#bergen_county

"Boomstick? A gun? Oh no no no..." Brenda says "We're definitely telling the Chief now."

"my secret" Lily says in protest

"Maybe... you found out on your own?" His tail tucks down as he takes up ranks next to Lily.

"If you did happens to the grocery store you'd see 'em too, I know you would."

"Connor ,I will help that old lady. I will vouch for your good intentions. I will plead your case, but you are asking me to go some place where apparently people can get shot, you don't think it would be smarter to tell the Chieftain?"

At that his ears droop, and eyes grow wide. He hadn't thought about it that way. "I... I.... I..." He stammers, then goes silent.

"...I shouldna snuck out at all. I'm sorry." He says, dolefully.

Brenda says "Oh, now... let's not all or nothing this too much. It'll be ok." She assures

He holds up a hand solemnly. "I will never sneak out again." Lily can see his fingers crossed behind his back.

Lily covers her mouth

"Oy vey" Brenda says.

Then , "Okay, okay. You two go play. I'm going to see how I can easy things for that nice lady"

He nods and waves the nice mom-lady off, before confiding in Lily. "I -did- set out for a 'venture today. Just not the one I had. Isn't it odd how it goes?"

"MOM! I'm HOME!" Adam crashes through the front door.

"It is I..." A sigh, "my brother is loooud"

Brenda says "Adam. Welcome back. We have a guest. Connor"

He gives Adam a hearty wave, and a shooshing finger on the lips!

Adam can see by his mother's expression something just got dropped in her lap and it's not a visiting kid

"Connor?" Puzzled. Adam drops his backpack. "Hey, lil dude.... what's up?"

"I brought grumpy waves with me." He nods solemnly.

"It's a gift" Lily says admiringly

"What?"

"Your mom has to go on a mercy mission to Gumdrop lane, and then rat us out to the cops lest someone get shot full of beans." He relates, with a nod.

A pause, and re clarifies. "Well, she doesn't GOT to. But she said she would, on account of she's a nice lady." He wags his tail.

"It's complicated but near as I can tell, There's a nice old lady out there in need of a dog" Adam's mother says "And ..we might want to avoid the grocery store for a bit"

"Well.... uh..... so does she need a ride to a shelter or something?"

"Nope. What she needs is to be told the puppy she lost was found by his proper owners, and then I mention this adorable dog I saw at the shelter or something," A sigh

"You?"

"Why not me? " His mom says Surprised

"I....uh.... dunno?"

"Sorry, Adam, I'm mostly winging this as I go along. Honestly the more I think of how you had to adapt so quickly to this world, the more impressed I am by you. But definitely stay away from the fruit section in the grocery store. I don't want you shot"

"Shot??"

"Yes" his mom says

"Full of beans." He nods - well, it sounds like, "Foo ob beems." Through a mouthful of something he found in the kitchen, and is offers Lily something dusty looking that may have been a mini-muffin... once.

Lily takes it.

"thanks" She whispers

"Thank you! He whispers back. "Miss Kerri doesn't much hold with snack cakes. I NEVER get Twinkies at home..."

"Adam, I don't understand it, but apparently there's a dream with a gun or something at the grocery store" Mrs. Thomas says "So best to avoid okay?"

Adam frowns. "I could go over, just take a look?"

"And risk getting shot? NO are you crazy? There's come can monster there or something. " Brenda is not used to this 'wilders get to quest or endanger themselves' idea "I'll tell the Chieftain. Sounds like what she's the Chief FOR"

"A -can- monster?" Adam scoffs. "I can totally handle that."

"Can you?" He asks, innocently enough.

"Yeah! I've handled bigger things than that, Lil Dude." He assures.

"If you beat it, then it's a can't monster."

"Exactly! See?" To the pooka, then the mom.

"Adam Henry Thomas, are you even listening to me? I don't want you shot, and you are not bullet proof. No."

Lily gives a windy whistle as the middle name is brought out

"Adam is the Hero who vanquished the lindnorm. And he squoosed a spider, but Dirk helped. And I think he fought nother monsters but I can't remember that far back. He's pretty soup-er." Connor apparently doesn't understand the Middle Name power. He doesn't have a middle name, after all, nor a mom that ever used it...

Though, he goes quiet at seeing Lily's reaction.

Adam flinches only a little. "I can scope this out, mom!"