smk_network | Video

[Webby appears... upside-down? No, adjusting your mirror-phone won't fix it, she's actually like that - she's practicing headstands, and had turned it on so she could talk.]

Hi everyone! I heard we got a bunch of newbies, so if we haven't met, I'm Webby Vanderquack! I've been here a while, so I figured it's time I really took advantage of all the different people here. See, one day, I'm going to be the best adventurer - slash - spy - slash - explorer, and to do that I need to know absolutely everything about everything!

Plus, I like learning stuff. It's fun!

[Now she begins trying to balance on one hand, then goes back to the other hand.]

Back home, just being with my friends taught me all kinds of things! Dewey taught me about sledding, Huey taught me about the Junior Woodchucks, Louie taught me how con free juice, and Lena taught me how to take no prisoners in a pillow fight.

So what I'm asking is, what do you think you can teach me? I'll take lessons on anything! Weaponry, martial arts, cooking, sewing, photography, hacking, fashion, basket-weaving, lion-taming - uh-oh - WHOA -

[In the middle of her list, she lost her balance and fell over right onto her side. Oof.]

... how to identify a concussion...

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It's good to meet you Miss Vanderquack, I'm Mrs. Amelia Peabody Emerson. [Musing at the likeness between Miss Vanderquack's name and her dear friend Cyrus Vandergelt.]

[Well. Amelia was just going to have to get used to the notion of all this conversing wildlife wasn't she...? Also this Webby Vanderquack looked decidedly more civilized in her colorful frock than some of the other examples of this phenomenon had been. Besides- there was something they could find common ground on; that was the desire to seek adventure. The aspiring explorer had not included her qualifications so Amelia wasn't sure if she held any prior experience with any of the subjects she listed]

Considering the interests you mentioned I could teach you about proper excavation procedures. It's not enough just to go gallivanting out on the premise of seeking some treasure but all artifacts are important for keeping an accurate historical record, they must be properly described, cataloged and preserved for future generations right down to precisely where they were located in the first place.

[To that last part.... she also had an answer]

Symptoms of a concussion can take a considerable amount of time to present themselves. If you are not currently experiencing dizziness, fuzzy vision, or nausea you could develop them later.... however I don't believe that you're in any danger falling from that height.

[Now that she's sitting up properly, she pauses to check out the symptoms Amelia described, and then nodded approvingly.]

None of those, so we're in the clear! But yeah, I definitely want to know those procedures! It'd be a bummer to find a hidden treasure only to accidentally destroy it when trying to get it out, after going through all those booby traps and cursed doors.

[How Emerson would have lamented Amelia playing the role of doctor again but he wasn't here to complain was he? Not that he had ever dissuaded her before mind you]

Excellent! [Since it was indeed good news that this young fowl was unharmed] I admire your enthusiasm however the existence of traps and curses are more a fabrication concocted by the more devious minds of those in the press. [It was impossible not to think of Kevin O'Connell when such things were mentioned. He had a flare for infusing his articles with sensationalism, and it was always a struggle to curtail his inclusion of her family in them]

That's not to say that excavation does not come fraught with it's own dangers and considerations but not so many as you suppose.

Edited 2020-01-14 07:48 (UTC)

... Wow, your world must be kind of dull compared to mine, if you've never come across a trap or curse before.

[She means well. She just doesn't realize how that sounds.]

I beg your pardon? [Amelia did sound a little insulted by the insinuation] I'll have you know that we have faced landslides, tomb robbers, alleged curses, presumably reanimated mummies, and most importantly.... vicious murderers.

It has not been, nor ever has been boring.

Edited 2020-01-14 21:36 (UTC)

Oh, that's much better!

[It's almost said like a relief.]

Maybe in your world you get extra ones of those to make up for the lack of curses and traps, and we get less of all that. Trying to make it even without it being exactly equal. Or something like that. I have no idea why the universes are so different.

[And she's getting distracted again.]

[Amelia was torn on how to take that reaction. On the one hand it was certainly peculiar, on the other.... she would have been disappointed herself without some of the danger to add spice to their work. She delighted in ferreting out the criminals and bringing them to justice]

I cannot say with any certainty that the universe tries to uphold some unseen standards of balance like the celestial scales of the constellation Libra- that being said you have touched upon a fascinating subject. Back in my country- for it seems a bit too grand to always refer to it as my world -for instance, the ducks are quite different and are devoid of being capable of human speech. That is but one of many differences between the places of our origin I should think.

Edited 2020-01-15 05:39 (UTC)

Yeah, I've heard that a lot in human-based worlds. In fact, you guys seem to be the majority.

We don't have humans back where I'm from - or at least none that I've seen. Any explorer worth their torches know that just because you haven't seen it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist!