Ocean had been hired by an emergency council of two agents: Dr. O, the current head of the medical department, and Oscar, the former lab-director. In need of someone who could handle creatures with patience and enough care to ensure their safe living at Odd Squad, they had interviewed every agent on the list, trying to suppress their patience with the less skilled candidates.

Apparently, his calm and collected nature attracted most creatures to him, and it wasn't like they had a more suitable choice waiting in the room next door, coincidentally also carrying an instrument to sooth whichever 'beast' came their way.

He was slightly extroverted, but still kept to himself, unlike the agents from the maintenance and investigation departments, who had somehow always ended up near him, questioning his every move.

He had his ukulele, his creatures, his hammock; what more was needed for someone like him?

Nothing, right?
Wrong.

Ms O found it entirely necessary to pair him up with Oona. Not that he minded, he'd enjoy working with someone for a change, but it was very unexpected and sudden. He liked Oona, she was quirky and energetic, but then again, what had happened to being morally alone?

He thought about it while walking down the stairs from Ms. O's office, and instead of walking to the creature room, he made his way to the lab.

No explanation of any further cases: just some "basics". What is that supposed to mean?

His train of thought broke upon seeing Oona at the tall counter in the lab, working on repairing something that seemed a little too much out of his world to understand.

"Hey, Oona! How's it going?"

"Howdy-do, Ocean. I'm working on the same old stuff, 'ya know."

"Cool."

They stood there in silence, Ocean wondering how he could put his words to use in a phrase, and Oona just really minding her business- as if what Ms. O had said back then had only affected her for those 5 minutes in her office.

It was almost like they were ignoring the fact that they were going to become partners- if they weren't already accepting of that happening.

Oona had silently fixated her mind on the gadget she was repairing, but she suddenly turned her head towards Ocean, as if she expected him to say something. He took this as a chance to speak.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question, Oona?"

"Yeah, sure, go ahead." she answered.

"Well, you know how we - kind of - are partners now?"

"Yes- yeah, I do know that. I was, kind of, sitting next to you in Ms O. office." Oona quickly said, raising her eyebrows and mocking his weird (if not obvious) statement.

Ocean chose to ignore apparent sentence; and nodded instead, closing his mouth.
"Ar-are you okay with that? Because it's actually kind of hard for me to start working in a team. I'm just a really simple kind of creature-guy, and it's always been me and my animals." he said, not knowing if that was the best way to put it. If it were anything but working in a team, Ocean would have been up for it.

"Not that I don't want to work with you," Ocean quickly added, seeing her slightly stunned expression. "I'll just need time to understand how teamwork, uh- works."

Oona didn't really know what to say, mostly because her first thought about Ocean was that he was amazingly extroverted and liked to socialize. This made her think twice about what to say back to him.

"Oh, yeah I get that all the time.", she said finally, putting one hand on her hip, letting the other lean on the workbench. "I mean, I get that some people can't work together on the first time, as a team it is especially difficult. I, sort of, feel like that too."

Ocean smiled, relieved that she didn't freak out like the many times she had before during other mildly puzzling situations. If he knew Oona well, than that would have been her first reaction. But she stayed surprisingly calm and didn't say anything provoking her usually quirky nature.

"Thanks for getting that, dudette. Uh, I better go now. My creatures need me." Ocean quickly finished.

"Good luck." Oona replied, half-heartedly smiling and watching him leave, wondering what about their conversation had felt out of place.

She wanted to be able to use her skills outside and work in a team, but why'd Ocean (of all people) have to make it so confusing for himself?
Ocean might have problems making friends and enjoying teamwork, but that didn't mean that Oona didn't have those issues either.

This was going to be hard.