Splatoon: The Brothers and the Others
Her Empty Bed
She was sitting on the floor in the dark by herself. It had been days. About three days since their descent into the unknown. Among the many Octarians that dwell within Octo Valley, Chi was starting to worry. Walking through one of the metal hallways of the headquarters, passing by several living quarters, she sighed as she roamed for a while. After quite a few steps, she came across one specific dorm. Stopping right in front of it, staring for quite some time at the uncleaned scorch marks on the outside over the door.
As she approached the entrance, Chi hesitated, making sure to keep her Octoling Goggles on tight. A second thought crossed through her head. Glancing around the hall for a moment, she removed her goggles upon finding that there was no one looking about, not that it would have mattered. Nevertheless, she considered it a bit of a respectful gesture, and removed her goggles, revealing her crystal clear blue eyes. Blinking softly, the metal door to the room started to lift up to clear the way, revealing a rather plain room.
A pair of bunks sat next to one another, extremely close by. Walking over towards one of them, she could not help but simultaneously stare at the bed opposite. A mess of pillows and blankets were stacked into a small pile. Sitting down on her respective mattress, she placed her hands on her cheeks and stared at the pile for a good minute or two.
"...Where are you?" She wondered to herself, frowning.
Falling back on the bed, she stared up at the metallic ceiling, staring without a word, closing her eyes, thinking back to days past long ago...
"Alright newbie." A young Octoling with her goggles dangled around her neck lazily spoke up, "What I am about to say is gonna be important. I can't be bothered to repeat this, so lend me those ears."
Two years prior, Chi sat on the exact same spot, staring up at her roommate. Tai, just as young, had her arms crossed and was standing on her cot, occasionally bouncing up and down on the mattress, much to the other Octoling's discomfort. Tapping her fingers on the soft fabric, Chi maintained the best posture she could manage.
"Yes, I understand. I'm all ears, T-41." She told her, sitting as straight as she could without a backbone, which was actually rather simple.
Shaking her head, Tai slammed the wall behind her with her fist, Chi swallowing a nervous lump in her throat. "Okay, you already broke one of my first rules."
"What's that?" Chi asked, sweating bullets.
Arching an eyebrow, Tai hopped off of the bed and cast her goggles towards the side, leaning on the tips of her boots towards the other bed. As the other Octoling homed in like a discomfort causing missile, Chi backed away towards the side of the dorm, cold steel eliciting shivers from her as the tentacles touched the back. Much to her surprise, her "superior" just smiled at her, then decided to pat her on the head like a pet.
"You don't need to call me T-41 here, you know. Just Tai works. Got it? Tai. T-A-I." She enunciated with painstaking clarity as she eyed the other's goggles.
Chi blinked underneath the cover of her goggles. "...Okay? But Tai-"
"Eh, bu-bu-bu- You shush, let me continue for a second." Tai spoke, the brisk cut-off causing her colleague to keep her mouth shut, "Rule number two: Do not mess with this."
Turning around, Tai began pointing towards her own bed, which sat across from Chi's own. Her gaze followed the finger. Where Tai's goggles now remained completely motionless, a clutter of blankets, haphazardly stuffed into one unceremonious pile covered the remnants of what was supposed to be a bed frame and a mattress. It was not unlike a winter wonderland, only with warmer white covering the canvas. As she gawked at the pile, she was not sure whether or not she was staring in sheer awe, or if this was not meant to be witnessed with mortal eyes. Soon, however, it appeared as though it would not matter, as her roommate walked back over towards her bed with a yawn.
"No way." Her mouth gaped open as she watched with a sense of horror.
Similar to a professional diver embarking on an undersea journey to a sunken ship, Tai stretched both of her arms towards the ceiling and leaped up over the tangled sheets. Chi was completely silent, watching as she descended upon and into the fluffy mess, rustling them as she was consumed by the mess. For a solid minute and a half, (she timed) Chi stared at the jumbled heap with a mouth agape, removing her Octoling Goggles to make sure they were not malfunctioning. It was amazing that someone could manage to thrive in such...Bizarre conditions.
Then again, she was an Octoling, just like Tai.
Slowly, Chi got off her bed, walking over towards the other cot cautiously. Eyes carefully scanning the sheets, every step she made was as if it would all matter in the long run. For all she knew, this could be a test of sorts. Approaching the blankets with a sluggish pace, she started reaching towards the sheets.
Only to retract her hand immediately as the pile vibrated again. "Ah," Tai sighed in relief as her head popped out of the sheets, her Octoling Goggles stuck on the top of one of her tentacles, "If you'd like, you can always hop in."
"Hop in that thing?!" Chi asked with a horrified gasp.
Immediately, Chi had wished she had stayed silent, as the less than amused face Tai was giving her was just as intimidating as the all devouring mess of comforters that she sat in.
Instead of erupting into fury, Tai just shook her head and sighed. "Alright, your loss."
As Tai began preparing for another dive, Chi shook her head and started reaching out for her. "Hey, hold on!" Arching an eyebrow, Tai began turning back towards her companion. "What about the other rules?"
Tai just blinked tiredly and yawned. "What other rules?"
With that being said, she submerged herself in bedroom comforts, leaving Chi by herself in the room. Blinking, she raised a fist up to her chin and frowned.
"Well that was helpful." Chi thought, shaking her head. "Can she really just do whatever she wants? Or is she just testing me? ...And where did she get all of those-"
A voice screamed from somewhere close by, "T-41, you'd better not have made off with my sheets again! We had just sent them into the wash too!"
A muffled, "No" was shouted out from the recesses of the bed, followed by a groan elsewhere. An orchestra of footsteps continued the sound trend, up to the point where the sound of the door to the room sliding open. Chi then learned firsthand just how far her mouth could go. So far, it had not hit the floor, but as one of the most prestigious commanders in the army, Aussie herself with the elite seaweed sticking above the platinum sheen of her tentacles. For a moment, Chi just backed away on her bed, beginning to sweat somewhat as she passed by, glaring down at the mess.
"The jig is up, T-41. Get out of there now or I'll be forced to revoke your bed sheet privileges." She threatened, already reaching out towards the sheets.
In the middle of reaching over, Tai's hand shot out to meet her commanding officers, smacking her hand away. "You're not getting my bed, Auss. I worked hard on this!"
"I've been getting complaints from everyone else about missing bed sheets, Tai! Seriously, get out of there!" Aussie cried out, with Chi having trouble discerning whether it was in anger or actual fear.
For a while, the pile just remained stagnant with no sign of the other Octoling. Getting frustrated, Aussie rolled up the short sleeves she had on her uniform and dove straight into the sheets, shifting into an octopus. Entering the bed, she left Chi behind to stare at the pile, the youngest Octoling still sitting straight with her hands folded in her lap. A minute passed by. Figuring that this was of no concern to her, she hopped off of her bed.
Only to leap back on like a terrified neighborhood cat when Tai' shriek, "No! My legacy!" pierced through the bed sheets as Aussie emerged with several of the aforementioned bedding materials, huffing. Walking by, Aussie caught a glimpse of the other Octoling, stopping right in front of her.
Chi felt as though she wanted to say something about the situation, which, much to her surprise was answered immediately. "I apologize for your bedding arrangements, this was the last room we had for an Octoling of your ranking. You're C-H1, the new recruit?"
Blinking back at her, Chi jolted up. "Yes, I'm the bed- Uh, the new one."
Chi braced for the worst as Aussie arched an eyebrow at her while her roommate thrashed in her bed angrily. The cold stare she was given hardly made Chi feel any better. But it seemed as though her fears would be put to rest as Aussie gave her a small, hopeful smile.
"I have high expectations for you, Chi. I think you'll be a great Octoling. ...More so than her at least." She muttered the final statement right before nodding at Chi, walking out of the room with her comfortable trophies in hand.
Making her exit, the door rose up to make way for Aussie, who strut away with somewhat of a proud albeit simultaneous fatigued limp in her legs. Right across from the spectator who had witnessed the miniature battle between the two Octolings, Tai popped out of a single thin sheet, huffing towards the hallway outside.
"What's her deal?! I'm sure that five more Octolings can manage without their blankets." She scowled as she turned towards Chi with a shrug, "Oh, oops. That's Auss. She's supposed to be like our second boss."
Her hand shot up to readjust her goggles while Chi nodded. "Right. Um, you two seem-"
"We're the best of friends, I know." Tai grinned, standing up straight, the metal making a clunk noise as she left the cot, "It's been that way since I've been here."
"...Ah." Chi murmured, rubbing the back of her neck.
Shrugging, Tai continued talking, "But enough about me, what's your deal?"
Again, Chi jolted upwards in shock. "Huh? What about me?"
"Gee, I don't know, you tell me." Tai yawned, sitting back on top of her own bed, hands on her cheeks, "I'm listening: Why are you stuck down here? I'm pretty sure that we have enough Octarians in the army."
Biting her lip, Chi began turning her gaze towards the floor morosely. "...Well, I...I really didn't have too much of a choice."
Glancing upwards, Chi half expected the other Octoling to be half-asleep, wrapped in her own little blanket, but much to her surprise, Tai was quite literally on the edge of her seat, arching an eyebrow.
"...It was either here or one of the trash heaps. My parents…" Chi frowned, gripping the side of her left arm with the other, "They were... They fought and..."
Silence. Not a comment from Tai, not a rustle could be heard. Underneath the goggles, Chi was practically glaring holes in the floor. Biting her lip somewhat harder, she began staring elsewhere from the other Octoling. Finally, it seemed as though the combination of silence and her own confession was already pinning her down. Gritting her teeth, she attempted to say something.
She was surprised to find an arm wrapped around her shoulder. Glancing up in surprise, she noticed that while Tai's bed was now empty, there is one more octopus currently occupying the same cot. Head spinning to the side, Chi felt her cheeks flush with a blue-violet from embarrassment, Tai patting her on the back softly.
"...Um, sorry." Chi muttered, glancing down at the floor.
Without warning, she found her goggles flung on the floor and Tai staring at her dead on with a glare, with Chi too shocked to speak a word.
Yet, she attempted to. "I-"
"No." Tai frowned, only confusing Chi more.
"But-"
"Okay, new rule." Her roommate began.
For a moment, Chi was unsure of what to say. The embrace that enveloped her soon after convinced her that perhaps staying silent was the best answer. A slight drop of violet and blue dripped down her eye, and despite her best efforts, Chi could not help but utter a single sob.
Throughout the hug, Tai just lightly rubbed her back. "The new rule is that if you ever need something, ask me first. And I mean anything."
Sniffling, Chi nodded as best as she could with an Octoling shoulder and tentacle in the way.
"Don't worry, I've got your back."
As Tai said that, she pat her on the back, a smirk curling up on her own face and a smile popping up on Chi's. Attempting to budge, Tai tried to retract her arms from her Octoling companion. Seconds went by as Tai's moves became more and more apparent, Tai grunting softly as she tried to remove her arms, but it seemed as though Chi's grip had grown too accustomed to the other octopus.
Sighing, Tai found herself blushing as well. "And the next rule will be, 'Tell no one I hugged you for a minute and a half', you crybaby."
That seemed to be enough reason for Chi to let go. Getting up to her feet, Tai stood up on the metal floor, only to crouch down immediately, picking up Chi's Octoling Goggles, turning back towards her teary-eyed friend.
"Aussie will snap if we don't wear these outside." She remarked, tossing the goggles towards Chi, who caught them immediately.
Before she could even thank her roommate, as she caught the goggles, Tai began walking out, making sure that her goggles were firmly wrapped around her neck. She stared at the still wet-faced Chi, arching an eyebrow.
"Want me to get you a tissue or something?" She asked, leaning on the door frame.
Shaking her head, Chi got up to her feet, slowly walking out the door. "N-No thanks. I can get it myself."
"Not if I get it first." Her fellow Octoling stated before she ran out the door through the hall.
Managing a laugh, Chi started sprinting after her. As she left the room, her boots clanging across the floor her as she ran, the door closed and shut the room off from the rest of the hall. But louder than any of the metal noises were those of two Octolings laughing together.
Sighing at the memory, Chi sat on her bed, absentmindedly swinging her feet in a sort of a rhythm. Across from her, Tai's bed was a mess, though it was small in stature, consisting of two pillows and a blanket. As the remaining bit of attention she had on the real world focused on the bed, she almost did not notice the sound of propellers spinning and the sight of a shadow floating entering the room.
"Hey, Chi!" Jerry yelled from outside in the hallway.
Surprised yet again, Chi yelped and instinctively reached for something to defend herself with, planting her hand on her bed. Picking up a pillow on her cot, she aimed it with a ferocious swiftness towards the outside, where an Octotrooper yelped as well, shielding itself with its two mechanical ski-board legs.
Shaking back in forth in a frenzy to protect himself, Jerry cried out, "Whoa, whoa! It's me, it's Jerry! I'm just checking in!"
Eyes tracing over the familiar tentacle-like shape of the Octocopter, Chi clutched her chest, sighing in relief, before scowling at him. "Jerry, don't scare me like that!"
"I didn't know you would freak out! Jeez, come back from a mission and get scolded by Chi! What a day!" Jerry groaned as he hovered in the hall uneasily.
Regaining her posture, Chi coughed, "Sorry, sorry. I'm just...Uh, reminiscing!"
Jerry cleared his throat, nodding all the while. "Right, right. Just wanted to check in."
After giving a nod of confirmation, Chi just stared back at the floor with a sigh. With that said, Jerry went back on his merry way, flying away from the room, the door slamming shut. For a moment, Chi went back to staring at Tai's side of the room with a worried frown. Just sighing, Chi reached at her face, pulling off her goggles, tossing them on the floor gently. Leaning back on her bed onto her pillow, she stared at the ceiling and wondered and pondered to herself silently in the dark, then slowly began drifting off to sleep.
Down lower in the darkest corners of Octo Valley, a pair of Octolings scouted out an abandoned fortress, walking past decayed rooms full of discarded papers and empty barracks. Tai shuffled behind Aussie slowly, with the latter looking rather irritated at the moment, stomping ahead of her lazier companion. Arms crossed behind her head, Tai stared at the ceiling with a frown.
"...Hey, Auss-"
Spinning around, Aussie glared at Tai, her index finger already raised as if to scold her, the commander's tentacle standing on edge.
"Do you think the others are doing alright? Like Jerry… Or Chi? We've been down here for a while." Tai frowned, eyes gravitating towards the floor.
For a moment, Aussie stared at Tai in suspicion. Specifically straight at her face. Instead of the other false expressions she had used to irk the commanding officer of the Octolings, it was a genuine face, stuck in thought.
As Aussie attempted to discern whether she was attempting another joke or not, Tai continued, answering her question, "Jerry could be hovering around having fun…But what about Chi? She's been through a lot...I feel kinda bad.
Aussie bit her lip and tilted her head, thoroughly unsure of what to say.
"And it has nothing to do with her betrayal." Tai said as she whipped her head around, staring at Aussie.
"...Tai, I'm sure she's fine." Aussie spoke up softly, adjusting her goggles, "Look, we'll just finish up here quickly, see if we can find anything of substance, and then we can check on her, alright?"
Closing her eyes, Tai just nodded, a smirk already crossing her face. "Right. At least I have you to keep dear old me company, Auss."
Aussie just scoffed as Tai snickered quietly from behind. With all that said and done, Aussie slowly turned around. For a moment, all the two Octolings did was walk, the light from their headgear illuminating the way forward. Their footsteps echoed among the abandoned base of operations, the sound of metal creaking underneath their boots being the only other sound as they ventured forward into the unknown.
AN: Phew, I finally managed to get that out of the way. I'm sad that summer is coming to a close, but at least I got to swim a lot and stuff myself with delightful meals. Certainly a turtle's dream right there.
Hope you all had a good summer as well, to end this summer off on a pleasant enough note, hopefully, let's look at those reviews.
Thanks write n wrong, CathyMirii, and Rynowm for reviewing!
write n wrong, let's just all hope that the snails live another day. After all, someone needs to feed the urchins.
I am so glad you got that Garry's Mod scene, CathyMirii, I had a lot of fun writing the chapter and posing all of those goofy snails.
Now I'm no music expert, but this Bonkers song certainly sounds interesting… I'll be sure to take your suggestion into consideration, Rynowm. It may be a bit sooner than you think…
Thanks for reading, this is ThePizzaLovingTurtle, remember, school and work are just seven to eight hours of mundane tasks, just get them done and you'll be on your way to the winter holiday season, good people. See you.