Splatoon: The Brothers and the Others
Lunch Rush
A young Inkling adult entered an office lobby, filled to the brim with confidence. He had on a pair of Retro Specs, a Varsity Jacket, and a pair of Yellow Seahorses as well as a pair of black shorts. His skin was light brown and his orange eyes and orange tentacles were sparkling with excitement. He ran through the office complex, passing through the lobby.
"Can't wait, man, can't wait!" He thought to himself over and over, picking up the pace.
This Inkling was so preoccupied with running that he didn't realize he was running into another Inkling, this one being a female. The two slammed into each other, knocking each other over.
"Yow!" The male exclaimed, rubbing his head.
"Agh, hey buddy!" The female yelled, pushing him off.
The male stopped rubbing his head, and stared at the female. Despite her irritated voice, on the outside she seemed indisposed to the event. She had on a Sporty Bobble Hat, a Berry Ski Jacket, and a pair of Crazy Arrows, black shorts like every other Inkling as well, light skin and yellow tentacles and eyes glaring right towards the other Inkling.
"I believe you owe me something?" She said.
"Sorry lady, gotta go! Late for my job interview!" The male yelled, running off, rudely ditching the female.
"Son of a- That's not exactly it!" She growled, picking herself up, walking away with nothing else other than an irritated look on her face. "Well, whatever."
A few hours later, the male ran out of the office building, cheering to himself. In his hands, he held a paper with a stamp on it, a little green squid above the word, "APPROVED" on it, a list of work-related achievements on it.
"All I have to do is wait 'til tomorrow, then I can start work! Whoo-hoo! Alright, alright, Calm down Willie, it's just another day away." The Inkling thought to himself. "Ah, who am I kidding, this is so flipping exciting, man!"
Willie chuckled, running the rest of the way home, happily hopping about the sidewalks and streets of Inkopolis. After a bit of joyful hopping, the soon to be employed Inkling reached an apartment building. Willie ran inside, flinging open the doors, still enthusiastic, surprising other sea creatures in the building as he ran through the building, making his way up the floors via stairway. Eventually, he reached the floor just beneath the roof of the building, which he entered by running through the halls. He stopped in front of the first door closest to the stairway he had left, stuck a hand in his pocket, taking out the keys. Taking the keys, he could've very well shattered them into a million pieces with the way he inserted it into the door's lock, but he was far too overjoyed to care. Once he opened the door, he made his way inside, kicking the door closed behind him, ran over to his bed, switched into a squid, and hopped onto it, rolling around in its plush majesty.
After a bit of rolling, Willie yawned, his eyes drooping. "Just a day away…" He told himself, already nodding off to sleep.
When Willie woke up, he realized a few things. One, that he slept in his clothes. Two, that his resume was lying on the ground next to his bed. So far so good. And three-
"What time is it?" He asked himself groggily, looking around the room.
Spying a clock, it read 7:00 sharp.
"Mmm." He murmured, leaning back into his bed. That's when it hit him hard.
"SHIP! I'M LATE FOR MY FIRST DAY!" He screamed.
Jumping off of the bed, messily switching back to Inkling form, he landed on his feet, picked up the resume, beginning to dash. Swiftly, he entered the bathroom of his home, frantically making sure that he was making himself look good, brushing his fangs, combing his tentacles, all the like. Reaching elsewhere, he took a set of clothing, haphazardly removing his previous clothing (in a rated T kind of way guys) and quickly putting on each and every new article of clothing as if he were firing ink bullets. He took one last look at the mirror. Looking at his reflection, he smiled, a chef uniform fitting for five star establishments worn proudly, then he sprinted out of his apartment, (again, kicking the door to open and close it) running rampant among the streets of Inkopolis in order to make it to his job at all.
Weaving through buildings, Willie finally managed to reach his destination. He stopped, panting for breath, leaning on a street lamp for support, adjusting his chef hat and tentacles underneath. Looking up, he was greeted by a somewhat faded sign that showed a tropical beach with the name "Oahu" written over it. He stood in front of a large restaurant building, glass pane windows revealing rows of tables and booths inside, as well as a kitchen in the very back behind a counter.
Willie grinned. "Alright, let's get this party started."
Willie entered the restaurant, an air of confidence about him. That faded immediately once he saw the girl he bumped into earlier standing by the counter. The worst part was that she was wearing a waitress uniform, only alluding to the happy fun times he was bound for.
He decided to play it smooth, casually greeting her. "...So, uh, hey, uh, girl... How's it hanging?"
"What are you doing here?" She asked calmly.
Willie gulped. She knew it was him. "J-Just waiting for a table to open, nothing big."
"This place doesn't open until an hour later. Please, get out." She huffed, crossing her arms.
Willie sighed, leaning back on the wall. "Okay, look, sorry about what happened earlier. I was in a rush. Forgive me?"
"..." She sighed. "For the time being, I have work to do."
"Oh, hey wait, that's what I'm actually here for!" Willie said, perking up. "I'm here for the sous-chef job."
"Ah, really? Well, you've come to the right place then." Another voice called out.
Confused, Willie looked around him. "Uh, did you say something?"
The female by the counter shook her head. "That's our employer."
Now more confused by what she meant, Willie kept looking around. "Where is she?"
"Right here!" A new Inkling said, popping up next to Willie from the floor.
"Wah!" Willie yelped, jumping back.
"Heh, got you." She said, lightly slugging Willie on the arm.
This new Inkling was an Inkling in a chef uniform with small cyan tentacles that looked cut short, clear blue eyes. She had a chef uniform on, toque and all. Though, underneath her work clothes she had on a White Headband, Aloha Shirt, and Blue Moto Boots, hardly bothered to be concealed much as if proud of them.
Willie grinned. "Wow. You're the owner of this place?"
"The one and only." She said. "Also the main chef, proud to make your acquaintance."
"Perfect!" Willie said. "My name's uh...William Stream, or Willie for short, I'm here to-"
"Heard you the first time, read your resume ahead of time. Don't worry, both of you are already hired." She said with a smile.
Willie's eyes shot open. "Wh-Whoa! Really?! Thank you so much, I'll do my freakin' best, you won't be disappointed!"
"Hold on there, dude." She told him.
Willie stopped. "Yes ma'am?"
"It's Pela, no need for formalities." She said, smirking. "I'm glad you're all excited and ready to work, but there's a catch. I already informed Zip over here about it. Zip?"
Willie turned to the girl he had crashed into earlier. "Zip? That's your name?"
"Yep." She said, leaning back on the counter.
"Please don't lean on the counter." Pela said sharply, Zip immediately hopping off.
"Pela told me if we want the jobs, we're going to have to get through a regular work day." Zip explained. "That means you better be ready to take orders, serve tables, cook meals, all the like. If no customers show up, then we can at least show off our skills to the boss."
"Well, hey, cooking's my specialty." Willie said proudly, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "That doesn't sound too insane."
Pela suppressed a laugh. "Well, may I just say, good luck to you both." Pela began walking off to the kitchen, then turned back, a glint briefly shining in her eyes. "However, if you fail, slack off, etc., you'll be fired, kicked out, no questions asked. Capiche?"
Both of them stared at Pela blankly, nodding at her threat.
Pela smiled. "Good then! Well, I'll be in my office. See you later!"
Zip blinked. "Wait, your office is in the kitchen?"
Pela waved goodbye, and dived into a cabinet inside the kitchen via squid form. The two of them stared at the cabinet for a while, then turned to face each other.
Zip crossed her arms. "Well, it looks like you and I are going to be working together."
"Sure does." Willie said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Zip, right?"
"Yeah." She said. "Yours?"
"Willie." He told her.
"Hmph. Well Willie, lemme get one thing straight." Zip said, hopping up on the counter. "You are not getting in the way of my occupation. Like, not at all."
"Hey, look, I'm sorry about earlier. Geez, I didn't mean to bump into you like that!" Willie said.
"Let's just hope the same doesn't happen in the kitchen." Zip said. "If either of us are keeping a job, do us both a solid and be more aware of your surroundings."
At this point, Willie wasn't too pleased with Zip. "Woman, I've had it! I've tried to be nice, I'm totally aware of my surroundings, who are you to tell me what I know of my environment?!"
Zip blinked. "Well then."
Willie huffed. "Sorry about that. But come on Zip, give me a chance. I promise, I won't disappoint."
Zip sat on the counter in silence, pondering his proposition. A moment later, she sighed, staring him directly in the eyes. "...Alright. We'll see how it goes then during the work day."
"I guess we will then Miss Offended." Willie said, walking into the kitchen.
Zip sighed, shaking her head, hopping off the counter. She walked behind the counter, making sure to stand straight. Willie on the other hand made his way into the kitchen. The outside looking in made the kitchen look decent, but Willie was more than impressed upon walking inside and experiencing it fully. Multiple stoves and shiny, squeaky clean countertops decked the walls, ingredients so fresh they could substitute for the Squid Sisters for a day. Clean knives, forks, and other utensils sharp enough to cut through anything. (He was also certain that one of the knives was a miniature sword by the length of it, but shrugged it off) Needless to say, but I'll say it anyways, (today is another day to find you) Willie was amazed by the overall state of the kitchen.
"This is...spectacular! I could cook up literally anything in here, much better than the kitchen in my apartment!" He said, marveling over the kitchenware.
"Take it you're impressed by the kitchen, huh?"
Willie whirled around, coming face to face with Pela.
"Uh, yeah! This place is like the heaven for cooks, dang this place is pretty!" Willie exclaimed, eyeing everything.
"Glad you like it! Because if you want this job, you're gonna have to familiarize yourself with everything in here. Go ahead, start walking around, start learning the layout and all." Pela told Willie, the other Inkling nodding.
Willie took a step around, only to be grabbed by Pela and pulled back, choking the squid somewhat. Pela shushed him, looking over to the door. At the door, there was a single Inkling teen, looking around the restaurant.
"Excuse me! Anybody here? The uh...Great Ari wishes to dine here! Bring your finest table and...silverware, I guess?" He asked, looking around.
"Ari, it doesn't look like anyone's here." Sari said, popping up behind him, looking around.
"...Yeah, I was mostly just testing it for dramatic effect." Ari explained. "You know, once we find a worthy foe to challenge or get into something involving with a crowd, I'll be able to dazzle 'em, know what I'm saying?"
Sari nodded. "Guess that's one way to attract attention. I'll be right behind you, man."
Pela gasped, glaring at her two employees-in-training. "What are you two waiting for?! You gotta serve the customer."
"Huh?! Me?! Zip's closer to the door!" Willie protested.
Pela huffed. "That's not the attitude I'm looking for."
Willie paused. "Ehm…I'll go straight away, then, I guess?"
Pela shrugged. "Works for me!"
Willie cleared his throat, making his way out to the front, but was ultimately shown up by Zip, who reached the customers quicker than he did. Why he decided to try when Zip was clearly outside and closer to the customers was beyond me, but regardless, Zip playfully stuck her tongue out at him, Willie grimacing as a result.
"Welcome to Oahu, how may I help you?" Zip asked.
Ari stared at Zip for a while. "Ah! About time, my cousin and I have been searching far and wide for a suitable dining establishment for some time now, isn't that right Sari?"
Sari shrugged. "Yeah, about an hour."
"So, if you don't mind, we'd appreciate eating here for lunch!" Ari finished.
Zip nodded. "Of course-"
"Great! Let's go, great cousin, off to find a suitable table!" Ari announced, him and Sari walking off into the restaurant. "...Hey, how'd you think I did with the voice?"
"Nice, Ari. Pretty dramatic, if I do say so myself." Sari said.
"Hmm. I was going for a heroic approach, but I'll take what I can get." Ari said with a grin, taking a chair and offering it to Sari. And he didn't slide it out from under the table, no, Ari lifted the chair and offered it to Sari.
"Uh…" Sari stuttered.
"...Sorry, felt like I was on a roll there." Ari said, placing the chair down.
Zip, Willie, and Pela watched the two customers intently. Pela grabbed the two in a huddle formation.
"Alright, this'll be your task for today." Pela said with a grin. "If you can provide satisfactory, no, splatastic service for these two, I'll make sure you both get your jobs. Simple test, right?"
Zip and Willie glanced at each other, then nodded. Pela smiled at this, waved them off, then retreated quickly back into her "office".
"Oh yeah." Pela began, peaking her squid head outside the cabinet doors. "Don't even THINK about slacking off on this one, either."
Zip turned to Willie, smirking.
"Watch and learn, William." Zip said, making an elegant walk over to the two.
Just a few feet "One of the first and most important things we can do is get to know the city, Sari. Inkopolis is a pretty glamourous place, so if we wanna make it big here, the first thing to do is-"
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs…?" Zip asked, standing next to them, notepad in her hands.
"Jabin." Ari said, then blushed. "Oh, wait, wait, wait, we're um...not in a relationship."
"Yeah, we're cousins…" Sari said, with an awkward smile.
"Oh." Zip said, standing still.
The three remained there in silence, letting the tension settle in. Pela, watching the scene, cringed on the inside, but on the outside she was gesturing for Zip to get the show on the road. Zip, noticing this, gave her a subtle nod, turning to the cousins.
"...Apologies, um…" Zip began, clearing her throat. "What will you two be having this afternoon?"
Ari smirked, then picked up a menu. Scanning it quickly, he put it down, smiling. "I'll have the…"
"Crab, all the cool stuff is really expensive." Ari thought to himself. "Well, I have to order something impressive...oh, I know!"
"I'll have the...cooked salmon and...orange juice?" Ari said.
Sari nodded. "I'll have what he's having."
"Oh ship I didn't expect that! Do I have enough money to pay for both of us? Maybe I should change my or-"
"Gotcha, two salmons and double the OJ, coming up." Zip told them with a sweet smile, jotting the orders down in her notepad.
"Then again." Ari thought, looking at his waitress. "If I fumble up near a female, they'll think I'm a doofus. Maybe this is the best course…"
"Thanks, Ms…" Ari began.
"Zip." She told them. "I'm single, but don't get any bright ideas." Zip said, walking off.
Pela frowned, gesturing for Zip to meet her in her "office". Zip, while cool on the outside, mentally reprimanded herself for whatever she thought she did wrong. Keeping a decent pace, she jogged over into the kitchen, making her way around counters, and Willie, who sneered at her, Zip rolling her eyes as a result, stooping down to the cabinet office.
"Miss Nananec, I appreciate your efforts, but I can't have you chatting up all of the customers. Orders will start piling up, customers will go unsatisfied, and it's just all going to be a big mess. A little less talk, a little more order taking, please?" Pela asked.
Zip sighed. "Rights, sorry Pela."
Pela smiled. "Glad you understand. Go out there Zip, get those orders to your coworker."
Zip nodded, Pela shutting the cabinet door behind her. Zip stood up, then walked over to Willie, who was leaning on one of the counters. Zip tore the note she wrote on out of the notebook, handing it to Willie with a smug grin.
"Zip 1: Willie 0." Zip told him. "Better start cooking, William."
Willie took the note from Zip, and read it over. "Child's play."
"Alright. Be sure to make it quick, our guests are hungry~!" Zip said, walking outside over to the cash register.
Willie smiled, nodding. "Watch and learn Zip."
Willie looked down at the counters. Spying a refrigerator on his left, he walked over, opening it, marveling at the selection of ingredients inside as well. Scanning the contents, he found a pair of salmon steaks. Taking the steaks, he walked out, making sure to close the fridge without roundhouse kicking the door for once, and placed the salmon down on the counter.
Letting it stay there, he walked over to the oven, preheating it, then walked back to the salmon. Noticing two condiment shakers, he took the both of them, sprinkling salt and pepper onto the salmon, making sure to properly season it. Willie looked around the room, looking for something he could place the salmon on. Reaching down into counter cabinets, he searched for a baking sheet, eventually finding a roll. Taking the roll, he took a sheet of the nonflammable material, carefully laying the salmon on top. Looking towards the oven, knowing that it was done preheating, he took an oven mitt placed on the counter nearby, opening the oven, then placed the salmon inside, on a rack, closed the oven, then turned it on, waiting for it to cook.
Zip watched Willie, somewhat impressed. While he went to pour two glasses full of orange juice, she walked inside the kitchen, just behind him.
"Hey."
Willie perked up, looking behind him.
"I know I've given you a bit of ship recently, but I must admit, you're pretty good at this." Zip said with one arm on her hips. "Simple, but good."
"...Thanks. You too." Willie said, referring to earlier.
"Thanks." Zip said. "Once you're done with the juice, I'll just go ahead and take them out to the customers, right?"
"Alright, sure! Go ahead, I've finished pouring them." Willie gestured to the juice.
"Perfect." Zip said, walking towards the juice.
Taking the glasses, she whirled around, walking away, though a bit of the liquid splashed onto the floor, mostly gone unnoticed by the two. Zip walked out by the table Ari and Sari were sitting at, placing the glasses in front of the two, smiling at them.
"I'll be right back with your orders." She told them, walking back into the kitchen.
"Nice!" Sari said.
Ari grinned, taking a sip out of the glasses. "This stuff tastes really fresh! You know, in more ways than one."
Zip smiled, walking back into the kitchen, Willie waiting patiently, waving over to Zip. "Alright, I got the drinks down, how's the salmon-"
Zip gasped, feeling herself slip on the liquid from earlier. Willie's eyes shot open, dashing over to Zip, nearly slipping himself, quickly reaching out, grabbing her, keeping her from slamming her head on the countertop. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the two got awkwardly close. They stared into each other's eyes, neither flinching, each scanning the others' intently.
"Th-Thanks, Willie." Zip said.
Willie smiled. "N-No problem."
It was at that moment Pela came out of her "office", noticing the scene. "Whoa, whoa whoa whoa, hey, I'm glad you lovebirds are getting much more friendly with each other, but I can't have you make out in the kitchen."
The two flushed crimson, Willie quickly shifting to squid form, setting Zip down in the process, scuttling away from Zip. "Hang on, it wasn't-"
"We were- He was just helping me." Zip stammered.
Pela smirked. "Surrrrre. You two just finish serving the orders, then after work we can discuss whether or not you two get to keep the job, and maybe if you two might give each other some sugar, am I right?"
Willie and Zip stood there awkwardly, looking absentmindedly in different directions. Pela sighed irritably.
"There goes a perfectly good joke." Pela said with a shake of her head.
"Hop to it you two." Pela reminded them, hopping back in the cabinet.
A ding snapped the two out of their doldrums. Looking towards the oven, they could see that the salmon was already done.
"I'll get that!" Willie shouted.
Willie grabbed an oven mitt and opened the oven, taking the salmon out, laying it on the counter. Grabbing two plates, he lifted the salmon onto the two plates with forks and knives, then gestured to Zip. Zip nodded, and she took the plates, walking out, quickly composing herself. She gave the plates to the two Jabin family members, smiling.
"Hope you enjoy your meal." She said.
"Uh, hey, is something wrong? Your face is all red." Sari asked.
"We heard a commotion from over there too. What's going on?" Ari asked with an eyebrow cocked. "Ah! Has there been trouble afoot?"
Zip looked elsewhere, attempting to figure out an excuse, twiddling her tentacle. "...It's...warm, in there." She said, walking off.
The two other Inklings stared at each other in bewilderment, then shrugged and began digging into their meal. Zip, walked by the counter, breathing in a sigh of relief, staring over at Willie, who waved. Zip waved back, turning around to get a better look of the entrance in case of other customers. Luckily and unluckily, it seemed to be a slow day, reassuring Zip that this wouldn't be too much of a drag on.
After a few minutes, Ari and Sari had finished, and were now deciding on paying the check. Ari checked his wallet, worrying profusely, but was stopped by Sari.
"Hey, don't worry Ari. I got this." She said, but was stopped by Ari.
"N-No, it's fine good cousin, it's gentlemanly to, uh, you know, pay the bills." Ari said.
Sari sighed. "Ari, let's be honest. You thought that the salmon was going to be expensive, didn't you?"
Ari flinched. "How'd you know?!"
Sari giggled lightly. "You were super tense looking when you were looking over the menu."
Ari looked at the floor. "Oh."
"Don't worry man, I've got this for once. But next time, you've got to promise me to win in some Turf Wars to earn some money for yourself, got me?" Sari asked, reaching into her pockets, pulling out a handful of coins.
"...Alright, I promise dear Sari." Ari said.
"Still trying with that vocabulary, eh?" Sari smirked.
"I won't stop." Ari told her, eliciting another laugh from Sari.
"Thanks for coming!" Zip said and waved their customers off.
"This establishment has my support! The food and service were top notch! I'll be sure to come again if you don't mind!" Ari called out.
"Ari, it was only a little salmon." Sari blushed orange and turned away in embarrassment as she and Ari walked off.
Zip nodded. "We'll be ready for you." Zip called, the two other Inkling waving goodbye.
Pela left her office, walking outside. She motioned for Willie and Zip to follow her outside the restaurant. Leaving through the set of double doors, she cleared her throat, making sure to get the attention of the two.
"Today was a pretty nice day, wouldn't you two say?" Pela said. "That being said, it's only been an hour since you've applied."
"A couple more hours of work, huh?" Zip said.
"Man, I'm already sort of exhausted from...today." Willie said, glancing quickly at Zip.
"That's why I'm letting you two off early." Pela announced with a smile.
The two Inklings eyes' widened in surprise.
"Whoa, really Pela?!" Willie asked.
"Are you sure? It seems like a tough job to do all by yourself." Zip asked.
Pela grinned. "Appreciate the suggestions, but I'll be fine. You two take a break, it seems too good to be true, but I'll need to analyze your resumes with your hard work in mind and make this stuff official. Go ahead, do your things, if customers somehow DO find this place, I'll make sure to try my best."
With that said, Pela waved goodbye, walking inside of the restaurant, shifting a little sign inside that read, "OPEN" around, signifying that the place was closed for the time being. Willie and Zip turned to each other.
"...I guess that's that. We'll have to wait and see I suppose." Zip said.
"Yep." Willie said, staring over at Oahu.
"...Thanks for catching me back there."
"No problem."
"Um...see you tomorrow." Zip told him.
"...Yeah, see you." Willie said, looking elsewhere.
He then felt something touch his cheek. Looking to his right, Zip gave him a quick peck, startling Willie. Zip smiled warmly, waving goodbye, running off. Willie blinked, feeling his cheek. Cracking a goofy smile on his face, he jumped up for joy, cheering despite not fully knowing what exactly happened. He continued to do so as he ran back home, swerving and dancing somewhat around street lamps and benches, until he reached the apartment building. Running up the stairs, ignoring the complaints of a couple passerby, he reached into his pockets, pulling out his keys, opening up the door of his apartment home, then flung himself inside, shifting into a squid form, lounging on his bed.
"This may very well have been the best freaking day of my life!" Willie thought to himself warmly, wrapping himself in the bed sheets, not bothering to change out of his chef uniform as he took a nap.
AN: As you can tell, my deal with romance and cooking is that since I don't have much experience with either, my writing of either of them isn't exactly top notch. But hey, sometimes you gotta try your best, even if it kinda blows up in your face. Hmm.
Anyways, time for a fresh serving of reviews, straight from Lean and Ultrapyre! Thanks Lean, who knows for certain? (Well, I guess I have some responsibility in that, being the author and all.) Ultrapyre, thanks man. I suppose just having the word, "Bate" being dragged around wasn't the best visual representation, I'll try and work on those. Maybe the Bate parents aren't dead, again, who knows for sure? :3
Thanks again everybody for reading, this is ThePizzaLovingTurtle, oh and by the way, if any of you are in the California area and happen to find a lost copy of Majora's Mask 3D, notify your local turtle today!
*Moved* Dis-clam-er:
If anyone out there is a seasoned cook, I apologize if I somehow make you gouge your own eyes out at looking at this cooking scene, not really too used to making much of my own except for pizza, burgers, and grilled cheese to be honest.