Chapter Thirteen:

The Ink Tide Cruise Sets Sail


So much time had passed since he last had a tropical vacation, not to mention it had been a while since he went for a boat rode, let alone a cruise. The prospect of going to Ink Tide Island had Makerboy hooked, and, on the night he started making preparations for the trip, the green-haired Inkling was bursting with glee as he was looking forward to all of it.

And one of the best parts, he and Saiko would be spending more time together, and he was going to see some of his other friends, including girls he'd dated in the past.

Makerboy made absolutely sure that he had his own tickets, and did his best to ensure that Saiko had a ticket as well. Luckily, she was already covered. Before he went to bed, he double checked his suitcase to see if he had everything the tan-skinned squid needed, from spare clothes to bathing suits and his Splattershot, the latter of which was just in case.

'Do I really need to bring weapons?' Makerboy thought as he turned out the light, 'It's just a tropical getaway. Then again, it's always important to take precautions, especially when you may never know when trouble will arise. I'll pack an extra weapon tomorrow.'

Early the next morning, Makerboy took a warm shower, helped himself to a bowl of tasty Calamari Chips, tweeted some friends on Twitter about what he was doing for the next few days, and packed another one of his Splat-weapons before getting his luggage together. Afterwards, he checked to see when the boat would be leaving port

Luckily for Makerboy, he had an hour-and-a-half before the estimated departure time. The green-haired squid combed his hair in the bathroom, packed some sunscreen, and fetched his belongings before heading out the door. His heart skipped a beat when he found Saiko waiting by the road leading to the dock, holding a suitcase and winking at him.

His heart throbbed with love, and the upbeat Makerboy embraced his pink-haired girlfriend. Arms folded, and the Inkling-human couple melted into the deepest of kisses before they pulled away.

"How did you sleep last night, Saiko?" Makerboy asked with a smile.

"I thought about you so much, and I dreamed about you." Saiko said, hugging her boyfriend happily, "Thinking about you helped me sleep soundly, because you're the nicest man I've known in my life."

"Glad to help you sleep even though I wasn't there." Makerboy kissed the anime girl's hand, "And I can't wait to be out at sea and on the island, this trip gives us the opportunity to be together even more, and we'll have all the time in the world to ourselves with every chance we get... even though we'll also be with our friends."

"We'll have plenty of time to ourselves during the trip." Saiko pecked him on the cheek, "I am sure of that. Now c'mon, the ship's gonna leave in an hour."

Makerboy nodded in agreement with his slender anime girlfriend, then he and Saiko retrieved their suitcases and bags they'd set aside during their embrace, and resumed their journey down to the docks, breathing the warm air into their lungs, and occasionally waving to a couple friendly faces as they passed by.

Port Kelp was quite busy, with workers loading crates onto shipping vessels, and people were disembarking newly-arrived passenger ships after long voyages. Makerboy and Saiko found their transport, the GCS Ink-Tide Opal, on the east side of the dock, and bumped into Fishy Boopkins, who was carrying quite the small briefcase.

"Hey, Boopkins! When did you get up?" Makerboy quipped in a teasing voice.

"Pretty early, in time to pack, rewatch a Dragon Ball episode, and make my way down here. Looks like I just arrived before you two did."

"Any chance you'll let me join the waifu party on the island, Boopkins?" Saiko asked sweetly, "There's no way this anime girl is going to miss out on the anime-related fun, given how very anime I can be."

"Don't worry, Saiko. I've made sure you're on the party waifu list." Boopkins winked, he flashed a smile at Makerboy, "And I'd like you to take some pictures of me with the guests, if you find the time to attend the party, Makerboy."

"You can count on me, Boopkins." Makerboy saluted with a grin, "Now what are we waiting for, the ship's gonna set sail soon..."

"And we're just in time."

The trio turned, with the green-haired Inkling setting his sights upon his good friend Alexsey, whom he hadn't seen since the day they got the Kaira Star Crystal, which had helped Makerboy reverse Saiko's transformation curse. The green-haired Russian Inkling was accompanied by his wife Nona Skyang Moskovin, whose tentacles were nice and combed.

"Alexsey!" Makerboy grinned, and he stepped forward, "You son of a bitch!"

He clasped hands with his comrade, who smiled back, and the two green-haired Inklings did the Dutch-Dillon high-five, hand-grasp, handshake. Makerboy gripped Alexsey's hand tighter than him, then Nona stepped in and said, "It hasn't been THAT long since you two last saw each other."

"Sorry, Mrs. Skyang-Moskovin." Makerboy chuckled, letting go of Alexsey's hand, "I was just happy to see your husband, and not to mention that scene in the movie is an unforgettable cinematic moment."

"We both look forward to hanging out." Alexsey said with a smile.

"Yo, HoW's It GoInG, MaKeRbOy10, SaIkO, BoOpKiNs, AlExSeY and NoNa?"

Bob Bobowski walked into view, followed by Rouge the Bat, who was sporting a fancy pink dress and holding the robed hobo's arm while leaning her head against his bandana-clad neck. Bob really had charmed the bat over, and they must've had quite the special night and probably another one after that.

"Hey, Bob! You going too?" Makerboy asked with a smile.

"WhY wOuLdN't I, BrO?" Bob's face lit up, "RoUgE fOuNd SoMe TiCkeTs AnD yOu TeXtEd Me, sO wHo WoUlD pOsSiBlY mIsS oUt On A bAdAsS cRuIsE tO a SeXy IsLaNd ReTrEaT?"

"I was thinking of a vacation with a treasure hunt." Rouge said as she stroked Bob's neck, "And Bob agreed to the idea of us sneaking around, stealing whatever secret loot is stored away on the island, and we get to have all the fun..." She walked up and stroked Makerboy's chin, "And perhaps we can have some fun on the cruise and at the island."

"Who knows what's in store, Rouge? But we're all gonna have fun..." Makerboy remarked.

"...and we should board now." Saiko took her boyfriend's hand, "As for you and Bob, Rouge, I suggest that you two get a room."

"ScReW yOu." Bob retorted as Rouge kissed the former Garo on the cheek.

Makerboy and Saiko carried their luggage as they walked up the ramp, and stepped onto the ship, joining Boopkins, Alexsey, Nona, Bob, Rouge, and other people who were on the cruise as well. A Toad in a suit led the green-haired Inkling and his girlfriend to their bedroom, where they would be resting for most of the voyage.

"It looks so nice." Makerboy remarked as he looked at a palm tree.

"And this bed is very comfortable." Saiko quipped. She sat down on the bed, and pat the sheets, attracting Makerboy's attention. The anime girl crossed her legs in a sultry manner, and flexed her finger seductively. Makerboy walked towards his flame, and Saiko threw her arms around him, pulled the Inkling onto the bed, and kissed him hard.

They made out for a minute, then the couple heard the horn blow. The ship was preparing to depart for the island, everyone just needed to get comfortable, and there were likely a few more passengers boarding.

Makerboy and Saiko headed to the side deck of the ship, and took in the view of the harbor, watching as ships made port and departed, people came and went, and workers carried out their tasks of managing the dock area. The ship's horn blew again, followed suit by the horn of a cargo ship as it sailed into port from a distant land.

Soon, a loudspeaker whined to life and a voice declared, "THE GCS Ink-Tide Opal is setting sail for Ink Tide Island, welcome aboard the Ink-Tide Island cruise. We will now be leaving port!"

A couple Inklings on the dock waved as the ship set sail, and the horn blew again. The passengers waved, sending well-wishes to those who'd come to see them depart. Makerboy waved to a couple of people standing on the edge of the dock, and Saiko put her arm around his neck in a gentle manner.

The ship sailed out to sea, leaving civilization behind, and one could watch as the mainland and the docks became smaller and smaller until it all faded from sight. Now, it was just the rolling blue sea with the waves passing by. Seagulls flew over the boat, and whales swam by, with a few dolphins leaping out of the water.

Makerboy pumped his fist with a grin, and Saiko kissed him on the cheek excitedly. The green-haired Inkling breathed in the fresh ocean air, and moved to the front deck to watch the rolling horizon, ready for that tropical scenery. The green-haired squid whooped and cried, "Bring on Ink Tide Island, baby!"