Clarence busied himself getting out all his materials, knowing he would need to a do a little maintenance before he got right down into it. And this time, he'd also add a clear base to make it easier for Elliott to get off this time around.

"Yeah. Your mom said it wouldn't hurt, and I figured... maybe a little space between me and Kris would be best for now. Give her some time to think about how we can fix this." He would definitely need to make some sort of concession too, but jeez, he didn't want to think about that right now. Best leave the hard work to the grown ups in this situation.

Scooting a little closer, he reached out for Elliott to give him one of his hands. "It's real cool that you let me crash. I won't try to be a bother or get in the way. But I guess if you get tired of me I could at least go on a walk for a while with Cheddar."