POV
Alex/ human

Alex walked out of Resident Services into the sunny afternoon, as the sun was starting to dip towards evening. They glanced around as they left, but the plaza was empty. Alex knew Isabelle had most likely chased everyone out for now, to give them space. Alex did feel slightly overwhelmed. The fact that their boat was gone, they were trapped on an island with a bunch of animal-human hybrids; Alex knew that they weren't really processing it. They were just going with it right now; it hadn't really sunk in yet. They shook their head; they would deal with it later. Best to keep moving forward. They headed to the general goods store they had passed on their way over. As they walked, they glanced around. Alex remembered Mr. Nook's advice about choosing a place for their house, but suddenly they did a double take.

He was standing, arms crossed in front of his body, as he leaned back against a tree. He was so still Alex almost didn't see him. His eyes were hidden by the reflection of sunlight in his black glasses, but Alex got the feeling that he was watching them. He was dressed in business causal style, with dress shirt, tie, waistcoat and gray slacks. His hair was mostly gray, with it fading to an almost platinum blond in the middle. What caught Alex's attention was the black cat ears on the top of his head. He reached up with a black-gloved hand and, tilting his head forward, pulled his glasses down, allowing him to look over his glasses at them.

Alex unintendedly gasped. His right eye was a regular human brown, but his left eye was a vivid cat eye green, complete with slitted pupil. He smirked slightly at Alex's reaction, and pushed his glasses back up. Alex caught themselves staring, open-mouthed at him, and they knew that they should probably stop. They fidgeted slightly. Should I go apologize or something? Ya, that would probably be best. As soon as Alex took a few steps in his direction however, the cat-man rolled his shoulders off the side of the tree in a graceful turn, and started walking in the opposite direction. Alex was stuck by how someone who was so lanky and long-limbed had an easy, natural grace to their movements. The feline grace was further enhanced by the black tail that swished behind him.

Alex caught themselves staring again, and roused themselves. Okay, get it together. You can't keep getting shocked by their appearance. They are going to think you're rude and get offended. Or worse. Alex shook his head and headed for the store. As they placed their hand on the door handle, they took a deep breath. Be calm. Whatever they look like, don't react negativity. They pulled the doors open and stepped inside.

"Hi, Welcome to Nook's Cran—Oh, I was hoping you would come in today!" The voice went from polite greeting to ecstatic midsentence. Alex saw the owner of the voice was a young boy, who looked like he was in his preteens. With his animal features, it was really hard to judge however. He looks the same as Tom Nook, Alex thought as they took in his eye markings, ears, and tail. Unlike Mr. Nook though, he was grinning up at Alex excitedly. "Wow, so you really are just a normal human." His clear blue eyes searched Alex's face, but not in a way that made them feel uncomfortable. His eyes were filled with delight and childish curiosity. "I almost forgot what that looks like," he said but his tone was still happy, like someone who had found an old toy that they had forgotten about. The statement gave Alex a twinge of sadness, and he must have seen it in their eyes. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I'm Timmy, by the way. And before you ask, no, we aren't related to Mr. Nook." He laughed as he rubbed at the back of his brown hair. "At least, not on the human side," he added thoughtfully.

Alex heard the sound of someone clearing their throat and noticed that another young boy, who looked almost identical to Timmy, was edging closer to them. His tanuki markings were much more pronounced however, with darker fur around his eyes. And unlike Timmy, who had two normal human hands, this one had the same dark fur and claws as Mr. Nook on both of his hands. He approached cautiously, eyes and ears alert.

"Hello," Alex smiled encouragingly at him, bending down. "What's your name?"

He looked over at Timmy, who jerked his head toward Alex in a 'go ahead,' gesture. "Taw…me," the sounds were spoken haltingly, as if they were a great strain. Alex had to put the sounds together in their head to understand what he meant.

"Tommy?" He smiled in relief and nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Tommy. I'm Alex." Tommy smiled and blushed slightly. Alex decided that two boys were just about the most adorable things that they had ever seen.

"So what can we help you with?" Timmy asked.

"Mr. Nook said you could help me get set up—?"

"Oh, right, you will need supplies if you are going to stay here." Timmy practically skipped to the cabinet off to the side. Tommy gently took their hand, and pulled them over. "Let's see, we don't have credit at this store, but that's okay. All new residents of the Island are given a 'complementary kit' to get started." He was rummaging around in the cabinet. "Okay, you get a shovel, net, fishing pole, and ax." He shoved each item at them, as he named them. Alex was left struggling to hold everything. What am I supposed to do, just shove these into my pockets? Timmy leaned out of the cabinet, "Oh, you get food rations too. I can give those you when you are ready. You will have to buy extra food or tools, so you might want to get started on gathering up stuff to sell."

"What kind of stuff?"

Timmy laughed. "Basically anything. If you can get it in here, we will probably buy it. Even weeds!"

Alex was confused. "Why?" That didn't seem like good business sense at all.

"Mr. Nook want's to encourage 'island participation,' no matter how small. So if someone is weeding the island, Mr. Nook wants to encourage them to keep going."

Oh, right. That makes sense, I guess. "But what do you do with all of that junk?"

"Sell it back to the mainland."

Alex blinked. "You mean Redd co.?" They felt Tommy shudder next to them.

Timmy sighed. "Yes. No one likes it, but they will buy the natural resources we sell them. Besides, who else are we going to trade with? It's the only way to get decent supplies here."

"Well, I think that covers just about everything, you need from us." He glanced at their leg. "Um, we have some medicine, but it's more of first aid stuff. You should probably check in with Blathers. Besides, you will need him to explain how it his vaulting pole works. That invention is helpful with getting around on the island, but it takes some time to get used to."

"Okay, thank you for your help, Timmy and Tommy," Alex shifted their supplies as they headed to the door. "It was nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Alex!" Timmy called and Tommy waved.

Alex stored their stuff, and then headed over to the museum. The sun was starting to dip down, and they wanted time to pick their spot for their house before nightfall. They pulled open the doors and hurried inside. But the contrast between the brightness outside and the relative darkness inside caused them to be blind temporarily while their eyes adjusted.

So much so that they almost ran into someone. "Hey, be careful. Don't rush about so!" The voice said reproachfully."

"Oops, sorry, my fault," Alex reached out a hand to steady him, but froze in the act of doing so. His entire body was covered in bandages, even his face. He also had a crutch under each arm, with a cast on his right leg. What is the world—what happened to him?

"It's okay. No blood, no foul. Oh, you're the new person, the human." The owner of the voice shifted his stance on the crutches.

"Um, yes," Alex was trying really hard not to stare. The bandages continued up his legs and arms, until they were covered up by his clothes. The only exposed part of his skin that they could see were the fingers of his hands gripping the crutches, the bottom part of his face and his black dog ears hanging down. Oh, and his left eye. It looked like a normal human eye shape, but the iris could only be described as yellow. He had thick black hair on his head that seem to blend into his skin tone. "If you don't mind my asking, what happened to you?"

"Um," he shifted uncomfortably. "Isabelle said Mr. Nook was going to explain why we were all animal-humans. Have you not talked to him yet?"

"What? Oh, no, he explained that to me. I meant, well, do you need any help?" Alex was starting to regret that they had started this conversation.

"No, Blathers, has already patched it up," He swung his right foot loosely. "I tripped earlier."

Alex blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I tripped as I was walking about gathering flowers. Normally, that is pretty safe for me, but I tripped over a rock. Blathers said I only fractured three bones in my foot. So that's good; I won't be in a cast long." Alex just blinked at him. "Osteogenesis imperfacta," he said calmly." "That's the name for my condition. You know, 'brittle bone disease'."

"Ohhh," Alex said stupidly. "Oh, okay. That sounds really rough."

He shrugged. "It can be." He shifted his crutches and held out a hand. "My name is Lucky, by the way."

"Wow, really?" Alex asked before they thought. They winced. Stupid, stupid, stupid…

But Lucky only laughed lightly. "Ya, I know. So, Mr. Nook explained the Lab right?" He continued when Alex nodded. "Well, they have this formula, and they shoot you up with it, before they add the animal DNA that they want to mix with you. It is supposed to make your DNA more pliable or something. They aren't really sure how it works; it depends on how you react to it. How your DNA will 'take' to the animal DNA."

Lucky laughed again, but this time there was a sad edge to it. "My DNA didn't take it very well. Oh, I got several dog traits, but it really messed me up. Osteogenesis imperfacta is a genetic disease after all. I almost died in the first 24 hours after the procedure."

"That's horrible. I'm so sorry." Alex mumbled. It didn't feel very useful, but what else could they say to something like that?

"Ya, the scientists freaked out. Told me I 'was lucky to be alive'. Which is part of the reason why I chose it as my new name. The old me was dead anyway, so a new name for my new life felt appropriate." He shrugged. "Besides, once they realized what had happened, they labeled me a failure almost immediately, and practically kicked me out onto the island. I wasn't even there a week. To hear the others tell it, I was lucky that I got out so fast."

Alex shuddered. They had originally thought that maybe Mr. Nook was exaggerating to try to scare them into staying on the island. But now, they were beginning to wonder if Redd co. and the Lab indeed were as horrible as he made them seem.

"Anyway," Lucky continued, "I should probably get going. The pain meds Blathers gave me are starting to kick in, and I think I should go lie down. You were coming to see him, right? You should get going, before he falls asleep standing up. It has been a long day for him, and he is nocturnal after all," Lucky informed calmly as he started to hobble towards the door.

"Oh, alright." Alex held the door open for him. "I'm Alex, by the way. Hope you get better soon."

"I will. Nice to meet you, Alex!"

Alex let the museum door close and leaned back against it. Oh. My. Word. This is…this is crazy. How did I get mixed up in this? They shook their head and headed to where they remembered the medical laboratory being. That was probably the best location to find Blathers right now.

Blathers was indeed there. Alex noticed that he seemed to be wearing the same outfit as he wore last night, complete with bowtie. The whole outfit seemed lightly more rumbled now, and Alex wondered if he really had been up the whole time that they had been asleep. But he still gave them a hearty, if someone tired, greeting. "Good afternoon, Alex," he said as he was cleaning up. His large eyes flashed down to their leg. "How's it feel?"

"Pretty good. I mean it hurts, but it's not too bad."

"That's too be expected." He patted a counter. "Hop on up, and I'll take a look." Alex complied. "Hmmmm, good. No signs of infection." He ran a gloved hand lightly down the side of it. "Looks like it's going too mend well. Yoou might not even have a scar from it. Yoou shouldn't push it for a few days though, just too be safe." He started to wrap their leg again. "I have some medicine too give yoou for the pain. It should help yoou sleep tonight."

"Thanks. Timmy and Tommy mentioned something about a vaulting pole?"

"You mean Timmy mentioned it," he stated. He glanced at their face expression and chuckled lightly. "Sorry, it's a bit of an old joke here. Yoou are going to catch on eventually, but almost everyone here has a dark sense of humor. It's like how the old saying goes, 'I laugh because I must not cry'. But anyhoot, I can go ahead and give it to yoou; just be careful on it for the next few days."

He went over to a different cabinet and pulled out a small cylinder, about 6 inches long. "This is a spring-loaded vaulting pole," He pushed the catch on the side, and with the flick of his wrist, the pole snapped out of either end to a full height of about seven feet. "It will stay locked out like this while you use it." Hitting the catch again, he pushed the end against the side of the counter causing it to condense back into the tube. He released the catch, flipped it over, and retraced the other side in the same way. "There, pretty straightforward, wouldn't yoou say. It takes practice too get used too it, so make sure yoou are doing it in a grassy area the first couple of times. Yoou don't want to bang your head against some rocks." He handed it to them.

"Thanks, this will make getting across rivers much easier." Alex clipped it to their belt, and started to hop down from the counter.

"Yes, that it will. I can give yoou something else too help yoou get up ontoo the cliffs later, but those are deeper in the forests, and Mr. Nook warned yoou about going deep intoo the forest I assume? Good, good," he said as Alex nodded.

"One more thing, Alex." Blathers held up a hand. "I know Timmy and Tommy would have already told yoou that they would buy almost anything, but I would appreciate it if yoou would donate any new specimens too the museum instead."

Alex thought back to all the empty exhibits they had passed on the way up. "Sure, but why do you need them? Why do you even have a museum on the island in the first place?"

Blathers sighed. "Originally, I think it was kind of a sick joke for Redd co. Because I am –was—a museum caretaker originally. Before everything. The supplies just showed up with the instructions on how too build it. At the time, Tom was just getting started trying too form a community and he felt like it would be a good central-location building. So he got everyone together and helped me build it. Afterwards, we realized that we could use the facilities for other things as well. Well, Tom probably thought of it, once he saw the blueprints, but he always plays his cards close too his chest, so I'm never too sure about him. The laboratory section could be used as a kind of medical bay, which is what Tom probably wanted all along. He didn't think Redd co. would approve of the supplies if he asked for them outright, but we have been steadily increasing our medical equipment under the guise of need it for the museum work.

"The effectiveness of the museum, however, is rated on how many exhibits we house. If we keep asking for equipment, without specimens too show for it, Redd co. is going too get suspicious."

Alex nodded. "Makes sense." They hopped down. "Sure, I can do that."

"Yoou have my gratitude," Blather's yawned. "Now, if yoou will excuse me, I'm going to get some quick shut-eye. It has been a very long day, and my circadian cycle is wrecked enough as it is right now."

POV
Tommy/ tanuki
07:00 AM/ same day

As the sharp beeping of the alarm pulled him out of his dreams, Tommy growled lightly. He was actually having a good one for once. He reached out with one hand and slapped at it halfheartedly, finally catching it with his fingers, and knocking it onto the floor. Thankfully, it hit the off button, causing the grating sound to cut off. He groggily sat up, and rubbed at his eyes. Being careful not to scratch his eyes with his claws, he felt his facial fur shift under his fingers.

He noticed that his twin brother, Timmy, was still lying on his side, nestled in his covers. Tommy grabbed the corner of one of his pillows, and without hesitation, chucked it at Timmy. There was a grunt of disapproval from the bed, and Timmy rolled over. "I'm awake," he mumbled, his blue eyes and voice thick with sleep. "I'm getting up…"

Sure you are, Tommy thought as he rolled his eyes. He slid off the bed and, stretching his arms far above his head, went to the bathroom to get cleaned up. After he finished in there, he went back to his shared bedroom to get dressed into his work uniform. Timmy was sitting up at this point, looking much more awake, but his hair and fur were sticking up in every which-way. Tommy gave a throaty chuckle as he walked by.

"Rude," Timmy mumbled halfheartedly, but there was no spite to it. They both knew that they had crazy bed-head/fur first thing in the morning. Timmy just wasn't up early enough to tease Tommy about it. He went into the bathroom to get cleaned up.

Tommy got dressed and went to the kitchen. He had already noticed that the house was much too quiet; Mr. Nook must already be out on business. So they were on their own for breakfast. He pulled out the bowls, spoons, and milk. He glanced at the coffee pot resting on the hot plate, and did a double take when he saw that it was already half empty. Mr. Nook always makes a full pot each morning. He must have been up early.

Timmy came in and got out the cereal. "So, we are down to two types of cereal, Honey Nut Circles, or Rainbow Berry Crunch. Which one you want?"

"Erry…unch," Tommy mangled out, his voice heavily distorted. Ever since he woke up back in the Lab, his vocal chords were basically ruined. He could make some sounds, but it was a great strain and effort. Thankfully, Timmy had gotten really good at interpreting his twin's animalistic speech.

"Berry Crunch, it is," Timmy said as he poured it. The two of them sat in companionable silence at the table, the munching of the cereal the only sounds. Tommy cocked his ear towards the window as the birds started chirping. The animals were always out more after a good storm. Hopefully, Blathers will be able to get lots of new specimens today. There should be a lot of shells on the beach too. There are always a lot after a storm. I'll go look later this morning.

The two of them finished breakfast, cleaned up everything, and then headed downstairs to the main floor of their house. It was common practice here on the island for the shop owners to live in the top floors of their stores, and Timmy and Tommy were no exception. The shop was basically ready to open. After they had closed up last night, they went ahead and swapped out the merchandise on the floor. Timmy got out the broom and did a light sweep while Tommy stepped outside to swap out the sign to say what two items were the "Hot Items' of the day. He glanced over to the plaza, and saw that Raymond was already up, doing his morning meditation and yoga. No surprise there.

Tommy picked up a small pebble and lightly skipped it across the plaza toward him with a small clatter. But Raymond's ears snapped his direction at the sound, and he opened one eye to look to see what had disturbed him. Tommy just smiled at him and waved.

A brief smile touched Raymond's lips. "Morning to you too, Tommy," He said. "Beautiful clean day after the rain last night." Tommy nodded, and went back to the store, allowing Raymond to slide easily into the Warrior II pose. He flicked on the store lights right as the clock in Resident Services stuck 8 O'clock, signaling the official start of their work day. The morning typically wasn't too busy. Most of the residents did not get out and about till later, after the Able Sisters opened. Tommy made use of the time, straitening up the store and cabinets, while Timmy went over the books and ledgers. Mr. Nook always checked over their figures anyway, but Timmy took great pride in that very rarely did Mr. Nook have to correct them.

Isabelle came on the intercom with the morning announcement right on time at 8:45. "Good morning, everyone. It is a beautiful day on the Island today. Now for today's announcements…" Her voice had a slight nervous edge to it today. "Today was have a visitor staying at the campsite! However, they came late last night, so we should probably give them some space. To let them rest up." Tommy shot a look at Timmy, who was returning the expression. Ms. Isabelle always encourages us to go meet them and to make them feel welcome. "I'm sure we can all talk to them later and get to know them. I'm sure they are nice, but they are going to be a little frightened at first." She gave a nervous laugh. "I know I would be if I crashed my boat onto an island where I was the only human. Oh, dear…" There was a scuffle sound over the mic.

"Hello, Tom Nook here." Timmy and Tommy stared at each other across the store. I can't remember the last time Mr. Nook did the morning announcements! "Yes, yes, there is a human staying at the campsite. They crashed onto our island late last night. No, I don't know how they found us. No, I don't know if they are connected to Redd co. And finally, no, Redd co. is already claiming the boat, so we can't use it.

"Now then, I would ask for everyone's participation in this matter: do not approach the human until I have spoken with them. I want to discuss the situation with them first. Obviously, do not inform the Redd co. ships or the SEAGULL of the human or their whereabouts. More information will be given as I learn of it. I believe that sums it all up…Isabelle and I will be here to help if you have any further questions." And with a click, the broadcast cut off.

Timmy and Tommy stared at each other, mirroring each other's shocked expressions. A human. Here. On the island! "Well," Timmy said with a light laugh, "I thought today was just going to be another boring day."

The morning got very busy after that. Tommy could see through the windows in the doors that it seemed like every one of his fellow villagers went to Resident Services to talk to Mr. Nook or Ms. Isabelle. Anyone who came into the store was talking or referencing the fact that there was a human here. I can't blame them. It is exciting. I haven't seen a normal human since we left the Lab. The guards wore body armor and face shields, the same as when they come onto the island here. The scientists were the only ones whose faces I could see. Tommy thought back to his time in the Lab with a shudder. I wonder if the human will look at us in the same way as they did.

"Do you think that they will come into the shop today?" Timmy asked as they were taking their lunch break. "They will have to, right? To get supplies and stuff?" Tommy shrugged. It seemed that they weren't even up yet. "I hope so. I really want to see them." Tommy nodded. He threw away his trash and poured the rest of the coffee into a large cup. He jerked his head in the general direction of Residential Services. Timmy nodded in understanding of what he meant.

Mr. Nook and Isabelle both gave a tired look up as he pulled the doors open, but both relaxed when they saw him. "Oh, Tommy, good morning. Or, I guess, afternoon now." Mr. Nook leaned back in a stretch. "Sorry I left you boys alone this morning. It has been a morning." I bet. Tommy gave him an understanding look, and held out the cup of coffee to him. "Thanks, Tommy." Mr. Nook reached out and ruffled Tommy's hair as he took the cup. Mr. Nook took a deep sip of the coffee. "It's going to be a long day."

Isabelle sighed impatiently. "Mr. Nook, are you sure it's okay for them to sleep this long? What if something is wrong?"

"Isabelle, it doesn't matter how many times you ask the same question, you are doing to get the same answer," Tom stated, but there was no anger in it, just quiet resignation. "Blathers said it is fine. He will wake them up tonight if they don't wake up on their own before that."

"Yes, but—" She cut off suddenly, going alert. Tommy could tell that she was listening to something, but he couldn't hear anything. Isabelle suddenly jumped up and, slamming the movable ledge up and out of the way, darted out from behind the counter. She dashed out the door and raced past the windows in the direction of the campsite.

"Well," Mr. Nook took another deep gulp of the coffee. "I would assume the human is up now." He favored Tommy with another smile. "Shouldn't your lunch break be over by now?" Tommy gave a sheepish grin and edged backward towards the door. "Don't dawdle, Tommy. Time is bells after all," Mr. Nook chuckled. "Besides, I have to get back to work now too."

Tommy went back to go mind the shop. Timmy would be excited. "Day….ar…up…. now…." Tommy managed to say once he was inside.

"Whoa, really?" Timmy stood on tiptoes to peer through the window in the door. "Did you see them? Are they headed this way?"

Tommy shrugged, and pulled lightly on Timmy's tail, making him fall back down on his feet fully. He shook his head "Ruuuudddde," he growled.

"Ya, you're right." Timmy bounced on the balls of his feet impatiently. "I'm just excited, you know?"

Yes, I know. We all are. Tommy nodded in agreement. But we will have to wait a little longer.

"Hi, Welcome to Nook's Cran—Oh, I was hoping you would come in today!" Timmy had cried the second the human entered the shop. Timmy scampered over happily to greet them, while Tommy approached much more cautiously. Tommy was busy watching and analyzing the human's reactions to them. Their eyes had widened slightly at seeing them, but then recognition had dawned on them. They see the resemblance. Timmy was chattering on to them, and something he said made a ghost of a frown cross their features. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I'm Timmy, by the way." Timmy hurriedly apologized. "And before you ask, no we aren't related to Mr. Nook," he laughed and rubbed at the back of his brown hair awkwardly. "At least, not on the human side," he added. Tommy knew Timmy's secret desire, that they were somehow biologically related to Mr. Nook. Sure, Mr. Nook took care of them, so he was practically family now, but still. It would be nice if there was some actual proof to back up it up.

Tommy cleared his throat, as he slowly approached them. The human's eyes shifted to him "Hello," they smiled encouragingly at him, bending down and placing their hands on their knees. "What's your name?"

Tommy looked over to Timmy for support. He didn't like to talk to strangers. He would try so hard to make himself understood, but his mangled voice wouldn't cooperate. He hated the way they looked at him in confusion and pity when he tried to speak. Or worse, how they pretended to understand, just so he would stop trying.

But Timmy just jerked his head in their direction, clearly not going to speak for him today. Tommy took a deep breath and focused on forming the proper sounds slowly. "Taw…me," he said haltingly. There, he didn't think he could make them any clearer than that. A brief moment of confusion passed over the human's features, but then cleared in understanding.

"Tommy?" Alex repeated. With an inward sigh of relief, Tommy smiled and nodded. Good, they got it. "It's nice to meet you, Tommy. I'm Alex." It made him blush slightly, to hear the human say his name.

"So what can we help you with?" Timmy asked, drawing Alex's attention away from Tommy.

"Mr. Nook said you could help me get set up—?"

"Oh, right, you will need supplies if you are going to stay here." Timmy practically skipped to the cabinet off to the side. Tommy gently reached out and took their hand. Alex didn't jump or pull away from his touch, even though he knew it was different. Alex was listening to Timmy and wasn't paying attention to him anymore. Alex's hand was soft and smooth, like Timmy's. There was not resistance from fur or hair. He looked at their fingernails—human fingernails. Just like Timmy's. His really were different. Even now though, they only pulled their hand away to handle all the tools Timmy was shoving at them. There was no judgement or repulsion on Alex's face. Not even interest, like the scientists who looked at them like something to be taken apart and studied. If anything, they looked slightly overwhelmed right now.

Timmy was finishing up his sales pitch. "…So you might want to get started on gathering up stuff to sell."

"What kind of stuff?"

Timmy laughed. "Basically anything. If you can get it in here, we will probably buy it. Even weeds!" Not an exaggeration in the least, thought Tommy.

Alex just looked confused. "Why?"

"Mr. Nook want's to encourage 'island participation,' no matter how small. So if someone is weeding the island, Mr. Nook wants to encourage them to keep going." And with some of the island residents, they need to feel like they are contributing. They need a reason to get up in the morning. Timmy didn't say it, but Tommy knew the thought was there.

"But what do you do with all of that junk?"

"Sell it back to the mainland."

Alex blinked. "You mean Redd co.?" Tommy shuddered at the causal mention of their name.

Timmy sighed. "Yes. No one likes it, but they will buy the natural resources we sell them. Besides, who else are we going to trade with? It's the only way to get decent supplies here." They have a monopoly in the very real sense.

"Well," Timmy continued, "I think that covers just about everything you need from us." He glanced at their leg. "Um, we have some medicine, but it's more of first aid stuff. You should probably check in with Blathers. Besides, you will need him to explain how his vaulting pole works. That invention is helpful with getting around the island, but it takes some time to get used to." Tommy smirked at Timmy around Alex. Plus, you are horrible at using it, his glance said. Timmy ignored him.

"Okay, thank you for your help, Timmy and Tommy," Alex shifted their supplies as they headed to the door. "It was nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Alex!" Timmy called and Tommy waved, as Alex headed out the door.

Once the door closed, Timmy spun back around to Tommy. "Well," Timmy stated, "They seemed nice. I like them." Tommy nodded in agreement. Humming, Timmy got back to work. "I hope they stay here in the village. I want to talk to them more."

I hope so too. Tommy tried to compare his memories of the human scientists back at the Lab to how Alex was. It was night and day different. It would be nice to have them here.

POV
Raymond/ cat

Raymond stayed in the shadows as he watched the new human. The sun was setting now, but he didn't think they would notice him as long as he stayed still. Humans have relatively week eyes after all.

They human had already been to Resident Services, Nook's Cranny, and the museum at this point. They had the slightly dazed look of someone who had had too much information thrown at them at this point, but they were still going. They currently were wandering around the village (skipping the Able sisters' store for now). Raymond got the distinct impression that they were looking for something. They were starting to limp slightly, so whatever pain meds they were on must not have kicked in yet.

The human would stop in an area and pause, staring off in the direction that they were facing. Then the human would seem to come back to the present, shift a couple of feet over, and stare absently again. Sometimes, they would shift back over in the opposite direction. And sometimes, they would walk away to an entirely new area and start the process all over again. It was the weirdest thing. After the sixth time, Raymond's curiosity got the better of him, and he walked over.

"What are you doing?" He asked, as they were staring off again.

He had the satisfaction of seeing them startle slightly and, blinking, turn to look at him. "Mr. Nook said to pick out a place for my house."

"So just pick a spot already," Raymond shrugged.

"No, I want a good location," the human complained. They turned back to where they were facing, and Raymond could tell that they weren't just staring at the grass and trees anymore. "I have to imagine it," they mumbled. After a few seconds, they shook their head and scooted farther down. "Don't like how it looks with the river."

This is gonna take forever. Raymond took the few steps to keep up with them. "So, you are planning on staying awhile then?"

"Guess so. Doesn't look like there are a whole lot of other options." The human backed up a few steps. "Alex," they announced randomly.

"Pardon?"

"My name is Alex."

"Oh." Raymond crossed his arms over his chest. "What makes you think I care what your name is?"

"You came to talk to me."

"Ya, but you are the only human. I could just call you Human Island Representative, and everyone would know who I mean."

"Hmmm, please don't," Alex said absently. "That sounds really annoying." They suddenly flung the sign that they were holding into the ground. "There, that should do it." They turned to him, and Raymond could see the budding excitement in their eyes. "This is a first for me. I have never been a homeowner before."

"Congrats," Raymond caught himself almost smiling along with them, and cut it off. Their excitement seemed to be contagious. "So what now?" He asked instead.

They yawned. "I'm calling it a night. It's been…quite the day."

"I bet," he turned to go. "See you around."

"Wait, I didn't catch your name."

"That's because I don't toss it around like you." He continued walking. "Goodnight, Alex." He could sense their annoyance behind him, but he didn't' mind. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and headed in the direction of the beach. That night was still young, and he wasn't ready to turn in yet.

They seemed nice enough, but of course, everything with Redd co. seemed nice enough. It was under the surface that everything was messed up and rotten. He shook his head and thought back…

POV
A little over a year ago

Raymond drummed his fingers against his cubicle desk as he thought. When exactly, he thought, did things really start to go south? Working here at Nook Inc. had started out as his pipe dream. All during his college education, his professors had raved about Tom Nook and his company. The 'Wonder on Wall Street', they had called him. He was the future; anyone in economics could see it. He had a way with money; he seemed to know what the Next Big Thing would be before anyone else, and already had a hand in it by the time they figured it out. He had some instinctive advantage when it came to stocks and bonds; when to buy, when to sell. At times, it seemed crazy, but he always came out on top in the end. His company was rapidly turning out to be one of the most successful companies in the country, and people were clamoring to get a piece of him.

Raymond himself had interviewed with Nook Inc. to try to get an internship there his senior year, but unfortunately, it passed over him to a rival classmate. This just made Raymond work extra hard, and upon graduation, he applied for a job as an auditor. He just about had a heart attack on the spot when he discovered that all corporate accountants, auditors, and record keepers were interviewed by Tom Nook himself. He actually couldn't sleep the night before. Tom Nook turned out to be very nice; a little stiff, but what bookie wasn't? He had asked some personal questions (mainly about his character), checked his bookkeeping knowledge, and then hired him on probation!

Raymond was thrilled. He was excited to finally be doing what he loved and he loved the excitement of Nook Inc. And watching the money was like keeping a finger on the pulse of the company.

Shortly after he was hired however, Mr. Nook just vanished. This wasn't a major concern, just a topic of conversation around the water cooler. Maybe he was off searching for some new entrepreneur or invention? Maybe he was off on a private business deal with a different firm? Or maybe he was closing the deal with a new investment? With Tom Nook, who knew? But their Fearless Leader would be sure to wow them all when he came back.

Except he didn't.

Now the conversations turned more hushed, spoken quietly behind closed doors, or in more private places. Was he sick? Cancer, maybe? Or was it a death in his family? Did he even have a family? Or maybe he was recovering from a nervous breakdown. Everyone knew the man worked too hard!

People were becoming nervous, edgy. The board of directors wanted answers. The investors were starting to lose faith in the company. Stock prices were beginning to dip. Some of the employees were even talking of moving on.

But there was always Mr. Redd to smooth things over.

Mr. Redd was Mr. Nook's long-time close friend and confidant and, more importantly, his business partner. While Mr. Nook ran the business side of the company, Mr. Redd was the voice. He was charming, charismatic, and suave. He just got along well with people, and seemed to have a way of convincing everyone to see things as he wanted them to. However, with Mr. Nook's absence, not only was he the President of the company, but also the CEO. Whenever people would start to clamor for answers, Mr. Redd would be there, like a soothing balm to calm everyone down.

As time went on, Raymond enjoyed working here less and less. The company lived on, but it wasn't the same. It didn't have the same drive, the energy, the excitement! With Mr. Nook gone, it felt like the life-force behind the company had also left, leaving an animated corpse to shuffle along. And then, to add insult to injury, he woke up one day to realize that his paycheck no longer came from Nook Inc. but from Redd Company and Corporation.

Or maybe I'm just losing my youthful enthusiasm, Raymond thought as he ran a hand across his face. Maybe it's a sign that I'm getting old. It's been four years after all. There were very few things that he liked about his job now.

"Food delivery for a Mr. Raymond," A voice broke into his thoughts. "A Mediterranean veggie sandwich, with extra kale and bottled water."

Raymond felt his lip twist into a half smile. Speaking of the things he liked here… "If that's supposed to be my lunch, you can take that right back, because that's not what I ordered." He glanced up at the man leaning over the edge of his cubicle partition. "Come on, Bob, you know me better than that."

The man pushed up his food-delivery hat higher up on his head, revealing his purple dyed hair. "Naw, I'm just messing with you. Here is your burger and cheese fries, man." Bob handed the bag over.

"Dangerous game there, coming between a man and his cheese fries." Raymond smiled up at him. "How's your day going?"

Bob crossed his arms on the top of the cubicle and leaned his chin on his hands. "Slow day. Kinda boring. You?"

"Same old, same old. They got me scraping pennies off the dollar right now."

"Okay, I have no idea what that means."

"It means that I have to go through each micro-department, and see how I can convince them to cut costs to save the company money as a whole. Like, for example, I have to ask them why they used 16 black ink cartridges this month, when last month they only used 15 black ink cartridges."

Bob wrinkled his nose, "Eww, sounds like so much fun."

Raymond rolled his eyes, and took a swig of his soda. "Oh, it is," he said dryly. "I just love calling department heads, and getting into long augments with them about exactly how many ball-point pens and sticky notes their department 'really' needs."

"Ya, you have fun with that."

"The weird part is I don't know why we are doing this. Come look at this; you still want to be a detective, right?" He sat up and waved Bob over to his computer. Bob came around and crouched down next to him. "We are penny pinching in some areas, but in others, the money is draining out faster than water through a sieve." He clicked up various files and folders. "Like we just bought a coffee shop? A coffee shop! Why did we even buy that?"

"Someone must really like coffee."

"It's not even a big chain. It's some local hole-in-the-wall place. And that is just one example. The really weird part is that I can't find where some of the money is going. It's like it just disappears. Or it's hidden."

"I thought that was part of your job, to find hidden money."

"Ya, but I don't have the clearance for all of it." Raymond laced his fingers together and stretched them over his head as he leaned back in his chair. He lunged forward suddenly as he realized he was about to overbalance the chair though, and almost slammed into the monitor.

He frowned when he heard Bob's chuckle. "You are such a nerd. Don't get cheese on your pocket protector."

Raymond adjusted his glasses. "I do not have pocket protector, thank you very much. It's these tiny cubicles. I swear they did not design them with normal-sized people in mind."

"Maybe they did, but have you considered they might not have taken into account someone who is more arms and legs then body?"

Raymond's reply was cut short by a stern voice. "Raymond, aren't you supposed to be working?"

Raymond spun his chair around, to see his team leader standing at the edge of the partition. Unfortunately, his spin knocked his knees into Bob, causing him to almost fall over. "I'm on lunch break." Raymond made to pop a fry into his mouth. "See."

"Hmmmm," Mr. Hawkins pushed his glasses up farther on his nose. "Watching your time, I hope. Don't take too long. Time is money after all."

"Yes, Sir, Mr. Hawkins." With a grunt of approval, Mr. Hawkins moved back to his own cubicle across the aisle.

Bob chucked and stood up. "I should go anyway. People tend to get mad if their deliveries are cold. Oh, and about your money issue," he took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair. "Sounds like someone is trying to cover their tracks, but they aren't doing too good a job if they are leaving holes behind. But you know how you find a rat? Look for its holes."

Raymond hummed as he glanced at his screen. "You think that will really work?"

"Sure, if the person is sloppy. Also depends on how many rats you think there are."

"There had better be just one," Raymond mumbled as he started to unwrap his burger. "This is going to be a pain."

"No one said you had to look into it." Bob hit the top part of the partition. "Well, I'm off. Happy rat hunting!"

Raymond stared at this screen as he ate his meal. Bob was right; no one had asked him to look into it. But he was an auditor, and 'holes' did not sit well with him. He liked to have all his facts and figures in neat rows.

Besides, the money had to be going somewhere. Unless someone was literally burning it, it was being spent on something. He just had to find out what it was being spent on. Raymond angrily chewed his burger, not focusing on what he was eating. This is going to take forever.

It didn't take forever, but he wasn't done in a month either. Or two, or three. It was in the fourth month, when he really started to get some headway.

"Yes…." Raymond smiled at his screen, "about time."

"I'm not late," Bob said, miffed, as he came up. "What's got you so worked up?"

Raymond turned up to look at him, the light catching in his glasses. "Food can wait, I found my rat."

Bob started to smile. "Time and tide and food wait for no man, but today I will make the exception. Whatcha got?"

"This," Raymond turned his monitor.

Bob stared at the spreadsheet with figures and dates scattered throughout it. "Ah, yes. Numbers." He shook his head, "you know you are going to have to explain what I am looking at."

"It's all there. Or more precisely, it isn't there. The money is being spent all right, but on the most random and odd things. Mainly medical equipment."

"Raymond, I hate to tell you this, but you do work for a medical company…"

"No, it gets bought, and then it disappears. It's like someone just lost it. Lost a whole bunch of expensive medical equipment. For example, there were four treadmills purchased for our new onsite gym. But there are only three in there."

"Since when do you have an onsite gym? And more importantly, when did you use it?"

Raymond waved the questions away. "Not important right now, I'll tell you later. I've dug around in the records. Nothing about the fourth treadmill. It was ordered, paid for, delivered, and then disappeared. There is no record of where it could have gone.

"At least, that was what I thought. This kind of thing started happening about five years ago, give or take. The holes get muddled at that point. My big break was when I found records of some property out in the ocean being purchased. And get this; it was Mr. Nook that oversaw it."

"He bought islands? Why?"

"No clue. It was one of the last projects he personally was working on before…well, before whatever happened. Anyway, the company still owns them. But there is some type of activity on at least one of them."

Raymond spun back around, and opened a couple of files. "Look at this. It's labeled the 'Deserted Island Getaway Package'. It's officially under 'research purposes,'" Raymond made it clear with his fingers making the quotations' sign how much stock he put in that. "But I don't know what they are researching."

"With a name like 'Getaway Package' it sounds like a type of resort. Maybe they are trying to build some type of medical therapy base over there? Maybe they are researching how to best set one up."

"How to not do it you mean." Raymond pulled open what looked like a list of transactions. "I found the manifest of supplies going to and from the island. It started out small, but it has been steadily growing over the last five years. This is where some of the money has to be going. The weird thing is nothing makes sense for what they are doing over there. The supplies are absolutely random: wallpaper, flooring, fabrics, office equipment, sports equipment, medical equipment, diner stuff, school stuff. What are they doing over there?

"And the stuff that they pick up from there is just as weird: natural resources like wood, iron, stone, and some products made from those items. There is even some gold! But then there are other things, like bamboo, shells, various insects and fish, and an absolutely ridiculous amount of fossils! Like, did every creature of the Jurassic age come to the island to die? I don't know."

"That does sound weird. Maybe they are trying to build a second research facility there?"

"There doesn't seem to be that much construction going on there. But the number of listed employees on the island has steadily gone up as well. And the amount of money spent on advertising is just as weird. Weird, because it's pathetic. Like what did they do, print out some fliers to attach to stop signs? So what are they doing over there?"

"It is a puzzle." Bob suddenly chuckled, and Raymond shot him a look. "Sorry, I just remembered that you used the words 'you' and 'gym' in the same context. So spill, what is up with that?"

"Since we have some heath consult group come in to work with us every other week. It's supposed to boost Employee Health or something. They record all this health information and data. I hate it; I feel like I'm back in P.E. in school."

Bob snickered, "I assume that was not your best subject. I'm sorry; I'm trying to picture you on a treadmill. I think they could use you on how to not do it."

"Excuse you, I am no jock, but I can at least hold my own."

"With those long legs, I bet you can. What, you cover about 7 feet with one running stride?"

"You know what, I don't need this. Give me my egg rolls so you can leave." Bob just laughed as he handed them over. "The only good thing about it is we get free coffee and pastries after," Raymond continued.

Bob raised an eyebrow at that. "You do realize that that completely defeats the purpose of working out and the whole 'health' aspect of it, right?"

"Whatever, I don't care," he took a bite of his food. "Remember, how I told you that the company purchased a coffee place? They are the ones who caterer it. There is some college kid who brings everything over and sets it all up. He's really good at his job. He's a chatterbox, but he doesn't take flak from anyone. You would like him."

"Well, it does take a special soul to work in food retail," Bob said with a wink. "Ok, I'll get out of your hair now. Take care."

"You too."

Author's note!

Thank you for reading my second chapter! This chapter feels really choppy to me, but it could be just me trying to be a perfectionist. Particularly with Tommy, I need to use other people's point of view to tell this story. Please let me know if this gets confusing.

Animal Crossing regularly defies the natural laws of science. Like, for example, how you can store so much stuff in your pockets, all the trees have the three types of wood, your house is literally bigger on the inside, stuff gets built in one night or less. I am going to reference it, as more of a joke then anything, and I will try to modify it to make it more realistic when I can. But I am not going to come up with scientific explanations on how all of this stuff is possible; this is not the point of this story. If you can ignore it in the game, you can ignore it here.

Osteogenesis imperfacta is a real genetic disease that I, sadly, did not exaggerate the hardships of it at all. Depending on how severe the condition is, the person can have bones snap from doing day-to-day things, or have multiple bones break from the strain at once. Most people who have this condition this severely do not survive being born. I only bring this up, because sometimes people have the tendency to romanticize certain medical disorders and conditions, and I wanted to point out that this is real hardship for some people. I mean no disrespect for the people who have this condition.