[Heydanmon & GeneticMess] New Squid on the Block

[Heydanmonhawk]

"This is your stop, kiddo."

The bus driver, an old crustacean, turns his head towards you and gestures towards the now open doors.

"Inkopolis Plaza, huh? You'll fit in just fine, hah..."

You quickly hop off before he gets impatient. As it begins to pull away, you turn your attention to your destination- the (slightly less) popular Inkopolis Plaza! Ever since the Zapfish was moved to the Square, the plaza has become a lot more quiet. Of course, there's still a community of inklings, veterans and newbies who hang out around here, taking part in the usual turf wars. Today seems to be a particularly quiet day however. There's only a few inklings around, and it looks like one of them is... calling you over?

[GeneticMess]

"Thanks, mister." The inkling nods gently to the bus driver, getting up from his seat. So this was it, Inkopolis Plaza...

The Inkling in question was a boy named Avery, but was affectionately called Aquamarine by his few friends back home in the suburbs. His hair(?) was a bright aquamarine, go figure, and had a style closer to that of a traditional inkling girl rather than an inkling boy, but it only went down to the bottom of his neck. A beanie, thick jacket, and jeans were also on his person, and were all a similar shade of dark blue. His kicks were a pair of wore-down sneakers, which he didn't seem to mind.

All in all, Avery was not looking very fresh.

He stepped off the best and immediately took in the scenery. It felt different, yet familiar... although his eyes shot open as he saw an inkling calling him over. He was already getting a little nervous, but he forced a smile and walked over.

[Heydanmonhawk]

Avery didn't even get a chance to introduce himself before the other squid started talking.

"What're you doing around here, newbie? Don't you know all the freshest kids around are over at the square?"

The inkling leaned forward, pushing down her dark sunglasses, revealing light purple eyes that matched her hair, tied back into a bun. Her outfit wasn't anything to speak of, really; a sleeveless, white tee emblazoned with an unfamiliar logo over a plaid undershirt, along with tight jeans, ripped at the kneecaps.

It was obvious that she wasn't very impressed with him, giving him a quick up and down look at his outfit.

"You wearin' hand-me-downs or somethin'? You look out of your element, kid."

[GeneticMess]

" 'Out of my element' is right." He thought to himself, but didn't elect to say the same out loud. He never did invest in getting "fresh" clothes, as Avery always stuck with what he thought was comfortable, for better or for worse.

"I was just... you know, looking to get in some practice with turf wars." He nearly mumbled, and struggled to keep his eyes from wandering. "I'm not confident enough to go somewhere so busy, so... y-yeah."

[Heydanmonhawk]

The other inkling grinned, pushing her glasses back up and standing back straight. "Relax, newbie. I'm just yankin' your tail." She paused. "Or... tentacle, I guess. Anyways, the name's Marcie." She extends a hand. "Stick with me, and you'll get up to scruff in no time."

[GeneticMess]

He hesitated, but then brought his hand forward and shook. Avery's nervous expression changed to a weak smile soon enough.

"I'm Avery. N-nice to meet you." This Marcie seemed nice enough. She was offering to show him the ropes more or less, which was much appreciated. "I need all the help I can get, to be honest. I've never even held a Splattershot in my life... d-does a cork gun count as prior weapon experience?"

[Heydanmonhawk]

Marcie's brow furrowed. She thought to herself, "Cork gun? Really? This is gonna suuuuck.."

"Sure, kiddo," She replied, gesturing him to follow her, "But you're gonna need an actual gun. Follow me to Sheldon's."

*a brief time later...*

The pair walked into the shop. A small robotic replica of Sheldon now stood at the back of the arms dealership, which lit up as they entered. "Welcome!" It spoke, arms raised up. "Shooting grounds are on the left! Don't be afraid to ask any questions!"

Marcie turned to Avery, gesturing towards the weapon rack. "Pick your poison, kid."

[I'm gonna be gone for tonight, sorry!]

[GeneticMess]

(Don't worry 'bout it, we're good.)

Ammo Knights, huh? Just taking one look around the store as they entered reminded Avery about stories he heard a couple years ago from his friends that frequented Inkopolis. To think it had fallen out of fashion in such a short time...

The somewhat dimly lit store obscured the robot behind the encounter, giving the inkling quite a scare when it suddenly came to life. He instinctively turned into a squid, but with no ink to go into, he just sat there awkwardly for a moment, before recomposing himself. Real smooth.

He tried to play off his cowardice and looked at the weapons rack. From what he's heard, a Splat Charger might suit his fancy. He had a knack for dipping out of trouble with ease, and an offensive support role sounded up his alley. He picked up a model of Charger labeled "Kelp Splat Charger", and looked over it curiously.

[Heydanmonhawk]

Marie walked up to him, casually peering over Avery's shoulder. "A splat charger, huh? Real good if you wanna stay out of the fight." She laughed to herself. "They can be a little hard to aim, with how fast everyone moves. Might wanna try it out in the shooting grounds, first."

She herself then starting looking up and down the aisle. Maybe it was time she got herself something new, as well...

[Heydanmonhawk]

Marie walked up to him, casually peering over Avery's shoulder. "A splat charger, huh? Real good if you wanna stay out of the fight." She laughed to herself. "They can be a little hard to aim, with how fast everyone moves. Might wanna try it out in the shooting grounds, first."

She herself then starting looking up and down the aisle. Maybe it was time she got herself something new, as well...

[GeneticMess]

Avery didn't hesitate to take Marcie's advice as she started to browse herself, heading to the shooting grounds. Stepping up to the targets, he spent a good couple minutes getting a good grip on the damn thing. But once he did, aiming came to him like a second nature.

He started trying to get to higher perches around the grounds with shots of aquamarine ink, and then fired at the targets with some well-aimed shots. He wasn't doing half bad, he thought!

[Heydanmonhawk]

As Avery took aim at another target, a torrent of purple ink suddenly appeared, popping the target almost instantly. Looking down he would see Marcie, brandishing a bucket of ink. Marcie grinned, looking at her new toy. "Not bad, not bad..." She continued to launch volleys of ink, which made up for its short range with raw power. She turned her attention to Avery, waving up at him.

"Looks like that suits you, huh?" She shouted, hands resting on her hips. "Why don't you try the moving targets, kid? Or, if you think you're ready..."

[GeneticMess]

Just one look at that weapon, and Avery knew he'd want to stay far away from Marcie during a turf war.

"I'll try the moving ones." He shouted back, hesitant to square off against the other inkling yet, even in practice. She was probably a master of her craft...

A large shot of ink flew by the moving targets. Miss. Miss. Almost, but still miss. It took more tries than he'd like to admit, but he got a few good shots on them. Eventually.

[Heydanmonhawk]

Marcie leaned back, watching Avery's seemingly hopeless attempts to hit the moving targets. He had hit a few, indeed, but out in the field... Marcie walked up behind Avery, watching him fire a few more blasts of ink before deciding to intervene. "You're doing it all wrong," she blurted out, grabbing his arms from behind.

"You're aiming directly at the targets as they move. You need to aim ahead of them and time your shots." Marcie grabbed Avery's arms from behind, resting her chest on his back. She adjusts his aim, waiting... and fires, popping a target in the head. "Now, try it yourself."

[GeneticMess]

Marcie's sudden appearance behind him caught him off guard, but he resigned and let her help. He felt a bit weird as she got close to him... more so as their arms interlocked and her chest rested on his back. His cheeks got a bit blue as he blushed (as squids actually have blue blood), but he tried to focus. It was an innocent gesture, he probably shouldn't think much of it.

Avery took her advice, aim ahead and time... and as soon as he did that, he was hitting targets dead-on every time. Without fail, the Charger shot blasts each target with pin-point accuracy. Avery smiled a bit as he was starting to get the hang of this.

[Heydanmonhawk]

Satisfied, Marcie made her way back to the inside of Ammo Knights. "When you're finished, meet me at the Tower. I'll pay for the charger, don't worry about it." Marcie made her way back inside, and payed for both the Bucket and Charger. A small receipt printed out of Robo-Sheldon's mouth, which she immediately crumpled up and dropped. Marcie then stepped outside, and immediately walked past Inkopolis Tower to a small side alley.

"My package get in, yet?"

The tall, lanky figure she was talking to nodded, handing her a small bundle, wrapped up neatly. Nice.

[GeneticMess]

Avery took a couple more test shots (and took the opportunity to cool down after their unintended intimacy) before following Marcie out of the testing grounds and back into the shop. He instinctively waved to the robot as he left with his paid for weapon, but lagged a bit behind in catching up with Marcie.

He stepped back into the plaza, and looked around for the purple inkling. Docilely, he elected to wait in plain sight by the tower. Wherever she went, she'd probably be right back...

[Heydanmonhawk]

As he thought, Marcie soon appeared at the tower, looking a bit more smug than before. "Sure got here fast, kid." She remarked, looking up at the tower. "No point in waiting, right?" She grabbed his hand, pulling Avery into the lobby. It's definitely more crowded than outside, inklings idly chatting as they wait for their names to be called. To the left is a couple of ATM-looking machines, each emblazoned with a sign that reads "MATCHMAKER".

"Just put your name into the matchmaker," Marcie said, imputing her own name. "It's randomized, so we can fight in the same match, but it doesn't mean we'll be on the same team."

[GeneticMess]

Avery lit up at seeing a familiar face return to him, before many more unfamiliar faces were all around him. Crowds like this always made him nervous, but he tried not to let it get to him.

"Avery" He typed into the matchmaker, easy enough. "I just hope I'm on your team for my first match. I'm not looking forward to being on the receiving end of that Slosher."

[Heydanmonhawk]

Marcie laughs in response, and waits with Avery. It's not long before the screen brights up again, listing several names (Marcie and Avery included). "Faster than usual," Marcie remarked, before heading to the opening at the back of the lobby. It leads to an open area, where several launch pads reside. She turns to Avery. "Just sink into the ink, and it'll launch you to the turf." Marcie than does exactly that, and is launched into the sky at an alarming speed.