Fandom Splatoon - Ink or Sink [In-Character]

[Noivian]

Ink or Sink​

The sun climbed higher into the sky, reaching its midday peak and baking the city below in heat and light. Inkopolis continued to be busy, despite the uncomfortable weather, pedestrians keeping to the shady sidewalks and crowding underneath café awnings during the lunch rush. City workers rested in the shade of the scaffolding as they ate lunch, the decorations for the Festival of Color not quite finished being put up just yet. If Raymond concentrated hard enough, he could hear the music blasting from the speakers in the plaza, but only just barely. A ten minute walk wasn't that far of a distance, and initially he was surprised at how cheap the apartment he'd found was, given its location.

It wasn't until he arrived at the place that it started to make sense. The building, while tall enough to rise above the surrounding buildings, was entirely unsightly, nothing but plain concrete squares and iron railings on tiny balconies. The staircase was located outside the building, a small iron gate keeping it locked off from public access. The ground floor of the building seemed to be an office space, complete with grungy tinted windows and dull tiling inside. There was a small side room for the mailboxes, and an elevator off in the corner.

Raymond had arrived earlier that morning to make sure the movers knew where to put the furniture and his small amount of belongings, and frankly he hadn't been impressed with what he'd seen of the apartment. Typically one would do a tour of a place before signing the lease, but in Ray-Ray's excitement and eagerness, he'd simply bypassed all that and took the place based on its location and price alone. He didn't have that much furniture put in, but it was still amazing that it all fit regardless. He now stood just outside the building lobby, in the shade of the building, waiting for his new teammates to arrive. He couldn't shake the sinking feeling in his stomach, that they'd take one look at the place and simply decide to be on his team anymore. Then he'd be back to square one, and signups were only a couple weeks out...

Ray-Ray took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. Things will be fine. Everything will be okay. He continued to tell himself that, while nervously eyeing every passerby, as if expecting his teammates to come out of nowhere and splat him on the spot.

jump. FolKinPunk Bloody_Death

 

[FolKinPunk]

Latte

---

Interactions: Ray-Ray Noivian
Mentions: (:
Location: Outside of the apartments.

She took her time, idly dragging her feet. She wasn’t sure what to expect yet- Inkopolis… Sucked. If she were honest. Sure, it was pretty in most locations, but the closer she gets to her new home… The more her hopes dropped.

It’s not for long, she wasn’t… Sure for how long it would be actually. Do they win and then… Get money and move? Get awarded a cool penthouse? How do high class players live anyway? It’s certainly not these buildings she was stepping up to.

She looked up at them and back at her phone… Yep. This is where she gets murdered. She responded to an online add for an offer that seemed too good to be true and it was, she was the next murder mystery victim. Great. Just great.

She was about to turn away and slink off, go back to a cafe to charge her phone and look for more ads. Find someone who is serious and not trying to murder her, when her eye catches a flash of pink. Ah, it was Ray-Ray… She held the phone up and scrutinized it. Did he… Wear the same clothes as in his picture? Jeeze. Okay, maybe he wasn’t a murderer and the living in this dump made sense…

Who was she to judge that harshly though? She’d been… Living on the streets for a few weeks at this point. An embarrassing fact that she’d never be able to tell her parents about. If they knew she willingly was sleeping under an awkwardly large trash can in the city they’d probably kill her, cry about how foolish she was, kill her again, and ground her for life. And kill her once more.

Okay maybe not the killing.

She walked up to Ray-Ray, a straight B-line for him until she stood just a few feet away. She was shorter than him- who wasn’t she shorter than? She was slightly short for her own species, not to mention Octolings and Inklings are half a foot taller than them regardless. She blinked at him before pulling her phone out to show him his picture.

“Raymond. I’m Latte.” She introduced and put her phone back in her pocket. Adjusting her backpack, a few trinkets clinging against the sides awkwardly. “I can tell by the way you’re wearing the same clothes as your pictures that you are not a murderer, and in fact just very poor. Which is a relief to my safety. But quite sad for you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t give any information about myself. I didn’t want to be discriminated against for.. Not being the same species as classic Turfers. But I’m going to be the first professional Slug Turfer, and it’s a great opportunity for us both to have me here.” She nods, and smiles at him, awkwardly.

As if any part of her wasn’t awkward, insulting him instantly. She’s not the best at subtleness.

 

[Noivian]

When Latte started approaching him, Raymond perked up a bit, assuming this was one of the contacted teammates, and despite the initial confusion of her showing him his own photo, Ray-Ray was glad to see that his assumption was right. "Hi! I'm Raymond... but you already knew that, haha..." He shifted awkwardly as she went on to call him not a murderer, poor, sad, and a bigot (albeit indirectly), all in one conversation. How was he supposed to feel about all this? "Um, well... You won't have to worry about being discriminated against or anything. It's not one's species that defines our abilities, but how much time we put into practice!" Or something like that... "Anyways, it's really nice to meet you, Latte. I'd show you up to the apartment now, but I don't want to miss another teammate, so..."

FolKinPunk

 

[FolKinPunk]

Latte

---

Interactions: Raymond Noivian
Mentions: (:
Location: Outside of the apartments.

She blinked slowly at him introducing himself after she just introduced him for him. And he was open minded about her being a slug player! She might have jumped the gun, but… She’s never seen a slug turfer before. The sign ups certainly thought it strange…

“That is great.” She says, to whatever. Everything. It’s all great. She knows it’s Raymond, he is not going to discriminate against her. And how he will just view their actual abilities based on practice. Which was great. Certainly. Her non murderer team mate, and he wants to wait for the others.

“I can wait with you. Obviously.” She wouldn’t want to go up to the apartment alone, that would be rude. It is technically his, not all of theirs… So to speak. She steps next to him and starts idling, rocking back and forth on her feet. Swaying side to side, tail following behind her. “Great.”

 

[Bloody_Death]

Kai

Location: Old Apartments
Currently Feeling: Nervous but excited.

Interactions: Noivian (Ray-Ray) | FolKinPunk (Latte)

Mentions: None

Kai...had actually reached the apartment close to an hour and a half ago already. He was always one to arrive early...but he was so excited that he might have come a bit too early. He was, unintentionally, standing around the corner really shady like. He thought that he might have been acting really weird just standing around and watching the different people who were going about their normal day. He...is pretty sure that the pink inkling standing outside of the complex was Ray. He came out a while ago and hasn't left yet. But he wasn't entirely sure. So he didn't wanna risk embarrassing himself by walking up to a random inkling and asking if he was Ray or not. He had actually called Elliot several times expressing his concerns and how nervous he was but he only got told to just do it. Stupid brother! He gave a small huff and shoved his phone back into his pocket. Looking back over to where the supposed Ray was, only to see that someone else was there. A slug girl. He's hadn't seen too many here in Inkopolis. But he does recall there being a few families of them back in the Valley. But, overhearing their conversation did confirm that this guy really was Raymond. Great. Now he feels dumb for being too scared to try and ask. He was always so silly.

He waited for the two to stop talking before slowly approaching them both. Kai had only sent his name and photo. So, if this was the person he was looking for he should also be able to recognize them! "Um. Hi..." He spoke a bit awkwardly and quietly. Nervously curling the longer tentacle that hung over one of his eyes. He didn't have much with him. One small suitcase with his clothes and other essentials. A big bag that had things like his laptop, yarn, and even some pots and pans. Everything he would need to continue with his hobbies here! His actual apartment lived a bit further away. About 45 minutes by bus. So he didn't see the need to bring a lot. And of course, he had his weapons bag. "Uhhh. You are Raymond, right? I am Kai." He said while awkwardly staring down at their feet. Introductions were always so strange. But he soon gave a nod to the two that were here. "It is nice to meet you both." Even if he was nervous, he wanted to make a good impression on them! He was going to be living with them for a while after all.

 

[Noivian]

Ray turned when Kai approached, recognizing him from the photo he'd been sent earlier. He'd known there was an Octoling hanging around nearby, but didn't ever have a good chance to look at him until now. "Oh, hey Kai! Nice to meet you. This is Latte, she'll be joining us on the team. We're just waiting on one more before we go up to the apartment..." Raymond watched Kai curiously, taking in the other's disposition and demeanor. So far, there was Latte who was awkwardly blunt and Kai who was awkwardly shy. Hopefully their fourth would be a little less... awkward. But honestly this was a team that was put together last minute from a random advert he'd put out not too long ago, so naturally people are going to be awkward. He shifted his weight to the side, looking between the two. "So, what weapons do you guys usually use?"

Bloody_Death FolKinPunk

 

[FolKinPunk]

Latte

---

Interactions: Raymond Noivian
Mentions: Kai Bloody_Death
Location: Outside the apartments.

The next person appeared quite soon actually, so that was good. Maybe the last wouldn’t take long either? She was on the opposite side at which Kai approached, and she stayed over there, away from him. She blinked sluggishly as he introduced himself. He was dressed nicer than them, and had more bags than she had. He wasn’t poor like them. She looked back up at the apartment.

He sounded awkward and hesitant, but he didn’t actually leave at the first glance of the apartment, so maybe he was going to stay? She looked back at him. Opening her mouth to speak, but Raymond introduced her already. She just stared up at him for a moment.

She didn’t get the chance to point out Kai was more wealthy. Raymond should know though. Kai might be a weak link, he might leave for the next person to come along with more money than them. She’s dedicated, how could she trust Kai?

She sighs, annoyed that Raymond changed the subject so fast. “I use a splat roller. It’s quite superior to most any weapon. Just one good hit on someone is enough to splat them. And quicker than a charger.” She said quite plainly. She lets her hands fall from holding her backpack to her sides, and wipes them on her dress. Pat pat her dress.

 

[Bloody_Death]

Kai

Location: Old Apartments
Currently Feeling: Netural.

Interactions: Noivian (Ray-Ray) | FolKinPunk (Latte)

Mentions: None

Kai wore a smile as he got welcomed by the inkling. Offering a small nod to the slug girl, Latte when she was introduced to him as well. Though, he couldn't help but notice that the both of them were kinda staring at him...was he supposed to say something else? "Well. I look forward to working with you both then." Kai glanced towards the apartment building. It...honestly looked kinda scary. But he wasn't too picky with room sizes. So long as he got a bed and a kitchen to cook at he would be happy.

He took his place on the other side of Ray. Setting his bag down to give his shoulder a break from carrying it around during his travels. There was only one more person. He wondered what they were like. He just hoped that he could get along with them all. And actually...talk to them.


When the subject changed to weapons he seemed to get interested in it quickly. Choosing to look past Latte and her incorrect opinion! "I prefer to play shooters and chargers. I like using .96 gals the most. But I can also use E-liter. I like using weapons that keep the opponents away from me." He wasn't the best when someone was right in his face. So he would rather splat them from afar.

 

[Noivian]

Raymond nodded along, listening to his new teammates' preferences, blissfully unaware of Latte's ire. "I personally prefer chargers, mainly E-liters, but I'm also comfortable on some short-range shooters and buckets. We can swap back and forth between games on who uses the charger, Kai." He, too, refrained from commenting on Latte's wrong opinion, though he could only hope that things weren't weird now between the three of them, since the slug had expressed distaste for chargers in front of two charger users. But from what little he's seen of Latte so far, she was either going to be very forward about how their weapon choice was wrong, make a comment on how she'll have to carry the team, or simply not notice or care enough to make a comment on the matter. He hoped for the third option. God, he wished the fourth teammate would show up already...

FolKinPunk Bloody_Death

 

[FolKinPunk]

Latte

---

Interactions: Raymond Noivian , Kai Bloody_Death
Mentions: (:
Location: Outside the apartments.

She sighed, popping her hip out and placing a hand on it. Squinting at the other two, seemed Kai had a reason for it. That was worrisome. If they swap, would Kai’s quality go down? Once their fourth shows up, they should probably all show their skills.

On the other hand, it was a charger. It’s not good for inking the whole field! It’s just good for kills. And sure, they can’t ink when they’re respawning… But both of them? Well, Raymond wanted to alternate. That’s a good plan. It would be better if neither used it, but if they're good at their job, then it’s useful. They just better be good at their job.

“Should I voice the concerns of the charger? I agree with Raymond, wouldn’t want to both use a charger at the same time. Whichever is more skilled in their weapon should stay using it.” She hummed, but noticed they both had eyed her earlier. Were they expecting her to prove her point, of why a roller was better? There’s no argument. It’s faster. “It’s scary to be splat.” She added. Is that why Kai wants to keep opponents away? That’s why you splat them first.

She wants them to see her, close range, she’s better at dodging if she can see their moves clearly. She wants them to see she’s different, and that she’s still good. She can compete with them, she can keep up, she can be better than them.

She looks down, picking at the seams of her dress.

“You want something that inks turf fast.” She tries to explain, because that's the argument. “Charger is just used for kills. Not inking… Too much, well, charging. It is in the name.”

 

[jump.]

Jamie

Location: Outside the apartments
Currently Feeling: Tired
Interactions: Noivian Raymond, Bloody_Death Kai and FolKinPunk Latte
Mentions: (Mention Pings here)

Gosh... This journey had been a lot longer than he'd expected. Sure, this place was apparently on the complete opposite side of the city, but he'd expected the transport to be faster than this at least. Ugh, maybe he should have just asked Meaghan for a lift? She had a vehicle, and she'd offered to help him pack his things, and say goodbye to him at the door... She'd been proud, almost? She didn't often wear her emotions on her face, but he could see that she was proud of him, she had that shine in her eyes, her lips had been upturned ever so slightly.

He missed her already. He missed all of them. Even Mable and she was a total bitch-

Right. He shouldn't be getting distracted. He was searching for that apartment block, and the person called Ray-Ray. He couldn't be too far away now, right? Please don't be too far away- His back was killing him. Why had he deemed it a good idea to pack his entire wardrobe in the first place? At least he'd been able to grab coffee at the plaza, that was nice, even if it did make him sleepy...

Oh! Wait a minute, were those people over there? Another octoling, an inkling, a slug...? He'd never seen slugs around before, that was cool! Back to the inkling- That had to be Ray-Ray, right? He looked identical to the inkling in the picture, even the outfit was the same. So that meant...

"Oh Cod, sorry I'm so late!" He waved at the group from a small distance, picking up his pace so he'd finally be able to pause and take a break for a while. "I didn't realize the journey would take so long!" This was embarrassing. Maybe he was fashionably late, at least? He couldn't have taken too long to show up. It wasn't like they'd all gone inside yet. "You are Raymond, right?" He paused in front of the three, leaning heavily against his suitcase and squinting at them all with slight scrutiny. They all seemed... Normal? Not too outlandish or eye-catching, unlike himself... His poor feet were very much regretting the decision to wear heeled boots. "I'm Jamie? I saw your ad about the team and the apartment and stuff-" Was... This where they'd be staying? It was kind of a dump. Not that he could complain, since it was a free apartment, but he was starting to miss Meaghan's penthouse already.

"Oh! And hi to the rest of you too!"

 

[Bloody_Death]

Kai

Location: Outside Apartments
Currently Feeling: Content

Interactions: Noivian (Ray-Ray) | FolKinPunk (Latte) | jump. (Jamie)

Mentions: None

Kai was glad that there was another charger user on his team. Charger was fun! But a lot of times he had to play it a bit too much. Since they would often need a backline and he was often the only one who could properly play a charger in rank. A lot of people often try it out in ranked but realize it's a lot different than playing it in turf.

"Alright. That sounds like a plan. Um. I can also play other shooters too. But gals are just my favorite shooter class." He explained a bit further. Knowing that, right now, their paint is kinda lacking. So he wouldn't mind switching to more of a painter weapon if he had to. "I can also try splatlings. But I have only played those in turf." He's been trying to expand usee in different classes. One day, he's gonna be able to play them all!

"I've seen double charger work in some situations. But yeah. It really just depends on how good one is with the weapon." Any weapon could be amazing if in the right hands. He's seen some people still playing jr's and are really good at them. "But yeah. Chargers aren't the best inkers. But they are good at stopping the other team from inking without having to make your way over to them." Kai countered. They both had points though.

He soon perked up when another octoling came over to them. It seemed like they were the last person on their team. And...they sure had a lot! He noticed that Latte only had one backpack of things...but this guy looked like he had an entire store worth of clothes! Kai gave a small wave to the other when he greeted them. "Um...I am Kai. It is nice to meet you, Jamie." With him here...could they go now? He picked up the bag that he put down. Ready to head inside

 

[Noivian]

Raymond nodded, listening to both Latte's and Kai's thoughts on the matter of chargers. "Inking turf is important, keeping map control around the objective is good. But going for more direct kills is also good in some situations. Say, for instance, the Rainmaker carrier slips through the front lines? Having someone on charger to instantly splat them and halt their progress in that moment can be the difference between winning and losing." He hummed, rubbing his chin in an effort to look more wise. "Shooters are always necessary, so for now you should play what you're most comfortable with until we learn each others' playing styles and can figure out what weapons we need to compensate for each others' weaknesses."

He opened his eyes in time to see a waving Octoling walking up to him, a massive pack of clothes with him. Ray-Ray forced a smile and a wave, but internally was already freaking out about where the heck are they going to find room for all those clothes?! "Yup, that's me. Raymond. Nice to meet you, Jamie. This is the apartment," he turned to give a vague gesture towards the building, "Well, not the whole building, I don't have that kind of money, haha... We've got a smaller suite about midway up." Turning back to the group, he took inventory of what they had on them - Kai and Latte looked like they could manage their luggage fine, they at least had a reasonable amount. Jamie, on the other hand... "I could take a couple bags if anyone needs me to. There should be an elevator inside we can take up to our floor. I don't know if it'll fit all of us at once, but we can give it a try..."

Bloody_Death FolKinPunk jump.

 

[FolKinPunk]

Latte

---

Interactions: Kai Bloody_Death , Ray-Ray Noivian , Jamie jump.
Mentions: Latte's egotism FolKinPunk
Location: Outside the Apartment

She looks away, “Yes. Good for stopping the other team. Just make sure you keep up on that and don’t lack behind, so long as you stop them we can keep inking the turf.” She shrugs, if he wants to defend chargers, he can have his one point. The only good quality of them, and if he doesn’t play good enough, then it would be over.

…. Rainmaker carrier? Latte tilts her head at Raymond. “... What’s a rainmaker? I don’t think we have those back home…?” She tries to comb through memories after memories, but can’t recall anything called a rainmaker.

Then someone new was there. Their third member. Okay, someone with even more money by the looks of it. She huffs loudly when he introduces himself. He didn’t seem very hesitant at all about the location or state of their new home though…

So despite him being more stylish and wealthy, he seemed more trustworthy than Kai already. She sighed and shook her head, trying to be nice.

“I’m Latte.” She nods at Jamie, “I’ll be the first professional Slug turfer. So I expect everyone to keep up and I’ll help you all to the top, that’s how great and kind I am.” She finishes and looks back at the apartment. Adjusting her backpack and puffing out her chest. “I’m ready to go in.”

 

[Bloody_Death]

Kai

Location: Outside still
Currently Feeling: Content.

Interactions: FolKinPunk | Noivian | jump.

Mentions: None

Kai glanced at Latte when she asked what a rainmaker was. "Um...have you ever played rainmaker before, Latte?" He asked a bit concerned. Though, he gave her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe where she came from it was called something else! Yeah...cause if she had no idea what any other modes were outside of turf, they were going to be in for a lot of work.

As it looked like they were about to head in he picked up the bag he had set on the ground and secured it in his hands before looking at the others. Tilting his head a bit before glancing to Raymond as he was the one who actually knew where the apartment was after all! He just hoped there was enough room for them all. Four people in one apartment? It was tough enough living with just two people at times! Nevertheless, he was ready to head in. Idly wandering closer to the entrance of the building.

 

[Noivian]

Ray frowned when Latte asked what a Rainmaker was. Had... had she never heard of the gamemode? "Right... well, we can talk about different battle modes once we get everyone situated, I guess... Seeing Kai move towards the door, Ray assumed Jamie would be okay carrying his own bags, and led the other three inside. He pointed out the mailboxes, the slot in the door where the rent checks went, and the elevator in the corner. Stepping inside, he found it was probably just barely going to be big enough to fit all four of them plus their bags. Probably.

Once everyone had piled in, he pressed the button for the fourth floor, doing his best to not look terrified as the elevator rattled and made rather concerning noises as they rose. They made it to the fourth floor without snapping any cables, thankfully, and he stepped out into the hallway with no small sigh of relief. Leading the group around a corner and down to the end of the hall, he stopped in front of a door labeled '409' and produced a set of keys, four identical on a singular ring, and unlocked the door, opening it up and stepping inside.

The inside of the apartment wasn't anything special - in fact, it looked only slightly bigger than a large bedroom. Left from the door, two metal frame bunkbeds were pushed up against either corner, leaving an open area between for the radiator, a window just above it. The wall opposite the door had a sliding glass door leading out to a small balcony, which looked just barely big enough for a couple clothes lines and maybe two potted plants. The center of the room was dominated by a short but surprisingly wide table, and the wall to the right had a kitchenette along it, with a small fridge/freezer combo, two burners, a sink and a microwave. A small TV sat on the countertop. In the corner between the balcony and the kitchenette was another door, which led to the bathroom. Inside the bathroom was a standalone shower, a toilet, and another sink, the total area of the room about a fourth the size of the apartment. All in all, the space was rather cramped, but there was plenty of storage in cabinets along the kitchenette wall, and under the bunk beds. Tucked under the kitchen sink was a small clothes washer, one that had to be filled in a sink and run by foot pedal.

"This is it... home sweet home. I don't have much as far as decorations go, but you're free to put what you want where you want. Oh, and I want the left bottom bunk."

Bloody_Death FolKinPunk jump.

 

[Noivian]

Taking a seat on the bottom left bunk, Raymond watched as his new teammates claimed bunk beds and put away their belongings, the unpacking process taking up most of the day. Since Ray more or less lived out of his suitcase tucked under the bunk, and had gotten here before them, he didn't have much to unpack. When the sun dipped below the horizon, Ray-Ray announced it was time for dinner and asked everyone what they'd like to eat, leaving shortly after and returning half an hour later with takeout for dinner.

He did take notice of the fact that Jamie seemed to not unpack through it all. He eyed the octoling suspiciously, wary that they might have an abandoner. Sure enough, when he woke up the next morning, Jamie and his belongings were nowhere to be seen, with only a note left on the table - 'Sorry'. Raymond let out a heavy sigh, flipping the simple note over to make sure there wasn't anything noting where the former teammate had gone. Disappointing. Not wanting to wake the others, Raymond quietly sat down on his bed and took out his phone, scrolling through the replies to his ads that he hadn't contacted back yet, wondering if any of them would be down to join the team. The registration period ended today, so if they couldn't come up with a fourth, they were kinda screwed... He sent out a couple texts and stood again, unable to keep himself from anxiously pacing the floor. Eventually he decided to put on some coffee, and debated if he wanted to run and get groceries or just eat leftovers for breakfast.

Bloody_Death FolKinPunk .chxrryette.

 

[Bloody_Death]

Kai spent a lot of time trying to unpack his things and organize them in his tiny space. Putting clothes away, setting up his bed, putting all these things in place was a lot harder than he thought it would be. When he was done he flopped right into bed. I'm pretty sure he has a top bunk but he doesn't know who's under him. When dinner came he quickly ate and got ready for bed. Being an early sleeper he was probably out cold right after dinner.

When morning came around he was up pretty early but didn't bother to get up. He was just laying curled up in bed with his phone and texting his brother. He hadn't even noticed Jamie's disappeared yet. Only when he finally turned to sit up did he notice the other octoling was nowhere to be seen...along with his huge thing of luggage. Latte was still asleep so he leaned over the edge of the bed to look at Ray who seemed to be a bit anxious.

"What happened to Jamie?" He asked while sliding out the bed and onto the ground. Stretching out as he quickly smoothed his tentacles down tied them up into a lazy bun. Walking around Ray and towards the kitchen since he was hungry. Hunting around for something he could try to eat. He soon saw the flipped over piece of paper and looked at it. Giving a sigh at its contents. "He already left...?" He spoke aloud. Clearly looking disappointed at one of their teammates leaving so quickly. He only shook his head while trying to peek over at Ray's phone. Wondering if he had any people on standby that would be willing to join them on short notice. Wasn't sign ups today too?

"Do you want me to get some food...?" He offered. Ray looked pretty stressed out so he didn't wanna put any more pressure on him. He could make them all something quick to eat once he gets groceries.

 

[.chxrryette.]

Location: Heading to Inkopolis Plaza
Tags: Noivian

Kaede felt the world crashing all around her once again. Her decision to move back to Inkopolis was beyond her comprehension and knowing that she might run into her brother only added to her anxiety. At the time, she was living with her aunt, who owned a rather quaint apartment on the outskirts of the city. Despite the nice place and the warm hospitality of her aunt, she still felt compelled to be somewhere else.

As cars and other citizens passed by outside, she leaned onto the rails that guarded the corridor. In the outskirts, there was a sense of calm, just as in the town she moved to after her and her brother's falling out. The calm morning air and relaxed atmosphere helped alleviate some of her worries.

Taking a break from people-watching for a couple of minutes, Kaede checked her phone. Nothing. Her attempts to join teams typically resulted in either no response or refusal once they saw her rusty skills. It hit her even harder when some of them recognized her, expecting her to lead them to victory, but instead, she became a burden for them. Even worse when they would compare her to her brother, who managed to reach X rank after all these years. Although she had profoundly low self-esteem after these experiences, she still had hope that at least one team would contact her.

Perhaps she was being too optimistic, though. Kaede was a little nervous since it was the last day to register a team. All teams would have found and registered their members by now, and she would just be an outlier. Once again, she imagined leaving Inkopolis without anything to show for her efforts.

Even though she may want a miracle to happen, she could not stand here to mope and do nothing. Instead, she should train on the practice range today to be prepared in case she received a message back from a team. The day was still young, and registration was still open. Now was not the time to cut her losses.

Kaede nodded to herself and went back inside the apartment to grab her belongings. As she was heading out, she encountered her aunt.

“Oh Kaede, where are you going?”

“Practice range. Need to polish skills.” Kaede signed back, hiding her sadness behind a bright pearly smile.

After saying goodbye to her aunt, she left the apartment to catch the next bus to the city center. Suddenly her phone beeped signaling an incoming message, and she immediately rummaged through her bag to find it. The message asked if anyone else would be interested in joining their team and Kaede was overjoyed. It was impossible for her to resist answering right away, so she frantically typed in order to beat out any other competitors.

“Hello! I’d love 2 join if you still have room. I’m heading to Inkopolis Plaza right now if you want to meet!”

With her breath tense in anticipation of the response, she clicked “send” and hoped for the best.

 

[Noivian]

Raymond jumped when Kai started talking - he'd been anxiously staring at his phone, attempting to will a response into existence, and quite frankly didn't expect anyone else to be up at this hour. "Yeah, he's gone..." he sighed. "Gotta hope there's still people looking for teams now." Setting his phone screen up at the table, Raymond sat down and ran his hands through his tentacles, pulling a tie off his wrist and tying back the two longer tentacles, leaving one to drape to the side. At the mention of food, his stomach rumbled. "Yeah, we should probably get some food. I wonder if Latte would want anything specific...? But I'll go with you. Sitting around and waiting is just going to make me more upset-"

His train of thought came to a screeching halt when the screen lit up with a notification. Someone had responded to his message!! He scooped up his phone, reading over the text, and his eyes immediately lit up. "Oh my gosh, someone's willing to join!" Ray announced, grinning. "They want to meet in Inkopolis Plaza... We can pick them up and then make a grocery run." One quick shirt change later and he was pulling on his shoes, ready to go. Around this point, the noise Ray was making woke Latte, who joined for the trip shortly after morning prep and Ray explaining the situation. "They said they're on the way, but I don't know how long they'll be..." Opening up his messages again, Ray texted back 'Cool! We have room for 1 more meet you @ plaza in 10 by crust bucket'

.chxrryette. FolKinPunk Bloody_Death

 

[Bloody_Death]

Kai gave a sheepish laugh when Ray got a bit startled. "Oops. Sorry." He mused but frowned quickly after hearing that Jamie indeed left. "Oh no...what are we going to do now?" He asked while leaning against their bunked bed. "Well. If we're heading to the grocery store we can all just pick something we want cooked? Maybe if we are lucky we can find someone searching for a team too." Kai was a pancake person in the morning. So he wanted to get some ingredients to make some batter! He wondered if the other two likes cinnamon! But before he could even ask he quickly looked towards Ray's phone when it buzzed.

Hearing the food news he smiled as well. "Okay! That is great! We can head there now." He mused. Quickly grabbing a change of clothes from his draw and heading to the bathroom. Changing and cleaning up to get ready before stepping out so someone else could come in. They had a busy morning. And they had to be quick if they wanted to eat breakfast at a reasonable time! After making his bed and folding his pajamas he grabbed his bag with his wallet and other things. After checking he had everything he slipped his shoes on and stepped out.

"It will be nice to meet them early just in case anyway." He suggested while heading towards the elevator. Waiting for Ray and Latte to catch up before calling it up for them. "What is their name by the way?"

Interactions: Noivian FolKinPunk

 

[.chxrryette.]

Location:Near Crust Bucket
Tags: Noivian

Kaede crossed her legs in order to avoid kicking them in excitement, and therefore kicking someone else, when she received another text.

'Cool! We have room for 1 more meet you @ plaza in 10 by crust bucket'

Could this really be happening? Would this be the team she joins for the Ink or Sink Open? While she may benefit from being pessimistic and not disappointing herself if they don't like her, Kaede was still overwhelmingly optimistic about the opportunity. As soon as she received the text, she began to reply.

“Ok! Sounds good! I’ll be there in a few, then. Excited to meet you!”

After hitting send, Kaede danced a bit in her chair. The moment the bus arrived at Inkopolis Plaza, she got off and began walking towards the Crust Bucket. Her observation that no one was looking around for an individual led her to realize she was rather early. Her eyes glinted at every passerby as she sat at an empty table near the food truck, hoping they may be the ones who contacted her.

 

[FolKinPunk]

LatteProfessional Slug​

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Interactions: Kai and Ray-Ray
Mentions: Bloody_Death , Noivian
Location: Apartment > Elevator > going to the Plaza (:

I can see that we’ve moved scenes before I got to answer Kai about his Rainmaker question, Latte’s ignorance will go unknown for another day lmao

Latte didn’t spend too much time focusing on the apartment at first, it was a bit awkward and clumsy to drop her bags into the first open bunk. No one cared much where they went, other than Ray. It was fine, Kai and Jamie more so silently took the top bunks. If Latte were honest, the day was tiring. Too much happening, too many introductions, and… The bed really called to her. She’d have to sleep early if she wanted to get up and train!

Turns out she overestimated how tired she was. An excited chatter woke her up, and she looked over to see Ray and Kai talking.

They? Heading there to meet someone- for the team?

“What?” She jumps up and climbs up the bunk next to them. ):< “Jamie left? That fishstick!” She pats the bed, patting up and down as if the Octo were just hiding somewhere she can’t see. “I can not believe this. Well, maybe I can.” She drones, looking around the room. “Did you see the way he dressed? He had so much. Probably thinks he’s better than us. Like this place isn’t good enough.”

She hops down to the floor, and looks at herself. They were getting dressed to go, but she hadn’t changed. Still with her sweater and dress, holey and old.

“We’ll show him. We’ll be the victors and we’ll be famous, and have money, and probably a better place he could ever dream of.” She says, matter of factly still.

“You said we already have someone interested, right?” She’s pretty sure she heard right, once she’s awake, she’s awake. “Let’s go then.” She nods, dusting her dress off and grabbing her overall straps. She didn’t have her bag to grab anymore, but that wouldn’t stop her from having a place for her hands.

Following with Kai, waiting for the name of their new acquaintance.

“Gotta hurry, gotta find them, we’ll even grab a bite of food. Then straight to training, got it? I’ll make sure we’re in straight shape for this, I’ll be the best team mate.” She’ll lead them to victory, if she isn’t Latte Paz, first Professional Slug.

 

[Noivian]

"Ah, shoot, I didn't ask," Ray admitted as they walked to the plaza. He sent out another text, 'Whats ur name btw im raymond', and picked his head up as the group emerged from the shade of a building into the light-flooded Inkopolis Plaza. He could all but see the heat rolling off the concrete in waves, the puddles that the jellies usually frequented all dried up. Most visitors to the plaza stuck to the shade, leading him to scan his eyes over the inklings and octolings sitting under the umbrellas near the crust bucket. He caught sight of someone who seemed to be scanning the crowd as well, but made no attempt to move towards them, glancing back down to his phone to wait for a response.

The scents wafting through the air from the food truck caught his nose, and Ray's stomach once again growled. At Latte's suggestion of food, he nodded. "Some food would be a good idea, I think," Scanning the crowd again, he moved towards the tables. "I'm gonna keep an eye out for our new teammate, if you two wanna get some food, pick me up a Crusty Seanwich as well?"

FolKinPunk Bloody_Death .chxrryette.

 

[Bloody_Death]

Kai gave a sheepish laugh when Raymond didn't ask. Oh well. Hopefully they get it. It'll be easier finding their fourth member later. "What should we start training with for today?" Since they were a team that just met today... should they just start about basic skills? They also had to explain other game modes to Latte! They might have only gotten through rainmaker.

"Okay. Good luck finding them. Do you want to find a seat or get the food, Latte?" Kai personally didn't wanna eat from the food truck. Greasy foods never sat too well with his stomach. And unless he wanted to throw up during practice he was gonna avoid it. Maybe he could pick up some fruit and crackers at the nearby store. "There's a convenient store right across the street. I might stop by to get food there instead. Did you want me to get you something too?" He offered while glancing around for a table they could all sit at.

Interactions: Noivian and FolKinPunk