Chapter Seven: Listening and Responding

P.S. I don't own TTA OR Mickey Mouse Clubhouse... You'll see what I mean.


"Buster! Buster! I found out everything!" Plucky exclaims when he catches up with Buster.

"What do you mean?" Buster asks Plucky with a curious edge in his voice.

"You know; what went on down the hall…" Plucky says, nodding towards Babs.

"Oh, yeah. So, what'd you find out?"

"Listen," Plucky simply says, and presses play on the recorder.

"It's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! Come inside, it's fun inside…" The recorder starts to sing.

The blue bunny was totally confused. "Heh? Why is that on your recorder?"

The duck shrugged, "Beats me, I found it on the street. And anyway, that's not what I meant to play, this is." Plucky then presses play on the right recording.

When the recording is done playing back, Buster has a surprised look toward Plucky, and then looks back at Babs. "Did they really say that about me?"

"I guess. That's what Shirley said, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Buster's voice trails off.

"So, um, are we still going on that trip?" Plucky asks after a beat of silence.

He couldn't believe this deluded green duck. "Are you serious, Plucky? We just heard Shirley say that they only wanted to find stuff on the Internet."

"You mean Babs did," he corrected the bunny.

Buster just rolled his eyes, "We still aren't going."

"Or are we?"

"No, we're not."

"Sheesh, alright already. We won't go," Plucky finally agreed.

"Hey, I just realized something. Shirley never said why Babs felt uh, weird."

"Well, she said that was all," the duck shrugged.

"I'm gonna find out," Buster says, and walks over to Babs.

"Oh, boy. This outta be good," Plucky sighs as he watches Buster walk over to Babs. He then pulls out a bucket of popcorn and relaxes in the beanbag closest to them.

"Oh, hi," Babs greets calmly, glancing towards Buster.

"Hi. Um, I was wondering…" Buster says, and then sits down on the couch with her. "Why you were looking so awful-"

"Awful? Buster Bunny, you know way better than to call me awful-looking," Babs says with her hand on her hip.

"No. I mean, why were you looking so awful…" Buster says, as Babs patiently waits for an excuse. "You know, earlier… The sick thing…"

"Oh, that," Babs chuckles awkwardly. "That was just because I, uh, needed to, um…"

"What?"

"I uh, needed to, well, I guess I'm just sick of not having anything to do. You know, no show, no work…" Babs says, as Buster nods understandingly. "And well, you were kind of sad looking, and I guess I just started feeling really sad. Strange, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Thanks," Buster replies, and slowly walks back to Plucky.

"So, did you get the answer to your question?" Plucky asks Buster.

"Uh, yeah."

"And what was it?" he asks.

Buster looks puzzled as he speaks. "Well, she said that she was tired of not having anything to do, you know, no show, barely any Fan Fictions…"

"Tell me about it," the duck agrees. "So anyway, what else?"

"Well, she also said that, um, you know how I was all, uh…" he trailed off.

"Sad? Feelin' down?" Plucky suggests.

"Yeah. Well, she said that then she started having well, empathy, I guess."

"Oh, empathy," the green mallard. repeated.

"Yes," Buster says in a slow voice.

"Just, uh, one thing, old buddy, old pal…" Plucky begins with a nervous edge in his voice.

"Let me guess, you have no clue what empathy is, do you?" the blue bunny bluntly asks.

"Pretty much," he admits.

"Well, it's kind of like, well…" Buster starts, and then remembers. "You know sympathy?"

"Uh, not really. Shall you introduce me?" Plucky starts as Buster looks at him in curiousness. "Kidding! I think. Isn't that when you feel uh, bad for someone?"

He rolled his eyes. "Congratulations, Plucky. You just won the 'Duh Prize'."

"Hey, sorry, but I forget things when I'm exhausted."

"Sure. Anyway, it's like that, only you feel what the other person is feeling. Like someone you really care about." His voice slows down at the last sentence.

"Oh, I get it. So is this, a, uh, huge change for you, 'cause you're seeming really nervous."

"Beats me," Buster shrugs.


I know, the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse reference was kinda random, but you really don't know me...