"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NOOOOO!"

"ROLLAAAAAAAAAA!"

SPLAT!

"Ugh! Why did I even agree to play this with you?! What the heck was that?!"

"It was the special bro! Supa Rolla,"

"Yeah, well it's supa broken. I was on the other side of the wall from you!"

"That's why it's a super bro. The roller can reach through small walls and over short ledges,"

"Still overpowered,"

"Whatever. You wanna go again?" Inkay looked at the controllers in his hands before dropping them on the ground childishly. He was sitting on the floor in front of his TV in his apartment next to Shiro. He crossed his arms and legs before putting on an annoyed face.

"I don't want to play this game anymore," He said lowly. Shiro chuckled before nudging Inkay's shoulder with his. He smacked his lips together a bit afterwards.

"What's that? I'm getting this strange taste. It tastes a little…salty. Are you being a sore loser bro?"

"Oh, I'll show you sore!" Inkay lunged at Shiro who let out a startled cry as his friend landed on him. Cerata and Lyra, who were sitting on the couch behind the boys laughed at the display. Lyra turned to her left and rested her shoulder on Kelp's.

"So how's your game going?" Kelp glanced over at Lyra before looking back down at the two screened handheld he played on.

"These fuckers keep targeting my healer," Kelp growled out causing Lyra to let out another chuckle.

"Wouldn't you target a healer first? It kind of makes the fight easier,"

"Well, yeah but I expect that from another player, not an AI. I refuse to lose to a computer!"

"Why is it so bad? Can't you go one match without a healer?" Lyra mocked with a small smile on her face.

"It's not that simple. If a character dies, they don't come back. I will not lose a single person in this war. This I swear!" Both Cerata and Lyra let out another laugh. Cerata looked around the group. After they returned to Inkay's apartment from the mall, they put everything in its proper place and immediately went to their video games. They had been playing for about half an hour now with her and Lyra spectating. She turned towards the only other female and nudged her arm. The female Inkling rose off of Kelp to see what her newest friend needed.

"When are we going to discuss this Splatfest thing?" Lyra smiled and looked over the group.

"Right now actually," She stood up and stretched a bit. "Alright guys, we need to discuss our plans for Splatfest. More so than usual since we won't be participating in the Turf War part of it,"

"Can this wait like, three more minutes?" Shiro wined as he stared at the TV screen. "I've already found a waiting room, and I can't exit until the next match is over,"

"Multitask," Kelp said as he shut his handheld and focused on Lyra. Shiro groaned as the screen he stared at started a match. Inkay turned towards the rest of the group and tilted his head.

"So what exactly are we going to do? I know we Turf War for a good fifteen to twenty hours, but I don't think I can deal with standing around that long since I don't dance," Cerata gave him a smirk that he responding to with a glare that screamed 'keep your mouth shut'.

"Well, how about instead of heading in at midnight like planned, we just get up at about six? We get ready and then we actually head over there around seven or eight?" Kelp suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. We stay at Splatfest 'til around twelve, come back, chill, maybe get some extra sleep, then head back at 6 again," Lyra added as she sat back down.

"Ok, but we gotta be rested for the after-party," Shiro chimed in as he continued to tap away at his game.

"And why is that?" Cerata asked the group, even though it seemed that Shiro had his own reason.

"Because, that's when stuff really hits the fan," SPLAT! "Damnit! Where did you even come from!? Anyway, Splatfest is open for everyone, therefore some young Inklings who just gained the ability to transform can participate, so it's all kid-friendly. But the after-party is adults only."

"And why is that?" Cerata repeated, the rest of the group secretly curious as well.

"Well, a few Splatfests back, this one girl was feeling frisky, but instead of heading back to her place, she up and decided her boyfriend was too shy, so she got him to do her right there in the plaza," Both girls went wide eyed while Inkay raised an eyebrow and Kelp remained flat-faced.

"You're joking," Lyra gave the Inkling an unbelieving stare.

"I swear! Of course the police were called but by the time they got there it had blown up into a full grown orgy. No cop wanted to deal with twenty something naked bodies,"

"You have got to be lying," Lyra continued.

"Actually he's not," Everyone turned to Kelp surprised.

"In fact it became so popular that it's an actual thing. The after party keeps the trucks for the music and everything. The plaza is shut down for about half an hour, then you need an ID to get back in. Alcohol is served and everything,"

"And how do you know about this Kelp?" Inkay questioned as all eyes saved for Shiro's turned towards him.

"I heard my mom gossiping about it with a friend and looked into it. It's a real thing but you know we're all too exhausted after all the Turf Wars we do so we miss it,"

"And you want to go to this thing?" Cerata questioned suddenly weary of Shiro's character.

"Well yeah. I mean I don't want to participate in the kinky stuff. I just want to see if there really are party animals that wild. And I wanna try their drinks. I hear they have some amazing drinks. They have this one called Truth Serum. Said to fuck you up something fierce," His game ended with his character doing a little dance and he turned towards his friends. "Whaddya say? Just a quick in and out," His grin grew wider as Lyra glared at him.

"I don't see the harm. I could use a drink," Kelp said to no one in particular.

"Well…I can't let you guys have all the fun…Cerata? You in?" Lyra called attention to the disguised Octoling who immediately froze.

"Well…I don't see why not?" It was more of a question but the group took it as a yes.

"Then it's settled. We start partying at eight and stop after we chill a bit at the after party!" Shiro cheered.

"Yeah, which means I'm not putting up with none of your griping," Inkay said standing up and turning off the game.

"Wha?! But! I was about to play another round!"

"If you stay up too late you're going to be the one bitching and trying to cancel the plans. So go to sleep," Shiro let out a childish groan before muttering "fine,"

"Lyra, Cerata, are you two okay with sharing a room?" The two girls looked at each other before smiling and nodding at Inkay. "Good. Kelp, you get the couch and Shiro-"

"I get to sleep with you!?" Shiro lunged at Inkay in an attempt to hug him, but Inkay simply placed a hand on his head and pushed him away.

"You get a chair. I don't care which," Shiro acted sad as Inkay began walking away. "I'll get you guys some blankets and some pillows," Kelp and Shiro nodded as Lyra and Cerata stood up.

"Well, good night you guys. See you in the morning," Lyra said as she walked towards the guest room.

"Good night," Cerata waved to the boys who mimicked her farewell and followed Lyra towards the bedroom. "Good night Inkay," She called into the apartment.

"Good night Cerata," He replied. Cerata smiled to herself and followed Lyra into the room.

"So, I'm here. What do you have to tell me?" Octameri stood in the open door of her superior. She was sweating a bit, a result of her joining in the training, much to the other Octarians' horror. There was a silence as the insides of the room remained dark. It wasn't long before a voice carried out.

"Twelve hours,"

"Come again?"

"Train your troops for another twelve hours. Then, allow them to rest for twelve hours. When that is done we will put our plan into action," A devious smile crossed Octameri's face.

"So in twenty four hours we're moving out?" She asked in overly excited glee.

"No. In twenty four hours we will take back Octavio. Once he has returned," The figured stepped out of the room into the light, causing Octameri to step back in both fear and respect. Bright red eyes glared down on her as the figure continued.

"We're going to war,"

"You really think I should?" Cerata nodded furiously at the girl sitting across the bed from her. Lyra sat in neon green underwear and hugged her pillow closer to her chest. "But…what if he doesn't feel the same…what if I become the one to ruin the squad?..." Cerata placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and gave her a small smile. She was in a dark purple bra and panties.

"The group won't break up over something like that. And if you don't, you'll just be living with what-ifs just watching him with other people,"

"But what if he dumps me?…"

"You'll have to find someone new," Lyra rolled her eyes and dropped her pillow.

"You make it sound like that will be easy to do,"

"Well there are a lot of people out there. You just need to find the right one. And if you ask me, you should at least give Kelp a shot," They sat in silence as Lyra thought it over. She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

"Ok. Tomorrow I'll tell him…I don't know when! But I will…"Cerata smiled and gave the Inkling girl a quick hug before looking her in the eye.

"I'm sure it'll go great!" Lyra forced a smile before standing to turn off the lights.

"I hope so. Anyway, goodnight Cerata," She said as she crawled under the covers.

"Good night," Cerata mirrored as she too got underneath the warm materials. The girls turned their backs to each other and drifted off to sleep.

Inkay awoke at an ungodly hour. He rubbed his eyes as his body screamed its protest of getting up but he ignored it the best he could. He stood out of his bed and put on some shorts and his Basic Tee before quietly exiting his room. He tiptoed down the hall to the guest room and slowly opened the door.

With just as much caution he poked his head in to make sure the two residents of the room were still asleep. Honestly Kelp was the lightest sleeper of the group and he wouldn't be surprised if him opening the first door awoke the orange tentacled Inkling. Regardless he slowly stepped towards the side of the bed he guessed Cerata to be on. He expected what he saw so it was no surprise.

Her disguise had begun unwinding in her sleep, so her tentacles were once again looking more Octarian than Inkling. He slowly nudged her arm to wake her up. She groaned in her sleep and slowly opened her eyes.

"Inkay? What're you-?" Inkay placed a finger over his lips before answering.

"Get some clothes and go take a shower,"

"What time is it?"

"Too damn early. Now come on. Move quick, but don't wake anyone," Cerata was unsure what was going on, but as she sat up, a tentacle rolled its way over her eye and she knew her disguise was coming off. She got off the bed as quickly and quietly as she could and headed towards the closet to gather something to wear. It wasn't until she reached the closet she remembered Inkay was in the room. She looked over her shoulder and saw him standing there frozen. She then remembered what she went to bed in. She took the shirt she had picked up and held it against her chest to cover herself and turned her back to Inkay. She looked over her shoulder with a glare.

"Do you mind?"

"Oh, um…sorry," Inkay whispered as he headed for the exit. "When you get out of the shower knock and I'll do your tentacles," He said as he quietly shut the door. Cerata giggled. He hadn't seen the smirk gracing her lips as she turned her back to him. She didn't know why but she was more interested in his reaction rather than the fact she got caught so close to being completely bare. She turned her attention back to the closet and picked out an outfit and headed to the shower.

It wasn't long before she poked her head out of the bathroom. She prepared to call for Inkay but he had been out in the hallway waiting. He looked up from his sitting position and rose to his feet. He made his way towards the bathroom with a bag in hand. He entered and Cerata took a seat on the toilet. He looked at her and she looked at him.

"So…can I?..."He questioned gesturing to her tentacles. She blushed and rubbed her hands on her knees.

"I'm ready," She squeaked out. Inkay nodded and began doing the same procedure he had did earlier, Cerata shifting under his touch. Unlike before, she found herself quickly leaning back into his hand every time she flinched. When he finished with her tentacles, she honestly found herself disappointed. She didn't voice her want for him to continue however. She simply sat there quietly.

"Close your eyes," Cerata obeyed and Inkay reapplied the Inkling mask part of the disguise. He stood up and smiled as Cerata opened her eyes and returned it. She stood and stretched as Inkay headed towards the door. He opened it with Cerata following close behind.

"Well well, welly welly welly, well well. What do we have here?" They both froze as Shiro stood in the hallway with a smirk on his face.

"It's not what you're thinking," Inkay called as Shiro chuckled.

"Well how do you know what I'm thinkin'"

"Cause I know what it looks like. I was just fixing her tentacles,"

"So that's what they call it these days?" Shiro said with a wide smile. "Don't worry bro, I won't tell anyone. I swear," He said as he walked past the two into the bathroom. Cerata giggled a bit as Inkay rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.

"Don't encourage him,"

Cerata had noticed that music had been playing ever since Inkay had woken her up a few hours before hand. She attempted to look out the window to see what she could see, but Inkay urged her to wait until she stepped out into the streets to see everything.

Honestly the suspense and her curiosity were just about killing her. Right now she sat at the table with Kelp and Shiro while Lyra and Inkay fixed breakfast. Lyra mixed eggs and checked bacon while Inkay stood flipping pancakes. Cerata noticed just how easily Inkay prepared the dish and thought of how her cooking skills were nonexistent. Maybe she could get some lessons from Inkay some time.

Then reality hit her. They were preparing to go to Splatfest. The thing keeping her here. By this time tomorrow she will most likely be back with the other Octarians. That thought had a pretty strong bittersweet taste to it. She found herself thinking about what would happen once she returned. She would probably have a few days off battle duty since she's been MIA, but she will no doubt be questioned. But what if she was sent to battle immediately? In all honesty she still feared the thought of Agent 3, but she didn't want to fight him for another reason now. Before she thought that he fought to defend their stolen items, but now she knew that he fought to protect what was actually theirs. She didn't want to fight on the bad side. Maybe she could convince the others the Inklings weren't that bad.

"Breakfast is ready!" Lyra called setting down an entire arm full of plates in front of her friends, each already filled with bacon and eggs. Inkay placed a pancake on each plate and put all the condiments in the middle of the table.

"Looks good. Thanks guys," Kelp said smiling to his two friends as they took their seat.

"Rubba dub dub! Thanks for the grub!" Shiro called as he picked up his fork and stuck it in his pancake. Lyra smacked his hand with her spoon with a glare.

"Wait for the rest of us!"

"Ah, come on!" Lyra strengthened her glare making Shiro sigh in defeat. With a smile, Lyra linked her hands with Kelp and Inkay's, while Kelp linked his with a sour-faced Shiro. Cerata looked around confused but noticed Inkay offering his hand to her. She slowly took it as Shiro took her other one. The rest of the group closed their eyes so Cerata did the same.

"May this meal strengthen our bodies and hone our minds," Lyra started. "May we return safely to the comforts of our homes in good health. And may we get to be graced once more with the presence of our new friend Cerata. May her first Splatfest be everything she hopes and more, and let her come to visit us again. Asquid,"

"Asquid" The Inklings repeated. The unlinked hands and picked up their utensils.

"Cerata? Are you okay?" Cerata looked around confused at Lyra's question. All eyes were on her and she didn't know why until she felt something drip onto her leg. She brought a hand up to her face and noticed she had a tear running down her face. She was crying? Why was she crying? She was just eating a meal. With friends instead of allies…preparing to enjoy themselves instead of train…and genuinely enjoyed her presence instead of required it. Inkay held her hand under the table and gave her a worried look. She sniffed a bit, carefully rubbing her face so she could wipe away the liquid but not mess up her disguise. Inkay gently squeezed her hand a bit and she smiled to the group.

"I'm fine. Really. Thank you all for the wonderful time," The group smiled at her.

"Alright then! Let's eat!" Shiro called as he began digging into his breakfast. Inkay prepared to let go of Cerata's hand but she held on tighter. Yielding to her wants, he simply held her hand under the table as they began eating as well.

"By the way Cerata," Inkay started. "I know of a way to really have you enjoy the sight of Splatfest," He grinned while she looked on confused.

"How much longer?" Cerata groaned.

"We're almost there," Inkay said with a smile. The smile was lost to Cerata as she had been blindfolded. She clung desperately to Inkay as he led her to the plaza.

"Was the blindfold really necessary?" She questioned.

"I think he just wanted you close to him," Shiro snickered while Kelp hummed in agreement.

"Whatever. I know you hear how loud the music has gotten. We're almost there," It was true. Cerata could practically feel the bass of the music vibrate her entire being. They turned another corner and Inkay stopped. "Okay, we're here. You can take it off," Cerata quickly let go of Inkay's arm and took off the blind fold. Her eyes widened at the sight of everything. The plaza she went to just yesterday looked completely different.

The first thing she noticed was that the sun wasn't up, even though she knew it was almost noon at the least. She came to the conclusion that Splatfest happened whenever there was, what the Octarians called, A Darkening. The Octarians never knew when one was coming but the Inklings apparently did and partied during it. The next thing she noticed was all the fireworks gracing the sky in pictures and comments rooting for the two teams. Vibrant greens and purples lighting up the dark sky.

The music playing at the moment was an amazing thing of itself. It made her feel like moving, and even though she heard it as she approached, it combined with all the sights made it even more beautiful. She glanced around the plaza. It was filled with Inklings chatting and bobbing their heads to the beat of the music. The music was coming from a set of speakers placed on top of two trucks that she continued to look around with a face of amazement.

"Well?" She turned her attention to the voice and stared back into Inkay's smirking face.

"It's beautiful," She muttered returning her attention to the area around her.

"Aw, yeah! First impression: Blown out of the water!" Shiro declared.

"And we got here just in time too," Kelp pointed to the two trucks in the plaza. The music had quieted down just a little as four Inklings climbed atop the trucks. There were two on each one and they had microphones in their hands.

"Good evening Inklings!" The people called out over the crowd, getting cheers and applause. "Are you all ready to party?!" Louder cheers as the music changed to something else. "Remember, all those participating in the Turf Wars, pick up your T-shirts at the Team booth!" With that, the teens began singing. Cerata began bobbing her body to the music as she listened to the song.

"Well it seems someone is enjoying themselves," Shiro said as the others chuckled. Cerata chuckled as well and turned towards Inkay.

"Dance with me?" Inkay raised an eyebrow and glanced towards his friends, all of which were giving him a suggestive look.

"Sorry, but I'm gonna have to turn you down. I don't dance,"

"What?!" Cerata said with a more than amused look on her face. "Come on. I know you dance," She said giving a look screaming she knew otherwise.

"Yeah, I've never known Inkay to be much of a dancer. Always a wall flower," Shiro said nudging Inkay, who simply shrugged.

"He's no fun," Kelp said rolling his eyes at the Inkling now taking a small step back from the group. Cerata crossed her arms and huffed. She furrowed her brows at Inkay who only, once again, shrugged his shoulders. A hand was suddenly presented in front of her. She looked at it then followed the arm to its owner. "Care to dance with me?" Cerata uncrossed her arms and held her hand out to accept the invitation when she glanced over at Lyra. The Inkling girl looked completely fine with it but it didn't feel right. She pulled her hand away and smiled.

"No thanks. I'm going to have to politely turn you down," All males in the group gave a confused look to the disguised Octoling. Shiro and Inkay noticed how she changed her decision when she looked at Lyra, so they figured she had something to do with the change of heart but didn't question it.

Kelp on the other hand was too busy focused on his now wounded pride. He wasn't one to dwell on a turndown but he still wasn't expecting one. As hurt as his pride was, he simply shrugged with a calm expression on his face and extracted his hand. He turned towards Lyra and held his hand out again.

"Would you like to dance?" Lyra crossed her arms and put on a fake hurt face.

"What am I? Your backup plan? I refuse to be number two," She said as Kelp put on an expression to match hers.

"Don't be like that. I was just trying to make sure our new friend enjoyed her first dance,"

"Mmmhmm," Lyra turned her back to Kelp as he chuckled. He reached around and grabbed her hand turning her towards him.

"You know you wanna dance," He said smiling.

"You're lucky I do. But I think you only deserve one dance,"

"Well it's a good thing Splatfest lasts 24 hours," Kelp grinned as Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"You expect me to dance that long?" Her answer was him dragging her away from the group as everyone laughed.

"Would you mind dancing with me?" Shiro said nudging Cerata in the arm with his elbow, a goofy smile on his face. Cerata giggled before answering.

"Sure. Why not?" Even though this raised more questions to why she didn't dance with Kelp, the Inkling boys ignored it.

"Yes! One step higher than Kelp! Come on, let's shake a tail fin!" He said moving towards the ocean of moving bodies. Cerata laughed again before she looked back at Inkay, who motioned her to go ahead. She gave a disappointed smile before going to the dance floor as Inkay took a seat on the nearby bench.

Octavio twirled his wasabi plants as he looked into the distance. He felt really good right now. Like, really good. He didn't know why. It just felt like something big was about to happen. He of course didn't know what, but he could feel it in his tentacles. Maybe he'll finally be free of this crap hole. If only he had his music. A few funky beats would get his tentacles moving in the best way. But alas, all he had was his wasabi plants. So he would twirl those and bob his head to the beat in his head.

The Inkling in the small house next to him had the opposite feeling. He was paranoid, looking over his shoulder every other second, even when his back was against the wall. He went to bed calm as a bright summer day, but he awoke in a panic that wouldn't seem to go away. He wanted to return to the blissfulness of sleep, but something kept him awake. So he paced his small home and waited for what was going to happen to happen.

Noon came sooner than expected for the squad of Inklings. Inkay had occupied himself with the few Inklings who sat on the bench to either take a break or chat him up. To his surprise quite a few Inklings invited him to the after party. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about that.

But of course, his friends eventually returned. They were all sweaty and breathing heavy but they looked like they were enjoying themselves.

"Having fun?" He questioned as he stood to his feet and stretched.

"Yep. You should try it some time," Kelp chuckled.

"Maybe some other time. So we headed back for now?"

"Yeah. This time we're going to dress in party attire. Gotta look our freshest for the Squid Sisters," Cerata prepared to question who those were, but if they had to be their 'freshest' to see them, it was easy to guess that they were big in the Inkling society and it would blow her cover. She would find out soon anyway.

"Honestly I'm kind of tired. You think we can get a quick nap before returning?" The group nodded at Kelp as they head back. Shiro took out his phone and began pressing numbers.

"Who are you calling?" Inkay asked. The blue tentacle Inkling turned to him with a smile.

"Ordering pizza. Gonna have it delivered to your place, then we can eat and sleep. My treat," The group looked at each other and shrugged.

The time was 5:37 when Inkay awoke for the second time that day. He stretched his arms as he stepped out of his bed. Right as his feet touched the ground there was a knock on his door.

"Inkay! We're all getting ready! That means you need to get ready too!" Lyra called through his door. He fully stood and walked over to his closet where his new outfit was waiting. It was a royal blue vest with a purple undershirt and black slacks. He fixed himself up and put his tentacles in the standard male ponytail before exiting his room.

Kelp and Shiro both sat in the living room waiting for the others. They greeted Inkay as he came out and the three commented on how good they looked. Kelp's outfit was exactly like Inkay's except the vest was a bright orange and the undershirt was green. Shiro's matched the set with a bright blue vest and slacks with a purple undershirt. Unlike the previous two males, Shiro had his vest open.

"Man we look good," Kelp said adjusting his vest and smiling. "Any idea when the girls are coming out?"

"They're probably doing makeup or some girly thing. Let them take their time. There's plenty of party left," No soon had Shiro said that, Lyra cleared her throat from the doorway. The two females were wearing the dresses they had bought the day prior. Lyra stood with a smile and both hands on her hips while Cerata had her arms crossed nervously in front of her. All boys' mouths dropped at the two girls standing there. Kelp and Inkay quickly regained their composure as Shiro simply whistled.

"You two look great," He said wiggling his eyebrows. Lyra chuckled before gesturing towards the door.

"Come on let's go. The good bands will be playing by now," The squad nodded as the headed towards the door. They all exited the apartment for the second time that day. Inkay exited last in order to lock the door behind them. He caught up to the group and stuck in the back with Cerata as Shiro bragged about how sharp he was. He lightly tapped her arm to get her attention.

"That dress looks really nice on you," Cerata's face instantly heated up as she looked away. A small smile creeped across her face as she muttered out a "Thank you,"

This is half of the whole chapter. Expect the other half before the night is over because its not quite done yet, but I didn't want to keep you nice folks waiting. :p