Chapter Text
'I wonder what the surface is like.' The octoling soldier thought to herself as her comrades were coming back with the Great Zapfish. The octoling soldier's name is Rosa. She is one of the octarian soldiers who guard and protect the Zapfish from the inklings, the octarians' enemy. As soon as she was old enough to hold a weapon, she began training to do this job. It is her goal to ensure her family, her ma, and her twin brother, Aaron, have a place to live.
A sadly tragic outcome of the Great Turf War was the death of her father, who used to help out the family. Therefore, she stepped up to be a soldier for her family since her brother was no longer a fighter. After middle school, Aaron changed a lot, but now he's a fantastic weapon fixer. He usually fixes his sister's gun so she doesn't get into trouble.
Rosa was taken out of her daydream when she got an order to put up a Zapfish. She nods as she takes the Zapfish and starts heading to the spot. She looked at the Zapfish and saw that it was scared.
"Aww. Did my comrades scare ya?" Rosa gently petted the Zapfish's back and relaxed it for a minute.
"I'm sorry it has to be this way. We needed the power. Those inklings took….everything….from us." Her gentle tone goes to a harsh one as she wipes the tears that start to form.
"T-This is for the best. I promise." She smiles at the Zapfish as she uses it to set up the area she is in, and the power comes on. As Rosa heads back to her base, she smiles more proudly. It was time for her to head home after a long day of training.
When she walks home that night, she has to get adjusted to the lights. ‘This is something I have to get used to, huh?’ She thought to herself as she strolled along. Since she was always done with training at night, she barely saw anything when she walked home. There were times when streetlights flickered and other times when they wouldn't come on at all. Since nighttime is the most dangerous time, Rosa had to practice seeing in the dark with barely any or no light. It is especially important if she is walking home alone so she can protect herself.
Upon entering her house, the smell of gumbo welcomes her. As Rosa made her presents known, she ran into the kitchen with excitement. “Hiya, ma!” Rosa said cheerfully as she hugged her mother. Her mother jumped a bit but laughed when she saw it was just her daughter, giving her a side hug. While hugging her back, she stirred the pot with the other hand.
“How was work today?” Rosa's mother asked as Rosa groaned and she sat at the table.
“Hard as always. But, we finally got the Great Zapfish!”
“I notice. I could finally cook some food without the power randomly going out. “ Her mother joked as her daughter chuckles a bit.
“Yeah….it feels great.”
“Do you mind getting your brother for dinner? He has been stuck in his room since you got the power back on.” Rosa giggled at her mother's comment as she nods.
“Aye, ma’am.” Rosa got up from the table and headed to her brother's room. Technically, it's also her room. Rosa and her brother had to share a room since Rosa only earned enough money to get a two-bedroom house. The two make it work despite it not being that roomy, it’s like living in a dorm room. Rosa wants to move up the ranks so she can provide a better life for her family. As her father did, she must do the same. Her locket is tightly clutched in her hand.
"I’ll make you proud, dad." She muttered to herself.
When she gets in front of the door to her and her brother's room, she knocks on it. Moments later, she heard a thud and saw an octoling boy standing behind the door. “Geez, bro. Ya sure enjoying the power.” Rosa joked as her brother rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. I was just reading up some weaponry, so I can fix your gun better.” He explained as his sister smiled at him and hugged him. “Awwww, Aaron! Ya so sweet!” Aaron laughed as he playfully pushed his sister off of him.
“Whatever. It’s no problem. I want to help out in any way I can. I wish I could fight with you, but you know…….I-I don’t want to fight anymore.”
Rosa gives Aaron a soft look. “Hey, it’s ok. Ya still help me by making sure I keep this job.” She jokes as she playfully punches her brother. He laughed and returned the punch.
“Yeah. I guess that is something.”
They were called to dinner.“Oops. That is what I came to get ya for.” Rosa laughed sheepishly. Aaron rolls his eyes as he walks out of the room and closes the door.
“Come on, lil sister. Let’s go enjoy this dinner.” She groans loudly as her brother messes with her hair.
After dinner, they all climbed into bed beside Rosa. Since her mind wouldn't shut off, she was having trouble sleeping again. As she thought about the surface, she imagined what it would be like. Her only knowledge of what it looks like comes from her father's stories and her comrades talking about it during training. The most common thing they mention is how bright the sun is and how warm it feels. However, she wants to experience it for herself. She wants to know how bright the sun is and know what it feels like on her skin. She hopes to someday be able to experience what it is like on the surface. Even just for a moment.