ITT: We're Animals in a Post-Apocalyptic Town

"Yeah..." says Jack. He puts a hand on his stomach and flinches a little.

"So, uh... ready to go?" he says, smiling again.

I am! Percy grins widely.

Edited by TropesForever on Jul 30th 2019 at 12:58:53 AM

Something about the sadness in Jack's voice makes Peter a bit concerned. He wonders if something is wrong, but decides not to ask for now.

"Yeah, I'm ready to go whenever," he says. "Let me just write down Professor Diggs' address..."

He takes out a notepad and pencil and writes down the address on the bulletin board.

Edited by Bluethorn on Jul 29th 2019 at 10:59:50 AM

"I'm gonna find Rihanna!"

(She goes to the camp from the other thread)

Edited by AutisticAlivia on Jul 30th 2019 at 12:33:56 PM

"Oh," Jack watches the rabbit run away, not sure what to do. "Uh, be careful!"

So you're leaving the thread? Sorry, it's just hard to tell.

"Yeah, take care!" Peter says to the rabbit girl. "Well then, I'll lead the way to the professor's house, guys. Just follow me."

The group follows the directions to Professor Diggs' address, arriving at a small two-story house squeezed between two larger buildings in one of the quieter parts of the town. Peter knocks on the door a few times.

"Come in!" says a jovial voice.

Peter pushes the door open, leading the group right into a messy study. Piles of old books and papers are strewn everywhere. At the desk in front of them sits a smallish, middle-aged gopher with thick glasses and a large green bow tie.

"Professor Diggs?" says Peter.

"You've found him!" says the gopher cheerfully. "Come in, make yourselves at home. Sorry about the state of this place, sometimes I get so lost in my work that I forget to take care of it, ha ha..."

Uh, hey! (Wanda says. As she looks for a place to sit down, she mutters:) Man, and I thought my place was a mess...

"Mine too," Jack whispers. But he smiles at how warmly Diggs greeted them.

"Nice to meet you, Professor! It's no problem, I'm the same way."

Edited by DrNoPuma on Jul 30th 2019 at 3:44:46 PM

The stag (Cameron) quickly came in after the group.

"Sure, I'd love to come along. M-my name's Donna, by the way."

"Oh, nice to meet you, Donna," says Peter, waving to her and to the stag who had also come in.

He then addresses Professor Diggs."Professor, we're here to see you because of the—"

"Oh, I know that, lad," says Diggs, grinning. "You saw my help request on the job listings, am I right? I don't normally receive visitors like this."

"Er... yeah," says Peter.

"So, uh," says Jack. "What do you do around here? What's this about, exactly?"

Edited by DrNoPuma on Jul 30th 2019 at 8:35:33 AM

"Glad you asked!" says Diggs, getting up from his chair and walking over to a wall where a large map is hung. He rubs his chin thoughtfully as he looks at it. "You see, I've devoted most of my career to studying the monster outbreak of a hundred years ago and the time leading up to it. And that makes our current job very important to me."

"You want us to explore some ruins, right?" asks Peter. "What's the connection between them and the apocalypse?"

"Ah, well you see," says Diggs, "These aren't just any ruins. They were very recently discovered. Not many are even aware of their existence yet, but I have my sources. And those sources have informed that there's something... off about the monster activity in that area."

(Wanda looks briefly nervous but quickly hides said expression in favor of a more confident one.) Off how?

Jack shudders at the mention of monsters.

"Everything about them is off. I wish they never existed."

(Donna goes over to Jack and gives him a hug.)
"It's okay to be scared, Jack."

"Me too, Jack..." says Peter sadly. "They say that the world was so beautiful before they appeared... I wish we had gotten to live there."

"Yes, well..." says Diggs after a brief silence. "It's true that they are vicious creatures. Fascinating from a scholar's perspective, but vicious... ah, where was I? Oh yes," he continues in response to Wanda's question, "by off, I mean that the monster activity there is unusually high. Almost as if they're drawn to the place somehow... that's why I must see these ruins with my own eyes. To find the answers they must hold."

Jack hugs Donna back. "Thank you," he says with a smile.

"Hm..." he says to Professor Diggs. "I am pretty scared of them, but maybe you're right. This does sound fascinating. Those ruins could help us learn a lot about the monsters, and our world."

("Ohmygoshsomanymonstersonmyfirsttryreallywhyamidoingthiswhydidimakemyselfdoallthis-")

Oh, huh, gotcha. (Wanda says to the professor, with little indication of how nervous she actually is.) Maybe there's some sort of...I dunno, magic something or other there that they're drawn to?

Edited by kablammin45 on Jul 30th 2019 at 9:50:41 AM

"Maybe so," says Diggs. "We still don't know much about what these monsters really are, after all, and what they're after... but, well, that's why I've devoted my life's work to this. Ah, pardon my rambling, sometimes my enthusiasm gets the better of me..."

He turns toward the group. "So! Are you all ready to go?"

"N-now?" asks Peter.

"Well, if you folks need a while to prepare, take your time. The ruins aren't going anywhere," says Diggs with a smile.

"Thank you, Professor," says Jack. He looks around at the others.

"Uh, I hate to sound rude, but... well, we all just met. You all seem really nice, but it's strange working with animals I don't know. I was thinking, if we're going to work together, maybe we should take some time to get to know each other more. You know, maybe have each of us say a few things about ourselves, like what's your name, what do you do, that sort of thing. What do you all think?"

Edited by DrNoPuma on Jul 30th 2019 at 10:44:28 AM

"That sounds good, Jack," says Peter. "We could use some time before we go, and it would be nice to get to know each other better. Is it okay with you, Professor?"

"Oh, yes, naturally!" says Diggs. "Perhaps we should do this outside? It's a bit cramped in here, and there's a little park down the street from here that would be perfect."

"Oh yes, that sounds great!" says Jack. "What do you think, guys? Ready to go?"

Oh, yeah, let's go. (Wanda says, jumping up.)

"I'm ready, yeah," says Peter.

Diggs then leads the group to the park down the street. There is a pond, some benches to sit down, and a children's playground nearby, but no one is around.

"Here we are!" says Diggs.

"All right," says Peter, looking around at the group. "Let me say a little bit about myself, then... my name's Peter, and the first time I went outside the town walls was three years ago. I usually do simple jobs out there like mining and fishing, sometimes in groups of two or three. I can fight a little... enough to defend myself from most of the monsters in the area, but I prefer to avoid them if I can. I'll admit, this is really going to be my first time exploring ruins, though. But I'll try my best..." he pauses for a moment. "I think that covers most of it, but if there's anything else you guys want to know, feel free to ask."