Several weeks pass, and the altered notice becomes merely an uncomfortable reputation. At the cricket pavilion, summer dust hangs over the ropes while boys cheer beneath the hard afternoon sun.
Tennyson
Lewis, carry the bats and spare balls to the scorer’s table. Then stand with the spectators and applaud whenever our side scores.
Tennyson points toward the equipment shed, his prefect’s uniform immaculate. Beyond him, Fribble corners Parsley beside the pavilion wall, where older boys can pretend not to hear.
Fribble
You will say the broken window was your prank. Refuse, and I shall make certain the masters hear how insolent you have become.
Parsley
It was not me. You know it was not me.
Fribble’s athletic frame blocks the boy’s escape without touching him. A few Bloods, adolescent boys in dark wool school uniforms, watch with folded arms and amused faces glance over, amused by the arrangement, while the match continues across the field.
Tennyson
What are you staring at, Lewis? The equipment will not carry itself, and slack applause is noticed.
✓ Quest Accepted
Shield Parsley from Fribble’s accusation
The younger boy must perform the assigned task or face the consequences of disobedience.
“I explain to Parsley that he is responsible for the broken window, and that he must submit to being punished for it.”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled +3)
C. S. Lewis
Parsley, you are responsible for the broken window. You must submit to the punishment and say that it was your prank.
Parsley
But it was not me. You know that, Lewis. Fribble broke it, and now he wants me punished for him.
Fribble’s smile tightens as he hears the words. Behind him, the watching Bloods shift closer, eager for the accusation to become an official spectacle.
Fribble
There, you see? Even Lewis understands what must be done. Say it plainly, Parsley, and spare yourself further insolence.
Tennyson
Lewis, the bats and spare balls. Now. You will carry them to the scorer’s table before you resume your applause.
The equipment shed stands beside the pavilion, its door propped open. Lewis must perform the assigned errand, while Parsley remains boxed in by Fribble and the older boys.
Parsley
I will submit if I must. But I will not call Fribble’s lie the truth.
The younger boy must perform the assigned task or face the consequences of disobedience.
The Blood or prefect inflicts corporal punishment upon the younger boy.