Revision - Emp - General Sample

Webby hesitated in front of the door, ready to knock, then pulling back, ready to knock, pulling back, several times before she finally reached a decision. One, two, three. Anymore than that would be pushing it, and she held her breath, ready to bolt back to her room if her request went unanswered. She almost did anyway when she heard the footsteps, a few grumbles, and the door opened. There now stood Scrooge McDuck, and at first he glowered before his expression quickly softened, recognizing who had just disturbed him from his slumber.

"Webby, it's the middle of the night." Stating the obvious. "What's the matter?"

At first she told him the blunt reason, but then reconsidered. "Do you get nightmares?"

She understood the raised eyebrow and the annoyed face his beak twisted into, as this was hardly the time for her usual invasive questions about everything he did. Her eyes shot to the floor, ready to apologize, ready to take it back, until, much to her relief - "Sometimes."

Her eyes lifted back quickly. "Really?" Truth be told, this was surprising to hear. While the reason for this nightly visit wasn't to pump him for information, it was still interesting to hear. "You do?"

"Aye. Usually after one of you gets in trouble." Webby thought she saw a hint of a smile, but it didn't stay long enough to be sure. Her body began to loosen up, since it was clear he understood what, exactly, was causing her night terror - seeing your best friend murdered right in front of your face - as well as a shadow creature could be murdered - was bound to have a lasting effect. But what truly shocked her was when he offered her hand.

She hadn't been sure what to expect, but in this weird land of Empatheias, he was the only one from her world. He was her only sense of comfort, and at times she hoped she was the same for him. Tentatively, her hand grabbed his, squeezing tightly, being led into the room. "I just... just wish I could have done more. Maybe if I found out sooner, if I paid more attention, I could have done something for her. I could have stopped Magica before she hurt anyone. I was such a bad friend-"

"Webby."

"I had no idea the person I cared for most was in pain-"

"Webby."

"And when she needed me most, I wasn't there for her, I wasn't-"

Apparently Webby's tendency to ramble on even included her most depressive moods. She only shut her beak when Scrooge did it for her, his fingers holding together, albeit gently. She blinked up at him, and he released his hold on her. "You did everything you could." He spoke, sounding like his real age for once, a number Webby still wasn't entirely clear on. "Can you do me a favor?"

Another round of confused blinking. She'd do anything for Uncle Scrooge, rip out her own kidney if need be. "What?"

Scrooge sat on his bed, it creaked, and pat the spot next to him. "Could you tell me about her?"

Webby faltered, but not for long, crawling up onto the bed, still holding onto his hand like the world's most comfortable security blanket. "Okay." A breath. "Okay." Another. "She... we met at this abandoned auditorium. She was all by herself, but she was so cool about it, like she didn't need anyone or anything." For once, her rambling went uninterrupted, as she described the adventures held that night that seemed so long away - though the incident with the Beagles certainly got some perplexed noises out of the old tycoon - and the ones that came after, the violent movie that Lena all but tricked them into seeing, the strange abandoned underground tunnel, the sleepover that led to the second Money Bin, the friendship bracelets, the shared jokes, the meaningless fights, the nicknames, all until she was out of breath. She hadn't realized she was crying, mostly because the experience was so foreign to her, and wouldn't have guessed she was until she felt cold wind on her cheeks, and Scrooge brushing her tears away.

She didn't feel entirely better. But she didn't feel worse. "I think I'll be able to sleep now."

"That's a good girl." But Scrooge made no motion to let her go. She tilted her head at him, and now there was a genuine smile this time, with a hint of shyness. He was still learning how to be a family man again, she guessed, which was fair - there was plenty she needed to learn too. "But, if you want... you could still stay here tonight."

Her eyes widened. "Really? Really really?" Despite the sadness lingering in her heart, there was no denying she had always dreamed of an experience like this - nestled comfortably in the arms of the man she saw as her personal hero. It'd be one thing to kick off the bucket list. "I promise, I don't snore, or drool, or talk in my sleep!" There was a time she somehow karate chopped a teddy bear off her bed while she was tossing and turning, but that was months ago, he didn't need to know all the details.

"Let's get some sleep, Webby." He ruffled her hair affectionately, and for half a second, Webby thought she might die happy. She flopped backwards, wondering how she would ever sleep, now that she was so excited.

"Wow, an actual sleepover with Scrooge McDuck! This is so cool!"

"Goodnight, Webby."

"Have you ever had a sleepover with anyone, Uncle Scrooge? Or sleep with teddy bears? Or believe in the Tooth Fairy?"

"... Goodnight, Webby."

"Wait, wait, one more thing - is it true you actually fought the Sandman bare-handed and won?"

Scrooge sighed, and Webby missed the regret inside of it.