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[color=slategray][sub][color=a5a5a5][b]Sean Sterling[/b][/color], [color=c94d14][b]Pearce Sterling[/b][/color], and featuring [@Silent Observer] as [color=FF8C69][b]Cassie Sterling[/b][/color]
Location: The Sterling Residence[/sub][/color][/center][hr][hr][indent]Sean’s room was becoming very comfortably outfitted. It wasn’t as flashy as his sister’s, nor was it quite as gaudy as someone with the last name ‘Sterling’ should decorate their room, but it was [i]home[/i]. It was home to him. He knew that was what mattered, the more comfortable he was in his own room, the sooner he’d be happy. True and complete happiness, he’d realized, would elude him for a while. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t do his best to enjoy what he could.

His room was home to a huge window, outlooking the estate. The window sill was massive, designed once upon a time for the then incredibly [i]nerdy[/i] Sean to have an alcove to read in. The alcove had been repurposed by the now grown boy, who wasn’t quite as fond of reading. It now housed what was essentially a personal kitchen, with a small electric heating plate, a few pots, a collection of seasonings he was fond of, and a miniature refrigerator.

Sean himself was working on his supper for the evening. He wasn’t a huge fan of the posh foods that his parents ate, and had instead found himself immensely attracted to straight junk food. Deny a person something for too long, and then suddenly allow them access to it, and the game changes. Sean was constantly eating crap, ranging from Oreo’s to delivered Papa John’s.

Tonight, however, he was in the mood for a lazy classic. On the stove top in his window still, water had been brought to a boil. Dashed with a generous helping of salt, Sean had boiled a pack of instant ramen, something he’d taken a liking to, much to the chagrin of his parents. He didn’t care, though. It was easy, and with the addition of three eggs (simply cracked into the bowl once complete), it was a good source of protein. And Sean needed a good source of protein, he had muscle mass he needed to retain.

So, Sean Sterling had a snack. A bowl of Top Ramen, with three eggs he’d cracked over the top of it, along with a tablespoon of peanut butter. This added protein, and a lovely peanuty flavor. Sean fancied himself a bit of a chef, but really he’d just Googled ‘how do I make instant ramen better,’ and had tried a few different things until he came to a conclusion that he liked what he’d made.

A snack wasn’t the only thing Sean Sterling had. He also had a television, which was currently playing something he’d found on YouTube. A large collection of [i]Tom & Jerry[/i], a show that Sean was fond of. Sean’s opinion on [i]Tom & Jerry[/i] was a little, well, a little unpopular. Sean thought that Tom had a pretty good point. All he was ever trying to do was his job: protect his house from mice. And Jerry was always coming up with increasingly elaborate schemes to ruin Tom’s day, and in a lot of ways, ruin his life.

He was the villain, but he was a sympathetic villain, in Sean’s opinion. In some ways, Sean might even go so far as to argue that Tom was an [i]anti-hero.[/i] He was driven to insanity by the mouse, always escaping despite his best efforts to simply do his job. And the audience? They sided with Jerry, because the mouse was a bit cuter than Tom. In every way that Sean could look at it, it wasn’t fair.

So, Sean rooted for the villain. As far as he could think, Tom and Jerry was a lopsided show. Maybe it’s because it was designed for children? Maybe he was just getting old. Maybe that’s why he sided with the cat trying to best the cute mouse, rather than the mouse who seemed to set out every day to ruin Tom’s entire life, much more than just his day. Sean slurped the noodles into his mouth, and considered his plan for the day.

It took him only two seconds to realize that he didn’t [i]have[/i] any plans. He never did, and there were a variety of reasons for that. Firstly, Sean had no friends. He had his sister, and realistically, he knew he could leech off of her for social life. She seemed to have no shortage of it, anyway. Alternatively, he could text Brynn, but to tell her what? [color=a5a5a5][i]“Hey, Brynn, why don’t you come over? What? You want me to come take you out? Sorry, can’t do that. I don’t have a vehicle.”[/i][/color]

That was the second reason why Sean had no plans. With no mode of transportation, Sean was landlocked. He could drive one of the vehicles in the garage, he was certain, but the options were not in his realm of interest. From the bright pink Maserati, to the Aston Martins, and even the luxury BMWs that would all surely drive themselves. Sean didn’t like the very idea that vehicles could drive themselves; he wanted control. All the vehicles he’d used while at the Academy didn’t have the autopilot function, which he vastly preferred. Sean liked having control.

Sean slurped the rest of the ramen noodles down, and idly stared at the screen. [color=a5a5a5][b]“I should have watched Scooby Doo. Maybe I wouldn’t be thinking about how I don’t have anything in my life. I have to get a vehicle, man.”[/b][/color] Sean said, to no one in particular — though his Assistant, Harrison responded.

[color=48c9a0][b]“We are in accord.”[/b][/color]

[color=a5a5a5][b]“Yeah, yeah. I’m gonna go talk to father…”[/b][/color] Sean said as he hopped up to his feet, and slipped out of the room. He walked down the hallway, and to the first of two stops for the evening, his father’s office. He opened the door and saw the older man, sitting behind the massive oaken desk, who was going over some paperwork.

Pearce looked up from his work, and raised an eyebrow. Sean hadn’t spoken to him privately since the day he’d come back, so this had to be good. [color=c94d14][b]“Yes, son?”[/b][/color] He asked, leaning forward.

[color=a5a5a5][b]“I need a vehicle,”[/b][/color] and though Pearce almost immediately went to speak up, Sean was quick to keep going and cut him off before he could say the inevitable of ‘you can have something from the garage,’ [color=a5a5a5][b]“I want a bike. A Ducati Monster. Something that I drive, without  the autopilot function, and it runs on gas.”[/b][/color] At this, Pearce leaned back in his chair, and considered it quietly.

[color=c94d14][b]“Are you licensed?”[/b][/color] Pearce asked, receiving a quick nod in response. [color=c94d14][b]“Well, I don’t care. But, your mother isn’t going to  like it. I hope you have a plan there. If you want my advice? I’d go buy it, and ask her for forgiveness afterwards. Unless you have a powerful case built up in your head, she’s not going to like it. She won’t see what you want, she’ll see you in a crumpled mess on the side of the road.”[/b][/color]

Sean shrugged. [color=a5a5a5][b]“I intend to talk to her. There’s no point in driving a bigger rift between me and my parents — you included. It’s going to get worse before it gets better, but I think this would be a good first step toward eventual happiness, right? After all, they say the first step when solving something is simply to admit you have a problem. Well, I’m admitting it. Besides, I can’t show up to school in Selena’s pink car every day, I’ll look like a fucking clown.”[/b][/color]

Pearce chuckled, but gave his son a nod. [color=c94d14][b]“Then, good luck. Do you need money?”[/b][/color] Sean shook his head and Pearce smiled. [color=c94d14][b]“I wish you even more good luck in getting her to let you pay for it yourself.”[/b][/color] Pearce laughed again and Sean nodded firmly, turning to leave the room with an air of fresh confidence about him.

Sean had spoken with his father, and that hurdle had been as easily jumped as he’d suspected. His mother would be tougher, he knew that much. His mother was a bit of a control freak, to the point that the only one Sean knew of who handled it competently and consistently was his father. Asking her for what he wanted wasn’t exactly going to be ‘easy,’ but then — Sean didn’t plan to really ‘ask’ either. He was giving her more of a courtesy before he went and did it anyway. If she ended up okay with it, good. If not, oh well.

Sean couldn’t continue to show up to school in a sparkly pink Maserati, and even if he did, he needed a mode of transportation all his own, and he had his eyes set on something specific. He wanted a street bike, one of the new ones. Something that ran on gas, and had no autopilot. He liked to be in control. Most likely, he’d inherited that from his mother.

Sean stood in front of the door to her office, dressed in comfortable sweats and a white t-shirt. He knocked, and then let himself in, raising an eyebrow briefly. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d really been in here, and honestly? It wasn’t much of an office. His mother sat on a posh sofa, and the wall in front of her was a bright, LED screen, displaying her shopping site. Sean cleared his throat, [color=a5a5a5][b]“Mom? Do you have a second? I wanted to talk about something.”[/b][/color]

A blonde woman, who hardly looked a day over fifty, save for the gray hairs and fine lines between her brows and around her mouth — put there by the stresses of having two sets of twins more than the passage of time. Gray hairs were easily treated with expensive dye jobs, and wrinkles could be masked by making the use of her professional makeup artist skills. At this time of day, however, the mask was off, and Cassandra Sterling was [i]relaxing[/i]. Cassie looked up from her internet shopping — [i]Gucci[/i] was certainly stepping up their handbag game lately — and she gently set down her glass of rosé on the end table when she heard her first born speak. 

[color=FF8C69][b]“What is it, baby?”[/b][/color] She asked, looking over her shoulder towards the door and smiling at him. The mother then scooted over and made room for him on the fluffy white sofa, patting at the overstuffed cushion beside her.

Sean did not take the seat on the sofa, instead he chose to sit down on the equally fluffy carpet in front of the sofa. He crossed his legs and placed his hands on his hands on his feet; Sean was very deliberate about this whole process, as if he’d been trained to sit that way. 

Cassie watched her son curiously as he chose sitting on the floor rather than taking a seat next to her. Should she feel offended? Her son had been gone for so long, perhaps the distance had created some kind of wedge between them. Or perhaps, he was just growing up… or this was just some part of the lingering sadness that had been clinging to him since he arrived back from his private school. [color=FF8C69][b]“Why are you sitting on the floor like that, dear?”[/b][/color]

Sean looked up at her, his eyebrows furrowed. He hadn’t even considered it as being strange… [color=a5a5a5][b]”Uh… it’s honestly really comfortable. I don’t know. I’d prefer to sit here.”[/b][/color] Sean explained, before he carried on, attacking the subject he wanted to bring up in the first place, [color=a5a5a5][b]“I’ve been thinking. Now that I’m back here for good — and I am back here for good — I need a way to get around from place to place. I’m not interested in Selena carting me around constantly in that… gaudy pink monstrosity.”[/b][/color] Sean looked to the sky briefly, hoping this went well.

[color=a5a5a5][b]“I spoke with father already, and he doesn’t much care what I get; mostly, I assume, because I’ll be buying it with my own money, that I earned from my jobs while at the Academy. However, he mentioned that I might want to talk to you about it before I buy it. May I?”[/b][/color] Sean reached out for the tablet expectantly, planning to pull it up so that she could see what he had in mind, rather than he explain it.

[color=FF8C69][b]“Of course, darling!”[/b][/color] Cassie exclaimed, shocked that he expected that he needed to ask for such a thing. [color=FF8C69][b]“The Maserati was Selena’s sixteenth birthday gift… we didn’t get you a car because you weren’t here to drive it, but we can certainly fix that now. And you [i]absolutely[/i] do not need to spend your own money on it, your father and I could cover it. What did you dislike about the ‘monstrosity’, just the color, or the style? We could look into another make… perhaps a Mercedes? Or a Porsche?”[/b][/color] His mother was being completely agreeable, excited even, at the thought of helping her son get a new vehicle. It could be a good bonding experience, and dropping that kind of money in a night was simply nothing to a Sterling. Cassie went to work clicking away on the tablet that was on her lap, which switched the LED wall-screen from designer purses, to luxury car brands.

Sean frowned. First and foremost, even if he wanted a car, it wouldn’t be a luxury car. It would be a WRX, or something to that extent. [i]Maybe[/i] an NSX, but certainly not one of these sedans that his mother seemed to want to push on him. And why couldn’t he use his own money? He’d worked hard for it. [color=a5a5a5][b]“No, I’ve already picked it out. Let me show you.”[/b][/color] Sean said, taking the tablet away from her, and looking down at it. He did not turn away from her, wanting to gauge her initial reaction to see how the play should go.

A couple of taps, a quick load, and the [url=http://cdnmedia.endeavorsuite.com/images/catalogs/15794/products/detail/069f6de1-f9b7-49d4-b10e-9e7bf63f56d2.jpg]vehicle[/url] was on the screen in front of her. [color=a5a5a5][b]“I want that.”[/b][/color] Sean said, pointing to it, as if for unnecessary emphasis.

Cassie silently blinked her blue eyes at the screen a few times. Oh no, that certainly wasn’t what he was asking for. A two-wheeled [i]death machine[/i]?! Absolutely not, she would not allow that. She wasn’t about to lose her beloved eldest boy to a vicious motorcycle accident. [color=FF8C69][b]“Very funny, Sean. But no. You are not getting on a death trap like that.”[/b][/color]

[color=a5a5a5][b]“It’s not a joke,”[/b][/color] Sean said defensively. He’d expected a similar reaction, now came the hard part: convincing her that it was fine. [color=a5a5a5][b]“I’m already licensed to ride one. And I’d rather drive something I’m in complete control of. No computer that can interfere. Besides, mom, if you really think about it I’m way safer on that than I would be in a car. I can get out of the way of other people much more quickly on that, and it’s more maneuverable.”[/b][/color] Sean chose to gave ‘simple reasoning’ the first round.

[color=FF8C69][b]“Not if you don’t see them coming! Everything else on the road is bigger! I’ve watched the  accidents on the news, and I won’t have that be you. I can’t lose my boy when I just got him back.”[/b][/color] Cassandra said sternly, thought her lips danced into a sad frown at the last part. This request genuinely worried her. [color=FF8C69][b]“Anything else, Seany. You can get anything else… something safe.”[/b][/color]

Sean frowned. Well, simple reasoning didn’t work. Sean looked at his lap and pondered his next move, [color=a5a5a5][b]“I don’t want us to fight,”[/b][/color] he said after a few moments of quiet contemplation, [color=a5a5a5][b]“but this is what I want. Nothing else is going to be good enough, and I grew up hearing from you and father alike that a Sterling isn’t going to have anything that isn’t good enough.”[/b][/color] Sean tried another route, still keeping himself away from aggression. That would come as a last resort, and in some ways, he could see where his mother was coming from.

The Sterling matriarch studied her son. Sean’s frown broke her heart, broke it enough to make her want to cave, but she couldn’t fight her own motherly instincts. A mama bear had to make sure her cub was safe, even if that cub was tall, and strong, and growing up far too fast. Cassie sighed and took a swift gulp of blush colored wine before speaking again. [color=FF8C69][b]“You are right, a Sterling doesn’t settle for anything but the best. If you have done your research, let me see the safety ratings. If you insist on a two-wheeled death machine, then I insist that you pick the safest one.”[/b][/color]

Sean helplessly shrugged his shoulders. He only saw this going two ways: option A) was he went and bought it alone with his own money, without the okay from his mother; and option B) was he and his mother set a date to go and pick it up together. He much preferred option B, it would keep things from getting too stressful and dramatic around the house. Once she cracked, there was no denying the whisper of a smile that graced Sean’s face. [color=a5a5a5][b]“Thank you. I’m glad this went mostly well. I don’t want our relationship be rocky, but I do have my wants and needs and I will stand up for myself when I need to.”[/b][/color] Sean pulled up the safety ratings, rather reluctantly, but looked at his mother, his face very serious. [color=a5a5a5][b]“Consider that me saying ‘I’m growing up, please don’t stifle me.’”[/b][/color]

Seeing her son smile, even slightly, melted her heart. Sean didn’t smile nearly enough for her liking, and if buying this ridiculous vehicle made him that happy… well, she could at least [i]try[/i] to be supportive of the idea. She certainly didn’t like it, but she could try. When he said the last part, though, she lost it. Maybe the wine was getting to her, or it was just her overly dramatic nature, but Cassie quickly got down off of the couch to be beside him. She had knocked over the glass of rosé in the process, but she hardly noticed, as she flung her arms around Sean to pull him into a big hug. [color=FF8C69][b]“Nooo, you’re not growing up. You’re gonna stay my baby, my little blue-eyed boy.”[/b][/color] Cassie said into his hair, kissing the top of his head and hugging him tighter.

Oh, geeze. Maybe that had been a mistake. Sean had to quietly hope that this wouldn't take away the work he’d just completed in convincing her to let him get the bike that he wanted. Sean rather awkwardly wrapped his arms around Cassie, trying his best to give an appropriately tight hug. [color=a5a5a5][b]“It’s okay. I’ll still be your baby. Just… independent. And that’s okay. Because I’ll still come to you when I need help, plus… it’s easier to be [i]friends[/i] with your kids when they grow up, right? Rather than just a parent.”[/b][/color] Before getting into a rather philosophical discussion with his slightly drunk mother, Sean pressed on. [color=a5a5a5][b]“So… do you wanna head to the dealership? Like, tonight. Now, even.”[/b][/color]

Cassie sighed against Sean again. She shouldn’t be caving, but here she was, doing exactly that. Cass cleared her throat before speaking to her Assistant. [color=FF8C69][b]“Myrtle, when does the nearest Ducati dealer close?”[/b][/color] The feminine voice responded with a confirmation that they had a few hours to shop around, it also provided the address and the traffic patterns of the quickest route to the dealership. [color=FF8C69][b]“Everything stays open so late in LA… well, let’s go do this, before I change my mind.”[/b][/color][/indent]