Shawn walked into the park, arriving at the time when most kids had already gone home. It was dusk and the sun was bright organge. It was setting in the horizon, and it left a great streaks of orange and smears of purple in the sky. A summer sun. The kind of sun that made kids think about camping and roasting marshmallows.

But here in the park, near everyone was gone. The swing set was empty. The jungle gym bars were without kids laughing.

The line at the Ice Cream Truck was empty....

Slowly, hesitantly, Shawn approached the Ice Cream Truck, squinting into the darkness. Hopefully, Cherrywinks was here. Of course, part of him rather hoped he wasn't.

Shawn edged himself closer to the old ice cream truck. It's outside seemed somehow more decrepit and older than he had remembered seeing it earlier in the day. The stickers that had adorned the outside of the truck were gone, the exterior of the truck just filled with deep scratches like wounds on metal. The smell was intolerable. Where as before there had been a smell of rotting fruit, now there was just rot.

After a few steps, almost inexplainably, Shawn felt his gaze focus on the dark interior of the truck and felt his sneakers being dragged, pulled closer. He could hear a series of whispers growing a chorus from all around him, voices that were nowhere, yet everywhere all at once.

Shawn was being dragged towards that darkness....

OOC: Shawn Chooses: Shawn does nothing, or, Shawn Rolls Occult + Strength with the following results

0 Successes: Shawn is dragged forward into the truck

1 Success: Shawn is pulled up to the front of the truck, but manages to grab onto the canopy overhang to prevent from being sucked in

2+ Successes: Shawn braces himself, summoning all of his strength to resist being pulled any further.

OOC: 22:52, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 1 success using 3d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 9,4,5. Occult + Strength.

It was all Shawn could do to avoid getting sucked into the ice cream truck. He reached his hands out grabbing the sides of the old, metal canopy bars, could feel the rusty metal digging into his palms. The whispers reached a frightening, dizzying crescendo.  Shawn felt that if he let go, he might be swept into the dark interior like an astronaut trying to avoid getting swept into deep space through some inadvertently opened hatch in a science fiction movie.


Slowly, slowly something was rising in the darkness just below the counter.  First Shawn could see the rag-like fuzzy hair, then the bald, rotting pate which was pasty white.  Finally, the wretched smile of the Clown who seemed to have a murderous expression on his face.




"Gotcha!" Mr. Cherrywinks proclaimed.

"I set the trap kid, and you just wandered right into it.  This isn't just any ice cream truck! I'm gonna cut your nose off." He said, as if Shawn had never been to this ice cream truck before.  Shawn could hear the snip, snip, snipping of metal shears from somewhere underneath the counter.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:53, Thu 01 Feb 2018.

This whole situation was off, like something wasn't quite right with the murderous clown - which certainly said a lot about the current situation. Shawn tried to think of a way to make him remember, or at least to confuse him long enough to escape. "I just...came to thank you for helping me find Ralph, Mr. Cherrywinks...

OOC: Shawn Rolls Wits + (Subterfuge OR Expression) + Striking Looks with the following results (WP may be used):

0 Successes: Mr. Cherrywinks is not taken in by the 'joke' nor the attempt to escape. He proceeds with what he planned to do: To try to cut Shawn's nose off

1 Success: Shawn's response amuses Cherrywinks, giving Shawn an additional moment to respond and think on his feet, before Cherrywinks tries to cut Shawn's nose off

2 Successes: Shawn's response perplexes Cherrywinks, forcing a brief conversation to ensue

3+ Successes: Shawn's response forces Mr. Cherrywinks to ask him more, prolonging the ensuing conversation,  and making the goal of cutting Shawn's nose off, no longer Mr. Cherrywinks' priority.

OOC: 07:51, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 5 successes using 9d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling on 9 or more with rolls of 1,4,1,9(+3),1,2,10(+4),1,10(+10,9,4). Wits + Expression (Acting)+ Striking Looks + WP.

The Clown brought the shears up from under the counter, giving a snip or two and then bringing them slowly towards Shawn's face. But then, as Shawn began to speak, he cocked his head. A worm crawled out from under his clown hair and fell onto the counter of the ice cream truck, where it writhed back and forth.

Suddenly, he stopped advancing the shears and his malicious smile became a confused, angry look.


"What the Fuck are you talking about kid?" Mr. Cherrywinks barked at Shawn, the musk of dead breath pushing against Shawn's face.

"When we talked earlier? You helped me find Ralph, remember? So I wouldn't say anything to the Order about where you are?" Shawn hid his increasing nervousness at the sight of the shears as he tried to jog Mr. Cherrywink's memory.

Mr. Cherrywinks lowered the shears. But just then, his other hand lashed out with quickness of a snake, grabbing a hold of Shawn's throat. Shawn could feel the inhuman strength of the clown. Each finger felt like it might poke right through Shawn's skin, crushing his throat like a piece of over-ripe fruit.  For all of the Clown's strength the arm and hand weren't even moving. It was like he was being clutched by an immovable, granite statue.

"What..ARE....YOU  talking about KID!?" The Clown growled. Shawn's eyes shifted downward to the counter. The worm that had fallen out of Mr. Cherrwinks' hair was wildly thrashing around on its back, as if it too were trying to escape the Clown, but was unable.

"Why would I talk to...**cough**...you?" Cherrywinks demanded. And before Shawn could answer, the  Clown shook him, Shawn's head violently snapping back and then forward again.

"You tryin' to come here to put pressure on me? Huh!? Is that it, kid!?" Cherrywinks growled. "To shake me down!? You tell Malinda that it's one thing to win the contest, but ain't payin' nuthin' more in souls to the Order."

The Clown violently shook Shawn again "Fuck your friend Ralph!" Cherrywinks sneered. "I'd never help **cough**...**cough**...**cough**.... he trailed off in a coughing fit, before resuming his tirade.

"Talked earlier? I see that sniveling kid again, I'll slice his nose off.  And then I'll take his soul, break it down and smoke it! How's that for sayin' something?" He parroted Shawn, maliciously.




21:00, Today: Evil Circus - Mr. Cherrywinks rolled 1 success using 4d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((8,2,1,7)).

OOC: Mr. Cherrywinks'  successfully 'grapples' Shawn.

Shawn suppressed tears as his throat was grabbed. It hurt! But now his only hope was some sort of rational appeal. To a demonic clown... "Mr. Cherrywinks...please think...what were you doing an hour ago?"

Cherrywinks spluttered a malicious laugh and then tightened his grip, the fingers now digging into the sides of Shawn's neck, Shawn's face suddenly feeling flush, hard to breath.


"Remember where you were, ah-haaaa." Cherrywinks mocked Shawn's voice in a high pitched tone. "You want to know where I was an our ago kid? I'll tell ya."

"Remember that friend of your's Jody? Remember how I said I wasn't goin' to hurt her and we made our little agreement? Well I kept my side of the bargain kid. She's off as a slave for the Lead Carnie Hog-wash. He picked her up and then I guess you picked up his scraps n' sold them to the Order. Good on ya."

"**cough**...**cough**...**cough**"

"I'll tell you where I was during the last hour. I was visitin' Jody's little brother. He's only four. I left my little truck here in the park, and I went to his little home. He was sleepin' just like a baby. Then I crept out of his closet.  It only took a few snips kid. One to be exact, Ha-ha!"

With a jerk of his arm he tossed Shawn from the front of truck.  Shawn's world spun over and over until he felt the impact of landing on the grass, the wind being driven from his lungs.

Even though he was disoriented, he could hear Cherrywinks' voice, harsh like gravel "Tell her I ain't payin' no more souls." He warned.


"I see you again....You're a dead kid."


OOC: Shawn gains conditioned Stunned: no Defense/unable to move for a round

Shawn didn't have any smart replies, any explanation for Mr. Cherrywinks' sudden shift in personality. But he wasn't going to risk any further confrontation when the demon was like this. When the stars cleared from his mind, he bolted from the park as fast as he could!

OOC: End Thread