WHO: Louie Duck & Padmé Amidala WHEN: May 2nd, after the disappearances WHERE: ALL OVER! Team America House, where McDuck Manor used to be, and finally Gatalenta Towers WHAT: Louie's Guardians were sent home so he goes to the person he trusts most --- Padmé. WARNINGS: Sadness brought on by the Portal
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Ah, Tumbleweed. A duck could recline back, kick his feet up, pick up a Switch and waste countless hours with his face planted in the colorful world of video game bliss. And this was exactly what Louie had spent the better part of the past two days doing. Feet were on the back of the couch, with his back pressed to the couch cushion, head dangling over the edge while his hands held the system above his eye sight. For the time being? He was with Mr. Goof but he figured he'd go visit his Mom and Duckworth the next day. He didn't feel guilt playing his games when he was at Mr. Goof's house, but when he visited his Mom? And the McDuck Mansion? He felt like he had to be present. He had to try to give her his time since they had so much time to make up.
And that, frankly, was a little exhausting when faced with the notion that he just wanted to enjoy being home for a little bit.
So, he'd go see Della tomorrow and tonight? He'd enjoy whatever calamity it was that Mr. Goof was making in the kitchen.
Or, at least, that'd been the plan, right up until the moment the couch disappeared out from underneath him. His small body landed on the dirt with a 'thump' and he ended up dropping the Switch right onto his face. A very inappropriate string of swears, learned from Uncle Donald and the kids at school, erupted from him. A moment later, he was shifting, moving the game system out of the way as he went to push himself up. Standing, he blinked.
The house was gone.
His lips parted. "Mr. Goof?" He called out, whipping around in a circle. He saw no one. The scene in front of him was a hodge podge of belongings cast about the grass, with his Uncle Donald's house boat now laying on it's side, no longer resting in an underground pool like it'd once been. He rushed forward, starting to look at the belongings on the grass, and realized they were all his own. Dirty laundry, one single shoe, his device... all of his possessions littered the yard. "GOOFY!" He shouted now, trying to remain calm, only...
...he remembered when Max and Aria had left. They'd been gone in the blink of an eye. But the house had remained. But if Goofy was gone...
He rushed forward, scooping up his device. There was notifications. He knew what those notifications meant. He quickly opened it.
Goofy Goof Della Duck
The color drained from his face.
"Mom."
And without bothering to pick up his belongings, leaving them for any passerby to possibly take, he bolted away from what had once been Goofy's house and went rushing to where the Manor had planted itself in Tumbleweed. Strings of 'no, no, no' were tumbling out of him, and at one point he had to stop to catch his breath with hands pressed against his knees, until he finally reached it.
And found nothing. His device fell from his hand and he stared ahead, vision blurred. And for a long time? He didn't move.
Only, it became very apparent to him as he lifted up an arm to wipe at tears with his sleeve, that he didn't want to be alone. He bent down, scooped up his device, and shoved it in his hoodie. It didn't take him long to get to Padmé's after that. He lifted a fist, knocked and then waited, his throat tight.
Returning to Tumbleweed added a sense of distance from their trips to other worlds, to that time on Naboo, and had allowed Padmé to let herself compartmentalize. At the moment that was in going over any new information that might be relevant to the city council, flash cards and notebooks out as she zoned in and made notes.
Until the sound of a knock drew her out of this realm of facts and speeches. Drawn to her feet, Padmé went to the door and saw her favorite young duck. But the automatic smile was held at bay as she saw his face. Instead she held out her arms to him.
For a moment, Louie thought he'd be able to manage actually talking. As though he could simply say the words out loud, as if it was just another day in Tumbleweed, and as if he could pretend everything was fine/. There was nothing wrong with wanting to have company in this situation, was there? But that thought vanished as quickly as it had come when she held her arms open.
It didn't take him but a moment to step into them, his arms wrapping around her. He shut his eyes tight and the very real knowledge of not knowing what to do now began to come crushing down. Should he reach out to the Bureau? Ask them what they wanted him to do? Would they make him pick someone off the list to live with now? His grip tightened against her. He thought maybe he ought to say something but he wasn't sure what to say. 'Goofy is gone? Mom left?' Even the thought of it made his throat tighten more and what he ended up saying was, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Her arms wrapped around him, sheltering him as much as she could. The way her parents had when she was young. The way she had wanted to shelter others when the Galaxy showed itself to be a cruel place, one that necessitated comfort. The way she had hoped to shelter her children, knowing only that they had each had parents who had done it for her in their absence.
Padmé pressed a kiss to the top of Louie's head, a soft reassurance that he was welcome here, that he belonged here. "If you truly need to apologize, it is accepted." Her voice stayed low and gentle. "But you never need to apologize for coming here."
He was sorry for not knowing what to do or where to go. He was sorry for being upset. He was sorry that he chose to play a video game instead of visiting his Mom the last few hours she was here. He didn't know if she could really accept the apology for all of those, but perhaps at least the one for coming there. He nodded his head against her and felt comforted by the shield of her arms.
Finally, he tore away enough to look up at her. "Goofy and Mom and the house and the manor are gone."
Oh. Her poor little duck. To lose it all, after having only recently gained it. It was something she unfortunately had more experience with that she wished, experience she did not wish on others. Her hand came up to press to his cheek, a connection outside of their eyes on each other.
Her other went to his hand, squeezing. "Come inside."
He couldn't muster a smile but there was appreciation shown upon his face. He was grateful that she was still here and he could lean into her. He easily squeezed her hand in return, a small nod of agreement, and moved to follow her in the house. Maybe she'd help him figure out what he should do next.
Regardless, he didn't move to let go of her hand even once they were inside and his gaze had shifted to look on the floor as they walked.
Shutting the door behind them, it helped create a barrier between her coruscant apartments and the outside world. To the world that had left him behind. Even the manor and the house. Padmé had lived her life by being able to make decisions in the breath of a moment. Perhaps this was not a world or the Galaxy but it was the world of a young boy. She led him gently to one of the extra rooms, one that in another world had belonged to a handmaiden. It certainly was not decorated to the specifications of a teenage boy, but that could be changed.
"I'll speak with Sabé and Ahsoka, but this will be your room." A gentle authority in her voice. She would speak with them. She did not believe they would argue with her decision.
He moved through the apartment easily at first. He was familiar with it, after all, having visited her on multiple occasions. But his visits were typically confined to the front areas and he glanced up once he realized they were going deeper into the dwelling. Stepping inside of the room, he immediately glanced around with slightly curious eyes. But his attention came back to Padmé once she began speaking.
He didn't have anyone else. It wasn't like before when he'd been lucky enough that one of his Uncle's friends was here. Outside of Padmé, the next closest person he had was...Viktor, and that was with a lot of lines drawn. And it wasn't exactly like they liked one another much or that he was able to be a guardian himself. Louie wouldn't want him to be his guardian.
"Are you sure?" He noted the authority she gave but he didn't want her to feel obligated and thus he had to ask.
"If you're comfortable with that, then yes." Padmé looked back towards him, giving his hand a squeeze. She would not see another child alone in the Galaxy, not if she could repay the kindness that had been granted to her own lost children. Not while she had the power to prevent it.
He watched her for a moment, letting the words sink in, and he had to swallow to keep his throat from getting tight again. He brought up his arm, wiped at his eyes with the back of his sleeve, before dropping it back down by his side. And then a nod was given. "Yes, please."
Her arms went back around him, pulling him into a hug. There would never been no one to hold this young man while he cried if Padmé had something to say about it. Everyone needed someone to hold them when they needed it. "Do you want to talk with Sabé and Ahsoka with me, or do you want to get settled?'
He leaned into the hug and let himself shut his eyes again, feeling a sense of gratitude to her. She was always there when he needed her and he should have known without question that she'd be here now. "I need to go get my stuff. Can I bring my stuff?" Maybe Padmé wouldn't want him cluttering up the room. He could put all of it in the Money Bin, though, if that was the case. He just needed to make sure no one took the things that couldn't be replaced.
"It will be your space, Louie. Of course you can bring your stuff." Padmé smiled gently, the sadness trained out of it as the question hurt her heart. "We can go together. Four hands are better than two for carrying."
He nodded his head, "Yeah. And there is a lot of it." He felt a little bad about this. There was so much strewn about the yard. He'd have packed if he had any sort of foresight, but of course he hadn't. "Do you think people will take it? They got to know what happened and leave it alone while we talk to Ahsoka and Sabé, right?"
She reached out to smooth his hair gently. "If you're worried we can ask Sabé and Ahsoka to meet us there?"