#bergen_county

He does what any smart lad will do in that circumstance - starts SOBBING.

"What? Are you..." Confusion

(Manipulation plus subterfugue, you can spend WP)

The lad blubbers, thrusting out his crumbled note. "I... don'... don't... feel good! I need to call hoooome and um-um-um No one was in there to let me use the phone..."

/roll 4 + WP

"Oh my... here young man, what's your name?" He helps Connor up

He snuffles. "Connor. Can we call Pop-Pop to pick me up?" If he didn't look ill before, now his face is a bit red and teary at least...

"SURE SURE... you poor little guy. " He moves to the old frog phone "What's your pop Pop's number?"

He provides the number to the main line at the Lodge. Luckily, it is a nigh certainty that the Chieftain had left appropriate contacts on file as authorized.

And frank answers...

... and soon Frank is pulling up at the school, parking, and heading in to the main office.

Frank enters through the door, and it's not hard to find the main office, for one thing the door is open and a man can be heard "Don't worry, Connor, your pop pop will be here shortly"

Connor is waiting patiently, more or less. He rubs at his nose with a tissue, sneezes occassionally, and is wondering if a cough would be too much when Frank steps in.

"That's him!" He rises, moving over to slide his small hand into one of Frank's massive mitts.

"Sir, I'm Principal McDonald. Connor is not feeling well it seems. I found the boy sprawled out on the floor outside of my office. "

Connor does that cough now, timing is everything!

"Hey Conner, how's my champ doing?" Frank crouches to look closely at Conner. He looks up and nods to acknow
ledge the principal.

"I gotta get my bag from Mrs. Tra.... Traceman's room. Please." Sniff, wipe.

Connor gives Frank a guileless look, and... a tiny blink! Oh. A two-eyed wink!

"I'll write up a note for him" Principal McDonald says "Put in the file the rest of his day is excused"

Frank nods. "Appreciate that. Connor, do you want me to come with you to get your bag?"

NOD NOD NOD.

The principal gets to writing up a note right away

"Mr. McDonald, ok if I go with him?"

"Certainly mr ... I'm sorry, I don't know your name?" Aware he's not sure if this is the maternal or paternal 'pop pop'

"Frank King." he offers a massive hand.

the principal shakes the the hand, obviously dwarfed despite the fact McDonald is not short "Eli McDonald" A nod "I best let you go. Thanks for such prompt response though. too often these poor kids have to wait for hours, jobs are a bear"

The note is handed over and the principal gives directions to the class , though Connor can just lead the way

Frank follows Connor.

He trots along, apparently in fine health. A glance up at Frank. "It's important."

"That's fine, Connor, I understand."

As they round the corner and come up on the 4th grade classrooms, Connor stands on his tip-toes to peep in through the window.

"See? Look."

Then, realizing he may need to be more specific. "The big girl. Big Jo. Can you look? I thought... maybe. Look hard?"

As Frank peeks in, he does indeed see a 'big girl' in the back. She is larger and taller than is average for her age. He kens... and he can feel a kind of gray malise over her... (Perception plus kenning for more)

/roll 8

Connor tugs at Frank's arm, and shows him something in his small palm.

There is some inteference... something that inadvertenity is raising the girl's banalilty somehow

But if Frank looks down into Connor's palm? He sees what might be the source. A drug, prescribed , the sort that keeps over active or over agressive kids 'docile'. In the right dosage for the right people, it's not an evil or even banal thing. But.. it can be misused

Connor nods. "She was smiling. We were going to go on adventures and find a pushmi-pullyu. But then had a midday snack and went all mashed potato. And not even the good kind with gravies and butter. The powder stuff."

"Mm. You said her name is Jo? Do you know her last name?"

"Dee." He nods. "Jo Dee."

"Jo Dee... um. Dearest?"

"Sweetie." He frowns a little.

Mrs. Trashcan..err whatever, seems to be running the class adequetly

"Um." He brightens. "If I am Peter, she could be Wendy!"

"Darling." Frank guesses "Ok. We can help her out but not here, not now. Too many eyes. Go ahead and get your bag. I'd like to know more about what's happened but we need to talk privately."

He nods and trots into the room. Frank is out of earshot, but Connor seems to be explaining something animatedly to the teacher, along with the note. The teacher may or may not roll her eyes to the heavens once again.

That done, he fetches his bookbag. It takes him a moment to gather things up.

S'ok. Frank can wait.

He pockets something, and then heads back out, bookbag in tow.

Jodie blinks at him once but shrugs and goes back to listening to class