Chapter 1: Another Day in Inkopolis
"What a wonderful day!"
"In recent news, the 'mystery statue' near Hammerhead Bridge has up and vanished, seemingly overnight!" A news reporter announced with their hands folded neatly together over a desk. "Residents of Inkopolis have taken its disappearance as a bad omen, which has caused even more fighting in the streets. In light of the violence, current CEO of Oct. Co Facilities, Mr. Hydro, had this to say."
The screen suddenly flicked to a black-tentacled inkling in a fancy suit, causing Sal to scowl in response. "People of Inkopolis. I understand these recent developments have you all feeling uneasy, but please! We must get ahold of ourselves. We aren't animals, are we?" Mr. Hydro adjusted his black circular glasses as a crowd of photographers took pictures, resulting in hundreds of flashing lights. It wasn't hard to get a good picture of him, considering he stood on a tall pedestal. "For all we know, the ocean devoured that decrepit structure, much like how crime has ravaged this once fine city." Sal crossed his arms. "But I swear, in just a few months' time, you won't even remember the days when it was unsafe to roam in broad daylight. Project: Restoration is currently underway, and it will make Inkopolis better than ever! It'll be just like—" Suddenly, the power for all the miniature screens went out.
Annoyed groans and frustrated sighs escaped the denizens next to Sal, as he wasn't the only one watching the news through the long display window. He would (should) be watching the television in the comfort of his home, but cod knows he couldn't afford to waste precious energy at a time like this.
Ever since some jerk stole the Great Zapfish, Inkopolis has been running on its reserves. They even went the extra mile and stole the smaller zapfishes, which really put a damp on things. It's been a few weeks since then, and Sal guessed it'd be another week before the whole city ran out of power.
As if it couldn't get worse, it wasn't just the zapfishes that were missing.
Important political figures, celebrities, and other big shots were vanishing. Even the Judds had mysteriously disappeared. According to what people have told Sal, all of this started approximately a year and a half ago, and it has only gotten worse with each passing month. So much so, Inkopolis was no longer the glamorous city of freshness. It hadn't been for a while.
With various idols going missing, those that remained skipped town, and none have returned since. Without their lively songs, there were no more Splatfests, nor was there anyone to sing or play music during a live turf war battle. Not that any turf wars were happening as of recent. With the Judds gone, there were hardly any suitable people left to judge battles. Plus, now that the zapfishes were missing, many people have refrained from needlessly using the spawn points. They could shut off at any moment...
The only worthwhile activities left to do were mainly illegal. Thus, multiple gangs took over Inkopolis, making the streets unsafe. However, that didn't deter brave souls like Sal. Hardly anything did. He had too much on the line to let a little gang violence scare him off.
By now, the other residents had dispersed and gone their separate ways, seeing as the TVs were unlikely to turn back on anytime soon.
In the meantime, Sal adjusted his look, using his reflection on the display window as a mirror.
He was an octoling with dark skin, yellow hair fashioned into a mohawk, and orangish-colored eyes.
Octarians weren't exactly an unusual sight in Inkopolis, but according to other residents, they weren't as common in the city a decade ago. It was hard for Sal to imagine that. What was life like for octolings back then...?
He shook his head before focusing on his dark gray hoodie and black shorts. He straightened those out to look more presentable, and after he was satisfied, he trudged away in his black sneakers, heading home.
As Sal walked, he spotted various posters and signs advertising Project: Restoration, an effort to restore Inkopolis's sorry state. He couldn't help but shake his head, knowing the project was doomed to fail—not because Inkopolis was unsavable or because the project wasn't well-funded, but because it was spearheaded by one man, Urus Hydro.
Urus might've had the public fooled, but Sal knew deep down he didn't care about the people. If he truly did, he wouldn't have let what happened to Sal, his brother, and countless others, happen. The thought alone made him grit his teeth in anger.
There was no point in getting hot and bothered about it. To the likes of Sal, Urus was untouchable. Karma would come for that man one day, but for now, he should just focus on what really mattered. And that was—
"Please!" A shrill voice cried out, gaining Sal's attention. "I didn't do anything!" A woman pleaded, cowering on the ground against the side of a building.
Over her stood two inklings, one guy, one girl. The guy held an inkbrush over his shoulder, the tip of which was cyan blue, same as his and the girl's hair.
"Did nothing wrong, huh? I'll tell ya what you did wrong. Ya came into the wrong turf." The guy crouched down into a squat, brushing aside his cornrows, allowing Sal a glimpse of the black headband he wore.
He was also wearing a black jacket, buckled at his waist via a white belt. For pants, he wore black leggings, which stretched as he bent his knees. Had it not been for the black boots he wore, the pavement would definitely be hurting his feet right about now.
"I-I was just passing by!" The woman claimed in a frightened tone.
"Well, you shoulda passed by somewhere else!" the girl next to the guy snapped back with both hands resting on her hips.
She wore a black-and-white patterned headband just beneath her two large ponytails, which stuck up like a tower. The woman was also wearing a black jacket, though it was dissimilar to the one the guy wore; It didn't cover her stomach. For pants, she wore shorts, similar to Sal, and had on the same kind of heavy black boots as the guy.
"Guess we'll have to teach ya some manners." The girl snickered.
Although the lady being preyed upon had her face hidden by shades and a white mask, Sal could see the fear on her as clear as day. "W-wait! Please!" She pleaded.
Sights like these were common. Sal had grown used to them. It was just another average day Inkopolis.
In the past, nobody in their right mind would do something like this, especially out in broad daylight. The authorities would've descended on them like a pack of salmonids. But those lawful times have since gone. Now, it was an eat-or-be-eaten city.
Sal wasn't the only one who saw the altercation. Others had noticed what was going on but continued walking anyway. It was none of their business, just like it wasn't any of his. The unfortunate damsel wasn't anyone Sal was familiar with, so he couldn't care less about what happened to her. However, he also couldn't help but notice who was preying on the lady.
Sal stepped up and cleared his throat loudly. "Samuel, Samantha." The two inklings perked up. "I don't think that's the proper way to treat a lady."
The girl, Samantha, turned to face Sal, revealing her bright yellow eyes and plus-shaped pupils. Her eyes vaguely reminded Sal of a duo idol group that went missing a few months back; she would've looked like one of them if her ears were more curved, and if she wasn't wearing that ugly cyan-blue lipstick.
Samantha said nothing, but her face shifted from mischievous to concerned. Her eyes darted to the guy, Samuel, who stayed crouched for a moment longer before exhaling a drawn-out sigh.
"Of course Little Al decides to show his face again..." Samuel stood and turned around, showing Sal his familiar yellow irises and bright reddish-orange pupils. If he squinted hard enough, they'd resemble power eggs. "How long's it been this time? A week?"
"Two, actually." Sal corrected, crossing his arms. "You guys know better."
"You got some nerve tryna tell us that!" Samuel pointed to the probably innocent pedestrian. "You know the rules. Mr. Wale doesn't like it when people cross his turf without permission, so we gotta make an example outta her."
"And you know I don't give a clam what that fat-fuck likes or not. She was just walkin'. Why's he so pressed about people crossing his turf anyway?"
"You know what, I've just about had it with your ass!" Samuel furrowed his brows in anger, drawing his inkbrush.
Samantha's lips curled into a frown as she raised a hand to Samuel. "Sam, I don't think you should—"
"Not now, Sammy!" Samuel's stern voice made Samantha jolt back.
"No, no. I think you should listen to Big Sam over here. It never ends well for you." Sal smirked, further infuriating Samuel.
"You think you got jokes, huh? Keep that up, and you won't like where I shove this brush."
"Sure, sure. Remind me, what's the score again? Oh, that's right, 3-0." Sal lowered his arms after seeing Samuel's grip tighten around the inkbrush. "Just leave the girl alone and walk away, then I won't make it 4-0."
"That's it!" Samuel shouted and swung his brush in a wide arc, prompting Sal to roll to the side, swiftly dodging the brush and the cyan ink splatters.
"He never listens." Sal groaned before whipping out his splattershot and spraying Samuel with a volley of ink.
Samuel quickly shifted into his squid form, ducking into his ink and gaining some distance from Sal.
The second he jumped out his ink, a yellow splat bomb landed a few feet from him with a soft thunk. Samuel's eyes widened as he tossed himself backward. In that same instance, the bomb exploded, splattering yellow ink everywhere. The force from the explosion was strong enough to push Samuel further back, adding to his momentum.
Unable to maintain his balance, Samuel tumbled and rolled across the ground. He quickly got back up, seamlessly transitioning into a crouched defensive stance, but by the time he did, Sal was already in front of him, aiming his splattershot at the inkling's noggin.
"Are you done?"
"Not by a longshot!" Samuel swung his ink brush, aiming for Sal's legs.
Sal jumped over the attack and cartwheeled above Samuel's head. While in mid-air, he shot a single projectile of ink at Samuel's hand. It wasn't enough to splat him, but did cause him to shout in pain, forcing his weapon to drop.
As the inkbrush clattered to the ground, Samuel grabbed his hand, gritting his teeth in pain. Seconds after, Sal landed behind him and grabbed his tentacle braids, the ends of which were neatly tied together in the back.
"H-Hey!" Samuel gasped, only for Sal to yank his hair, smashing the back of his head into the ground. Samuel yelled, but didn't get back up. Instead, he rolled around on the ground and held his head while whimpering.
Sal could see Samuel wasn't getting back up from that one. "That's 4-0." He holstered his weapon and stepped back. He could've splatted him, but there were no spawn points nearby; Killing Samuel permanently wasn't on Sal's "to-do" list.
Samantha finally stepped in and helped Samuel off the ground. She didn't say anything, but her face was plastered with a scared look.
"I-if I catch you around here again, I won't be so lax with you, ya here?" Samuel groaned, still trying to appear tough despite leaning on Samantha for support.
Sal crossed his arms. "If it makes you feel any better, you did last a little longer than usual. Just a little, though."
"Fuck you."
"Yeah, yeah. Go cry to your boss about it." Sal waved the two off, watching them slink behind an alley.
He then noticed Samuel had left his inkbrush behind. "Of course." Sal scoffed and shook his head before bending down to pick the inkbrush up, only to hear movement to his side.
"You saved me." The lady said, now standing and being a bit more composed than before. He had forgotten she was here.
"I didn't do it for you. You were just in the wrong place at the right time." He stood up, flung the inkbrush over his shoulder, and turned to face her. For nearly getting beaten, possibly to death, she wasn't trembling half as much as he expected. Right now, she was a bit too close to his liking.
"Thank you," she said warmly. Despite how cold he had been to her a moment ago, he could see her cheeks rise up behind her white mask, indicating she was smiling. She must've been genuinely happy he came to her aid.
Sal's lips twitched. It was the first time someone thanked him—and was happy to do so. Usually, they would just run off after being saved. He wasn't sure how to respond. "Yeah...whatever. This city ain't safe, so just head home. Better yet, skip town. Anywhere else is safer than here." With that, he turned and walked away.
Before he could get far, the woman started to sputter out words. "W-wait!" He looked over his shoulder at her, seeing she reached out a hand to him. "Where'd you learn those moves?" She brought her hand back and stepped closer. "Who are you? What's your name?" If he could see past her shades, her eyes were probably sparkling like a child's.
He thought about how to respond, or if he should even respond at all. After a moment of silence, he looked away. "I'm just a nobody."
Yeah, that was all he was. He had come to Inkopolis to accomplish one thing, and after spending all this time in the city, he was no closer to achieving it than when he started. If he couldn't do something as simple as that, then he was a nobody. A failure.
A zero.
After seeing the lady had nothing else to say, he walked into the vast sea of pedestrians, pushing past the crowd to head home.
But what was home?
A tiny, run-down apartment, which was in much worse shape than the rest of the city. His living quarters used to be much better, but with how hectic everything had gotten lately, this was the best he could manage while being unemployed.
After walking up a few flights of stairs, Sal arrived at his apartment door, only to be greeted by an eviction notice. A tired sigh escaped his lips as he effortlessly ripped the sheet of paper off the door and headed inside.
The lights were already on, which could only mean one thing. "Why did I expect something different?"
He locked the door behind him before letting out another sigh, this one being more frustrated than tired.
After taking his shoes off, he trudged further into the apartment, setting the eviction notice atop a dresser, adding to the pile already there. He'd then make his way over to the living room, where the sounds of the news blared from.
Across from the TV was a small square table, and in front of that table was a vintage couch. Sal stood behind the couch, glaring down at a dark-skinned octoling sprawled across it. The octoling was so focused on the TV, they hadn't noticed Sal until he spoke. "What are you doing?"
The octoling hastily jumped up. "S-Sal! I didn't hear ya come in!" A male voice uttered, quickly grabbing the remote and turning the TV volume down. Afterward, he turned and faced Sal, sloppily pushing his yellow-tinted shades further on his face to hide his eyes, which were exposed for a brief moment. "What's happenin' lil man?"
Sal had completely forgotten about the plus one staying in this apartment. The plus one in question being his useless brother, Cal. "Don't you 'what's happenin' lil man' me!" Sal swiped the remote from Cal, making his yellow afro bob from the sudden jerking motion. With the click of a button, he turned the TV off.
"I was watchin' that."
"And that's the problem!" Sal tossed the remote to the square table. "The whole point of me stepping out was so that we could conserve our power."
"I thought it was to job hunt?" Sal's brows furrowed in annoyance. "Hey, I'm just playin'." Cal stood up. "So, I'm guessing today didn't go well either?"
"What do you think?" Sal growled, moving around the couch towards a dresser on the side of the room. He opened the top drawer containing their combined funds, only to find a few coins left. "At this rate, the power will be the least of our worries. We're gonna be homeless!"
"Whoa, relax. There's no need to stress over it."
"Oh, shut up. I don't wanna hear it from you. You're no help at all."
"Well, that's just mean." Cal placed his hands on his hips, and Sal looked him up and down.
The guy was in nothing but a white sleeveless t-shirt and loose black shorts. He left his feet completely uncovered, as if anyone wanted to see those.
After taking a gander at his brother's sorry state, Sal made direct eye contact with him. "I think you mean true. What exactly have you been doing since I've been gone anyway? Nothing productive, I bet."
"What? Sure I have!"
"Watching TV is not productive."
"I was taking a short break!" Cal huffed, slightly turning to what was in Sal's hand. "Had another run-in with the Sam twins?"
Sal raised a brow, wondering how he knew that. "What?" Cal gestured to Samuel's inkbrush, which he was still holding. "Oh." He sat the weapon down, leaning it against the dresser. "Yeah, I did..." Sal paused. "Hey! Don't change the subject!"
"I didn't mean to!" Cal sighed. "Look, I just think you're worrying about the wrong stuff."
"Worrying about the wrong stuff?! Cal, look around! Inkopolis is starting to look like the deserts of the Splatlands. We're already weeks away from this place falling into complete anarchy, and soon enough, we won't even have a place to take shelter in!"
"That's not true. We could always go back to Splatsville and—"
"NO!" Sal screeched, catching Cal off-guard. "That defeats the whole purpose of us coming here!" He kicked the dresser hard, causing a loud bang to reverberate through the room as the inkbrush fell over. He ignored the throbbing pain coursing through his foot and continued. "We've been here for a year and a half, and still, we're no closer to finding—" A knock interrupted Sal's rant, causing both brothers to turn towards the hall leading to the front door.
"Ah, that's probably the landlord. Better let me handle this. You know how finicky hermit crabs are." Cal walked off through the hall, leaving behind a disgruntled Sal.
Sal crossed his arms, dreading how they would make it to next month. It'd be a miracle if they made it to next week.
He wasn't left alone with his thoughts for long, as his brother called out to him from the hall. "Hey, Sal! Somebody wants to see you."
Sal's face turned into one of confusion. There weren't many people he knew in the city, so who could possibly want to see him? At first, he thought maybe it was Samuel or Samantha, but if it were, Cal would've said so. But judging from how he said "somebody," Cal didn't know them either.
Instead of guessing who it could be, Sal headed to the front door to find out for himself. Before he reached the door, he heard it close. Then he saw Cal come down the hall with a dark silhouette trailing behind him. The fact that Cal was so comfortable letting a complete stranger into their apartment baffled Sal.
"Yo! You can't let just anyone stroll into our..." Sal lost his train of thought as Cal moved slightly to the side, revealing the person behind him. He recognized them immediately. How could he not? He had just saved them no less than half an hour ago. "I-it's you."
The strange lady gave a slight, awkward wave. "H-Hello again."
Sal stared between her and Cal for a minute. Then something clicked in his head.
Without warning, he yanked Cal away from the lady, forcing a surprised yelp out of him. A moment later, he drew his splattershot on the woman. She flinched, completely taken aback by his sudden action.
"Whoa! Whoa! What're you doin'?!" Cal tried to lower Sal's splattershot, but Sal pushed his hand away.
"Seriously? This doesn't seem sketchy to you?"
"What do you mean? She told me you saved her. Maybe she's just here to thank you!"
"She already thanked me." Sal inched closer to the woman, causing her to take a step back. "Come on, why else would a stranger follow another stranger to their house? Especially in a city like this." Sal squinted. "The answer is obvious."
Before Sal could even think about pulling the trigger, the lady frantically raised her hands. "W-W-Wait!" She pleaded in a scared tone. "I know I shouldn't have followed you. But you don't understand. I need you..."
Both brothers looked at each other, confused. "What are you on about?" Sal asked, turning back to her.
The lady lowered her arms before sighing. "J-just hear me out."
"Hear you out? We don't even know who you are. For all we know, you could be in cahoots with another gang."
"I can see you don't trust people. But I'm not here to hurt you." The lady reached up to her face, causing Sal to instantly train his splattershot on her head. She paused for a second, then slowly resumed.
The two watched as the woman removed her shades and white mask. They couldn't even partially hide the shocked looks on their faces.
Sal's mouth was left agape. The muscles in his hands grew numb for a second, and he nearly dropped his splattershot when his arm fell to his side.
Cal was just as freaked out as Sal—maybe a little more. But, instead of leaving his mouth hanging open, he was smiling from ear to ear. "NO WAY!" He bounced on his feet in excitement, then wrapped his arm around Sal's neck, yanking him closer and making him drop his weapon. "It's her! It's really her! It's the Callie! From the Squid Sisters!" Cal hollered, jumping up and down with Sal still held tight, practically choking him out.
"I-I can see that! I have eyes." Sal grabbed at Cal's arm in an attempt to pry it off his neck, but to no avail.
"H-hey!" Callie whispered, gesturing for them to keep it down. "Yes, it's me, Callie. But keep that between us, please."
Finally, Sal managed to wiggle out of Cal's arm, gasping for air. While he caught his breath, Cal composed himself. "Sorry, sorry. It's just... man! We're such big fans! You guys inspired us to start our own band." Cal exclaimed, to which Sal quickly interjected.
"You're a big fan." He coughed, rubbing his neck. Sometimes, Cal didn't watch his strength.
"Ah, don't go getting cold feet on me now! Do I gotta show her all those posters you got hung up in your room?"
Sal stood up straight. "Cal, shut up." He demanded, to which Cal responded with a small snicker.
Sal turned back to Callie, eyeing her up and down. Now that he got a good look at her, he questioned how he hadn't recognized her earlier. Sure, her face was covered before, but that was about it. Everything else indicated she was the popstar Inkopolis knew and loved. Then again, it clearly wasn't just Sal who was fooled. Nobody else saw through her flimsy disguise.
Sal shook his head, still unable to believe it was the Callie he saved from the Sam twins. There was also another thing he couldn't quite understand. "I don't get it. How are you here right now? You're supposed to be missing!"
"Yeah. The media said you vanished months ago." Cal added.
Callie shrugged, as if that wasn't a big deal. "Well, the media will say anything nowadays. But I wouldn't say missing. I'd say lying low!"
She gave her iconic cheery smile, to which Cal responded with his own. "Sweet! Oh, does that mean Marie is here as well?"
Callie's smile faded immediately. Then she'd avoid their gazes. "N-no. She isn't here..."
The atmosphere changed almost instantly. Cal could see he shouldn't have asked that, so he fell silent. The world followed suit.
Before the silence could remain long enough for it to become awkward, Sal broke it. "If you're lying low, what are you doing in Inkopolis? You of all people should know how dangerous this place is now, y'know, with the Great Zapfish being gone and all."
Callie folded her hands together. "What if I told you I know where it is?" Sal and Cal looked at each other in surprise. "Okay, to be honest, I don't know exactly where it is. I just have an idea of its general area." Cal couldn't help but chuckle.
Sal, on the other hand, was not amused. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"
"What? No, no, no, no!" Callie waved her hands, growing slightly worried.
Before she could explain herself, Sal raised his hand to stop her frantic movements. "Just tell us why you're here, please." He said sincerely. There was way too much going on in his life right now for them to be tiptoeing around whatever this was.
Callie took a moment to gather her thoughts before responding. "Like I said, I'm not here to hurt you. I just wanna talk."
"About?" Sal crossed his arms.
"You're right. This city is dangerous. But it's only this way because of what's been going on recently. I know where the zapfishes are going; I think the Great Zapfish is in the same place. But I can't get it back by myself. I need courageous, strong, capable fighters—heroes! Like you!"
Sal couldn't stop himself from scoffing. "A hero? Me? No. You got the wrong octo."
"I beg to differ!" Callie stepped closer. "Out of everyone who saw what was happening, only you stepped in!"
"Like I said before, I didn't do it for you."
"Maybe not, but your skills are undeniable! It was brief, but I haven't seen anyone else move the way you do! Your talent as an agent would be invaluable."
Sal raised a brow. "Agent?"
Callie covered her mouth, a look of shock overcoming her face. After a second, it fell away, being replaced with a sudden smirk. "Welp, looks like the catfish's out the bag now." She stood up straight, proudly posing for the brothers—but it wasn't her iconic idol pose. No, this pose seemed more stoic. "I represent a secret society of agents, made to protect Inkadia and the world from all types of big threats." Callie pointed to Sal. "And I came here looking for exceptional people like you to recruit!"
Sal waved his hand dismissively. "Look, Callie, no disrespect to you, but this all reeks of carp. Besides, I already have enough to deal with as is. I couldn't possibly—"
"Whoa now, let's think about this for a second." Cal interrupted, facing Sal. "A secret society of agents? This is like the start to one of those action films!"
"You've been watching too much TV. Don't tell me you actually believe any of what she says is true!"
"Sal, Callie herself is standing right in our hallway. She's been missing for months, and this city is humongous. Call it fate if you want, but I don't think it's a coincidence that she showed up in our apartment." Cal gestured to the missing idol, who gave a slight wave back when they briefly glared at her. "'Sides, so what if it's not true? This is the most excitement we've had in ages! If it's not real, then it was a good distraction. But if it is real... just think of all the adventures we'll go on!"
"Oh... uh..." Callie awkwardly inserted herself back into the conversation. "Not that I'd mind the extra set of tentacles, but are you sure you'd be able to handle yourself out there? The fieldwork can be a bit dangerous."
Cal laughed before wrapping an arm around Sal once again. "It's this guy I'd be worried about. Whatever you saw him do, I can do better. After all, he learned everything he knows from me!"
Callie's eyes widened and her mouth made an 'o' shape. Then she looked to Sal for confirmation. "I wouldn't say everything. But, yeah. He is the better fighter..."
"Well that's Splatastic! You guys would make great agents." She exclaimed cheerily.
Sal was quick to shut that idea down. "I never said I was joining your secret clownfish society."
Cal sighed. "Oh, come on, Sal! This could be great for us."
"What this could be for us is a huge waste of time. We don't need that. Especially not now!"
"I don't know. You could really use the distraction. All of this has been stressin' you out lately." Sal narrowed his eyes. "Okay, fine. Look at it this way then. Assuming this is all real, then we help her. By helping her, we get all the zapfishes back. The zapfishes come back; then the power comes back. With the power back, order is restored in the city. Then we can continue doing what we came here for, without running the risk of getting caught up in a gang war."
For once, Cal was actually making a modicum of sense. Still, that solved only half of their issues. "And what about money?"
"I'm sure saving the city pays well." Both brothers looked to Callie, who nodded enthusiastically.
"It could!" She eagerly responded.
Sal was still on the fence about the whole thing. This felt like a surreal dream. He had to be waking up any second now, right?
He sat there in silence, waiting for the dream to end. Unfortunately, Callie shattered his doubts about it being real. "Please. I'm at my wit's end here. I could really use the help—the world could use it."
Sal frowned again. If any other person had asked, he would've gladly said no and kicked them out of his and Cal's apartment.
But Callie wasn't just any other person. Not in his eyes.
Besides, if everything Callie said was true, then she came all this way looking for someone—anyone—to lend her a hand. The least he could do was test the waters, regardless of how infested it may have seemed.
"Alright, alright. We'll help you return the zapfishes to the city, but that's it." He said sternly, but Callie gave him a joyous hug in response.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She said, bouncing around with him in her arms.
"W-wha- Hey!" Callie quickly let him go before stepping back.
"S-sorry! It's just... You don't know how much this means to me!"
"Y-yeah. Sure, whatever." Sal dusted himself off.
Meanwhile, Cal crossed his arms and muttered under his breath. "Lucky."
Sal groaned, choosing to ignore his brother's comment. "Anyway, I assume this 'secret society of agents' has a base of operations?" He said with air quotes, still skeptical about the whole agent thing. Even if such a thing existed, there was no way an idol would have the time for something like that.
Callie nodded. "We do! But it's not in the city. So..."
Cal patted Sal's back before walking away. "I'll go get dressed."