"Thanks again for coming to the archives with me, Huey."
"Aw, it's no problem, Webby."
She returned his warm smile. It really meant a lot to her that he stepped up to offer to escort her to the archives and even help her carry some notebooks and files from her collection, but her smile dropped slightly thinking about the circumstances that brought this about.
"It's just…." She toyed with the spiral binding on one of her notebooks. "I have all these questions about Scrooge's origins and life, and I was right there at his home to find out, but…"
She sighed. "I blew it. And now it's going to be five years before I can go back and Mrs. McDuck would have thrown out so much stuff. So much Clan McDuck history. Just...gone."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Huey said. "It's also gonna be five years before the trash is picked up." The two laughed at that.
"And besides, you would've read through Uncle Scrooge's entire library at least twice before we visit the castle again." He added. "I'm sure that there will be things you'll find that you can tell his parents about."
Webby smiled. "You're right." She looked up and gasped. "We're here!" She rushed to knock on the large oak doors. Seconds later, the doors slowly started to open and reveal the glorious light inside.
"This is my favorite part!" She whispered to Huey.
The light slowly dissipated, and a figure stepped forward.
But it wasn't Ms. Emily Quackfaster.
Or at least Huey assumed as much going by the descriptions Webby and Dewey gave him (and certainly Webby's awestruck expression now). Rather than looking at an older lady with graying strawberry blonde hair, he was face-to-face with a much younger female duck with long, curly black hair.
"Oh! Hello. How can I help you?" She asked.
"I- uh…"
"Um, we…"
As the ducklings continued to stumble over their words, she raised an eyebrow. "Is everything alright?" She asked. "Do I need to get Ms. Quackfaster or…?"
"Isabella, who is at the door?"
"It's one of Mr. McDuck's great-nephews," she looked closer at the boy, "Huey, I believe? And his housekeeper's granddaughter Webby." By this point, Ms. Quackfaster had come to the door to inspect the visitors for herself.
Webby gasped. "You know my name?!"
"I should hope so." Ms. Quackfaster adjusted her glasses. "As my assistant, it's her job to recognize all relatives and associates of Clan McDuck. Very good, Isab-"
Webby gasped again. "This is your job?!"
"…Yes?" Isabella responded.
"Focus, Webby." Huey muttered, but it was in vain. Looking at her face, he knew that she was about five seconds away from a joy overload. "Sorry for interrupting," Huey tried to change the subject, "but we came by to-"
"Oh my gosh! How long have you worked here? Do you love it?! Have you met Uncle Scrooge yet?! Do you have a weapon to guard these sacred archives?"
"Uh…" As Isabella took a moment to ponder the questions that were asked, Ms. Quackfaster disappeared inside. "Two months. It's nice. Yes, a couple of times. And, yes, I have a whip."
Once again, Webby was speechless. "I'm not jealous." She said after a beat. "Okay, I totally am!"
Isabella smiled. "So what brings you guys by today?"
"Just some research." Huey answered.
"Oh, well come on in." Isabella ushered the children inside. She cleared her throat. "Behold, heirs of Clan McDuck! The answers that you seek are just pages away in these ancient and not-so-ancient tomes!"
Ms. Quackfaster rested a hand on Isabella's shoulder. "We'll work on it." She said. Isabella gave her an embarrassed smile and walked off, leaving her boss to lead the young visitors further into the archives.
"So what knowledge do you children seek today?" Ms. Quackfaster asked, her eyes scanning the shelves for ideas. "Mr. McDuck's adolescence? Wartime economics? Why your Uncle Donald has that mark on the back of his hand?"
"So what kind of whip do you have?"
Quackfaster looked down to respond to Webby's question, but she saw that she had managed to slip past her and attach herself to her assistant's side.
"Is it your standard braided style or is it like a cat o' nine? I'm partial to the jiujiebian myself, but-"
"Webby!"
She looked up and saw the archivist glaring at her. "If you're going to continue to disrupt my assistant's work, then I'm going to have to ask you to-"
"Excuse me, Ms. Quackfaster?"
Her scowl barely eased as her focus shifted to the red triplet, but it still didn't deter him from wanting to diffuse the situation. "I know that it's important for Isabella to maintain the organization of Uncle Scrooge's collection, but you just said it yourself that it's also important for her to recognize all of Clan McDuck's relatives and associates. And who better for her to talk to than Webby, who's also doing her own research." He held up a notebook for emphasis.
Ms. Quackfaster looked at the notebook, then at Huey, Webby, and then back at the notebook. She took it from him and flipped through its pages. She stopped and looked thoughtfully at one of the pages. A moment passed and she turned to another page. She gave a contemplative "hmm" and shortly afterwards closed the notebook with a sharp snap.
"Fine. Carry on."
Note: You can see my OC tagged as "Isabella Shelton" on my Tumblr (kawaii-mango).