...Happily Ever After? [ A Zetetic Event ] ESULTS PG 60

What would you guys think of a week extension? (( Sept. 17th instead of Sept. 10th))

Yes! I need an extension!	20.7%	[ 6 ]
Yes, I know someone who needs an extension	27.6%	[ 8 ]
No	51.7%	[ 15 ]
Total Votes:			[ 29 ]

[Wind Vestal]

When does this event end?

((not a complaint lol))

[Thaliawen]

We'll have to ask Marina about that in the morning, Kitsune. I'm pretty sure we do take items, but I'm not certain of the place value we put on them.

[Dgcakes]

-loves on may Nyokoface- sup, homegirl?

edit: Tekk, September 10th

[Kitsune Mistress Nyoko]

めんどくさい。

Well let me know ASAP, Thalia! I'd love to try in that auction, but most of my value is in items right now. :3

Nothing much, Deeg. Ogling pretties!

あしたやるよ。

[Thaliawen]

Of course. I'll tell you as soon as I know.

[Sika-chan]

Once upon a time, Thaliawen led me here! And here I was! The end!
ninja

[Thaliawen]

Goodnight, event.

*snugs Sika*

[Sabra Knight]

heart

[Painted Moose]

I just noticed something about riddle points; mine should be scrunched together. xD Like, Seven instead of a separate Five and Two.

[Haikari]

Hai-chan would like to bid 250k on the auction. >3>
Maddy needs some sisters. >3>

-snuggles into Thali-

[Thaliawen]

New HB. *snugs Hai*

*snugs Moose* I'll get to it. <3

[Wind Vestal]

Once upon a time, I was advertising! The end!

[LollyxBeans]

. : ll Once Upon A Time ll : .

Child Entering For: The Beast
Child's Name: Adam

Guardian: Jillian McGill
Guardian Background: Jillian was an assistant and secretary at a bank, working for possibly the most boring man who ever lived. Rene Zaehav may have an interesting name, but the guy does nothing but file papers, watch the news, and wear bland ties. Occasionally, he tries something 'spunky' and goes for a patterned tie!
But he's still boring as hell.
Jillian has always wanted and adored children. She comes from a large family, with four other brothers and sisters of her own, and wanted such a family for herself. Fate, however, would not have it. From high school to college to working at the bank, she has been so busy with life, she hasn't had time to live.
This has all changed. Fed up with the monotony of Rene, and a bank that she hadn't wanted to work at in the first place, Jillian quit. With enough saved up, she managed fine until she was able to get an internship at a magazine; one step closer to what she really wanted to do. Write. She had gone to school for journalism, after all.
Long years and months of toil passed, and soon she found herself where she wanted to be. The author of a successful 'life' column in a home and wellness magazine, well paid, and stable.
The only problem was that her own 'life' hadn't so much as started to sputter yet. Before it even began, it started to flicker and die, shrivelling into what it would have been had she stayed on for Rene.

Thankfully, one man changed that. Logan McGill, lawyer, sauntered into her life one rainy Thursday afternoon, coming to speak to his client. Her boss, actually. Unfortunately, she had gone to lunch, but Jill had nothing to do and so offered to keep him company. Company turned to a date, and one date turned into another, and soon enough they were engaged. The problem is, they have not been able to conceive.

This is what brings Jill to seek a child.

Prompt: Your son has taken to hitting people with his tail whenever he gets in trouble, gets bored, or wants a good laugh. How do you break him of this habit?
Prompt Response:

She couldn't believe it.
They had been at the park, having a lovely time. Adam had been playing in the sand box with another little boy, building a sand castle and happily topping it with leaves and rocks. They had been laughing, enjoying themselves. She had sat not too far away on a bench with the other child's' mother and even struck up conversation.

Then, the screaming began. With a terrified wail that Jillian recognized but did dread identifying, the other boy flung himself out of the sandbox and launched into the arms of his bewildered mother. A telltale red and circular pattern of tiny puncture marks told her all she desperately didn't want to know.
Adam had hit him.
Sitting in the sandbox, his purple eyes fixated in a strangely adorable scowl, she could see he too was mustering up a scream. His little fists bunched, and his tail swept over the already destroyed sand castle, tears gathering at the edges of his eyes. She leaped from her seat and to her son, picking him up and cradling him in her arms. His tail lashed as he latched onto her neck, little shoulders shaking as the first hiccups and sobs assailed his tiny form. She was careful not to be struck by the dangerous appendage, stroking his back and softly reassuring him.
The angry mother of the other child that was yelling at her did little to help the situation.
"Don't you have control over your child?!" She demanded, her own red-headed little boy wailing louder as his mothers' voice raised. Jillian felt her nostril twitch, and held Adam closer.

"Adam attacks only when provoked." She hissed, the protectiveness of a mother bear rising in her chest. "Perhaps you should ask your son what happened to the sand castle, before you launch accusations. I understand that what he did was wrong. So does he. But he is a toddler, and he can't help it! Now, if you'll excuse me, I very much need to go home!"
With a snap of her heels, she turned and grabbed the bag of Adams' toys and her purse, storming down the street with a slowly calming boy in her arms.

By the time they reached home his cries had subsided to sniffles and occasional hiccups. She unlocked the door, still carrying him, and slipped inside. Logan wasn't home at this time of day, and so she would have to deal with this herself. Sighing, she deposited the bags on the couch and set him down. He sniffled, wiped his red-rimmed eyes, and looked up at her.

"Adam. Hitting is not nice." She told him sternly, crouching down to meet his eye level. "We use our words. Not our...tails."
"He-e...broke...the castle." His explanation was broken by hiccups, and Jill felt the inclination to hold him tight and assure him that the other child was a little jerk. Some higher power held her back from the cuteness, however, and she smiled thinly.
"We do not hit, Adam." She tapped him on the nose. "We tell people that they've made us mad. Or, you come and tell me."

Sniffling again, he nodded, and wrapped his arms around her neck in a clumsy hug before toddling off to play on the carpet. Sighing, she stood, and smiled to herself. He had taken that rather well. Perhaps it had sunk in that fast. He really was a smart boy.
She didn't find it necessary to mention the incident to Logan; in fact, by the time he got home, she had nearly forgotten all about it.

Two days later, while at work, it rushed back with a resounding snap. She answered a call from Adams' day care only to have her ears assailed by the frightened screams of small children and one very hysterical assistant. The woman in charge was near hysterics herself, begging for Jillian to come down and help with Adam.
It seemed he hadn't wanted to share the toys. The assistant had tried to tell him that he needed to share with the other children, and once he quieted she had moved to hand one of the dolls over to another child. That, apparently, was when he struck. In a sweep, he had bashed each of the three children in front of him and the assistant in the face with his barbed tail, gathered the toys, and scurried for the bathroom. He had not come out, and in his mad dash, he had hurt a number of other children with his tail.
She was up and out of her seat in seconds. Once there, she managed to coax Adam out of the bathroom and make him apologize to everyone in the room.
Unfortunately, this was not the last incident. The mailman, a woman in the supermarket, and at least four other children fell victim to Adams' antics.

One incident brought them back to the park. On a bench with her book, Jill looked up to see how Adam was doing. He was on the rockers, small animals on springs. Another boy had walked up, and was holding the head of the duck that Adam sat on. Slowly closing the book, she watched as Adams' tail curled, lashing back and forth. His plump fists gripped the handles of the duck, and she knew what was about to happen. She'd started looking, trying to notice a pattern. Like a cat crouching to pounce, Adam prepared to strike the boy.
In a flash, she had dashed over, plucking the other boy from harms' way. Adam's spiked tail swiped through empty space, and when he did not strike his target, he looked around and was rather bewildered to see his mothers' back.

Jill determinedly did not face Adam, instead looking to make sure the other boy was not hurt. His mother was running over, worry clear on her face, and Jill smiled reassuringly at her.
"He's fine. One crisis avoided." She said, gently pushing him toward his mother. He toddled over, confused, and was brought to another area of the park. Only then did Jill turn and face Adam.
His legs were dangling from the duck, and he didn't seem to understand what was happening. Jill frowned, casting him a stern and disapproving look.
"We're going home." She told him, plucking him from the duck. "And you are going on a time-out."
At the dreaded t-word Adams' eyes widened and he began to protest, whining loudly.
"No tim-out. No tim-out!" He said, pushing away from his mother. She held him tight, though, and plunked him down on the bad boy chair as soon as she entered the door. The chair was turned to face the corner, and she sat in another room, arms crossed and fuming.

She didn't understand. Adam had never done this sort of thing before. Yes, he had always had a temper, and was a little hellion when he was in a bad mood. He had struck out with his hands once or twice, but never his tail. She had thought she'd taught him that it was something never to be used.
'Apparently not.' She sighed, rubbing her temples. A shuffling at the door roused her attention, and she looked over. Adam stood, big eyes wet with tears, fists wrapped in the hem of his shirt.

"I-I'm so-or-ry mo-om-my!!" He cried as she looked at him, flinging himself into her lap. She couldn't hold back a smile, but quickly wiped it from her face.
"Don't do that ever again." She said, for what felt like the millionth time.
"I w-o-won-on't." He sobbed, and with another small smile she gathered him into her arms and hugged him.

Unfortunately, the incidents didn't stop. She stopped bringing him to the park altogether, and knew that when in daycare, he was often left to play by himself. It seemed hopeless; and then all at once, the attacks stopped. The other children began to play with him again, and she went weeks without incident. As a reward, she brought him to the park again. A few mothers whisked away their children on sight, but others stayed. She let Adam go, staying nearby to watch in case of emergency. She was so excited that this was working out, that he had stopped hitting people..
When a terrified shriek arose above the laughter of the other children. She whirled around, spotting Adam with a boy she recognized; the first to suffer the lash of his tail, who had ruined their sand castle. She ran over, shocked, appalled, and horrified to hear cruel peals of laughter coming from none other than Adam.
The other boy ran away screaming yet again, and Adams' cackles grew louder. Jill's' face paled, and she hurried closer. Her Adam, her once angelic little Adam...was acting like a little beast.

"Adam! That's enough!" She reached for his arm, gripping it tight enough that he could not pull away. "You apologize this instant! And you are in such big trouble, mist-"
She hadn't finished her sentence before she felt the bite of spikes in her arm. Fear bubbled up in her chest, but she managed to be bewildered still. Adam had hit her. Her.

Stumbling away, she struggled to overcome the terror, forced back a scream and covered her face. Tears leaked out and she sobbed, holding the stinging injury on her arm. She wanted to scream and run like the boy had, but found her legs too weak to move. A shuffle came in the sand beside her and she did let out a small shriek, jumping.

"M-mommy-"
"Y-you..." She stammered, wincing away from him. "You are in big, BIG trouble, m-mister!" She stuttered, opening cautious eyes. He looked worried, and afraid.
"Mommy, why you cry??" he reached forward toward her face, but she recoiled, pushing his hand away and trying to stand. She found her legs had strength enough to do so and took his arm, wiping her face and walking out of the park. She found refuge at home, pulling Adam behind her. He was a never ending stream of questions, marked by sobs. He had started crying too. He didn't know what was wrong with his mother. He didn't understand what was going on. Why was she so mad? And how could she be mad and sad at the same time?

He expected to get the bad boy chair, but instead was placed on the couch as Jillian picked up the phone. He understood what was happening now, with wide and horrified eyes.
"No Daddy!" He shrieked, diving under a pillow. Jill ignored him, and dialed Logan's number.

"You need to have a chat with your son about hitting." She hiccupped into the phone. Adam shrieked beneath the pillow, non stop, as his mother relayed the day's events to his father, dreading the punishment to come. When his mother finally did get off the phone, he was placed in the guest room. There were no toys there. No pictures to look at. No books. Just walls. Plain, boring, green walls. He sat in the center of the room, trembling, sobbing and wailing ever louder in an attempt to get his mothers' attention. She did not come to him, though he heard her outside the door once or twice. When the door finally did open, it was not Jillian who stood there but Logan. He still wore his suit from work, but in his hand he held a small ball, much like the ones his hamsters rolled around the house in. This one, however, was covered in duct tape.
He didn't know what was happening as his father sat down on the bed, opening the ball. It was exactly like his hamster ball, he thought, curling his tail to him.
His fathers' large hands found the appendage, and quickly trapped the end in the ball.

"H-Hey!" he gasped, pulling it back to him and trying to pull the ball off. He couldn't, and when he jumped off the bed, it banged on the floor. He wasn't used to holding up any extra weight with his tail!!
"Wh-hat's that?!" His throat was sore from crying, and he couldn't muster up any more tears as he stared up at his Dad. Angry blue eyes cowed him, and he looked at his feet, the ball on his tail banging against the floor.
"That is to make sure you don't hurt anyone." Logan said, standing up over his son. "You are not allowed to hit, Adam. Hitting hurts people. Do you understand that?"
"Y-yes..." The small boy stammered out, shuffling on the spot.
"And do you understand that you hurt your mother today?!" The loud voice made Adam flinch, and press his ears to his neck.
"I-I din...mean to..."
"Yes you did. Because if you know hitting hurts, then you knew it would hurt your mom when you hit her." Logan thrust his finger beneath Adams' chin, jerking it up so he looked at him. "That made your mother very upset. She is very sad, Adam."

The realization that he had hurt his mom was nearly too much for him to bear. Fresh tears bubbled in his eyes and his lip trembled.
"I...I din...I din wanna hurt Mommy!" He wailed, gripping his fathers' arm. "I'm sorry!"

Logan, unfazed by his sons' actions, pulled his arm away.
"Good. You're going to apologise to your mother. Right now." He said, pointing. "And you're not going to hit anyone. If you do, you won't like what happens." Adam was out the door in a flash, little feet padding along the hall to find his mother.

With all the incidents, Jillian thought it best to move Adam to a different day care. Each day, she clapped the little ball onto the end of his tail and dropped him off. At first, he smacked a few children with the ball, causing some bruises and tears. Then, with a few time-outs and one spanking later, the hitting ceased. It was no longer an epidemic.
True, Adam was not completely cured. But, it was better.

[Thaliawen]

Awesome entry, Lolly! I love how detailed and--maybe I should save this for crit. The guardian seems interesting, though!

[LollyxBeans]

Thank you :3
(crit is good.)