Note: References from Tyroth Darkstorm's fanfic 'Ancient Legacy' appear in this chapter, go to my favouraite stories or Authors page to read it!
Chapter Twenty-Three
Meanwhile Sharky and Alice were continuing to show Dahlia the rest of Mutopia.
They had shown her Tania's Salon where the blonde-haired panda was excited to show off her quarters and offered her services in hairdressing, beauty treatments and clothes making when she asked for it to which Dahlia was more than happy to agree that she would once she had spoken to Jun.
Before long, the Shark, Chinchilla and Dahlia arrived back at the main village, and they started to show her the Greenhouses.
As they entered, Dahlia gasped as she took in the sights of boxes filled with soil and many plants growing out of them, even small trees!
"Oh my God!" she cried "How is this even possible?"
Alice pointed up at the ceiling and Dahlia then saw the large cluster of crystals, a lot larger and brighter than the ones she had seen dotted around the rest of the village.
"Those crystals up there provide the light for the many plants that grow in here, thus it's the main Greenhouse, and we get our fresh pickings in here."
As she spoke, a female badger appeared from behind some fruit trees carrying a basket of strawberries in one hand and a box of carrots, cabbage, and cauliflower on her shoulder.
She was dressed in dirty green dungarees, black wellington boots and a beige crop top as well as wore a straw hat on her head.
"Hey there!" she called over then she saw Dahlia.
"Is this the newbie I've been hearing about?" she asked placing the box of vegetables down.
"Sure is Patch!" Sharky grinned "This is Dahlia."
"Well Hi there!" The Badger grinned walking over and holding out her hand, "I'm Paula, yet as you heard from Sharky, you can call me Patch!"
"Pleased to meet you!" Dahlia said accepting the badger's hand "Patch?" she questioned cocking her head.
"It's a nickname!" Patch replied pointing to the black patches over her eyes.
"Oh I see!" Dahlia realised.
"So, how you finding the place?" Patch asked.
"I'm impressed with all you have here." Dahlia said, "I never imagined there was a whole community under the Windy City!"
"Well, now you do!" Patch laughed "Welcome to Mutopia!"
"Thanks!" Dahlia replied, "I think." She added under her breath.
"Anyway, dinner will be served soon, I was just gathering pickings for tomorrow." Patch reported.
"Ah thanks!" Alice smiled "Might as well show our guest the mess hall, that was our next port of call!"
"See you there!" Patch said with a wink before going back to her work.
Sharky and Alice lead Dahlia out of the Greenhouse and Dahlia felt a slight come down when she exited, and she stumbled a little.
"Whoa! Easy there Wolf girl!" Sharky said taking her arm and Alice looked at her in concern.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Dahlia said "I just felt quite energized in there, then suddenly it's like...whoa! A come down!"
"It's the Crystals." Sharky explained "Their light has an effect on us and the plants, thus why it's perfect for a green room."
"We can handle it as we're used to it, and you will too." Alice said.
"Thanks!" Dahlia smiled.
"Come on, lets head to the Mess Hall and get some dinner." Sharky said, "I don't know about you but I'm getting hungry!"
"Likewise, Shark Man!" Alice agreed as she led Dahlia and Sharky towards the Mess Hall where they saw many residents walking inside.
As they entered, the other Mutopians who she hadn't met looked up.
"New Arrival!" voices cried out "New arrival!"
"Wow! Another Wolf!"
"Cool!"
"Hey there!"
"Welcome to Mutopia!"
Dahlia felt slightly nervous, but Alice and Sharky quickly led her to the hatch that led to the kitchen where Dahlia saw a humanoid cockroach in a chef's outfit, apron and all, arranging some pots of food to serve which consisted of soups, stews and casseroles.
Dahlia gasped a little at the sight of him, but she shook her head and forced a smile so as not to appear rude.
"Ah hey!" the cockroach said as he looked over at Sharky and Alice "And who's this?" he asked.
"This is our newbie! Dahlia." Alice reported.
"I see!" the cockroach said "How do you do? I'm Louie, Mutopia's chef!"
"Pleased to meet you." Dahlia said.
Louie cocked his head as he looked at the wolf.
"Something tells me you're a little nervous of me, right?" he asked.
Dahlia bit her lip and her heart beat in her chest.
"I'm sorry," she said "Well, I've never seen a mutant cockroach before, well nor any other humanoid animal before."
"Hey! Don't sweat it lassie!" Louie chuckled "I get it, people look at me and are like, a cockroach Chef, one good society would consider vermin, but I'm fanatical about hygiene! You can be sure about that!"
Dahlia nodded.
"I can believe it." She spoke.
"Anyway, what can I give you to fill a hole hmm?" Louie asked, "Got a few choices here, we got stews and soups here, meat and veggie."
As he said the last part he looked up at Sharky.
"Made a favourite of yours Shark Boy, Soy Dog Stew!"
"mmmm! Thanks Chef!" Sharky grinned "I'll take a bowlful."
"Coming right up!" Louie smiled and took a ladle before scooping up some stew and placing it on a bowl for the Shark.
Dahlia meanwhile chose a meat stew as well as helped herself to some salad and a bread roll before making her way to a free table.
As she sat down, she saw Jun enter the room with a group of mutants that consisted of a wolf, cheetah, dragonfly, grasshopper, and viper, and she saw he looked rather angry as the residents called out to him.
"New Arrival! New Arrival!"
"Hey check him out!"
"Not bad looking!"
Feeling worried her boyfriend would snap given how he felt about their current situation, Dahlia stood up and waved to him and the tiger ran over to her.
"Dahlia!" he exclaimed seeing her "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine hun," Dahlia replied then saw Sharky and Alice walking over to join her at the table.
"I was being shown around the place by these guys!" she gestured to her guides.
"This is Alice and Sharky."
"Hey there!" Alice smiled as she put her plate of food down and held out her hand to Jun.
"Nice to meet you at last!" Sharky grinned showing all his teeth as well as held out his hand and Jun, forcing a smile held out his hands to the two mutants and crossed his arms as he shook their hands.
"Likewise." Jun said.
"Here, grab yourself some food, Louie's a great chef!" Alice said.
Jun looked over to see the cockroach serving many Mutopians as well as see them help themselves to a buffet of salad, bread, and drinks.
"Okay," he said then felt his stomach growl "I am feeling rather hungry."
He walked over to join the queue for lunch and at the same time, Sharky and Alice sat on the other side of the table with Dahlia.
"Your boyfriend seems rather edgy." Alice admitted.
Dahlia nodded.
"He's upset over what's happened, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the same way, but what can we do about it huh? Nothing!"
Alice and Sharky looked at each other and sighed.
"I understand." Sharky said, "Many have felt the same way as you two."
Alice nodded.
"In fact, if it might be of use to you and your boyfriend, Sephie the Gecko holds meetings for those who have had their lives changed so quickly after being mutated."
Dahlia's eyes widened as she heard that.
"Meetings?" she asked.
Sharky nodded.
"Yeah, like what you'd call AA or Drug meetings, only about how you arrived in Mutopia, given no choice."
Dahlia thought for a moment as she remembered the female gecko mutant along with the dragon who showed her and Jun their new sleeping quarters.
"When are these meetings?" she asked.
"When needed, Sephie normally holds them at 2am" Sharky reported.
"I see." Dahlia said as she thought hard then looked over to see Jun walking over with a plate of food and a glass of soda.
"Hi Tiger man!" Sharky grinned.
Jun glared within but he didn't show his offence at the nickname as he sat next to Dahlia who looked over at him.
"I have to say Jun." Dahlia admitted "This is a rather cool place, and the people here have been kind to us."
"Is it?" Jun questioned.
Dahlia nodded and Jun took a breath before glancing at Sharky and Alice then looked to Jack, Sarah, Heather, Kate, and Percy who were sitting at the next table enjoying their food.
"Not too long after you left our new bedroom, I did too..." Jun admitted "Being cooped up in that room wasn't going to help me. I was still seething...still am, a bit, then while I wondered, I came across a gym where I met them." He motioned to the Cheetah, Wolf, grasshopper, dragonfly, and viper.
"Did you?" Dahlia asked.
Sharky smiled.
"So, you found our Dojo? That's good!"
Jun picked up a roll and started to chew on it.
"Uh huh." He said almost vaguely "Gave me a chance to let off steam."
"How you finding things then?" Alice asked cocking her head as she looked at the tiger.
"It's...still an adjustment." Jun admitted with a shrug as he dipped his bread roll into his soup.
We understand." Alice said, "It's never easy for many who first came here."
"Believe me, we're trying...This is just...a lot..." Jun said looking at Dahlia who nodded in agreement.
"A lot to get used to."
"I getcha." Sharky said, "And I was just saying to your girlfriend, if it helps, Sephie holds meetings about everyone's situations that lead them here to Mutopia."
"Indeed yes." Dahlia said "It might be helpful for us Jun? To talk about what's happened."
Jun frowned as he looked at his girlfriend yet before he could say anything a scruffy brown rat walked over.
He was dressed in a dirty white vest top and cut-off jeans as well as an old pilot hat with matching goggles.
"Well, I'll be a field mouse!" he said as he approached the table "Another wolf? And a lady at that?"
Dahlia looked up and blinked as she saw the rat walk over, bit sure of what to say or think.
The rat then looked over to the next table and caught Jack's attention.
"You know Jack, if she were greyer in colour or you bleached your fur, you two would be cousins!"
Jack rolled his eyes and a couple of voices shouted over.
"Shut up Rattletrap!"
The Rat frowned as he heard the shouts.
"Aww come on man!" he defended with a shrug "Just saying! Well, just thinking out loud."
"That's the problem with you!" Jack snapped "You never think Rattletrap!"
Jun glared as he listened then the brown rat stomped off and Jack turned to face the tiger.
"Sorry about him mate, he's a decent chap, even if he isn't the sharpest knife in the box."
"I'm standing right here!" Rattletrap called over.
"It's alright," Dahlia spoke up "Yet Rattletrap? is it?"
Rattletrap looked over to Dahlia and bowed to her.
"Enchant'e mademoiselle!" he said in a French accent, and everyone rolled their eyes.
"Ugghhh," Sharky growled "His real name is Ryan."
"Yeah." Jack added "Rattletrap's more of an insult really!"
"Oh?" Dahlia asked curiously "Why's that?"
"We'll explain later." Alice said before shooing Rattletrap away who stomped off to get his share of dinner.
"Anyway, if you want to go to this meeting Sephie's holding, it's in one of the conference rooms a few doors down."
"Thanks." Dahlia said then turned to Jun.
"I think we should go." She suggested "Maybe it would help to learn about others who arrived here in the same situation as us."
Jun sighed but he nodded.
"I guess," he said before taking a sip of his soup.
He still was feeling angry and stressed over his and Dahlia's situation, but he knew deep down he couldn't change anything, and his best option was to just go along with it and he also hoped that when he and Dahlia attended the meeting he might feel some comfort meeting others in the same boat.
Relaxing back into his seat, he gave Dahlia a smile before tucking into his lunch which was, in spite of his feelings, was rather delicious.
"Maybe here might not be so bad." He thought to himself "These are rather nice people...mutants, so to speak."
So our new arrivals are seeing how thinsg work in Mutopia and they've been given the chance to meet others in the same shoes as them when they arrived, how will this go?