Dynamic Patrol: Gel-Squad (Remastering!)

Chapter 40: Chores

After their brawl, Tommy moved to another bedroom further down the hall. It was barebones compared to Russell's and was, by textbook definition, a guest room containing only the bare necessities. Kallum told him to get as comfortable as possible, but Tommy decided not to make himself at home in favor of exploring the village. Immediately, he noticed he was the only one not conforming to the attire. So that encouraged a few awkward glances from the natives. Tommy explored the village on his own until Kallum pulled him aside and welcomed him officially as a 'member' of the Tribe; he also told him some of the rules; they were more common sense things for the most part, with the significant regulations being: don't desert, and pull your weight. Everyone seemed to have been selected for a job based on their particular set of skills; Russell was a hunter; at least, that's what he gathered from the merge. This was one of the jobs that Kallum thought Tommy would've been interested in. Although they didn't eat the animals, they did use the hides. Their unique materials were almost designed to work in tandem with the Omeocoons' bodies; if an Omeocoon wore clothing that was made out of a Gel-Panther's fur, for example, that would give the clothing the unique ability to stretch and shift along with its wearer, however in recent years, they'd mastered the art of crafting clothing with Panthorian silk, which was more environmentally friendly, but regardless of silk or hide, wearing clothing during a merge was still uncomfortable, so they removed them. Tommy didn't think he was cut out to be a hunter.

But he thought it was pretty neat how the outer garments were passed down from generation to generation and served as family heirlooms; some of them were earned by hard work and dedication to the Tribe. Tommy was surprised that Kallum even allowed 'outsiders' to join in. He supposed the members needed to be cycled in now and again to augment the population; when they tried to leave, Kallum had a problem with it. Again, Tommy learned this information during the mass merge. Along with various tidbits, some faces and names he could recognize immediately as he walked to the village, areas felt familiar, but it was still good to learn by himself. As he did, he made himself useful by helping an older woman hang her sign over her shop. He impressed her and several others with his stretching abilities, so much so that they started calling him 'The Stretcher.' Tommy began to realize that the villagers weren't as familiar with their abilities as Tommy previously believed; for one thing, no one stretched all that often, and only a few, like the hunting parties, were versed in the morphing of weaponry. Tommy didn't like to label things or people... but Omeocoon city dwellers often categorized tribal Omeocoon as more simple folk. That made sense, but in a good way; there was little technology, no sign of artificial intelligence or the Omoecoon central network, no robots, and no hovercars—just people living their lives. Every home was built as an Eco-house; all were made of tan colored adobe, each a cookie-cutter style, leaving little room for individual personalization, to be expected when the leader was a control freak. Kallum liked uniformity. Tommy knew they'd been passed down from generation to generation, like the skirts.

Designed for island life, they utilized very little power except for essential lighting, and the lack of windows allowed for circulation, which supplemented air conditioning. Tommy was looking at one of these houses with great interest while exploring the village until he was stopped by one of his roommates. Oscar was slightly shorter than Tommy and moved along with a large garden tool in both hands. Preparing to do his chores, he had a straw hat on and hummed as he moved along. He bumped into Tommy, holding his tool close to his chest as he looked at the gel squirrel with interest, "Woopsie-daisy! My bad. Oh, howdy, Tom. How's it going? I hope we haven't been too hard on you!" He started with a slight hop in excitement, Oscar, who seemed to think Tommy was 'cute' the first time they'd met. He spoke with an Earthen southern accent that Tommy found charming. "I'm fine, a little overwhelmed... but I'll get over it. What are you up to?'' Tommy asked, remembering the thing about 'pulling weight,' figuring he could help someone else with their chores. "Oh, me? Nothin', just going to tend to my plants." He said with a light laugh, followed by a smile, which made Tommy a little less apprehensive, "Wait, you don't have a job yet, do you? Wanna help with my chores? The greenhouse is just down yonder," Oscar said, pointing with the tool. Tommy nodded, not even taking a moment to think about it, and followed along, pleased that he didn't have to be the one to ask about helping. Oscar was more than excited. They moved toward the greenhouse in the distance; it was one of the larger structures in the village and not too far of a walk, just like Oscar said.