Sorry for the long wait guys. Work kind of crept up on me but I feel fine now. Time to continue forth.
Chapter 12: How the World Works
"This rain is ridiculous. If there wasn't a damper on my mood before it started there sure as hell is now." Plotz grumbled to himself, standing by the open doorway and looking out into the empty lot. He wasn't exactly sure how he felt or what exactly he was feeling. The acts of violence that had been taking place recently were making headlines for being consistent with how close to the Studio they were. People were eventually going to see this place as some sort of makeshift home-base for the freaking Grim Reaper.
Mindy was sitting in a chair behind him with Buttons sitting by the side. She was frowning rather deeply. Buttons was eyeing up at her with genuine concern. This poor girl was already living a very odd life for someone so young. Being shown on nationwide television under the pressure of Hollywood producers and directors all for the sake of making a check that her mom was going to cash in for herself didn't sound very fair.
She rolled with it though. She was always smiling and happy and even though she was oblivious to what exactly was going on, she was feeling it's effects, and yet still giggled her whole way through the show.
Now she was stuck on this lot due to an offhanded connection she had concerning the murder of three people. That was just…
Buttons didn't have much more time to think though. He was feeling a sense of dread coming on for some reason. He sometimes wished his species wasn't so good at sensing impending danger. Only sometimes though, as tight situations and fast feet are necessary for survival. As he looked out the window, he instantly recognized why it had come and what was wrong.
Plotz was still starring out at the rain, wondering just what exactly he was going to do about all this. Ralph was in the back room, trying to clean up the clutter around his main office room. His guard was close by yet he didn't feel safe at all. Not the least bit so.
The offset that he dreaded came through quicker than expected though when Buttons nudged his nose against his pants leg, trying to grab his attention.
"What is it dog? If you're hungry there's probably a squirrel out there in the rain somewhere. Just make sure to clean up when you're done-" The stout man began before Buttons gritted his teeth and stepped on his foot. Plotz jolted upward a bit and hopped on one foot about to set it down and kick the mutt with the other when he noticed he was pointing with his paw.
Plotz grimaced and faced the pin-pointed direction. Gradually and quickly his face shifted from angry to spastic. More bad stuff was happening around his lot, and this curse on his legacy just wouldn't go away.
There was smoke rising from over the horizon. It was raining though which meant that this wasn't a messily camp fire someone had set up in the small patch of trees on the trail leading to the hospital. It must've been quite the roaring blaze. What could that mean? Imagining the worst possible scenario seemed to clue him in rather quickly. His reaction was just as fast.
"RALPH!"
The guard heard the shout from where he slouched, wiping off the grime from under Thaddeus' desk and banged his forehead on the top in surprise when he name was bellowed.
"Stop whatever it is you're doing back there and come along with me!" Plotz screamed again, already dialing his cell-phone. "You two. You're with me." He said turning toward Mindy and Buttons, getting their attention as he turned to leave while the other end of the call came through. He couldn't leave those two alone. After all that's happened, he'd be in an incredibly bad position should something happen to them.
"Hello. This is Thaddeus Plotz… yes I know it's rather soon but I need a fire department… thank you! A-And just in case, I may need additional assistance from the police…" Plotz was already walking down his front building's steps and headed toward the direction of the hospital. Without the structures in the way, he was able to make out more clearly the rising intensity of the blaze overhead. He knew that whatever happened was definitely at that hospital. With his luck, there was no doubt. With a murderer on the lose, additional police assistance would help put an end to these homicidal acts being committed on his grounds.
Still, thinking all of this at once still didn't prepare him for the answer he got on the other end. It made him reel back a bit in surprise.
"Wha-? You say Detective Shorenay already has a police squadron on the way? … An overheard conversation with one of the doctors? Why wasn't I info-" He was about to lambast the lady on the other end before she finished her statement, which made his heart pump faster. He didn't even notice Ralph, Mindy, and Buttons following along behind him as they headed out.
"You say they know who the killer is…?"
The Goodfeathers were perched on the front gate of the Warner Brother's lot. For some reason, the rain wasn't bothering them here.
"Sheesh. What a weird vibe we got from Yakko." Squit spoke up all of a sudden.
"Yeah. He's got some demons, I'll tell ya that." Bobby responded staring straight out ahead.
"If he wants to go out on a sour note with us than fine. The only reason we're stuck here is because of this stupid investigation. And even if that wasn't the case, we still haven't gotten our last pay check because of it." Pesto grumbled.
"Hey. Stay coo. We'll get-" Bobby stopped. He saw sirens. Police sirens were outside of the gate. Flashing red and blue lights; yeah, those were definitely police sirens.
"Oh great. This must mean that they finally figured out who to pin this mess on. We'll be outta here in no time." Pesto grinned.
"… I don't… think so. Something tells me we're gonna be in quite the jam after whatever this is blows over…" Bobby said aloud.
"Why you gotta be so negative?" Pesto retorted. Bobby shot back.
"Cause I'm smarter than you."
It took a while but they made it. By the time Plotz and his group had made it to the hospital, part of the forest was on fire as well. That was insane.
"What in the name of Stephen's fat wallet happened here?!" Plotz shouted and ran forward, catching a glimpse of a few familiar faces, stumbling toward him.
Skippy Squirrel and the broadway pair, Rita and Runt were wobbling straight at him, coughing and wheezing as they moved ahead. They seemed extremely tired out. The hospital was big but they should've had enough time to escape it before the fire got that big, correct?
"You three! What happened?!" Plotz scrambled up to them as Skippy fell to his knees with tears in his eyes.
"We… we got lost on the way out… I was too scared and I ended up making a few turns when I shouldn't have… and b-by the time we got out the place was burning up…" Skippy tried explaining with his watery eyes closed.
"We… " Rita began but stopped to let out a cough. "… ended up leaving the Warners, your P-Sychiatrist, and the nurse behind. I don't know if they're still alive."
Plotz began sweating hard again. "W-Well… I called the fire department… a-and they're close by so it really shouldn't be a problem for them to get here but… " He fiddled with his fingers. Would that be enough time. This was a movie studio lot where accidents tended to happen often enough. The fire department was assuredly rather close for that very reason but it all depends on how long this fire's been brewing or where they were when the fire started to engulf them.
"Okay… someone's got to go in and make sure they're okay." Plotz spoke up again, already shaking. "Erm… R-Ralph?"
Ralph frowned a bit, looking hesitant himself before facing the building. Realistically, what was he going to be expected to do? Plotz honestly wouldn't hold it against the man if he refused.
The surrounding onlookers felt their hearts jump when the guard took his steps forward to give it a shot. Of course, something like this, you succeeded at or you flat out failed.
It seems fortune was somewhat kind to them here as it turns out. The door was burst open right as Ralph put his foot on the first step. They all gasped and starred ahead at the escapees.
Dr. Scratchnsniff was holding Hello Nurse in his arms. She was bleeding out her leg. It was gushing actually. It didn't look pretty at all.
By their side was a soot ridden Dot Warner, who was wobbling while standing still. She didn't look good either.
"Scratchnsniff! Ms. Nurse! What happened? What's going on?" Plotz sounded shaky and frantic.
Scratchnsniff grimaced and stepped down toward Plotz. "This hospital is no good. We need an ambulance."
"I can SEE that it's no good! How'd it GET that way?" Plotz couldn't control how intense his voice was here. Mindy was clutching Buttons in the background. More blood. More things a kid her age shouldn't be exposed to.
Dot suddenly looked up and stared out ahead into the rain. The sirens and oncoming people from way behind them wasn't noticeable to any of them, much less her.
"They're not here." She mouthed silently. Dr. Scratchnsniff turned to face her direction when she spoke but jolted in surprise when he saw her turn back around and run right into the burning building again!
"H-Hey! Dot! Come back out this instant ya!" He set Hello Nurse down quicker than he wanted to and ran toward the enterance but shrunk back when a roaring blaze hindered his progress. Dot managed to slip through due to her size and pure luck. That luck wouldn't last the longer she remained inside though.
Cough! COUGH! Hack! COUGH!
Dot wandered through the place, instantly disoriented and confused. Dr. Scratchnsniff had found Hello Nurse and her on the ground and led them to the exit. The flames were already getting to her then and she didn't have much time out in the open air before she rushed back in.
However, she didn't have time. The longer her siblings remained inside the worse off they were. The smoke would suffocate them before the fire charred their bodies beyond a reasonable doubt.
She couldn't tell where she was all that well judging by how different this place looked shrouded in flowing red and orange but after squinting her eyes and focusing hard on keeping her brain active and unaffected by the smoke she leered down the pathway she saw Yakko head in. She coughed a bit harder and headed there, remembering how she dropped Wakko and saw him roll his way into the next room. This had to be the right place.
It had to be. If it wasn't, she was going to probably die. There was no way she was going to leave without the two of them at her side.
With a hefty shove, she pushed the door open that had been blocked by the broken plaster from the ceiling. She let out a much more straining cough than the ones she did before when the heat from the room struck her face. She struggled to keep her now teary eyes open as she stepped forward.
The clutter in her way wasn't much. That was good considering what she found when she removed one particularly large piece of plaster.
She gasped and started to choke because of it. She couldn't help that though. They were right here.
Wakko and Yakko were huddled together in a hug on the floor. They were unconscious and had very tiny particles of dried tears below their eyes. In a fire this intense, that she could tell they had been crying at all was astounding.
She only had seconds to marvel at their forms before she bent down and hoisted them both over her shoulders. They were completely limp. She couldn't even tell if they were alive. Her heart was beating too fast and her breathing was too erratic for her to even attempt at making sure they were. They'd be dead anyway should they stay around here.
She was the youngest of the group and having to haul her two older brothers through a dangerous sea of fire wasn't an assurance that she'd reach safety at all. There was a chance that they'd catch fire on the side because of the inability to keep watch on whether or not the fire reached them. Her eyes were struggling to stay open enough for her to see if the fire would latch onto her own body.
When she made it through the door though, something clicked in her body when she saw the intense towers of fire in front of her. She was sweating and coughing and struggling to stay on her feet. The fact that she would've collapsed by now if she was by herself put emphasis on how much of a miracle it was she was pushing through with both her heavy brothers hunched onto her body.
That didn't matter though. Her drive had increased. She knew where the door was and she saw a clear path to the still open yet slightly blocked opening that led to the outside. There was no way she was getting through this without getting burnt in some way. Carefully maneuvering her way through this so that she couldn't get hit with it would only hinder her progress and give the fire enough time to block her way some more. They were getting out of here now!
Dot already felt the fire crawling up her leg as she stood contemplating this. There was no more time. She clutched her arms tightly around her brothers and stared ahead in determination, doing her best to ignore how singed her dress was getting and how her fur was catching the embers too. She rushed straight forward and barreled through the danger in a straight line!
"Guh! GAAAAH!" Dot let out a few extended screams. She almost went down onto her knees at one point but shifted her weight back upward and tripped over the debris that had fallen in the door's way before falling through a small wall of fire that landed her outside the hospital, down the small steps, and into the mud.
Dr. Scratchnsniff had doused himself in a puddle of the rain water before heading toward the enterance to see if he could somehow fight his way through and bring Dot back before she came crashing through. The small plumes of flame on her and her brothers were extinguished quickly. Dot was panting extraordinarily hard before she looked up at the doctor with a small smile.
"Haha. Made it."
Dr. Scratchnsniff smiled slightly before sighing and bending down to help her up. "I apologize but… you're not out of the fire just yet…"
Dot was confused by his words before she shifted her hazy gaze at what she saw in front of them. Mindy, Buttons, Rita, Runt, Plotz, and Ralph had been all but pushed to the side by the squad of officers that had seemingly lined up in front of the hospital in preparation for their hypothetical reemergence.
Hello Nurse was being loaded into the ambulance that had accompanied the police and the fire fighters were on their way, not at all far behind. Dot knew she had heard them coming close before she went inside the building but the fact that they had all made it here so quickly in such a short time confused her. They must've already been on their way. But how could they have known that something that would warrant the police and an ambulance was over the horizon?
Dot centered her look onto the man standing in the center. He was Detective Shorenay. He stood there with a sneer and a walkie-talkie in his hand before approaching the Warners and the p-sychiatrist as he laid out Wakko and Yakko to inspect them for burns.
"I knew it. It seems my intelligence tactics were correct in their execution eh Dr. Scratchnsniff?" Shorenay almost had to hold back a bit of a laugh.
The doctor couldn't help taking his gaze away from the unconscious and barely alive children to shoot the detective a disapproving growl of disgust.
"What tactic was that?" He asked unprepared for what was about to happen next.
The detective didn't answer right away. Instead he reached down and grabbed Yakko harshly by one of his arms and hoisted him up.
"Careful how you handle him!" Scratchnsiff shouted.
"Let go of Yakko!" Dot snapped. She knew he was a detective but the way he was holding Yakko was un-subtly disrespectful as well as harmful.
"You know it too don't you? That this kid is the murderer that we've all been looking for." Shorenay announced out-loud to all the onlookers. To the police officers standing at attention but a growing look of genuine surprise. To Mindy and Buttons who co-stared with the funny Warner siblings. To Rita and Runt who had witnessed first-hand Yakko's crazed and uncontrollable state of insanity. To Skippy Squirrel who was convinced that he was trapped in some kind of nightmare where his friends were changing and suffering accordingly.
To Dot who was struggling to stand up and clock Shorenay in the nose for being so insensitive and tactless!
"Yakko… Yakko is sick… not just physically but he's not well in the head a-" Dot struggled before Shorenay grimaced and stamped his foot into the mud, making it splash into Dot's face.
"This investigation has unveiled many a result in what the psyche behind the actions of this criminal was. The deaths of those three teenagers hinged on the kidnapping and torture of his little brother. The blond child and her dog came across him in the dumpster at a specific time where it could be reasonably calculated from the time of his capture to the time of his release and to the time of their deaths. You three have been under constant financial troubles that this older brother of yours has been trying to fix and allude the consequences of all his own ever since your main series' cancellation. Because of that, Thaddeus Plotz was attacked." Shorenay spoke while tightening his grip on Yakko's arm.
Plotz blinked, frozen by that declaration. This man was saying that it was Yakko who had come at him with that axe?! Really?!
"There are CLEAR motivations behind those actions. Revenge for the lack of money and revenge for the plight his younger brother suffered through are the common items to focus on here. And the confirmation I got from the doctor today closed the case when the young boy came into the room himself and killed the man while the talkie was still active. I heard his voice. I heard the squelching of blood onto the surface of the marble floor as the weapon was driven into his now charred body. I heard it all and can tell you all up front, he was enjoying what he was doing quite a lot."
Dot's head was in the palm of her hands. She wanted to shoot back with an explanation. There was a reasoning behind all that. She didn't know exactly what it was but she knew that there was something about Yakko that wasn't… of this world.
Realistically though, how could she expect this man to believe that? How could she expect anyone to? How could she even convince herself of it if she had nothing to go on in that sense?
All she had was her love and assurance of knowing who Yakko actually was to go on. Unfortunately though, statements like that didn't fly in the face of the law.
"You set up a communication between that doctor on purpose…" Dr. Scratchnsniff rose to meet Shorenay face to face. "Setting that up would've yielded no help for you unless that man faced Yakko and because of that he was sure to die. You knew he was in danger and yet still went ahead with the idea?"
"All for the greater good my friend." Shorenay had no quams with admitting to his scheme in the slightest.
"You're completely twisted yourself no?" Scratchnsniff grabbed at Shorenay's collar. The detective wasn't intimidated.
"What happened to the doctor wasn't set up by me. I simply used my knowledge of the situation to make it so that someone I had suspected of being a killer was flushed out. Not unlike that tactic of getting the hospital to release Wakko early." Shorenay explained. Dot's eyes shot wide open.
"… Y-You? You're the reason they threw Wakko out?! H-How could you! Wakko needed medical attention and still does! He-" Dot was frantic and angry.
"Calm yourself little lady. He'll get his medical attention." Shorenay said holding his hand up and beckoning the remaining ambulance caretakers to come over and gather up Wakko and Dot. Dot struggled from being taken away by them when they tried to pull her into the vehicle.
"You tricked Yakko into going after someone innocent when it was you! You're a monster!" Dot growled and struggled to attack him. The caretakers were surprised by how much trouble they were having pulling her along despite how injured and tired she was.
She submitted instantly when Shorenay responded. He didn't even look at her when he uttered his cold reply.
"Ah, confirmation from the younger sister that he is indeed the murderer. What a nice clinch. We're done here boys. Case Closed."
Dot felt her body turn to rubber when those words reached her ears. She was pulled into the ambulance with zero effort by them because of it.
The way of this world was deceptively harsh. Dot stared ahead with tears building into her eyes as she saw them cuff her unconscious older brother and all but throw him into the back seat of the police car. It wasn't even a separate ambulance.
Scratchnsniff pressed his hand to his face. Yakko wasn't going to get any leeway because he was a kid. It wouldn't work like that for an exceptionally crazy toon like him.
Plotz stood his ground, pouting a tiny bit and watching as the main cop car started to drive off with Yakko in tow while the others stayed for the slew of questions and final statements that were sure to be coming next. Was he feeling guilt? Why? There was nothing he could do about their situation.
"Congratulations. This is the darkest sketch in television history. Darkest sketch, darkest sketch…" Plotz found himself unenthusiastically reciting a line he had heard from a show produced by Seth Green. He stopped rather quickly when he realized that it was just making him feel worse.
Skippy was curled up in a ball on the mud, shaking and shivering, calling out silently for his Aunt Slappy. He couldn't focus on where he was or what was happening anymore. The rain was pouring and cold. The fire was loud and hot. The fire fighters were rushing onto the scene and their steps sounded like mini Godzilla feet sloshing through the mud to him.
Buttons made a play of getting Mindy settled next to a police car. His thoughts were all over the place. The last thing on his or anyone's mind was how soaked they were getting, just standing there, thinking about all this out in the pouring rain.
Outside the Warner Brothers gate, a lone figure stood among the blaring sirens and the confused onlookers.
"You know… despite all this chaos, being here again doesn't feel any different from when I was here before…"
It was closed.
The Studio was closed currently with the residents of the investigation still trapped inside due to technicalities that Plotz had to follow before he could let them leave. He couldn't let them go home. He couldn't have anyone go to work. He couldn't even have anyone off-handedly work on their own projects without pay if they really wanted to.
The amount of money he was losing from all this and the disapproving comments he's been faxed from the higher ups were grating on his nerves. He couldn't help but feel the stress weigh down on him.
The news day that came that night of Yakko's arrest. The blow up that resulted from the day after. All of it was damaging in some way to the studio. If any tourists came these past few days it wasn't at all in favor of the way things were going.
A few of the people in the Warner Brothers crowd itself were making statements on television about this whole thing.
"Like me and Scoob had this panel at a convention when the TVs just started lettin' loose with the news man." Shaggy Rodgers of the Mystery Inc. Gang spoke to a news-reporter the day after the arrest.
"Reah! He was rust a rid! Rit ras hard to berieve." Scooby spoke next to Shaggy, looking rather down cast.
Some truly didn't know what to think.
"It only takes so much to drive someone over the deep end. Hmm... I'm wondering where I'll end up should this new project I'm working on not take off. Intense man." Freakazoid paced back and forth like a spaz in front of the camera during his statement.
Some were more angry about the situation at hand than others.
"I stopped by the Warner Brother's lot about a day before the fire happened and they wouldn't let me in! I'll have them know that without me, half of their assets wouldn't even exist! Who pitched to them the original draft of Space Jam? Foghorn did! AFTER, he said he brewed the idea from when I fell off the roof and into a trash-can. It was a mental transfer of an ingenious idea from me to him that I so selflessly refused to take credit for until today! I never once thought that Warner Brothers would resort to treating their stars like trash over this nonsense!" Daffy Duck was rather loud and pushy about his statements to the point where the reporter was starting to feel uncomfortable.
"Eh. It seems Daffy more blames the studio than the Warners themselves. As for me, all I can really say on the issue is that if the situation they were in truly led to Yakko Warner committing all those crimes than my heart goes out to him and his family of three. Too often have I been in this biz and seen toons fall from grace because of cancellation, whether the show was successful or not. Seldom does the star get to move on to something bigger and better outside of cameos for someone else's next big fling. That goes for any studio. I remember the headlines after Bonkers was cancelled. Didn't favor the show myself but what the poor guy put himself through before his even more permanent everlasting "departure" I hated even worse. Dat's all I really gotta say. I don't feel like going into this again." Bugs Bunny said, waving the camera off and walking away as Daffy rambled on in the background.
All the toon stars had pretty much the same consensus despite having separate things to say. What was happening was only another development on what they had already seen before. What made this case special though was that Yakko… was indeed just a kid.
The fact that he was so young let loose an intense air of unease among the crowd of television viewers to the point where, when they saw a child star on screen, some couldn't help think that no matter how successful they were now, they were destined for something sad and horrible later on.
Replay value doesn't exist often when it comes to toons. Video Game stars like Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Eggman, Mario, and Luigi have it made. The same extends to icons like Mickey and Bugs. Of course, you can only get into this business expecting it to be what your life demands of you. Almost every toon is born with that innate feeling of wanting to be on T.V. They want to go through the motions of what it is at least once in their life and almost all of them manage to make it happen in some way.
When the spot-light is turned away from them, some of them manage to cope with it and realize that they're time in the sun is over. They go out and get other jobs and build up on them in the hopes that they can remain happy. Some of them succeed.
However, those looking to continuously star in movies and shows simply aren't able too. Everyone would just write it off as pathetic and pandering to a crowd that need not be heeded. What's Fievel from American Tail doing in the newest Tim Burton flick? They can't act as a separate alias like some people can. They are who they are on the shows and the movies. That's always been how it worked and no matter who you called yourself in your newest project, no one would ever be able to see you as anyone different.
There's a variation to every case. Slappy Squirrel lived a glorious life. Being able to star in her own series of toons and being called in for a unique slot on Animaniacs with the gimmick of being a toon veteran was pure genius. She's been in the game her whole life, something that's almost unheard of.
The worst cases were when a toon's new show didn't even last a few episodes. They couldn't start over and hope to try again with something better. Their image was already out there as something that failed. Cases like those usually ended in suicides.
Staring at the front gate of the gravely empty Warner Brothers studio lot today were two toons with special cases of their own. Wakko and Dot Warner had finally made it back.
Their burns had been treated and their bodies had been rested. They were given a free ride back as they had no money to bring themselves home. It wouldn't matter anyway. With Yakko gone and no way of knowing how to acquire money like he did, their time left in that Water Tower was short. They'd be on the street any day now. Their clock was ticking down and they didn't know anyone who had the money or resources to take them in aside from Plotz. And even that wouldn't have been possible considering how he was contractually obligated not to house any of the stars. The situation with them living in the tower was stretching the rules enough as it is.
The two of them had a few bandages on their arms but otherwise, they were fine. Wakko hadn't gotten any new injuries or sustained after-effects from the fire aside from a few light burns and disturbed lungs. With the care for that out of the way, all that was left was his rehabilitation from the pain he suffered from the group that kidnapped him. Most of him was pretty much back to normal but he was still feeling a little fragile. He planned on getting a good amount of rest once he got in. He wanted this full recovery to be over and done with so he could focus solely on the emotional damage he was going through now.
Dot had gone and added injuries to herself outside of the ones she suffered just running away from Yakko. The result from the vase crashing at the back of her head was something that needed taking care of. The strain on her body from carrying both her older brothers to safety while she could barely breath needed attention as well. This was all on top of the burns she sustained of course. Still, that was over and done with for her. Like Wakko, she just wanted to find someplace to wallow in sadness.
The two of them just stared up at the WB logo on the front of the gate, not pushing it open, not giving an inch until Wakko sighed and turned toward Dot. He was the de-facto leader with Yakko gone.
"We should head inside. It's kind of cold out here." Wakko spoke solemnly. The sun wasn't out. Ever since the night of the fire they haven't even seen it. Nothing but really cloudy skies and cold winds were upon them since. It's as if nature was making fun of them.
Dot didn't give him a verbal response. She just used the key she had to open the lock and push the gate open. The only reason they had been allowed outside of the place was due to the hospital inside the place having been burnt to the ground. From here on in, it was seclusion from the world until everything gets officially sorted out.
The two of them walked inside. The lot looked more like a ghost town than anything. For some reason it was hard to imagine the two of them running alongside their brother through this gloomy place with smiles on their faces like before.
"I really want to just go to bed. I'll say hi to everybody later." Dot spoke up and turned toward the direction of the Water Tower. She wanted to be alone. Wakko understood that. He didn't really feel like mingling with his friends at the moment. He was about to follow her when they both stopped due to a voice addressing him from their sides. It was a familiar one that made Wakko reel around in surprise.
"Hello Wakko." That was all that was said. The context behind it was the voice. He knew that voice.
"… Buster?" Wakko stared straight at the blue bunny in front of him.
"Yo." Buster spoke again. More confirmation that this wasn't a dream; Dot even thought she was seeing things.
A small cameo on Animaniacs; that was the last time he had seen or heard from the guy. There were no letters he would send. There was no news about him on Television or in the newspapers. There wasn't even any new information online. He wondered if Buster just happened to drop off the face of the Earth. Then again, he would get that feeling with most of the stars who left the lot and never really came back.
Wakko and Dot continued to stare at him for a few more seconds before they shook their heads and came back to reality.
"Wh-What brings you here…?" Wakko stammered. He damn well knew the answer to that. Details haven't been released on what exactly happened to Yakko when he was taken away but it was enough to make him weary of who brought him up.
"Believe it or not, it's not the reason you think it is." Buster said in a bit of a somber tone. Wakko hadn't expected that answer. Buster let a smile grow onto his face. It looked rather warm. Buster himself looked tired though.
"I… I don't under-" Wakko began before Buster stepped closer to him.
"It's been a while. You want to go to the nearby tavern place and just sit and talk like a couple of old men?" Buster offered with a slight chuckle. Wakko shifted his gaze to his younger sister who smiled back at Wakko and continued to walk toward the Water Tower. Wakko knew that this was her making a silent assurance for him that it was okay. Wakko, actually, did want to do it. Something to get his mind off Yakko before he just burst out crying in the middle of the lot would admittedly do him some good. He also knew that Dot was dead-set on staying focused on it though.
"Yeah. I feel kinda like an old man anyway." Wakko said back at Buster, with a genuine smile.
There was always that tiny amount of happiness that lingered when something did in-fact go right. Meeting up with a friend like this was one of those things.
Wakko and Buster sat on their stools, sipping root beer in really large mugs. Wakko was really good at drowning his sorrows in the stuff it seemed.
He had just finished his third mug.
"Sheesh. You that thirsty... or is that all the fault of a signal from your brain telling you to wash your cares away and not to stop until it works?" Buster grinned on the stool next to Wakko as he set down his half empty mug. It was his very first one still.
"You know, I don't really know. When I got here, I know for sure I was actually thirsty. Maybe it's both." Wakko responded, slumping a bit in his seat. "I hear all the time how actual beer can make someone just forget all their problems."
"Yeah, but it just puts new ones on top of them later. Like hangovers and vomit. I've seen enough of it to know it's never the right answer." Buster said back and took another quick swig. He took a careful glance around. "This place is empty."
"The whole lot is empty aside from the people who were here at the wrong time and can't go home because of it. It should be cleared up soon though. Than this place will stop being a prison for our friends and mister Bar-tender over there." Wakko said in the direction of the man cleaning glasses behind the counter. He was on the other end of the table and wasn't listening in on their conversation. That was good.
Buster's smile disappeared. "Hmm… everyone would be free except your brother right?"
"… Yeah…" Wakko muttered, not mad in the least at Buster for bringing it up. They both knew that it was the main thing on the brain at the moment and no amount of root beer was going to wash the elephant in the room away.
Buster took in a deep breath and let it out softly. "I'm sorry about all this Wakko. I know an apology from me doesn't mean jack but-"
"No. Don't do that. I'm happy you care so much." Wakko grinned. "Even after all this time. Things have been really hard for the three of us. We're just kids trying to make some kind of living now that all the fun is over. It ended real quick too. Nobody told us when we tried to get into the business all those years ago that it'd end so fast. We're not even teenagers yet." Wakko grumbled.
"Neither am I." Buster had to laugh. "Still, I'm in contact with a lot of adult stuff and practices nowadays."
"Oh really? Are you having fun at least?" Wakko smiled, hoping for any kind of good news.
"Am I having fun? Well, I'm certainly living something that's interesting, I'll say." Buster took another swig.
"Are you still in touch with the other Tiny Toons cast? You came back with Babs and Plucky for a nice cameo on our show some time later and you looked pretty cool. You still do actually." Wakko spoke trying to sound chipper. It wasn't working. Buster noticed it and gave Wakko a sympathetic smile.
"When I left, initially I just stayed with Babs. As far as the others, I didn't really see much of them aside from Plucky and Hampton. Eventually, the two of them stopped keeping in touch for one reason or another and nowadays I'm stuck seeing one of the cast members I'd rather not be saddled with." Buster said slumping forward a bit.
"Wha? Not getting along with Babs?" Wakko asked with concern evident on his face.
"No. The last time we spoke we were definitely on good terms." Buster said, a frown evident on his face. "I'm talking about someone else who shall remain nameless."
"Oh." Wakko found that kind of odd. "Well, how is Babs?"
"… I don't know." Buster said softly.
"You don't know?" Wakko asked, confused.
"It's kind of hard for me to know when she's so far away." Buster said, starring at his mug.
"She left too?" Wakko sounded shocked.
"Yeah, she did."
"Why? What was she thinking leaving a great guy like you?" Wakko pressed.
"I forget. She's been dead for quite some time now."