#✟ 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 / 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 / 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘷.

[moralpuppet]

❝    Reverend  Putty  ?  ❞    It's  no  phenomenon  for  Orel  to  stop  Putty  after  a  sermon  ,  yet  ,  this  time  there  was  absence  of  his  usual  rambling.   There's  been  a  change  to  Orel  these  last  few  months  maybe  to  most  of  the  uncaring  eyes  in  town  it  was  barely  noticeable  ,  aside  from  the  limp  ,  of  course  .   Whenever  Orel  wandered  through  town  there  was  a  smile  on  his  face  and  just  the  smallest  ,  barely  noticeable  hint  of  sadness  in  his  eyes  like  the  faintest  of  wrinkles  bellow  eyelids  . 

Now  he's  the  last  out  of  church  ,  instead  of  reciting  the  entire  sermon  back  to  @rvrend  ,  scrawled  on  a  tiny  note  book  ,  filling  sheets  of  lined  paper  ,  he  gently  tugs  at  middle  aged  man's  sleeve  .  ❝   I've  been  thinking  a  lot  lately  and  it's  not  just  because  of  your  sermon  on  family  .  ❞ 

He's  been  struggling  with  his  own  ,  Putty  already  knew  that  ,  not  everything  but  he  at  least  knew  Orel  was  struggling  with  honoring  Clay  .  ❝     You  and  Stephanie  are  kinda  like  ...  well  I  just  think  you're  both  real  neat  and  it's  nice  to  have  people  to  believe  in  still  ,  you  know  ?  Besides  Jesus  and  God  of  course  !  ❞    There's  a  lot  more  to  his  words  than  he's  letting  on  ,  so  much  that  would  just  be  dishonorable  to  the  family  he  already  has  .  He's  a  Puppington  he  must  remain  that  ,  be  a  good  son  .  Even  if  he  knows  Clay  isn't  really  a  father  worthy  of  that  deep  down  .  It  still  hurt  to  admit  it  and  Orel  isn't  quite  sure  anymore  whether  his  loyalty  lies  at  home  because  he  truly  believes  in  it  or  if  he's  afraid  of  betraying  his  father  and  his  family  . -  𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝  𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭  𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧  𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚��  𝐡𝐢𝐬  𝐆𝐨𝐝  ?  𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧  𝐡𝐞  𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞  𝐧𝐨𝐭  𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧  𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤  𝐨𝐟  𝐢𝐭  𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞  .

His  smile  threatens  to  fall  so  he  takes  a  step  back  .  Then  retrieving from his pockets  the  extensive  notes  you'd  come  to  expect  .

[moralpuppet]

He's  seen  his  father's  tantrums  enough  times  to  know  it  meant  Clay  wasn't  willing  to  admit  he  was  wrong  .  That's  fine  .  Orel  didn't  need  to  win  anything  he  just  wanted  to  make  the  point  ;  still  wanted  to  show  he  cared  despite  everything  .  If  Grandpa  died  tonight  without  closure  ,  it  would  be  devastating  .  Orel  has  empathy  to  spare  . 

𝐓𝐡𝐞  𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐫'𝐬  𝐬𝐨𝐧  𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬  𝐧𝐨𝐭  𝐭𝐨  𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭  ,  𝐡𝐞  𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭  𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭  𝐭𝐨  𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫  𝐡𝐢𝐬  𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫  𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲  𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧  ,  𝐰𝐚𝐬  𝐢𝐭  𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧  𝐚  𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧  𝐢𝐟  𝐎𝐫𝐞𝐥  𝐡𝐚𝐝  𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝  𝐟𝐨𝐫  𝐢𝐭  ?  - It  probably  wasn't  the  right  thing  to  do  .  He  places  his  hands  in  his  lap  and  tries  to  listen  ,  or  maybe  he  should  just  have  faith  that  somehow  they  could  work  it  out  tonight  and  tomorrow  his  father  will  at  least  not  regret  the  way  things  were  left  off  after  Grandpa  was  gone  . 

There's  nothing  but  silence  as  he  listens  to  the  footsteps  creaking  up  the  stairs  .  He  didn't  want  to  sleep  but  his  eyelids  grew  heavier  by  the  minute  ,  rasping  breath  from  the  exhaustion  of  being  awake  for  so  long  .  𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲  𝐡𝐞  𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞  𝐚𝐧𝐝  𝐡𝐞  𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬  𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨  𝐬𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫  ,  𝐬𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐝  𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡  .

Brow furrows in resentment . Little brat . He wants to shout it back at his son but he can't seem to find the words as he listens to his son express his lament . And for once he really listens to what he's saying . Undersanding words are expressed in concern for closure in his regard and Arthur's . And still it fills Clay with rage .

Perhaps because he knew he had a point . How would the weight of not getting to say what he wanted to get off his chest to his father weigh on him ? Would it be more than the weight he carried with the guilt projected on him with his mother's passing ? Surely not . But it's not like he needed another burden on his shoulders .

Foot stomps in frustration as he casts a glare Orel's way , reverting back to a child throwing a tantrum when he's supposed to be the adult here . Arms raise in defeat before shouting , " Alright ! Fine ! " Soft muttered complaints are made under his breath though as he marches toward Orel's room to finally have that confrontation with his father he always craved and feared all at once .

[moralpuppet]

He swallows a gulp of air . Though his eyes match @dogtccth's . ❝  Unfortunately I AM speaking clearly , ... ❞ He hesitates . ❝  I don't think I should say what's really on my mind , it wouldn't be honorable to the person I thought was my father . ❞ / ✟

[moralpuppet]

𝐈𝐟  𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝  𝐏𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐲  𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫  𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝  𝐭𝐨  𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥  𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝  𝐡𝐞  𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝  𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭  𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞  𝐭𝐨  𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞  𝐟𝐨𝐫  𝐡𝐢𝐬  𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫  𝐨𝐧𝐞  𝐟𝐚𝐧  !  Orel  needed  little  reason  but  just  to  see  him  out  and  about  before  he  got  all  excited  .  His  respect  for  the  'good  reverend'  is  endless  .  So  he  just  gasps  and  rushes  over  ,  as  fast  as  he  could  rush  over  these  days  ,  crossing  the  street  .

Orel  acts  as  though  he's  sighted  a  rare  species  of  animal  ,  as  though  @rvrend  somehow  never  left  the  church  .

❝   Reverend  Putty  !  Hey  !  It's  good  to  see  you  on  this  fine  day  !   ❞   It's  cold  out  but  Orel's  a  bundle  of  warmth  and  joy  in  an  oversized  coat  and  scarf  . ❝   Are you on some important church - business ? Decorating the nativity display ? ❞ Which Orel had destroyed two years ago under the usual misunderstandings .

[moralpuppet]

@angelizms 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 : The human was not at all what Emily had expected. It was harsh, and it broke her hear to see these beautiful creatures going through such pain. The young angel walked around the small town, looking around in awestruck. Although it may be nothing special but a typical small town to some people, but to Emily - she felt like she was in some kind of dream. This place was incredible. Her pastel purple hues landed on the young boy, gasping. It's a child! Oh, she loved children. Giggling, her arms stretched out and flew over to him, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!" She said gleefully, letting out another giggle. "Hello! Hello! Sweet human! I met a human! This has been such a wonderful day for me!"

✟ UNPROMPTED

𝐎𝐡  ?  𝐎𝐇  !   𝐎𝐫𝐞𝐥  𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬  𝐢𝐧  𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐬  𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞  𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝  𝐨𝐥𝐝  𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥  𝐚𝐧𝐝  𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞  𝐚𝐥𝐥  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞  𝐡𝐞  𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐧'𝐭  𝐡𝐚𝐝  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞  𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧  𝐡𝐞𝐫  𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐡𝐢𝐦  𝐨𝐧  𝐡𝐢𝐬  𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤  𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭  𝐚𝐧𝐝  𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐝  𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝  𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞  𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫  𝐭𝐨  𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐡𝐢𝐦  𝐮𝐩  𝐨𝐟𝐟  𝐨𝐟  𝐡𝐢𝐬  𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐭  .No  .  He  could  only  see  the  immediate  ,  which  was  her  happy  face  right  now  .  Cocking  his  head  confused  to  the  side  before  he  laughs  a  little  .  Foks  in  Moralton  were  never  usually  THIS  enthusiastic  .  ❝   Howdy  !  ❞

He's  trying  to  keep  himself  as  level  as  possible  ,  her  words  are  strange  ,  referring  to  him  as  a  '  human  '  .   Maybe  she's  drunk  ?  Orel  at  the  very  least  tries  to  return  the  hug  it  would  be  rude  not  to  and  when  he  does  so  he  feels  soft  fringed  plumes  ,  like  feathers  .  He  giggles  too  .  ❝   Hey  ,  I'm glad you're day is going so well ... are  you  wearing  a  costume  ,  it's  really  impressive  -  I  think  anyway  .  I  didn't  really  get  a  look  at  it  when  you  just  sort  of  swooped  me  up  unannounced  !  ❞

[moralpuppet]

That's the thing about ' freaks ' by word of association ; there was a lot in this town that someone may be deemed a freak for . So easy to get things wrong . Orel didn't see how the strange wings were really worthy of being a ' freak ' . Angels have wings , actually the bible described them as even stranger than the boy in his company .

The Puppington boy dusts off his sleeves as he listens . A curse ? ❝  Golly ! Perhaps you're like a fallen angel ? ... Did you say your Dad ? ❞ Excitement ! No ... Orel his Dad isn't God .

𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐌𝐀𝐍 ? 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 . 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐌𝐀𝐍 ? He's read about Frankenstein's monster , Wolfman , Dracula and even dinosaurs and the missing link , silly Darwin . But NEVER Mothman . ❝   ... uh erm okay ? ❞ Carl did look like a moth . Clearly Orel hasn't quite made his mind up about that yet . 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 . 𝐒𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 ?

Nonetheless , he's a polite boy and he offers his hand to MOTHBOY . ❝  Nice to meetcha Carl , son of Mothman , I'm Orel Puppington and sometimes I think my Dad is Wolfman but then I remember he's just drunk. ❞ Even if Carl refused the handshake he motions to squeeze his arm in reassurance . ❝  I hope your brain stops panicking soon . And it's okay if you don't trust me with your message right now . ❞ He too is a strange one . Albeit far more mundane than a cryptid moth child .

WHAT IS THIS KID NOT GETTING ?? he's not a 'messenger' or whatever. he's a freak, just like everyone says he is. a freak, something between a moth and a human. his wings twitch, flapping slightly, kicking up dirt and leaves from underneath them. he's surprised the kid isn't calling him a freak, though. but that's obviously because the other thinks he's an angel. he's not. not a normal one, not a fallen one, nothing.

❝ it's not my job, it's a curse. and i don't usually tell people when it happens. i just see it and know it's going to happen. my dad's the one that tells people about it. he's like me but he's different. ❞ WELL, he might as well just come out and say it, considering this kid seems to believe anything. not like telling him who his dad is will make it any worse, unless he calls carl a liar like everyone else does.

CARL SIGHS, trying to not focus on how badly his back and wings hurt. it's not a gentle process, considering his body is straight up growing entirely new limbs. just think about rick, carlton, just think about your dad. if he were here, he'd tell you it's all okay. that this is normal, that they'll go away eventually and you'll learn to control them. ❝ my dad is mothman. so now you know i'm not an angel. ❞

GOD, he hopes this kid doesn't think he's batshit. no one ever believes him. not that carl can blame them for that, who the fuck is going to believe a fifteen - year - old when he says he's the son of the MOTHMAN ?? no one with any bit of skepticism in their body and especially not anyone in point pleasant. who cares if his father is their cash grab tourist trap ?? they don't believe rick is the mothman. 'he's too young, mothman was around before he was born !!' he's ninety - fucking - four. jesus christ, you people feel the same sense of horror and unease around him as your grandparents did around mothman. SHOULDN'T THAT TELL YOU SOMETHING ?! ❝ you can't help me, this isn't something you can help with. i just have to wait until my brain stops panicking. i'm carl. ❞

[moralpuppet]

Orel is quite content to sit out under the stars these days . No real rush to get back home , he has been hanging out with Doughy a lot later more frequently . Doughy was always locked out all night by his parents . Orel would usually go home as soon as it got dark but the older they've gotten the harder it is to leave his friend out in the cold all night so the mayor's son sits with the Latchkey boy .

He's currently on his way back home , and the heavens begin to pour . Looks like he's going to have to go even further out of curfew . Not that his parents would notice , he takes refuge underneath the extended roofing of Figurelli's store . When he sees @stormcried in the distance he calls out . ❝   Hey ! There's shelter over here ! Come on ! ❞ /✟

[moralpuppet]

@itsposabule 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 : gives him a lil cheek kiss :)

✟ UNPROMPTED

𝐎𝐡  𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐡  ,  𝐡𝐞'𝐬  𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠  ,  𝐡𝐞  𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝  𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲  𝐬𝐚𝐲  𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐨𝐫  𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞  .  𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐮𝐩  𝐚𝐥𝐥  𝐡𝐞  𝐜𝐚𝐧  𝐬𝐚𝐲  𝐢𝐬  …

❝  GOLLY  !  ❞   It's  not  really  a  secret  that  they  both  like  each  other  ,  their  love  has  been  shown  through  little  gestures  ;  hugging  and  just  generally  holding  hands  and  holding  each  other  .  This  was  new  !  Orel  figures  he  must  have  done  something  right  to  have  earned  a  kiss  on  the  cheek  from  Christina  .

[moralpuppet]

@forest-chosen 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 : The absolute last thing the smaller woman had expected, was to come across a small boy, this deep in the wilderness. Was he lost? Was he hurt? Hesitantly approaching the small boy, Elin cleared her throat, speaking in an Irish accent. “Are ye lost?”

✟UNPROMPTED

𝐎𝐫𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 , 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦 , 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 , 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐲 . He wasn't hurt or lost . His wounds are old , nothing more than a limp these days . He spins around on his heels . Looking towards the unfamiliar accented voice . She asked him if he was lost , he's pretty sure .

❝ I'm not lost . ❞ He reassures . ❝ I know where I am ! ❞ And that was true he does know where he is . He had come here to be alone , to refamiliarize himself with nature , this time not as an enemy or victim to her but as a friend . ❝ Are you ? I've never met a random lady in the woods before , Moralton isn't far ! ❞

[moralpuppet]

He picks the wallet it off , dusts it off , unafraid . She didn't seem like trouble to him just desperate . It was still a relief as any to see the gun retracted . ❝  It must be pretty desperate times if you have to carry a gun around with you . ❞

Orel clasped his hands together after pocketing the wallet . ❝  Don't worry , we won't be using my Dad's money . I got my own ! ❞ Orel pulls out a wallet with a picture of himself and a dog taped to the front in tern . ❝  I can tell you're not really dangerous , just a little wild . ❞ With that he adjusts his cane under his arm and gestures for her to follow .

❝  What food do you like to eat ? I know a nice place to go if you like the general stuff ... um but you won't find eggs here because those ARE illegal and disgusting -- I like your mask by the way . ❞ Foxes used to attempt to infiltrate Grandpa's farm and swipe the chicken eggs . Orel always liked them even if Grandpa and the chickens didn't . - Though Orel really doesn't understand the egg swiping . Yuck .

—–🦊🦊🦊—–

She hates to admit it, but he's already tamed her. Had it been someone around her age, maybe older, she would have snapped and snarled like a crazy beast or a hellhound — but this was different.

This was a child.

And children were her soft spot.

As he lectures her, she winces, quickly holstering her gun to her belt and frowning. He's smart and quite bold — there's not a doubt in her mind about that.

What stings even more is the fact of who she's robbed. If what the boy says is true... That makes for an even more troubling dilemma. She doubts, even with his gracious offer, that the kid's father will be willing to allow a transfer of food to a petty, dangerous thief.

She puts her hands up defensively in an attempt to appease him, "Okay, okay, I — ... I get it. I'm... I'm not here to upturn the whole town, honey. I'm just... Trying to live."

With that, she tosses the wallet, and it lands just short of the boy's feet.

—–🦊🦊🦊—–

[moralpuppet]

@charroblanco 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 : ❛ fuck this place. seriously, just fuck this place. ❜ // day 0 since Ernesto’s told sb to abandon inhibitions and do w/e the hell they want and embrace chaos

&. 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

❝ Golly !  ❞ A gasp changes his expression entirely . Orel was surprised just how quickly Ernesto was able to snap and let his feelings about Moralton out . People in Moralton more often than not pretended everything was normal and pristine in town . Even though Orel knew exactly why Ernesto condemns this place .

❝  I know it's hard but I just sort of learned to follow the lead here .  ❞ Since his eyes opened at least . ❝  I don't know , really , Moralton used to feel safe and like home now it just feels false and unsure of itself .  ❞ The mayor's son has grown comfortable enough to be honest with the musician at least .

[moralpuppet]

[ ✟ ] Grandpa was always a man that Orel's father had insisted could not be believed in or trusted . Somehow Orel understood why Grandpa may not have been a welcome guest in their home ... but those days were over Grandpa must have been a better grandparent than he was parent ; because Orel felt a sense of trust around the eldest member of his family than he has ever felt in anyone .

Orel smiles to himself hearing William accept the compliment , he turns his attention to the clouds in the sky . 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐫𝐞𝐥 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 .❝  You are nice . You're plenty nice to me . And ... it's hard to believe but there's a lot of lost folks in this town . I'm lost too and ❞ A laugh caught at the back of his throat . ❝  so are you but I feel like I can see something now I couldn't before . It's like my eyes are open and I'm awake . Grandpa used to tell me about trust . To never do it without proof but I learnt something about trust , Grandpa wasn't clear on the proof part . I trust God and it's something I feel in my heart . Something I never looked for in other people , until I noticed I never had trust in my heart for - ❞ My father . My mother . Almost everyone in town . - He resists , waving it off .

❝  I trust you . ❞  The brunet smiles too , perhaps Orel too understands the grudge William holds for Moralton . Orel keeps his anger internal . ❝ Thank you for believing in me too . ❞ He's a sentimental soul , a tear rolls down his cheek from overwhelming joy that he still has friends here . He would just have to make good on his promise that the two of them would leave this town . So the belief his @slaughterlocked has in him doesn't wither and die . / ✟

[moralpuppet]

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 . Orel had a mom of course though Bloberta never gave him any time at all . Stephanie had other responsibilities sure , she at least made time for Orel . Seeing her face made him feel better instantaneously . He wondered whether he should hug her . So he does stumbling forward a little he wraps his arms around her .

❝ Sorry I haven't been visiting lately or picking up any shifts .  ❞ Even though both of them knew none of that was Orel's fault . He pulls away so he could at least reassure her with a smile . ❝ I've been just swell , Stephanie ! ❞ Just how much could he lie to the face of someone who genuinely cared for him these days ? He adds a pointed . ❝ It could be worse . ❞ To clue her in that he's just staying optimistic if nothing else .

❝ How have you been ? I hope the shop floor didn't get dusty without me being here to clean it regularly ! I promise I'll be around a lot more from here on out ! ❞

It’s been awhile since she saw Orel last and she was starting to get worried about him; however, she didn’t just want to randomly show up at his parents house and ask what happened to him, so she sat in place while taking care of the shop.

As the girl flipped through a magazine, she heard the bell from the entrance door ring. As Stephanie lifted her, she noticed that it was Orel. A faint smile grew on her face before she noticed him limping. A frown appeared on her face as she came out from behind the counter. Stephanie shook her head a bit before kneeling down to his height. “Oh, Orel…” she paused as the kid explained his story briefly. The shop keeper knew the kid was lying; however, she wasn’t going to push him if he didn’t want to talk. “Other than your leg, how have things been?”

[moralpuppet]

Orel  thinks  that  Putty  is  busy  around  the  clock  but  Christmas  ?  That  must  be  the  busiest  time  of  year  for  the  good  Reverend  .  He  hadn't  meant  to  startle  him  ,  though  being  the  optimistic  bundle  of  enthusiasm  he  is  ,  he  tends  to  unintentionally  startle  people  a  lot  . 

The  young  Puppington  stands  ,  leaning  on  his  better  leg  .  The  boy  listens  to  every  word  like  he's  already  back  filtering  all  the  information  during  a  sermon  . 𝐏𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐲  𝐢𝐬  𝐨𝐧𝐞  𝐨𝐟  𝐎𝐫𝐞𝐥'𝐬  𝐭𝐨𝐩  𝟓  𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐬  ,  𝐡𝐞  𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫  𝟒  𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐭  𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭  𝐭𝐨  𝐆𝐨𝐝,  𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬  𝐚𝐧𝐝  𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰  (  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞  𝐚𝐧𝐝  𝐧𝐨𝐭  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐝𝐨𝐠  -  𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐫  𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰  .  )  …

❝   I  thought  you  were  !  Don't  worry  I've  come  to  help  !  ❞   He  follows  the  direction  to  the  nativity  scene  .  Everywhere  in  town  faced  the  church  so  it  could  be  seen  from  all  around  .  ❝   Oh  .   ❞  There's  a  small  pang  of  remorse  there  ,  remembering  how  one  year  he  and  Shapey  had  demolished  it  on  a  miss  understanding  ...  hey  wait  a  minute  maybe  this  was  his  time  to  repent  ?!  ❝   Reverend  Putty  ,  I  want  to  help  you  with  the  nativity  scene  this  year  !  ❞  He  announced  ,  proudly  .  Orel  bein  Orel  he  was  going  to  '  help  '  whether  Putty  wanted  him  to  or  not  .

christmas was right around the corner, which meant the reverend had to prepare to get everything into place. the day was finally nice enough to get some work done and so he's been out, scarf around his neck and notebook tucked under his arm. he'd been thinking up some quip to throw in his christmas sermon — ' mary christmas ' only worked well on paper. ( as if it worked well in the first place ... )

too caught up in thought, he doesn't notice orel until he's already reached him. orel's voice calling out startles him as he jolts, turning on his heel to face the young boy.

" orel ! "

while lately he'd been growing a softer spot for orel, he'd still have to think twice about what he says to him.    as eager as he was to help, the boy's enthusiasm could be  ...  a bit hazardous. he sure put the ' mess ' in messiah those years back !

he had no real need to shoo orel away though, so instead he adjusts his glasses, focusing his attention down on him.

" oh, just getting ready for the big day. " he sighs, jerking his head towards the nativity scene. " i've been running into some trouble with the ole' manger here. "

[moralpuppet]

One thing Moralton was is resourceful an abandoned building wouldn't stand for long , not to taint their ' precious and pristine town ' . Try as they might ; 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧'𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬��𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐢𝐧 . Even Orel knows it . His job , as the mayor's son however , is to keep his mouth shut and walk with a smile on his face and a swing in his arms .

At least Orel had friends here , speaking of , he doesn't know this boy , seeing him up close confirm it . How strange to find a stranger out so late , a fellow kid in fact , in the rain no less .

The brunet clad in a striped shirt tucked into his jeans just smiles in greeting . He didn't mind so much that he was damp from rain , he will dry and soon enough feel the warmth of the indoors he just had to wait a little longer for the rain to die down .

❝  Later ? Well it is ALREADY pretty late , I guess it really didn't want to wait to rain , huh ? ❞ Offering his hand to the latter boy . ❝  Hi I'm Orel and , golly , you must be new to town , what's your name ? ❞

Drake COULD make a umbrella shield over his head if he wanted to. The rain... something of his element. He could feel the pressure around him pick up. Soaking into the ground as if calling out to him. But; he's got a hoodie for a reason and he shouldn't risk getting caught with his abilities out in the open. So, the preteen would lift his hoodie to his head and slink it over his light brown hair. Drake knows he's not going to find a actual shelter in this damn place. It's too... nice. No abandoned buildings. No warehouses. Just... occupied. Drake could try to break in, but he'd risk a alarm or something.

That's until a younger voice would call out to the other kid, Drake turning around where a boy is waving him over. Drake didn't know this kid, but, he's not going to let himself get soaked. To hell with it. Drake would make his way towards Orel hurriedly. It's a strange looking awning, but it would have to do. Drake would press his back against the wall of the store shaking himself like a wet dog. "Damn... thought it would rain later." Drake muttered.

[moralpuppet]

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧  𝐡𝐞  𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬  𝐮𝐩  ,  𝐦𝐞𝐭  𝐛𝐲  𝐝𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬  𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦  𝐡𝐢𝐬  𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬  𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐰𝐥  𝐡𝐞  ,  𝐡𝐞  𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰  𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧  𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬  𝐰𝐚𝐬  𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫  .  𝐇𝐞  𝐡𝐚𝐝  𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝  ,  𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧  𝐬𝐨  𝐟𝐚𝐫  ,  𝐚𝐧𝐝  𝐢𝐭'𝐬  𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫  . His  disappointment  is  only  internal  .  Should  have  known  .  He  really  should  by  now  that  there  was  no  'talking  this  out'  at  the  very  least  he's  learnt  something  about  his  family  .

Orel's  already  up  the  minute  his  father  stands  ,  almost  hearing  a  silent  shout  to  leave  before  the  vocalised  one  came  .

He  watches  Clay  as  he  walks  to  the  door,  a  glare  to  match  his  father's  as  he  opens  it  and  he  slinks  out  into  the  corridor,  closing  the  door  behind  him. 

❝  ...  .  ❞

Always so positive . He didn't understand . He would one day . But what if he didn't ? What if Orel did find happiness in his life even as he grew older ? It makes Clay stew in the pain he's felt for years .

It's not fair , he thinks before shooting a glare his son's way . Body stands from chair but legs deceive him and buckle but he clings to the back of chair for balance . " Get out ! " Shouted with a finger pointed to door as he didn't want to be bothered with any of this talk anymore .

Why couldn't he just be left alone to wallow in peace ? Was that really too much to ask for ?