angelofnaboo | [IC] Empatheias Inbox

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[IC] Empatheias Inbox

Recipient: Padmé Naberrie Amidala
Alignment: Daimonia
Homeworld: Naboo

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crystal • letter • in-person

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O-Oh, well, it was...sort of a hassle when I moved if people had to carry too many things.

[An image comes, brief and unbidden, brought on by the memories -- a much younger Natsume, sitting on a front porch, hair too long, clothes clearly made for someone bigger than him. There's a single somewhat worn cardboard box by his feet, half-full of books and a few toys, with "Takashi's Things" written on it in childish scrawl.]

It was just...simpler.

[Anything she would say is cut off by the image of Takashi as a small child, obviously in one of his "between home" stages. The scene is horrifying and she can't help but be sickened by it.

It takes her a moment before she can gather her thoughts to react and speak, all the while still walking to his old apartment.]

Takashi, we are going to change that. You need more than just a box of things.

[Natsume takes a moment to control his thoughts and memories, quietly embarrassed, before replying with genuine confusion:] But I...I have everything I need. I'm happy.

...I'll come out to meet you.

[She should have expected that reaction from him. He never wants any attention paid to the horrible way he was raised and the people who neglected him.]

Life is more about just having everything you need. Getting some things you want and things that you didn't know you needed and wanted is what makes life worth living.

And I'm outside right now. Whenever you're ready, we can go.

[Natsume wants to believe the best of everyone -- even people who've hurt him. Perhaps especially those. And now he's so unsure of how best to respond that he's going to just...come outside. With a cardboard box that says "Takashi's Things" on it.

Old habits die hard, it seems.] I have lots of Kyan-san's things still upstairs.

[She takes a look at the box in his hands when he comes down and has to bite back a harsh sigh. He is a good child and she adores him.

But if she had some of the people responsible for his abuse here, a few words are the least of the things she'd share with them.]

I can hold your box of things out here if you want to go up and gather them, Takashi. I would offer to do so, but I'm afraid I don't know your current housemate.

[He seems to pick up, albeit subtly, on her disapproval, and fidgets a little until she gently reaches out and takes the box. Then he'll manage a smile somewhere between grateful and apologetic.]

Thank you. I'll be right back.

[It doesn't take him long to gather together the other things into a box of their own, and the box holding his own things is very light. The top is open, and should Padmé even so much as glance down, she'll see a couple articles of clothing, neatly folded, a few books and, scattered atop them, an assortment of dried and half-dried flowers, clearly gathered from here and there across the island.]

[Sometimes, he is far too perceptive for his own good. However, he should know by now that her disapproval isn't of him, but of the circumstances. While his life back on his own world formed him into the young man she has before her, it doesn't make it easier for her to really accept that anyone would abuse and neglect such a sweet child such as he had to have been.

Padmé takes the box from him, letting her hand brush against his so that he can tell that she doesn't hold anything against him.

And she waits patiently, vaguely noting the assortment of items in his box, smiling sadly at the contents that scream they belong to Takashi. It's a sad comment on his life that they're all so meager and yet so perfect for him. When he reappears, she doesn't even draw attention to his belongings.]

And Kyan-san is where?

[The hand brush does it's job, and Natsume has a relieved look on his face before he disappears up the stairs. When he returns, her gentle question gets a moment of confusion, before he fishes what appears to be a squeaky toy shaped like a bumblebee out of the box and squeezes it a couple times.

At the high-pitched squeaks, Kyan-san comes tearing around the corner, leaping up, first at Padmé's ankles, then at Natsume's until he's rewarded with the toy. The young man laughs, with one of those rare, unguarded smiles that he gets every once in a great while.]

Here he is. I knew that would get him. [Then, with genuine concern:] The box isn't too heavy, right?

[When the dog comes up to her, she lets out a soft laugh before bending over to pat his fluffy head. She's as fond of the animal as she is the boy, since they're both equally adorable.

At his concerned question, her laugh gets louder.]

I'm not some invalid, Takashi. You're as bad as Anakin sometimes. I managed to make it all the way to twenty-eight. A box of items won't kill me.

[Natsume let's out an indignant little huff, but he can't fully hide the fact that he's laughing too.]

I really don't mind carrying things, though. If your arms get tired, you can carry Kyan-san instead. He's very good about being carried.

[She loves the fact that he is comfortable enough with her to laugh and confide personal things.]

Well, as much as I adore Kyan-san, I think you've just insulted my ability to be useful. I've worn dresses heavier than this box, Takashi.

[Natsume's delight that she loves his dog -- well, who wouldn't, but still, it's nice to have it confirmed -- is momentarily eclipsed by his sudden confusion and concern.]

Dresses? Are they...made out of bricks? Do you have to wear brick dresses in your world?

[He's being completely serious. He's worried about her health now.]

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