Sunday Morning around 10am-ish...

An involuntary tiredness welled up from within Shawn's gut. Perhaps it was the hours of practice. Or then again, maybe that had nothing to do with it. Maybe it was the dreams about the hours of practice. Or maybe it was just Sunday.

Shawn stood by his window looking outside. The wind was whipping around and carrying with it leaves and a plastic bag that looked like it came from Pathmark. Behind it, a large racoon dashed across the street and ducked into a grate, disappearing into the sewer.

knock..knock..knock

Someone was knocking on Shawn's bedroom door.

Shawn followed the plastic bag with his eyes, almost in a reverie from his tiredness. He almost jumped when he heard the knock, but quickly composed himself as he headed towards his bedroom door to see who his guest was.

"Shawn." Dad's muffled voice came through the door. "Someone's here to see  you at the front door." Dad said. Then Shawn heard his Dad's footsteps fade away from the door. Dad had now become accustomed to knocking on Shawn's door and then walking away. It had become obvious in recent days that Dad didn't like the smell of Shawn's room.

Shawn took a moment to compose himself, once again regretting that he hadn't found time to clean his room a little. But then he headed to the door to see who was there to see him.

Shawn got out of his room and was greeted with fresher air from the hallway and down the stairs. The front door of the house was slightly ajar and when Shawn got downstairs and when he opened it he was greeted by a giddy looking Junior who was staring up at him with a toothy grin.

"Hi Shawn! I'm your number one fan! Do you want to come outside and play?" Junior asked doe-eyed and expectant, like he was putting himself on the line and that Shawn's next response could make or break the young boy's day.

"Well..." Shawn tried to remember if he had any important obligations. If Mr. Clayton was having a nap, he would definitely come out and play with Junior. If he had to practice more, then he could always invite Junior in to play inside.

Shawn knew that Mr. Clayton was inside the case where he had left him. Up in the closet on the top shelf, just where the Puppet said he felt most at home. And of course, covered in a blanket and with the closet door shut so it was extra dark and out of reach.

And because Mr. Clayton was out of reach, only sudden memories and echoes of the Puppet's voice could be felt by Shawn in the hear and now. It was as if Mr. Clayton was part of a dream. It was far different that the present and often intrusive Feddler who's voice Shawn would often hear in his own mind not so long ago.

"Well, what?" Junior asked, giddy with the prospect of hanging out with his idol.

If Mr. Clayton was put away, then it meant Shawn was probably done practicing for the time being. "Yeah, let's play!" It'd be fun, though he should probably also use it as a chance to check on Junior - things had been a little strange last time they'd met.

"Alright! You won't regret it, I promise you won't." Junior said, seemingly slightly surprised and more than just a little gushing.

"We should spend all day together. Do you want to have a sleep over at my house?" He asked as they walked down Shawn's driveway and onto the sidewalk near the street.

"Or a double sleepover!? Two nights in a row! Boy that would be great!"

Shawn followed after Junior, happy to get a chance to just play a bit. "I dunno if I can sleep over, I've got a bunch of practice I still have to do. But we can hang out tomorrow too!"

Junior didn't do very well at hiding his disappointment. "Ughhhh." He belly ached. As if Shawn's response was just what he was fearing. Then when Shawn said he would still hang out he murmured. "URghh--Ahhh!" with a bit of positive cheer at the end.

Shawn hated to disappoint people, especially when they were as obvious about it as Junior. "You can come and watch me practice if you want. You've already seen me do it before, though, so you might be bored."

"Practice? Like, mooovie auditions? That sounds so exciting." Junior marveled at the idea and his eyes grew as wide as dinner played, jaw slightly dropping. Of course, Shawn hadn’t actually mentioned anything about movies but that was how Junior interpreted it

"It's kinda like that, yeah." Shawn wasn't sure what, if anything, Junior remembered from the last time Shawn had 'practiced' with him around. "But we can do that later, we should play!"

"Alrig...." Junior suddenly cut himself off. "What movies are you doing right now?" He asked, Shawn's agreement having peaked his own interest.

Shawn was a little embarrassed that he wasn't auditioning for stuff anymore, even if his feeling about his movie career were a little mixed. "Well, it's not for any one movie yet, it's more like acting exercises so I'm better at any audition, you know? My coach wants me to get good at ventriloquism - you remember the bits I showed you?" If he considered Mr. Clayton his current acting coach, Shawn reasoned, it wasn't even really a lie. And part of him was wondering if Junior remembered anything from last time - even Shawn's memories towards the end were a little weird...

"Oh....yeahhhhhhhh" Junior said, his voice changing from mere fascination to a deep, gravel-like hunger.

"That sounds great. Doesn't it?" Junior asked. "It's probably the best thing I've ever, ever seen. Better than G.I. Joes and better than Thunder Cats. It's better than playing S.P.U.D. outside or even playing Red, Light, Green Light: 1, 2, 3. You know?"

Shawn nodded. "Exactly, and I'm still practicing the routine. Imagine how good it'll be at auditions once I really get the hang of it!"

"Imagine...." Junior marveled. And then, Junior spoke a bit about his desire to join Shawn in these auditions and his great admiration for Shawn. Somehow, through the twists and turns of his speech, he started talking about how Shawn had a great family and how Junior wished that he could live with Shawna and how Shawn probably had the best parents in the world, which were much better than Junior's parents.

"Does you're Dad help you put ketchup on hot dogs?" Junior asked.

OOC: Shawn Rolls Wits + Composure
This message was lightly edited by the player at 11:29, Sun 15 Mar 2020.

OOC: 08:04, Today: Shawn rolled 1 success using 4d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 1,8,5,4.  Wits + Composure.

Shawn could feel the presence more than see it.

A car was following the two boys. It was following Shawn and Junior down the street as they walked. It wasn't obvious at first, but then as they turned down main street, the way the car turned with its slow purr of a motor, it became more clear.

"So, does he? I bet he does. I bet you Dad knows how to make the perfect hot dog. Not my Dad." Junior lamented.

"He used to - he's really busy now though, so he can't. Hey, wanna take this way there?" Shawn made a turn to a side street that was maybe a roundabout way to get to where they were going, but he wanted to see if the car would follow.

Junior moved alongside Shawn, turning the corner of the roundabout and talking with great admiration for Shawn’s Dad.

“Is he a movie star too? I bet he is. He probably works at some important office in a big, super tall sky scrape building. And so then when he comes home he teaches you how to do things like build things using hammers. And how to do fun things like going fishing and playing baseball!” Junior fantasized with delight.

The car behind Shawn slowed down and turned when the boys were about a hundred feet into the roundabout

"I think my dad's a lawyer?" Shawn wasn't actually sure if his father still worked or not...or even what he did, but he didn't want to tell Junior that. He noticed the car turning, and wondered if maybe it was someone Junior knew. "Hey, do you know that car over there?"

Junior turned around to look at the car.

"Umm, nope!" He said confidently, basking in the conversation, like it was the richest conversation and Shawn was the most interesting person he had ever met.

"Yeah, I usually like to eat hot dogs on Saturdays, yeah. But we never have them at home. I like to eat them right before I watch WWF wrestling. Hey, have you ever met Hulk Hogan!?" Junior asked.

“Nope, have you?” Shawn picked up a bit of speed on his bike, wanting to head for somewhere there’d be more people watching.

The car slowly began to pick up speed, trailing behind Shawn...

"Hey, wait up!" Junior said. "I didn't get a chance to ask you if you ever saw Ted Dibiase, the Million Dollar Man! You know, the million dollar dream?"

Junior began to pedal faster to catch up with Shawn

Shawn made sure to go slow enough that Junior could catch up, but fast enough that they were still heading for (relative) safety as fast as he could. "No, but he seems mean. Remember the kid with the basketball?"

"The kid with the basket......AHHHHHH!!!!" Junior said as a roaring sound and the screech of wheels made him jump in his bike seat.

The car roared passed Junior and stopped abruptly, turning into the middle of the road, the smell of burned rubber filling the air and tire treads leaving dark lines across the pavement.

Junior was so startled that he fell over, the bike clattering in the middle of the road, tire spinning.

Shawn screeched his bike to a stop next to Junior. He dropped his feet to the ground for balance, but didn't get off the bike as he tried to help his friend up. "C'mon Junior, you gotta get back up!" He kept his eyes locked on the car.

The car rolled down its window and the driver was suddenly visible.

"Shawn!" Shawn's Mom said. "Oh my God Shawn! It's you!"

"Mom?" Shawn wasn't sure who he was expecting to be in the car, but it definitely wasn't that. Still, he didn't want to let Junior down either, so he tried to help his friend to his feet.

"Thanks!" Junior said. His arm was scraped and bleeding, but he looked up to Shawn with a smile, more concerned about what Shawn thought than his own arm.

"Shawn, I my God! My baby!" Shawn's Mom gushed, the car now in park, both of her hands outstretched through the driver's side window and extended towards Shawn in a gesture of love.

"Come here! I haven't seen you in so long. Oh my Shawn! I love you so much!"

Shawn helped Junior put pressure on his arm to stop the bleeding before he properly got off his bike and headed towards his Mom. "Mom, what're you doing here?"

Junior somehow lingered behind as if recognizing this might somehow be an intimate moment of sorts between mother and son.

"Shawn! I came here to see you. I came here just to see you!" She said. And she extended out her arms to give Shawn a hug, albeit weak and awkward, with both of her arms outside of the driver's side window.

Shawn awkwardly approached to get an awkward hug through the car door. "Thanks Mom - it's good to see you!" He was still baffled as to what might be going on, but he knew he couldn't show it.

"Listen." Mom said, still excited and giving Shawn a big hug, speaking in his ear. "I want you to come with me. I want to buy you an ice cream." Mom said.

"OH!!! I haven't seen you in so long."
This message was last updated by the player at 21:27, Sat 21 Mar 2020.

Shawn naturally wanted to make his Mom happy...but he also didn't want to get in trouble with his Dad. He felt like this was another situation where he couldn't make both happy. But he didn't show those thoughts on his face, playing innocent as best he could. "Sure - can Dad come along?"

"Yes!" Mom said emphatically.



OOC: Shawn Rolls Wits + Empathy (to "read the situation" / A minimum of 3 Successes are required

OOC: 18:44, Today: Shawn rolled 1 success using 3d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 5,7,8.  Wits + Empathy.

Try as he might, Shawn couldn't tell if Mom was lying or not. But what he could understand was how she was looking at him. It wasn't a threatening stare, but rather one marked by hope. In that moment, everything that Shawn's Mom had hoped for was in Shawn's hand. Accepting Mom's proposal would be akin to bringing that hope closer to Shawn and letting it bloom. Rejecting Mom's invitation into the car would be a like crushing all of Mom's hope.

"Shawn?" Mom said, tears welling up in her eyes as if she sensed that what came next would define the relationship between Mother and son.

"I'd love to get some ice cream!" Shawn could tell this was about more than just ice cream, even if he didn't know what it was. And he loved his Mom, and didn't want to hurt her hope. "Can we bring Junior too? I said I'd play with him today, and I don't wanna break my promise."

When Shawn agreed to get ice cream, Mom opened the door of the driver's seat and hugged him. When he said that he wanted to bring Junior, she broke the embrace, looked over Shawn's shoulder at Junior and said "Maybe next time Junior. My son and I need to catch up, there's some important things we need to take care of as a family."

In that split second, Shawn couldn't see Junior's face, with his back turned towards the boy, but he did see Mom's quick reaction as she stated "Family things" in a firm but pleasant manner as if to ward off any objection by Junior.

"Come on Shawn." Mom said, easing Shawn around into the passenger side of the car. The car was still running.

Shawn took a look at Junior as he rounded the car, wanting to make sure he wasn't too upset at him having to go. "I'll see you later, Junior!" Assuming his friend wasn't really upset, he got into the running car. "Are we going to pick up Dad?"

"See...you." Junior croaked, his face slowly welling up with tears. It looked like he was doing all that he could to hold back weeping that would become total sobbing. If Shawn had succeeded in making Mom happy, it looked like Junior was on the verge of total collapse.

"We're going to do the special things that a Mom and son should always do. We're going to spend time together and make memories together and be together." Mom began to regal Shawn with all of the ideal things that family members should and could do and then went on and on about her promises to fulfill them.

"One sec, Mom, I should say goodbye to Junior." Shawn hopped out of the car quickly, and rummaged around in his pocket where he knew he kept some change. He managed to find a penny, and went over to Junior's side. "Hey, Junior, I'm sorry we couldn't hang out longer, but I have to listen to my Mom. But I want you to have this - it's the most important thing I have. It's my lucky penny, I found it on the set of the first movie I ever acted in. I wanted you to have it, since you're my friend and all." It was all made up, of course, but Shawn tried to deliver it with sincerity.

As Shawn approached Junior, he saw that the boy was on the verge of sobbing. His eyes were bulging, silent tears running down both cheeks like his father had just died or he had discovered that his Mom was about to abandon him. It was all he could do to grunt at Shawn in response to Shawn saying his name “Junior”

“Urcghhck” Junior croaked.

Then when Shawn placed the penny in his hand, Junior looked down with raised eyebrows. Normally Shawn would have had to look for some sort of sign to see if Junior believed him. But this time he didn’t have to. It was obvious as Shawn was weaving the tale about the penny that Junior was totally immersed in Shawns words. Sure he was still upset. But Shawn didn’t have to check and see if Junior believed him. He knew before he finished the sentence that Junior believed. It was the same way that a bowler knows that it’s going to be a strike before letting go of the bowling ball. And certainly way before the pins all get knocked down.

“Penny!” Junior repeated, still with a hoarse voice but somehow more animated. Perhaps more shocked and not knowing how to place these extreme emotional swings in feelings that were pressing upon his young mind: the pain of being left behind and the immense joy of being singled out for such a memorable and meaningful gift.

And that was it. That was all Shawn was going to get out of Junior. That was all the young boy could give

Shawn could see Junior's intense mood swinging, and he could only hope that when the boy eventually leveled out, it would be with him as a friend. But he couldn't stay to make sure - he had to go with his Mom. Shawn patted Junior on the shoulder. "See you later, alligator!" Then he scurried back to the car and hopped in.

OOC: Shawn Joins Thread

Shawn: Mom's Big, Super-Star Plans Are All-Inclusive Hollywood Style