Splatoon: The Brothers and the Others

Unworthy of My Title

Ari's disappointment transformed into a white-hot fear burning him. His body refused to move from the spot he stood. Legs were rigid and pinned to the spot, solid and sturdy like lampposts while his arms shook at a rate that could cook an egg. The tentacles traveling down Ari's neck curled and pointed upwards into curved spikes. He had no strength left in his body parts. Even if Ari wanted to move, he couldn't, and Ari definitely didn't want to move.

Because he was not going down another filthy kettle pipe.

"Move!" Tai screamed as she tackled him from behind.

Which made Tai's job even harder. For the thirteenth time in the span of five minutes, Tai dusted herself off, got up from the dirt floor, and made a mad dash at Ari with her shoulder raised like a battering ram. Tai tackled Ari, nailing him square between the shoulders, only to bounce backward. Shoulder meet body, body meet floor. Within those five minutes, Ari would stand exactly an inch away from the kettle entrance, no more, and bad for Tai's patience, no less.

"Rragh!" Tai growled, clutching her hair.

Something caught her eye all of sudden. Tai spied her tentacles, jet black with a tinge of purple, jittering and convulsing around her head in an unrestrained fury. She was breathing heavily, then slowly, until her breathing calmed down to a nice, calm pace. After a few moments, the tentacles stopped their wrathful groove and settled back into place. Whatever "into place" for Tai's hair meant anyway. As her tentacles reverted to her bird's nest hairstyle, Tai narrowed her eyes and looked back at Ari. Pushing herself back up off the ground, she marched over to Ari, spat in her hands, and rubbed them together.

"Alright, you don't wanna move?" Tai whispered to herself, glaring down towards Ari with her hands pointed out, "Tough luck, sweetheart."

With that, she made to shove Ari.

"Sweetheart?" Ari whispered in shock, turning around, "Did you- OOF."

The blow to the chest knocked all the wind out of Ari as he was sent spiraling down to the ground, toward the kettle. Tai's face lit up in satisfaction as she watched him plummet toward the criss-cross cover. Ari, without missing a beat, suddenly planted his hands on the floor before he fell, pushed down, and launched up into the air, performing a spinning flip just above the kettle, and landed on the other side, straight on his feet.

"Holy shrimp," Tai managed to say after a good minute of ogling in silence.

Ari, still standing still stiffly and silently.

Tai's tentacles curled up again. "Alright! I don't care how awesome that looked! Hurry up and get down there!"

Ari shivered, rubbing his arms up and down. "Trash…so much trash...never going down there again. Never in a million eras, in a million periods, never ever, ever never."

Tai's eye twitched. "Whatever, suit yourself. Just keep standing there and mumbling to yourself, I'm going down there."

"Me too!"

Tai turned around. Sitting on one of the concrete dividers, Callie sat, swinging her legs back and forth. She gave an energetic wave and a wide smile while her glasses lit up with an LED picture of a winking face. Tai, narrowing her eyes, just waved back half-heartedly before whirling back to Ari.

"Yeah, her too," Tai put frankly with her arms crossed, "Have fun waiting for birds to poop on you."

Ari gave a sheepish smile, laughing just as sheepishly. "Oh, yes! Of course. I'll be down in a jiffy."

"You said that five minutes ago," Tai muttered under her breath.

Ari's stupendous sense of hearing caught that. His ears drooped low. A chill breeze blew through, carrying a very subtle message along with it.

"You two are awkward!" Callie stated plainly, like a naive child in front of her parents.

Tai pinched her temples in annoyance. Her steps kicked up dust as she marched over to the concrete divider Callie sat on, where she lounged cluelessly. Tai's hand shot out, gripped Callie by the wrist, and tugged her off of the divider. Callie squeaked in surprise. Without saying another word, Tai marched back to the kettle sticking out of the ground while Callie complained about her wrist hurting. Ari, still motionless, watched silently as Tai climbed atop the kettle, grunting as she pulled Callie up along with her.

Without another word, Tai humphed, swapping her Octoling form for a small, blackish-violet octopus, slipping through the grates. The kettle stirred, rattling slightly. The kettle's spout spewed a puff of dust and wet steam out. Ari, noticing the clouds of dust, stepped back from the kettle and gulped. Just as he dodged the cloud, Callie clambered up on top of the kettle, striking a pose for no real reason.

"You okay?" Callie asked, lowering her shades again.

Ari simply shook his head quickly. Very quickly.

Callie's golden irises shimmered white for a split-second, then she smiled and put the shades back on. "Oh well! You're missing out on some QUALITY. TIME. With your GF though. She's really cool."

Ari laughed nervously. "But of course! Tai is...a rose...with thorns that are...also beautiful."

Ari made a face that matched the utter confusion in the sentence he uttered. Callie, already ready to dive into the kettle, stopped for a second, tilting her head. Much to Ari's surprise, she leaped off of the kettle, ("Whee-hee-hee!") and bounced off the ground, swinging her arms in a circle as she landed on the dirt.

Stopping herself, she pointed directly at Ari like they were on television. "What's the matter?"

Ari bit his lip. Taking a quick look around the valley, Ari swiveled his head back and forth like a surveillance camera, scanning for any other signs of life. Question marks flashed on Callie's Octoshades.

"What do you know, Miss Callie, of the enigma known as romance?"

Callie smirked and planted her hand on the side of her hip. "Weeeeeell…"

The kettle was a cold, dark slide down into the depths of Octo Valley. For whatever reason, Tai could barely feel the otherwise cold, biting metal of the walls of the pipe. It was almost thrilling, diving headfirst into the unknown. It was strange, but for whatever reason, Tai was excited, as well as upset. Her goal might be on the other side, but by the decrepit look of the kettle pipe and the way the wind whistled hollow through small holes in the pipe, her guess was as good as anyone's. Such a small thing could wreck her entire plan, and all she'd have to show for her efforts would be the equivalent of jumping straight into a garbage bin.

Nothing but wasted time and a weird smell.

The sheer seriousness of it all should have put Tai off. She was practically working towards something, like an actual mission. At the time, Tai didn't mind, pushing these thoughts deep, DEEP into the back of her head.

She only really started to suspect something when she combat-rolled out of the pipe with her equipped Octoshot, ready to shoot.

Tai, taking one look down at herself, dropped the weapon and screamed. Her scream traveled, becoming a an echoed shriek which reverberated horribly through the cave. Disoriented and freaked out beyond belief, she scrambled for her goggles around her face, or Aussie's goggles, and pulled them off her neck, over her head, and chucked the goggles into the distance. She breathed in, and out, in and out, in and out, each breath as loud as she could muster. Eyes wide, she rolled over on the ground, forcing herself to stare up at the cave ceiling, her hearts beating fast.

"What is happening?" Tai whispered to herself, "Cod, this is freaky! The promotion...Ari shows up...freaking sick combat roll into gun? It's just jitters, isn't it? Freaky, gross, Aussie jitters."

"Aagh! Ow...what the shell?"

Tai's ears perked up underneath her tentacles. Shifting into octopus form quickly, she slunk around the dirt on the ground, careful to keep herself in as low a profile she could. Stretching her tentacles across the cold ground, she made sure that her bulbous octopus head was as flat as could be.

Much to Tai's dismay and the detriment to her breathing, the ground in this kettle was coated in dirt and dust. The cave ceilings were crumbling and cracked, with a giant broken lightbulb hanging precariously from the top, providing the bare minimum of lighting. Hundreds of screens cluttered the cavern walls, also in disrepair. One screen broadcast an Inkling weather forecast, but every time the newscaster gestured towards a map filled with clouds behind her, the image would fizzle out, and the newscast would loop back to the same image. Others had weather-related images, (clouds, rain, a hurricane ripping through a field full of jellyfish hurling them everywhere, sunny skies, etc.) but they never seemed to sync with what another screen was displaying.

Of all the screens though, a select few caught Tai's interest. A three-by-three panel of ginormous screens, crookedly arranged in a misshapen square happened to have something else besides weather playing on it.

Tai raised her eyebrows. Graphics of a pudgy, Inkling man with a rather fancy tentacle mustache centered on the big screen shouted and whooped excitedly as he jumped around. As he rolled across the ground in a ball, Tai's eyes gravitated further and further below the screen.

"Aussie!" Tai shouted, hands cupped around her mouth similar to a megaphone, coughing out some of the dirt accumulated on her face.

The action on-screen ground to a halt. Ahead laid a mildly aged shack, tall and covered in sheet metal. The exposed parts unprotected by metal were constructed of bricks. On top of the roof was a square space enclosed by a small, slightly rusted metal railing and a large umbrella. The umbrella, however, was leaning so much to one side that the only thing it covered was the wall of the shack.

Tai's new goggles were stuck on the railing, right next to its original owner, staring up at the pause screen.

"Aussie!" Tai screeched again, tentacles flailing this time.

She sighed. Standing up from the top of the house, Aussie turned around. Tai had to rub her eyelids, then rub them again, only to be presented with the same, exact image. In Aussie's place was a young woman with messy hair that trailed down to her shoulders, exhausted eyes with energy nowhere to be seen, and a game controller clutched in her left hand. Tai stood, breathlessly in place, while the occupant of the tiny apartment inspected her intruder.

If it wasn't for Aussie's bloody irises, Tai could have sworn she was looking into a mirror.

Then, the false mirror spoke, in the most non-authoritative way, "Hey Tai."

"Hooooooooo," Tai wheezed, barely taking her eyes off of her.

Aussie planted a hand on her hip. "Well? What do you want?"

"You...what…" Tai struggled. It was as if her tongue was literally unable to describe her feeling of overall terror and disbelief.

"Oh come on, we've played video games together before. Don't act all starstruck, Tai," Aussie scowled.

"Wait! Wait, hold- Keep that face?" Tai requested, forming a picture box with her fingers.

Aussie sighed, rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms at the same time. "What is it now?"

Tai's tentacles stopped flapping wildly and settled back on her head as a grin came to her face. "Theeeeere's the Aussie I remember."

Aussie began to slouch. "If you came down here to pester me, do me a favor and cover your mouth while you do, preferably outside where I can't see you."

Tai nodded, walking up to the house. "Right. Except I don't listen to you."

"What did I do to deserve this hell?" Aussie wondered aloud.

"Shell," Tai corrected, walking up to the door and grasping it in her hands, "Didn't they say that in Sector 0 too?"

"Apparently it's the 'correct' way to curse there," Aussie spoke absentmindedly, returning to her game.

The action resumed again as the chubby Inkling onscreen began whooping nonsense again. Tai, taking the doorknob in her hands, tugged. When the door didn't budge, she tugged again, and again, putting her feet on the door. Suspended above the ground with nothing but her hold on the door keeping her up, she growled as she jerked the handle with all her might, though to no avail.

"I made sure to lock the door twice and stack all the furniture I had on hand against that door," Aussie spoke up, not taking her eyes off of the three screens suspended far above her, "You're not getting in."

Minutes later, she heard the indistinguishable sound of a blast of ink. Then the sound of something landing on her roof. Pausing the game again, Aussie pinched her temples in annoyance.

Tai, pulling herself off of the metal railing, picked up the goggles and walked toward Aussie. "These are yours, not mine."

"Wrong, they were mine," Aussie insinuated, lounging on a beach chair, "Now they're yours, Commander Tai."

"Bullshrimp, get up. I'm not going to escort Callie by mys-"

Tai did a cursory check around the perimeter, realization crawling into her. She counted. Two Inklings short.

Aussie's expression was a subtle mix. At first glance, you couldn't even tell that she was disappointed behind her tired expression, but she was definitely disappointed already.

Tai frowned, grumbling under her breath, "Ari."

"Get lost!" Aussie shouted suddenly, practically attempting to ram Tai off the roof.

"Hey, what's your problem?" Tai grunted, pushing back.

"My problem is that you still don't get it!" Aussie shouted, "I'm demoted, Tai. I failed. I'm LUCKY I wasn't booted out of the force. You, on the other hand, little miss 'screw up', little miss 'pain-in-my-back', get the privilege of being commander, and yet here you are! Still trying to waste the few precious minutes of break time I have before getting relocated instead of doing your job! Honestly! Sometimes you don't make any sense!"

"Me!" Tai gasped in shock, "I don't make sense? You screw up once, little miss 'perfect' and suddenly you're out here, playing video games and doing my job while I have to ferry little, miss, uh...PEPPY, and didyousayrelocated?"

The shoving stopped. Aussie and Tai both stood in place, facing one another, panting slightly.

This was happening?

Tai put a fist under her chin. "Relocated."

"Yes," Aussie affirmed.

"...Where are you going?"

"Octo Canyon. And-" Aussie turned back to the screens.

Pressing a button on the controller, the screen shifted to a game system menu, complete with a convenient clock telling the time.

"Pretty soon."

"The flip? ...There's an Octo Canyon?" Tai asked with a skeptical face.

Aussie parted her hair, fidgeting with her controller. "Mm-hm. I'm being placed with the new recruits."

Tai's shoulders dropped as Aussie shut off the screens. All of them. "This is my fault?"

"...I don't know," Aussie shrugged tiredly, making for the stairs of the shack.

Aussie made it halfway before she felt something hit the back of her head. Turning around, rubbing the now sore spot on her head, she looked down at the floor where the Octoling Goggles sat. Annoyance was written clearly on her face. Tai stood, chest frame rising and falling as she breathed.

Tai spat, with as much disrespect and intention she could muster, "That's not mine," she asserted, "I'm not wearing it."

Aussie just turned around, pacing down the stairs. "So? They aren't mine either."

Tai stood on the roof, motionless. The caverns were dark, with nothing left but the broken sun above flickering. Tai could hear every step, the sound of a suitcase zipper, and the quiet spaces in between Aussie's heavy sighs. There was a gritty, prolonged sound as furniture could be heard and felt being moved and the sharp clicking of the door's locks. Tai watched, from the top of Aussie's home, as she departed, suitcase slung over her shoulder.

She didn't dare follow until Aussie was gone. Completely out of her vision.

"Being apart is...tough." Callie concluded, hands together in a gesture, "Long distance relationships can be really tricky. Digital calls and super long kisses are one thing, but it sounds like you don't have any of that!"

Ari, lounging on a makeshift sofa made from a concrete divider, old Octo Valley maps, and metal pillows, nodded in response. "That makes sense, but we haven't even done that much."

His trashy chair was noticeably polished to a shiny degree. Behind him, a few birds flying past snuck peeks at the odd furniture and marveled in its shiny mediocrity. Said birds flew straight into a tree.

A few leaves from said tree were knocked loose and hovered past Ari's face, which he blew away, assisting the wind in stealing more of the earth's stuff.

"Well, I think your best bet is to try and talk to her!" Callie stated, Octoshades lighting up in a sound symbol, "Communicate, try and make the relationship out!"

"See, I thought of that, but my beloved seems too busy," Ari said, blowing a small map out of his face, "Ever since I decided to come down for her, I've just…"

A short period of silence followed. "For her or for you?" Callie asked, tilting her head.

"Um...her. Both of us?" Ari scowled, stumped.

"Hmm, I see!" Callie mused, scribbling rapidly in a notebook she procured from who knew where.

"...So, communication?" Ari continued, hands pressed together, "I need to communicate."

Callie noticed the odd look, and she quickly stashed the notebook away. "Sorry, we just have to make a habit of documenting these I think, and for some weird reason, my memory's been a bit-" Callie made a clicking noise with her lips and rolled her finger in a circle by her head.

"Crazy?" Ari pointed out.

"Oh yeah, that's what it means." Callie beamed thankfully while Ari felt his confidence in Callie's therapist skills drop.

The impromptu therapy session froze as the kettle nearby puffed out another cloud of smog. The two Inklings glanced at one another. Ari scrambled to get off of the trash throne, kicking the maps and metal away as he jumped off. Callie adjusted her Octoshades, whistled, and transformed into a pink squid, the shades still attached to her face. Hopping like a frog, Callie jumped, switched back into Inkling form, shot Ari a thumbs-up midair, and switched back into a pink squid, diving underneath his Jungle Hat.

The kettle's grates rattled for a second, and Ari steeled himself. His hat rustled slightly. Callie, poking her head out from underneath, looked down at him and asked, "Try to make yourself look more approachable, too!"

"What does that mean?"

"Smile! What else?"

Ari thought for a minute. His lips curled upwards in a grueling grimace of a grin.

"You look like a jack-o-lantern!" Callie giggled.

Ari blushed, grin instantly dissolving. The orange flushness on his face made Callie's observation all the more accurate. Before he could attempt another go at his smile game, an octopus popped through the grates. Ari jumped in place. In an attempt to maintain his dignity, Ari tried to smile again.

Aussie, shaking off the jump through the kettle, noticed the Inkling standing nearby the kettle. She stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide.

Ari, horrible smile on his face, greeted her, "Heeeeeeey."

"...Agent C," Aussie acknowledged.

"Ah, Tai's...friend." Ari greeted with a slow wave of his hand.

Aussie, clutching her suitcase, just nodded and began to walk away. "Nice of you to remember."

Aussie started to march off, lugging her luggage by her side. The poor suitcase looked ready to burst, with the imprints of dozens of little objects bulging from the inside. Ari frowned and scratched his head in confusion, watching as she departed into the distance, hopping from floating landmass to landmass until she was just a speck on the horizon.

"Ahhhhhh. That's nice…"

Ari stopped scratching his head, took his hat off, and stared at Callie. Callie looked back at him and promptly changed back into Inkling form. The sudden change from squid to-

Proper young woman...

(Look, it's tempting to use *that catchy slogan*, okay?)

...Caused them both to fall on the dirt.

"Enjoying yourself, fair Callie?" Ari winked instinctively.

Ari didn't realize his mistake until too late. He was met with a very expensive, fashionable boot to the face. Ari didn't recoil much from the kick, staying completely still as the heel dug into his forehead.

"I was, until you made it weird!" Callie blushed, removing her boot from Ari's face, "New tip: don't say things like that. Ever."

"Ah," Ari's boot-imprinted face replied.

"But I probably shouldn't have kicked you either," Callie remarked apologetically.

As Ari's facial features popped back into place, he shrugged. "I'm used to these fiery reactions."

Callie bit her lip worryingly. Two question marks popped up on her shades where her eyes would be. "Okay, dunno what that means, but for good measure you probably want to not say things like that either."

"Ahhhhh."

Suddenly, the kettle began to puff smoke again. Alarmed, both Ari and Callie got up to their feet, and Ari placed himself front-and-center to the kettle. Ari stood straight, while Callie got up and walked over to him, much to Ari's surprise. Picking up his Jungle Hat, she dusted it off, lightly smacking the hat with her black gloves, fastidiously adjusting it upon Ari's head while simultaneously cleaning off any dirt on him.

"There!" Callie smiled, "Looking as dapper as a jellyfish at a job interview!"

"Thank you kindly, Miss Callie," Ari smirked, "With your help and my general good looks, Tai will-"

"...Eh?"

Ari's face burned a shade of orange so bright that he could be confused for a very tall flower. As prepared as he thought he was by saying so himself, nobody could prepare him for Tai. The kettle wheezed out a final puff of smoke as Tai barreled through, rocketing out from the grates. Tai slammed into Ari's chest, an octopus cannonball, and switched back, burying her face in his chest. Practically mute, Ari turned his head fixed sideways to Callie, whose Octoglasses lit up with even more question marks.

For a while, Tai was sunken on her knees, face still glued to Ari's Varsity Jacket, clutching the jacket with her hands. Ari winced. Her fingers were digging into his sides, but he didn't want to point it out for fear that he'd hurt her feelings, no matter how much his sides hurt. At least, he didn't want to at first. Then she began lightly slamming her head into his chest, which, to him, was as worrying as much as it hurt.

"Fwooooo!' Ari exhaled sharply.

"Uuuuuuuuuugggggggh," Tai groaned, leaning on Ari as she shut her eyes.

The strength in Ari's legs dissipated, and down the two of them went. Tai, still silent, just laid on him, Ari struggling to come up with anything coherent. He heard an ironically loud "psst". Turning his head, he saw Callie mouth, "communication" to him.

"Tai," Ari began gently, "W-"

Tai, raising her head up and greeting Ari with the saddest, puppy-dog eyes he's ever seen mixed with the sourest scowl he's ever seen, giving him a conflicted idea of what to do. Tai solved this problem for him by pushing her head back into his chest area, groaning into his jacket to muffle the still very noticeable noise.

He glanced at Callie, who gave him a smile and a thumbs-up. Ari, managing an uncomfortably large smile, gestured Tai over to the makeshift couch. Within five seconds, Tai swung both herself and Ari onto the couch. Ari, biting his lip so hard orange leaked, never felt so flustered in his entire life.

"Whoa, whoa!" Callie's glasses lit up with exclamation marks, "Time out! I did NOT say to do that!"

"Hey, she's- This was not my idea!" Ari shouted in protest as Tai burrowed her face to Ari's expense.

Ari was interrupted by Tai, pressing her finger into his lips. He could have sworn he saw something like this in a movie once, but before he could ponder the thought further, Tai grumbled, laying her head down on his chest and turning to the side.

"I'm trying to sleep…" Tai grumbled, dismissively waving away at Ari, who was still stuck underneath her.

"...Do you want to talk?" Ari blurted out, eyes darting back to Callie.

Callie shrugged as Tai opened her eyes, staring uncomfortably close to Ari's face—face-to-face one could say—before saying, "Meeeeeeeeh," promptly dropping her head back on Ari's chest.

"...Tai, dearest, I'm kind of…I mean, I don't mind or anything, but…"

Tai froze up, then gave Ari another, more incredulous look. Ari shut up, and Tai closed her eyes again, resting her head on the Inkling. Seconds later, Ari and Callie could hear snoring. Especially Ari.

"Uh…" Callie mused, looking to Ari, "Give her a moment."

"Even if I didn't want to…" Ari thought aloud, looking down at Tai, her entire frame rising and falling lightly as she breathed, "I don't believe I have the means to interrupt her."

And so, the two Inklings laid down on the filth of Octo Valley. Callie sat down in the dirt, fiddling with her Octoglasses, while Ari, immobilized, watched the clouds. Waiting patiently, they occasionally checked Tai, waiting for their Octoling leader to awaken while she snoozed the day away.

Octo Valley's Octarian HQ was deserted. The only thing Chi could think of when she looked around at the halls was one term: "ghost town". Bootprints were speckled across the floor, along with drying ink. Scrap metal, dusty boxes, and others littered the living quarters. Chi felt a tinge of melancholy. Inside of the dorms were notes posted to the walls by old furniture, Octolings' written wills dedicated to their rooms, each one a small tale to tell.

As she walked by the rooms, Chi slowed down. Scorch marks, malfunctioning door, both belonging to a dorm filled with scattered pillows, sheets, and others adjacent to a polished, empty room already cleaned out. Chi's hearts tightened. They were back, but at the same time, something bugged Chi.

It was Tai, Chi decided immediately, putting on her best mad face. Truth be told, she was frustrated with her friend. Chi went to all the trouble of delivering a message only to get beaten up. Had it not been for Mai, who was also winded from her heroics, she would have most likely been enslaved into a life of forced rebellion. Tai was such a jerk.

Yet, for some reason, Chi continued on, looking from room to room. Tai was a jerk, sure. But she was the best jerk-

Chi stopped.

Chi's best friend. The best friend that she could have ever had. The thought made Chi smile a bit. Tai was inappropriate, lazy, and super undesirable as a companion. Chi, on the other hand, knew Tai. She knew, deep down, there was something happening that involved both Tai and Aussie.

It'd be kind of a jerk move for her to not try to help.

Chi continued on, moving on past room after room. Suddenly, she noticed something down the hall. Picking up the pace, she made her way to a room, currently being emptied. Two Octolings were hefting furniture out of the room, albeit at a snail's pace. The hall was blocked by furniture, including a lamp, a bed the Octolings were failing to drag out, and a tall cactus in a pot.

Chi recognized the Octolings immediately. Putting on a small smile, she waved at the two Octolings. Lee perked up, dropping the bed, slamming on the floor.

"Chi! Hi!" Lee waved back.

Meanwhile, Ova, still clutching the bed, looked down at her foot, which was barely an inch away from the leg of the bed on the corner she was carrying. Sweat trickled down her forehead, eyes dilated to the point where her pupils were a dark hole into her soul, a soul which was currently screaming.

"Hey…" Chi spoked up, "Have you guys seen Jerry?"

"Uh, yeah, he went toPSIDE!"

"You almost dropped it on my toe! My TOE!" Ova scolded, veins exposed on her forehead while she pinched Lee's face, "Do you WANT my nails to get ripped out?"

"Ow, ow!" Lee complained, trying to rid herself of Ova's vice grip, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Chi watched the scene play out, mildly bemused but very much amused. "Do you guys need any-"

"Actually, Lee said that it's just going to be us TWO that are moving this bed," Ova explained, grinning, "Right Lee?"

"Ovaaaaaaaaaa, I said I'm sorry!" Lee puffed her cheeks out, only to get pinched again. "Agh!"

"Don't mind us, just go ahead!" Ova said, though her expression betrayed her otherwise friendly tone.

Chi gave her a nod, and subsequently Lee a look of sympathy. She launched herself over the bed, twirled in the air as an octopus, and landed on the other side, taking off in a run immediately. Leaving the other Octarians to their moving day, Chi dashed through the halls of the almost completely abandoned base, until she found the pipe to the kettle upwards. Squeezing through in octopus form, she wriggled up through the pipes, pushing upwards and onwards towards the light.

When she approached the surface, she smelled the air of the valley, felt the chill of the wind, and saw the intimidating barrel of a gun. Chi stopped, immediately reverting to Octoling form. Shielding her eyes from the sunlight, she waited for them to adjust. As the figures in front of her transformed from a blurry nothing into something she could discern, she covered her mouth with her hands.

Jerry waved his head tentacle back from behind an armada of ragtag, rebel Octarians. In front of him was an Octoling, the same Octoling holding the Octoshot pointing at Chi's nose.

"Y'know, all of this is a huge coincidence, and for that reason," Yurin spoke up, stretching slightly with the gun still pointed down at Chi, "I think we should both start at the beginning."

AN: Hey look, plot! Every time I write Chi, plot shows up, but so do ideas for future plot, which is troubling to say the least. Also, ninety chapters, woooo. Almost at one-hundred, the number where shows start to lose steam! We were already halfway there!

Thanks Dread for the comment and RealCoolDude for the review.

It's JoJo, Dread, of course I've thought of it.

Yeah, if I had a choice in the matter RealCoolDude, I might've choose to not grow up. 'Course, that would mean mom would have to drive me around for all eternity, and I don't think any of us needed that.

Thanks for reading, this is ThePizzaLovingTurtle, and I've got work to do.