After the Storm (A Splatoon 2 AU Fanfiction)

Chapter 8

Callie had finished scraping the last of the weird ink off the grate, shoveling it into a pile far away from the path. It took a few hours for them to complete the task, but both cousins managed to do it. Octavio stayed on the porch of the cabin, watching.

Marie walked up to the grate, stepping on top of it. "I'm going to check out Inkopolis," she said, looking over to Callie sternly. "Don't do any funny business."

"I won't," Callie said dismissively.

Marie softened her expression. "...please. I worry for you."

Callie rolled her eyes playfully. "I promise, Marie. Like, seriously? When have I gotten myself in a pickle?"

Marie crossed her arms. "Not even I can count all those times with my own tentacles." Switching into squid form, she dropped into the grate, following the tubing back into Inkopolis.

As soon as Marie was gone, Callie immediately scrambled to her feet, running inside past a surprised Octavio. She then came back out with a jar, and kneeled beside the pile of weird ink, scooping as much as she could with the lid into the jar.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Octavio began to say, moving off the porch. "What'cha even doing?"

Callie looked back. "Think we can get this stuff to one of your best scientists? Like, quick?"

He stopped. "Uh, hold da phone?"

"Yeah," she continued, showing him the now-filled jar of greenish-looking ink. "This looks too thick to be ink. What do you think?"

Octavio squinted at the jar, as Callie closed the lid and quickly turned it upside-down. Both of them watched as the bubbles rose up. They seemed to rise a bit slower than usual. "Yeah," he agreed. "That ain't normal. I think I got someone on speed dial, but I need ya to hand the phone over to me."

"I know, right?" Callie placed the jar on the porch, and took out her phone. "You don't have hands to dial, right?"

Octavio scoffed, saying aloud a phone number. It seemed familiar to Callie, being that she stayed within the Canyon for a while. She soon handed Octavio the phone, as he wrapped a tentacle around it. "No funny business?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Promise," he replied as someone on the other end picked up the receiver.

As Octavio began to talk quite loudly, Callie moved away, checking the rest of the Outpost. Some surfaces were lightly covered in the weird substance, including some of the exposed kettles. She turned back to Octavio, idly chatting. "Tell the guys on the other side to be careful up here. There's the gooey stuff on the ground." 

Octavio nodded, returning to the call.

Soon, Callie noticed Marie coming up, emerging from the grate (and her squid form). Quickly, she tried rushing over to Octavio to get him off the phone before Marie noticed.

Too late.

"Callie, what are you doing?" She heard Marie say. She stumbled back, facing her.

"Oh, hey Marie! Back so soon?"

Marie seemed a bit worse off herself. Her clothes were soaked with the ink-like substance, and her mask was nowhere to be found.

Octavio soon hung up, handing the phone back to Callie, and looking at Marie. "Woah, sista," he said. "What kinda fight didja get into?"

Marie stepped off the grate. "I don't know what you've been doing, but that's not a concern right now. What is, however, is the fact that some people tried to ambush me."

Callie and Octavio stared, shocked. "What?" They asked in unison, bewildered.

"Yeah, that's right," Marie continued, wiping whatever ink she could off herself. "Some green octolings threw this ink on me, and almost knocked me down and restrained me."