Author's Note: Yep, corona, here, corona there, corona everywhere. Whatever, this joint be marching on regardless. I probably should use more of that time writing, lol. But hey, chapter. Enjoy…after ya'll wash hands.
The next morning, Callie and Evan got up at about the same time, having slept close to each other, much to Marie's chagrin. Pearl and Marina occupied another room while Marie, Jesse, and Shannon accompanied cap in the couches. Shannon opted to sleep with Jesse and Marie after she decided to let Marina and Pearl have their own space without her.
*Callie and Evan's room…
"Well, well, if ain't my favorite Agent!" Callie cheered at her male companion, eyeing his perfect body.
"Lovely as ever, Callie." Evan smirked, putting on his shirt. "Good mornig, One!" he greeted the ribbon-tentacle Inkling who was just stretching.
"My mornings get better with you here!" Callie chirped, "my handsome prince!" she giggled.
"You flatter me too much, One." he said, stroking Callie's face.
*The couches…
"Ugh, seriously, Callie…" grumbled Marie.
"Well, it was really obvious…" remarked Jesse.
"I agree." chimed Shannon. "They have a rather frequent display of affection with each other." she added.
"I do understand that happening…" Marie sighed, "but I'm worried that relationship will mess with their Agent work." she added. "Not to mention whatever antics they do when we're not looking…" her voice trailed off.
Marina and Pearl then joined them, descending from the upper quarters.
"Morning guys!" Marina greeted the Agents.
"Morning, Cap." Pearl greeted the elderly Inkling, just rising up from his rocking chair. Soon, Callie and Evan joined them.
"Ah you're all up!" Cap chortled. "Well, that last encounter sure did take a lot out of you buckos." he remarked, getting his cane. "Well then, you're in luck, buckos. Breakfast is on me!" he smiled, ambling his way to the kitchen. Marie and Callie followed suit, helping him with the ingredients.
*In the kitchen…
"Grandpa…is that…what I think it is?" Callie asked, while Cap was stirring the pot.
"Yes, lass, it is. Seaweed stew for breakfast! Nothing like a good stew to start the day!" Cap chirped, putting in the other ingredients, getting them from Marie, throwing dagger-like glares at Callie while she wasn't looking.
Callie however, did catch a glimpse, but said nothing. Cap then continued cooking his stew, making sure it's up to taste. He then put a little more spice, then some fish sticks in the mix.
The rest of the Agents, Marina and Pearl were having a chat in the couches. Marina was listening to some music on her headphones, Jesse and Evan were reading magazines, Pearl was fiddling on her phone, and Shannon was just leisurely sitting down.
"I wonder what Cap has in store for us…" Shannon wondered.
"Hopefully, something good." Pearl chortled, browsing her Twitter.
Soon enough, it was time to eat. The cousins were on either side of Cap, with Evan beside Callie and Marina, while Jesse and Shannon sat on Marie's side. Pearl then occupied the opposite end of the table,the closest space near Marina.
"Any of y'all buckos wanna say grace before we dig in?" Cap asked the Agents.
"I'll do it." Jesse said.
"Excellent, bucko." Cap chided happily. Jesse recited the mealtime prayer, and soon, everyone dug in, and with quite the gusto.
"Dig in!" Cap cheerfully announced. Everyone started sipping the soup, which then earned a few hums from the table. All bar Callie and Marie were surprised the old man can make grub this good. Pearl then fished out the meaty bits, while Marina prioritized the seaweed.
"Cap, I didn't know you cook!" Evan said, astonished, slurping up a spoonful of broth.
"Son, I was the best cook in the war." Cap beamed, sucking up broth himself.
"This is quite a simple delight." commented Shannon. "It reminds me of the days back in the dome…this was the best us trainees got in the cafeteria…" she reminisced.
"Cap's cooking is better without a doubt." Jesse said, her bowl halfway done already. "I bet those cafeteria cooks neither have the skill nor the proper ingredients…" she scoffed.
"I should agree, Agent 3." Shannon concurred.
"Jesse's fine." the older Agent smiled a little. "We're not in mission, you know." She said, getting a second bowl of soup.
"Yeah, just our names are fine." Evan told her.
"I will keep that in mind." the younger Octo happily accepted.
"Gramps can whip up a mean broth, I see!" applauded Pearl, now getting her second bowl of soup. She then happily lapped up the replenished bowl.
"I agree, Pearlie. Cap can definitely cook." Marina smiled, chewing on a sheet of seaweed.
"Hey buckos, I ain't washing all that, you hear?" Cap reminded the Agents, chuckling.
"Yes cap." they all said in unison. Soon, all of the table finished. The two Octos, Shannon and Marina washed the dishes, which was quick work between them. Jesse then took care of cleaning the dining table.
Later, everyone's all ready for their assorted loads of activities. Callie and Evan suited up for a bout of Turf War, while Marie was up for a guesting in a weekend show. Jesse needed to go back for Celia,who may be worried sick about her, while Shannon, Marina and Pearl all came back to the duo's apartment suite for a while.
"Take care buckos!" Cap said to everyone going their own merry way. "Ah youth…" he said, turning on the old radio the cousins gave to her last Squidmas, listening to his favorite stations.
*Meanwhile, over at Inkopolis…
Fabian and Ecca agreed to meet in front of Crusty Sean's. They then sat down. It was clear between them what they were here for: the incident in The Squid Party some nights ago.
"Well then?" Fabian began.
"Hmm. I understand your concern, but you were clearly out of line that time." Ecca began sternly. "If I'm being blunt, I say what Josh did was deserved." she said with a steely face.
"Hmmh." Fabian sighed, "You wound me, Ecca. Remember what he did back in the domes?" he asked her. "He preyed on a younger female. He used his gender to his advantage." he urged to her.
"Not all the time." Ecca reiterated. "He said that was an overestimate." she added. "He regrets what he did!" she reiterated to him forcefully. "But you haven't put it behind, have you?!" she said sharply to him, getting heated.
"Ah…" he sighed. "I'm sorry for what I did Ecca. There were no excuses there, unfortunately." he sadly said. "But what I said is true and you know it? After all, I was drunk, and being drunk hinders you from holding back right?" he told her. "I'm just out for you, as my friend, ok?" he reiterated to her.
"I know full well, Fabian." Ecca sighed. "But at this rate, it's just pure vendetta, and nothing more." she urged, still with a somewhat serious face.
"Alright, alright." Fabian sighed. "I'll rely on your word this time. But please, when it fails, know that you can rely on me." he said assuredly. "Don't forget that." he encouraged, grasping both of Ecca's hands.
"Yeah, sure." Ecca said, finally breaking into a half-smile. "But I trust you to not pull that stunt ever again." she reminded him sternly. "Are we clear about this?" she glared at him.
"Y-yeah." he hesitantly said. "Now then let's us turf a little, to relieve some stress, eh?" Fabian offered, Heavy Splatling in tow. "I mean, one has to keep in shape, right?" he added.
"Yeah, yeah, let's get to it." Ecca scoffed. Both headed to Deca Tower to get going with their Turfing.
*Meanwhile…some other part of the Square…
"Hey Celia!" greeted the blue Octoling to a yellow Inkling.
"Hi!" greeted the yellow Inkling back. "Glad you came, Josh!" she said happily.
"Well then, shall we?" beckoned Josh. "The others would be waiting for us in the Tower." he said, both heaving their gear.
"Yes!" Celia giggled. "I'm excited to turf for today." she said, heaving her gear into Deca Tower as well. The duo were then soon joined by another two Inklings, a male and a female.
"Ah, Ezio. Nice to see you" greeted Josh.
"Min!" greeted Celia. "Glad you could join us!" she said excitedly to the female Inkling, approximately around her age.
"Celia! Haven't seen you in forever since you moved out!" Min said, hugging her. "It's nice to turf with you!" she said.
"Hey there." Ezio said to Josh. "How's it going?" he smiled.
"Real good. Do tell me about this gal you came with." Josh replied, curious.
"Ah yes. Apparently, those two are old friends from the gal's hometown." Ezio said. "Seeing the way she acts towards her…" he said, observing the two young Inklings. "Anyway, to the business at hand…" he said, gesturing towards Deca Tower.
"Right!" the two young Inklings gasped, noticing Ezio's gesture. The party then moved on to Deca Tower, and headed straight into the Turf War lobbies once they've passed through the checking system at the group then waited at the first lobby they saw, with a match that just started.
"So, what brings you to the Square, Min?" Celia asked, setting down her Splattershot.
"Aside from the usual reason of Turf Wars?" asked Min. "Well, father's work is here in Inkopolis, and he says I should hang with people of my age." she stated. "Responsibly, of course, as he likes to add." she added.
Meanwhile:
"Hey, how has been things, bud?" Ezio asked, "I see you brought a young one too." he said, setting down his Grim Range Blaster.
"Well, she started the same time as I. Where's Lauren though?" the blue Octoling asked the orange Inkling.
"Oh, her? Well, she had things to attend to." Ezio replied. "Student President things in her school." he declared proudly.
"Ah, really?" Josh perked up. "She has a title, I see." he said, "Must entail a lot of responsibility, I see?" he asked. "Well…I do have to get into school someday…" he mused.
"Maybe ours? Where do you live bro?" the orange Inkling asked him.
"Not too far from here." the blue Octoling replied. "Let's see…Glenbrook Residences. Yeah." he stated. "Quite a new neighborhood, a little distance away from the Square." Josh added.
"Maybe you can convince ya folks to enroll in Bluefin High?" Ezio asked. "That's where me and Lauren go." he said, with a smile.
"Guys, I think it's time!" Celia told the two boys, looking up the screen, which was currently displaying the match being tabulated. Soon enough, a side was declared winner. The PA system did then told the occupants that they were up next for a match.
"Right, everyone, we're on." Ezio declared. At once, all eight occupants of the lobby stood up, and split up into two teams, Josh's team went for the orange shower, while their adversaries are blue for the match. The match was on Arowana Mall, a narrow battleground with numerous passageways.
Soon, the battle began. Both teams then set out to paint whatever they can, the guys going to the sides while the gals took the center route. The battle was intense, but they did win in the end with a respectable margin.
Later…
"That was quite some work…" Celia panted.
"Were you able to learn something today?" asked Ezio to the two females.
"Yes!" Min beamed up. "Nothing's imposible with a little bit of teamwork!"
"I wish everyone had you two's optimism." Josh smiled. "Anyway, anybody up for some snacks?" he asked the party.
"Yay!" cheered the two girls. They then walked off, exchanging anecdotes of their battles earlier along the way, heaving their gear.
*Some battles later…
"Phew! That was quite the workout!" Fabian panted.
"You can say that…again…hah…" Ecca panted, holding on to her Inkbrush Noveau.
"They were tough." Fabian chuckled. "But us and our teammates pulled through regardless." he added, sitting down on the rails outside the lobby of the Deca Tower, out in the afternoon sun. "So, any ideas to cool down?" he asked Ecca.
"Probably a few drinks…" said Ecca, still panting. "Let's hit the SquidStop." She beckoned him. the two then jostled along to the nearest SquidStop, then got drinks and some snacks as well.
"You know Ecca, we need to have more moments like this. We all go separated, at the same time, brought together, by the Calamari Inkantation to travel to Inkopolis and the rest of the world." Fabian began, "After all, you're my friend, am I not?" he said, chugging down his energy soda.
"Yeah, why you ask?" Ecca smiled, wiping her mouth of crumbs. "We are since Academy days, right?" she confrmed.
"I do remember. You even got assigned taking care of stored Zapfish." Fabian recalls. "While my squad was in charge of their equipment." he reminisced. "But then Agent 3 and the Squid Sisters happened." he said, looking out the store window. "We all thought it was all sunshine and rainbow ink out in the surface, but it turned out to be just a bigger dome." he sighed.
"Well, the skies are real now, that's one thing." Ecca remarked. "And hey, we aren't being trained for a losing war anymore." she added.
"The history books would agree with that statement." Fabian remarked. "That however, gave rise to the ignorance of the common Inkling folk about us." he reminded. "Up until the former Chief Engineer Iida gave it all away during the broadcast." he said.
"Everyone at this point almost knows of it." Ecca quipped. "It was live, and it made news that night too on top of it all." she remembered. "Too bad I was way behind the scenes at storage so I didn't see it up close." she sighed.
"Those little squits have everything for themselves…until Eight." Fabian scathingly stated. "However, there some Inklings who aren't like that, I'll have to admit." he quipped.
"If you're gonna do what I think you're doing, then, you would only validate their assumptions." Ecca reminded him. "Violence isn't the answer, Fabian." she urged him.
"Yes. Brute force ain't gonna cut it, as I've learned in the Academy all those years ago." Fabian remembered. "That's why cunning is also crucial to such a plan." he said, with a devious face. "Tell the general public that this surface ain't just for Inklings." he finished.
"Careful, those types of squid might hear you…" Ecca warned him.
"Wha-" Fabian looked behind them, and was startled, as three burly squids, all with a menacing aura, surrounded them. Both of them sensed hostility when the three rough-looking squids came for them.
"He-he…Lookie-lookie…" said the red one with a menacing smirk, "Two of these underground scum." He said, sneering at the two Octolings.
"Sir, we do our best to avoid trouble in this SquidStop…we may have to call-" the cashier interjected.
"Shut up!" said another, a green, lanky, Inkling crowed.
"Leave. Now." threatened the shop's security guard, sensing a potential fight.
"Buzz off, buzzkill!" said a black Inkling, donning a bandanna.
"Y'all no-goods bothering paying customers, so buzz off." the guard said menacingly, brandishing his stun baton.
"It's alright, we're leaving anyway." Fabian said to the guard, beckoning Ecca.
"We were done anyway." Ecca said, throwing her refuse in the trash bin. "Come, let's go." Ecca simpered, casting a dirty look on the Inkling ruffians.
"You SSS are the thorn in people's sides, now get on outta here before I sic your behinds!" growled the shop guard, hand already on his stun baton.
"Oh yeah, what ya gonna do, three to one?" the leading ruffian boasted.
"Bring it then, old squid." drawled the ruffian to the leader's left, tapping his plank menacingly.
"I can take you all punks." the security guard growled, drawing out his stun baton.
*In the distance…
Josh, Ezio, Celia and Min were approaching the store when they all heard commotion coming from the store. However, there was one thing that Joshua clearly saw…Ecca and Fabian, exiting from the store. Numerous feelings swirled in him, prevalent among them being fury and confusion.
"What is going on?" Ezio asked.
"Misters, look, there's a fight!" said the two girls, pointing to the security gueard who was confronting three Inklings wearing bandannas of differing colors, the three looming over the lone security guard while the store clerks hid behind the counter.
"Hey dude, shouldn't we help the guard?" asked Ezio to Josh, who was still eerily silent. "Josh?..." hesitantly asked Ezio.
"Yeah, let's go. Celia, Min, stay here, both of you." he said in a steady but barely furious tone. At once, both males took up position behind the security guard, who's now readying for the fight about to begin.
"How about we take this outside huh?" leered the punk to the right of the leader.
"I can take you punks on…" gritted the security guard, "all three." At that moment, the leading ruffian saw the blue Octoling, as well as the orange Inkling behind the security guard.
"Ah, I see a freak ready to fight!" smirked the lead ruffian.
"I'm in a real bad mood." Josh gritted. "You'd be wise to leave. Now." he insisted in a barely contained fury.
"Wow. Real brave for an illegitimate citizen of Inkopolis." the red Inkling ruffian sneered. "And you, you're friends with this eight-limb scum?" he shot at Ezio.
"I don't have time for small talk.' Ezio drawled. "You wanna fight? Then fight." he spat. Without hesitation, the ruffians charged at them, gunning for the youths. The red inkling took on Ezio, while the green took on Josh. The guard was trying to stop the fight, but he got decked by the black one.
Ezio dodged the first blow, but his retaliatory blow was blocked, leaving him open to a counter. Josh however, was fighting in wild abandon, not caring anymore about fighting fair, punching the green ruffian wherever he can: in the abdomen, in the back, but was getting pummeled as a result. The guard easily dispatched the black Inkling thug, landing a good hit after parrying two to three hits. Soon, the fight was over, all the thugs being stunned.
Later…
"Thanks a lot, you two." mumbled the security guard. "Those punks have been adding stress to an already stressful time, with the kidnappings and whatnot…" he added, shaking his head.
"Yo, were there two Octolings here, just now?" asked Josh, finally speaking up.
"Hmm? Yes, male and female, pink and green." The guard described briefly. "They were also harried by those punks we encountered earlier." the guard stated. "Yo, you kids want something?" he asked, seeing Celia and Min with them.
"Hmm? It's fine, we have it covered." Ezio smiled. "Right, Josh?" he asked the blue Octoling.
"Ah. Yes." he said simply.
"No, no, I insist." chided the guard. "All on me, for standing up to those punks." he added. "Come on, you four." He beckoned the youths with him. They all specified their items and the guard got them their stuff.
*That night…in Evan's apartment…
Evan invited his friends to hang out with him in his apartment, just watching the TV and chilling in general. They were watching the news for occasional updates on the latest kidnappings, along with the rise in hate crimes Inkling thugs were inflicting on unsuspecting Octolings.
"Another mugging was reported in the back alleys of Inkopolis last evening. Eyewitnesses saw a red Octoling was seen severlely being beat up by ruffians identifiying themselves as…" the news program on the TV declared, as it brought up the footage of
"…The Squid Supremacist Society huh?" Evan scoffed. "I guess they're ramping up operations, eh?" he said, a faint air of disgust crossing his face.
"You know about them?" said Gina, who was intently watching the report.
"How do you know them, dude?" said Nate, puzzled, watching a maintenance guid on SquidTube.
"Come on man, tell us!" urged Chris, who was making popcorn. Evan breathed a deep sigh, ready to let loose an uncomfortable truth.
"Well…You see…" Evan began.
And…it took me way too long to push this out, because I had many things I suddenly was on to, including two community events, one for a FETuber, and one for a Splatuber. May I have the strength to make the next one in time…Catfish out.