Oddity Park

Opening her eyes as the bus hissed to a stop, Charlotte found that she had drifted off along the journey. Yawning, she shook her head to clear the sleep-fog, and stood. Making her way to the doors, she stepped down, the relatively cooler air a welcome change from the too-hot interior of the bus. She wasn't sweaty, though - her body didn't adapt to heat that way. She just dehydrated faster than others would, being an aquatic being. She would need to get water soon, but the need was warded off by the sudden appearance of the metallic figure in front of her. Giving the apparently male figure a glance over, she took his hand, giving it a firm shake. "I presume that I am. This is Oddity Park, no?" She asked, glancing around for a moment.

"Nice to meet you, Axel," the dragoness said. "I'm Charlotte Wave. Looking forward to spending some time here." Handing her duffel bag to the metal man, she adjusted her backpack, the second bag she figured that she could take on her own. It was fairly light, only containing the remnants of a light meal she had eaten on the way down. Looking up at the apartment building, she stared at the gargoyles for a moment, her own eyes narrowing for a moment. Shaking her head quickly, she looked back at Axel, following him if he had left for the unusual building.

Entering the lobby, Charlotte looks around, noting the portrait hanging above the hearth. Reading the plaque, a small shiver ran up her spine. Commander of the 10th brigade of Armageddon? Related to Lucifer? It certainly added to the creepiness of the place, but explained the gargoyles perched outside. "Friendly landlord, indeed," she muttered. Turning as she was given the stack of papers, she went over to the coffee table, filling in her information required from the page. She put down a request for a large tank of water, something that a six-foot dragon would be comfortable swimming in. She didn't need a bed, since she would most likely be sleeping inside the tank. She made sure to put down that the tank needed to be sealed and opened from both the inside and out. Apparently, that was counted as standard around here, but she accepted that it was normal. Who knew what other oddities she would find in her time here?

Listening to the robot's gears turn and grind, the scaled hybrid waited a moment before the paper spilled out of his mouth. $1,800 a month. She didn't expect it to be quite that high, but she figured that she could pay it one way or another. "I think I'll just set up an autopay," she replied. "If someone else comes around that is willing to share, I'd gladly take them in." If she had someone else to spend time with here, she could share the cost, and have a friend to come back to if she needed something.

As the two ascended through the building, Charlotte's tail said her nervously behind her. She wasn't partial toward elevators, they gave her stomach a weird feeling. She was glad when they stopped, quickly following Axel out of the contraption.

Looking both ways down the hall, she made note that this was most likely the floor in which creatures like her stayed, due to the vault doors which probably held water back from flowing into the hallway. Walking after the robot, she waited while he unlocked the door, stepping inside what appeared to be a bulkhead.

As she glanced through the small window into the interior of the room, the dragoness's eyes widened. She certainly hadn't expected for the room to contain as many nice things as it did.

She looked to the red button, nodding as Axel said what it was for. "Thank you. I'll be sure to use it if I need anything." She thought for a moment before answering the question. "I don't think there's anything I need at the moment."

Charlotte smiled as the music began to play, watching as the robot skated down the hall. It seemed that it was time for her to explore her room, and she turned to face the closed door, making sure that the other was sealed before opening it, letting water flood inside.

The feeling of the cool liquid on her scales was a much-welcomed feeling, soaking into her scales and rehydrating her. Pushing herself into the chamber, she swam around, gills opening up as her fins grew, her body quickly changing to suit her surroundings. This was luxury, as far as she was concerned. Much better than that mucky lakebed she had used in place of a bed all those years ago.

If she listened carefully, she could still hear Axel's music, although faintly, and she started drifting around her tank, as if she was dancing. Her bags would be fine where they were; they were completely waterproof, so there was no chance for the items inside to get wet. For now, she was content with drifting in her own current. She would probably explore later in the evening, after she had gotten her energy back.

Waking as the thuds resounded through her chamber, Charlotte growled, holding her head. What was that? Shaking her head quickly, she rose from the bed of soft sponge, her eyes narrowed as she swam towards the bulkhead, draining it and relieving herself of the reverberations the bangs had created. Waiting for her vision to clear, she pulled the water off her scales to pockets within her, drying them, and made an effort to open the vault door to the hall.

Upon seeing the three in the hall, Charlotte stopped, tilting her head sightly as she caught the end of their conversation. Studying the three for a moment, she waited until they were done to speak. Her gills had fused together again, her fins shortening and the webbing between her digits retracting.

"Excuse me?" She said, somewhat quietly. "I apologize for interrupting, but... Are you three looking for your room?" Charlotte had dressed herself in a dark, skin-tight garment, similar to a wetsuit, but the material allowed much more water permeation.

Nodding as a smile of her own spreads across her face, the dragoness reached out to take the offered fin, shaking it. Glancing between each of them as the three were introduced, she memorized the names, linking them to the faces so she wouldn't forget next time. She was slightly intimidated by the impressive size of the plesiosaur, the larger aquatic creature certainly imposing a powerful stature.

She looked to Jenny as she spoke, wincing slightly as she started to yell, each loud word causing her sensitive, fan-like ears to be pressed flat against her head. As the mermaid calmed, so did she, her tail nervously twitching for a moment.

"My... my name is Charlotte," she said, a hesitation present as she collected herself. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, though. Hopefully this Eckstein person calms down a little. Impacts like those do no good for any of us." She let out a nervous chuckle.

"No, no, it's fine, Mrs. Macnamera," she said, trying to be polite. They had just met, so she figured that formalities wouldn't be too much of a stretch. "I'm just as affected as you three are, and I'd like to play a part in quieting whoever's making the racket below us. Maybe Glenn and I could meet you at this Punch Bowl when we're finished?" She suggested. "It shouldn't take too long. Maybe afterwards we can get some fresh air? I'd like to get to know all of you a little more."

They seemed like nice people, even if Jenny's attitude was a little ramped up. It was probably due to the drive, and of course, the banging echoing through their tanks didn't help any.

Nodding decisively as she received the pat, the grin returned to Charlotte's face as the two groups parted ways. Glancing back once more as they reached the stairs, she saw the end of the plesiosaur's tail slipping between the closing doors of the elevator. As they reached the lower floor, stepping out into the hall, a small lump formed in the dragoness's stomach as she saw the bloodstained doors and flickering lights. The heavily secured doors made her even more uneasy, but she tried to push the feelings down as they neared the door.

Reaching it, she jumped slightly at Glenn's words, and then nodded. "A little, yeah," she replied. Taking a deep breath, her scales shimmered for a moment, and then she reached up to knock on the door.

Upon seeing the man's face come into light, Charlotte's tail twisted around her ankles, but she forced herself to look into his eyes. Mixed emotions about the general aura of the Doctor fill her head, but as he smiled, she pushed them away.

"Greetings. My name is Charlotte, and I'm here with one of the others from the floor above this one. I assume you're Dr. Eckstein?" She asked. Glancing over at Glenn for a moment, she continued. "We're sorry for interrupting you, but couldn't help but notice that you're being rather... loud, and your activities' effects on the walls are rather painful for us," she explained.

As the scientist's face changed, Charlotte's spirits lifted for a moment, but dropped again when he saw Glenn. Perhaps it wasn't worth it after all? She thought.

As the man ushered them inside, she took careful steps in, wary of anything on the floor that might have been inherently dangerous. Looking around at everything, the dragoness was slightly baffled at how much was going on inside the room. She made a few circuits of the space, staring in wonder at the machines and the tubes coming from them.

Looking over at the record player, she couldn't help but chuckle as she recognized the music, the sound being a somewhat ironically perfect compliment to the situation at hand.

Turning her gaze to Eckstein, she listened as he told his story, explaining his work. As his voice grew louder, she couldn't help but wince again at his volume, much like she had done when Jenny had shouted. Maybe the people around here were just loud?

She looked over as Glenn tasted the goop, and she was about to warn her when the announcement was made that it was just molasses. Her scales shimmered again as the supposed chemist shouted again, stronger this time.

"But please, sir, couldn't you be at least a little quieter?" She asked, her scaly brow furrowing slightly. "When your machines hit the wall, it vibrates our tanks, and it's incredibly painful for us."

Charlotte nods in response, listening and thanking Eckstein as well when he was finished. She dipped a hand into the barrel of sludge, watching as it started to drip down her wrist, and quickly slurped it up. The taste was certainly interesting, and as she tried some with the matzo, she agreed with Glenn that it would need something to wash it down with.

She glanced over at the Doctor in his chair, and then nodded. "Sure," she replied. "Hopefully Jenny hasn't wasted herself yet." Turning toward the door, she took a couple steps toward it, glancing back to make sure that her friend was following.

Gripping the rail on the inside of the elevator, Charlotte closed her eyes as they descended, relaxing once they had stopped. Stepping out of the elevator, she spotted Axel, still cleaning. Did he ever stop?

"He'll stop only when he completely rusts out, I guess," she said. "He could last for quite a while, though, if he keeps himself up."

She returned the wave, nodding as they passed and headed out the door. "I like him," she said to Glenn. "What do you think of him?" She asked, after taking a breath of the warmer outside air. It had cooled since she had arrived, but it was still considerably warm.

The dragoness listened to Glenn speak, one of her ears fanned out as the sea-hybrid spewed their knowledge on the subject of Axel. Taking in all of the things that they said, her gaze regularly switched between her and the path ahead.

"No, no, it's fine," Charlotte told them. "I enjoyed listening. It's clear that you've done some research on him, though." She spotted a group of buildings up ahead. "Is that where the Punch Bowl is?" She asked, her head tilting slightly.

((Not your fault but mine. It just slipped my mind. Fixed now.))

Following the hybrid as the two made their way closer to The Square, Charlotte looked around at the various buildings present. Some of them, she would have liked to go in, but she saw that Glenn was heading over to one with a sign labeling it as the Punch Bowl.

Reading the sign, what information was there caught her eye, and she glanced to the hybrid as they spoke again.

"That certainly sounds interesting. Maybe we could go see it?" She asked. "I'm assuming that you've been to one before."

((That looks really fun!))

"Well, if we get over there, maybe I could put some down on your behalf," the dragoness offered. 7th hatchday...Wonder what measure of time that is? The dragoness wondered. the question was soon forgotten, though, as they neared the bar, and the music could be heard louder and louder. Opening the door, Charlotte's ears pressed against the side of her head, limiting the insource of sound.

She looked around, her nostrils flaring a little as she smelled the various scents, among them being the obvious alcohol present in every place like this. It was a little smoky, but not enough to bother her, and she stepped in after Glenn.

Walking through, Charlotte slowed as they passed the pictures and posters, looking at each and taking in their detail. Surprisingly, she had never seen a real Kaiju up-close like they had here. Sure, she had seen them from far-off, but never close enough to really get a good look at them. Turning her head as the wall-mounted scenes fall behind them, she set her sights back on the path ahead of them, spotting the large screens hanging down. Caught up in the visuals for a moment, she soon realizes that Glenn had kept striding ahead of her, and hurried to catch the hybrid.

Switching her gaze now to the various different figures seated around the room, her head tilted as she saw the giant isopod. She certainly didn't expect to see one of them here, but then again, mad scientists and hotels full of sealed water tanks weren't really on her list of expectations for this place, either. She had seen Sasquatches before - this one was no different than all the others she had encountered. Tall, covered in hair, and big hands and feet. Built for the forest, it did seem. The skeleton, though... How were they held together? Magic? It was a possibility. The dragoness herself could turn into water, though, and she wondered what other capabilities the residents of this town had.

Locating Jenny among the others, the dragoness headed toward her, assuming that Glenn was going the same way. Shifting her eyes to study the bartender talking with the woman, her green eyes looked over the man. Unlike most of the inhabitants that she had encountered, this one seemed to be human, or at least enough to be considered it. Glancing at his apron, printed with the depiction of the horned creature standing over a barbecue, she let out a small laugh. It seemed so out of place here, but yet it fit perfectly with their surroundings, somehow.

Her smile widened as the two called over to them, and Charlotte's pace quickened. Slowing as she neared the bar, she reached up, shaking the offered hand. "I'm Charlotte," she said, her voice raised over the volume of everything else. "Nice to meet you, Tony. And you're right, I am new here. So far, though, it's turned out to be quite splendid!"

The dragoness had been told that her handshake was a good one, but she had never really known how true it was. She returned his gaze, her scales flushing a dark blue as he spoke.

She took a seat, chuckling somewhat nervously as she heard what Jenny said, relaxing a little afterwards. "From experience?" She asked, somewhat rhetorically. "Well, I'll be sure to watch out, then." Resting her elbows on the counter, she put her chin in her hands, closing her eyes for a moment as she decided on her meal of choice.

"I don't suppose you have fish, do you?" She asked, her eyelids sliding open once again. "As to be expected from a water-dweller like me, but I know what I like. What kinds are you serving?"

At the mention of sushi, the dragoness perked up. "Oh, that does sound good," she said. "I do enjoy spicy foods, so I think I'll take some of that." She looked over at Jenny, a half smile coming to her scaled jaws. She was about to say something, her mouth opening before Glenn shouted, and her teeth clacked shut, the heightened volume causing her scales to shimmer once more. Her eyes narrowed, and she blinked a couple times before relaxing again.

"Jenny, I-I'd never eat you, you don't have to worry about that," Charlotte said nervously, and took a hesitant seat next to Glenn. She mumbled quietly to herself for a moment, and then shook her head quickly. Just relax, they didn't mean anything by it. Don't get so worked up, she told herself. They were just here to have fun.