Selfsame
Marlene hummed to herself, paws clasped behind her back as she went on her leisure walk. The stars were shining brightly and twinkling down on her, reminding the otter of the time she used to lay on her back in her old aquarium just watching the sky.
This was probably the only time she had peace to herself, since the previous days included entertaining the crowds (it pleased her that children and adults alike still adored her antics), helping the penguins (and sometimes the lemurs) out even though they wouldn't tell her why or what they were doing and performing spontaneous (she couldn't stress that enough) activities with her cousins, the badger sisters.
She hardly had time for herself nowadays, and when she snapped hours ago...Well. Let's just say her friends would leave her be for a while while she worked out something for all of them.
She did ask Kowalski for options, to which earned her a glare from Skipper, but she merely ignored him and listened to the resident scientist blabber on about a schedule she could make for all of them. Skipper intervened just then saying,
"Negatory. Missions come and go, and at the most unexpected of times, so she has to be free whenever one comes along since we don't know when she might be needed."
The otter refrained from rolling her eyes, since it would be childish. "Well, yes, Skipper, I get that. But I also get that I'm not officially part of your team. So unless that happens, I'm not really obliged to join you guys. And I most definitely won't be taking orders from someone who isn't my superior." She would add the traditional 'in your face' tongue out maneuver, but Kowalski quickly guided her away from Skipper's deadly stare and out onto the floe.
"Marlene," she turned her attention from the empty fish bowl to the penguin before her, "I really think you need to cool down a bit. I believe your feral side is coming back."
She placed a paw on her hip and raised a brow at him. "Really?" Apparently not getting the sarcasm, he nodded.
"It will be best for all of us if we give you some time for yourself."
Both paws were on her hips now. "About time! I am getting sick and tired of letting you guys use me like a dirty old dish rag."
"I'm sorry you feel this way, Marlene. Hopefully," he cleared his throat nervously and Marlene finally noticed the way he was clutching onto his clipboard like it was a lifeline, "you'll be able to clear all this anger you have stored up."
"Kowalski," the otter started slowly with her paws crossed over her chest, "are you, scared, of me?"
"Me? Scared?" He scoffed, though it sounded a little forced and nervous to her. "Why should I be scared of you?"
"Perhaps because I threatened to rip your precious brain out just minutes ago?"
"Oh, uh, that was uh, that was nothing. Maybe-"
"Maybe," she sighed in defeat and looked at the ground, "I should do something. Before the feral side gets to me."
"Yes, uh, that's a good idea, Marlene. It will keep your mind off uh," he placed his flippers up in air quotations, "'being a dirty dish rag', as you put it."
"Op-Suggestions, Kowalski?" She corrected herself in time, putting on her sweetest smile and hoping that her friend would calm down and treat her as usual and not like she was a delicate vase that needed to be handled carefully or risk being broken.
"I'm not an expert on emotions, Marlene. But I do know someone. I'll be right back."
She didn't have to wait long as Private was immediately by her side and suggesting that she go on a walk around the zoo since every other animal should be asleep by now and would not bother her. She agreed, on the condition that the penguins would do the same and catch some shut-eye as well while she did 'recon'. It had taken some time, but eventually Skipper gave in, thanks to two sets of puppy eyes and lots of begging.
And here she was taking in the cool, crisp air and just enjoying the peace. The sounds of the night were soothing and calming too. The swift and gentle wind, the crickets of the night, the silent murmurs, the quiet snores, the lack of music from the lemur habitat, the-hold it.
The otter stopped and tuned in her ears. There it was again. She turned to the noise and her paws brought her to a habitat she never went to before. She wasn't one to snoop, but the otter was desperate for a distraction from her anger.
It took everything in her not to gasp out loud at the scene before her. However, the movement to cover her mouth made her lose her balance on the parapet and she dropped into the habitat with a loud plop. "I can't believe I did that..." She muttered to herself as she pushed herself up, glad that as an animal with fur the blush of embarrassment was not visible. She kept her gaze on the ground as the two animals in the habitat stared at her.
"Uh," she rubbed the back of her head and peeked up at them, "I'm really-"
"Ah!" Marlene blinked as Leonard, the cuddly koala bear, pointed at her in terror. "It's the otter!"
She frowned at the rude gesture and placed her paws on her hips. "Didn't your mother teach you not to point at other animals?"
"It talks!" The koala said in a horrified tone, complete with paws on his equally horrified face.
"Why wouldn't the sheila talk?" The other occupant, Joey the kangaroo, spoke in his usual Australian accent.
"Oh, the horror! The horror!" The marsupial continued, still staring at Marlene in horror. "It's going to destroy us all! Run for your lives!" With that, the koala scrambled away as fast as his stubby little legs could take him.
"What's his prob'em?" The kangaroo thumbed toward where Leonard had run off to as he turned to Marlene with a raised brow.
"I don't know." She shrugged casually, hoping that he wouldn't press the issue. It wasn't like Marlene knew anyway, since she knew that she didn't do anything bad to Leonard in the first place. It even left her a little unsettled that someone disliked her so much without so much as a proper reason why.
"What are you still doing in Joey's habitat?" The otter blinked at the sudden change in the kangaroo's behavior and her paws made their way to her hips for the third time today.
"I can't be here now?"
"No."
"Well," the otter huffed and crossed her paws, "I'm not leaving."
"And what are you going to do, sheila?"
"Uh..."
"Get outta her'."
"No. I have had enough of people telling me what to do! Stop telling me what to do! I'll make my own decisions here!"
"O'ky, o'ky." Joey was staring at her wide eyed, paws up. "You can stay in Joey's habitat as long as you want, sheila. As long as you calm down. Those lo'k sharp." He was looking down at her sides, where her claws had appeared.
Embarrassed that her anger had taken over her for the second time that day, Marlene took a step back and retracted her claws. She needed desperately to calm down and get her mind of things for a while.
"Sorry about that. I, uh, just, um," she licked her lips, nervous. "What were you guys doing earlier on?"
The kangaroo thought over her question for while before sighing and answering her in a slightly reluctant tone.
"T'lkin."
"About what?" She asked innocently, taking a few steps. She stopped when he eyed her suspiciously, but continued smiling at him. "I just want to know. It won't hurt, right?"
"I don re'ly like hittin sheilas."
"You were talking about hitting Shelly?"
"No 'sheila'." He stressed on the word.
"Who's Sheila? And my name's Marlene, for your information."
The marsupial just shook his head. "Sheila is Australi'n sl'ng."
"Oh." An idea struck her, and she hesitated a bit, wondering of its outcome. She scrambled forward a bit before hopping from the rock to the tree, resting on the branch directly above Joey.
Joey narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you doing?"
"Getting comfortable."
"Why?" He drawled slowly, feeling a little bit agitated, which Marlene noticed right away.
The otter felt shy all of a sudden. For some reason, she had already made herself at home without asking for permission. She had heard of Joey and his...hostilities, so there was no reason for her to stay with someone as violent as the kangaroo. Especially since he didn't look too pleased with her at all. This was probably her feral side's doing, since there was no way Marlene, the normal one, would want to be close to someone as dangerous as the kangaroo.
But so are the penguins? An inner voice reminded her in something that sounded a whole lot like her protective older brother. Your best friends? Remember them? Remember the dangerous missions, crazy experiments-
Marlene shook away the voice and sighed internally. She was going with the feral side idea.
"Uh, because my feral side wanted, to be here?" She ended off in a less than convincing note but hoped that Joey would believe it.
"F'ral side?" He inquired with a raised brow and Marlene sighed.
"It's a long story."
Joey stared at her for a while before shaking his head.
"Don' wanna hear it. I'm tir'd."
She nodded and dropped her head on her paws, closing her eyes immediately.
"We'l t'lk 'bout it in the mor'ng." Her head shot up and she blinked down at the animal below. Joey must have noticed her movement and opened one eye to look up at her. "'K?"
Marlene nodded slowly, blinking a few times.
"Then I'll tel ya 'bout what Leo and Jo'y wer' t'lkin 'bout."
"Okay." She replied, maybe a bit too cheerfully, but it left her in a good mood knowing that somebody was willing to tell her something. Maybe her feral side was not all that bad after all.
Uh, we have a new friend ship? (Note the best friend part, please.) Joey and Marlene, anyone? No? Okay, I tried.