Splatoon: Under Inkopolis

Tide makes a Deal

Kia screwed with the headphones for the fifth time this morning muttering all the while. She scribbled some notes on a brochure. Blank paper was a rare commodity for a lowly foot solider like herself, but the authorities handed out free brochures--such as "Octavio's Guide to Punching a Squid", "The Historic Achievements of the Octarian Empire", ect-- more often than they gave out rations. Kia discovered the brochures made an excellent notebook material. Unlike the stereotypical octoling she was terrible with technology. Despite her regular attempts at tinkering with the pilfered headset she couldn't get the radio inside it to produce so much as a pop song. Eventually she flicked the machine's off switch and the low static buzzing emanating from it ceased. At least the colorful headpiece would give Swayz some company while she was on duty, Kia thought as she resigned to heading out for her next shift. The headset was unlike any technology she had seen in the caverns. No Octarian techie would plaster multi-color led lights over an everyday communication device; it was simply too superfluous for the spartan cavern lifestyle. For a moment Kia allowed her imagination to run a similarly superfluous course. She pictured the headset being depicted in a sunken scroll. She could practically see the inscription that would be featured below the picture: Valuable tool used by Inkling agents. Allows the barer access to all important information privy to a splatoon commander. Or had the potential to if Kia could get the accursed piece of junk to function. Sighing, Kia stepped out of her crate and headed off to work.

Today was one of the rare occasions where she looked forward to working. Instead of her usual boring shift of standing watch she was on zapfish matinence duty. Kia was going to spend the next few hours feeding and exercising a little fish; which promised to be more amusing than waiting to attack an agent who may or may not show up. After packing some non conductive rubber gloves, fish food, and an octoshot for self defense Kia headed through a series of tunnels leading towards the next cave over. The interconnected tunnels between kettles were dim, dingy, and maze like. Despite the poor lighting and forks in the road Kia navigated her path with the confidence gifted by repetion, and quickly arrived at the destination. As she emerged in kettle 3-A Kia inhaled the cave air, her brow furrowed. It tasted ... less dusty. It'd been a week since kettle 1-A had lost its power supply to Three. Originally any changes seemed imperceptible, but now as Kia beheld 3-A it was clear how much brighter and how few pebbles fell from the ceiling in a zapfish powered cavern. Kia pushed her realization out of her mind, she only had one zapfish to worry about right now. The Octarian higher ups would take care of kettle 1-A, not herself. She arrived at the center of 3-A's floor, and super-jumped until she reached the zapfish. Predictably fish-sitting proved a relaxing break from guarding.
"Hey there fishy, now what am I going to call you?", Kia playfully asked the zapfish. The zapfish stared a Kia, too tightly hooked up to its power utilization unit to do much else. Donning her gloves she pulled it out so it could recharge in peace and eat. Once free it devoured its food and started flailing and shooting up sparks.
"Hmm, so I guess you're name is Sparky. It must suck to be hooked up to a unit all day, but there are benefits you know. Free food, protection from predators", Kia paused awkwardly slouching her shoulders. Guilt pricked at her usually absentee conscience. Letting the inkling abscond with 1-A's zapfish might have been the wrong choice. Kia shook her head, she'd made plenty of questionable decisions before and broke protocol more times than she could count: she wasn't going to start being bothered by it now.

"Alright Sparky, let's see if you can learn any new tricks", Kia spent the next couple hours chasing Sparky around the platform and trying to get it to roll over. By then it was time for Sparky to continue fulfilling its role of powering 3-A for all the Octarians residing there, and time for Kia to disappear back to her crate and most likely resume work on the headset.

"Bye Sparky, I'll miss you lil' "-- Kia abruptly stopped talking, spinning on her heels with one hand already clutching her weapon, prepared to attack guns blazing. Turning to face the disturbance Kia realized it was only an exhausted, ink-stained Three. Immediately she shifted her fighting crouch to a indifferent slouch and lazily spun her splattershot on her fingers like she hadn't a care in the world. Three, as oblivious and tactless as ever, blurted out, "Why were you talking the fish?". Kia started to feel a little embarrassed about how someone caught her cooing over a zapfish; until she conveniently remembered Three didn't speak Octarian and hadn't the slightest idea of what Kia had said.