“When’s the next show?” Junior asked looking over it for Shawn and then Mr. Clayton, Or rather the puppet and then a small boy. Junior is happy but also clearly confused. Perhaps that was the reason why he was happy. Jubilant really. Yup and the smell is about to say something else, but then he just settled for closing it shut. His eyes look way, And then the other. Emily Emily.

Shawn looked at Junior in confusion, unsure of what was going on. Who was Emily, and what was the smell about to say?

It all made no sense. It felt like a dream. Who was Emily? Why was Shawn able to read Junior's thoughts for a second?

What was going on?

"Alright then!" Mr. Clayton in Shawn's body said. "You go tell all your friends about this show! Alright?"

"I know there's a few things we have to tighten up. Yucka Yucka! But be a good sport and spread the word!"

Shawn shook off the sense of confusion as Mr. Clayton spoke - he could figure out what was going on later. "Oh, but wait Mr. Clayton, the show's not quite over yet. There's still one more trick we've gotta show Junior." Shawn wasn't going to let this finish until everything was back to normal - both swapping back, and getting back to his room.

"Oh! Right!!" Mr. Clayton rejoiced, as if having remembered something important.

"I give myself to Greater Ventriloquism!!!" Mr. Clayton-Shawn said, closing his eyes.

And, if by magic, Shawn felt the wooden eyes of the Puppet snap shut on his own vision with an involuntary 'click.'

With his eyes closed, Shawn concentrated really hard on being back in his own body, and his own room. Though, remembering the strange ripple effect that had happened last time, as a little experiment, he pictured his own room as being cleaner and smelling nicer than it had been previously.

As Shawn concentrated, it was clear that Ralph was leaving his room. Not just with a split lip, but with a broad smile that seems to open the gash even further. But it wasn’t just an open wound. It was an open mind. It was if Ralph was leaving the room having seen some sort of event. Or perhaps, experienced some kind of religious revelation. These were all things Shawn knew, the same way someone knows The last feeding memories of a dream after they have just woken up. And just like a dream, this knowledge and the intimate grasp of it, Took on a fuzzy quality.

“Well that was a show! I haven’t had a good show like that in years. Why, it’s just like riding a bicycle! Yucka Yucka!”

Shawn pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to reconcile the strangeness of what he'd just experienced with the memories of Junior - or was it Ralph - leaving his room? Everything was so blurred together recently with all the time he'd put into practising. He looked down at Mr. Clayton. "Junior seemed to like it. Did you have to hit him in the face, though?"

The Puppet opened his mouth as if he was about to say something in response, he waited for a second
“Was that Junior, or Ralph? And did you hear what he thought about?!”

Shawn scratched his head. "Umm...I know Junior was the one who came over, 'cause I remember him talking about dreams...but I remember Ralph leaving? What's going on?" He felt like he was losing touch with reality.

The Puppet’s Opened and closed. They open and closed. Silent gesture but impression of thinking. “Balaban Alturas tuna!” Mr. Clayton Shouted in a nonsensical voice.
“You just want all the pieces of the puzzle to fit together don’t you?!”

“Aren’t there parts of your day that don’t normally make sense? Do you always find your way to make sense most things most of the time?” Mr. Clayton’s tone was one of inquiry rather than interrogation. It was as if you genuinely wanted to know if Shawn made sense of most things.

Shawn wasn't really prepared for Mr. Clayton to get all philosophical, and it took him a bit to figure out what his answer might be. "I guess there's stuff I don't get...but there's always gotta be something behind it. If you don't know what's going on, you don't know what you're supposed to do. And if you don't know that, you can get in trouble." It was like when he did acting - even if you didn't understand the plot of the movie, there was a director who told you what he wanted from your acting. You had to know what was expected, and what everyone was working towards.

The time was coming to an end. Shawn didn't know how he knew this. But he did know. It was the way that Mr. Clayton sighed. He did a sort of yawn, but it wasn't something any audience would recognize. It was more of the fake mouth opening wide for a few seconds, Shawn's hand fitting now neatly inside the Puppet with that comfortable, snug feeling that was familiar.

.“But what if you did know? What if you knew that all you had to do was to trust something and that it would give you all of the answers that you needed? Would you listen to it?” Mr. Clayton asked with eager interest, though his energy was clearly fading.

Shawn somehow knew his time was limited. His time for what, he wasn’t quite sure, but he knew it nonetheless. “I’d listen...but if I understood more, maybe I could help better. Maybe I’ve got good ideas. No one knows everything, right?”

"That's right." The Puppet demurred, mouth opening slowly in what Shawn might have seen as a yawn.

.“It's not your fault. You need to be easier on yourself.” Mr. Clayton said, tone now soft and encouraging. "You need to just let all of the things that people want and the stuff that you want. Just let it all go. Anytime you feel like you want something or you feel like you need to do something. You just need to start by saying 'I give it all to Greater Ventriloquism.' "

"As we've seen, it makes for a great show. But switching things around like we did won't necessarily happen all of the time. I think we're just starting to scratch the surface."

Shawn had actually been hoping to bring up the switching around trick with Mr. Clayton, so they could discuss using it in future shows. "Yeah, I was just thinking about that trick. Now that I've seen how it looks, I don't think we need to actually switch for the show, right? I can do a pretty good job pretending, and it should work just as well." Seeing his own body move around outside of his control had really shaken him.

"That's right." Mr. Clayton said.

.“You don’t need to do anything. But if you don’t switch for the show, I’m not sure the kids will be happy. It’s not really the physical part of the switch or the laughter that I think they are into. It’s more of an experience. And like an experience it’s something you just kind of ‘feel, Not because it looks a certain way, but because it’s actually happening.’” Mr. Clayton said in a soft, tired voice.  And with that he let out a yawning sound."I don’t think they’ll ‘feel’ it. But we can do it your way if you want. It’s your path. A lot of the times think we can just set up shop after giving ourselves a little bit over to Greater Ventriloquism. But I’m not sure it really works that way. Greater Ventriloquism keeps calling to us until we respond “But do we really have to talk about this now? I am so tired. I just need to rest. It’s been such a long day. And you kept me up so long practicing for days and days and nights and nights. I’m just a puppet. I’m just a trifle. And you have seen how that is. Because just like me, you were just like me when Junior was here. Don’t you think so? Oh, You don’t need to answer that. Just think about it. OK? It’s just...I just don’t know how much longer I can talk. Lift me up and put me over into my case will you? Even a trifle like me… A nothing wooden, puppet like me...Needs to be put down.”."

Shawn listened as attentively as he could to Mr. Clayton, but he couldn't help but feel like the puppet was rambling. Maybe he'd understand it more later. At the very least, it sounded like he couldn't weasel his way out of the body switch if they ever did the show again. He got to his feet, feeling as exhausted as Mr. Clayton sounded, and headed for the case. At the very least, he'd be able to use both of his hands, if only for a little while.

It felt like a ramble and Shawn had no doubt of his own impressions, especially because big words were being used. As he placed Mr. Clayton into the Puppet's case, it was clear that Mr. Clayton had stopped talking.

The Puppet's limp body lay there, mouth open in a gaping, life-less smile.

Its eyes were staring upward at the ceiling, like it had never been talking, like Mr. Clayton was just a puppet. Or, as he often said, a trifle. A nothing.

Then, as if by magic, the eyes shut themselves. There was the click of the wood or enamel, or whatever those eyelids were made of. And just like that Mr. Clayton now looked like he was a puppet or toy with his eyes closed.

And just like that, Shawn was alone, left reflecting on the days...or had it been weeks?, of practice. Practice with the puppet. Practice with this new layer of his life.

Shawn was in the room alone.

Shawn sat down heavily on his bed, by himself for the first time in...a while, at least. He felt exhausted, but also a little relieved. He looked around his room - it stunk with neglect. He wanted to sleep, if only for a little bit, but he also knew he'd be bound to get into trouble for having a dirty room. He levered himself to his feet - he'd clean for a little bit, then he'd have a nap.

OOC: Shawn Rolls Composure + Stamina with the following results

0 Successes: Shawn collapses in exhaustion while trying to tidy up

1-3 Successes: Shawn gets the room somewhat clean, but then falls asleep

4+ Successes: Shawn musters enough inner will to clean the room completely, then he takes a nap as planned.

OOC: 00:44, Today: Shawn Cramer failed (no successes) using 4d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 6,2,1,7.  Composure + Stamina.

Shawn Joins Thread

Shawn: Shawn!!!!