Shawn's immediate response to an accusatory tone like that was to act entirely innocent; plead ignorance and deny responsibility until you figured out what they wanted from you. Which in this case was especially easy, since he actually was innocent. He shook his head. "No, I haven't been back since you saw me. I was thinking about maybe visiting the Tattooed lady tomorrow night, but that's it."

"I see...." Griffix said in a low growl, taking another step forward.

His tone.

His body language.

The furry sprouts that came out of his snout.

It all gave the appearance of an angry animal.

"Because....it's missing GOD DAMMIT!!" Griffix barked, at Shawn, hot breath pushing against Shawn's face and blowing his hair.

OOC: Shawn Rolls Resolve + Composure with the following results:

0 Successes: Shawn stares wide eyed at the gaping maw of Griffix's mouth. He can feel the dribble of warmth near his thigh, a pool of urine collects on the floor near his left leg.

1-2 Success: Shawn let's out a girlish scream, that cuts off once he regains his composure.

3-4 Successes: Shawn falls to one knee, legs buckling under the heavy weight of fear, before getting up, once he regains his composure.

5 Successes: Shawn stays strong in front of the angry growl, maintaining his composure

Shawn lets out a girlish squeak.

OOC: 16:12, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 1 success using 5d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 4,8,5,4,2. Resolve + Composure.

The squeak was small and Shawn quickly regain his composure. He heard a flicking sound and his eyes caught the movement of one of Griffix's fingernails. It extended outward with the quickness of a switch blade.

Griffix brought the nail up in between his own face and Shawn's face, the rest of his fingers closed.

"The Book of Babble...." He said, all anger, all rage, barely contained. "Is...." each word sounded like an angry accusation.

"MISSING...."

Shawn's eyes flicked back and forth between Griffix's face and the nail, eventually settling on meeting the man's eyes. "I don't know where it is - how would I know where it is?" He hissed out his answer, trying to control his fear.

"You don't know anything about it?" Griffix asked, the rage seeming to change slowly into disappointment, his shoulders slacking. The ridge on the back of his neck softened, his eyes still fixed on Shawn.

But Shawn could tell, the anger was fading.

"Not since the Fortuneteller let me swap it out for the rabbit's foot. How'd it go missing?" Shawn wondered who'd try to cross the Fortuneteller now that they were in charge of the Circus?

And with that, the rage seemed to seep right out of Griffix. Before Shawn's eyes, he wilted. The hair on his back slowly faded. The nails seemed shorter. Even his wolfish fangs and snout suddenly appeared more dog than wolf like.

"I'm....I'm sorry lad." Griffix said. "Forgive me, would ya?"

Shawn finally had a chance to breathe again as Griffix became more, if not human, then at least less predatory. "Sure, I forgive you, but why was I a suspect?"

"Well, lad" Griffix said, taking out his corn cob pipe and then slouching onto Shawn's bed, the anger now completely leaking away. "I'm hungry lad. N' I suppose I wasn't thinkin' right. For sure."

"But 'Tis more than that. Ya' got a way ta' get in n' out: The Rabbit's Foot. Someone's been takin' things. N' it ain't someone in the Circus."

"I say that lad because ya' know already that Cherrywinks brought back Malinda. He brought back the Clowns for sure. But he also brought back the Tattooed Lady, and then like I said lad, the Fortune Teller." He sighed.

"Listen lad, its complicated. I know. But as much as the Circus fights. There's 'tings that must be followed. N' the Book is missin'. And Malinda doesn't know where it is. So now we've got ta' find it."

"We have ta'." He emphasized

There was a sound coming from the hallway. The light turned on. Shawn could hear the familiar sounds of Mom's slippers pad down the hallway, two distinct shadows appearing at the base of his bedroom door, the sound stopping.

Griffix jumped into the closet as the door handle to Shawn's bedroom door turned....

Shawn knew it was probably too late to make it back to bed before the door opened, so instead he stood on his toes in front of the window, looking out into their yard. He pretended not to notice the door opening.

Shawn heard Mom enter the room. "Oh! Honey, you're up." Mom said, voice thin with worry and perhaps disappointment. And then, revealing perhaps her true feelings "Tomorrow is the big audition. You want to be well rested. Or you'll fail. And if you don't get it, you'll never be a star." She left the implications of that conclusion unspoken as a gentle breeze came in through the window, the summer, night air crisp and surprisingly warm on Shawn's skin.

Shawn jumped a little, like Mom had startled him. "Oh! Sorry Mom, I thought I heard something outside..."

"Shawn." Mom started, coming closer. "Why is the window open? And why are you awake?"

"The audition doesn't start until the afternoon." Mom observed, clearly still ruminating over Shawn's future, not saying anything about his current state and proceeding with the line of logic that all of this was somehow a confusing mistake.

"I was trying to hear where the thing outside was coming from." Shawn's voice was deliberately groggy, like he was still half asleep. He was trying to sell his Mom on the idea that he'd had a weird or scary dream, and gone to the window to try and see if whatever thing he dreamed was out there. A bit silly, but he was young enough to get away with it if he was groggy enough about it.

It was a simple, well-worn routine. And Mom bought completely. She was obviously very concerned about the audition tomorrow and she made a big show about tucking Shawn in and closing the window. It felt like she genuinely cared about Shawn's well being and it would have been callous to dismiss that notion, given how she seemed to know the right things to say and proper positioning of the pillows and blankets as only a Mother could.

When she left the room, Griffix sprung from the closet.

"Any, you've got yerself a nice Mum there lad. A nice Mum. I donna-wanna interrupt anyting' ya' got goin' on here." He lamented, as if taking in the surroundings of Shawn's real life for a moment, and noticing how he didn't seem to fit in the real world.

"As ya' might o' guessed, 'tings ain't been workin' so well at the Circus for us folk." he said, shrugging.

Shawn felt oddly vulnerable, knowing Griffix had seen his Mom tuck him in and kiss him goodnight. Something of himself had been exposed here. “Why not? I thought we won the race?”

The awkwardness carried into the conversation as Griffix himself began to expose his own vulnerabilities, exposing perhaps some misjudgements on his part that might be to blame.

"Ay' lad." Griffix said. "I dunno." He fretted.

"'Tings' are missin'. Everting' isn't goin' as 'Twas supposed ta' go.  The Book is gone. Even that crystal ball is gone, n' let me tell ya' Malinda aint' too happy 'bout that."

"The place is in total disrepair. I don't think it's Malinda neither. It's like, with all o' the missin 'tings that she usually makes the Circus right again, now she Donna-know what to do. Me thinks that this is a hard spot for her ta' be in. For all of us really."

"Sure, it's much better than if Cherrywinks were leadin' the thing. But I guess I aught to be more mindful of what I wish for, ya' know?"

"I might o' been a bit too optimistic about the Fortune Teller and the Order n' the future of 'tings for us. At least until we find the Book and the Crystal Ball." And he looked up at Shawn with a coy, nervousness, like he had lead Shawn down a path that seemed certain, but was now somehow less certain. Or maybe it was just that Shawn's Mom had tucked him in and Griffix had just seen that. It was hard to say with the tension of uncertainty and vulnerability in the air.

“Can’t she find them? She’s a fortune teller, right?” Somehow, Shawn had a sinking feeling this was quickly going to become his problem.

"She's lookin' lad. She's lookin'." Griffix said, holding up what probably was a paw a few moments ago, but now resembled just a hand. His tone was slightly annoyed, perhaps at Shawn's question, but it could have easily just been the fact that the situation himself was troubling.

Then he sight. "Ya done your part lad. Ya' done your part. 'Twould be unfair of me ta' ask ya' ta' pull more than your share. Now that ya' helped put 'tings in order for the Order, and help us all avoid Mr. Cherrywinks and that troupe of clowns, 'tis only fair that I take this." Griffix said, taking responsibility for following through on this current task.

"Ya' been kind. And ya' been true to ya' word about helpin' us stop Cherrywinks."

Then he gave Shawn a sheepish smile. "Of course ya' know lad, it ain't all good will and such that I'm not askin' ya' ta' help me."

"Truth is lad, I've said it before: I'm hungry. Real hungry lad. And soon I'm-a-gonna come to ya' and tell ya' I can't wait no more. And that I need your help so I don't have to eat kids."

"But I was stoppin' by tonight to find out if ya' had heard anything o' the missin' 'tings that Malinda needs to set 'tings straight." Griffix explained, and with that, Shawn felt that is Circus companion was absolving Shawn of any responsibility related to the current task of 'setting things right' with the Circus. Still, it was news that things hadn't gone as foreseen, even if Griffix didn't expect Shawn to do anything about it.

"I'll try to get you something to eat, Griffix. I know how important it is." Shawn was relieved to hear the search wasn't going to be his responsibility, but it certainly boded poorly for the future.

Griffix hopped onto the windowsill and squatted, taking time to pull out his corn-cob pipe and place it in between his teeth.

"Right ya' will, lad, right ya' will."

"I'll take ya' up on that offer too lad. Mighty kind of ya'. I'll be sure to remember that."

"But for now, just be a good lad and....play." He said, offering what sounded like the opportunity to be a kid.

Shawn's audition was coming up, so he probably wasn't going to have time for play, but he appreciated Griffix's sentiment. "Be careful, Griffix..."

OOC: Shawn Join's Thread:

Delilah: Kids Running Around...OUTSIDE!