Better Eight Than Never

Chapter 1: A Stack of Panc-eights.

Inkopolis Plaza: Saturday: 11:54 AM

"Do you see them yet?"

"Nope."

"How about now?"

"I know you're just doing this to annoy me you goofball." Simon said, rolling their eyes as they glanced at their twin sister, Jill.

She was sitting on the same railing that they were leaning against, kicking her feet on open air. "Should we text them? See if they're gonna make it?" Jill asked, hand on her phone. "Do you think they'll show up together?"

"Wow. You are really nervous."

"Well yeah! This is the first time we've seen them since..." She held up her phone under her chin and woke it up so it shone light on her face. "THAT TIME... OOOOOooooOOoooo."

"That... Would be creepier in the dark." Simon rolled their eyes and looked out over the plaza again, trying to keep from frowning at the thought of the events that had happened almost a month prior. Yuri had left the lot of them in shambles, and their social life in ruins. Honestly it was no wonder that Jill was so hyper, she'd had nowhere to burn her energy during that time.

"JILL! SIMON! HEY!"

Simon blinked, gaze focusing on Toda, who was running across the plaza to meet them with a wide smile across his face. Bato was right behind him, with a smile almost as wide.

"Toda!!! Bato!!!" Jill said, leaping to her feet and running toward Toda and jumping at him in a full out glomp. "It feels like foreeeevvveerrrrr!!!!" She said, quickly giving Bato almost the exact same treatment.

"I know right?" Toda said, grinning as Simon walked up to join them.

"Good to see you guys again." Bato said, letting go of Jill.

"How have you two been?" Simon asked, glancing between the two faces that they felt like they'd known for years, yet no time at all.

"We've been doing pretty well." Bato replied. "A little rough though, Toda's been getting restless."

"I have not!" Toda protested.

"The last few days you have texted me with nothing but ink puns."

"... Your point?"

Jill giggled. "I thINK that one speaks for itself~"

Toda laughed at Jill's pun. "Good one."

Bato rolled his eyes. "Hilarious." He looked between her and Simon. "What about you two?"

"BORED OUT OF MY MIIIIND." Jill exclaimed. "Fighting's kind of a big part of our lives, you know?"

"You can say that again." Simon said. "Thank goodness the wait is over."

"Oh! What if we made a squad logo! Like the way that mom has one!" Jill said suddenly.

"One step at a time Jill. Starting with getting some practice." Simon said, taking their slosher off their belt and spinning the handle once around their fingers.

Toda nodded. "So... Where should we go to practice?"

Simon was about to reply when the squid sister's jingle played across the speakers in the plaza, causing almost all activity to come to a halt almost immediately.

{"Hang onto your tentacles!"}
{"It's Inkopolis news time!"}

"It's the squid sisters!!!!" Shouted a goggle-wearing inkling not too far away. Another member of his team, probably the leader, hurriedly shushed him.