Tonight, I was in for a big turn of events. To recap: there's this Inkling girl- at least I think so- has plans to do something to my sister during our dinner. Somehow, this has a connection to the Squidbeak Splatoon, the Octarians, and the Great Zapfish. I'm really terrified about what she has planned. Speaking of plans, the Octarians basically want to "get their hands" on Ikameshi- who btw, is the supercute Inkling boy wearing a paintball mask who used flirting mechanics to distract me from Turf War. I'm getting even more terrified as to what the Octarians will do to him.
Despite all of this drama, I promised Inkaletta that I would have a fun time and bond with her. But, I don't know how I'll do that now that I know she could be dead in a couple days...
"Aaaaand there. Your hair and makeup's all done.", Inka smiled, wiping off bits of sweat and exchanging a high five with Jet.
"Here, you should have a look for yourself, Nibs. You look amazing!", Jet stated as he held a large mirror in front of me. I immediately gasped once I saw my reflection.
I was wearing a black sleeveless dress that was smothered with glittery ink-like splattered designs in multiple colors. On my shoulders was a see-through periwinkle purple shrug with pink-and-blue squid designs all over it. The back of the dress had an adorably large black lace-like ribbon that stopped at the back of my knees. On my legs were two stockings: one dark violet, the other navy blue. Shimmering on my feet were violet-gray wedged ballet slippers. To complete the look, I had on silver ink splatter earrings with a necklace to match, and a pearl bracelet on my left hand.
For my makeup, I had on glittery crimson rouge and pastel pink lip gloss. My nails were even painted with bright lavender nail polish as well as decorated with splat-tastic glittery pink nail jewels.
My turquoise tentacles were neatly tied into a classy bun with a shimmering black squid-shaped clip holding it in place.
"Wow, I do look...amazing.", I stared at myself in awe, my cheeks turning a darker color than my make-up.
"Bet Inkaletta will think so too, Nibs.", Jet smiled happily as he handed me a black purse. However, I didn't accept it.
"A-are you guys sure I don't need a bigger purse? I-I mean, I can't just walk into the restaurant carrying these in my hands.", I shook my head as I held my Splattershot Jr., a sack of Splat Bombs, and two Ink tanks already filled with ink.
"What?! Girl, you crazy?! It's a dinner! Your sister is going to be fine. It's not like an entire army of Octo...things are gonna crash into the restaurant!", Inka disagreed snatching my weapons and putting them in my closet. She then took the purse from Jet and handed it to me.
"B-but...But, Inka...!"
"No buts! Now, quit stalling and go- before you're late!"
Inka then pushed me outside of my room and slammed the door in front of me. I then sighed angrily and headed to the elevator. But just as I headed inside-
*BAM!*
Someone's arm quickly prevented the doors from closing.
"Ow! Oh, thank squid. I'd probably be dead if I ended up late for my-", a familiar voice sounded as the doors slowly opened, revealing the mysterious Inkling behind it.
Turns out that it was Ikameshi- who was dressed in a white long-sleeved collared shirt, a light pink vest, a black tie, long black pants with a single pink stripe, and dark brown dress shoes.
He slowly stepped inside the elevator, staring at into my eyes with his in amazement.
"N-Nibs...", he quietly whispered as he continued to stare at me.
"I-I-Ikameshi...", I shyly whispered back, my face burning again.
"Wait! How did you know my-", we surprisingly said at the same time.
"Name?"
"She probably told you, didn't she?"
"C'mon, s-stop that! It's weird!"
The two of us then immediately started laughing hysterically.
"So, where are you headed to dressed like that, beautiful?", Ikameshi took a deep breath and questioned, smiling as stared at me up and down.
"I-I'm headed to a dinner with my sister. I was going to ask you the same thing, b-but, I think I can already tell where you're going.", I shyly blushed then sighed sadly, staring at the floor.
"Yeah, you caught me. I'm only taking my girlfriend to dinner to make up for what I did. I already know that's going to backfire."
A couple awkward seconds passed as the elevator slowly went down.
"N-Nibs, I've been wanting to talk to you ever since that incident during the Turf War. But, you ran away.", Ikameshi sighed as he leaned against the elevator walls.
"I-I know- and I'm really sorry that I-"
"It's ok. I understand why. I think I should be the one who should be sorry. I should've known that using that "flirting" tactic of mine would make my girlfriend angry. I'm sorry if I made you feel intimidated during your 1st Turf War- and I hope you don't hate me..."
"I-I've already forgiven you. B-but Ikameshi?"
"Yeah?"
"During the whole flirting incident, you winked at me- you very flirtatiously winked at me. Not to mention, you pinned me to a wall, you chased me around a tower, and you called me c-cute. I was just curious...was it just your tactic or did you really start to grow an...interest in me?"
Ikameshi gasped loudly and started pacing around the elevator.
"W-well you see. I, um, well, I just, ummm..."
A few minutes have passed and Ikameshi was still pacing and mumbling to himself. Finally, he stopped and gulped.
"Nibs, I have to tell you something. Something that will probably affect my future...", Ikameshi's cheeks turned bright red as he walked over to me and gently held my hands.
"W-what is it?", I replied my face getting even hotter.
Sadly, he didn't even have the chance to tell me since the elevator suddenly burst open. The Inklings outside gave us strange looks as we both exited, still holding hands and our faces bright red
Ikameshi suddenly gasped as he noticed a taxi in front of the door.
"Oh, looks like my taxi arrived. Hey...since my girlfriend is...somewhere-probably at the restaurant worried sick- would you like to take a ride with me?"
"Ummm, o-ok."
Ikameshi smiled happily as we exited the Hotel and entered the taxi, beginning our destination.
Along the way, we didn't really say much to each other- which was kinda awkward... yet I understood why. His girlfriend would go bananas if she caught us talking to each other. In order to cure my boredom, I pulled out my phone and listened to a Squid Sisters soundtrack.
Finally-after a few awkward minutes, we made it to the restaurant.
"Hey, why don't you go in first? I don't want your girlfriend to try and kill me.", I nervously stated, placing my phone back in my purse.
"Hmmm, I could do that. But, lucky for you, I don't see her in there. She's probably running late. Sooo, how about we go in together?", Ikameshi smiled again, gently holding my hand as we entered. As soon as we entered, Inkaletta was there waiting for me.
"Nibs! Oh I'm so happy you made it! You look adorable, btw.", my sister smiled as she got up from her table and pulled me into a hug.
Inkaletta looked stunning in a short strapless purple mermaid gown with gold jewelry and crimson lipstick.
"Thanks, sis. I'm getting hungry, so let's go order now, shall we?"
"Heh. I couldn't agree more."
We each ordered our food, and it didn't take too long to come. Inkaletta asked for a krill stew while I decided to go for a clam chowder.
"It would've been nice if my boyfriend showed up, but, Cap'n needed him to do some spy work down in Octo Valley. Anyways, Nibs. Mind telling me about that Inkling boy you were talking to earlier?", Inkaletta questioned, as she dug into her stew.
However, I completely ignored her, since I was too busy stuffing my mouth with chowder and looking around the restaurant like a maniac.
"Umm, Nibs. You look pretty panicked. Is something wrong?"
"Hmm? Oh, i-it's nothing, really. Oh, uh, and about that Inkling boy. We kinda met during my 1st Turf War. Why?", I responded as I continued to eat.
"Are you sure you're alright? You seem so tense- like something is going to come in and attack you."
"N-no, really sis. I'm fine. I'm probably overreacting or something."
While we continued to eat, Inkaletta couldn't help but tease me about Ikameshi. She constantly called him my boyfriend and even sang the "K-i-s-s-i-n-g" song. Ugh, my sister these days can be really immature.
After a couple minutes of singing, arguing, eating, and teasing, we were ready to order dessert.
"Ooooh, so many choices! If only I could have all them. Oh well. I guess I'll go with the coconut-and-banana sundae. With extra whipped cream, fruit punch flavored sauce, squiddy sprinkles, and a cherry on top- obviously.", Inkaletta smiled at the waiter.
"I want something light since that chowder was pretty thick. So, I guess I'll have a slice of octo pie with some vanilla ice cream.", I stated my order before the waiter walked off.
A couple minutes later, our desserts arrived. As soon as I was about take a bit of the steaming hot pie, Inkaletta's phone rang.
"Oh, shoot. Sorry, sis! It's my boyfriend. I wonder if he found his phone after he lost it that one time during a mission in Octo Valley.", Inkaletta got up and quickly answered her phone.
Although her back was towards me, I could tell that Inkaletta had some trouble answering her call.
"Who is this?! What are you think you're doing with my boyfriend's phone?! Hello? Hello?!"
I calmly brushed it off and gently cut into the delicious pie- causing steam to fly out. After I blew on it, took a scoop of ice cream, and popped that piece in my mouth, I felt something cold and slimy brush by my leg.
"Ewww. What was that?!", I hollered in disgust as I looked underneath the table. On my leg were blobs of a strange dark fuschia substance. I didn't hesitate and began to wipe it off with a napkin.
"Ugh, just great! The phone cut off. I swear, I will find the person that took my boyfriend's phone.", Inkaletta growled in disgust as she finally took a seat and began to enjoy her dessert.
"Wow! This sundae is splat-tastic. They really overdid it with the sauce though, but, I'm cool with it.", my sister then squealed happily, licking the sauce of the spoon.
After we finished our delicious sweet treats, we paid for the bill. But, as soon as Inkaletta began to search her wallet for money-
"Ugh! I-I don't feel so good. I got a real funny taste in my krill stew and I think the fruit punch flavored sauce was too irresistible. Sorry, Nibs. I gotta go to the bathroom. Please excuse me!", Inkaletta nervously excused herself, holding her stomach as she ran to the bathroom.
Oh no! Inkaletta's not doing so well. It has to have something to do with that girl's plans. What did she do to Inkaletta- and how?!
A couple of minutes have past and Inkaletta calmly stepped out of the bathroom. But, she quickly ran back inside. This continued many times later before Inkaletta finally gave up.
"That's it! I have to go back to the Hotel. I don't know what's wrong with me. I-I probably need to go see a doctor tomorrow morning! Not to mention, skip work! C'mon Nibs, let's go."
Inkaletta quickly paid for the bill then dragged me outside the resturant. I quickly searched around the place for a sign of Ikameshi, but, turns out that he wasn't there anymore.
Where did Ikameshi go? Did he leave already?
After a couple minutes of waiting, a taxi arrived and quickly drove us to the Hotel- well since Inkaletta forced the poor driver.
Once we made it back, Inkaletta quickly said goodnight before heading to the elevator and going to her room. I was about to head into mine when the lady at the desk stopped me.
"Excuse me, Ms. Watermark. You've received a package a couple of hours ago. However, we sadly don't know who it's from. The sender remains anonymous."
"T-thanks.", I replied as I took the package and began to head to my room- where Inka and Jet greeted me.
"Hey, Nibs. How did the dinner go?", Inka smiled as she closed the door behind her.
"It was very...interesting. I met the masked boy along the way, which was pretty...nice.", I replied, my visible red cheeks exposed as I began to wipe off my makeup.
Inka and Jet couldn't help but giggle happily.
As I rolled my eyes at them, I continued.
"But, then, Inkaletta started acting funny. She was going to the bathroom constantly. I bet you dollars to donuts that the weird girl next door did something to my sister's food. But, I'm not so sure."
"Well, I bet this anonymous package has all of your answers. Let's open it!", Inka cheered as Jet grabbed a pair of scisscors and cut open the package. Inside was a piece of paper smothered in dark fuschia ink and something carefully wrapped in black tissue paper.
My hands were shaking as I slowly began to read the note.
"Hello, Watermark. Before I begin to explain everything, let me introduce myself. The name's Octivia- Ikameshi's girlfriend. I clearly warned you about getting close to my man- and you refused to listen. Don't try to tell me that it wasn't your fault, because I'm not gonna buy it!
Now, onto the reason I sent you this. First, you're might wanna search through that tissue paper. Perhaps, there's something that might give you a bit of...deja vu?"
"Search the box guys.", I boldly told my friends as they nodded bravely. The first thing they pulled out throughout that mess of tissue paper was something in a black plastic bag. They immiediately tore open the bag and revealed a Forge Paintball mask.
"Oh, c'mon! Seriously, that good be anybody's mask!", Inka snarled before turning it over...and I wish she didn't. The back of the mask read-
Property of Ikameshi Solvent
If found, please return to it's rightful owner.
Tears began to drip down my face as I continued the letter.
"That's what happens when you don't listen to me, Nibs! The Octarians and I saw everything. Once Ikameshi didn't see me at the restuanrant, he left- which gave me the opportunity to squidnap him. As if I actually wanted to hear another one of his stupid apologies. Besides, I didn't really like him anyways. He was too much of a "ladies' man". Eww. However, he was able to fall under my charming spell. You know, us folks back in Octo Valley rarely have any male octopus-like humanoids...I mean, they're around, but, rarely seen...
Oh, did I mention that there was a little something extra on the mask? Why don't you have a look yourself?"
"Hey, what's this?", Jet asked in confusion as he noticed a test tube dangling on the mask. He pulled it off and handed it to me. The test tube contained a magenta liquid with tiny black and purple specks. I stared at it in confusion before looking back at the letter.
"Huh. You Inklings are more gullible than I thought. Ikameshi thought that I wasn't going to bother to show up, but, turns out I did. Not for him though. While you guys were chatting, I sneaked into the kitchen and slipped this poison into Inkaletta's disgusting krill stew. Not to mention, I swooshed by your table and drizzled it all over her sundae once she got distracted with the fake phone call.
Whose going to rescue the precious Zapfish now, Nibs?! WHO?!
Ahem, anyways... now here's the deal.
I have the antidote that will reverse the effects of the poison. Inkaletta only has 3 weeks until the poison completely destroys her. You will meet me in Octo Valley- along with our master. If you let us keep the Great Zapfish, we'll give you the antidote as well as Ikameshi. But, if you refuse our proposal, you can say goodbye to your sister and your pathetic crush.
Tick tock. Tick tock. I'll be waiting for you and your decision, Watermark. Looks like the fate of Inkopolis is in your hands now."
I felt my heart sink as I let the letter slip out of my hands.
"N-Nibs? Are you ok?!"
"Don't worry. We'll help you find an answer to this dilemm-"
My friends tried to reassure me, but, I refused it.
"Inka. Jet. Please...go. I don't want your help. This is my problem and I need to find the answer- not you two!", I snarled as I turned my back towards them.
"B-but...But, Nibs...!"
"I said GO! NOW!", I turned around and hollered at them, my face drenched with tears of anger and sadness.
Inka and Jet quickly ran out of the room and I slammed the door on them. Once I suddenly realized what I done, I knealt down, my back pressing against the door. I buried my head in my arms, more tears pouring down. I even heard Inka beginning to sob behind the door.
What have I done?! That's the first time I ever snapped at anyone before. I can't believe I turned down my own friends. They were only trying to help me. Now, because of me, my friends will hate me for the rest of my life, Inkaletta will die from the poison, Ikameshi will become one of them, and this entire city will fall apart! What am I going to do?! Perhaps, Octivia was right- a 10-limbed slime ball can't do anything about this...
I sadly changed into my pajamas and cried myself to sleep as the final words on that letter were read over and over in my head.
"Tick tock. Tick tock. I'll be waiting for you and your decision, Watermark. Looks like the fate of Inkopolis is in your hands now."
NOTE: This chapter's name was a take on the MLP Song entitled "I've got to find a Way". I recommend listening to this song.(especially my personal favorite remix by MBAlpha) ^^