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Blake stepped onto the platform at the Inkopolis train station and looked around. It had been a while since he last visited Inkopolis, but the invitation he received from Callie and Marie to join them for lunch was too good to ignore. He saw them waiting at the station entrance, where Callie and Marie waved him over.
"Welcome back to Inkopolis," Marie said. "How was your trip?"
"It was relaxing. Watching Inkopolis get larger as my train approached made me feel nostalgic. I remembered a lot of good memories because of it."
"Yeah, we feel it too," Callie added. "I almost can't believe it's been ten years since we started working as idols in the studio above. Time sure flies by."
"We've come a long way since those early days. Anyway, the reason why we invited you today was to join our tenth-anniversary celebration."
Blake looked at the Squid Sisters in awe.
"You two want me to help you celebrate your tenth anniversary? I'm flattered. But what about the Captain? Shouldn't she also be here?"
"She has plans to visit her family this week," Marie explained. "So we celebrated before she left."
"But we didn't ask you because she couldn't make it. We truly wanted to spend time with you!"
"I appreciate you saying that. What's our plan for today?"
"We're gonna get some lunch before we go on a shopping spree! It's been ages since we brought clothes from Jelly Fresh and Cooler Heads."
Blake looked towards the shops thoughtfully and nodded.
"This sounds like fun. Since today's a big milestone, i hope you don't mind me paying for our lunch."
"I hope you won't regret that with Callie's appetite."
The trio visited the café under the music studio, and Blake ordered lunch for three before they sat at a table facing the plaza. Once a waitress delivered their lunch, Callie quickly asked a question.
"Since we're celebrating our past today, would you mind telling us about some of yours?"
"What do you want to know?" Blake asked as he took a sip of his drink.
"You lived here while we performed," Callie explained. "So I'm curious about the teams you chose during our Splatfests. Would you mind telling us a few of them?"
A relaxed grin spread on Blake's face as he considered the idea, and he nodded at Callie.
"Alright, I'm game. Throw some Splatfests at me and I'll say which team I sided with."
Callie's eyes lit up with excitement as she leaned forward to ask Blake questions.
"Let's start with something easy. Landfood or Seafood, which do you like more?"
"Landfood, easily. You can't get fruit or sweets from the ocean."
"I could tell from the giant sundae you ordered!" Callie said hungrily. "I kinda want one. But how do you feel about pineapple on pizza?"
"It's good," Blake answered. "I don't get why people get so upset that people enjoy pineapple on their pizza." But he saw the unhappy look on Marie's face and rolled his eyes.
"Thanks for proving my point, Marie."
"Pizza's meant to be savoury, " Marie protested. "You're ruining the experience by putting fruit on it. You two are strange."
"Lighten up, Marie." Callie said after taking a bite out of her burger. "Pineapple tastes nice on pizza, that's all there is to it."
"Fine, if you insist," Marie grumbled. "Blake, are you more of a singer or dancer?"
"I prefer dancing, but I'm limited to nightclub dances learned from bar crawling with friends."
"If Callie had known you in those days, she probably would have dragged you out for a night or two."
"Sounds like I've missed out on a unique opportunity," Blake said thoughtfully. "It would have been fun dancing with you."
"Maybe we can visit a bar sometime and compare dance moves! Next, do you value love or money more?"
"I think money's more valuable. As nice as love feels, it can't feed me or pay the bills."
"Aww, that's too bad," Callie said. "Did dating Shiver change your mind for the Money/Fame/Love Splatfest?"
Blake's shoulders shook with amusement as he shook his head in answer.
"Nah, I chose Team Money a third time," He explained. "But my choice was down to earth compared to Shiver's. You saw how she proudly displayed her greed. We were shocked our team won, but she quickly decided we'd live it up in splatsville for a night to celebrate."
"Team Love should have won a third time!" Callie complained. "We were robbed!"
"It's good you appreciate the value of money," Marie said with a smile. "If you two celebrated all night, does that mean you're a night owl?"
"Nope. I like getting up early and going for a bike ride. And I have to start early for work."
Callie put up a hand, and Blake happily high-fived her.
"You two have too much energy..." Marie said with a shake of her head. "I can't keep up when you two get going."
"Next question! Were you on Team Naughty or Nice for squidmas?"
"Naughty. I don't need to explain again how my night out with Shiver in Inkopolis ended."
"Hearing about it once was enough," Marie agreed. "Moving on, do you have the heart of an Autobot, or are you a battle-hardened Decepticon?"
Blake leaned forward, gave a diabolical grin and whispered:
"All. Hail. Megatron."
Which earned him a devious smile from Marie, and a look of extreme disappointment from Callie.
"What do you mean you'd side with the bad guys?" Callie groaned. "Agent 3, you're a heroic person! It feels wrong to hear you sided with the villains."
"It's fun playing the bad guy, isn't it?" Marie asked smugly as she took a sip of her coffee.
"It is. I sympathise with D-16's buried anger and frustration. I had to side with him."
"And the Decepticons are far more interesting. Speaking of vehicles, do you like travelling in Cars or Planes more?"
"Planes! I love watching the scenery far below from the windows."
"Urgh, being up high always makes me feel queasy," Callie said dejectedly.
"I saw how hard you had it travelling around the taller buildings of Alterna," Blake said sympathetically. "My cousin also has problems with heights."
"Thanks, I feel a little better knowing that."
"But regardless of the vehicle, we're not letting you drive," Marie told Callie.
"Oh, come on! A few more driving lessons are all I need before I'm ready to drive unsupervised."
"If you can't drive a car, you're not ready to fly a plane," Blake said. "And there's no way you could fly a rocket."
"Spoilsport..." Callie grumbled half-heartedly. "That's eight Splatfests covered, and you've chosen between both sides evenly. We need a tie breaker."
"Okay, but I refuse to pick between you and Marie. You're my friends, and I value you two equally."
Callie and Marie gave Blake matching looks of gratitude.
"Thank you for being so considerate," Marie said. "Alright. Here's the ninth choice: would you choose a fancy dress or a costume to party in?"
"I'm sorry, but your outfit for the Team Costume Party was horrible," Blake said apologetically. "I'll dress fancy for the party, thank you."
Callie started laughing as Marie slumped in her seat, making her glass of milk tea shake.
""You win this one, Callie." Marie said. "The repercussions of that outfit continue to haunt me,"
"Don't feel so bad," Blake explained. "I would have sided with you if you had asked if I was an Airhead or a Wisecracker."
"Good. Some days I need help getting Callie to behave herself. I'm enjoying hearing your choices, Blake."
"Me too! But I want to hear plenty more before today's end," Callie exclaimed.
"Sure," Blake said with a good-natured smile. "We have plenty of time to talk while clothes shopping."
"Then let's get moving!"
The trio left the café with contented smiles, but after a few steps Blake noticed the squid sisters had stopped walking. He looked back and saw them staring at the studio that launched their careers. Blake nodded knowingly, walked back, and gently patted their shoulders.
"Happy ten years of being the Squid Sisters," Blake said proudly. "When I first heard of you ten years back, I never thought we'd become friends. But I'm truly grateful we did."
"Thank you, Blake." Marie said, bowing gratefully. "We're happy to have recruited a reliable agent like you in Alterna."
"Plus, you've been a great friend. We appreciate it so much and we'll never forget it!"
"I'm glad you two feel that way. Let's get to the clothes stores, and I'll tell you about some of my childhood experiences. My parents are somewhat eccentric and love seeking the weirdest art displays around. So they often took me out on long trips to art museums like D'alfonsino and-"
The trio walked towards the shops, the Squid Sisters eagerly listening to everything Blake had to say about his life before he moved to Splatsville. It started a conversation that would outlast their shopping excursion and continue for many hours.