"Yucka, Yucka!" Mr. Clayton chimed in, breaking the brief, tense silence after Bradford spoke.

"Bradford's mad alright. I've got my marionette cords so deep into him, all he wants to do is kill you and destroy your life. I don't think he cares one way or the other if he kills himself in the process!!" Mr. Clayton joked, but from the way he said it and the sound of Bradford, it might has well not have been a joke at all.

"Well, I'd love to join you Shawn. I mean it when I say it." The puppet said, in a tone suggesting he was thinking it over. Letting Shawn's offer fill the silence before he responded.

"Tell you what: Whichever one of you survives this little tiff I'll stick with. We can learn Greater Ventriloquism together! There's no telling the things we could do or the heights we could reach!! Yucka Yucka!!!"

"Take the cords out, then! Let Bradford think for himself, and then no one has to get hurt, we can just fix this whole thing..." Shawn took one last shot at persuading Mr. Clayton, pulling out the last persuasive thing he could think of. "What if he does kill himself killing me, huh? Then we'd both be dead and you'd be trapped here forever."

Bradford gave a little, haughty and maligned chuckle. Shawn could only see a shadow behind the spotlight, skinny shoulders rising and falling with the laugh.

"I slant the cords in me." Bradford emphasized, the anger in his voice only slightly spoiled by the mispronunciation caused from his mutilated facial burn.

"They slake me mad. And sly anger makes me even more angry and then I use my anger and think about YOU!" Bradford cried out into the cave, voice bouncing off the walls.  "And slhat I could have been if you just let me be. And sly best friend Ron! And sluh Book and the Cabin and all the kids you betrayed. You slink that you are the good guy. You slink you are the one that's going to save people and be the real G.I. Joe hero."

"Let sleee tell you!: I'm slowing to kill Bobby first and then Ralph. But slot here. I'll slew it in the world when we wake up. And slime going to do it slowly. And sluh only way that its going to stop is if you stop me. And slew stop me, you'll have to kill me."

"You're sluh big movie star! You slood be able to stop me because you're so important."

"I slought you here with your friends and the whole place started to kill them. Just slike you did to the kids in the Cabin! Its slust like you did to Ron! And to April! And slew the other kids!"

"So slet ready. You're sloing to see how it feels to have you're whole life ruined just like what you did to me and the others. But slime only going to do it to you and  your friends, so if you add it up, then I'm not as bad as you." Bradford reasoned.

"Yucka! Yucka!" Mr. Clayton rejoiced, pulling on a shadowy coord that made Bradford recede back a step and also made him stop talking.

"He's got a point! Hehehe!" The puppet laughed, completely ignoring Shawn's idea that he might be trapped here forever and instead focusing on the joy that this outcome had brought. "He's got a point. He's doing less than what you did. So he can't be as bad! He's only going to do it to a few kids! Not all the kids. And that doesn't even count the kids you let die in the snow with that craaaaaazy clown! Hehehe."

"Well Shawn 'ol pal. It looks like you've got a heck-of-a decision to make. You might have to get those pretty actor hands of yours dirty after all! Or not. Maybe Bradford will be the one who gets his hands all bloodied up."

"For two guys that work behind the scenes of lying and deceiving, it looks like one of you is going to finally have to do something for yourself. And not killing in the Underworld like Gaggles. I head about that by the way. I saw it in the Crystal Ball. Nasty stuff."

"I mean a real-world killing!! And kids who are just...kids. Well, someone who's just a kid. It looks like killing is something you and Bradford are going to do directly this time. Its kind of like advancing to another level if you think about it! Like some karate belt! Ha!"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:33, Fri 30 Nov 2018.

Shawn felt himself tear up a little as Bradford threw all the bad things he'd done in his face, but he clenched his fists and tried to stay strong. He had to figure a way out of this, to protect Bobby and Ralph, and maybe even Bradford, though that was looking increasingly unlikely right now. "How're you even going to kill anyone? Bobby's as big as you are, and with Mr. Clayton you only have one hand." He was just throwing stuff at the two now, trying to find some way he could get around Bradford's angry plan.

The tears kept trying to flow, and Shawn wiped his eyes. In a moment of desperation, he reached into his pockets and smeared his slightly wet fingers on the liar's goblet, adding a few tears to the cup.

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

0 Successes: The tears start to roll down Shawn's cheeks

1+Successes: Shawn holds on, managing to tame the welling emotion

"I slon't care!" Bradford shot back  in anger.  "It sloesnt' matter. None slof it matters!" He screamed. And Shawn could tell, there was a little bit of tears perhaps in Bradford's own voice. A bit of shakiness, the emotion and anger all welling up. But most of all, the determination and hate. Hate for Shawn, more than anything else.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:47, Sun 02 Dec 2018.

"Now. Now." Mr. Clayton admonished. "I think we all agree here that I won't be doing much of anything to help anyone." He remarked with a tone that seemed aloof and distant. In a way, he was distant, at least to Shawn. The Puppet was still behind the large spotlight whose harsh light fell upon Shawn and Shawn alone. And the Puppet was too high up on that ledge. Either way, Shawn sensed the conversation was coming to an end by what Mr. Clayton said next.

"Nope! I won't be doing anything to help either of you in any more of this. I'm going to just wait and see who is going to be the Ventriloquist. It could be you Bradford. And that would be just fine. We've taken each other as far as we can go up to this point. I've helped you as far as I can. Now the rest is up to you!" Mr. Clayton intoned in a cheery voice.

"Fine." Bradford said, indicating he was still more interested in Shawn's response than anything Mr. Clayton had just finished saying. The 'fine' was spoken with seething hate.

"And you Shawn" The Puppet's voice came down once again on Shawn, echoing out through the cave and the nothingness within.

"I won't help you either. I think you've done your best to balance both the Circus and your family and friends. But there's nothing I can do for you. We can't be together unless you're willing to take the next step and kill Bradford."

"That isn't because I want you to kill Bradford. It's because if you don't kill him, you'll be dead because he'll kill you. Yucka Yucka!"

"And then we'll never be together like we should have been in the first place."

"Bradford...you say it doesn't matter, but it does. I'm a scaredy cat. I'm a liar. I'm not a good kid. I do bad things, sometimes because I have no choice, sometimes because it's easier." Shawn managed to tame his emotions, but rather than remain completely stoic, he tried to use them, channelling his sadness and reluctance into his expression in one last attempt to get through to Bradford. "You still have stuff in your life that matters. You're smart, and you're funny, and maybe you're kind of a dork but it's in a fun way. People like you, Bradford. When people like me, it's because I lie to them. I tell them nice things and they let me hang out because I keep saying nice things. They don't like me for who I am because who I am is awful. I'm not worth it. I'm not worth you having to hurt people, I'm not worth you having to kill your friends - and Ralph and Bobby are your friends, whether you think so or not."

Shawn's eyes widened as he realised something, something that may have been completely wrong, but had the same ring of truth in his head that his realisation about Mr. Clayton had. "Wait...that's why you want to kill Bobby and Ralph. It's not just because it's a way to hurt me...it's because if I was dead and they weren't you'd still have something. And if you have anything left when this is done, you'd have to keep going...and I don't think you want that, do you? You don't want to keep going..."

OOC: 23:14, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 4 successes using 5d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 9,8,3,8,10(+7). Resolve + Composure.

"I slon't care about any of that stupid stuff!" Bradford's slurry voice shot back after Shawn's reasoning. "I slon't care. You slow who my friend was? Ron! And slew can never bring him back. He's sled! Sled! And slew know what? You slid it. You slilled Ron. And slew know what else? You slid this to my face! Its slall your fault that this happened to me. I slon't care if people like me or not. I slon't care if you keep on lying! I slon't care about anything! I slust want to get you back for what you did!! And sly don't care what I have to do to do it!"

"You don't get the big joke, do you Shawn? Yucka Yucka! Well, this one's for you. I usually don't explain much for those outside of the Ventriloquism Trade. I mean, I usually don't have to explain much. But this time, I will. It's not a good parlor trick if the audience doesn't get the act."

"It's not about Bobby and Ralph. Not really...."

"It's not about the Circus...."

"It's not even about you or Bradford..."

"Or any of the other kids that are gone like Delilah and her sister."

"I want it all! You see? I want to see it all be destroyed."

"LET IT BURN!"


"That's why I helped you kill Griffix. He's choking away on those fake letters I had Crowley place in Little's Stone's tent. Griffix needs real bad things that kids did to survive. But I found out with the Fortune Teller's Crystal Ball that fake letters with fake lies and fake bad things that fake kids did will.....kill him!"

"I'd like to say that I only used the Crystal Ball. But I didn't. I actually got that one partly from you. I talked it over with Bradford really. He told me how all your lies killed people. And I thought...Yucka Yucka!! Let's try it out. And poor Griffix. Tsk...Tsk.." Mr. Clayton's voice waxed on in fake sorrow.

"I checked on him with the Crystal Ball right before you came in. He's having one heck-of-a-time breathing!!! Yucka! Yucka!" the Puppet laughed.

"Sorry to say that Crowley betrayed you. He's a liar too. Or was a liar. I told him that if he didn't help me out I'd tell Mr. Cherrywinks where Crowley was at. So Crowley lied to you...and you fell for it hook-line-and-sinker! Crowley lied to you and Little Stone!"

"That stupid cat is as dumb as that mailbox he's got in his tent! He's just interested in helping people out who have big choices. Ohhhhhh...Ahhhhhhh. He's too stupid to see or care about the plans that people and things have."

"And Crowley thought he was off scot-free! That is until I came back and bashed his skull in with a rock! It didn't take a big rock. Just a small one. He's a small guy! He looks like he's thinking. Just sitting down and thinking. But if you get real close....you can see the big hole the rock left in his head. He's brains are actually coming out!!  Then I took Bobby and Ralph and here we are!!" The Puppet rejoiced.

"Well, I guess I don't need this anymore! Haha!!" The puppet grunted and a few seconds later there was a loud crashing sound few feet away from Shawn. The sound of glass shattering filled the cave with a deafening noise and shards of glass shot out in every direction, spiraling off into dark corners away from the spotlight. It took a few seconds for Shawn to realize what had happened: Mr. Clayton had thrown the Fortune Teller's Crystal Ball off the ledge, destroying it.

Shawn flinched away from the shattering crystal ball. He had half suspected that Mr. Clayton was behind the theft of the crystal ball - he didn't know anyone else with the knowledge to do it. But everything else - the letters, Crowley, Griffix... "Is this what Bradford wants? Or what you want? Or is it the Proprietor..."

"I slust want to ruin you!" Bradford shouted.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 10:21, Mon 03 Dec 2018.

"Hehehehe! It's what I want. It's what Bradford wants." Mr. Clayton answered.

"Who knows what the Old Fart at the bottom of the well wants. I'm sure he'll be angry when he finds out there's no souls to be had. But you know what? Who cares!!??"

"The Hell with it all! Let it all burn down! Let everything burn down! Even if it means that we all burn! Hehehehehahahehehehheheahhhahaheheheheh!!! Yucka, Yucka!!!"

Then, after recovering from his raucous laugh. The Puppet said "Whew! They say laughter is the best medicine. And you know what! I agree!"

"Now....any more questions?"

Shawn just stared at them silently, and then broke his gaze in order to bend down and gather up a few of the bigger shards of the broken crystal ball. Talking anything further here and now wasn't doing anything, but maybe he could do something with these? He had no idea what he was doing at this point.

Then he suddenly remembered something. “What happened to Tiffany?”
This message was last edited by the player at 17:10, Mon 03 Dec 2018.

"She's somewhere around the block I think."

"I'll get to her too. But first it's Bobby and your stupid, stupid, STUPID friend Ralph." Bradford taunted lamely. It didn't matter if he was full of rage or not. Even hiding in the shadows, behind a giant spotlight, the boy didn't have the voice for threats. He couldn't really pretend it well either. Though Bradford would never be convincing on the big screen like Shawn, Shawn knew that there was a real threat behind Bradford's words because they were real intentions. Even if they did sound lame.

"Well, that's it!"

"Is everyone ready to go back home?" Mr. Clayton asked, also in the shadows.

Shawn felt a little sense of relief that at least Tiffany made it through this horrible experience. He pocketed a few more shards of the crystal ball, then straightened up, looking Bradford right in the eye. "I'm sorry about this, Bradford." It was ambiguous about whether Shawn was talking about the things he'd done to Bradford, or what he was about to do. He didn't really understand it himself.

"Mr. Clayton, I know you're not taking a side, but can you send Eddy's mind back if you can as well? As a favour?"

"Ha-Huh!, hahahaahaha!" Mr. Clayton laughed. "If I could I would but I can't so I won't! Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda-Won't!!! Eddy, never heard of him. Don't care about it!" Mr. Clayton joked.

The Puppet was so bubbly in his response, it was hard to tell if he was, in fact, telling the truth or whether or not he just wanted to see Eddy's mind burn like everything else.

"I'd rather see it all burn like everything else!" Mr. Clayton said, answering the question.

"But....if you WIN! Then sure! Why not? We'll give it a whirl!! How's that for motivation!? It's like winning the Physical Challenge on Double Dare!" Mr. Clayton said jovially.

Shawn took a deep breath and pushed his anger and frustration back down so he didn't lash out. There wasn't anything to gain from it at this point, he had to control his anger like Bradford couldn't. "All right. Thank you, Mr. Clayton."

"Exit stage left!" Mr. Clayton announced. The spotlight swiveled away from Shawn, its harsh light giving his eyes some reprieve, but also temporary blindness as they adjusted to the darkness.

A few seconds later Shawn could see that the spotlight now shown on a narrow cave tunnel that would require Shawn to crawl through.

Shawn finished pocketing the shards of crystal ball, and wiped the last traces of his tears into the goblet. Then, he took a deep breath and went to the cave tunnel, getting on his hands and knees to enter.

Shawn Joins Thread:

Shawn: Take Two!!