Later that afternoon, Mikey and his Mom enter the Mall together under the agreed supervision plan. His sketchbook and a short shopping list stay tucked safely in his bag.
They pass the stationery shop’s quiet front window when Katrina Ripley, a tall athletic young woman with vivid pink hair and a cheerleader’s polished outfit, recognizes him.
Katrina Ripley
Well, if it isn’t the little nerd from school. Still studying those composition notes, or are you just carrying them around to look impressive?
Katrina’s smile is sharp, but her attention keeps dropping to a folder pressed against her hip. A page of handwritten equations peeks from beneath its cover.
Katrina Ripley
Actually, I wanted to ask something. That section about directional space, the one you were reading, does it explain why a diagram feels balanced when the numbers do not divide evenly?
Mikey's Mom
Katrina, you may discuss schoolwork, but keep this respectful and public. I am staying right here.
Katrina Ripley
Fine. I am not asking him to go anywhere. I just want to know whether his art notes can help me understand this problem.
✓ Quest Accepted
Discuss the balance of Katrina's diagram with her
“I compare her equations with directional space in my composition notes.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +0)
Mikey opens his composition notes and places Katrina’s folder beside them. He compares the uneven equations with diagrams showing directional space and visual balance.
The notes connect the ideas clearly: balance does not require identical divisions, only a convincing distribution of weight, emphasis, and empty space.
Katrina Ripley
So the larger number can work like the larger shape? It still balances if the surrounding space directs attention toward it?
Katrina bends over the pages, her pink hair falling forward as she matches one equation to a diagram of a fox framed by open space.
Katrina Ripley
That actually helps. The uneven result is not automatically wrong if the relationship between the parts stays intentional.
Mikey's Mom
Good. Keep the comparison about the notes and the problem, and give Mikey room to work without turning this into teasing.
Katrina Ripley
Fine. His notes explain it better than my textbook does. I will copy the principle down and solve the example again.
Quest Complete
Discuss the balance of Katrina's diagram with her
“Has Katrina heard the rumors about the paddling I got at school or about my Mom spanking me?”
YES (Likely, rolled 20)
Katrina copies the principle into her folder, but her expression shifts when the page turns toward Mikey’s school notes. Her sharp smile fades into something more cautious.
Katrina Ripley
I have heard people talking about the paddling at school. Not details, just enough to know it became a rumor.
Mikey’s Mom straightens beside the stationery display. The mall noise continues around them, but her attention fixes completely on Katrina.
Katrina Ripley
And I heard another version saying his mom spanks him when he gets in trouble. I do not know whether that part is true, and I am not asking him to explain it here.
Mikey's Mom
Thank you for saying that plainly. Those are private family and school matters, not material for gossip or teasing.
Katrina Ripley
I know. I was going to make a joke at first, but it stopped being funny when I realized everyone was repeating different versions.
Katrina closes her folder over the equations and keeps her voice lower. Her usual performance of superiority gives way to an awkward, public attempt at discretion.
✓ Quest Accepted
Tell Katrina about my embarrassing punishments
“While my Mom is distracted by a shop display, I admit to Katrina all the embarrassing details of not only my paddling at school, but also the spanking that I previously received at home.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Conversation, rolled -1)
Mikey’s Mom turns toward a display of sketchbooks, comparing prices. In the brief opening, Mikey lowers his voice and leans toward Katrina beside the stationery shelves.
Mikey
The school paddled me after I refused instructions and had conduct problems. It hurt, and people found out. Mom has also spanked me at home when I got in trouble.
The words come out quietly but plainly. Katrina’s folder slips against her hip, scattering two equation sheets onto the tile with a sharp paper slap.
Katrina Ripley
Okay. I heard the rumor, but I did not know it was that specific. I am not going to repeat what you just told me.
Katrina Ripley
And I am not going to make you prove anything or explain it better. That is private, even if other people turned it into gossip.
Mikey’s Mom glances back at the dropped papers, still focused on the display. Katrina quickly gathers them, her face tense with the concrete risk of being overheard.
Katrina Ripley
I can listen without joking about it. If anyone asks, I only know there was a rumor, and I will tell them to leave you alone.
Quest Complete
Tell Katrina about my embarrassing punishments
“Will Katrina be able to keep her promise about not repeating any of what I told her?”
YES (Likely, rolled 51)
Katrina tucks the equation sheets back into her folder and steps slightly nearer the stationery display, keeping her voice beneath the mall’s steady background noise.
Katrina Ripley
I mean it. That stays between us. If someone tries to turn it into gossip, I will shut the conversation down instead of feeding it.
A girl from the nearby clothing store, an adolescent human girl with a slim build, shoulder-length dark hair, and a bright yellow jacket over black leggings, glances over glances over and calls Katrina’s name, asking what she and Mikey were discussing. Katrina closes the folder firmly.
Katrina Ripley
Schoolwork. He helped me understand a composition principle, and that is all you need to know.
The girl loses interest and turns back toward the storefront. Katrina waits until she is out of earshot before looking at Mikey again, her expression guarded but sincere.
Katrina Ripley
I am not going to repeat your home situation, the school punishment, or anything else you told me. You trusted me with it, so I will keep it private.
Mikey's Mom
That is the respectful choice, Katrina. Thank you for protecting his privacy instead of making his disclosure another public spectacle.
“Is it possible that anyone else overheard what I told Katrina?”
NO, AND WORSE (Even, rolled 97)
The girl in the yellow jacket is already absorbed by the clothing display, and the mall noise covers Katrina’s lowered voice. No one nearby appears to have heard Mikey’s disclosure.
Then Katrina’s phone vibrates against the folder. Its screen lights with a group message preview containing Mikey’s name, the words “paddling rumor,” and several laughing emojis.
Katrina Ripley
No. No, no, no. This was already being circulated before you told me.
Katrina turns the screen away from the passing shoppers, but the preview remains visible to her. Her face loses its practiced confidence as another notification arrives beneath it.
Katrina Ripley
Someone is asking whether I can confirm it. I am not answering them, but they are trying to pull me into the gossip.
Mikey's Mom
Then do not respond here. Show me the message, and we will decide how to protect his privacy without spreading it further.
Katrina Ripley
I will show you. But this is worse than someone overhearing, because people are already trading versions and waiting for a reaction.
“Is Mom angry that my lack of discretion has made my punishments widespread public knowledge?”
NO (Unlikely, rolled 64)
Mikey’s Mom studies the preview without looking at Mikey. Her expression is tense, but the tension points toward the spreading rumor, not toward his decision to tell Katrina.
Mikey's Mom
I am not angry that you told someone you trusted. You were allowed to seek support, and Katrina is handling that trust responsibly.
Mikey's Mom
What concerns me is that other students are trading private information as entertainment. That is their misconduct, not proof that you caused this by speaking honestly.
Katrina unlocks the phone and holds it between herself and Mikey’s Mom, keeping the screen angled away from the mall traffic. Several replies cluster beneath the original preview.
Katrina Ripley
I can show you the thread without forwarding anything. I will not confirm the rumor, add details, or mention that Mikey told me.
Mikey's Mom
Good. We will save only what is necessary, report the harassment through the school, and keep his private disclosure out of the report unless he chooses otherwise.
Katrina nods and lowers the phone again. Her embarrassment remains, but it is no longer aimed at Mikey; she is preparing to refuse the group’s demand for confirmation.
“Are there new versions of the rumor circulating on social media with grossly exaggerated details?”
YES (Likely, rolled 52)
Katrina scrolls through the thread without opening any links. Beneath the original rumor, newer posts claim Mikey was punished publicly, repeatedly, and for things the school records do not mention.
Katrina Ripley
These versions are getting worse. One says the school made an example of him in front of everyone, and another says his mother posts about punishing him.
Mikey’s Mom’s face hardens. The claims are exaggerated beyond what Mikey disclosed, mixing the school rumor with invented details about home and presenting both as entertainment.
Mikey's Mom
None of that is verified, and some of it is plainly false. Do not repeat the details while reporting the harassment, Katrina.
Katrina Ripley
I will not. I can report that students are circulating sexualized and disciplinary rumors about a minor without copying the graphic wording into the complaint.
Another notification appears, claiming Mikey was punished for drawing instead of working and that adults encouraged classmates to laugh. Katrina immediately locks the screen.
Katrina Ripley
They are trying to make every version sound worse than the last. I am saving the evidence privately, but I am not giving them another reaction.
“Will Mom be angry when she finds out that I've been drawing sexualized imagery in my sketchbook and sharing it on social media?”
YES, AND MORE (VeryLikely, rolled 14)
Katrina locks the phone, but a second preview appears before the screen goes dark: a link to Mikey’s art account, attached to the same rumor thread.
Katrina Ripley
That is your account, isn’t it? Some of the drawings are sexualized. I am not opening anything, but your mother may recognize the username.
Mikey’s Mikey's Mom sees the username and then the sketchbook tucked in his bag. Her expression shifts from anger at the rumor to alarm about what he has shared publicly.
Mikey's Mom
Mikey, I am going to be angry when I learn you posted sexualized artwork online. Not because you draw, but because you are a minor and strangers can save or misuse it.
Katrina Ripley
I saved the thread without forwarding it, and I can help report the harassment without attaching his drawings or naming him. That gives you a cleaner record.
Mikey's Mom’s concern hardens into immediate supervision. She reaches for neither the sketchbook nor the phone, but asks Katrina to preserve only the evidence needed for the school report.
Mikey's Mom
We will discuss the account privately, and I will not let the school turn his artwork into gossip. But the posts come down for now, and we review every privacy setting together.
“Will Mom finally lose all patience if I refuse to let her review my online art account or review any privacy settings?”
YES, BUT (Likely, rolled 57)
Mikey’s refusal leaves the mall space painfully quiet. His mother studies him, then holds out her hand for the phone without reaching across the distance.
Mikey's Mom
No. I am done asking politely while you treat basic safety checks like an attack. I am reviewing the account and privacy settings now, with you present.
Katrina lowers her folder and steps aside, keeping the rumor thread hidden from passing shoppers. Mikey’s Mom opens the account only after confirming the username, then removes its public visibility.
Mikey's Mom
The account is private, the sexualized posts are archived for review, and messages from unknown users are blocked. We will go through every setting before anything is restored.
Katrina Ripley
I know you are angry, but this is safer than letting strangers keep copies and use the rumor to find him. I will report the thread without attaching the drawings.
The review succeeds, but the cost lands immediately: Mikey’s phone stays with his mother for the rest of the week, and his art account remains locked until she approves each privacy setting.
Mikey's Mom
You can keep drawing offline, and I will not show your artwork around. But refusing safety review has cost you unsupervised account access until trust is rebuilt.
“I take my phone back off Mom and lock it so that she can't change any privacy settings.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +3)
Mikey takes the phone back and locks it before his mother can change another setting. The screen goes dark beneath his fingers, and the account controls are no longer accessible.
Mikey's Mom
Mikey, give it back. I am not finished reviewing the safety settings.
The lock screen hides the rumor notifications and blocks the conversation from view. A privacy activity notice remains recorded in the account history, preserving exactly which settings were changed and when.
Katrina Ripley
He locked it, but that does not erase the changes you already made. The account is still private, and strangers cannot message him through it now.
Mikey's Mom
He is resisting me again, but the account is safer than it was five minutes ago.
Mikey's Mom
Fine. I will not grab for it in the middle of the mall. But this becomes a serious conversation the moment we get home.
Katrina steps closer to the stationery display, shielding Mikey from curious shoppers while his mother steadies herself. The phone stays locked in Mikey’s possession, while the report and offline art review remain open questions.
“Will Mom eventually resort to corporal punishment if she believes that my behavior is endangering my safety and that corporal punishment is the only way to keep me safe as a last resort?”
NO (Unlikely, rolled 49)
The mall noise resumes around them, but Mikey's Mom keeps her attention on the locked phone. Her anger remains controlled, and she does not reach for Mikey or the device.
Mikey's Mom
When we get home, we will review the account together. If I believe your safety is at risk, I will restrict access, increase supervision, and involve another trusted adult. I will not hit you.
Katrina Ripley
So the consequence can be serious without becoming physical. That seems safer than making him afraid to tell you what happened.
Mikey's Mom
Yes. Corporal punishment is not my last resort, because it is not a safety plan. I can protect him with boundaries, privacy checks, and support.
Mikey's Mom takes a slow breath and points toward the quieter seating area near the stationery shop. The locked phone stays with Mikey, while the next steps become specific rather than threatening.
Mikey's Mom
The account stays private, the sexualized posts stay offline, and we will report the harassment without exposing your artwork. If we need help, we will ask the school counselor or another safe adult.
Katrina Ripley
I can stand by that. I will not confirm rumors, forward the thread, or use your art as evidence unless you and your mom agree it is necessary.
“I leave Katrina and Mom behind at the Mall, and head to Gi's shop to talk to him.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +1)
Mikey leaves the quieter seating area, keeping his locked phone and sketchbook with him. His Mom and Katrina remain by the stationery shop, watching him go without calling him back.
The walk to Gi Williams’ flower shop is familiar and calm. Traffic murmurs along the street, while the mall’s bright noise fades behind him.
Mikey
Gi’s shop is still open.
Mikey reaches the flower shop and steps inside. Buckets of fresh stems line the walls, and the air carries green leaves, damp paper, and a faint sweetness.
Gi William
Mikey. You came by yourself. Is everything all right, or do you need somewhere quiet to talk?
Gi sets down a bundle of purple flowers and gives Mikey his full attention without reaching for the phone or sketchbook. The shop’s front bell settles into silence.
Gi William
You can tell me what happened in your own time. I will listen first, and we can sort out the practical part afterward.
“I ask Gi if I can stay in his shop until 9pm, telling him that I don't want to talk to my Mom at the moment.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Conversation, rolled +0)
Mikey
Gi, can I stay here until nine? I do not want to talk to my Mom right now.
Gi studies Mikey’s face, then glances toward the shop clock. The late afternoon light lies warm across the flower buckets, and the front door remains open.
Gi William
Yes. You can stay here until nine, and you do not have to talk to her this minute. You can have quiet first.
Gi William
I will not pretend you disappeared, though. Before nine, we will make sure your Mom knows you are safe and where you are, without forcing a conversation before you are ready.
He carries a folding chair into the work area and clears a space beside the purple flowers. A kettle clicks on behind the counter, adding a gentle domestic sound.
Gi William
You can draw, sit quietly, or tell me what happened when you want. For now, put your phone somewhere visible and take the calm you came here for.