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Agent 4: The answer may come sooner than you may think... But regardless, that doesn't mean I plan to pair Alexis with anyone. She's a strong, independent inkling ;)

On to the story. Some of Bisk, Jelfonzo, Flow, and Craymond's dialogue come from Splatoon 2.

Octavia's PoV

Squidmas Eve. It was special to Octavia for two reasons.

First, it was Alexis's birthday. It amazed her that she was 16 now—the same age Via was when her little sister first joined the Rainbow Squids. Now, Alexis had left the group, leaving them with seven members again, just like it was before Geneva left on her vacation. Even if she still battled with them sometimes, Octavia started to doubt she would ever fully rejoin them. It was a shame, given how much everyone enjoyed her presence.

Second, it was the day she had her first kiss. Four years ago, she had very briefly a dated a girl from her school—so brief that out of the Rainbow Squids, only Bonnie and Geneva were aware of it. They went on a date for Squidmas, and as snow fell on Urchin Underpass, they pressed their lips together, sharing a kiss. They broke up a week later, but Octavia held the memory fondly.

Squidmas itself wasn't exactly ideal. Despite being a time where many inklings got together with their families to celebrate the holidays, that has not been the case for Octavia's family for a very long time. Her dad was always busy with work, whether it'd be grading papers or researching into a topic for days at a time. Most of her family lived far from Inkopolis, too, so they rarely had the chance to travel to Inkopolis. And, as her mom had argued, their house was too small to host either side of the family anyways.

Alexis's proper birthday celebration would be tonight. As the sun reached its peak in the sky, the sisters wandered through the streets of Inkopolis, towards the Deca Tower. While not many inklings participated in ink battles during the holidays, it still wasn't hard to find them. That was their plan for today—fight in some turf wars. Alexis doubted they'd be able to get into a league match today.

As they entered Inkopolis Square, Via was quick to notice some familiar faces sitting outside of the lobby. Orange eyes fell on Oscar and Yvonne, who ate dango together. The former was hunched over, looking at his phone, while the latter blabbed away in-between bites. She couldn't tell if the boy was paying attention to his teammate, but occasionally, she saw him nod.

"Hey," she greeted, walking up to them.

Alexis tugged at her wrist. "Do we have to talk to them?"

Lowering her voice, she whispered back, "We'll have time to spare, don't worry." Her sister raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more.

Oscar lifted his head, blinking. "It is you." He took a bite out of his dango, still nonchalant.

"It of the surprise to see you!" Yvonne bubbled. "Have you come to be battling as well?"

"We were not going to the battle," the orange-haired boy argued, shaking his head. "Only relax."

"Well, we're gonna battle," Alexis announced, stepping up. "And if you're not gonna battle, then fine by me."

"What about we joining you?" Yvonne suggested. "It rare we battle with you."

Her sister's face fell. "Eh..."

"Maybe not today," Octavia interjected. "But we could battle with you another time."

Oscar's eyes narrowed. "Odd. You usually scold Alexis for being rude to us."

Leaning closer, she whispered to the duo, "It's her birthday." She smiled. "Just let her have this day, alright?"

"Ohhh, I see," the yellow-haired girl remarked. "Then, make her happy! I want to see her smile!"

"The Octarians rarely celebrate individual birthdays," Oscar added. "Only important birthdays, like the birthday of Octavio." He smiled. "Another thing I like about Inkopolis. Your own birthday not feel like an ordinary day."

"That's...kind of sad, actually," Via remarked.

Once again, she felt her wrist being tugged at. "Can we go now?" Alexis asked.

"Fine, fine," she sighed. As her sister dragged her off, she raised a hand, waving goodbye. "I'll talk to you later!"

"Goodbye!" Yvonne called. "May we meet again!"

The whistle blew, and Octavia lifted the bristles of her Octobrush Nouveau off of the ground, out of breath. That was an intense match, more than what she expected from a turf war! She surveyed the area, trying to calculate in her head who would win. But it was too close. Only Judd could know now.

"Oh my cod!" she heard a voice call. A fair-skinned inkling with wavy hair like hers ran past her, bumping into her and not bothering to apologize. Orange eyes followed her, and she saw the newcomer run up to an inkling boy on her team, kneeling down to stare into his green eyes. "Are you OK?!"

"I'm fine," he assured her, rubbing his arm. It had darkened from a huge bruise, spanning from the tips of his fingers up to just below his elbow. "Don't worry."

"No, you're not fine," she scolded. "Your arm literally got crushed!"

"But it'll be alright, won't it?" A toothy grin donned his tanned face, though he struggled to hold it. "If I splat, then it'll be back to normal."

She lightly tapped his head with her Inkbrush, and he rubbed it after the brush had been removed. "The match ended, dummy. You can't splat now."

Octavia remembered what happened now—they were battling on Snapper Canal, and towards the end of a match, a box fell from the bridge above, landing right on her teammate and immobilizing him. Alexis and their other teammate managed to get the box off of him, but he could barely fight, considering his weapon of choice was a Slosher Deco. With how close the match was to ending, there was no way for him to escape serious injury.

"What if I just jumped in the water?" he suggested. "I splat, and bam, I go right back to the spawn point, and it'll be like nothing ever happened."

"Are you serious? I don't know if that'll even work!" she denied. "And I'm not losing you today."

The boy blinked, surprised. "But what about hockey practice? I can't miss one of those." He frowned, averting her gaze. "And I can't even play in turf wars if it hurts too much to hold anything."

"Well, there's nothing you can do about it now." She placed a kiss on his forehead and whispered something Octavia couldn't hear. But at the sight, she merely frowned.

Ever since Roy announced he was dating Oscar, she had started to notice a lot more couples in her life. Some of her classmates had started dating, and even as she battled, quite a few people she came across were couples. Even Geneva was dating someone—her own friend and teammate!

Now, she, too, wished she could be dating someone. But she didn't even know where to start. With her crushes, she knew she had no chance with them. Perhaps it would be better if she didn't try to pursue anything, but she couldn't simply push aside her jealously. For now, impulse ruled over logic.

She had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Judd and Li'l Judd's arrival. Only the sound of Alexis's cheering brought her back to reality, and her gaze drifted past the couple, towards the two cats. The larger one held out a pink flag, marking her team the winner of the match. She smiled, though the adrenaline from the match had faded.

"Via...?" Her sister lowered her hand, a smile fading away. "Are you OK?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, Alexis, but..." She sighed. "I don't think I'll be battling more today."

She pouted. "Aw..."

She patted her head. "Hey, we can make up for it another time."

Despite the saddened expression on her face, Alexis took a deep breath and simply said, "OK."

They super-jumped back to the Deca Tower, where Via was able to view the results of this match. She only skimmed over it to see that she had gotten the most splats out of everyone this match. Alexis opted to stay in the lobby, allowing Via to slip outside, putting her weapon away in the Rainbow Squids' storage room before heading out towards Inkopolis Square.

As she left the Deca Tower, her tentacles changing from pink to orange, she spotted Oscar and Yvonne once more, though they had now finished their dango. Yvonne sported some poses as she stood in front of her friend, trying to grab his attention.

Eventually, he looked up, but his eyes drifted past her. "You are back."

"Huh?" The dark-skinned girl whipped around, and her eyes went wide. "You are back!"

"Alexis is not with you," Oscar observed.

"Obviously," Yvonne argued. "She probably wants to battle more."

"That's exactly the case," Via confirmed. "I felt down, so I decided to stop playing for now."

She tilted her head. "Felt...down?"

She gave a nervous chuckle. "Like, you know...not feeling well."

"Oh, I see!" Yvonne chirped. "Why is that?"

"Nothing much." Octavia rubbed the back of her head. "Just thinking about how many people I know are dating someone."

"So, you be wanting to get a boyfriend," Oscar deduced. "Or a girlfriend."

She nodded quickly. "Exactly. But I don't even know where to start."

The octoling girl reached out a hand. "I can help."

Even in her shock, she found herself reaching out for Yvonne's hand. "You can?"

"Yes! I say my love advice is good!"

She retracted her hand, crossing her arms. "You sure?"

Past Yvonne, Octavia noticed Oscar simply giving a shrug, mouthing something she couldn't quite make out. But, his meaning seemed to be clear: just go along with it. Knowing Yvonne, surely she meant no harm in it, unlike the last person who claimed to be a love advisor—Tiffany. As per Inigo's words, that was how she originally presented herself to him.

"Yes, sure," she reiterated. "I am knowing a person you could date."

Suddenly, hope fluttered in her chest. "Tell me more."

Yvonne cleared her throat, and then, she began to elaborate. "An octoling I meet recently—she just reach Inkopolis. She feel bad for leaving her girlfriend. So, if she has a new girlfriend, then maybe she be more happy. She can speak Inkling good, too. You can talk to her better than me."

Like that octoling from the Splatfest, Via recalled. Tray, or whatever his name was. Yvonne remarked he could speak Inkling well, too. "So, where can I meet her?" she then asked, putting a hand on her hip.

"I can call her," she suggested. She pulled a phone out of her pocket, dark-skinned fingers tapping away at the screen. "Right now!"

"Right now?" Oscar snapped his head up, eyes wide. To be honest, Octavia had already forgotten he was even listening to their conversation.

"Yes!" She could hear some ringing from Yvonne's phone, and then it stopped, a new voice speaking on the end. Immediately, she began speaking in her native tongue, walking down the ramp and out into the open. Oscar lifted himself off his seat and began to trail behind her, and in response, Via started to follow him. By the time they reached the Crust Bucket, Yvonne hung up, and she turned to face the group, a big smile still on her face. "She will meet you here!" she announced. "She arrive shortly."

"Shortly?" Via blurted. "Where even is she?"

"She just finish battle," the yellow-haired girl explained. "Not much longer now."

Octavia turned her attention towards the Deca Tower, expecting someone to emerge from it any minute now. Soon enough, a girl she didn't recognize stepped outside, the sunlight hitting her tapered tentacles. They were tied back into a ponytail, swaying gently. Like she had expected, she wore starter gear, though an octopus pin was visible on the front of her shirt. Her footsteps soon picked up in pace, eyes widening on sight of Yvonne.

"There you are!" she called. The newcomer stopped right in front of the trio, a smile tugging at her lips. Red eyes focused on Octavia. "This is the inkling you were talking about?"

"Yes," Yvonne confirmed. Stepping between the two girls, she gestured towards the stranger. "Octavia, this is Eden. Eden, this is Octavia."

Eden outstretched a hand. "Nice to meet you." While she seemed sincere, Via couldn't help but think that something else was on her mind.

Nonetheless, she took it, and the two shook hands. "Same goes to you."

When they let go of each other, she put a hand on her chin. "You have heard of my situation, correct?"

"Yeah, you just came to Inkopolis, and you miss your girlfriend, right?"

"Yes. Yvonne is trying to cheer me up—which is where you come in."

"Well, then..." Octavia smiled, clasping her hands together. "Date, start!"

"Already?" She smirked. "You move fast."

"Have fun," Oscar interjected.

"Yes! May this date be a good date!" Yvonne declared.

The inkling girl turned towards Eden. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Before she could respond, she was already being dragged off to the Galleria, towards the nearest building to their location—Shella Fresh. A soft guitar melody could be heard from within, and when they stepped inside, Bisk lifted his head, adjusting his sunglasses.

"Dude!" He put his claws together, making a clacking sound and turning the girls' attention towards him. "Welcome to Shella Fresh!"

"What do you sell here?" Eden immediately asked.

"Shoes, duh," the spider crab replied. "You look fresh out of the ink, but I can sense some sick vibes out of ya. With my kicks, you can be even fresher."

The octoling stared at him dumbfounded. Octavia whispered, "That's just how he talks."

"So, shoes." She looked down at her feet, raising one foot off the ground. "I thought a hat or shirt would be my first purchase from Inkopolis Square."

"Hey, you'll get them soon," she remarked. "Just so ya know, shoes are just as important as hats and shirts to your outfit!" Walking over to the shelves, she grabbed a display pair of pink trainers off of them and showed them to Eden. "How about these? Since, you know, your hair is pink right now."

She took the shoes and frowned. "My hair was only pink for the turf war. It is usually yellow."

"Yellow, huh? Then..." Octavia swiped the pink trainers from Eden's hands and placed them back on the shelves. Scoring the aisles once more, her date trailing behind her, she soon found a pair of purple hi-horses, gesturing to them. "What about these?"

She leaned over, examining the shoes by picking them up and rotating them. "Yes... This will work."

"Well, wanna look at some other options? You might change your mind if you see some more shoes."

"No, this is fine." She took a box of purple hi-horses and proceeded to try them on. Wiggling her foot around, she nodded, content. "Yes, yes, this is fine."

"You sure?"

Eden's eyebrows furrowed. "Yes, I am sure," she insisted, annoyed.

"Aight." Via reached a hand out to her. "C'mon, get up."

She didn't take it, instead placing the purple hi-horses back into the shoe box and tying the shoes she wore previous back onto her feet. Standing up, she held the box under her arm and started walking over to Bisk, with Octavia not far behind. Once she stood directly in front of the spider crab, she cleared her throat, grabbing his attention.

Setting his phone down, Bisk asked, "Yo, you want 'em?"

"Yes." Eden set the box down on the counter.

"I'll pay," Octavia offered, pulling out her wallet. The octoling did not object, simply closing her eyes and crossing her arms, a smile forming on her light brown face.

"Aight then, dude." Bisk scrambled behind the counter and scanned the box, typing away at the cash register. A total displayed on the screen, he outstretched a claw. "That's 1,000G."

"Gladly." She grabbed some coins and placed them on the counter. He snatched them, counting them before putting them into the cash register. He placed a receipt inside the box and handed it over to Octavia.

"Thanks." He saluted goodbye. "Come again!"

"We will, don't worry." Via grabbed Eden's hand and started dragging her to their next location—Ye Olde Cloth Shoppe. Jelfonzo was helping another customer, folding a shirt and handing it over to them before they left. When the bell rang from the Shella Fresh entrance of the store, he turned his attention towards the two girls, waddling over to them.

"How dost thou, cousins?" he greeted, bowing.

Eden grimaced, prompting Octavia to spur the explanation, "That's just how he talks."

She blinked. "I thought jellyfish did not speak Inkling," she whispered back.

"Normally, yeah, but Jelfonzo is one of the few who can."

"I see."

"What wouldst thee liketh?" the jellyfish then asked.

"We'll just look around," Octavia replied. "We'll tell you when we're ready."

After examining Eden for a few more seconds, Jelfonzo instead grabbed a black polo off the clothing rack. "How about this?"

"No," she replied.

"Lo! Thee wound me!" He picked out another shirt from the clothing rack, this one being a Dakro Nana tee. "This?"

"Hm... Could you show me more?"

"I shall tryeth again for the third timeth." Jelfonzo went through the clothing rack once more, soon picking out a friend tee. "Now, doth thee liketh?"

Eden examined the two t-shirts before nodding, pointing to the friend tee. "I will take that."

"Most wondrous!" Still holding the shirt Eden picked out, the jellyfish waddled over to the counter, stepping behind it. "Come hither!"

Via glared at the octoling. "Really? We didn't even get to look around!"

"I prefer to get things done efficiently," she countered. "I do not like wasting time."

"Aw, where's the fun in that?" Octavia threw her arms down, defeated. Maybe I should've taken her to Arowana Mall...

"We have different definitions of fun, it seems." Eden walked past Via, towards the counter. As she reached into her pocket for a wallet, the wavy-haired girl ran over to her, throwing an arm out.

"I'll pay," she said. "Just like last time." She said nothing in response, retracting a hand out of her pocket.

"Thou shall pay twelve hundred in coins," the jellyfish proclaimed. Just like last time, Via removed some coins out of her pocket and handed them over to the shopkeeper. The coins stuck to his tentacle as he placed them into the cash register, but soon enough, he gave a satisfied nod and bagged the shirt, handing it over to Octavia. "Thank thee kindly. I shall see thee later."

"You too!" the inkling girl called as she dragged the octoling to the next shop, this one being Headspace. Another bell chimed, and immediately, Craymond began skittering around the top of Flow's mantle, muttering something in panic. Flow simply giggled and whispered something to him before walking up to the newcomers.

"Welcome, friends," she greeted. "Feel free to look around."

Eden walked up to a straw boater and picked it up, placing it on her head. "I want this one."

"Oh, then we'd be matching!" Via mused. "But, you sure you don't want to look around more?"

"I am sure," she insisted. She walked over to Flow and pointed to her hat. "I am ready."

"So quick!" Craymond commented.

"He's right; the conclusion to your trip arrived sooner than expected," Flow added. "I can see you are full of spirit, but are you ready?"

"Of course she's ready!" Octavia interjected. "Bisk and Jelfonzo let her buy stuff, so that means you should let her buy stuff, too."

The sea slug chuckled. "You have spirit too, but your aura is much more refined than your friend's. With some more time, your friend, too, can be just like you. But, darling, of course I will let her buy a hat here."

"Yes, of course!" the emperor shrimp blurted out.

Flow moved behind the counter and revealed a hand from underneath her dress, tapping on the bell. "Come here, darling."

Together, they stepped up to the counter, and Eden took off her hat, handing it to Flow. A few calculations later, she asked for payment: 550G. Like the last two times, Octavia offered to pay, handing over some cash to the sea slug. Eden took both the hat and the receipt, putting the former on the top of her head once more.

"Don't be strange!" Craymond called as Via guided the octoling over to the dressing room.

"What?" Eden puzzled. But she got no answer to that, instead taking her new clothes and disappearing into a stall, changing into her new outfit. She stepped out moments later, bowing as her ink color shifted from pink to yellow at last.

"You look fresh!" Octavia exclaimed, grinning. "Now that you got a superfresh new outfit, how about we go out for ice cream?"

"Thank you," the octoling said. "Where is this ice cream place?"

"It's not very far from here," she answered. "Just follow me!"

Once again, she found herself guiding Eden, taking her hand and running out into the streets, deeper into Inkopolis. Her heart was pounding heavily—she felt so excited she could splat! It had been so long since she had dated anyone, and now, she had her chance. She just hoped she wouldn't screw it up. But at the same time, she didn't feel much for Eden—they had just met, and they were only together right now because Yvonne had forced them into a date. Yet, she was certain their relationship would grow over time, and they would come to love each other. All they needed was time, she hoped.

After some minutes of running, they reached an ice cream parlor, a few cars lined up against the curb. Some people were sitting outside, shaded by the umbrellas hanging over their metal seats. A yellow-and-purple striped banner hung over the entrance, standing out against the rest of the street. Holding hands, they walked inside, and after a short wait, they reached the front of the line, various tubs of ice cream sprawled out behind the glass. Standing at the cash register was a skinny manta ray, a white apron draped around his figure.

"May I take your order?" he asked, attempting a smile.

"Do you have wasabi ice cream?" Eden proceeded to request. At those words, Octavia simply stared at her. Who would even think of eating wasabi ice cream?

The cashier appeared equally confused. "Wasabi ice cream...? If you want spicy ice cream, we have pepper ice cream."

"Who would even think of eating spicy ice cream?" Octavia marveled. "It'd just taste weird."

"What about mint chocolate chip?" the cashier then suggested. "It's a different of spicy, but still spicy. And much more pleasant than pepper ice cream."

Eden sighed, rubbing the back of her head as her tentacles drooped. "I will take mint chocolate chip."

"Good, good." His beady eyes focused on Octavia. "And you?"

"I'll just have vanilla ice cream," she replied.

"Alright, alright." A few moments later, he reached his hand out. "90G."

Octavia paid once more, and with a nod, the manta ray took the cash and printed a receipt. He handed it over to the inkling girl and proceeded to grab a cone and a scooper, digging into the tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream. The ball of ice cream plopped onto the cone, and he handed it over to Eden, who started to lick away. She showed no reaction to the ice cream, but seeing as she continued to slurp away at it, Via could only assume she liked it. Soon enough, the manta ray held a cone of vanilla ice cream in his hand, and she took it from him, beginning to eat it. The cashier waved goodbye as they exited the shop, telling them to have a nice day.

They went over to one of the empty seats outside and sat down, sitting across from each other. An awkward silence soon settling between them, Octavia spoke up, attempting to start a conversation.

"So, have you found a weapon you like?" she inquired.

"A weapon?" Eden took another lick of her ice cream. "I just use an Octo Shot."

She narrowed her eyes. "Of course you do." Taking another lick of her ice cream, she then asked another question, taking on a friendlier tone once again. "Well, uh, what made you come to Inkopolis?"

"The same as most other octolings who have come here. I heard the Calamari Inkantation, and then I came here."

Not surprising. "Have you been in a Splatfest yet?"

"No."

"Wow, you really did just come here!" Via marveled. "You should really play in one sometime—it's so much fun!"

"I will-"

Before she could finish her words, an alarm went off. Eden pulled a phone out of her pocket and stared at the screen for a few moments before turning the alarm off. Putting her phone away, she focused her crimson gaze on Octavia, donning a poker face.

"I have to go," she announced.

"Already?" She stared at her in disbelief. "But this date has only just begun!"

"I know, but some things are more important."

She raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Um, volunteer work. I like being useful."

"Volunteer work?" Octavia pouted. "That's a little boring..."

"Maybe it is boring to you, but I like it." Eden finished off the cone, wiping her lips with a napkin before throwing it into the trash can next to them. "Now, I must really go."

"Wait!" Octavia grabbed her wrist, and the octoling snapped her head around to face her, eyes wide. "Could we go out again some time?"

"Perhaps as friends." Eden's hand wiggled out of Via's, and she clutched it close to her chest. "I apologize, but you are not for me."

She lowered her head, averting her gaze from the other girl. "Oh... So that's how it is."

"Now, goodbye." The octoling rose from her seat, and before she knew it, she was gone. Octavia was alone once again.

She looked down at her ice cream. It was starting to melt, drops sliding the side of the cone. Suddenly, she didn't feel like finishing it. She threw it into the trash before slumping back onto the bench, resting her head on the table. She took out her phone and called Yvonne.

"Hello!" the bubbly octoling soon greeted. "Do you need something?"

"No, no," she replied. "Eden wasn't interested in me, that's all."

"That is too bad. Maybe I can be the finding of someone else?"

"No, it's OK." Octavia sighed. "I can just find someone on my own time."

"Oh." Yvonne paused before saying, "Good luck."

She smiled. "Thanks. Bye."

"Goodbye."

She hung up, and Via stood up, looking up at the blue sky. Pale grey clouds dotted it, and soon, she would know rain or snow would come. The chill bit at her skin as the wind picked up, and she zipped up her coat, putting her hands into her pockets and walking down the street, back towards Inkopolis Square. A word popped into her head: fun.

Eden and her could not be any more different—aside from the obvious difference in species, Octavia liked shopping while Eden did not. Octavia was upbeat, while Eden was serious. Whatever Octavia considered fun, it seemed as if Eden thought the opposite. It was only natural they did not get along as well as she hoped. At least they were still friends.

She laughed at the irony. Perhaps she didn't need to be dating anyone right now. Right now, having fun was more important. The complete opposite of what she thought only an hour earlier!

Her spirits lifted, she started running down the street. Now, she was determined to end this Squidmas day in high spirits, no matter what else stood in her path. She couldn't let one minor setback ruin the rest of the day, after all.

A/N: Sorry this is a little later than expected. I feel like I've done a lot of apologizing these past few chapters. Anyways, Splatoon 3 finally has a release date! It's later than I thought it would be, but I'm happy regardless. It may be in September, but it's not much longer now! Well, that's all from me. Hope you like this chapter, and Branchwing, out.