Shawn and Bobby played outside for a while, running around in a semi-remake of G.I. Joe cartoons.  The play seemed to drift away from Shawn's house--whether intentionally, or by accident, it was hard to say. Nevertheless, Shawn could feel the hard press of the night's memories interrupting his summer playtime. The idea that tears were needed by tonight, when Griffix would return. He reached into his pocket--something he had seen Dad do a million times. Only instead of checking for a wallet like an adult, Shawn could feel the cold familiar touch of the vial that Griffix gave him.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out to join the summer romp.

"Hey fart-brains!" Eddy yelled, coming towards both Bobby and Shawn on a red bicycle.

"Shit-balls!" he proclaimed, adding one more vulgar word as he approached with a happy look on his face.

Shawn made his face brighten and his eyes sparkle - it seemed like Eddy was a welcome presence in Shawn's life. He waved at him excitedly. "Hey Eddy! Want to play?"

"Now why would I want to play with a bunch of shit-balls like you guys?" Eddy said, jokingly. Maybe it would be a different story if Eddy was around other kids like that time that Shawn found himself in the presence of both Eddie and Eric, but he wasn't. He was one of the gang. It sure felt that way, especially how Bobby greeted him with a raucous hoot.

"Whoa! Yeah! Let's play something like baseball."

"Or maybe hide and seek in the woods!" Shawn kept up the high energy, pretending he wasn't really nervous about this whole thing. He had to figure out how to separate Eddy and Bobby, get Eddy by himself.

"Hide and seek!" Bobby repeated. "Oh brother, that sounds like fun!"

"That sounds like it could be gay." Eddy countered, not sounding like he was joking.

OOC: Shawn Rolls Manipulation + Socialize + Striking Looks Vs. Eddy's Composure + Empathy

"What's gay about fun?"

OOC: 07:50, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 1 success using 7d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 1,9,6,5,6,5,2. Manipulation + Socialize + Striking Looks.

20:58, Today: Shawn's Acquaintance - Eddy Hughs rolled 3 successes using 4d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((5,3,10(+10,2),9)).

"Uh!" Eddy moaned. "There's no way we're doing that today. No way. Hide and seek is for babies and sissy-fags." He added, looking between Shawn and Bobby to see if they caught that last word. Eddy was using it more lately, taking a liking to it as far as Shawn could tell.

"We're gonna go play sticks out by the bridge." Eddy informed them, as he started to take control of the group. Bobby shrugged, happily and indifferent as the new Bobby had become. Maybe the old Bobby would have conspired with Shawn or thought of some clever way to lie.

Shawn was familiar with 'sticks.' The game went like this: Each kid marked a stick with certain color, then they threw them off the bridge. The sticks would float under the bridge and the current would push them to the other side. The first stick to appear would be the winner.

The only problem was that this was a group activity, where everyone was completely together.

"Oh okay, that's cool too!" Shawn conceded the point, even as he tried to figure out how he was going to get around it. He had to think of a way to ditch Bobby without hurting his feelings. If Bobby got far enough ahead or behind as they walked to the bridge, maybe he could have a quick private talk with Eddy, and get him to do it for Shawn.

Shawn tried lagging behind with Eddy, but it wasn't so easy. Bobby was cheerful, happy and basking in the delights of conversation with the two boys as they approached the bridge.

"Oh brother! Sticks!" He rejoiced, his merriness seeming to increase every day, Shawn noticed. It was like the affects of concoction from the Circus had made Bobby into a optimist bordering on naive.

He walked next to Shawn nudging him in the shoulder and saying "This should be fun!"

Shawn smiled brightly at Bobby, even as he wondered (or maybe hoped) whether Bobby's merriment might lead him to avoid looking into Mom and Dad. "Oh yeah, definitely. Have you picked out your stick yet? I bet you'll find a cool one!"

The bridge was now in sight, and Bobby's eyes lit up with the excitement of someone truly happy to play in a summer game.

"Oh yeah!" Bobby said, excitedly. "Let's all go pick out sticks! First one's a rotten egg!" he yelled, and he ran off in one direction.

"Both of you are already rotten! I'm gonna win!" Eddy yelled, tossing his bike to the curb, jumping off and landing on the ground in one motion. He ran off to search for a stick in the other direction.

Shawn made a show of looking back and forth, then pretended to notice something over where Eddy was. He ran over to that side, ostensibly to look for a stick, but actually to talk to Eddy.

Eddy didn't say anything, his hands grabbed a hold of a stick, mouth a wide grin. Then he grabbed a larger stick, tossing the first once aside--much happier with the new one.

He grunted and grabbed. He thrashed the sticks with his legs and looked over his shoulder. It was really important that he finish first and get a better stick.

Shawn also pretended to be similarly focused on his stick-hunting task. It was only once he got a search rhythm down that he spoke to Eddy - very casually, of course, like it was no big deal. "Hey, remember that card trick I showed you? The one my uncle taught me? I've been practising. I should show you sometime."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:42, Thu 10 Aug 2017.

"Mmmmm." Eddy grunted, without looking at Shawn. He tossed a few more sticks aside. Then he searched around head darting to one side and then the other, scanning the ground for any sign of an advantage.

"You think a bigger longer stick will win? Or a shorter one?" Before Shawn could answer, Eddy said "Bigger. Bigger is always better. That's why Andre The Giant is so fierce." He concluded, not really giving Shawn much feedback.

Shawn looked for a nice, simple stick without a lot of branching or misshaping. "Andre the Giant's so cool!" He had always felt an odd fascination and wonder at the antics of "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, who almost seemed to enjoy the idea of being hated, but he'd never admit that to a peer. He shook himself mentally; he had to stay focused on the mission. If he couldn't lure Bobby away, he might end up collateral damage.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:34, Fri 11 Aug 2017.

"Mmmm." Eddy agreed, the grunt of someone that was focused on something else.  There was a snap of a branch and Shawn turned his head to see Bobby running towards the bridge with a armful of sticks.

The sight seemed to push Eddy to furthe action. "We're only supposed to pick one stick! Cheater!" He yelled out at Bobby's back as Bobby faded over the crest of the hill and out of sight.  Eddy turned his back to Shawn, grabbing all the sticks he had tossed and putting them one by one under his armpits, trying to carry as much as possible.

Shawn noticed that Bobby was out of sight, and decided to take advantage of it. Apparently deciding one stick was enough for him, he sat down while Eddy started searching and pulled out his deck of cards. "I'm just going to practice while you search, okay?" He started shuffling them in the pattern Griffix taught him, but he was nervous and screwed up the shuffle, dropping two of the cards. Shawn sighed and got up, trying to pick them up.

OOC: 20:21, Today: Shawn Cramer failed (no successes) using 7d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling on 9 or more. Wits + Subterfuge + Striking Looks.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 00:23, Mon 14 Aug 2017.

"mmmmmm." Eddy grunted, looking sideways at the cards that fluttered to the ground near his leg.

"Yeah, ok." He said, seemingly annoyed at Bobby still. He picked up the pace, grabbing more sticks and shoving them into his arms.

OOC: Shawn rolls again

Shawn scrambled to pick up his cards, then tried it again. This time, he was much more successful, his hands snapping into place as he performed the parlour trick.

OOC: 17:15, 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 8,10(+6),8,7,8,4,1. Wits + Subterfuge + Striking Looks.

17:16, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 3 successes using 8d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 4,10(+3),1,2,2,4,5,10(+8).  Presence + Empathy + Striking Looks + WP.

The clattering of sticks could be heard on the forest floor. Eddys jaw dropped open.

"Cards..." Was the only thing he said. Face now staring at Shawn.

Shawn casually performed the trick again - the movements were so smooth that he barely had to think about them now. "Yeah, I'm getting a lot better at it now. Don't tell Bobby, though. I don't want to show him this trick until I've got it right. Maybe once we finish racing sticks you can help me practice more?"

OOC:  12:46, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 9 successes using 7d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling on 9 or more.  Wits + Subterfuge + Striking Looks.

12:49, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 1 success using 5d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s.  Presence + Empathy + Striking Looks.

Shawn looked up at Eddy as his hands continued the rhythmic, effortless shuffle. He could feel the familiar, smooth texture of the cards, their corners rounded, smooth costing like cold wax or plastic. They were easily pliable, like the right  audience, director, or production crew when Shawn was at his best, crafting the acting art.

Eddy's eyes were fixed on Shawn's hands, a smile broadening across his face. "Shitballs! Howy'd you do that! Do it again!"

Shawn kept up the pace, hands flickering as the cards almost seemed to dance around unaided. He tried to consider how much time they had before Bobby noticed the delay. "My uncle taught me the trick; I've been practicing it a bunch. It almost looks like real magic, doesn't it?"

OOC: 15:48, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 2 successes using 7d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling on 9 or more with rolls of 2,7,5,3,3,9(+10,4),2.  Wits + Subterfuge + Striking Looks.

15:49, 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 6,9,2,7,6.    Presence + Empathy + Striking Looks.

"Uncle...card trick." Eddy said stupidly.  The sticks were long forgotten now, dropped at the base of Eddys feet, a task that seemed like it belonged in a different life time by the looks of Eddys face. He pawed at the air with one hand, then retracted it slowly, not daring to interrupt the cards that were moving.

In the distance, Shawn heard Bobby calling out.

Shawn finished the trick, and then stowed the cards once more. "Anyway, we should get back to sticks! I can practice the trick again later." He got to his feet, then bent over to grab his stick off of the ground.

Eddy shook his head, as if clogging the cobwebs out. He grabbed a stick without looking at it and trailed behind Shawn with a sense of urgency.

"Oh, come on Shawn. Do the trick one more time, OK?" The words sounded strange on Eddys lips, the boy usually more accustomed to taking over conversations, or at least trying to.

"Oh, fine, only one more time. But you owe me, okay?" Shawn hastily rattled off the trick again, but while he did it technically correctly, the magic didn't flow. "Now c'mon. I'll show you again later, when Bobby's not here."

16:19, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 3 successes using 7d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling on 9 or more with rolls of 6,9(+9,7),2,2,6,3,9(+6).  Wits + Subterfuge + Striking Looks.

OOC: 16:20, Today: Shawn Cramer failed (no successes) using 5d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 3,6,5,1,2.  Presence + Empathy + Striking Looks.

Eddy stopped to stare at the trick. The magic wasn't flowing. Shawn could feel it. Eddys face wasn't as mesmerized. But, he was still a kid. And kids love card tricks.

"Yeah." Eddy said, satisfied" that's it."

"Now let's go play sticks!"

Shawn grinned as if happy that Eddy liked the trick and followed him back to play sticks. Hopefully now it'd be easier to convince him to watch the card trick once he got him away from Bobby.

"What took you so long?" Bobby complained, looking strangely annoyed for being the 'new' version of Bobby that Shawn had come to know.

"OK." Bobby said "Now it's just a matter of trying to throw these sticks!" He said with excitement.

"OneTwoThree..THROW!!!" Eddy said, throwing his stick from the bridge into the water below, counting really fast and trying to do so before anyone else could notice.


There was a big smile on his face, like he thought he was going to win. And that winning was everything.

"Go stick!" Shawn didn't particularly care about winning, but saying that would probably take a lot of fun out of it for Eddy, and that was if it didn't sound really petty and petulant in the first place. So he cheered his stick on enthusiastically.

Bobby and Eddy leaned over the bridge eagerly awaiting the results to see which stick would come up first to float to the other side. Shawn could see, clearly, a stick float out, bobbing in the current. It looked like Shawns stick.

"It's mine! I win!" Bobby announced

"No it's not, Shitballs. That's my stick, I'm the winner."

"Oh, brother!" Bobby lamented, as the three boys watched all of the sticks come out from under the bridge. None of the sticks were marked in any way, and so there was no way to tell them apart. Consequently, there was no way of telling who won.

Shawn wasn't sure if it was his stick or not - it looked a little like it, but there wasn't any real way to tell from where he stood. "It...kinda looks like Eddy's? It's hard to tell."

"Oh brother!" Bobby repeated. "I'll go down there and get the sticks. We'll bend them next time and then do it again, fair and square." Bobby announced. Hopping out onto the landing near the base of one end of the bridge, making his way down to the water. He was jogging now, trying to catch up to the sticks before the current took them away.

"That's right! Go get my stick you fat Nazi!" Eddy yelled at Bobby. Bobby was not fat.


And Shawn...

OOC: Shawn Rolls Intelligence + Study with the following results

0 Successes: ...Had no idea what Nazi meant. It might be the first time Shawn heard the term

1 Success: .....heard the term, but wasn't sure what it meant

 2+ Successes....Knows exactly what Nazi means

Shawn had no idea what Nazi meant, but he assumed it was a bad thing. "Aww, c'mon. Bobby's cool."

OOC:  16:14, Today: Shawn Cramer failed (no successes) using 2d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 4,7.  Intelligence + Study .

"Ugh.. This game is already boring."  Eddy groaned. Shawn could tell that it might have to do with the fact that they were now waiting. Or maybe because he wasn't declared the winner. The two boys watched as Bobby ran down the side of the stream, looking for a good spot to grab the last two sticks, which continued to drift away.

"This is gonna take forever!" He complained. "Now what?"

"We could play Treasure Hunt. We all meet back here in two hours, and whoever has the coolest thing by vote is the winner. And then afterwards you have a bunch of cool things to play with." Shawn tried to sound cool and self-deprecating, like he knew Eddy probably already had that idea and Shawn was just bringing it up.

"Alright" Eddy agreed, unhappily. He kicked the side of the bridge in frustration.

"I mean, now? We start looking now?"

"I mean, we should probably tell Bobby first." Shawn looked over at Bobby to see if he'd found the sticks. If this was going to work, he had to appeal to Eddy's sense of superiority, and his competitive instincts. "But between you and me, I do know a really cool place in the woods where you could start looking. No one knows about it except me, and I'd totally let you have first pick of whatever we found there."

Eddy's eyes opened wide, clearly eager for any advantage. "Oh, yeah?" He asked, winning clearly super important to him.

"Yeah - no one else knows where it is, but there's like, a cave and stuff. There's all sorts of cool stuff there." Shawn had actually been to the place once before while playing in the woods. Maybe there was treasure in the cave, maybe not, but the place was really hard to find and thus would be very unlikely him and Eddy would be interrupted.

"Bobby's a wimp. " Eddy announced, his chin up in the air, broad frame puffed out. "He doesn't deserve to get first dibs on a the Pirate Cave." Eddy concluded, interpreting Shawn's description to involve pirate treasure or maybe hoping it would.

"Let's ditch him and get the treasure. Or just, I don't know, leave him a note or something."

Shawn rummaged in a pocket a found a scrap of paper, and he noticed a discarded pencil nub laying on the bridge ground. He spent a minute writing a quick note to Bobby, then folded it up and weighed it down under a rock. "Okay, follow me and I'll show you the cave."

OOC: Shawn Joins thread

Shawn: Where're We Goin'?