Peacorn Universe ♦ ♢ RELATABLE LOVE STORY ADVENTURE ☼ (Open)

[.jabberwocky]

( I laughed so hard at both forms oh my gosh they are going to be such great additions to this beautiful tale )

( also feel free to bring in Kent, we need to start this up again, it is too hysterical to leave behind )

[A.ntique]

Kent

Kent Mansley stepped out of his shiny, mossy green convertible. Giving the leather seats a fond pet, he sighed, "Onward to the RV." He had seen his mother, uncle, and cousin getting into it on his way to the parking garage. There was no force on earth that could get him to leave his beloved automobile on the street while he was away. Holding back a manly tear as he locked the car, he set forth towards his family.

October

October's perfectly executed plan was now taking action - she could see her well-dressed son approaching. Now it's fair, Peacorn. Now it's two against two. Clearing her throat, she announced, "Millard, Peacorn - Kent is here. Try to act civil."

[Lunar Lullaby]

Peacorn

Peacorn was about to burp in defiance about October's remark but stopped himself as he saw the well-dressed boy - well, he wasn't a boy any more- walking toward the car with an air of arrogance. A slimy smirk worked its way on Peacorn's face as he thought of how embarrassed Kent would be as he compared him to his Milly's "accomplishments." The last time Peacorn had seen Kent, besides that mango dream he had a few weeks ago, Kent had been throwing Buckeyes at Millard and he "accidentally" lodged one in Peacorn's ear - its a blur after that. Peacorn was glad the folder had been forgotten about but hoped he would soon have a chance to burn it quickly in a forest fire.

[A.ntique]

Kent

With a barely audible groan, Kent opened the door to the RV and stepped inside. Taking in the sight before him, the young man almost wished he hadn't come. However, he did his best to seem glad to see his family. "Uncle Peacorn," he would never get used to that name, he thought, as he extended his hand towards the balding man. Slowly, his gaze moved to his cousin, Millard. Good heavens - Surely that sad looking man(?) couldn't be his recently graduated cousin! He was so worn down looking, so lost, so... broken.

[.jabberwocky]

Millard looked up and saw the ginger majesty that was his cousin Kent enter the RV, silhouetted by the outside light, making him look almost divine. Millard felt the muscles around his mouth pulling up into a smile, a facial expression extremely unfamiliar to him. It wasn't the smug academic sort of smile he had pulled at college whenever he had understood an intelligent joke and wanted others to know it, quickly followed by a condescending guffaw; no, this was a real smile, huge and overwhelming, almost painful. He tried to suppress the extent of his giddiness--he didn't want Kent to know how happy he was to see him, he had to play it cool--and his expression arrived at something that looked like constipation.
"Hey, man," he said coolly, putting on his best 'bro' voice. "What's shakin'? Still like to throw buckeyes?" He laughed.
This clever remark was meant to remind Kent of all the fun times they had had together, and make Millard seem as though he was a part of Kent's inside circle. Kent was cool, composed, smart and successful. Millard had always admired him tremendously.

[A.ntique]

Kent

The young man winced as his cousin spoke - puberty must have taken a permanent vacation; starting with Peacorn. While Kent was a 'no-nonsense' kind of guy, he wasn't as cold as his mother and could tell that Millard was trying to connect. He allowed a half-hearted and brief chuckle escape his mouth at the buckeye comment. "No, it's been a while since I last threw a buckeye."
"Didn't you say you threw one and knocked out that thief you were after?" October proudly butted in.
Kent shrugged his broad shoulders, "Lucky shot, I suppose." His gaze drifted down to Millard's... dog? Rat? What the heck was it? "New pet?" He inquired almost hesitantly - Millard and pets had never mixed well.

[Lunar Lullaby]

Peacorn

"HeY ScoUt!" Peacorn managed in differing tones for no apparent reason. Peacorn began to "boast" following October's lead, "Did you know Millard here just finished college? Yep, thats my boy," Peacorn smugly slapped Millard on the back of the head, "He's been majoring in…. uh…" The realization suddenly hit him that 1) he didn't know what his son had been doing the past four years in college 2) Millard actually managed to get in AND graduate 3) Kent said "Pet" (the voices said death) 4) he'd left the stove on a home. As he sat there pondering these details, he lost control of the burp he'd been holding back. It smelled like last night's dinner or gasoline and noodles.

He tried to compose himself, emphasis on tried, and asked Kent, "If you haven't thrown buckeyes recently, then how have you been terrorizing people lately?" This comment was half insult half curiosity.

[.jabberwocky]

Millard laughed, too loudly. "Hey man, I was just kidding! Thats kid stuff, amiright?"

But Millard was filled with dread as Peacorn started to brag on him, which turned to pain as his father's meaty hand clapped him on the back of the skull. Even as his scalp throbbed and he rubbed it sorely, he couldn't help but be a little proud of what his father said. He was right. He HAD graduated college! He had escaped Peacorn and October and all of them, and MADE something of himself!

That pride immediately turned to irritation as he realized Peacorn didn't have a clue what he'd majored in. Millard had never told him of course, but he should have asked. "I majored in anthropology! With a theater and art history double-minor!" He harrumphed, as if it should be obvious. He wasn't exactly employed yet, and every guidance counselor he'd ever met had told him that his was the most useless, just plain awful collection of majors in the world, but he had listened to the voice that told him to follow his dreams, echoing from an after school special all those years ago. After all, what was thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of college debt when compared to a future void of passion? A future as a doctor or lawyer or something else he didn't care about, living with a high salary in a comfortable home in a secure neighborhood? Where his children could grow up in nice private schools, and all his dogs could run free in a lush green lawn..

Millard realized then and there what he had done to his future. He started to cry, as discreetly as he could manage. Phoenie nibbled his leg sympathetically.

[A.ntique]

Kent

Kent stood motionless, it was like a automobile accident unfolding before his very eyes. First, Peacorn had no knowledge of his son's majors, choices, and probably not even where he went to college. Millard on the other hand looked like a stray dog out in the rain howling for no reason in particular. What his cousin said about his majors barely even registered. The ginger haired man felt even more out of place when Millard started crying. Actually crying. "Uh," He would attempt to change the subject by answering his uncle's question, "I haven't been terrorizing anyone, Uncle Peacorn." He answered, taking out his small, expensive, cedar pipe. "In fact I've been doing some special work for the FBI as of late."

[.jabberwocky]

Millard

Millard wiped tears from his eyes and snot from his nose, mingling the two in a disgusting slime across his face. "The FBI?" he repeated stupidly, sniffling. "Like a secret agent?" Kent was even cooler than Millard had remembered. Everything from his cousin's chiseled jaw to the tips of his freshly polished shoes was 300% more sophisticated than anything his psychotic father and horrific aunt had ever been in their whole lives. Why, oh why couldn't Millard have been born into a better family? He would have fit in with Kent, he was sure of it. People would have called them twins because they were both so equally cool and awesome.