A few days later Shawn sat outside on the front lawn with Bobby and Oscar.

"He's so cool!" Bobby said. "I'm so glad Dad got him for us!"

Shawn had found a stick, and was trying to teach Oscar how to fetch. He tossed the fallen branch across the front lawn, and shouted for Oscar to go get it! "He's such a cool dog!"

"Hey guys!" Erica said as she walked up passed the bushes on the edge of Shawn's yard.

The dog's head immediately jerked up, ears pointed forward as much as they could towards the sound of Erica's voice. It's tail started wagging as she came closer, slow at first and then faster, ears back in delight.

OOC: Shawn rolls Intelligence + Animal Ken

OOC: 06:51, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 3 using 1d10 with rolls of 3.  Intelligence + Animal Ken (Chance Die).

Shawn could tell that the dog was more than excited by Erica's presence. It was the way the dog ran up next to her and started push its head up to her hand waiting for a scratch.

Erica reacted with surprise. But not at the dog.

At the situation.

"What..." she stated looking between Bobby, Shawn and then the dog. And then right back to Shawn.

"What are you doing with my dog?"

Shawn also reacted with surprise at the situation, walking up to Oscar and Erica with a confused look on his face. "What do you mean? This is our dog."

"Yeah." Bobby said. "Oscar is our dog. Dad gave him to us."

Erica put her hands on her hips. "Well, if Oscar is your dog, watch this."

She breathed in a deep breath.

"Benji!!!!!" She bellowed. The dog ran over to her side and sat down next to her.

"See?" she said with a frown and an 'I'm annoyed' tone.

"Benji is my dog. I've had him for three years, and this isn't a funny joke you guys are playing."

Shawn felt a pit start to form in his stomach; either this was an elaborate prank on Erica's part, or him and Bobby were accessories to dognapping. "Yeah, our Dad gave him to us a few days ago...did your dog run away or something? Maybe he got taken to the pound." Shawn was trying to figure out a scenario in which Dad hadn't stolen someone's pet.

"Your Dad?"

The words burst out of Erica's mouth with all of the surprise and gut wrenching feeling that Shawn himself had felt.  Then she straightened up, moved to the side to let Oscar---or Benji---sit closer to her which the dog did with surprising familiarity.  Scratching his head with one hand, Erica restated her position.

"Nope. Benji would never run away. He like's it to much at home with us." The dog looked up at Erica with one of those 'happy dog' grins which exposed some of its pink tongue and back teeth.

It was good the dog was happy. Because it was the only member of the small crowd that was smiling at that point. Erica had a deep, awkward expression of confusion and perhaps growing contempt for Shawn's father.  Bobby had a look on his face that someone would have if their best friend just stabbed them with a knife. His eyes were wide with the growing possibility--the dawning realization--that Shawn's Dad probably stole the dog. But in Bobby's mind it would be his Dad that would have stolen it. A lie that the Tweed Berry and the key had made him agree to.

"Shawn.....Did.....Did Dad take the wrong dog or....how?"

Shawn was increasingly certain that Dad had, in fact, stolen the dog. But here and now, with Erica and Bobby both looking at him, he just wanted to stop anyone from hating him and his family. And in this situation, that meant doubling down on a story that made things no one's fault, even if he didn't think it was true. "Dad wouldn't steal someone's dog - that's crazy. If he wanted to get a dog, he'd go to an animal shelter. And I know Benji's a good dog, but if something scared him, or wanted to chase something, he could have accidentally wandered away and got lost. That's probably what happened; someone found Benji and took him to a shelter, and our Dad picked him up."

Shawn waited to see if Erica or Bobby, or both had taken the bait of his story.

OOC: Shawn Rolls Wits + Subterfuge + Striking Looks with the following results

0 Successes: No way no how. Erica doesn't believe it for a second. Bobby starts to cry

1 Success: A muted acknowledgement. Erica nods her head. Bobby frowns. They seem to buy the story. But Shawn can tell it doesn't 'feel' right. Disaster is avoided. But this might be something the kids look at in hindsight when viewing Shawn or his Dad.

2 Successes: Hook line and sin-k-er. They both buy the story. Erica is still slightly miffed, but she walks away with the dog, leaving a disappointed Bobby who was beginning to get attached to the animal.

OOC: 23:27, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 4 successes using 7d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling on 9 or more with rolls of 7,9(+6),7,5,10(+6),1,9(+10,7). Wits + Subterfuge + Striking Looks.

"No way he stole it." Bobby agreed. "Parents don't do things like that."

"Yeah, you're probably right. There must of have been some kind of mix up. Maybe Benji got out through the back door of the house. My Dad has been meaning to fix it."

"Man, what a crazy mixup." Shawn was sad that Oscar was gone, but at least everyone seemed like they could get along and no one hated him. "I know Benji's your dog and all, but do you think maybe we could play with him sometimes? He's a really cool dog."

"Oh yeah! Come on. Come over to my house, I want to show you some tricks I taught him. He's a great dog. I think he knows magic like me!"

"A magical dog!" Bobby repeated with glee

The idea of a magical dog sounded horrifying to Shawn, but he smiled and clapped his hands and cheered! This way at least him and Bobby still got to play with Benji.

OOC: End Thread