MINGLE TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT

[these_balls]

Who: ANYONE AND EVERYONE
Where: ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE
When: November 25 - 27
Summary: GET IN HERE AND MINGLE
Rating: BUT PLEASE MARK YOUR THREAD CONTENT ACCORDINGLY
Log:

Comments

I hope you don't mind cross-canon...

[neededlassie]

[Well if that's not the single most dad-looking person Shaun's ever seen in his life (aside from his own dad). The 11-year-old spends a minute looking up at the man and his tray full of cupcakes in confusion, before he realizes that he's being spoken to.]

Um...no, I don't, sir. I don't think there's an easy way to get back to America from here.

I would never mind cross-canon <3

[brokebaker]

That's a shame.

[His smile is warm when he addresses the boy, and he bends down a little to offer him one of said cupcakes. He looks awfully young, wonder where his parents are.]

Thanks anyway though. Do you live around here?

[neededlassie]

[Shaun isn't sure he should take the cupcake, and there's a flicker of hesitation that's more than just stranger danger before he carefully takes one of the cupcakes from the pan. He gets a little frosting on his finger despite his best efforts, and he sticks his finger in his mouth to clean it off.]

Thank you.

[He starts unwrapping the cupcake.]

I do now. I grew up in Philadelphia, though.

I'm Shaun.

[Funny how it's another form of the name John.]

[brokebaker]

Well it's nice to meet you, Shaun. You can call me Mr. Egbert. Philadelphia, huh? That's a ways away from Washington.

[Chuckling, the man stands back up. If he lives around here, then he's probably with his parents or guardians and that makes him feel a little better.]

So then you're like me and other people, right? You just...showed up here? Do you have family nearby?

[neededlassie]

[Wait, Egbert? There's no way that's a common enough last name for there to be two families with that name in Washington state.]

Yeah, I just showed up here back in January.

[The subject of family makes Shaun lapse into subdued silence for a minute.]

I've got Norman. He's been taking care of me.

Are you John's dad?

[brokebaker]

[Norman's taking care of him, okay. Good.]

Good. It's important to have family. And I am, yes. Are you a friend of my son?

[neededlassie]

[Suddenly Shaun misses his dad even more than he usually does. It sure is important to have family. Too bad Shaun doesn't have much left even if he did get to go home.

Still, he manages a smile.]

John's one of my very best friends. He's like a big brother to me.

[brokebaker]

[If he knew, Mr. Egbert would try to help somehow. Because that's heartbreaking. Shaun's just too young.]

Good to hear. He's a good influence, right? Teaching you all the important life lessons, like how to properly pie a person?

[He's joking of course; He has faith that John is the best influence there could be, and is teaching him the real important life lessons. But hey, learning how to be a prankster couldn't hurt the boy any either.]

[neededlassie]

[Shaun's not about to tell him that his biggest bonding moments with John have been about their mutually deceased fathers.

Shaun's smile gets a little wider.]

He's never taught me that. But he's a really good trainer. It's nice to have someone to talk about playing the game with.

[brokebaker]

[Fear not, Shaun. Mr. Egbert is still dead as dead can be. But how does shot death in Pokemon world?]

Never taught you that? Well, that's something I'll have to teach you, that way you can get the upper hand on him before he starts initiating you into the fold. But good. I'm glad to hear that.

hahaaaa sorry this is late

[neededlassie]

"Initiating me into the fold?" What's that mean?

[John hasn't told him about the family of pranksters thing. It's okay though, his own dad was a big goober - at least, back when Shaun was little he was.

Also Shaun hasn't gone to school since the first two months of fourth grade, so big words like initiate are a little above him.]

Don't worry about it! I've been a bit behind due to black friday so it's alright!

[brokebaker]

It means accepting you into the family. Pranking is something of a family tradition, after all!

[It's alright. Mr. Egbert wouldn't be the quintessential father figure if he wasn't as patient as patient can be with children.]