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gameboyrocket · 6 years

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Splatoon: The Outcasts - Episode 6: “Sound and Fury”

The popular cultural festival of Inkopolis, Splatfest, has come to an end for now. Divided into two teams, the Inklings of the city duked it out for control of the city’s values, pitting those who prefer punctuality on Team Early Bird against their night-loving opposites, Team Night Owl. Ultimately, after 24 hours of nonstop Turf War battles, the side that took more matches was decided, and the Night Owls were declared victorious. The Outcasts, Inkopolis’ newest group of Turf War rookies, was split two-and-two between the factions, so at least half of the team can celebrate the results in the end.

Through the challenges and trials of the Splatfest, the Outcasts, while having been temporarily separated, seem to have learned from the experience – Amber, the team captain, has a newfound positivity about her future as a leader; André, the gigantic brawler, has finally reconciled with one of his former teammates on Team Spice Splat; and Marjani and Felicity, the team’s abrasive junkie and her straight-arrow counterpart, have grown closer together and truly become friends. The team, which usually struggles to work together long enough to play the sport, have all been given a new outlook by recent events, and their spirits are finally lifting.

With the nonstop clamor of the Splatfest having finally died down with the closing ceremonies last night, the Outcasts are regrouping for lunch at their usual hangout, Café Cardamari, along with Marjani’s younger brother, Turf War DJ and habitual flirt Dodge. After spending the previous day playing Turf War while divided between the two sides, they’re all hoping to catch up with each other and discuss the happenings of the festival. The team still has a lot of room to grow, however, and today, the spotlight shines on two of its members who only rarely make an effort to get along with each other, and are about to learn that they have more in common than they’re ready to admit…

SPLATOON: THE OUTCASTS

Episode 6: “Sound and Fury”

“So Jolokia and I had these guys backed into the corner, right? And Lissy lines up the shot…” Marjani held up her arms as if looking down the sights of a Charger, before mimicking the motion of the recoil of firing, “And I swear, she takes out both of them!” Felicity blushed and giggled. “I keep telling you, Marjie, you got one of them just before I fired,” she insisted. “Sure didn’t seem like it where I was standing,” argued Marjani.

“You think maybe it was a stray ink bullet from your Splatling?” asked Amber, “Slight shot deviation could account for thinking it wasn’t your ink that did it.” “I’m tellin’ you, Lissy shot through the first guy and hit the second!” Marjani asserted. “Could’ve been Jolokia, too,” added Dodge through a mouthful of donut. “She wasn’t close enough to them!” Marjani maintained, “Why doesn’t anyone fuckin’ believe me?!”

“Language, Marjie,” Felicity hushed her friend softly. “Chargers can’t do that,” André finally interjected, his arms crossed as his meal was long since finished. “Oh, yeah? And how do you know?” Marjani challenged him, placing one hand on the table, “You weren’t even there, and you use like, the opposite of Chargers!” “Just how they’re designed,” explained André, “Rumor has it Turf War R&D’s working on changing that, but nothing’s on the market yet.”

“Arrrgh!” a frustrated Marjani finally gave up the argument, going back to eating her meal in defeat. “Aww, cheer up, Marjie,” Felicity tried to console her teammate, putting her hand on Marjani’s shoulder, “I’m sure there’s an explanation for it.” “Yeah, yeah,” muttered Marjani quietly, “I know what I fuckin’ saw…” “So, what about you guys?” asked Dodge, turning to Amber and André, who were seated next to each other, across from their teammates, “Any other good stories?”

“I dunno, we already told the one where we went up against these two,” replied Amber, “We lost more matches than we won yesterday.” André nodded. “Had a couple of good moments, but I can’t remember them all that well,” he added sternly, furrowing his brow. “How’s that?” asked Dodge, “Last I checked, André, my man, you’ve got a crazy good memory.”

André shook his head and cleared his throat awkwardly. “It’s, uh… well, there are times where I can’t remember things so well,” he rumbled, “Like when there’s a lot of loud noise, messes with my head, makes it harder to remember anything but the noise later. Still play in Splatfests, but I don’t remember a lot of specifics unless I was focused enough.” “No kiddin’,” replied Dodge with an amazed smirk, “That’s kinda weird.” André simply sighed in response.

“Is that why you hate loud noises so much?” asked Felicity, concerned with André’s well-being. André nodded. “Yeah, part of it,” he confirmed, “Just bugs me in general.” Marjani perked up as André continued. “Wait!” she blurted suddenly, a little too loudly, causing Felicity to jump slightly in her seat, “Is that why you were complainin’ so much at the opening ceremony?! You wanted to go home because loud noise fucks with your head?”

“Marjie, language,” whispered Felicity. “I know, I know,” replied Marjani quietly before turning her attention back to her teammate, “Seriously, though?” André rolled his eyes slightly and grimaced. “Yeah,” he sighed, “Nothing special to it.” Marjani grinned. “Shit, and here I thought you were impenetrable,” she quipped. “Hey, now, Sis,” replied Dodge, “You’re the same way; you hate loud noises, too.”

“It doesn’t make me forget shit, though,” retorted Marjani, “And with you for a brother, ‘course I hate ‘em.” “Hey, my music’s not just loud noise,” argued Dodge. “Oh, yeah?” Marjani smirked as she folded her arms, “Then what about that time you spent four hours playin’ the same damn beat over and over at max volume?” “I-I…!” Dodge’s voice trailed off as he tried and failed to think of a rebuttal to Marjani’s comment, “Th-that was one time! And that’s not even why you hate noise, any–”

“–Don’t,” Marjani growled loudly, her voice suddenly dropping to an uncharacteristically serious tone, “Don’t bring that up. Not here.” “…Right,” Dodge suddenly grew as solemn as his sister, his expression dropping, “S-sorry, Sis.” The group fell silent as Amber, André, and Felicity exchanged nervous glances. “Y-you know, now that I think about it,” stammered Dodge, before clearing his throat, “I might be able to help you guys with your problem.”

“How so?” asked André, raising his eyebrow. “Direct confrontation,” replied Dodge, “We get together somewhere, I bring some of the big guns, and we ramp up the volume until we figure out what your limits are. We repeat it as often as we can until you guys can handle more and more volume.” “That’s sounds stupid as hell,” replied Marjani bluntly. “Marjie, language,” Felicity whispered a third time.

André furrowed his brow pensively. “Stupid, yeah,” he mused, “Stupid enough to work, maybe?” “Aw, c’mon, seriously?” questioned Marjani, “You two can waste your time losin’ your hearin’ tryin’ to do this little therapy thing if you want, but count me out.” “You don’t wanna give it a shot, Sis?” asked Dodge, “At least try it!” Marjani released a grumbling sigh as she rolled her eyes. “Why am I the one who thinks this is never gonna work?” she growled.

“Just once,” interjected André, “If it doesn’t look like it’s gonna work, we’ll call it quits. It’s no scientifically-proven cure, but Dodge is an audio guy; might be onto something, and you’re not giving him enough credit, as usual.” “Wha–!” Marjani’s jaw dropped incredulously, “I give Dodge credit! I told Lissy the backstage passes were from him, didn’t I?” “Technically, it was Marie who told me,” replied Felicity. Marjani groaned again before finally shrugging. “Fine, we’ll try it,” she gave in, “We doin’ anythin’ else tomorrow?”

“I’ve got the day off,” confirmed Dodge. “No practice, but we’ve got a match in the afternoon,” added Amber, “And it’s with Spice Splat again. I’m starting to wonder if Caroline’s doing this on purpose, too, the same way she got our teams mixed together for the Splatfest.” “Oh, we could join them!” exclaimed Felicity, “You know, moral support and all that. And then we can all have our strategy meeting right after, right?” “Actually…” replied Amber with a small grin, “I was thinking that if they’re busy with Dodge, you and I could hang out together.” “What would you want to hang out with Lissy for?” asked Marjani nonchalantly.

“Are we not allowed?” asked Amber, “Just sort of a girl’s day out kind of thing. You know, the kind of stuff you’re not really into.” Marjani glanced back and forth between Felicity and Amber. “B-but Lissy–” she started, before her gaze came to rest on Dodge, realizing that he was out of the loop on Felicity’s secret. “But Lissy what?” Amber smirked as she crossed her arms in victory, taking a small amount of pleasure from seeing her teammate squirm.

“Alright, fine,” Marjani conceded, “Have your little girly-girl day or whatever. No skin off my nose.” “Yay!” Felicity rejoiced quietly as thoughts of what the morning ahead could hold in store for her and her captain. “Alright, let’s get together outside Inkopolis Tower tomorrow at, say, 9?” asked Dodge. “That early?” asked André, “Sure you won’t need more time to set everything up?”

“If I say 10, Sis’ll be there at 11,” retorted Dodge, “You know how she is.” “Just had a Splatfest over it,” agreed André. “And we won!” argued Marjani, “Or did you forget that because of all the loud noise?” André shot Marjani an irritable look. “Don’t push it,” he warned her, “Let’s just agree to be there by 9, got it?” “Fine,” agreed Marjani, “No promises, but I’ll put off goin’ to see Spyke until we’re done with this stupid therapy thing.”

“Great, then it’s settled,” replied Dodge, standing up with his meal tray, “I’m gonna drop by work and see what I can get from the boss in terms of equipment and a nice, quiet, open location for us to do this.” “See you tomorrow, then?” asked André. “Yeah, both of you,” replied Dodge before glancing over to Felicity, “And hopefully you ladies, too?” “Maaaybe,” replied Felicity with a cute smile, “It depends on where we all get together before the match.”

“Back at my place,” Amber spoke up, “The match is at 4, so let’s be there for the strategy meeting around 3.” “Alright, I’ll see you guys around,” said Dodge, walking away as Marjani rubbed her temples and sighed. “Later, Dodge,” she muttered sluggishly. The four resumed finishing their meal in silence as they each contemplated the day ahead, not knowing for certain what it would bring.

Marjani sighed as she adjusted the collar on her jacket and tried once more to rub the sleep from her eyes. She wasn’t sure why she’d agreed to Dodge’s suggestion; perhaps André’s willingness to try it had something to do with it. In the time that they had known each other, André had never been particularly thrilled to be her teammate, especially after she’d flown off the handle at everyone following their first loss to Spice Splat. Perhaps she felt obligated to at least try to get on his good side before their next match with the team, but why did she care?

She, Dodge, and André were all arriving at Blackbelly Skatepark, which was devoid of scheduled matches for the day. Dodge had successfully arranged to get the empty park to themselves, so that they could attempt his harebrained idea of “therapy.” Marjani looked around and breathed a sigh of relief as she realized there was no one else there but them. She couldn’t shake a sinking feeling in her gut that bordered on outright pain, but its source eluded her; she hadn’t even missed breakfast. Worse yet was the familiarity of the sensation.

“Alright, here we are,” Dodge finally spoke, “A nice, quiet, open place.” He led the two over to a pair of speakers set up on either side of a table where he’d set up his controlling equipment. “Geez, Dodge, you got all this shit out here yourself?” asked Marjani, crossing her arms. “I had some help,” explained Dodge, “My co-workers pitched in. And it ain’t shit.” “Steady work must be nice,” mused André. “Playin’ Turf War would be cool, but even if I could, I wouldn’t give up music,” replied Dodge as he moved around behind the table, “It’s part of my soul, you know?”

“‘If you could?’” asked André, “…Have you never even tried Turf War?” “Can’t,” replied Dodge as he turned the equipment on, “Don’t have an ink sac. I’m surprised Sis hasn’t told you guys.” “You don’t–?” André stopped himself from repeating Dodge a second time before continuing, “Wow, that’s…” “–Totally normal for me,” interrupted Dodge, shaking his head with a smile to dissuade André from pitying him, “I’ve lived my whole life like this. I got an infection in it before I was even born. The whole thing was necrotic, so they had to cut it out to save my life.”

“Ever wish you could play Turf War, though?” asked André as he crossed his arms inquisitively. “Course I do,” Dodge affirmed, smirking, “When I was younger, it broke my heart that I’d never be able to play. But I got used to it and decided to do what I could with my life, instead of just sittin’ around feelin’ sorry for myself. I like to think it’s my way of gettin’ back at my ink sac for tryin’ to kill me, and not lettin’ somethin’ that makes me different get in the way of me havin’ an impact on the world.”

André nodded in understanding. “If you two are done with your stupid little heart-to-heart, can we get started?” asked Marjani, “Let’s get this shit over with already.” Dodge nodded. “Everythin’ is ready to go. I’m gonna start with some lower volumes and work my way up,” he explained, “I got some audio straight from a Turf War match, so it’ll be the kinda stuff you guys should be used to. I figure that’s as good a place to start as any.” “Alright, already, just start it,” groaned Marjani, losing her patience with her brother.

Dodge pressed a button on the control unit before moving a pair of volume sliders up. “You guys might wanna stand back a little bit so you’re not this close to the speakers,” he cautioned, picking up a pair of noise-cancelling headphones he’d had on the table and placing them over his ears. The song “Metalopod” could be heard starting up in the background of the noise of a usual Turf War. Marjani grinned and began to laugh as she and André stepped back from the speakers.

“Dodge, if you wanted an excuse to blast my jam, you coulda just asked!” she joked over the noise as she glanced over to André, who was furrowing his brow while Dodge increased the volume. “What’s wrong, big guy?” Marjani quipped, “Come on, we’re just gettin’ started! Pump it up, Dodge!” André shot a dirty look at Marjani before rolling his eyes and looking away. He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to concentrate. Dodge continued to increase the volume on the speakers until the sound was resounding around the skatepark.

Marjani kept grinning at André as he started shaking his head intermittently, losing his focus as the volume increased. “Come on, André, you can do it!” Marjani needled her teammate sarcastically, “Didn’t you think this was such a great idea?” She began laughing outright as André covered his ears, grunting slightly and trying to maintain his composure. “Man, what is your malfunction?” she asked, “It’s just a little–”

Marjani was cut short as the Turf War audio suddenly sounded off the unmistakable noise of a Killer Wail special weapon starting up. Her breath caught in her throat as Dodge’s eyes widened. He quickly tried to slide the volume down on the speakers, causing André to snap back to reality just in time to hear a blood-curdling scream coming from his teammate. He jumped in surprise as he looked over to Marjani, who had one arm wrapped around her waist and the other around her own head, sobbing uncontrollably on her knees as Dodge dropped the noise cancellers on the table and rushed to her side.

“Shit!” Dodge hissed, “There was a Killer Wail in there?!” André watched in shock as Dodge knelt down in front of his sister. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no!” Marjani repeated herself over and over as she tried to control her bawling. “Sis!” Dodge said, taking hold of his sister’s shoulders, “Marjani! It’s okay! I’m here! It’s alright!” Marjani looked her brother in the eye, her quickened breathing slowly for just a moment before she gritted her teeth and screamed again, this time in frustration.

Throwing Dodge’s arms off of her shoulders, she pulled her arm back and, before Dodge could react to what was going on, threw a punch straight into his left cheek, knocking him off balance and onto his back. “You fuckin’ IDIOT!” Marjani screeched as she stood up, tears still streaming down her face, “You blasted a fuckin’ Killer Wail!” “I-I didn’t know!” protested Dodge. “You didn’t KNOW?!” Marjani screamed, “How did you not fuckin’ know?! Didn’t you listen to it first to check?!” Dodge simply sat wordlessly, still stunned from Marjani’s punch.

“Fuckin’ idiot!” Marjani screeched, turning away and storming off, “Fuck this! Fuck it all!” André took a few steps over to Dodge’s side and held out his hand for Dodge to take, putting the other on the younger Inkling’s back to help him up onto his feet. “Sis, wait!” shouted Dodge, starting to follow after his sister. “Fuck you!” yelled Marjani one last time, throwing up her middle finger over her shoulder as she continued walking away.

“Let her go, Dodge,” suggested André, putting his hand on Dodge to hold him back, “…You alright? Looked like one hell of a punch.” “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Dodge replied, rubbing his jaw, “I’m not bleedin’ or anythin’, am I?” “Nah,” André confirmed, “…The hell was that?” “Sis doesn’t like loud noise, but she can put up with most of it no problem,” replied Dodge, “Mostly it’s just Killer Wails that get her riled up.” “That was a little more than ‘riled up,’ Dodge,” argued André, “Gotta have a reason.”

“Sh-she… doesn’t like people to know,” stammered Dodge, “I shouldn’t tell you. When she’s ready, she’ll talk about it.” “Now would be a really good time for her to be ready,” said André, “Not sure if you’re aware, but she just punched you over it.” “Eh, she’s hit me harder before,” said Dodge, “I’m used to it.” “That’s… not healthy,” replied André in surprise. “Nah, it doesn’t happen often,” Dodge reassured him, “And she only does it when I’ve got it comin’. It’s almost always when I do somethin’ really stupid… like that.”

“Almost?” André questioned. “A year or so ago, she was lashin’ out a lot more, and over little stuff more often than not,” explained Dodge, walking back over to the control unit for the speakers and turning the equipment off entirely, “Mom and Dad lost their patience with her and made her get her own place.” André sighed and put his hands on his hips. “Piece of work, that one…” he mumbled, “How do you put up with her when even your parents won’t?” “Because I know her better than they do anymore,” replied Dodge pensively before looking André in the eye, “And I’m not givin’ up on her.”

“Dodge…” André murmured, “What happened to her? What made her like this? Is it just the addictions?” “You gotta ask her that yourself,” replied Dodge, shaking his head, “Like I said, ain’t my place to tell you.” “Well, she sure won’t,” growled André, “More likely Felicity, maybe Amber, but not me.” “If you’re that interested, I suggest you find someone else who might know,” replied Dodge, “But for now, it looks like my idea was a bust after all. You go ahead and peace out, I’m gonna call up my co-workers and we’re gonna haul all this stuff back.”

André sighed again as he tried to process everything he’d just seen, waving half-heartedly to Dodge to acknowledge his suggestion as he turned to leave the skatepark. He breathed deeply as he glanced back to the other squid. Dodge, not realizing André was looking in his direction, wiped his eyes on his sleeve before continuing to rub his sore jaw. André looked back to the entrance of the skatepark to see if Marjani was still in sight, but she was long gone.

André rubbed his left temple as he walked down the hall of Amber’s apartment building, his right hand holding the strap on the Roller bag slung over his shoulder. He let out a rumbling sigh as he arrived at Amber’s door and knocked. “Amber? Felicity?” he bellowed, “You two back yet?” “Come on in!” he heard Amber’s voice on the other side, “Door’s unlocked!” His large fingers gripping the knob gingerly, as if it could break were he to simply grab it, André opened the door gently and peered into the room.

Amber and Felicity were seated upon the former’s bed, side-by-side. Felicity was sporting expertly-braided tentacles and sparkling blue fingernails, while Amber seemed to have tried a new lip gloss color – or any at all, for that matter. Amber was busy on her phone, no doubt deleting spam as usual. “Hi, André!” Felicity beamed, presenting her nails proudly, “Like ‘em? I thought I’d try something new!” André smirked and nodded. “Just you?” asked Amber, “I figured you and Marjani would be showing up together. How’d everything go?”

“She isn’t here yet…?” asked André, furrowing his brow before sighing in realization. “Did something happen?” asked Felicity, “Is she alright?” “I’m not sure,” replied André, “Things went south after just a couple minutes, and she took off.” “Went south… in what sense?” asked Amber, raising an eyebrow. “Turns out she really hates Killer Wails,” revealed André, “Dodge played the sound of one on accident and she lost it. She punched him for it. I’ve never seen her like that.”

“Where is she now?!” asked Felicity, panicking as she stood up off of the bed, “Where did she go?!” “Not sure,” replied André, “Thought maybe she’d go home and then show up here for the meeting. Being late’s nothing new for her, but what I saw… I don’t know if she’ll even remember we have a match. Might be better not to wait and see.” “I’ll try calling her,” Amber reassured the others, opening up her contacts list on her phone and dialing Marjani’s number.

She held her phone up to her ear as the other two silently waited. They could barely hear their own breathing as the quiet dial tones on Amber’s phone continued, her expression slowly becoming crestfallen as Marjani failed to answer the call. Eventually, Amber shook her head in defeat and hung up. “She’s not answering,” she said as she shook her head in dismay , “She needs to set up her voicemail already.” “I keep trying to remind her,” added Felicity, “But I don’t want to seem like I’m nagging; I think that makes her care about it less.”

André sighed, setting his Roller down and going back over to the door. “Wait, where are you going?” asked Amber, “What about the meeting?” “Won’t do us much good if we don’t have our fourth teammate, and I doubt that VX guy is just gonna magically show up to bail us out this time,” replied André, “I’m gonna go look for her. If I’m not back in half an hour, can you two get my Roller over to the tower? I’ll meet you there in time for the match.” “We could go with you,” suggested Amber.

“No, I’ll find her myself,” maintained André, “Should’ve gone after her in the first place. Seemed like the best thing was to just let her vent.” “Why didn’t you stop her?” asked Felicity. André paused with his hand on the doorknob, hanging his head guiltily before looking back to the other two. “…Because she doesn’t like me. You know that,” he rumbled, “She probably couldn’t have hurt me if I intervened, but… I didn’t want her to try. Things don’t need to be even worse between us.”

He opened the door and stepped out into the hall before turning back around. “Like I said, if I’m not back soon, skip the meeting and get to the tower,” he repeated, “I’ll meet you there, with or without her.” “Where are you going to start?” Amber questioned, “Any idea where she would’ve gone?” André put his hand on the outside doorknob again, nodding solemnly at Amber. “Just one,” he confirmed, “Hope I’m right.” He closed the door, this time slightly less gently than when he’d entered.

Spyke breathed out a puff of smoke lazily as he slouched in his shop, located at the end of a shaded back alley near Inkopolis Tower. He had spent the last few days cleaning up the area and adding some needed decoration, such as hanging some exotic-looking rugs he’d found across wires to create a patchy “roof�� of sorts, and putting out scented candles and incense burners that helped to mask the persistent stenches of tobacco or whatever else he had burning at any given time. This year’s Turf War season had caused his “business” to attract more customers than before, much to his delight, so his alleyway had to be at least a bit presentable.

He took a sip of his whiskey, his bracelets jangling as he raised his glass, inspected the finer details of the cigar he was smoking, and scoffed quietly before taking another puff. He glanced over to a nearby Inkling sporting ghostly pale skin, unsettling, sleepless purple eyes, and lime green tentacles, leaning against the wall to Spyke’s left while smoking a cigarette with a grim look on his face, which bore a sizable scar that extended from just below his right eye across his cheekbone and down to his jawline. He wore a Rockenberg Black t-shirt and a pair of Black Trainers.

“Wot ‘bout you, Nico?” asked Spyke, “It’s been a slow afternoon. Fink we oughta close up early fer the day?” Nico exhaled a green-colored smoke through his nostrils and shook his head before jerking it to his left, toward the entrance to the alley, where a massive silhouette was blocking a portion of what little light was allowed into Spyke’s dim shop now that he’d put the ceiling up. Spyke looked back to the entrance of the shop, his eye caught by the tall, muscular Inkling standing a few meters ahead of him, and gave a wide, disconcerting grin.

Spyke pushed his lanky, gaunt form onto its feet, his bony fingers continuing to grip his drink and cigar, rising nearly to the height of the Inkling before him, a difference obscured by the urchin’s spiny head. “Well, well, well…” he mused theatrically, “What brings André the Giant Squid to my… humble establishment?” The Inkling stepped forward, his face now better illuminated. “I’m loo–” he started before being cut off by the tipsy, poncho-clad tramp.

“–No, wait, lemme guess…” interrupted Spyke, gesturing slightly toward André with his cigar before taking another swig of his whiskey as he pondered for a moment before continuing knowingly, “…Yer lookin’ fer MJ.” André raised his eyebrow at the thought of someone calling Marjani “MJ,” but folded his arms and continued the conversation anyway. “How’d you guess?” he asked. Spyke took another puff of his cigar and exhaled, inadvertently blowing the smoke into the Inkling’s face, grinning as though he fancied himself to be some all-knowing guru.

“‘Cause she told me ‘at André the Giant Squid’s on ‘er new team a while back. And she came by here earlier in a… right foul mood, rantin’ about ‘er bruvva or sumfin’,” he replied nonchalantly, “We passed a blunt ‘round so she could calm down a li’l ‘fore she took off. Didn’t say where she was ‘eaded, though; sorry, mate.” André grimaced before continuing. “What was she saying about her brother?” he asked as Spyke continued his smoking.

“Ya know ‘er bruvva, right? Wot was ‘is name?” asked Spyke, “Ten-Dodgy, or sumfin’?” “Tendaji. Dodge for short. I know him,” replied André, fighting the urge to glance at the green-tentacled Inkling smoking nearby, who was staring unflinchingly at the giant Inkling. Spyke took another gulp of his whiskey and cleared his throat. “Right, well, I don’t remember exactly wot it was; sumfin’ ‘bout him bein’ loud. Was a li’l too stoned ta listen proper,” he admitted.

“I was there. We both hate loud noises, and he was trying to help us get better at dealing with it,” André explained, “But she completely lost it when he played the sound of a Killer Wail on accident.” Spyke’s eye widened and his grin vanished as he realized the implication of André’s revelation. “Oh… OH,” he muttered, repeating his reaction as if trying to add some needless emphasis, “Well, now ‘at explains a lot.” “Can you tell me anything about that?” André questioned, “Dodge won’t talk.”

Spyke nodded slowly as his eye glanced about, almost as though he was looking for Marjani herself to make sure she wouldn’t overhear him. “…I might, mate. ‘Ave a seat,” he offered, turning back toward his usual spot and walking back over to it while lazily gesturing toward the other Inkling, “Nico, mix up a drink fer André, would ya?” “Not old enough,” interjected André. Spyke’s lowered head perked up at this, betraying how taken aback he was, and he turned back around to face his guest, sizing him up in confusion.

“…But yer, like, nine feet tall, mate, how’re ya not old enough…?” he asked quietly, “You sure? Ain’t no one ‘round ‘ere wot can tell ya wot ta do… Come on, live a little, mate. Nico mixes a mean Old Fashioned.” André shook his head and waved his hand sternly as if demonstrating his resolve. “Not here for vices, Spyke. Got a match later, and I’d rather say sharp,” he countered, “If underage drinking doesn’t bother you, at least respect that.” Spyke shrugged with a slight smile.

“Alright, whatever, nix the drink, Nico,” he admitted defeat with a wave of his cigar, complying with André’s staunch refusal, before settling down back into his usual seat, the gigantic Inkling sitting down in front of him and crossing his arms. Setting his whiskey down next to himself, he flexed his emaciated fingers with a quiet crackling. He took another puff of his cigar before sighing. “…You know, I been finkin’, why do ‘ey call it ‘marowana?’ S’not even made wif arowana. S’bloody kelp…” he pondered, before placing the cigar down on an ashtray and breathing deeply.

His eye lolled upward slightly, away from André’s gaze, as he reminisced about Marjani’s past. “Awright, well, where do I begin…?” he asked himself quietly, closing his eye to think momentarily before deciding on his starting point. “MJ didn’t always used ta be the way she is now, if ya couldn’t guess. She was… a lot brighter,” he continued, looking back to André, “I didn’t know ‘er personally ‘en, but I was watchin’ ‘er Turf War match when it ‘appened.” “‘It…?’” asked André, raising an eyebrow. Spyke nodded and sighed.

“At Moray Towers. ‘Er team was goin’ up against ‘at one international group, those, uh, Sharkfin girls, I fink,” Spyke recalled, “MJ might’ve been nicer, but she was just as aggressive back ‘en as she is now; decided ta head straight fer the enemy base at the beginning o’ the match, ya know, ‘ead ‘em off an’ cause trouble on their side o’ the field. She knew it was risky an’ would probably get ‘er splatted, but ya know, that’s how she plays – tries ta take out more o’ ‘em ‘fore gettin’ splatted ‘erself just ta keep ‘em occupied.”

André was silent as he focused intently on Spyke’s tale. “Anyway, just as she was comin’ up the side o’ one o’ the towers, someone on the other team planted down a Killer Wail. ‘Ey were just tryin’ ta hit one of ‘er teammates on the other side o’ the field, didn’t know she was ‘at close…” Spyke continued, “MJ got ta the top o’ the wall an’ took it point-blank… She never saw it comin’.” “So she got splatted?” asked André.

“Worse. When she respawned, she was coughin’ up a mix o’ ‘er own ink an’ blood. She was so close ta the Wail ‘at the sound blast ‘ad messed up ‘er internal organs, done some real bad damage,” Spyke’s eyelid drooped as he solemnly called back the memories of the day, “‘Ey called off the match, an’ she spent the next monf in the ‘ospital. She was in pain the whole time, an’ kept takin’ painkillers even after she got out. Liked the way ‘ey made ‘er feel.”

“That’s how it started, then?” asked André. Spyke nodded, looking André in the eye again in resignation. “When she ran out, she came ta me knowin’ I’d be the kind o’ guy who could ‘ook ‘er up wif more,” he continued, “‘At’s ‘how I met ‘er.” “So you got her addicted to all these harder drugs, then?” André gritted his teeth as the corner of his mouth curled into a snarl, “Took advantage of her situation to get yourself a new regular, did you?”

“I never gave ‘er anyfin she didn’t ask fer, never pressured ‘er ta try anyfin’ new or nuffin’,” retorted Spyke, “I make it my job ta ‘elp people, no matter wot it is ‘ey need. Ain’t always strictly legal, but–” “–But, let me guess, ‘you mean well,’ so it’s all okay?” growled André, “No, of course, what people do with the drugs you help them get is their business, right? Not like you’re an enabler or anything. No ink on your hands, is that it?”

“Look, I’m MJ’s dealer, yeah, but don’t fink I haven’t done nuffin’ to try and ‘elp ‘er kick it, too. I’m ‘bout as far from perfect as a bloke can get, but s’not like all I care ‘bout’s my bottom line…!” Spyke insisted as his volume escalated, “I’ve kept ‘er away from the more dangerous stuff an’ made sure she never gets too much o’ anyfin’. If she weren’t such a friend, I’d say I practically babysit ‘er – an’ I wager I do a better bloody job of it ‘an you an’ your teammates, eh, considerin’ you came here hopin’ ta find ‘er?”

The two fell silent as Spyke realized he’d crossed a line with his last statement. André sighed and his expression fell as he knew Spyke was right – the urchin knew Marjani better than her own teammates did, especially André himself; while she was certainly difficult to work with, André’s own disapproval of her was also partly to blame for their poor relationship. Spyke stammered for a moment, his breath out of sync with his desire to speak as he collected himself. “Sorry. ‘At was outta line,” he apologized, “…But you asked, mate.”

André rose to his feet silently, still avoiding eye contact with the urchin. “Guess I did…” he agreed glumly as he turned back around, “Thanks for the story. Sorry for wasting your time.” He started making his way back to the entrance of the alley. “…It weren’t a waste,” retorted Spyke. André stopped and started to look back over his shoulder. “…Good luck findin’ ‘er, mate,” Spyke added. André turned forward again. “Take care, Spyke,” he murmured, resuming his exit. “Always do,” replied the urchin quietly as André walked back out into the sunlight, briefly casting a shadow into the alley before vanishing into Inkopolis Plaza.

André looked up to the doors to Inkopolis Tower before him and sighed. He hadn’t managed to find Marjani in time; he had spent too long listening to Spyke’s story, but the urchin had been unable to provide him with any leads as to his teammate’s current whereabouts. His only hope was that she had remembered the strategy meeting and shown up at Amber’s apartment after he’d left. He stepped forward, the automatic doors sliding open to clear his path.

“Don’t worry, he said he’d be here,” he heard a familiar voice speaking as he looked around, spotting his teammates nearby. Amber had her hand on Felicity’s shoulder, reassuring her that André would arrive before the match. Hearing the doors open behind them, Amber glanced over her shoulder and spotted André. “See, just like I said,” she added, causing Felicity to turn around. As the two parted, André realized that Marjani was present, facing the two of them, and now him. “M-Marjani,” he stammered in surprise, “You’re… here.”

“Yeah,” Marjani murmured sheepishly, “I was just upstairs. Had to… I had to say sorry to Dodge.” “That’s…” André was at a loss for words and simply nodded. “I kinda gave you the runaround, huh?” asked Marjani, a hint of hoarseness still in her voice, “Amber said you were out lookin’ for me.” André looked to Amber before nodding at Marjani. “Yeah,” he replied, “Looks like I was the late one for once… You did remember we have a match, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” replied Marjani in annoyance, slinging her Splatling’s bag off of her shoulder, “Dude, we’re goin’ up against Spice Splat, I’m not forgettin’ that.” André turned to Felicity. “Were you two okay taking my Roller over here, or do I have to go back for it?” Felicity nodded, pointing over to André’s Roller bag, which was leaning against a nearby wall. “Thanks,” André said, walking over to the bag and kneeling down to unzip it, “Wasn’t too heavy, was it?”

“Nah, we did fine,” replied Felicity, “We’re stronger than we look.” She held up her arms as if flexing, beaming at her teammate. André smirked and shook his head, chuckling quietly as he rose back to his feet, his Roller on his shoulder. “The others not here yet?” he asked as the doors to the tower opened once more. As if on cue, the four members of Spice Splat walked into the tower. “Sorry we’re late, everyone!” shouted Caroline, her usual grin plastered on her face.

“Everything’s backwards today…” muttered Amber, “First André’s last to show, then Spice Splat is here after all of us…” “Butch here…” continued Caroline, gesturing to the team’s Inkbrusher, “Almost forgot about our match!” “Oi, I didn’t fuggedaboutit!” protested Butch, “My uncle–” “–Had yuh runnin’ an errand or some odduh bilge, we know,” interrupted Moruga, “We’ve heard it before, Butch. De point is dat it needs to stop if yuh are as committed to dis team as yuh say.”

“I know, I know,” insisted Butch irritatedly, “Come on, we ain’t got much time ‘til da match. Let’s get goin’.” Jolokia smiled at the other team, cradling her Tri-Slosher. “It’s good to see you all again,” she greeted them politely, before making eye contact with André. Her smile fell slightly as she looked away from him. “We should really catch up after this,” she continued, a little more quietly than before, “We haven’t all been together in one place since that match in the Splatfest, and we were too busy playing against each other.”

André nodded in her direction before speaking up. “We could… go get coff–” he was cut off as the intercom in the room sounded off. “Teams Spice Splat and Outcasts to Walleye Warehouse, please,” the voice spoke, “Teams Spice Splat and Outcasts, to Walleye Warehouse.” “That’s our cue!” declared Caroline as she adjusted her grip on her Mini Splatling, “Don’t hold back just because we’re friends now, Amber!” “Us? Friends?” Amber scoffed as the two teams made their way to the grates, “Maybe someday, Humboldt.”

“Ouch, girl,” replied Caroline. “Looks like things really are backwards today,” added Felicity confidently, “Now Amber’s the one burning you guys!” ��Zip it, squirt,” snapped Butch, “Don’t give your girl too much credit. Boss set herself up for dat one.” “Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is, rich boy?” interjected Marjani, “Or are you scared of a little girl with a Charger?” “Enough banter,” bellowed Moruga, “Or we’re goin’ ta be late.” The eight battlers, all chomping at the bit, transformed into their cephalopod forms and dropped through the grates.

The four Outcasts rose out of the indigo ink at their spawn point, weapons at the ready. “Alright, Outcasts,” Amber addressed her teammates, hoping to rally them, “I know we had to skip the strategy meeting again, but at least we know what to expect from these guys. Let’s show Spice Splat what we’ve learned.” Felicity nodded with a dubious smile, psyching herself up for the match ahead, even though none of her teammates were facing her to see this. “Marjani…” murmured André quietly as he glanced over to his teammate, “You… gonna be okay for this?”

“Yeah,” replied Marjani confidently, sounding insulted by André’s insinuation, “Relax, I’m over it. I’ll be fine.” André tightened his grip on his Roller and breathed deeply to calm himself, turning his focus and his gaze forward once more. “If you say so…” he whispered. “Three!” the usual voice spoke over the loudspeakers. “Here we go, guys,” Amber prepared herself, holding her Octoshot Replica at the ready. “Two!” the voice continued, “One!” Felicity held her Squiffer up, ready to begin charging it the moment the match began. “Go!”

The four Outcasts rushed forward from the starting point, the narrow spawn area restricting them into moving together early on. “Marjani, you’re closest to the left path, I want you inking that! André, take the right!” barked Amber, “Felicity, hop across the containers and try to keep them on their toes once they get to the center! I’m going right into the action, so I want you covering my blind spots!” The teammates fanned out, each following Amber’s orders.

André kept an eye on the turf ahead as he lumbered down the ramp along the Outcasts’ right side of the warehouse, a high wall on his left completely obscuring his view of the rest of the action. As he reached the bottom, he took a moment to survey the area and make sure he hadn’t been spotted. He could see Moruga taking his place on Spice Splat’s equivalent of the vantage point where Felicity had planted herself, removed from the action that would no doubt unfold in the center but a prime sniper’s perch.

André made a right and began making his way around another shorter wall, covering as much turf as he could on that side. As he inked underneath a grate, he suddenly felt the sting of Spice Splat’s signature red ink landing on him. He quickly ducked into his squid form and swam a short distance back through his own path to wash the red ink off of himself. “Damn, can’t tell if he’s still here or not,” he heard a voice above mutter, “How’s Ninja Squid even work fuh somebody dat big?”

André emerged from the indigo ink to see Butch standing above. “Hey, you are still here!” shouted Butch with a grin, “Wazza madda, Kraken? Scared ta come up here and get me?” “Would if I could, Butch!” replied André, “You know I can’t ink those walls.” Butch threw back his head and let out a laugh. “Oh, I bet youse would like dat, wouldn’t ya?” he taunted his opponent, “Every time you’ve used dat famous Kraken, youse always pick me ta go aftah.”

André gritted his teeth and glanced to his left as he swung his Roller menacingly, repainting the ground beneath Butch but missing the squid himself. “Oi, watch da tempah!” Butch mocked him, “I mean, I get it if youse hate me ‘cause I took your spot! Youse scared dey like me bettah than when youse was rollin’ with dem, I’m bettin’! Look, Kraken, youse don’t gotta be jealous! I got mad respect for youse!”

“Was just re-inking the turf, Butch,” replied André with a smirk, “I know I can’t hit you up there. Don’t think so highly of yourself.” Butch gritted his teeth and swung his Inkbrush wildly, flinging ink all around below himself, before dropping through the grates in his squid form and transforming back. “I’m not jealous, Butch. I’m glad they’ve been doing well without me; that they found someone new who could take my place so quickly. I don’t resent you for that,” André continued, Butch’s reaction betraying that they had traded the psychological high ground.

Butch planted his Inkbrush on the ground and rushed toward André, only for the latter to place his own Roller down, rolling forward just enough to trap the bristles of Butch’s brush under it as he neared his massive predecessor. As Butch tried to yank his weapon free, André leaned forward and looked his replacement in the eye. “What I don’t like is your overgrown ego,” he growled, “Sure, you might be an ‘Inkbrush Prodigy,’ and good enough to be my replacement, but I find it insulting that they picked such a loudmouth to fill my shoes. I don’t care if you’re all talk or not, Butch; but you do it too much.”

Before Butch could react with a witty comeback, André continued pushing his Roller forward, splatting his horrified successor and sending him back to the other team’s spawn. Taking no time to relish his minor victory, he continued pushing forward, inking whatever he could of Butch’s handiwork before turning his attention to the center of the battlefield, where Amber was huddled behind a stack of crates smack in the middle of the flat, open area, taking cover from Moruga’s shots.

André kept a careful eye on Moruga’s targeting sight as he made his way over to rendezvous with his teammate. “Need a hand, Captain?” he asked as Amber smiled at the sight of him. “Boy, am I glad to see you!” she sighed in relief, “Felicity helped me pin down Jolokia and get her out of Marjani’s way. She kept going on up their right path. I saw you working out your frustrations with Butch over there. How’d you get him to come down to you like that?”

“Just told him he wasn’t the most important thing in the universe,” quipped André. Amber stifled her laughter with a quiet snort. “Asshole had it coming,” she replied, “…So I’m still not sure where Caroline is, but I’m worried Marjani’s gonna get herself splatted up there that close to their spawn, especially with Jolokia and Butch getting back out here any second now. I think you oughta get up that way and back her up. There’s enough of our ink that you should be able to slip past Moruga with Ninja Squid, but I’ll give you some cover fire to draw his attention.”

André nodded and transformed into his squid form, leaving Amber to fend for herself as he swam toward the side of the field that Marjani had taken from the start, making his way up Spice Splat’s equivalent of the ramp that he had taken at Amber’s first orders. “Alright, Oaxaca, let’s dance!” shouted Amber as she sprang out from behind the boxes, hoping to draw and evade the sniper’s fire. As she pressed forward, she looked up to where Moruga had been standing, only to spot a different squid in his place – Caroline.

“Guess again, girl!” replied Caroline, unleashing a barrage of ink from her Mini Splatling. Retreating back in her indigo-colored ink to the safety of the boxes, Amber panted heavily as she realized her mistake. “Shit!” she hissed to herself, “Caroline’s there now?! But then where did…?!” She looked over to where André had gone after Marjani. “No!” she yelped, “That’s a narrow passage with no way out but forward or back! If he catches them in there…!”

As André made his way toward the top of the slope, he sprang out of his squid form, spotting Marjani ahead of him. Looking past her, however, he saw another figure arriving on the ledge above them, scowling callously at his opponents. “Marjani!” shouted André, rushing forward to his teammate as he saw the telltale gleam of Moruga’s tentacles beneath his beret. He clenched his Roller, reaching the end of the slope where Marjani was turning around to face him, just as Moruga activated his special weapon.

Time slowed as Moruga’s Killer Wail started up. André rushed toward Marjani as she looked back over her shoulder in horror, the sound of the Killer Wail alerting her to what was coming. Without thinking, André swung his Roller from left to right, knocking Marjani out of the corridor through its only exit, into Spice Splat’s territory. He looked at Moruga in a combination of surprise and fury for just a split second before the Killer Wail went off, sending a blast of sound straight down the corridor.

Marjani breathed heavily, tears streaming from her clenched eyes as she squeezed her Splatling’s handle until her knuckles were white. As the screech of the Killer Wail faded, she slowly realized that she hadn’t been splatted, and stood up in Spice Splat’s red ink, looking around and seeing no other players around her. “Wha… what?” she muttered to herself as she struggled to process what had just transpired.

“Shit!” she hissed, realizing that André had taken the blast from the Killer Wail in her place, “That was…!” Before Moruga could come around the corner and get her in his sights, she quickly transformed into her squid form and Super Jumped all the way back to the Outcasts’ spawn point. She took a few steps forward as she waited for André to respawn from the pool of ink. After a few seconds, he rematerialized, dropping his Roller and falling to his knees. He grunted between heavy breaths as his eyes darted aimlessly.

“André!” Marjani shouted, dropping her Splatling into the ink with a distinct plop and putting her hands on her teammate’s shoulders, “André! Pull it together!” André’s eyes finally stopped moving as his breathing slowed back down to a normal rate, and he looked Marjani in the eye. “That’s it, big guy,” she whispered, “It’s alright. I’m here.” “…Why?” asked André quietly. “Why am I here?” asked Marjani, “We’re in the middle of a Turf War match, you big lug. You didn’t… forget, did you?”

André sighed. “N-no,” he muttered, rising back to his feet and picking up his Roller, “That’s… exactly why I was asking. If we’re in the middle of a match, you oughta be out there inking, not back here at spawn. Unless… did I… you didn’t get hit by it too, did you?” Marjani shook her head. “No…” she muttered sheepishly, “I-I… I had to make sure you’d be okay. I mean…” She struggled to find the right words, awkwardly breaking eye contact with her teammate.

“…You know, just… after what you were doin’ over at Blackbelly earlier, I-I thought the noise might fuck you up,” she stammered a little more loudly, picking up her Splatling again, “That’s the last thing we need right now. You can… you know, cry about it or whatever if you need to later.” André smirked before slapping his own cheek lightly to make sure he had completely snapped back to reality. “Come on, we’ve wasted too much time here,” he suggested, stepping off of the spawn point, “Amber and Felicity need us. Let’s get back out–”

Before André could finish, the figures of their other two teammates suddenly materialized out of the ink behind him. “Ugh!” groaned Amber before noticing André and Marjani. Realizing all four of them were back at their own spawn point, her jaw dropped slightly in surprise before she pointed to the battlefield. “Don’t just stand there staring!” she ordered, “We just wiped! They’re gonna be pushing hard now and none of us are down there to hold the line!”

“Shit!” spat Marjani as she turned around, “Come on, fuck strategy, let’s just get out there and stop them!” “Language, Marjie!” Felicity scolded her teammate. “No, for once, I agree,” retorted André as the four transformed into their squid forms and swam forward toward the center of the map together, “No time for orders now.” The four didn’t make it very far before encountering Spice Splat’s signature red ink.

“Wait, who got Marjani?” asked Caroline nonchalantly as she fired her Splatling, sweeping it horizontally to splatter her ink in as wide of an area as she could. “Wasn’t me!” replied Butch as he zipped around behind his teammates with his Inkbrush, inking spots they’d missed. “I thought I didn’t get ‘er wit’ my Killer Wail,” added Moruga, “Jolokia?” Jolokia simply shook her head as the eight members of the two teams closed in on each other in a chaotic flurry of red and indigo.

“Nobody fuckin’ got me!” shouted Marjani over the cacophony, “I just jumped back to spawn!” “Language!” added Felicity quietly. “Wait, so you’re the only one who hasn’t been splatted yet?” asked Caroline, “Geez, you guys were right; things are backwards today!” “Then we’re on track to turn this around and win for once!” quipped Amber. As the Outcasts dodged splatters of red ink, trying to push back with their deep purple, a whistle suddenly sounded out.

“Wait, what?!” asked Amber, looking around in confusion. Moruga began to chuckle. “I see yuh took my advice to heart,” he laughed, “Yuh forgot to keep track of de time limit.” Amber hung her head, knowing without a doubt that the Outcasts had been pushed back and defeated. “I was really hoping we could turn it around… and I said it and everything…” she muttered, “…What even happened? We were doing well up until that last minute or so.”

She turned around, facing Marjani. “You jumped to spawn,” she said accusingly, “What for?” Marjani looked to André sheepishly before looking back at the captain. “I-I was on their side with Moruga on my ass,” she muttered, “Was tryin’ not to get splatted.” Amber put her hands on her hips and sighed. “Well, that’s not so bad,” she admitted, “Might’ve been able to get some of their side inked, but at least you got out of there instead of letting yourself get splatted like usual. You could’ve jumped to one of us out there in the middle, though.” “Didn’t know if you guys were safe to jump to,” retorted Marjani.

“Sounds like you guys are learning,” Caroline acknowledged the group, “Keep it up. I legit wanna lose to you guys at least once before the end of the season.” “Speak fuh yourself, Boss!” snapped Butch, his mouth curled into a snarl, “I ain’t losin’ to dese amateurs! Not today, not evah!” “Play nice, Butch,” replied Caroline, without so much as glancing over her shoulder to her Inkbrusher, “Geez, who put a lionfish down your shirt?” Butch simply muttered incoherently to himself, folding his arms as he shot a look at André, who simply smirked back.

“Alright, you guys, let’s get going,” sighed Amber. “Turf War’s closing up for the day. Almost time for dinner,” added Caroline, “You guys wanna go grab something with us?” “What do you guys think?” asked Amber, turning to her teammates. “It could be fun,” said Felicity. André simply nodded in agreement. “Would be nice to not be at each other’s throats for once,” he added. “Nah, not me, I’ve, uh…” Marjani stammered, “I’ve got somewhere to be.”

“You sure?” asked Caroline, “I’ll even treat you guys.” Marjani hung her head and put her hands on her hips. “Tempting,” she said, “But I’m gonna pass.” “Alright, suit yourself,” Caroline acceded, “Let’s get back to our spawns.” She turned around and headed back toward Spice Splat’s spawn point, her teammates following behind. The Outcasts began to do the same, heading up the slope near where the match had started, Amber and Felicity leading the way.

“Marjani,” grunted André quietly. Marjani looked up to her teammate as they walked side-by-side. “What?” she asked defensively, as if her teammate was going to scold her for declining Caroline’s offer. “Sorry for pushing you,” André rumbled quietly, not making eye contact with her, “With my Roller.” Marjani looked away for a moment to wipe her eye before clearing her throat. “N-nah,” she stuttered, “Th-thanks.” André simply nodded in acknowledgement.

“H-hey, so,” continued Marjani, “I’m gonna go drop by Spyke’s. You, uh… you wanna come with?” André smiled, but shook his head. “Not really my thing,” he countered, “I’m gonna stick with the others for dinner. But thanks for the offer.” “Nah, man, that’s cool,” replied Marjani, “You know, you do you, man. But if you change your mind–” “–I know where to look,” André said. Marjani smiled behind her Skull Bandana as the two arrived back at the spawn point with their teammates, each transforming into their squid forms to return to Inkopolis Tower.

SPLATOON: THE OUTCASTS

EPISODE END

Shelley Quinn hummed the tune to one of the Squid Sisters’ recent singles, Marie’s “Tide Goes Out,” as she scrubbed a cast iron pan in hot water, the sunlight pouring in through the window directly in front of her kitchen sink. Courtesy of her child, she had heard the song far too many times recently and the beautiful, somber melody was stuck in her head, not that she minded.

Placing the pan upside-down on a towel with the rest of the dishes she had just finished washing so it could air-dry, she took another towel hanging on the handle of the oven door and dried her hands with it, just in time for the phone to ring. She continued humming as she stepped over to the other side of the kitchen and picked up the phone. “Hello?” she said sweetly, greeting whomever it was that had called. Her warm smile slowly faded as she recognized the voice on the other end.

“Oh, Fingal, hello… It’s… been a while.”

#splatoon #outcasts #splatoon the outcasts #amber #andre #marjani #felicity

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