. Countless familiar faces, scary ones too, and a few friendly ones, Azule felt a little overwhelmed seeing so many decorated people who lived such private lives all gathered together for a single cause. He found it amazing that so many people could gather together, and noticed that all this was possible because of an old guy, which made him wonder: Exactly who is Cap'n Cuttlefish? How powerful of a leader could he be that even his parents behaved with the utmost respect when in his presence.
"A big crowd today…" Cap'n muttered trembling involuntarily, having to take a seat in the center chair to stay still. "From my agents patrolling this floor to the strongest of your hired forces, I'm sure we're all wary of one another. But there is a reason why I have assembled you all here." he spoke, his tone raised and clear enough that even those standing at the opposite end of the room behind their bosses as guards could hear every word with clarity. To start off, Cap'n thanked everyone for attending the meeting and explained the importance of their appearance there. Several leaders didn't like the slow pace the captain was going and threatened to speed it up, but before Maya or Julian could enforce their terrifying aura, Sky beat them to it and warned them with just a glare.
"What's so scary about a kitten's glare?" one of the bosses taunted, prompting the others to laugh in unison, while others like Akane and Mario kept quiet.
The trembling vanished as Cuttlefish's voice deepened, "Don't underestimate that child. Her parents are none other than Agents 3 and 4, who are also in attendance beside me." he implored with caution.
A pit of tension, the air felt thin and warm-enough to make one cough in an unpleasant manner, the pressure becomes all the more suffocating as certain personalities made their presence felt early on by making their introduction into the discussion. Cap'n Cuttlefish folds his hands and nods to Agent 8 to step forward and carry on for him. She steps forward with her hands behind her back accompanied with a menacing glare to remind the leaders at the table that she won't tolerate any acts of immaturity. She starts by explaining the situation at hand by introducing what many of the leaders in attendance already knew: the current condition of Inkopolis has left the nation vulnerable to several threats both economically and politically, with issues like the Ixia faction appearing and the growing concerns of foreign superpowers preparing to take action against the country. It all stems from the root: Without an acting prime minister in office, a sign of weakness is given as the current government is split with both morality and its policies. On one side stands the Liandt faction-the people who run the more important roles in government and have been in charge for most of the nation's history, and the other, the Netifla faction-a combative side with the majority but often find conflict among themselves in trying to compete with the Liandt faction. In the face of this divide, which stemmed from the uncertainty of what the vision of Inkopolis should look like now that their new face-A former priest who preached to keep things the way they were so as to maintain balance-was no more, the factions were struggling for power to take majority. In the Liandt faction, they wanted things to stay the same. They wanted to continue the policies already put in place while enforcing some hard lined rules such as the deportation of all Cuttlefish and Octolings, as well as perform tax raises on the middle class and the lower class and tax cuts on the wealthy, believing the best way to continue the growth of Inkopolis was through an approach favoring the top echelon. The Liandt faction also had a response to the growing concerns of foreign aggression: Bring it on! The Liandt faction believed that though they were without a leader for now, Inkopolis still boasted the most powerful military and navy ono the continent and had no reason to fear the power of the other nations who were trying to catch up. On the other side saw more divide with the Netifla faction emerging as the leading force. Led by an energetic young member of parliament, he became the voice of many as he spoke out on the injustices against the octolings and octarians, and the ignorance of the Cuttlefish. His faction had the opposite mindset from Liandt regarding taxes and believed that there should be peace rather than foreign aggression. With those sides clashing, it'd be difficult for the country to focus on the social issues at hand as their country was at a crossroads in the capital. "And thus, that is where we come in." she said taking a few seconds to catch her breath, then continuing. She explained that her mission was to roam Octaria-the underground nation of the Octarians where those forbidden to see the surface had to remain-and collect as much information as possible. Revealing all the valuable information she gathered. She explained that the current situation in Octaria is one of preparations for a war, and they aren't alone. She suspects that they are receiving outside help from those on the surface, and their target obvious: Inkopolis. "I believe that the Octarians are suffering a situation similar to ours where their leaders in charge don't have the hearts of the people as their priority. When the King known as DJ Octavio became a prisoner of war, his wife took over in his absence. Her rule has seen Octaria once again mobilize forces for a military and continue to run disturbing experiences all for the sake of their military might. She grimaced while going into details of the horrid experiments and torture being done on her brethren, and explained with hope that the King has changed sides. Thanks to a change of heart after breaking out of prison, he returned home and clashed with her, instead preferring to seek alliance with Inkopolis to help in rebuilding Octaria and establish diplomatic relations. But the Queen kicked him out the palace due to a disagreement over the future of the country. It seems like right now DJ Octavio believes that what his wife is doing is absolutely wrong and only doomed to repeat history yet again and has aligned himself with his daughter Princess Magenta and her efforts to take back the country. Princess Magenta is a good friend of Agent 5 here, and she has asked for our assistance in helping Octaria. She is faithful in our assistance proving useful in deepening our ties with the octarians to pave a path of coexistence. I strongly agree with that."
Several of the leaders felt reluctant to have sympathy since they had ties to the previous wars that occurred, while younger leaders like Akane were on board with the idea of extending a hand to them, believing that now was the best time to make amends. Agent 8 explained that the Octarians weren't alone in the mobilization of a military and suspected that they were being aided in technology and events of the surface world through other parties, which she pointed to Ixia and a certain clan of shinobi. She was sure that the same powerful nations looking to fight Inkopolis were working with her under the table, since around this time would be problematic with the conference approaching. Due to the conference happening, this opens the way for a possible alliance since all parties have a joint enemy in Inkopolis. Ixia wanted a social revolution to wipe away the culture established, Octaria wanted revenge for the failures of the previous war and to take what rightfully belonged to them in their hearts-believing to be the true dominant race despite being regarded as inferior, and the powers of Squirabia and Mollusca simply acted for their own greed. "The turmoil we face is stacked in ways unprecedented, and in times like this is when we should come together. To rely on our government would be a folly too costly." she said while driving home the fact that the vulnerable nation of Inkopolis faces social terrorism from Ixia, foreign aggression from Squirabia and Mollusca, and revenge from Octaria underground. In a way, the eastern nation was trapped in a corner. Everyone was dumbfounded by the ocean of intelligence given from the octoling's mouth, much to her pleasure as she felt joy in shutting everyone up. Even Julian couldn't help but snicker at their perplexed faces as some had their mouths dropped trying to process everything. That was only the beginning, as up next came Julian to highlight the plan of Rapture. To combat the looming threat of a possible alliance stacked with such power, the New Squidbeak Splatoon turned to them: the various bosses of the underworld, from leaders of mercenaries and militia to gangsters and crime bosses; they needed all the help they could get. Julian explained that though he had members of the military attending the military, they were acting of their own volition by attending, swearing to share no details with the government: an act that would possibly get them prosecuted if they made one wrong move. Julian believed that the current faction of Liandt didn't have the heart of Inkopolis in mind, and found that the attack on the capital was the perfect move to attack and defend.
"Since you all have connections, we'd like you to play your part. Obviously we can't prevent the attack but we can control the damage. More than likely, the capital will sustain damages, but by no means does that allow us to let it be seized by the enemy. Agent 8 predicts that the enemies will work clever rather than boorish. They'll start by launching a cyber attack to create mass hysteria, and from there, the attack of the Octarians will happen. To counter that, we must take measures to stop the cyber attack, and have a moderate defense force ready on the ground."
"What about civilians? Won't they be in trouble if the attack is in the capital?"
Julian shakes his head, "Not if you do your part. To avoid any casualties during the execution of this operation, we expect those participating to use their power in the underground to give subtle hints at an evacuation. Encourage it through any form whether in local businesses and networking to social media platforms. Get the people out of the capital at all costs."
"What about the government? Won't they get tipped off too and be suspicious?"
Maya steps forward, "There is a likelihood that the government can detect the threat ahead of time and plan their own operation, but that's why we have Head General of the Inkopolis army-Lime Royale and Second-in-command-Verde Royale in our services. Their responsibilities are to provide any updates on the situation happening within the capital and give us time to counteract."
"Even if we go on the defense and protect the capital, won't that elicit a response from the higher ups? I doubt they'll take it lying down."
Julian's eyes light up at the question, "They won't have time to worry about that when they'll all be in attendance at the Ravia conference. Only the minor members affiliated with parliament will be left behind and even then, the capitol building itself will be closed with only staff members being allowed in there."
Maya unfolds her arms, "He mentions the conference since we believe that the attack happen simultaneously…"
Akane goes into a thinking pose digesting everything, "I see. If there are multiple attacks occurring around the same time and your staff plans to do a covert operation to intercept them, it makes sense that you'd need help. If you add in the situation at Octaria, it also makes sense since they can also lend a hand if there is a resistance willing to cooperate with us. So then-"
"The goal of rapture is to minimize as much damage while in turn helping everyone else. The civilians of Inkopolis, the world leaders in Ravia, and the Octarians." Sky said with an approving nod, impressed that Akane was the first among the guests to keep up with the influx of data.
It took a bit of some silence but after reviewing everything with a few whispers, many of the guests warmed up to the idea of Rapture. Some people were still reluctant about the situation with Octaria, but many were interested in the situation with the Ravia conference, and almost everyone was on board with the idea of protecting the capital city at all costs. Cap'n Cuttlefish notices that the tension in the room is slowly getting sucked away thanks to the cooperation of Akane, who started the conversation among the other leaders, which gave him an opportunity to dive further into the situation at Ravia now that the others showed interest. He starts by discussing the important date of the event to give everyone an idea of how much time they have to work with. The conference would take place in late May and would last 3 days, to which he emphasized that the attack would be on the first day more than likely. This meant that there were only a couple weeks of preparation, which he emphasized that they only had a couple days to make a decision, which shocked a few leaders and put a few back on the fence after seemingly warming up to the plan. Regardless, he continued and stated that with all the world leaders gathered and the suspicion of other parties being involved with Octaria, it was believed that some of the world powers were plotting something that would be carried out during the conference, though what that was still remained unknown. He did however, teased that he had something up his sleeve, though leaving vague hints about the details to the latter half of his two-part plan. With everyone's focus on him, he decided now to be the perfect time unveil a key member to the this operation, who would play a big role in more ways than one.
"Principal Telfin!?" the students hollered with a ghostly color; Telfin smiled and waved, then held his finger to his mouth to have them lower their tones, citing it to be unwise to lose their composure in front of so many dangerous people.
The principal of Squid Academy revealed his true identity as Mack Netifla, the vocal leader of the faction looking to bring progressive change to the government. Many of the bosses start to adjust their posture in the seats with quick glances to the men and women accompanying them, as though signaling to be on their guard now that a big politician was in their presence. Mack assured everyone that there were no ulterior motives to his appearance, rather that he too chose to play a part in this mission of his own accord. Explaining his cause for being here, much of it related to his friendship with Cap'n Cuttlefish, but also went back to his roots as someone affiliated with the New Squidbeak Splatoon, to which he's been responsible for the addition of Agents 5 and 6 to the squad as prodigal talents. In his turn to convince the leaders to join their cause, he explained the current situation of the general public and what effects could happen should the capital go under siege of the enemy forces. In an evolving nation like Inkopolis where the tolerance of species rapidly improved with even the once hated enemy octolings even finding a way to live on land in unity for the most part, he also highlighted that the progress could easily be destroyed if nothing is done. Next he mentioned the importance of the conference, citing that the plan would be carried out in three different locations at the same time. He starts with the Ravia conference and their scheduling. Lately the conference known as the most important in the world since it gathers all world leaders together had been going through changes from its usual date which has led to shifts in dates. The reason for this shift in the schedule was because of a scheduling conflict of the conference and highly anticipated International tournament that took place in the same area that would've caused major traffic problems as well as safety concerns for both events. Coming to an agreement to change the dates to avoid problems, both sides rescheduled with the Ravia conference-lasting just a few days-rescheduling to the middle of May-starting in a couple weeks, and the summer tournament pushing its date to early June to also allow teams competing to have more time for preparation with the event starting in early June and running all the way into mid July. He explains that Ravia will be a prime target for an enemy attack because of the high risk of the leaders being gathered together in such a dense location, one where even though it would be the most heavily guarded on the continent, the risk of firepower at the leaders would still be high. And thus, this alone was enough reason to concentrate their defenses there. Agent 3, and Agent 4 were expected to be in command of the unit in charge of Ravia, with their young prodigy for a son, Azule, joining the mix. The blank faced Azule quickly caught up on the situation once he heard his name called and of the company he'd be with-already group with being under his parent's supervision, though it made sense. From the briefing they did earlier prior to the meeting, Cap'n Cuttlefish already decided on his squads for each area now that new parties were joining the core. For the Ravia Conference, Maya, Julian, and Azule would be there for the conference, though for different circumstances. In Octaria, Eight, Sky, and Pastelle would team up with Shiva and her resistance to overthrow the Queen of Octaria before she can start a war. And last is Inkopolis, where Callie, Marie, Pearl, Marina, Lime, and Verde, would concentrate on protecting home turf. Cap'n Cuttlefish would be journeying to Ravia along with Mack to attend the conference as representatives of Inkopolis, since Liandt of Parliament would also be attending with some members from his faction. A conclusion to the meeting, they decided to take any questions and concerns anyone might have, which was met with questions seeking more information and clarification on some of the subjects that were fuzzy. Readily, Cap'n Cuttlefish took all questions and answered them to the best of his ability. After several questions were answered well enough, many of the people in attendance had to admit that they were interested in lending their services with many deciding that they'll return in a couple days with their proposal for what their reward should be. As the meeting comes to its end, there was an unspoken rule established at the end that all the leader knew: don't leak anything that happened here.
Everyone dismissed following the closing statement, and throughout the halls of the floor see bosses and leaders from families, syndicates and organizations form into their own little groups to discuss among themselves where they stand on the pan: whether to join or decline. One specific boss already felt compelled by what she saw that she somewhat had an idea of where her mind was on the matters, but alas, there was so much to digest that simply having an answer within a couple days was baffling of an idea. Surrounded by her trusty men Yuuya and Takui, along with Harley and some other unfamiliar men who were probably executives in the family. Joined by the company of Violet and Sky, who were now good friends with Akane thanks to exchanging numbers and spending a day hanging out together, they saw her as more of a big child than an imposing adult based on how similar her interests were to theirs; she loved cars like Sky and enjoyed reading novels, which made Violet feel more comfortable that she had someone to relate to. Asking for how she felt about the meeting and the whole situation around the plan explained, they were met by an unusual silence from the Yakuza boss, who kept her gaze at the floor in deep concentration. Even in a building filled with scary men, Akane always managed to keep her fashion as flashy as possible, with a pink fur trench coat with slim white jeans and some velvet heels. Akane's fingertips touch each other as she sits forward glaring at the ground, "There are three locations of interest: Ravia-where the goal is to protect the leaders there and await some major announcement, Inkopolis-defend the capital from being seized by the Octarians, and Octaria-aid the resistance and take back the throne with DJ Octavio on our side. Honestly, this is an unreal development to just make a decision in a couple of days."
Sky shrugs her shoulders, "I knew you'd make a face like that once you knew the plan. Unfortunately, we have to get into action as soon as possible, so anyone still on the fence will be considered out of participation"
"W-well yeah, when you proposed the idea to me, I was curious. But this...this is a massive plan. I'm just wondering…"
"Wondering what?" Violet asked, dressed in some slacks and suspenders while holding her jacket, her hat a little too big for her, which is why she was hiding her face a little in the baggy clothes.
Akane chuckled, "How do you plan on handling this if no one agrees? I'm aware that many will probably stake at helping defend the capital, but to help the octarians who are looking for war with us, and to protect the conference where many of our enemies are just doesn't seem so sensible."
Sky grins, "We're aware of how ludicrous this plan is, but it's necessary. The stakes require us to take such gambles."
Akane liked the sound of that. Nothing made her blood flow better than such a risky situation where the rewards could be bigger than anything imaginable. Her stance on the matter was still undecided, as was everyone else in the meeting who didn't appreciate only having a couple of days to decide before returning to this building for a follow up with anyone in attendance being considered part of the plan. At first, it was risky to give away so much information to people who wouldn't be on board with the plan, but Agent 8 assured Cap'n and everyone there to give them time and they'll eventually join. The shock would be enough to deter them, but once they slept on it, matters would change. With Sky, Azule, Violet, Fuchsia and Pastelle driving together to hang out now that their morning was free, the rest of the crew back at the campus were preparing how to start their day. For Reice, he's cooking breakfast for him and Todd, who placed in his order as usual; today's meal was an omelet loaded with peppers and mushrooms, joint by the decoration of some fresh fruits with french toast he made himself; though Todd still tried to keep up a tough guy act, he couldn't deny how delicious Reice's cooking was, and as such only allowed mornings like today to be the only time he could open up and be honest with himself, forced to hide this side from Azule for obvious reasons. Reice welcomed it, finding it adorable that even the standoffish Todd had a soft side, joking that he was a simple person.
"I see your belly is more honest than you! Say, you should get yourself someone that can cook...got your eyes on anyone?" Reice poked with a chuckle as he doused some spices on the eggs, with the assorted fruits already cut and placed neatly on the plates; he was only waiting on the french toast now.
Todd blushed a little at the thought but didn't budge, "A little too personal. Just stick to cooking the food."
"Ah, you're the shy type. Got it." he snickered.
The aroma circulates through the room and tickles Todd's nostrils to such a point that relying on the sounds of the food cooking was more torture than pleasure. Scratching the back of his head, he looks at the back of the concentrating Reice and asks, "What about you? Isn't there a person you like? Tell me yours and maybe I'll budge."
Reice laughs, "The girl I like isn't interested in me. She's a tough one to understand at times, but that's what I admire about her."
"Sounds like you have it rough."
Reice shakes his head, "I'd rather her be honest than lie to me under the impression that it would make me happy. I'm glad she's the way she is. Even then, I've been hearing plenty of rumors that an upperclassman is crushing on me, though I'm not sure who they are or what their name is." Todd shook his head, finding it admirable how dense his roommate could be since he knew that upperclassmen was Bianca, Reice's senior in the police club. "So, Mr. Harem!" his eyes sparkle; "You're the only captain in the school with such a ratio for a team. Care to tell me if you're crushing on one of them? Hm?"
"I-it's not like that! I don't see them that way!"
"But Sandra's so dependable, Audrey is super fun to talk to, and Hannah is super cute! How in the world are you able to resist even flirting with them!? Honestly, you're unfair!"
"Please don't talk about them like that…" he sighed; "They're my teammates and I care about them deeply, but I don't see them in that way. They're kind of like really good friends to me now. I'd like to keep it that way."
"BLEH!" Reice playfully yelled sticking out his tongue at Todd.
Finishing the omelets and french toast, the pair continue their morning conversations to a delicious breakfast. Around that same time, Jory was heading out for a jog to the Inkopolis Square to do some matches in ranked, Kosami was already at the Square but for a different reason as she had been called into work early. Today was also the day Sally would be discharged and there to accompany her were none other than her two biggest fans: Marigold and Canary. Also joined by Leor, who came on behalf of Mika-trapped in the recording studio working on her next album, she offered to join her on the way to the Villa since the little sisters couldn't join them yet, vowing to be there along with the others in the following week. With everyone's lives seemingly returning to normal, little do they know that this is only the dawn of chaos. In the shadows, many are plotting different evils: From Ixia and other familiar foes who had a personal vendetta against Squidcom, to enemies who didn't even know of them. Squidcom's days of peace were numbered.
