#Remy Darktide

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

“I think I can kinda feel something working. It’s stronger now that Ewan’s around. Can you feel it too?”

Theo rocked back on his feet and placed another cupcake in his mouth. Things were going slowly so far-too slowly. At this rate, they would never find out if Ewan was related to Adam and Remy. He’d be at home in bed for the night before any signal got back to his stalkers.

“Your dad makes the best cupcakes. Like seriously, these are amazing.”

After their encounter with Roman in the kitchen, Theo had “accidentally” liberated a plate of cupcakes intended for the dinner. The frosting was intricate, homemade and incredibly addicting. Adam would ask for the recipe if he thought there was an actual chance of him replicating the delicious treats, but only Roman it seemed had the skill to pull them off. Saturnia might learn it in time given her skill set, but for now, Roman was the only way to access the desserts he had become known for. Stealing a whole plate of them was so amazing a find that it almost overshadowed their important work. 

Once they’d found a tea set stocked with expensive tea in the queen’s old rooms, the two boys began to relax. This clandestine operation was on track so far and aside from some slow magic slowing them down, things were going okay.

“So these were the rooms of Queen Celeste? The witch who tried to kill Death along with the Strangetown cult...er, I mean coven? This is an amazing suite! I wonder what else she had stored around here?”

Adam lowered his eyes to the floor, obviously distracted by Theo’s words. Far too late, Theo realized that he was speaking dismissively about the “restructuring” the Strangetown coven had had to undergo. The coven his mother was single-handedly keeping together because of her brother’s actions.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Adam,” Theo said quickly. “I wasn’t thinking. Are you okay being here where one of the leaders of the coven lived? I just assumed that because it was empty, we could-”

“It’s fine, Theo,” Adam reassured his boyfriend. He sipped his tea quietly for a moment. “That all happened before I was born. I never knew any of them, but my mom was devastated when they died. I still catch her crying sometimes when she thinks she’s alone. She probably couldn’t be here in this room, but it doesn’t really bother me. Well, actually no. It makes me sad. Sad and angry that my uncle and her friends could do that to her. The world can be a really horrible place sometimes.”

“You’re telling me,” Theo laughed awkwardly. “I get it. Thank god my grandmother is dead, or whatever did happen to her. At least I don’t have to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder for her in dark, secret corners. Having some closure makes things easier for your mom, I’d imagine.”

“Yeah, that definitely helps.”

After a long pause, Theo asked the question that had been plaguing him for a while.

“So what happens if this guy is your long lost brother? Does anything change?”

“I guess Winterfest plans change,” Adam sighed, picturing having to spend an extended period of time with the annoying Ewan. “We see him on family dinner night maybe? I don’t know. My dad’s not that hard to get a hold of, Theo. If his mom really wanted to let my dad know she was pregnant, then I can’t see why she couldn’t have done that. I mean, even Queen Claudia can be reached reliably through the right channels and my dad isn’t anywhere near as important as she is. This whole thing felts weird.”

“Ewan feels weird,” Theo agreed. “Can you sense some of what I’m feeling when he’s nearby? It’s like he’s empty, magically just nothing. I’ve never met someone like that before.”

“Hmmm, I can maybe feel a little bit of what you’re feeling, yes. It’s not as intense as I thought it would be.”

Theo nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, my parents always acted like blood connections were this horrible, dangerous thing,” Theo confided. “I think probably because their connection was so damaged and warped by the end that it was dangerous for them. If anything, this pact is barely a magical trickle of energy. It’s boring and ineffective. Next time we try a harder spell.”

“There’s going to be a next time?”

Adam chuckled while Theo flushed with embarrassment.

“Yeah, I mean maybe, if you want to...I’m not really expecting- well that is-”

“Relax Theo, I’m teasing you,” Adam laughed, easing Theo’s anxiety. “Maybe there will be a next time, maybe there won’t. I’m okay with either if everything is safe. We make a good team.”

Theo poked at the crystal that they’d brought with them and a suspicious amount of salt he’d taken from the kitchen when his father was distracted by the mystery of his missing cupcakes. Adam was obsessed with crystals, probably more than even a practicing member of the Crystal Cove coven was. He had an anxiety soothing crystal (which Theo thought was a scam for how useful it was at soothing Adam’s worries), a crystal to relieve headaches during exams, a crystal to find missing items in their dorm, a crystal he used to predict pop quizzes (which Theo was also skeptical of) and a crystal for enhancing spells. There were probably many other crystals that Theo had yet to find, along with stones from their many walks in the forest that he insisted were “special”. This crystal was supposedly going to enhance the blood pact and kick it into gear so they could finally get a clear answer about Ewan...if it worked.

“Well, here goes nothing.”

Theo flipped to a certain passage in his text book and read the latin inside, calling for their blood connection to be increased to solve the question their pact was formed to answer.

For a minute, nothing happened and Theo poked once more at the crystal in front of him angrily.

“Do you see anything? I think maybe I do. Is the room getting more blue to you? The walls look blue now.”

Theo paused to consider Adam’s words. The walls maybe did look oddly coloured all of a sudden. He could feel a strong pounding noise echo through his head. Almost like a drumbeat urging him into action.

“I have to go find Ewan,” he exclaimed, standing too quickly and faltering. “This is working, or at least I hope it is. Something is happening. I have to go!”

Adam stared nervously as Theo bolted from the room. His head did feel a little funny, but nothing like Theo was describing. If he were to write a paper on the experience for class, he would have to assume the pact was working as intended. Theo was using the spell on himself while receiving information on the bloodline that Adam was broadcasting, so it was reassuring that Theo was having the stronger reaction. If Adam had been as driven as his boyfriend to go find an answer to their question, he would have to assume that the connection made between them was faulty and that he and Theo had merged incorrectly. Not only did this information make him worry less about their spell work, but he was also incredibly proud of his boyfriend. Very few people could do blood magic and even fewer could do it correctly. Theo was going to be one of the standout students in their age bracket without any doubt.

“Can I have a pink one? I really like the pink kind.”

Victoriana stared at the collection of treats before her, her eyes lighting up at every selection. Roman had outdone himself, likely to impress the ruling monarch of the largest country and her family. Well, Victoriana was very impressed. She had already tried two different pastries and licked the spoons in the frosting mixing bowl clean, clearing a path to the cupcakes. Each one was a work of art with dazzling designs and specially designed toppings and if she’d been left unsupervised in the room, they would have all been eaten long before her mother had joined them.

“You don’t want to ruin your dinner,” Roman chided softly. “I worked hard on that too and I think you’re going to like it.”

“Does it have peas in it? I don’t like peas. I could just skip the peas and eat a cupcake now. I can’t spoil something I’m not going to eat.”

Roman smiled at the preteen, seeing so much of Theo and his girls in the young princess. If he had a dollar for every bargain Theo had tried to make to avoid eating vegetables, he wouldn’t be worrying about supporting his restaurant like he was.

“Sorry princess, but your mom’s the boss and she says no skipping dinner for cupcakes. You can help me start the cake icing if you want though. It should be- oh, goddamn it!”

Roman swore far too loudly for a dignified palace when he stumbled and watched the cupcake in his hands fly through the air, ruining a solid twenty minutes of work.

Theo ran down the stairs, not even hiding the fact that he was running from within the forbidden area of the castle.

“Remy! Remy!”

Remy looked irritably at Theo as he stormed into the room, thankfully sparing her the need to think of something mundane to talk about with their target.

“Theo, thank god. What took you so long? Were you and Adam making out somewhere when you know that you had a prior commitment? I can’t stand this anymore. It’s not even possible that I’m related to this guy, he’s an asshole.”

Ewan didn’t look surprised to hear Remy’s frustrated confession and ordinarily, that would have sent Theo spiraling to think up a new story. But now?

His heartbeat thundered in his temple as he tried to make sense of the scene before him. Remy and Ewan sat on a couch, barely hiding their disdain for each other. He blinked and saw an entirely different scene before him, one he could hardly fathom.

Blood pulsed through their veins and Theo could feel Remy and Ewan’s heartbeats as strongly as his own. Remy’s blood pressure was rising with her anger. She was born in Pleasantview, he could see her ties to the land, where she’d began. Her paternal great-grandmother’s name was Remy and they both had black hair and the same freckles. He could see both Remy’s in his mind as clearly as if they were standing side by side before him. Her maternal great-grandfather Adam Thompson stepped into view as well as her paternal great-grandfather Prince Adam Walter. Their names seeped out of them, ebbing into Theo’s mind. The two Adams joined hands and pointed at Theo’s now glowing hand that had been linked to Adam Darktide and suddenly an image of his own Adam stepped into view. Blood called to blood and names called to names; everything was connected.

He turned his eyes to Ewan, who was still eerily staring at him. His name was Ewan MacLeod and he’d been born in Pleasantview to Lynette MacLeod. Two Remys and three Adams turned to welcome him into Theo’s sight. 

“Ewan.” Theo whispered the word into life and watched several new lights spark into existence like tiny beacons of flames. Prince Ewan and Ewan Jr Goldman appeared, but Theo looked past them. That wasn’t the branch of the Maricourt-Darktide  family tree he was interested in. No, he wanted Ewan G Lind Maricourt, Adam and Remy’s father. 

The Maricourts were a secretive family and several members had just a single G hung in their name, seemingly just to frustrate those who sought out their true names. If Theo concentrated, using his connection to Adam, he could get a sense of the vague shape of the G starting name, but nothing came clearly into vision. It was an interesting tactic for self defense, one that Theo envied. Adam didn’t know the name either, which just raised more questions for the teen. Did the children named with the mysterious G name know what it stood for? Did they learn it before they passed on the name to their children or had the true name been lost to the centuries? Was just “G” accurate enough to provide protection against blood magic if no one knew the actual true name or did “G” become the true name if no one remembered what it stood for? This was a question Theo vowed to raise with his teachers later on. There was so much to see and learn with blood magic and he’d barely scratched the surface of his abilities. Why had he never tried practicing his spells on this scale before? Surely this must be how Life and Death saw the universe, each little spark igniting a chain reaction until the entire universe revealed its secrets.

Theo somehow pulled himself away from the Maricourt naming dilemma to the Maricourt family dilemma. It wasn’t easy. He could stare at the interconnections in his world for centuries and still not learn it all.

He watched as Ewan G Lind Maricourt settled back into view, holding his hand out towards the burning brilliance of Adam and Remy. A spark floated by them echoing Miruna’s name and Theo let it pass. He was getting closer. His own voice called out to him, repeating the name he’d used to create the pact in the first place.

“Ewan, uh, Maricourt?”

It wasn’t exact. Every Ewan in Adam’s family tree rose again to obscure his view. He squeezed his eyes shut, focused as hard as he could and repeated the name. The blood in his veins boiled as the magic rebelled against him. A sharp pain burned its way into his mind, but it was becoming clearer. His target was Ewan MacLeod, child of Pleasantview, child of Lynette and child of Ewan G Lind Maricourt.

Theo gasped at the strength of the connections before him. Ewan MacLeod blazed beside his siblings with the intensity of a star. He had been telling the truth all along; he was Adam’s brother.

His teachers would tell him to stop there now that he had his answer, but Theo was hooked on the revelations before him. Curious, he turned his attention inward. He might never get another chance to see himself like this, or at least not until he was almost graduating school. It was eerie seeing his own existence stretched out before him.

Theodosius Ulysses Bellamy, born in Arkhelios in a small section of land surrounded by dark churning water. Darkness surrounded him. He could feel the weight of the curse he had been born with just as intensely as he remembered it. It tied him to Abraham Helios Sr and the death that awaited him by a demon’s hand, to the curse seared into the flesh of Romanus Bellamy. Death and hatred surrounded Theo, clouding his vision. He felt the slow burning hatred of his ancestors, ancestors who harboured this hatred for Theo as well. They wanted him dead. He was supposed to be dead.

“Theo? Are you okay? You’re kind of creeping me out here.”

Remy’s words of concern faded into the background, irritating the young teen but not penetrating the haze he found himself in. There was something strong pulling to him and he needed to follow it with every molecule in his body, safety be damned. An image of his great-uncle Hunter Bellamy floated towards him, slowing him down. Hunter had been born Theo Helios and Theo himself had been named to honour this fact. He never really saw Hunter Bellamy due to his terrible relationship with Roman, but Theo could still sense his connection to the man. Their true names were both Theo which joined them both in blood and by name. Theo didn’t know the first thing about Hunter or his life, but the connection between them was strong.

He could feel the warmth of his father’s light burning in the castle down the hall, calling to him. Just as Ewan and Adam and Remy circled their father, Theo was called to his. Pain jolted through him as the memory of his curse wrapped around his body, seeking re-entry. This wasn’t right, the curse had been broken years ago, or so he’d believed. This all consuming darkness hadn’t left him. It called to every part of him, longing to be reunited. He had developed as a fetus with the darkness pressing itself into his very being; he could feel the inevitability of its return in his very soul. It had been a part of him that was amputated, but a still a part of him all the same.

Theo removed himself from the room somehow, whether by walking or teleporting or even just magically floating away from the Darktide family, he couldn’t be sure. He could hear laughter calling to him even stronger.

The princess was laughing at his father, who now had cupcake smeared along the edge of his coat and a frustrated expression.

The words Romanus Bellamy called to him, intertwining with the brilliant light standing beside him that spelled Victoriana. Victoriana had many names and many titles, but she was young and unguarded enough for Theo to see past those, far closer to her true name than he should ever be. Through Adam’s connection to his newly discovered half-brother, Theo had learned more about Ewan’s identity. He had a devastating suspicion about why he could see through the titles of the crown princess of Pleasantview. Of why she shone so brilliantly next to his father. He had gone searching for an answer to Adam’s family mystery and revealed a crushing answer of his own by accident. Just when he thought that his respect for his father couldn’t get any lower.

Theo was the half-brother of the future monarch of Pleasantview. His father had been hiding this secret all this time; hiding this shame. When was Theo going to find out about this? Was his father ever planning to tell him? Did his other father know?

He could feel the darkness that surrounded him pull him closer. It brushed against his eyes, swirling in his nostrils as he inhaled the anger and hurt and fear he had been made for. Perhaps this was why his teachers urged him to not actively practice blood magic until he was older. He remembered vividly being overwhelmed as a child when he ran away from home and tried practicing blood magic untrained. He had almost died back then. Maybe the curse he’d spent his entire life running away from would kill him now. It didn’t matter, not really. 

Theo could faintly hear the sound of his father’s voice call to him, but it was too late. He was underwater, drifting away into the comforting embrace of the curse that had been custom made just for him. He couldn’t feel the anger anymore; he couldn’t feel anything really. The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was the sound of Adam’s voice, calling him desperately back to safety.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #adam darktide #sim: Adam Darktide #Ewan MacLeod #roman bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #Victoriana Goldman #sim: Victoriana Goldman #Remy Darktide

[arkhelios-gameplay]

Remy looked around. "Is he gone?" she asked.

"For now," Edana said, her voice softer than before.

Remy moved her hands from her ears cautiously.

"Magic is not a dalliance, Remy," Edana admonished sternly. "Especially not demonology. I've warned you repeatedly against any magic involving life and death. You didn't listen, and now these are the consequences." She shook her head. "I hope he will not be back, for both his and your sake, but this magic is unknown to us..."

"It's only unknown because no one has tried!" Remy snapped. "If you had just dared to try this magic, you'd know how to fix it!"

Edana stared at her daughter in disbelief. "Have you learned nothing?" she asked.

"Someone was bound to try it eventually!" Remy protested. "Progress is inevitable. It ended up being me pushing the boundaries. Good. It could've been worse. If someone else had done it maybe the whole world would be hearing him scream and seeing him in their houses!" She looked around anxiously, not wanting to be surprised by his appearance again.

#arkhelios #remy maricourt-darktide #sims 2 #the sims 2

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Okay, be ready for anything. Demons, warlocks fighting, the undead rising from their graves. Anything."

"Adam, it's a cake tasting and wedding planning work dinner, not the end of the world," Miruna sighed, rolling her eyes at her half-brother. "You're going to worry yourself into an early grave if you keep up like this. I mean your friends get to come along with you, so if a horde of zombies show up, you can fight them off together."

Adam frowned but said nothing in reply. Miruna thought this was just a normal wedding planning visit, but both Adam and Theo knew differently. It was a trap they'd planned extensively for and who knew what trouble they'd find? Ewan was going to be there and Adam would finally have an answer about how they were related. He and Theo had spent hours trying to master the blood pact they'd made, but very little had happened. Since the pact had been to find out information about this Ewan, the boys figured that things would only start working if he was nearby. Theo couldn't just walk up to Ewan's door without a reason, and if he did, he assumed that Ewan would think he was there to flirt with him. The last thing Theo needed was for Adam to feel even more anxious about the situation.

Their solution was to utilize the whole family in their plan. Miruna would be around to help if things got out of hand, since she was a talented witch in her own right, and Remy would be the decoy. After promising to do her chores for a week and her homework for two, Adam had secured his twin's cooperation in the scheme, without telling her anything too incriminating. All she had to do was meet Ewan when he returned from school and mention loudly who her father was. He was usually at the mall from the brief surveillance Theo had done for the mission and no other reason. All she had to do was intrigue the guy enough for him to leave with her. Once the bait was taken, Theo and Adam would strike when Ewan was looking for information about the man he thought was his father or spending time asking Remy questions about her family. Surely the pact would trigger then and fireworks or something obvious would jump up at Theo and resolve this whole affair.

Sure enough, Remy stood at the front door of the palace, waving wildly. As their eyes met, a jolt of electricity passed between Theo and their guest, but he tried to ignore it as best he could. The guy was attractive, he couldn't lie, and worst of all, he seemed just as attracted to Theo as Theo was to him. 

"Theodore, what a surprise to see you here," Ewan called and Theo felt his cheeks burn in response. "I didn't know this was going to be a family affair."

Theo ignored his words and tried his best to focus on the magic he needed to resolve the pact. He needed to see the magic that ran through Ewan's veins, needed to delve deep to see how he was made, right down to the very molecules. Nothing obvious was calling to him, even when Ewan stood next to Remy. Did this mean that he wasn't Adam's brother after all?

"My name's still Theo," the demon hybrid called back, trying to focus on his task without sending any signals that might convince the boy that he was interested in flirting with him. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Ewan shrugged calmly. Unlike Adam, Ewan wasn't anxious in the slightest. A girl inviting him to a palace to help her escape wedding planning duties was something that didn't even phase him. Being surrounded by the Maricourt siblings he claimed to be related to didn’t bother him at all. 

Theo looked in Adam's direction, hoping that some magic was flowing through him. Adam was just staring at the boy, half furious, half terrified of what else he'd say. Still, there were no obvious signs that the two were brothers. They looked different enough and Theo struggled to even see an aura on Ewan. The guy was a magical dead end, something Theo had never even heard of before. Any ordinary person could at least study magic and cast a basic spell with training, it wasn't hard. The big, important spells were out of reach, especially if you were partly demonic like Roman and Theo, but no one was empty of magic like Ewan appeared to be. Theo couldn't tell if it was just the blood magic flowing between him and Adam that was making it impossible to read Ewan or if the irritating guy really was just completely devoid of magic. He'd have to ask a teacher about it later.

"Theo, your dad wants to see you in the kitchen. He wants your opinion on the cupcakes."

"My dad? Why would he be here? Is he following me or something?"

Theo bristled at the thought of his father following him from place to place, showing just how little his parents trusted him. He and Adam had important work to accomplish, they didn't need his parents hanging around accusing them of whatever lurid details their own minds conjured. From the worry that always accompanied a request to spend time with Adam, Theo had to wonder just what his parents had been up to at his age that they were so convinced he was also doing. Life in Arkhelios must have been boring growing up since Theo's own imagination was pretty limited when it came to sex and romance. His parents acted like they expected him to be naked at any moment during the day, but Theo had more important things to spend his time on. He had a blood pact and a family mystery to uncover, there wasn't time to imagine a million dirty scenarios he and Adam could get up to.

"Your dad is catering dinner tonight," Miruna informed him, her voice betraying some small irritation. "He's been booked for tonight for some time now, you should have known that. I can't remember everything around here."

Theo met Adam's gaze and shrugged. He didn't follow his parents' schedule closely and Miruna should know that. He and Adam barely followed their own schedules when school was in session.

"So I get to meet your parents. That's pretty forward of you, Theodore," Ewan chuckled. 

Theo fumed, glaring at the boy who just wouldn't take a hint. Beside him, Adam reached for his hand, squeezing it protectively. Theo had mentioned that this Ewan was obnoxious, but Adam certainly hadn't expected this level of purposeful irritation. How could this guy be related to him in any way? He looked like he didn't care about what others thought of him, especially when it came to Theo. Adam tried to be a good, patient boyfriend and he knew how hurt Theo had been when he discovered his fathers' affairs. There was no way that Theo would ever place that level of stress on the guy he loved. Still, looking at his supposed brother trying to so obviously play them against each other nearly made Adam forget rationality and reach for his wand. 

"I don't know why Remy invited you," Theo lied. "You're the worst."

Ewan shrugged, making Theo fume even more. This guy was impossible.

"Let's just go inside already," Remy groaned, already regretting signing up for this plan. "I could use a drink at this point."

"That's not happening, Remy," Miruna scolded. "You've got the right idea though. Everyone inside. We have a wedding to plan."

"Miruna! So nice to see you."

Roman Bellamy greeted the future queen consort with a warm smile and a bowl of flour in his hands.

"You too, Roman. It's been too long. How's everything coming for tonight?"

"Perfectly," Roman assured his client. "Everything is on schedule."

"Amazing," Miruna replied, looking relieved. "Claudia's going to be late tonight because of a meeting, so it's just going to be me and the family."

Theo grinned hearing that he was included in Adam's family by the future queen consort. All of Adam's sisters and his step-niece were Theo's family too in Miruna's eyes. Hearing that almost made dealing with Ewan for the day tolerable.

"I can work with that," Roman said. "Abe's at home with the kids and he knows that we often run late with your busy schedules. It'll be nice to see your fiancée again. It's what, a month since she was able to attend these planning sessions?"

Miruna nodded 

"Sadly. It takes a lot to run a country like Pleasantview. She'll be here tonight though."

"Miruna? Is that you?"

Miruna spun around at the sound of the familiar voice, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Arterius? What on earth are you doing here? It's been too long!"

Theo watched Adam's sister radiate an excitement that he'd never seen from her before. It was like she was waking up from a dream and seeing her favourite person there beside her. Theo had never seen Miruna this excited before, especially over some ordinary looking guy. He'd never felt anything like this before from Adam's sisters, or really from anyone. Was this part of the pact finally kicking in? Were these weird feelings because he was tied to her through Adam's bloodline? What did it even mean?

Arterius beamed back at Miruna, though Theo could feel the waves of worry ripping through the man from across the room.

"I'm here to see Claudia. It's a matter of some urgency from what I'm told. About her daughter."

Beside Theo, Victoriana focused on this new visitor with intense interest. Here was a man that seemed connected to her mother in some way. Was he her father?

"Oh, the reapers sent you?" Miruna asked. "I didn't think they'd send someone living to talk about reaper business."

"The perks of being Death’s son," he laughed, shrugging his shoulders playfully. "I'm usually who gets assigned to work with the living people. Destiny and Davis are just teens trying to get through high school, so Dad chose me to take on the family business so to speak. I think he's just tired of dealing with Gee himself to be honest. You know how Gee is."

Miruna giggled despite herself.

"I can imagine! Gee can be a lot. Remember when he tried to have a family games night and got mad when your dad locked him out of the house with that weird sigil? Oh my god, that fight was epic."

"Yeah, Gee can be intense," Arterius chuckled. "Try having him for an older brother! You know I heard that Strangetown has an entire holiday to celebrate when he got married to Leah because she curbed his…more enthusiastic traits. A whole holiday because he pissed off an entire country that badly!"

Miruna giggled again, earning a worried stare from her siblings. What had come over Miruna? They'd never seen her act like a blushing teen even when she was a teen. She certainly didn't laugh that way when Claudia was around.

"Well, we'll just be around until you need us," Adam announced awkwardly, still watching his half-sibling stare intensely at Death’s chosen messenger. "We're just going to work on schoolwork until you need our input on anything."

Miruna rolled her eyes, making Arterius chuckle.

"We all know that you're doing no such thing," she sighed irritably. "But fine. No wandering the halls or going into the private residences. We're guests here and if I get a single report of bad behaviour from the palace staff, there's going to be hell to pay."

"Can your dad get a hug before you take off?" Roman asked before his son could bolt. "You could always stay and help me make dessert. I wouldn't mind the company of my oldest son, you know."

Theo recoiled, stealing a glance over his shoulder at the other teens. Adam didn't look bothered by the idea and Remy was currently conjuring a spell that was slowly turning Ewan's hair a vibrant shade of green. It was probably socially okay to hug his dad in public.

Theo reluctantly wrapped his arms around his father, pulling away again in an instant.

"I'm not Saturnia, Dad. Me and my friends are working on magic homework, not cake decorating."

Roman tried to smile while biting his tongue. 

He's just a teenager, teenagers are rude. Teenagers don't hug or hang out with their parents. The twins already refuse to stand in the same aisle as me when we go to the mall. This is normal.

It was hard for Roman to judge what made a childhood normal with what he'd experienced for himself. His grandparents and mother were all murderers and he'd had a kid at sixteen and had been forced to grow up faster than other teens. From all the parenting books that he'd devoured looking for answers, it was normal for his children to start to pull away from him and Abe. It may have been normal, but it still hurt just as bad as when he'd been shot.

"Kay, bye Dad! Bye Miruna!"

Theo grabbed Adam's hand and bolted for the door with Ewan and Remy following close behind them. Miruna sighed when she saw Ewan's  unsolicited hair change and waved her hand quickly to reverse her half-sister's spell.

"I don't know how you handle having so many kids, Roman," she groaned. "I can't seem to even keep my siblings in line without some minor disaster. You must be a wreck at the end of the day."

Roman tried to stifle a laugh at her frustration as best he could.

"Oh, you have no idea."

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #roman bellamy #theo bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #sim: Miruna Maricourt #sim: Adam Darktide #adam darktide #Ewan MacLeod #Remy Darktide #remy maricourt #Victoriana Goldman

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

“Malika? Malika where are you? You were just here a second ago.”

Mark Mishra frantically tried to locate his cousin. He and Malika were at the Pleasantview Academy of Magic for the day, touring the campus as Princess Zarah Royal Academy students. Both were prestigious schools that taught the rich children of Pleasantview’s elite, but only one focused entirely on magic. The magical ability needed to be accepted at the academy was impossibly high. That or you needed to have the right connections.

Both schools had a friendly rivalry that had spanned centuries though several times during the year that rivalry would be suspended for festivals and events that briefly united the students. Today, Pleasantview celebrated the Feast of the Red Queen and both schools gathered together to celebrate.

Mark had intended to spend the day with his cousin, but Malika seemed to have other plans. She’d been nervous all morning, chewing her nails and making sure that her hair was absolutely perfect. If he didn’t know any better, Mark would have guessed that she was trying to impress someone.

Malika peered nervously around the room, trying not to bump into the expensive busts that decorated the hallway. How did the school keep so many valuable items just lying around? Her own school had a collection of ancient artifacts and expensive furnishings, but the students still ate snacks in the hall and bumped into shelves from time to time. Maybe it was magic that protected the things that looked too expensive to touch.

She tried to remember where she’d been instructed to stand. It was by the painting of a woman in a red dress, she was sure of it. However, to her frustration, most of the portraits in the hallway were painted in red dresses. Red was the official colour of Pleasantview, chosen millennia ago to immortalize yet another mysterious woman in a red dress. It was also the colour of blood and anger, two things that seemed to be encoded in Pleasantview society. 

“Malika! How are you enjoying the festivities?”

Malika turned to find Evren Thorne standing behind her, smiling politely. She had never really considered a magical career, especially considering her controversial nephew, Theo. Wbuna had warned her daughter about following witches. Nothing good came from magic, especially the demonic magic that had killed her father. Still, not all magic users seemed to be bad. Evren and his kids were friendly whenever she ran into them in Arkhelios, and Malika had only decided to come today to spend time with another magic user.

“It-it seems really great,” she stammered. “Have you seen a portrait around with a woman wearing red? I’m supposed to meet someone there.”

Evren laughed, still offering her a welcoming smile.

“There’s a lot of those around here,” he replied. “I assume you mean the Red Queen’s portrait? It is her holiday, after all. She’s down the hall to the right. Be sure to grab some of the cookies out by the kitchen on your way. Roman and the girls stayed up late baking them all. There’s probably still piles of boxes at home, waiting to be sent here. We’ll be eating them until they graduate at this rate, so grab some to take home with you.”

“Yes, Master Thorne,” she said politely, hoping that she got his proper title correct. Witches weren’t granted official titles by the government, they had either passed their mastery exam or apprenticeship, or were still studying magic. Given his formal robe and status at the academy, Malika felt pretty confident that Evren wasn’t still a student.

Malika followed the hallway like Evren had told her to and stopped in front of the first portrait with a crowned woman in a red dress. Surely this had to be the Red Queen. There was a crown on her head and a fortune in jewelry depicted. Malika’s mother barely had a nice pair of earrings to her name and this woman had earrings that looked like they could pay for a mansion if sold.

Under the portrait was a small gold sign that read “Master Spencer Maricourt, Coven Leader. Served at the side of Their Majesties, Queen Anastasia, King Rassilon I and Queen Raynah I.”

So not the Red Queen then. Dammit.

"Waiting for someone?"

Malika’s heart leapt at the familiar voice, and she whirled around to find Remy Maricourt watching her with an amused look.

"Remy! I found you! Thank god, I thought you'd never show up and I'd have to spend the afternoon with my cousin. That or join the coven. There's a lot of people from Arkhelios here. Wanda's made quite the impact."

"Hmm. Well, joining is harder than it looks," Remy replied, her face becoming uncharacteristically guarded. "Funny you should be waiting at this portrait. That bitch there is the reason my dad has such a hard time getting anything done. She was the last true leader of our coven and if you weren't descended from her exclusive bloodline, you're apparently garbage."

Malika frowned, trying to quickly piece together Remy's family tree in her mind. It wasn't like she hadn't gone over her family tree before; they had been secretly meeting for months now and Remy's family was a large part of why. As a Maricourt, Remy had expectations to live up to in Pleasantview and with her mother's Darktide blood on top of that, the pressure to perform was high. Adam faced the same pressures as his sister and their half-siblings, but with Theo on his arm, some snobs were willing to cut him a break. A blood demon descended from a Great house was just too enticing. Malika was just part alien, and aliens didn't command the same respect in Pleasantview as demons. Maybe in Strangetown, but not in these regal halls.

"Are you not related to her?" Remy asked, finally giving up on tracing her girlfriend's genealogy. "But your dad is the leader. The position is passed down a bloodline, isn't it?"

"Spencer’s only surviving son, Casper Maricourt, married Queen Raynah I. They had a son together, King Casper I. He killed everyone else in the family."

"Excuse me? The king did what?"

Remy shrugged as if the idea were a normal fact of life and not the most troubling thing she'd ever heard.

"Raynah remarried, had a million kids that should have inherited the throne. Little Casper was supposed to be Spencer's heir and lead the council. He decided that he wanted to be king instead. He killed every eligible sibling and his mother. Nearly killed his dad too. That's why Casper Sr has that huge scar on his face, haven't you seen it? He teaches at your school."

"Professor Maricourt was married to a queen and was almost killed by his son?" Malika gasped, trying to picture the soft spoken history professor fighting for his life. "But he grades papers and looks so young! He would have to be centuries old if that were true!"

When Remy shrugged again, Malika’s mind raced, trying to imagine any of her other professors being ancient and the parent of a mass murderer.

"See for yourself," she said, gesturing to another, less prominent portrait on a nearby wall.

An unscarred, youthful version of the now weary looking professor stood proudly next to a young teen who could have easily been his duplicate. Both wielded the famous wand of the Pleasantview coven, though only one of them looked content about their station in life. The younger Casper looked miserable, his face reflecting the anger that must have been raging in his heart. Just looking at his picture sent chills down Malika’s spine. There was something unnerving about the way his eyes focused on the camera lens. It reminded her a little of the way Kamalani once looked at her. After Omar's death and Kamalani being revealed as his murderer, Malika had had nightmares about the demon for months. Could she really handle living in a country where there was a Kamalani around every corner? Ones that killed their own family for power?

"Hey, he's dead, don't worry. He died a long time ago. Queen Maura’s ancestor defeated him and the throne passed to his kids…more or less."

Malika felt a reassuring hand squeeze hers and felt herself unconsciously start to relax.

"Sorry," Malika said, trying to regain her composure. "I'm fine, it's silly. I'm just being stupid. I just…I just think about my dad and what he must have felt in his last moments. About how Kamalani must have…how anyone could…."

"Hey, it's okay. I'm sorry, I should have thought about your dad," Remy apologized, hugging her girlfriend tight. It didn't matter who saw them together at the moment, Malika needed her more. "You could always talk to your professor, he might be able to give you some advice about grieving a murder." She paused momentarily, thinking about what comforting thing she could say. "Come on, I'll show you something."

Malika followed Remy down the hall and to the right, just as Evren had instructed her. Remy came to a stop in front of a portrait of a woman wearing a beautiful red dress. 

"This is the Red Queen," she said respectfully. "Queen Juniper Goss, the only daughter of King Casper of Pleasantview and Queen Holly of Crystal Cove. She protected the people of Crystal Cove from her father and made sure that Crystal Cove remained separate from Pleasantview after his death. She brought peace to her people her entire life and prepared the way for her brother to reign over Pleasantview. She was the beginning of the great promise made to our people and we honour her for it."

"Wow. She's pretty. That's who the holiday is for?"

Remy nodded.

"The Crystal Cove coven made the crystals below the portrait for the very first festival. You'll see more of them if you stay for the dinner later. Their king is Queen Juniper's son, King Liam. They have their own celebration and then he and Queen Claudia meet each other at the ruins of the royal tombs and we have a huge party with the Crystal Cove witches. Adam snuck some wine last year and got so drunk that he threw up. I can't wait to see what he does this year."

"So Queen Claudia is Juniper's daughter?" Remy asked, staring at the portrait curiously. "She looks a lot like her. She must have had her when she was really old. Liam looks like forty years older than her."

"Ah, well, not really. Claudia is her niece. The other half of the promise made to our people. It's complicated."

"Complicated?" Malika repeated incredulously. "I don't get it. If you can't rule a coven without the proper bloodline, how did the queen's niece override her son for the throne? Liam should be king of both countries, right?"

Malika paused, choosing her next words carefully. 

"How far have you gotten in magical lifestates class?" she asked. "Have you finished studying vampires? I'm pretty sure it's the chapter after vampires."

Malika blinked with surprise at the odd change in topic.

"We're at werewolves," she replied curiously. "Now you have to tell me what's going on. Not after a question like that!"

"Well," Remy started nervously. "Let's just say that what's dead doesn't always stay dead."

Malika gasped, images of Narcissa, Ian Chun and Tabitha Durant running through her head in horrifying detail. Wanda kept the zombie population of Arkhelios safe and far away from the public, but still Malika had had run-ins with some of them in the past. Between the horrid smells and frightening spasms of their body, Malika could honestly say that she was terrified of zombies, even if they were wearing a crown.

"The queen is a zombie?" she whispered in horror.

"Don't they teach you anything at your dumb school? Her father is a reaper! As in the Grim Reaper?" a familiar voice called out, ruining Malika’s mood in an instant.

Theo.

"Butt out of my conversations!" Remy snapped angrily. So much for keeping a low profile and their relationship a secret.

To her displeasure, her twin brother and Theo were intertwined on a couch, watching Remy with interest.

"So, you and an Arkhelian girl, huh?" Adam teased, making his sister ball her hands into angry fists.

"You're dating an Arkhelian guy!" she replied. "If you tell Mom or Dad about Malika, I'll make you regret it."

"Please," Adam scoffed, clearly enjoying having the upper hand for once. "You score even lower than me in school, I'm not afraid of what you can do. Besides, Theo's stronger than both of us combined. He'll protect me from whatever you try."

Adam stuck his tongue out playfully at his twin, but Remy didn't fall for his bait.

"No, but I doubt all that power will save you when I tell his parents that he's got his hand resting on your crotch."

Malika giggled as Theo and Adam pulled away from each other in an instant, each boy looking as embarrassed as Remy had hoped. 

"That's what I thought," Remy laughed. "I won't tell if you won't tell. Mutually assured destruction."

Adam glowered at his twin. As usual his twin had the upper hand. Going to Theo's parents with any allegations of sexual activity might just leave her twinless.

"Fine. Let's go get some punch, Theo. This area is getting crowded anyway."

Adam scurried off, dragging Theo by the hand, leaving Malika and Remy blissfully alone once more.

"Boys," Remy sighed dramatically. "Thank god you're a girl and have common sense. I can't imagine trying to date a boy and putting up with all of that. Sometimes I wonder if Adam and I really are twins or if he's just a jerk that was dropped off at our door one day. He's so frustrating!"

Malika giggled, thinking about her own complicated family tree. 

"Adam's not so bad," she laughed. "My own siblings can be a pain, but they mean well usually. Now Roman, that's a different story. Clearly he takes after his mom."

"Clearly."

The two girls laughed for a moment, despite their secret being compromised. Maybe they didn't have to hide their relationship from Remy's family after all. Adam had just teased them about liking each other, same as Remy often did about Theo. Maybe her parents wouldn't care about her not dating a witch. 

"What was Theo going on about anyway?" Malika asked, despite her reservations about zombies. If the undead were walking around Pleasantview, she needed to know about it. "Does the grim reaper really walk around Pleasantview making royal zombies? Do people really see him?"

Did he come for my dad when he died? Has Dad ever seen him?

Remy shrugged. 

"People say that he was seen when the Pleasantview castle burned down," she replied. "He supposedly wandered around the ruins, looking for the dead and killing anyone left alive. But that's just a story. Who knows what he really did? He's real though; I've seen him myself."

"Really?" Malika breathed. "When? What does he look like? Did he talk to you? Did he threaten to kill you?"

"Nah, he was just picking up his kids from school," Remy laughed. "They go to school here. Apparently they have enough magical skill to qualify to attend classes here. His partner is something weird too. Not a witch, but definitely powerful. You might run into them at the celebrations tonight. I'll introduce you if you want."

"I-if I want to meet Death? I don't know about that," Malika stammered. It was just her luck to have to shake hands with the embodiment of death itself. Why did she think that leaving Arkhelios would ever make her life less complicated? "Um…maybe? So the queen's father is death? How does he have a claim on the Pleasantview throne? How does he even have children?"

“Don’t worry about it,” Remy laughed, seeing the look on her girlfriend’s face. “I won’t introduce you. Baby steps. And the queen’s father isn’t death, he just works for him. Her mom too. Like I said, it’s complicated. But who cares about family trees and inheritances when we could be having fun? Lets go grab some cupcakes before they leave the kitchen. I’ll be pissed if Adam and Theo steal them all like they always do. Come on!”

Malika reluctantly grabbed Remy’s outstretched hand, looking over her shoulder at the expensive looking bust behind her labelled “King Casper I”. If things seemed dangerous and unnerving back home in Arkhelios, Pleasantview was turning out to be a waking complicated nightmare. There were so many rules and expectations layered with tragedy and greed.

She wouldn’t give up so easily though. Malika had made a promise to Wanda to do her best and she wasn’t about to break it anytime soon. Besides, if she went back to Arkhelios, when would she ever get to see Remy?

“Coming!” Malika replied and allowed Remy to lead her in the direction of the kitchen.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #queen Raynah #king Rassilon #Master Spencer Maricourt #theo bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #Remy Darktide #sim: Adam Darktide #adam darktide #sim: malika Vybirlbh #malika vybirlbh #evren thorne #mark mishra #sim: Mark Mishra #casper maricourt I #sim: Claudia Goldman #claudia goldman #King Casper Goss #ewan jr goldman #sim: ewan jr goldman #More exposition

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

Edana went from searching for her daughter to searching for her son. The magical academy wasn’t big enough for all of her children to hide in and since they seemed to be squabbling amongst each other, they likely weren’t hiding anywhere near each other, increasing the search area.

Edana hadn’t planned on being as young a mother as she had been when she got pregnant with Elowen and she definitely hadn’t planned on falling for two men named Ewan at the same time. Her relationship with her ex-husband was one of mutual respect and shared parenting goals, something their children hated. If they thought that they could play their divorced parents against each other, they were dead wrong. Her current husband was playful and goofy and fun, everything Ewan Maricourt wasn’t, and if she was honest with herself, she could understand how Adam and Remy were jealous of the freedom Elowen enjoyed. She was still one of the last remaining Darktides and a talented witch, but she didn’t have the same stress or burden her half-siblings did.

It was hard to know how to parent in this situation. Edana had no control over her uptight ex-husband and she knew how defending his leadership only made him grasp tighter for control over his life. Her own father had struggled with his destiny as far as she could remember and it had made a large impact on her own life. Growing up in the Strangetown coven, she and her brother Adam were practically guaranteed an easy career when they came of age because of their family connections. The Strangetown Maricourts had held a decades long grudge against the Darktides- something about a messy divorce and an affair generations ago- but her and Adam were overcoming it together. Her brother had been her best friend and trusted confidante once. Now he was dead and she was left picking up the pieces of a broken coven on her own.

Oh Adam...I hate that I still miss you sometimes.

“Oh, Adam.”

Edana jerked into motion, hearing her thoughts mirrored in a strange voice. She recognized the young voice and prepared herself for what she might be walking into.

Sure enough, to her dismay, Edana’s young son had locked himself in the council chambers with his boyfriend for some alone time.

I don’t know why I named him after my brother, this is something he would have done too.

“Adam Sebastian Casper Darktide-Maricourt! What in the Watcher’s name is going on here? You let go of that boy immediately and apologize for desecrating your school and coven’s sacred places! This is unacceptable behaviour. I’d expect something like this from your sister, not from you.”

“S-Sorry Mom,” Adam stammered nervously, his face flushing with embarrassment. “It won’t happen again. I’m so sorry, please don’t tell Dad.”

“Or my dads,” Theo chimed in, attempting to look as remorseful as he could. “I don’t know what happened. We just got carried away and...and....”

“We were only kissing!” Adam added and his boyfriend vigorously nodded beside him. “We’ve only ever kissed. It was just really crowded out there-”

“And my great-aunt won’t leave us alone,” Theo continued. “We just came in here to hide from her and then...we got distracted.”

Edana sighed, trying to massage the headache she could feel developing. Between her rebellious daughter and her amorous son, she had her hands full, not to mention the stress of running two covens, one with her ex-husband.

“I don’t have the energy to deal with this,” she groaned. “Both of you are going to leave this room immediately and head straight to the kitchen to help put out refreshments and collect plates as punishment. If everything goes flawlessly, I may just forget to mention this incident to either of your fathers.”

It was a lie, of course, but the teens didn’t know it. She would absolutely be calling up Theo’s parents to report this incident, as well as her ex-husband. Further punishment may not come from this incident, but it needed to be documented before her son pushed any other boundaries with his young boyfriend. If she had her way, Adam wouldn’t be allowed to date someone until he was sixteen at least. It was the rule she had grown up with, but Ewan was more permissive. He had no firm age restrictions for Miruna when she was growing up and she was marrying a queen, so he believed that his parenting strategy worked. Edana wasn’t so sure. The last thing she needed was for her son to be boy crazy and neglect his studies.

“Hey, sorry about having to ditch you earlier, my mom once again had to inform me what my future was going to be. Spoiler alert, it’s going to suck and end up looking just like hers.”

“You don’t have to be what your parents want,” Malika assured her girlfriend. “You can just not do what they say as soon as you’re eighteen. You could always move to Arkhelios, where we protect personal freedoms. I think you’d fit in pretty well.”

“Well, it’s not that drastic yet,” Remy laughed. “I think I have other options before I need to seek asylum in Arkhelios.”

”You might not need to, but you might want to someday,” Malika suggested shyly. “I might have a few ideas about that. Only if you’re interested that is.”

Remy smiled and took her girlfriend’s hands in hers. Even if her family was insane, there were still people in her life who saw her for who she really was, and not who they wanted her to be.

“That sounds great. You don’t know how much I appreciate that. We still have years until we’re eighteen though, so we might as well make the best of things now. Wanna go steal some fireworks? I copied down the spell Adam was given to light them.”

“It’s a date.”

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #malika vybirlbh #sim: malika Vybirlbh #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #Remy Darktide #sim: Adam Darktide #adam darktide #sim: edana darktide #edana darktide

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

“Alright Your Highness, let’s have a good clean game. I’ll try not to go too hard on you.”

Remy confidently set up the chess board while Victoriana watched. Adam and Theo and Ewan had all disappeared somewhere and Remy had finished her own part of this plan. Until her brother made up his mind about how she could help him next, Remy was taking a well deserved break with Pleantview’s crown princess. 

Honestly, she figured that Adam was just looking for attention with this whole half-brother plot. Ewan looked nothing like her other siblings, aside from maybe the way his ears were shaped. She didn’t want to be crass, but if the guy had told Theo he was related to Adam, then he probably only wanted money from them. Otherwise, what difference did it make if her father had another kid? He wasn’t seeing anyone, or at least Remy didn’t know if he was seeing someone, and he raised Miruna pretty much alone without scandal. Adam worried too much for his own good.

“You didn’t set the pieces right.” The princess scowled at the board, switching game pieces around so that they were correctly placed. “Do you even know how to play this game?”

Remy frowned, inspecting the updated positions of her pieces.

“Of course I do. I was just testing to see if you did.”

“Uh huh.”

Despite Adam’s constant anxiety and Remy’s love of the chaotic, Victoriana was starting to really warm up to the siblings and Theo. She didn’t know many other kids who would hang out with her and just like her for who she was and not for the throne she would one day inherit. Adam and Theo were obsessed with each other and Remy wasn’t the kind of person her mother had warned Victoriana about, so she’d come to enjoy hanging out with her future step-mother’s family. They reminded her of her mother’s own chaotic family in a way. 

“Oh man, this is going great. Ewan doesn’t suspect a thing,” Theo snickered, incredibly proud of his plan. “We just need to figure out how to make the pact work. I don’t see anything relating him to you at all.”

Adam tried to hold in his laughter as best he could. They had a mission that they needed to focus on, but all he could think about was how easily they ditched Miruna and Remy. Ewan had gone wandering on his own, probably being followed by castle security to make sure that he didn’t steal anything, which left Adam and Theo largely unsupervised so that they could begin their plan.

“Oh hey, I think one of the horses broke out of the royal stable!” Remy cried out and Victoriana turned to look immediately. Pleasantview didn’t keep horses or carriages because of the royal family’s ability to teleport and buy expensive cars to travel in. Of course Crystal Cove’s royal family had cars as well, but their traditions were important to them. Victoriana loved horses and desperately searched for them when she visited the Crystal Cove palace, which made her an easy mark.

“Where?”

Remy smirked at her cunning and quickly switched several of her game pieces before the princess turned around. There was no guarantee that she had improved her position any, since as it turned out, Remy didn’t know exactly how chess was played, but it was a gamble she was willing to take.

“I guess it must have been heading back to the stable,” she replied, trying to keep her tone casual and non-suspicious. “It’s your turn.”

“’Stay out of the royal residences’,” Theo recited, mocking Miruna’s instructions and making his boyfriend laugh. “Please. It’s no big deal, they’ll never know we were here. We can’t just do magic in the hallway where anyone could interrupt us.”

“You’re sure this will work? I’m starting to have my doubts.” Adam looked at Theo quickly, smiling to mirror Theo’s own smile. “What if this goes wrong? What if we get caught?”

“Don’t worry so much,” Theo replied, projecting nothing but confidence. “I’m great at getting out of trouble. What’s the worst that could happen? My dad will ground me again? Miruna could yell at us? We need answers and I’m working out of my textbook, so it’s practically homework. We got this.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”

“So here’s where we set things up,” Theo declared, opening an elaborately carved door and marching in. “This is the former queen’s room. Her husband and kids hated her, so no one ever comes in here. It’s been sitting empty since she died. Todd in potions class told me about it. His dad works here, so it has to be true. Trust me.”

Adam smiled tightly and reached into his pockets to get the materials they needed.

“I trust you.”

“So, anything interesting happen while I was gone?”

Remy recoiled when her potential brother sat beside her. Just because she’d lured him here with the promise of friendship or an adventure of some kind, didn’t give him the right to just sit next to her without warning.

“Where have you been?” she demanded. “You’re my guest here, the palace is going to come after me if something valuable was stolen.”

“So because I don’t come from money, that means I’m a thief?” Ewan asked, shooting her an amused look. “I’m hurt. I wouldn’t have guessed you’d be a snob. You were so friendly earlier.”

“I guess that was my mistake,” she replied quickly. “I’ve misled you. I am actually quite a snob. Oops.”

The two teens stared each other down, each one of them trying to unnerve the other. This Ewan played a good game, but he was bluffing, clear as day. Remy had spent her life in boarding schools and listening to witch politics. Her father had been treated abysmally by the people he tried to serve and some of that hatred had fallen on his children as well. Ewan may live in Pleasantview, but he hadn’t been in the very heart of it, absorbing and reflecting the darkness that made it run. He’d probably never even seen a demon up close before, let alone a warlock of her father’s standing. She couldn’t honestly see anything of the Maricourt family within this fraud.

“Theo’s obsessed with my brother, it’s really rather sad,” she continued. “I wouldn’t pin your hopes on breaking them up if were you. If that is your angle here.”

Ewan grinned.

“I don’t have an angle,” he said with undeserved confidence. “I thought you invited me here to make the day less monotonous. Was there something I missed? Has Theo asked about me?”

Remy wrinkled her nose in disgust at the very idea of interfering in her brother’s love life. This plan was starting to get uncomfortable, but Adam had begged her not to bail on it before they had an answer. She couldn’t deny wanting a firm answer about whether this jerk was her brother or not but the idea of spending even more time with him was agony.

Theo had better hurry up before something unpleasant happens to this asshole.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #theo bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #sim: Adam Darktide #adam darktide #Remy Darktide #Ewan MacLeod #sim: Victoriana Goldman #Victoriana Goldman

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

Theo stared at the picture on the wall with mixed emotions. He was a Bellamy, and the Bellamy family tradition was to hang portraits on the wall, declaring themselves to be Bellamys and therefore better than everyone else. His newly printed portrait hung on the wall next to his father's, highlighting just how similar they looked. 

Except he also didn't look like his father. Roman looked cool and poised in his portrait, completely in control of his life. His back was straight, his eyes determined and he oozed confidence out of every pore. He was everything that Theo longed to be.

It was no wonder that his parents had been dating each other at his age. Roman looked in charge of his life and secure in his relationship. Theo couldn't even summon the courage to ask Adam how he felt about him. 

Be calm about this. Adam invited you out today with his family. He wouldn't do that if he didn't want you around. Just pretend you're like Dad and dukes are falling at your feet for no reason. If Adam's sister hated you, he wouldn't invite you to his family outing. You got this.

Theo stood nervously in the entrance of the Pleasantview castle, trying to remain detached about his surroundings. It wasn't his first time in the castle, but still he felt unsettled. Aunt Ulyssa's castle was open, with flowers everywhere and elaborate gardens to walk in. The Pleasantview castle seemed to be built to remind you of your place the instant you walked in it. There was gold and expensive furnishings everywhere. Large portraits of dead monarchs lined the walls and the tiles looked too expensive to even walk on. There was a coldness as well, hidden among the nice things and flashy walls. Theo couldn't quite put a finger on what that dark coldness could be, but it was strong enough for him to feel uneasy.

This castle had been constructed just over a decade ago when the previous Pleasantview castle burned to the ground in a coup by the deranged queen of Crystal Cove. History wasn't Theo’s best subject, but his class' field trip to the ruins of that castle had been seared into his memory. He could instantly recall that same dark feeling pooling around his chest when they followed the guide through the ruins, though he was never sure if it was some dark echo of magic or just his own imagination that he felt. People had died in that castle after all. Lots of them. Rescue crews digging for survivors of the fire had dug too far and uncovered unmarked graves going back centuries. Who knew how many souls had died on the grounds? The thought creeped Theo out more than he'd ever admit to his peers. His grandmother had a creepy cavern underneath her house where demons had frequently gathered, but it didn't feel anywhere close to the darkness in Pleasantview.

"Theo, you made it!"

Theo turned around to see Adam and his twin sister Remy waving him over. Remy was excitable about the smallest things, while her twin was more reserved and mysterious. They went all the time with their father to Pleasantview's castle, though you wouldn't know it from her eagerness. 

"Remy, the entire castle heard you," Adam chided, looking annoyed. "I think Theo knows where the castle is; it's just down the street from school. He can teleport just fine, unlike you."

Theo blushed while the twins continued bickering and lightly hitting each other. 

Adam thinks I'm good at teleporting. I mean, I am, but he said it. 

"Master Maricourt, how lovely to see you again."

Theo stopped fantasizing about teleporting with Adam into a romantic meadow or a sunlit beach the instant he heard a familiar feminine voice. Queen Claudia was the ruling monarch of Pleasantview, though she had a claim on several other countries and the military to take what she wanted. His Aunt Maura was friends with Claudia, even though she was also terrified of her. There were many hushed conversations about Pleasantview that Theo had walked into while visiting his aunt. If Pleasantview had a darkness clinging to its castle, then its queen didn't seem to mind. An aura followed Claudia that even Aunt Maura couldn't replicate as a monarch. Claudia was fun and friendly with his family and yet someone Theo absolutely feared being left alone with. If he angered her enough, he had no doubt that one day his bones might be found under the castle too.

"Your Majesty," Adam's father Ewan replied, bowing deeply. Theo and the Maricourt-Darktide siblings quickly did the same.

"Is it time for our monthly expenditure reports already?" the queen asked, clearly already knowing the answer. "How time has flown. We’ll tack those reports on to our discussion of more pressing matters. And you brought your wonderful children with you. Look how tall you two have grown since last we met. Miruna always wishes that you’d visit more."

The queen stopped when she saw Theo, a spark of recognition in her eyes. He tried to stand tall and brave while her eyes scanned him.

"Little Theo. How unexpected of you to visit. Unexpected, but welcomed. It's been too long since I've seen you or your father. How is he doing? Still pregnant?"

Theo shook his head quickly.

"No, I have a little brother now," he answered. "He's two."

"How wonderful for your parents," Claudia said softly. If Theo had to guess, the queen looked pleased with the news, though he could be wrong. She was hard to read.

"Mom? I finished my homework, can I play outside?"

The small voice came from an equally small child standing on the magnificent stairs that lead to the royal residences. A brown haired girl with her mother's green skin watched the queen anxiously, desperate for permission. 

"Hmmm, why don't you take our guests outside with you, Victoriana?" Claudia replied. "I have important business with Master Maricourt, but it's rude to leave his guests unattended. Give them a tour."

Theo felt the queen's eyes burn into him, looking for something that only she could see. He'd never been more uncomfortable, but Adam and his father were beside him, so he had to control his reaction. His dad and Aunt Ulyssa spoke highly of Claudia, that she was a fun loving, friendly person. Theo had no idea if they'd ever seen her at home in her own castle before, because she was not sending him friendly vibes. Maybe she was mad at Adam's dad for something. His father was head of the Pleasantview coven and according to Adam, leading the coven was nothing short of a nightmare. Too many titled witches looked down on their untitled brethren. Radical extremists demanded that the darker arts be taught in magical academies. Fights arising from romantic hookups and betrayal between members. The job certainly looked thankless to Theo; he could only imagine what the queen demanded from her witches. 

“Is it safe to breathe again?” Theo asked, letting out a sigh of relief when the queen turned and left with Adam’s father. “She’s intense. You saw the way she looked at me, right?”

“No, not really,” Remy replied and beside her Adam shrugged.

“She seemed fine.”

“What do you think she’s going to talk about with your dad?” Theo whispered, trying to avoid the young princess hearing their conversation. “Something serious it looks like.”

“Probably just the wedding and maybe some council business,” Adam replied, his boredom evident. “He’s always over here these days to talk about the wedding.”

“What wedding?” Theo was legitimately confused. Adam’s family tree was a bit larger and more complex than his own, but he hadn’t heard about a wedding. “Is your dad getting remarried?”

“No, the queen is marrying my sister,” Adam stated, his words far too casual for a sentence like that.

“The queen is marrying Remy?” Theo gasped, staring in horror at his friend. “Is that even legal? Y-you’re not pregnant are you?”

Remy started laughing at Theo’s horrified expression. He had been the child of two teenagers who stuck together largely because of his birth, so to him, the only way he could picture his teenage friend getting married so young was because of an embarrassing, scandalous pregnancy.

“Oh my god, Theo, you’re too much!” she howled. “I’m not marrying Claudia, Miruna is! They’ve only been dating on and off for years now, so they’re going to finally make a commitment. Maybe make a legitimate spare for that heir we’re supposed to be babysitting.”

Theo wished he could melt into the floor and vanish from sight at the look Adam was giving him.

“:Right, Miruna. Miruna your much older half-sister,” he mumbled, trying not to cringe. “That makes sense.”

“What, were you going to suggest that she marries Elowen instead?” Adam teased, his tone sounding irritable. “My father’s just as bad as yours; I have a lot of sisters. I thought that you knew my family by now. I’ve memorized yours easily enough, even though most of them don’t even have titles. I’m just glad you didn’t accuse Claudia of cheating with Remy right in front of her!”

“Lay off him, Adam,” Remy commanded, punching her brother not so playfully. “Claudia only proposed last week and it hasn’t been made public yet. I just assumed he knew since the two of you are obsessed with each other. Besides, we barely have titles, our family’s just infamous, that’s all. Just wait until Theo’s stepdad dies again and you have to start bowing to Luciana at parties. Miruna is going to be queen consort and the best you can hope for is a pity date from Theo’s little sister!”

Theo was just recovering from his embarrassment as Remy added her new dig at how close he and Adam were. How could he have not guessed about Miruna? He was so stupid and Adam looked irritated with him. And why was Remy even joking that Adam might be interested in Theo’s little sister? Did she know something about her brother that Theo didn’t?

“Come on,” Adam sighed, gesturing towards the door to the gardens and giving his twin a dirty look. “Let’s go before they come back and order us to actually do something while we’re here or before Remy marries me off to a foreign duchess.”

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #sim: Adam Darktide #adam darktide #Remy Darktide #Victoriana Goldman #sim: Victoriana Goldman #sim: Claudia Goldman #claudia goldman #ewan g maricourt #maricourt family

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Wanda! It's great to see you here! Happy feast day."

Evren Thorne embraced Wanda Bellamy like she was an old friend and not the bane of his existence. The bossy, tasteless witch hugged him back, completely obvious to his feelings, just as she always was.

"Evren! Look at you, looking so formal!" Wanda gushed, eying the man carefully. "Those robes are fantastic, where did you get them?"

It took everything within Evren not to react to the witch who was playing games far out of her experience.

"I earned them for passing my mastery exam and serving on the secondary council," he explained. "When I proved that I had the experience from my own universe, I was granted my proper rank here as well. It takes years of training and study to wear these robes."

"Hmm. Neat."

Wanda stared at the warlock darkly and Evren finally got the sense that Wanda was reevaluating her image of him. He wasn't just an architect that she could boss around, or a student like her nephew Theo. Evren knew his limits of course, he wasn't about to suggest that he run for the primary witch council or anything crazy like that, but it felt good to finally have Wanda see him for the trained warlock he was and not just the man she could dump unrealistic or hideous projects on. Truthfully, he didn’t much care for witch politics in his own Pleasantview or this one, but finally seeing Wanda unable to come up with a reply to him was worth the many years of magical theory classes.

"Theo! Theo, it's me, Aunt Wanda! Theo! Excuse me, Evren. I'll see you around."

Evren watched with satisfaction as Wanda bolted for her great-nephew, unable to respond to Evren's silent judgement of her.

"Aunt Wanda? What are you wearing?"

Wanda sighed as she saw the horror in her great-nephew's eyes at being seen anywhere near her. She just couldn't win it seemed.

"Hi, Theo. How are you today?" Wanda said stoically, giving the young demon hybrid a stern look. "I'm wearing a dress that I commissioned specially for the festival that was quite expensive. As a small coven, Arkhelios doesn't have uniforms or robes or councils, but at least we have money.”

“I’m pretty sure Pleasantview has money too,” Theo mumbled, trying to avoid poking his eye out on whatever head accessory his great-aunt had chosen. “Dad had to buy this uniform for formal events on top of my school uniform and he kept complaining about the price of everything.”

“Remy! There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Remy turned around to face her mother, Duchess Edana Darktide-Traver. Truthfully, Remy had been hoping to avoid her parents in order to spend time with Malika. Both of them were busy helping run the event, so Remy had expected to be left alone for most of the night.

“Hi. I like your dress.”

Too late, Remy realized that complimenting her mother’s formal attire meant acknowledging that she had forgotten her own uniform in her bedroom. Her story was officially that she forgot it, but the truth was that she never intended to wear the stupid dress in the first place. She would be able to sneak past her parents easier if they saw her dressed as a tourist.

“Remy, we talked about today,” Edana said with a tired sigh. “You are representing your school, our country and our family. Your sister is marrying the queen and your father’s leadership on the council needs us to show the world that we support him. Your brother managed to put on his formal robes today. We all must play our part.”

“Why are you and Dad the only divorced parents that have to agree with each other?” Remy whined. “All my friends with divorced parents can do whatever they want!”

“Because we both love you and your brother very much and wish the best for you,” Edana replied, her words sounding sharper than she’d meant them to. “Family and magic are two things that cannot be overlooked or ignored because of hurt feelings. A commitment to a family lasts a lifetime, however long it is. Now teleport home and change immediately. I won’t allow you to risk our family’s future on teenage rebellion.”

“But what if I don’t want to be a witch or sit on the council one day?” Remy demanded. “What if I transfer schools to the Princess Zarah Academy? I could still go into politics or work at the magical archives. Or I could join another coven, like the Arkhelios one and be an ambassador for our coven. Lots of people don’t stay on a path to a magical career after school. I could do so much elsewhere and-”

“Other people are not my daughter,” Edana said sternly. “You are a Darktide and a Maricourt. Our families lead the magical community in several countries. After we lost your uncle, you, your siblings, your two cousins and I are all that are left of the Darktide family. I won’t betray the oath I made to my own father at your age. I won’t lose the magical potential that flows in your veins so that you can throw your talent away. Elowen knows her place in our dynasty and so does your brother. You have an even larger burden to bear being your father’s daughter and a Maricourt as well. Elowen looks to you for guidance and inspiration because of it. You are destined for great things, Remy. I wish that you could see what I see in you; you’re remarkable.”

Remy’s heart sank at the reminder of her ‘station in life’. Her half-sister Elowen was pushed pretty hard by their mother, and Elowen didn’t have a magical father like Remy and Adam did. So what if she came from a gene pool of talented witches? Surely one of the great witches in her family tree had liked watching tv on the weekend in their pajamas and snuggling with their girlfriend. Why couldn’t Elowen be the one with a magical legacy dooming her future? Elowen loved magic probably as much as Adam did. Remy just didn’t have the passion for magic that a fully trained witch needed to pass her studies.

“Fine, I’ll go change,” Remy lied, folding her arms defiantly. “I’ll go put on a robe, and pretend that magic is the greatest thing ever, just so that you and Dad can be happy. Even if it means that I have to suffer for it.”

Remy had no intention of following through with her promise, but a small guilt trip never hurt to try with her parents. There were times when they gave in to her, though this didn’t look to be one of those times.

“Thank you Remy. Today is an important day and your father and I appreciate your help very much.”

Before Remy could think of another way to spin the situation to her advantage, someone called Edana from across the room. She gave her daughter a quick hug and smiled at her.

“One day, when you have kids of your own, you’ll understand. I’m not trying to be unreasonable or ruin your day. You’ll understand, I promise.”

“Yeah right,” Remy muttered as she watched her mother effortlessly insert herself into a conversation across the hall. “That’s never going to happen.”

“So how’s school going? I heard that you found a special someone, congratulations! You two are just too adorable; I saw you together earlier this morning.”

“Aunt Wanda,” Theo groaned, looking over his shoulder for any witnesses to this conversation. “People are going to hear you. Adam and I are a serious, mature couple. We’re thirteen after all.”

“Very mature,” Adam added, suddenly appearing beside his boyfriend from the hallway. “My dad is going to let us start the closing fireworks tonight. He just gave me the spell, so we need to practice it.” Wanda could see the excitement dancing in her great-nephew’s face at the mere mention of fireworks.

“Oh my god, for real?” Theo looked excited until a new thought crossed his mind. “We have to go right now! What if I forget how to do it when they start? What if I screw up and everyone laughs at me? What if your dad sees and I fail out of school?”

Wanda couldn’t help laughing at the teenage anxiety. The reasons for panicking changed over the years, but the anxiety had stayed the same. She had spent her own teen years worrying about math tests and her embarrassing mother while worrying about her girlfriend’s feelings changing.

“Trust me Theo, from what I’ve seen, you’ll have no trouble starting fires or fireworks,” she laughed, patting her great-nephew on the back reassuringly. “But I’ll leave you two alone to practice as ‘mature’ young men. Good luck.”

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #sim: Adam Darktide #adam darktide #wanda hydes #evren thorne #Remy Darktide #sim: edana darktide #edana darktide

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

“I’m not interested in becoming a duke or anything. Remy was just being stupid. I’m not going to try to date your sister or anything. She’s way too young anyway.”

Theo rocked back and forth on the Pleasantview castle’s swing set, mulling over his friend’s words. Remy and Victoriana were chasing down bugs for the princess’ bug collection while Adam and Theo sat awkwardly on the swings, avoiding eye contact. Adam had been rude earlier when Theo had embarrassed himself about the queen’s upcoming marriage and Theo hadn’t liked the quick way Adam had brushed aside his possible attraction to Theo because of his lack of rank. He’d never heard Adam mention titles before, not really. Standing in an imposing castle designed to remind people of their place and hearing his crush dismiss his heritage so easily was unsettling. 

It was true that Luciana would inherit her father’s title one day as the oldest twin, and the daughter not destined to walk the same spiritual path as their great-grandmother, but it didn’t really mean much. Theo wasn’t any different from his sister in that regard- not really. If anything, he was more interesting than a silly future duchess. He had incredibly strong demonic powers and was capable of magic far beyond some of his teachers. All Luciana had done was be born before her sister.

“She’s only two years younger than us,” Theo replied frostily. “It won’t matter in a few years and you can date her then. If she’ll have you that is. Aside from the council, I’m sure what else your family does that would be important.”

Adam winced a little at Theo's words and for a moment, Theo regretted saying them. He hadn't meant to be cruel, but at the same time, he wasn't going to be shamed for his family. If he went to the same boarding school his father had, maybe he'd be more concerned about rank and titles, but he attended an academy that valued him for what he could do, not who he knew. His parents had always taught him to be who he was and if Adam didn't value him for the right reasons, then he didn't deserve Theo. 

Or at least, that's what his brain told him. His heart was a different matter.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said anything, I was being stupid," Adam sighed. "It’s...It’s just been hard lately with the engagement. Everyone always whispers about my family and when the engagement is announced, people are just going to get worse. My dad’s got royal blood from distant ancestors who died a century ago and my mom...she’s just the witch who survived a toxic coven and then married for power. At least, that’s how people talk about us. Most people don't think that my dad is even qualified to be leader; you need a specific blood connection to the last leader of the coven and ours is…not as close as some people would like."

"Who would be better than your dad?" Theo asked incredulously. "He's pretty strong, and Miruna is a pretty tough opponent herself. I had my magical combat exam against her last term and nearly failed."

"Claudia. If she weren't queen, she'd be a shoo in for our coven leader," Adam replied solemnly. "You can imagine why the coven approves of her marrying Miruna. Claudia is of the 'proper' bloodline and their kids hopefully won't ever see the throne. Everything goes to Victoriana, including the throne, but Miruna's kids could lead the coven one day."

Theo mulled that over in his brain, seeing where the priorities of Pleasantview were. 

"Does no one here ever marry for love? Wouldn't you want to marry for love?"

Adam grinned shyly, running his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, I think I probably will," he answered. "I'd like to anyway. Miruna's the one social climbing with this marriage, and we don't have any other available monarchs to get engaged to, so I think I'm free to marry who I love."

"Me too. I mean, I'm heir to the Bellamy estate in Arkhelios, but I can always give that to Rien if it becomes a problem. I want to be happy with my spouse, whoever they are."

"I think my parents were happy when we were first born," Adam said quietly. "Somewhere along the way they just stopped loving each other. Maybe they never loved each other at all and only married so that we wouldn’t be illegitimate. I’m afraid to ask them; I’m not sure how to feel if I don’t like the answer. My mom remarried my stepdad pretty much as soon as the divorce was finalized. She seems happy, but she's also a duchess now so who knows if that factored into her decision?"

“I think I get what you mean. Some days I wonder if I had never been born, would my parents still even be together? I never really know how to answer that, aside from time travel, so I try not to think about it." 

Theo thought about his many siblings and where his parents would be in their lives if he didn't exist. Honestly, he had his doubts that they would still be married in some alternate world. At times they seemed happy together, but fidelity had never been their strong point. Aunt Maura had once told him about how Roman had once dated Queen Claudia as a teen, and obviously he had been married to Adrian too. Was there a universe where Roman was king of Pleasantview or still married to Adrian? 

"Well, hypotheticals won't get us anywhere," Adam declared, interrupting Theo from his thoughts. "I don't think I'm getting married any time soon. Miruna can have all that attention for herself."

"Yeah, me neither. Unless the right person came along."

"Who can tell the right person at thirteen?" Adam laughed, assuming that his friend was joking. "Honestly Theo, I'll never understand Arkhelian humour. With the potential lifespan of warlocks, I'll take my time and find the right spouse. I saw my parents divorce and it got ugly."

"Ha, yeah, me too. I wouldn’t rush into anything. For sure."

"Have you ever seen one of these bugs?"

Princess Victoriana stood beside Theo, holding something green in her hands for him to see. Theo wasn't a huge fan of bugs, but he didn't want to offend the future monarch.

"No, but it looks rare," he replied, trying not to look too hard at the gross insect.

"That's what I thought too!"

The princess looked as shy as Theo sometimes felt and he felt bad for her, knowing that she would one day be queen of a country that rewarded the bold and confident. Theo was only the heir of a wealthy family in a tiny nation and even that was sometimes too difficult to deal with. He couldn't imagine the amount of people who watched Victoriana's every move, looking for weaknesses to exploit. 

"Adam, Dad's looking for you! Stop making out with Theo and come here!"

"Theo and I are friends, Remy, something I know you don't have! I'm coming, geez!"

Adam stood up from the swing, gesturing for Victoriana to take his place.

"Sorry Theo, apparently duty calls. I'll be right back."

Theo smiled, but his heart wasn't in it. Every time Adam called him his friend, a hopeful part of him died. Would Adam ever see him as a person worthy to marry? If not, Theo supposed that he would also accept a physical relationship with him, one that he would work diligently to upgrade to a spouse over time.

"I think he likes you back. It's all over his face."

Theo snapped out of his thoughts to find Victoriana staring at him curiously.

"Adam? No, I doubt it. Really? How old are you anyway that you're so wise about love?" Theo paused, remembering his manners. "Sorry, Your Highness. I'm sure you're right."

I'll just Google your age and pretend you know what you're talking about now. A kid can’t know about how to tell if a guy is interested in me. It’s still nice to hear that someone else thinks Adam could be interested in me.

"I'm eleven, Apprentice Bellamy," the girl replied haughtily. "Same as your sisters, Lady Luciana and Lady Adrienne Bellamy. Older still than your full siblings, Saturnia and Abraham the third Bellamy."

Theo raised an eyebrow at the formal recitation of his family tree.

Okay, well, she knows who I am. I'm not sure if that was a threat or not. Can an eleven year old be threatening? Is she scary like her mother, or just reminding me of my place in her kingdom?

"Do you want to play on the jungle gym over there?" he suggested, hoping that Adam would be back soon and he wouldn’t be left alone long with the future queen of Pleasantview.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #theo bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #adam darktide #sim: Adam Darktide #Remy Darktide #sim: Victoriana Goldman #Victoriana Goldman

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

“Adam?”

Theo’s voice echoed across the gilded library while his eyes scanned for his missing friend.

“You’ve been gone awhile and I was getting worried.”

After pushing Victoriana on the swings outside for half an hour, Theo went in search of his friend. He could only tolerate younger kids for so long, even if they were only a few years younger than him. It was bad enough having to babysit his many siblings. When the twins were older, Theo couldn’t wait to have them relieve him of his babysitting duties.

Adam didn’t answer his call, but Theo could make out a soft melody wafting down the hall. Someone was playing a piano and whoever it was, they were pretty good at it.

When Theo turned down the hall, he found the source of the haunting melody. It was Adam. Theo knew that his friend had taken piano lessons as a child, same as Theo had to, but he’d never realized that Adam was this good. Adam looked blissfully unaware of Theo’s presence, caught up in the piece he was playing.

He’s perfect. How is he playing like that?

Theo watched his crush intently, his eyes drawn to the way Adam’s fingers hit all the necessary keys in quick succession. His rhythm never wavered and his body softly rocked in synchronization with the melody.

It was beautiful and mesmerizing to watch, but also oddly private. Though he couldn’t properly explain it, Theo felt wrong watching Adam play, like he was intruding on something personal and secret. This felt like seeing an exposed piece of his friend’s soul, laid bare for anyone to see. No matter how hard he tried, Theo couldn’t look away. The vulnerability he witnessed was addicting.

“Stop lurking in the corner and come play with me. You know how right?”

Theo startled out of his trance immediately, feeling his face flush once again.

“Uh...I think so,” he replied nervously. “I don’t think I’ve ever played that piece before though. What is it?”

“It’s an old Pleasantview ballad,” Adam explained, pointing to the sheet music in front of him. “Back when it was still called Tredony. A pirate princess falls in love with the son of a noble and war breaks out. The princess was supposedly my ancestor, or so my mom says. My mom used to play it for us when we were kids.”

“It’s beautiful,” Theo said earnestly. “I don’t know if I can do it justice. My dads pretty much gave up on paying for piano lessons after it got too expensive.”

“Just follow me then.” Adam placed Theo’s fingers on the ivory keys, manipulating them into place. Theo’s breath caught in his throat as he felt the sensation of Adam’s skin touching his, of directing his fingers where he needed them to be. “Just like this, hit these keys first.”

“Adam? Theo? Where are you two? You’d better not be hooking up in the hall closet! It’s almost time to go.”

Remy peered down the hall, hearing the same melody that had tempted Theo. She recognized the song as one of her brother’s favourites, which likely meant that she had finally found his location in the large castle.

When she found Adam, she suddenly wished that she had walked in on him kissing Theo like she’d feared. What she was witness to was far worse. The two of them were side to side, sharing the piano bench, weaving their limbs awkwardly to hit the notes of the song. Both boys were oblivious to her presence, lost together in the melody they were making. The whole scene felt like she was intruding on an intimate moment between them, just as private as if she had found them naked together.

“Oh, Adam, you’re an idiot,” she sighed. If her brother heard her, he didn’t acknowledge her comment. “Just ask the guy out already, this is getting embarrassing.”

“Did you find your brother? The queen had another thought about his ceremonial robe for the service.”

Ewan Maricourt paused at his daughter’s side and followed her gaze to where his son was sharing the piano.

“I can’t keep dealing with those two,” Remy complained. “They’re hopeless. Can’t you just brew them a truth serum or a love potion that could deal with this?”

She waved her hand in the direction of her brother, but her father only laughed.

“Honey, leave your brother to settle his own life. You can’t rush with matters of the heart,” he advised, giving Remy a sympathetic side hug. “Would you like your brother to interfere with your crush? These things can take time.”

“What crush?” Remy demanded, feeling her face suddenly flush with embarrassment. “I don’t have a crush on anyone! Who told you I did? They’re lying! If it was Adam, then-”

“Patience, dear,” Ewan interrupted with a laugh. “Go tell your brother that the queen needs him for a moment. I have a feeling that he’ll appreciate you breaking this scene up over his dad."

Remy scoffed as her father turned to return to the queen. She didn’t have a crush on anyone. She and her friend were just that- friends.

Still, her orders were clear. She was to deliver Adam back to the monarch at all costs.

“Hey! Romeo!” She picked up a nearby decorative pillow from the closest couch and whipped it towards her twin’s head. Her throw was pretty decent, considering that it hit Adam square on the head and ricocheted into Theo’s face, knocking his glasses to the floor. “The queen needs to see you, ASAP. "

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #theo bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #adam darktide #remy darktide #ewan g maricourt

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

Adam sat at the piano, mindlessly playing any song he could remember. He wasn't in the mood to learn a new song or scale, just looking for some familiar comfort.

His physical wounds were healing quickly, though his emotional wounds continued to fester. Adam had rejoined classes with his peers. It wouldn't have been so bad if the other students weren't constantly staring at him with pity. He had probably lost the boyfriend he had paraded around the school, announcing their intentions to marry. His eyes seemed to be healing, but the last of the scarring refused to leave, changing his appearance forever. He almost always felt cold, even in the harsh sunlight or next to a roaring fire. Adam had changed, and now everyone felt sorry for him.

The last thing that Adam needed was the pity of the entire school. Everyone seemed to have an opinion about his relationship with Theo that he didn't want to hear. The rumour mill had decided that Theo wasn't ever coming back, that he was incarcerated somewhere a million miles away or that Theo was living happily in the Void with a full blooded demon, completely abandoning the guy he'd almost killed. Adam never corrected any of these rumours, extending their lifespan. Why bother correcting people when Adam didn't know the truth anymore than they did? What did it even matter in the end? Theo wasn't here, and Adam couldn't bear to see his own reflection, let alone talk to Theo about it. He was stuck in limbo, waiting for something to make him feel again. Nothing in the school felt like it could shake the dead feeling squeezing his chest.

Most of the times that he wasn't in class, Adam would sit on the stairs that he and Theo had liked to sit on and stare blankly ahead. The view overlooked the end of Pleasantview and the entirety of Crystal Cove and Theo had loved to stare out at the endless green. Growing up in a tiny desert made him consider even the most mundane views of nature with awe. Truthfully, Adam had always taken the beauty of Pleasantview and Crystal Cove for granted. Sitting with Theo had been like seeing the same old hills and trees for the first time, every time. They would often sneak out at night to watch the stars and cuddle under the majesty of the natural world. Ever since Theo left, nothing had looked the same. Everything was just grey and dull.

"I see what you mean, Ewan. How long has he been like this?"

Ewan G Maricourt and Alicia Toyonaga watched Adam through a window, helpless to change his condition. Alicia had been assigned as an ambassador to the Arkhelios coven, so she had seemed like the perfect candidate to guide Ewan's son past this incident with an Arkhelian boy. Alicia didn't really care for her assignment, but it was better than living in Strangetown with her royal father in law. Ewan had asked her for tips on dealing with the Bellamy family and she'd only laughed.

"At least a few weeks now," Ewan answered solemnly. "He's seen doctors and healers and nothing ever changes."

"Well, of course not!" Alicia exclaimed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He's grieving. You can't make a potion for that and call it done. He needs time to process what happened."

"It's been months since the accident. He's safe here with us. Hasn't it been long enough already? I just want him to be happy again."

Alicia sighed.

"Well, obviously you want him to be happy, but you can't rush it. Has he talked to Theo yet? Roman's just starting to calm down in public, so I gather that he must have talked to Theo recently. He keeps going on about a birthday party that Theo's going to come home for. Maybe Adam could attend this party? It's somewhere private, but with capable magic users should something go wrong. It sounds perfect. At least according to the gossip around town. Arkhelios really is the most tedious place."

"Theo won't be there," Ewan replied. "I've gotten his latest progress report, and it's not what we hoped it would be. He's too unstable to risk in a crowd like that, especially if Adam is there. Can you imagine if something Theo does accidentally triggers the same reaction as before? I'm not risking my son's life so he can talk to his boyfriend in a crowded room filled with potential innocent bystanders. The Sovereign agrees."

"Well, you can tell his parents that," Alicia scoffed. "I'm not getting involved with the Bellamys and their drama. it's bad enough having to endure Wanda every day. Why is the boy not meeting the requirements? I thought he was some kind of prodigy?"

"A prodigy in chaos only," Ewan sighed. "From what I gather, it's all very complicated. You don't know how many reports I've gotten over the last few months with the word 'curse' repeated through them. I don't fully understand the problem, but my knowledge of demonic magic is rather limited. From what I do understand, young Theo has an inert curse that gets summoned to him when he tries to use magic. The Sovereign thought that detaching it from Theo would protect him, but he hasn't found a way to use magic without bringing it right back to him again. Apparently, they're trying to reattach it to him for some reason and it's much too delicate a process to let him return home. If something went wrong, the results could be disastrous."

"Reattach? Like surgically?"

"I have no idea. Who knows with demons? I'd assume it would be some kind of ceremony or series of spells, but I don't know the way of demons or blood magic. My mother would have hit the roof if I studied any of that in school."

"Adam will feel isolated from Theo if he has no idea of what's happening with Theo," Alicia pointed out. "This whole thing he's experiencing isn't going to get any better if he hasn't talked to Theo since the accident and Theo comes back completely changed magically."

"What am I supposed to do then? You tell me that I need to give Adam closure, but I don't have the clearance to bring Theo here even if it was safe. If he's getting calls to his parents, that's the first I'm hearing about it. They won't grant one to the person Theo could still injure through their connection, no matter what I say. I can't share these notes with Adam, even if it would help, without failing to uphold my oath as head of the coven."

"Then all we can do for Adam is support him and give him the space to grieve. I'm sorry, but I don't see any other way. Has he spoken with a counselor about this? That might help speed things up."

Ewan shook his head.

"I tried to get him to see the school counselor, but apparently, he just spent the hour in silence, staring at the wall. He won't see anyone else and I can't make him talk about his feelings. Even Remy seems to have hit a wall with him and she's the only one to have gotten close. I just want to see Adam want to live again."

"Maybe a change of scenery would help," Alicia suggested. "We could take him in Arkhelios, or if that's too painful, send him to Strangetown with his mother."

"No, that won't happen," Ewan quickly replied. "The last thing he needs is to let his mother stomp all over him. I may not be the most sensitive parent, but Edana will only make things worse." He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I understand the pain the Bellamys must feel, because I feel the same way at the thought of sending Adam away. He's my child. I need to be here for him where he's comfortable and safe. To not know when I could see him again would be agony and I won't let the pain the Bellamys are feeling now be in vain. Theo will return here when it is safe for him to do so."

"And Adam?"

Ewan groaned, unable to see an easy solution.

"I don't know. Maybe Miruna can take him in at the palace on weekends. It's not too far away and it's a decent change of pace."

"Not bad," Alicia agreed. "A change in roommates might help as well."

"This is the worst thing to happen all week. I can't believe I have a share a room with my little brother. We haven't had to share a room since we were kids. It's so unfair. My old roommate was almost never in the room and knew when to be discreet. You never leave your room."

Remy was about as excited to share a room with her brother as Adam, though she tried to downplay it after seeing the look on his face. The last thing she wanted was for Adam to feel resented. At least he didn't have a boyfriend to try to sneak into their room. Adam wasn't going to fight for the bedroom if all he was doing was moping. He could still do that downstairs.

"So, which bed do you want? I'm rather partial to the one by the window, but you can choose."

Adam lifted his head, only to see pieces of Void attach to his twin. She, like everyone else, seemed to be oblivious to what Adam could see. He'd stopped taking the many potions prescribed to him, but still the unsettling images of the Void remained. At this point, he just assumed that this would be his new normal. He'd forever be the unsettling prophet just like Theo's little sister. Rien seemed to enjoy her eerie reputation, but it wasn't how Adam wanted to live. At least he never heard from the "spirits" Rien spoke to. Maybe this oddity could be corrected in time.

What did he tell his sister? "Hey, I noticed that you were glowing various shades of pink all of a sudden. Are you feeling okay?"

"You can have whatever bed you want, Rem. I don't have anyone to share mine with. It doesn't matter."

"Adam, I can find you a hook up, you just need to let me know," Remy insisted. "Are you done with Theo? I have a few people who might want to date you. If you just want a meaningless booty call, I can name two guys who would respond, no strings attached."

"Thanks, Rem. I'm good though. I'm dating Theo and he's going to come home and we're going to be happy again. Unless...what if he comes back different? What if I don't like how Theo is when he's stable? What if he's cheating on me wherever he is? I wish I could talk to him."

"Look, just try one date with someone," Remy urged. "Anyone. It doesn't even have to be a date. You could just go for coffee with a sexy friend. Get some experience so that you do know what you want when Theo comes back."

"I thought you were Team Theo," Adam accused. "All you've said since he's left is that he loves me and to follow my feelings for him."

"Adam, you have the social life of a rock. You spend all day crying or moping and it's gotten to the point that Dad made us roommates and wants Miruna to babysit your walking corpse. Of course I know that Theo loved you when he left and he's a great guy, but you're miserable. You're fourteen for God's sake, go find some way to be happy. Your star-crossed love isn't the center of the universe. Go find a way to be happy and I'll help you deal with Theo when he comes back...or deal with rebound guy if you choose Brand New Theo again. Just get out of this school for ten minutes, that's all I ask."

"You're right," Adam sighed, giving up on the conversation so that he could return to moping. "I have no social life. My boyfriend almost killed me. My body doesn't work the same way as it did before the accident. I haven't seen Theo in months. Thank you for the reminder. If you don't mind, I think I'm going to try to sleep."

Adam curled onto his new bed, pulling the covers over him to block out the world. Beside him, Remy fumed.

"Adam, this is my room too. It's only 7:30 pm. Why don't you go downstairs to mope? I had plans for tonight and it would really help if you were somewhere else, not being a buzzkill."

"You go downstairs," Adam mumbled from under his blankets. "I don't need to see you reminding me of everything I've lost with Theo. My class work is finished and I have nowhere to be until classes tomorrow morning. It's perfectly fine for me to go to bed early, no matter how that cramps your style."

"I'll tell Dad," Remy threatened, sounding just like she had when they were kids.

"Tell him what? That you won't let me sleep because you want to party in our shared room?"

"I'll tell him that you're too depressed and you're making me depressed too. That I need my own space to clear your psychic negativity."

"That doesn't make any sense," Adam replied, peeking out of his blankets to childishly stick his tongue out at his sister.

"Made you look," Remy laughed, pointing at her brother's exposed head. "It's way too easy to manipulate you."

Adam groaned and retreated once again into his blankets.

"You're the worst, Rem," he grumbled. "You don't understand my problems at all. It's not a game."

"Never said it was," Remy replied happily. "I'm going to go hang out with actual people, but I'll be back to bother you later. I'll bring you a snack, since you ate pretty much nothing at dinner. See ya later, roomie!"

Remy skipped out the door, leaving Adam alone once again in his misery. It wasn't like he was starving himself or anything, food just didn't seem appealing to Adam. Nothing did. If only Theo was there to talk things through with. He wasn't just his boyfriend, Theo had been his best friend since they were six years old. Adam had some other friends, but no one like Theo. Except...now he might not have Theo at all anymore. He may not even want Theo to come back. He hadn't decided yet. His life would hang in limbo until he could talk to his boyfriend and see how they could possibly move past this.

Until that time, Adam buried himself deeper into his blankets, praying that Remy had just been joking with the threat of her return.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #adam darktide #remy maricourt #ewan g maricourt #alicia Toyonaga

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

When Theo opened his eyes, his surroundings had completely changed. He was no longer in Strangetown-or so he thought. There was no desert heat or swirling sands. Everything around him was lush and green and peaceful. There were decaying ruins of a building rotting beside a fertile garden plot attached to an impressive building. Theo couldn't put into words how this place made him feel exactly. It was older than time, but living energy pulsed through the air, crackling with potential.

"What is this place? Where's Reogus?" Theo wondered, scanning the area for his unpredictable warlock guide.

All words left him when his eyes locked on a creature sitting high above the ruins, watching him intently. The creature was both beautiful and terrifying at once, life and death, abundance and scarcity. Theo had never before seen a being that made him tremble just looking in its direction.

"Apprentice Bellamy, I presume? Or do you prefer Theodosius? Titles are enviable, but when it all comes down to it, true names are what give us our power. True names are what bind us together, after all. Though I suspect that you know this already, having changed your name at such a young age. It's always so curious to me, seeing the tethers hook into your being, joining you to another. It looks painful. I wonder if it is."

Theo was fairly certain that he was actually on another plane of existence while his body remained safely in bed. At least he hoped it was because the look the being was giving him had a worrying threat underlying it. He wasn't sure of quite what to think of the mysterious being that seemed to be tearing into his soul with only his eyes. It wasn't a creature in the usual sense, but it wasn't human either. It looked male, but Theo got the distinct sense that the body before him was merely a shell for something more powerful to inhabit. Did this being trade bodies like some kind of hermit crab, always on the lookout for a newer dwelling? Was that why Theo had been summoned here?

"So quiet for such a usually spirited boy," the creature teased. Its voice sounded hollow and wrong, both booming like the roar of intense wind and chillingly scraping, like the tide clawing back dark water across sharp, rugged rocks. There was a natural cadence to its speech that ebbed and flowed between vibrant, booming authority and bone-chilling lifelessness.

"What fascinating perversions demons are," it continued. "I wish that I could take direct credit for their creation. Such creative minds always seeking power. They're more trouble than they're worth most times, but I respect their aspirations all the same."

Theo remained frozen in place, unsure if this being was actually expecting a response from him. He had no idea of what to say or how to escape this nightmare.

"W-where's Reogus?" he stammered. "Is he still here?"

"The warlock was sent back to his appropriate time," the creature reassured Theo in the least reassuring voice possible. "The Guardians of Time are a necessary but annoying function of this universe. If I could end their existence, I would, but unfortunately, I cannot. He will no doubt be back to bother you again in the future."

Theo gulped. At least this creature was talking about Theo like he had a future and wasn't about to be murdered by something unfathomable. As much as he wanted to know what kind of nightmare this creature really was, Theo was terrified to find out. Sometimes it was better to ignore something dangerous and just hope that it never came back again.

"Still quiet? I'll skip to my point then."

To Theo's horror, a man appeared out of nowhere, cloaked in powerful magic and looking merciless. When his face stepped out of the shadows, Theo recognized him instantly.

"That's me," he said, staring at the man in disbelief. "What's happening?"

"A glimpse into your future," the being replied. "One I have much interest in. You've been given power beyond your understanding with that little curse of yours. You will be great and terrible when you mature. Power beyond what your little warlock boyfriend could even imagine. Pray that you don't become too interesting though. The first demonic sovereign met with a grisly end because he had become too interesting to the wrong people. The wrong people being me,of course. He forgot his place. You will be difficult to erase if need be, but it can still be done. Never forget your place."

Theo opened his mouth, only to close it again quickly. He couldn't think of a single thing to say aside from "Please don't kill me".

"Theo, run! Teleport to the Void! Anywhere else! I'll try to help you, but you need to leave! You cant stay here, no living person can!"

Theo forgot how to breathe as he watched what he thought was Lukas, the deity of Life, stand their ground in front of him. They looked different than they did in the warning photos at school, but was still unmistakably the same powerful deity.

"I want to go home," Theo whimpered. He'd be mortified if anyone at home saw him like this, but this endless nightmare had taken its toll on him. Between seeing the casual murder of innocent people and enduring the presence of the creature in front of him, Theo was planning on drinking coffee and staying up, protected from dreams for as long as possible.

"The warlock you arrived with wished to tell you a secret. One that he hoped would change your perception of your power. One that may change everything for you. One that makes me very interested in your life. The culmination of Dorhack's little experiment in search of power: the hybrid blood demon."

Theo nodded, trying to appear calm while internally trying to recall how to get to the Void. It wasn't somewhere that he thought he'd need to get to on a whim. The image of his dark future self continued to be unnerving. Its eyes followed him, sizing him up, though for what, Theo didn't want to know. Could weird images of your future self actually kill you? It was a question Theo never thought he'd have to ask.

"A secret?" Theo repeated shakily, unsure if talking to the creature would be more dangerous than trying to escape. He wished that Reogus had just come out and said what he wanted to say while he was still there, if the being wasn't lying to him.

"Look at your potential, Theodosius," the bone-chilling voice replied. "You saw everything that Alpheus accomplished because he was a full demon from a pure lineage, while you're just a cursed hybrid from a backwater country no one has even heard of."

"Theo...." Lukas' nervous warning did no good. Theo had no idea of how to get to the Void or where he even was at the moment.

"You see, Alpheus was only half demon. He was a hybrid just like you. His human mother was from the Grunt bloodline, and his demonic father gave him the Toyonaga name. Alpheus killed his father later, of course, more proof that hybrids can be more powerful than their demonic sires. You, too, have that potential, Theodosius. It's why the Sovereign keeps her eye on you and why I've called you here to examine for myself."

"He can't stay here!" Lukas hissed, looking apologetically at Theo. "I keep telling you, living beings can't exist in the afterlife! You made the damn thing, you have to know how it works! I can only protect him for so long until my stepson shows up and makes his stay here permanent!"

Theo froze, unable to process the deity's words. He was in the afterlife? The real one and not where his step-father, Adrian, had spent years waiting for rescue? For real? All he had done was go to bed at night and already he'd been pulled out of time, the realm of dreams and landed where no living soul belonged. What was this creature that scared even a deity?

"Your words are true," the creature acknowledged grudgingly. "I can see it draw breath. Full demons can travel between realms at will. For all of its power, it seems it cannot. An interesting note to keep in mind for the future."

The creature landed on the ground, unfurling majestic, dark wings as it fell. It landed close to the frightened teen, close enough for Theo to feel the breeze created from the ruffling feathers. The being rose slowly, carefully measuring Theo with his eyes as he did.

"I was curious to see the much talked about hybrid in person, but not enough to end a promising future with an accidental death. You have my permission to return the boy to the realm of the living. I've seen enough for now. I can see the pieces of my will begin to fall into place. I am...pleased. Is that the word? Yes. Pleased."

Theo couldn't bear to look this mysterious being in the eyes and see the hollow flicker of light behind them. Whatever was standing before him scared gods into submission and that same being had plans for Theo. However serious these plans were, Theo didn't want to know. He was just a scared fourteen year old boy who loved his family, his friends, and his boyfriend. He had no future plans except for marrying Adam and going to college. Apparently, some beings had other plans for him and that was terrifying beyond words.

Theo squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that he would soon wake up in his own bed, this impossible nightmare finally ended.

"Please wake up, please wake up," he chanted quietly to himself.

Whether it takes a year or a century, my plan will be completed. Through your example, I may find the path I need. Until then, little demon.

Theo could hear the voice in the back of his mind, scraping across his thoughts. It was like having ice-cold water poured over his head, pouring into his thoughts. An image of a woman flickered into his mind for the briefest of moments, barely long enough for Theo to register what she looked like. She was pretty, that much he could remember. Pretty, but sad and mysterious at the same time. Unlike the creature before him, thinking about this woman was pleasant. There was the subtle hint of danger and power, but nothing that terrified him quite like the being before him.

"What?" Theo looked anxiously around him for any trace of the woman or the dangerous being that had projected her. "Hello?"

"What the hell?"

Theo bolted up in his bed, completely awake and more than slightly frightened about the visions he'd seen, promising a dark future and not much else. He looked over at Adam, who was sleeping soundly in the bed beside him and sighed in relief. He was home. He had his loved ones nearby to protect him.

"I don't understand," Theo muttered to himself. "Why does everyone care so much about me studying blood magic? I barely passed my magical defense class; I'm not about to run off and murder people more powerful than I am. I'm not going to murder anyone at all."

Downstairs, two cousins met up for a late night snack. Despina wanted to get some juice, but was hesitant. She'd only gained some courage upon hearing Remy boldly walk past her bedroom door. If Remy was sneaking out at night too, then it had to be okay.

"So what are you sneaking around for?" Despina asked, sipping her drink and watching as Remy did the same. "I just wanted a snack, but you seem to be on a mission of some kind. Are you meeting someone?"

Despina looked eager to gossip with her cousin about boys or girls or anything else that came to mind, while Remy looked less than enthusiastic about the idea.

"Sometimes I meet up with Malika," Remy admitted. "I don't have a roommate, so it makes it easier to sleep together. I guess she's not interested or is too busy tonight. When she's not around, I like to see who's still up while the whole school sleeps. You meet interesting people that way."

"Oh, you and Malika are...hooking up? I didn't know."

"It's a boarding school," Remy said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Everyone is having sex here, it's just what you do to pass the time. Do you have anyone you like? I could probably find you a date if you want."

"Oh, uh, no," Despina stammered, her fave turning beet red. "I've met someone really cute that started late like I did. He's really sweet, but I don't know if he likes me like that."

She blushed, thinking about Jasper and the immediate connection to him that she felt.

"Just throw yourself at him," Remy advised, sipping her drink. "You'll know right away if he's interested in you. It works for me."

"You're cheating on Malika?" Despina gasped in horror. "She's the best thing to happen to you!"

"Gee, thanks," Remy replied, rolling her eyes. "No, we're not exclusive anymore. I like her, but she's my first girlfriend. We both agreed to...branch out a little with our relationship. As long as there aren't feelings involved, we're allowed to hook up with whoever we want. I'd hate to live like my idiot brother who wants to marry the first guy he kissed."

"Is he sleeping with Theo?" Despina asked worriedly. Was she really the only person here who hadn't even kissed someone yet? Was Jasper sleeping around too?

Remy laughed just at the thought of her brother trying to seduce the naive, overprotected Theo.

"Ha! I doubt it. Can you imagine those two even knowing what to do? Theo's parents probably didn't even have 'the talk' with him, just a lecture on why sex would somehow kill him. And Adam? Sometimes, it's hard to believe that he's my twin. Is Eero anything like you or is he as useless as Adam?"

"He's okay," Despina replied. "We've only really had each other all of our lives. Both our grandparents are dead, so it's just been us and you guys and Aunt Edana. I'm sure he misses me now that I'm here. I miss him, but I know that my place is here."

"Yeah, sorry about my bitch mother," Remy said, rolling her eyes. "She has so much 'trauma' that she never thinks about anyone else. Absolutely everything is about her dead brother, which means that she's useless about anything else. Need help with your homework? Sorry, Uncle Adam is dead. Try to tell her that you think magic isn't really your thing? Nope, dead brother, can't have that conversation. Thank god for our Ewans. Dad and Ewan actually listen to us...sometimes."

"I would miss Eero if he died, it's understandable," Despina replied charitably. "Plus losing her entire coven? That must be devastating. I'll never know my parents, so I like to think that because my aunt misses them so much, they were worth knowing. Maybe my dad had a change of heart at the end or something. I don't know anything about my mom, just that your mom blames her for everything."

"You worry too much about your parents," Remy chided. "Who cares? Fuck them and their weird cult. All that matters is who you are and what you do. God help me if I was judged by my parents. They're the lamest people alive. They're fooling themselves if they think that I'm actually going to study magic in college and join their dumb covens. I'll do what I want and you should do the same."

"Hmm, maybe. I just got here though. I don't want to get kicked out after all that work."

"Yeah, fair enough," Remy conceded. "Just do whatever my dumb brother does then. Everything he does is to suck up to our parents and the council. Don't date a weird demon and they'd probably give you an award or something dumb like that."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Theo stood on the large balcony that faced Crystal Cove and tried as hard as he could to forget about his dream. What had happened to him and how much of what he'd seen was real? Was any of it real? What was that nightmarish creature and just how closely was it watching him? He had no one to talk about this with. Evren might know about weird realm crossing and magic, but there was no way that he'd keep it a secret from Theo's insanely worried parents.

Would Lukas tell him whenever he saw the deity next? It was always difficult to get an answer out of them when you didn't have anything to offer in return. They did have a history of appearing in Pleasantview, enough that there were warning signs with their picture on it. They had seemed upset in his dream, maybe he'd find Lukas looking for him.

Theo groaned, hitting his head rhythmically against the walled fence in frustration. Why was this his life? Saturnia and Luci seemed to be pretty normal, so why was he doomed to be stolen by supernatural beings on a whim?

Behind him, a twig snapped, alerting Theo to a presence sneaking up on him.

"Lukas, you have to tell me who-"

It wasn't Lukas sneaking up on the demon, but Adam. Theo immediately sighed with relief.

"Adam? What are you doing here? I thought you were asleep."

"I had a nightmare and couldn't get back to sleep," Adam confessed. "I pretended to be asleep when you woke up."

"I had the worst nightmare too," Theo groaned. "You wouldn't believe me at all if I told you about it."

Adam's eyes remained glued to the ground, unable to look at his boyfriend in the eye.

"I would. Because I was there too. The protector of the realm of dreams told me that the pull on you to a different realm also pulled me because of how we're connected."

A huge wave of relief washed over Theo hearing this.

"Oh my god, who do you think the terrifying creature was?" he demanded. "Even Lukas was afraid of it, and they're not afraid of anything!"

"Weird creature?" Adam repeated with confusion. "No, you were with that Maricourt warlock, talking about demons."

"For a bit, but that was nothing compared to that...monster that showed up. He took us to the freaking afterlife, how could you forget something like that?"

Adam paused. Theo looked sincerely terrified about this creature he was describing, so he wasn't just lying to avoid talking about the repeated warnings people were making about him.

"I never saw that. Luna took me home before that, I guess."

Theo tried to remember a woman named Luna, but failed. He'd ask about that later, once he could focus on anything else but the horrifying creature he'd faced.

"I can't believe you missed it!" Theo burst out. "I can't possibly even describe what it was like. Picture the most dangerous person you could think of times a million. Times infinity! It threatened me and said I was worth keeping alive, which is not the kind of reassurance that you want." Theo's voice wavered, slightly, in a way only his loved ones would catch.

"Adam, I don't know what to do anymore. Ever since my birthday, things just keep getting weirder and weirder. All these people are telling me that I'm dangerous and that hybrids are incredibly dangerous and that they're all keeping an eye on me. I don't want this life anymore, Adam. I keep closing my eyes and seeing that creature staring at me, waiting for something horrible to happen! I-I'm scared. I don't want to be special. I want to be like Saturnia. No one is threatening her for existing."

Adam's fears faded away, just looking at the horror that was clearly eating at Theo. Yeah, Adam had questions and fears of his own, but they were nothing compared to what Adam could see written all over Theo's face. Something had scared him and badly. Gone was Theo's usual air of defiance and rebellion. In its place was only horror and fear.

"Hey, it's okay," Adam said, pulling his boyfriend closer to him. He wrapped his arms around Theo and held him tightly. "At least you've got a warning about the stakes we're facing. It's better than just going in blind."

"The stakes we're facing?" Theo repeated. "Does that mean that you're going to help me when whatever happens to me happens? I don't blame you if you want to run from all this. I know I would."

"No one told me that our future wedding's off," Adam reassured the boy in his arms. "I'm not going anywhere. Besides, we're connected enough that you apparently pull me along with you even if I did leave. I might as well stay, don't you think? I'd miss kissing you too much."

Theo smiled faintly and relaxed his grip on Adam.

"I'd miss that too," he agreed softly. "You would tell me if I was doing something dangerous though, right? If I start...hurting people?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Adam replied, brushing some stray hairs from Theo's face as he did. "You could never be like Alpheus or your grandmother. There isn't a single evil bone in your body. Your Aunt Lucy, she I could see being dangerous, not you. You've never even cheated on an exam, Theo. I know that you're nothing like how weird people expect you to be."

There was still a small pit in his stomach when Adam thought about the desperation in Theo's eyes when he'd been presented with energy. He'd never seen Theo like that before. It was true that demons lived to collect enough energy to warm themselves, but Theo had never needed it to survive.

Now that Adam knew that he apparently had some demonic ancestry himself, it was harder to judge Theo for what he'd seen. If he also came from a demonic family, it was just a roll of genetics that kept Adam or his mother and sisters from possessing enough demon DNA to manifest the powers Theo possessed.

Would Theo change as they matured? Would he develop the same hunger full demons had for energy?

Adam's fear disappeared, feeling his boyfriend bury his face into his shoulder as Theo tried to stop his anxious tears. He knew Theo better than anyone. They'd been best friends since the age of six. He'd seen Theo through all the milestones of childhood, and he knew who Theo was deep down. Theo was both his past and his future, the person he loved more than anyone in the world.

"None of that matters," Adam swore, hugging Theo tightly. "I love you, that's the only thing that matters. We'll figure out the rest when we need to."

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #theo bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #adam darktide #lukas lane #despina darktide #remy maricourt

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Adam! Theo!"

Evren watched in horror while his stepson writhed against the exorcism spell he'd cast. Instead of draining the demonic energy, the spell seemed to be doing the opposite. Theo had already been pulled into his dark form, making his magical capacity seem to double in seconds. Leathery wings burst from Theo's back, drawing attention away from the rows of horns that erupted from his head.

This was no normal dark form. This wasn't a presentation of any dark form that Evren had ever seen. The power before him was feral and unresponsive to the restrictions Master Maricourt and Evren were desperately trying to bind to it.

Evren was relieved that this had happened with strong adults who were prepared to deal with the situation and not in the middle of the dining hall after Theo and Adam made out at the table. That would have unleashed a power that may have ended a student's life. There could be no denying the power that Theo drew from his relationship. There could be no denying the power that Theo held on his own. There could be no denying that Theo's education wasn't effectively teaching him control. Something needed to permanently change in Theo's life in order to protect him and the people around him.

Adam had mercifully passed out from the pain and remained eerily still on the floor. He had no dark form that had ever presented itself, not that Theo's magic understood. Two smooth horns had impossibly erupted from Adam's skull. Magic scraped the depths of the boy's genes, pulling every strand of demon DNA that lay dormant in him closer to Theo.

Evren had only seen this happen once before in his long career and the young student in question had died in agony as magic twisted their dormant demon genes into acting as though they belonged to a full demon. The same horns had presented on the student, revealed at autopsy to be smoothed bones ripped into a parody of demonic horns. Evren could see where the skull bone had pierced the skin as it had elongated. He could never get that dead student completely out of his memory, even when Reogus tried to help him forget. Now, here he was, staring at the same gruesome sight, only his stepson was to blame for it. Theo had never intended for this to happen, but it had still happened. Theo had officially gone from being potentially dangerous to himself to actually dangerous to himself and others. Evren was lying to himself if he thought that things wouldn't change because of this.

"I-I can't," Theo panted, desperately straining to get control over himself. "I can't stop. I'm going to explode. Please. Please."

It broke Evren's heart to see his stepson in pain and frightened of his own body. History had proven that whenever an event like this was triggered in Theo, the hybrid nearly succumbed to the power raging through him until a third party intervened. Evren didn't have the capacity to channel demonic magic and he suspected that Ewan couldn't either. It wasn't a common skill for a warlock to learn. The exorcism spell was their only hope of safely releasing Theo's energy. The demonic sovereign would be too late if they summoned her to help. If she even chose to come at all.

"Demon begone!" Ewan commanded, rising in the air while raising his wand. Life energy still ravaged the air, but the cracks of Void seemed to be retreating.

"Demon begone!" Evren repeated with what he hoped was enough magical command. He could feel the familiar sensation of magic leave his body, carefully channeled through his wand.

Ewan stared in shock and horror at what he was seeing. His father struggled to save his half-brother from someone Ewan could hardly recognize as the cute demon boy he liked to tease. Theo was terrifying. Magic was terrifying. There was no way in hell that Ewan was about to change his mind on magic. It would take a miracle just to get him through the door of this place again.

"Theo's really fucked things up this time, huh?"

Remy nodded, watching her father try to channel demonic energy as best as he could. Devard tried to keep his tone casual, probably to try to impress her. Remy appreciated the effort. It gave her something to mimic. Theo having a magical meltdown wasn't something new, but this time seemed different. He was stronger now and Adam was incapacitated in a way he'd never been before.

"Yeah, Mom's going to lose her shit about this," she groaned. "You might want to see about staying with your parents for the next few days. This place is going to be a battlefield when Mom gets home. If Theo doesn't die here, she'll make sure he does soon."

"Your dad's got it covered. See? The wings went away. I'm sure your brother will wake up completely fine. Until the next time Theo meltdowns."

"I'm not so sure there's going to be a next time," Remy said quietly.

"Adam. Adam, please wake up. Adam, please!"

Theo could still feel the energy building within him, despite Ewan and Evren's attempts to drain it from him. It was more manageable now, at least. He could still feel it pounding in his brain, calling to him, but this had happened enough times that Theo had a defense against it. The Sovereign and his teachers had shown him how to release the energy safely when some of the energy had ebbed. With Ewan and Evren's spell, Theo could feel the difference. With Adam's help, he could do this. Adam always helped him. The only problem was that Adam wasn't conscious. He hadn't moved an inch since Theo had come halfway to his senses. His face was still contorted with pain, but Adam remained completely still. Horrifyingly still.

"Adam, move. Please move? You can't be hurt, I'm sorry, I never meant-"

With the energy that engulfed him, Theo tried to pour as much of it as he could into Adam. During Theo's last meltdown, Adam had been able to channel some of that overwhelming energy back into Theo to manipulate their bond. He'd pulled Theo from the brink of madness and danger, so it only made sense that Theo could do the same.

Theo felt the magic pool in his palm, and when he felt that he could aim with any accuracy, he sent it across the room to Adam. He watched as the magic pressed against the skin of Adam's hand, entering the young warlock slowly and carefully. The magical energy would surely help heal Adam like it had once helped Theo. It had to. Even if all it did was jolt Adam awake, Theo would celebrate. Watching Adam's body lie deathly still on the floor was unbearable.

Channeling his remaining energy into Adam while the adults quickly worked to help him was tiring. Theo could feel magic ebb away from him through both efforts. After a few moments, Theo's outstretched hand was beginning to feel heavy to hold in the air. His eyelids struggled to stay open despite his rising panic. Mere moments later, the teen collapsed to the floor, drained of enough energy to be considered safe.

"Adam!"

"Theo!"

Both warlocks ran to their children the instant they felt it was safe to stop the exorcism spell. The boys were initially unresponsive, nearly blinding their parents with grief and worry. To Evren's relief, Theo made a small groaning noise when he pulled the teen into his arms. Groaning meant that he was alive and Evren had never been so relieved to hear something before in his life.

"Adam! Adam, can you hear me? Adam, please, just squeeze my hand if you can. Give me some kind of sign you can hear me."

Ewan struggled to control his breathing. He had a room full of teens watching his every move, including Adam's twin sister. He was a master of magic, able to command storms and elements and anything else that stood in his way. He could save his son. Believing that he could change this was the only way he could keep his composure. Breaking down wasn't going to solve anything. Only calm composure would help his son. He had to remain calm. He had to.

"Theo?"

Adam's eyes fluttered open for a brief moment, flooding his father with relief.

"No, Adam, it's Dad," Ewan said softly. "How are you? Are you in pain? I'm going to get you help, just keep talking to me."

"I'm tired," Adam replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "My head really hurts. Theo...he...it hurts."

Ewan held his son tightly in his arms, unable to let him go. He signaled to his dazed daughter to go get medical help and Remy took off to complete the mission, glad to have permission to leave the disturbing scene.

"Theo? Can you hear me?"

Evren tried to assess his stepson's condition, but it was difficult. After being drained of energy, Theo was sluggish and nearly unresponsive, but from what he could tell, the hybrid seemed to be unhurt.

"Theo, it's over. You're going to be fine, I promise. A little rest and you'll be as good as new. I'm really proud of you. You regained control of yourself with just a little help. You've come a really long way in your studies and I know this is hard for you."

Theo didn't have the energy to respond. Just keeping his eyes open seemed impossible. He desperately wanted to rush to Adam's side and confirm that he was okay, but the more Theo struggled against the urge to sleep, the stronger it became.

He managed to murmur something unintelligible and finally succumbed to unconsciousness in Evren's arms.

After the medics had arrived and taken the boys for treatment, Evren made the difficult call to the Bellamys. He didn't envy Ewan having to call his ex-wife and reveal that their son had been injured. Evren could hear Edana shouting through the phone from down the hallway. He called Abe's cell phone first, reasoning that Abe would probably have the more stable reaction to the news.

After Abe sat Roman down and prepared him for bad news, Evren told them about what had happened. One of them would have to come to the school and pick up Theo, as Evren wasn't his legal guardian. He strongly recommended that Abe be the one to come, and Abe couldn't agree more. Roman could stay with the kids and try to compose himself before Theo returned. The last thing Theo needed to see was his father breaking down or having a panic attack and feeling even more angry with himself for causing it.

When Abe stepped out of the portal his husband had opened for him, the first thing he saw was his son. Theo was sitting with his arms wrapped around himself, rocking slightly. Abe's heart broke for his son. Theo was just a kid trying to survive his teen years and no matter how hard he tried, every time Theo felt in control of himself, another incident like this would shatter his self esteem.

Evren left Abe alone in the room with his son. His presence wasn't needed there and would only be intrusive. He decided to make himself useful by checking in with the Maricourts.

"Dad, I...."

Theo could barely look his father in the eye, knowing how angry he must be. How terrified of the scary demon in front of him he must feel. It had to have been like looking at Kamalani and feeling again all the pain she had caused him. Theo was her grandson and he was as broken and dangerous as she was.

"Theo, it's alright," Abe said softly, kneeling down to face his son directly. "Things are a little complicated right now, but it's okay. We'll get through this. Your safety and happiness are all that matter to me. And you're nothing like your grandmother. Not even close. You have a gift that she was incredibly jealous of, you just need to learn to control it. All sorts of things are changing in your body now. You're growing up. Sometimes when we grow, there are growing pains."

"Growing pains?" Theo repeated quietly. "I almost killed Adam, Dad. I'm a monster."

"Theodosius, you're not a monster," Abe assured his son, squeezing his hands tightly. "You didn't kill Adam. You weren't even meaning to hurt him. It was just an accident. Accidents can be messy, but they don't make us bad people if they were beyond our control. You've come so far with your magic and your father and I are extremely proud of you."

"Yeah right," Theo scoffed, averting his eyes. They were still stained by magic and would likely remain an unnatural gold hue over night. The last thing he needed was for his father to see him like this. He'd only be horrified by what his son truly was.

Abe just squeezed his son's hands tighter.

"Theo, the moment I held you for the first time, I swore that I would do anything and everything in my power to love and support you. To protect you. I know I haven't always been the best at handling your gifts, but there is nothing in this world that could change my feelings for you. Your father and I will always be here for you to rely on and come to for help. We love you more than anything in this world, and nothing can change that. Ever."

"I'm so sorry, Dad," Theo sobbed. "I just keep hurting people. Adam's going to break up with me and his mom will get me kicked out of school and...and...."

"We'll get through this together," Abe promised, pulling his son into his arms and hugging him fiercely. "Your dad and I will always love and protect you. If Adam can't see you for the kind, compassionate person you are, then he's an idiot and you could do better."

Abe held his son until Theo's tears dried. After what felt like an eternity, Theo was finally composed enough to teleport home, where Roman was waiting to comfort him as well.

Evren paced nervously in the hall, waiting for Abe to emerge. He knew how Roman would react had he been allowed to come to the school, which was why he had requested Abe. Roman was probably at home rocking back and forth in his bedroom, sobbing. Adrian had promised to keep Roman from burning the school down to get to his son, but Roman was still a somewhat powerful hybrid himself. Adrian didn't stand a chance if Roman used his abilities to rush past him.

The door opened, and Evren prepared for the worst. He couldn't be sure how rational Abe could be after seeing how inconsolable and afraid his son was.

"How is he?"

"Tired and scared," Abe sighed. "He's blaming himself for all of this and thinks that anyone close to him will abandon him because of his powers."

"Understandable. Some people just can't stand demons or understand their different needs."

"Speaking of, what do the Maricourts say about all this?" Abe asked, in a hushed tone. "Are they planning another intervention or are they planning on pressing charges?"

"Charges?" Evren repeated. "For what? It was an accident amplified by their own indecision about how to treat the connection between the two boys. A young demon accidentally losing control of his powers is a common thing in children Theo's age. Especially since Theo was admitted to the school in order to help control his powers. This isn't an anomaly or something malicious. This is fairly common for Theo. No one on the council would dare press charges in this case."

"Not even Edana?" Abe sighed. "How did she react to this? Should I call Lucy?"

"Edana...well, Ewan is dealing with her," Evren admitted. "Edana struggles with grieving the loss of her family and to hear that her only son, the one named after her dead brother, was gravely injured by a hybrid she already didn't trust...well, I wouldn't recommend trying to talk with her until this all blows over."

"That's what I thought," Abe said with another deep sigh. "And Adam? How's he doing? How does he feel about my son?"

"He's recovering. The damage looked worse than it was in most areas. We were able to dissolve the horns and block the signal triggering a dark form he didn't have. Once Theo was separated from him, most of the triggers stopped and were easily taken care of by the school medic."

"And how is he feeling about Theo?" Abe pressed. "It would help ease the guilt if Theo knew Adam wasn't angry with him. He's tearing himself apart, worrying about how Adam feels about him."

"That I don't know." Evren lowered his eyes, unwilling to let Abe see the worry in them. "Since Edana arrived, no one has been allowed to see him. When we first pulled those two apart, Adam seemed to be trying to reassure Theo, but he was in a lot of pain. Things may have changed since then, especially now that Edana's with him. I'll try my best to see how he's feeling when things have cooled down a little."

"Thanks, Evren. You've been a godsend," Abe said, crushing the warlock with a thankful embrace. "I really don't know what we'd do without you. Your instincts that this was something that might happen may have saved us from an even grimmer scenario."

"Yeah," Evren replied guiltily. "My instincts were what made me investigate." He paused for a long moment, trying to decide what the right action was in this situation. Abe wasn't as fragile as his husband and might respond to the real reason Evren knew about Theo with reason. On the other hand, he might become furious and lash out even more, while also telling Roman and launching them all into a nightmare with the Maricourts. Would he want to know if Fiolett and the boys had placed themselves in danger with magic? He absolutely would, and besides, Abe was a reasonable man...right?

"Abe, there's something else," Evren began. "It wasn't just my intuition that warned me about Theo, he triggered a ward I'd placed on his dayplanner. He performed a spell I had left in case of an emergency."

Abe frowned, but nodded to show that he was following Evren's point.

"We've left a couple of spells for him to access," Abe replied. "Which was it? The 'find my keys' spell? "'Summon a sandwich?'"

Evren shook his head slowly, hoping that Abe would catch on before he had to say the words outloud. Abe saw his weary expression and his heart sank.

"Oh. Oh." He paused, suddenly unsure of what to think or feel. "When? Today? Were they together when you found them? This is what caused the problem today?"

Evren shook his head slowly.

"Not entirely. It was earlier this week that I was notified. It didn't directly cause this, Theo's inability to control himself and navigate his place in the magical world was the cause. You know we've told him a million times to be careful with his magic and stay away from casting blood magic with Adam. Well, this has kind of tipped that balance. Sex connects us to our partners, and opens up channels of magic both dark and light. Theo doesn't understand this. I don't know how to reach him Abe, he doesn't listen to a thing I say. Then situations like this happen, and I don't know how to help him if he won't listen."

"Yeah, he's been like that since the day he was born," Abe sighed. "I don't know which side of the family he gets it from. The Bellamys are stubborn, but my mom and Lucy might actually be worse." He paused. "Thank you for telling me this information, I appreciate how hard it must be to navigate our parenting situation."

"That's an understatement. I hoped that you could deal with this information with maturity and understanding."

"Roman can never know about this," Abe warned. "You cannot tell him under any circumstances. There's just too much hurt and trauma wrapped up in his brain and it-"

"I know how Roman is, Abe. Why do you think I'm coming to you about this?"

"And Adam's parents know about this?"

"Ewan does. He's not sure if Edana knowing about the indirect cause of what happened today would be a good idea. She can be...well, rather like Roman. She's already going to be on the warpath. It might be damaging to the stability of the coven if she finds out that Theo and her son were intimate and that's what caused the the state her son is in."

"So I should tell Roman then?" Abe asked wearily. "He's going to have a complete breakdown if he finds out about the boys from Edana."

"I'll speak again with Ewan," Evren promised, looking equally as worried. "As much as I hate the idea of a coverup, I worry about Roman's stability. He's always been opposed to having Theo attend boarding school and being exposed to the lack of boundaries there. He only agreed to send him if his education was able to protect him from himself, and now...."

"And now Theo's having sex and nearly killing other students because of it," Abe sighed. "All the money we spend to keep Theo here doesn't seem to be helping."

"Well, it is helping. Once we drained some of the demonic energy from him, Theo was able to pull himself together on his own. He's getting closer to being able to stop his episodes completely by himself. His time here is helping, Abe."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know. He's getting better but....Roman's going to want his son back in Arkhelios after this. I want him back in Arkhelios. We're missing so many of his milestones and seeing him on weekends isn't enough. He's fourteen and having life endangering sex for god's sake. If he's at home, this won't happen again. He can see Adam on weekends while we supervise. If Adam even wants to see him now. Fuck! How did this all get so out of control?"

Evren rested a hand on Abe's back and sighed deeply.

"We can fix this," Evren promised. "I really don't think that sending him to Arkhelios will help the situation. Theo is growing up and getting stronger. The coven in Arkhelios is a joke and I'd hardly recommend Wanda as a trained magical professional. He needs supervision, yes, but I don't know if there's anything there in Arkhelios that could prevent something like this from happening again."

"He'd be much farther from his boyfriend. That's a start," Abe replied bitterly. "Him returning to that school means that I have to lie to Roman. To say that I can trust that our son is safe there. That our son is going to be protected from his worst impulses. Would you lie to Adrian if Fiolett or the boys were in this scenario?"

"Yes," Evren said without hesitation. "Theo isn't just your son, Abe. He's a walking time bomb with powers no one can explain. I saw the magic he was casting earlier myself. If I hadn't seen it first hand, I'd never believe it. He is doing impossible things and he's only getting stronger. The Demonic Sovereign is watching him as well as my old, incredibly powerful friend. He's connected to the Maricourt family and knows their true name. Abe, Theo is not just your son and keeping him locked in his room at home isn't going to stop the inevitable. If I had to lie to Adrian to keep our children safe because he couldn't handle the truth, then I would. A million times over. A warlock has to trust his heart above all else, even if he's given that same heart to someone else."

"What are you saying exactly?"

Evren inhaled deeply and thought of how to answer that question.

"I'm saying that Theo's not going back to Arkhelios, Abe," he said finally. "He's an apprentice to the Pleasantview coven now and he's dangerous. Don't look at me like that. Take Theo home for now and I'll try to find out the next step from here. I have enough sway with the coven to fight on Theo's behalf, even against Edana. Just prepare Roman for a struggle. I have a feeling that the path forward may be a difficult one."

#arkhelios adventures #tw: Magical violence #arkhelios #sim: theo bellamy #abe chun #theo bellamy #evren thorne #ewan g maricourt #ewan macleod #remy maricourt #adam darktide

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"I'm so glad that you could meet with me today. I've been looking forward to getting to know you better."

Ewan G Maricourt calmly sat beside the son he had just recently been informed was his. Ewan MacLeod had reluctantly accepted a quick visit with his father, even though magic still made him uneasy. Magic appeared to be everything to his father, though, so a relationship with him likely meant a relationship with some degree of magic.

If a relationship was even what he wanted from his father. Most days, Ewan wasn't sure. His half-siblings looked happy enough with him in their lives, but they also were magic users. Ewan was decidedly not interested in magic, nor was he aware that he even had the potential to cast magic.

"You have plenty of potential if you did want to study here," Ewan Maricourt announced, like he'd been somehow reading his son's mind. "Your tuition could even be covered as my son. That is if your mother agrees. Have you had any discussions with her about our...connection? Truthfully, I don't remember much about her magical inclinations. Our relationship was brief."

Brief? The younger Ewan was surprised that his father could even remember his mother. From what she said, their "relationship" was nothing more than a few ill-advised hookups.

"I don't think she has any interest in magic. She always says that you can't trust a warlock. That his first allegiance is to himself and then his coven and then finally to those who love him. I don't think I can even do magic if she wanted me to."

"My own mothers were hard on me," Ewan Sr scoffed. "They pushed me to greatness because they knew that I had the potential. Both of my great-grandfathers were kings, and my- our lineage is filled with great warlocks and witches. We descend from the main Maricourt lineage. Not the 'preferred' lineage our queen comes from, but a powerful one nonetheless."

"So you're saying that I might be able to do magic like your kids because of my ancestors?"

"You are my kid," Ewan Sr corrected. "But yes, magical power is generally passed in the blood. It's what makes the study of blood magic dangerous. At the same time though, magic exists everywhere, in every person. If you can find a way to connect to magic on a personal level, anyone can perform it. Several students here come to us from non magical families. They can take what they've learned to those families and maybe help them find a connection of their own. We all have both life and death in us, we are all their subjects. Bloodlines do tend to foster greater magical strength, though; there is no denying that."

"Devard, I'm busy. Go hit on someone else, I have an exam to study for."

Remy pushed Devard Auvrey away from her, rejecting his advances. Devard respectfully backed off, but still voiced his objection.

"You said today you were free to hook up," he protested. "Emily's gone on a study assignment."

"Ew, are you still sleeping with her?" Remy scoffed. "She's boring. Plus, she's bad at magic. She's practically got my grade average, and I work very hard to score so low. Stupidity comes naturally to her."

"You sound jealous," Devard laughed, making Remy fume beside him. He had met Remy the first year of their studies, but she had only started giving him the time of day recently, presumably because she was trying to make her girlfriend jealous. He was the son of a famous actress and a descendant of the king of Crystal Cove, making him far better a catch than the daughter of a Strangetown cult reject and a man barely holding onto power. Remy never saw it like that, of course. In Remy's eyes, she was practically the equal of the queen of Pleasantview.

"I am not jealous of Emily," the witch fumed. "If I wasn't going to fail this exam, I would prove it to you. If I fail this exam, Dad might keep me back a year. Can you imagine the indignity of repeating a year while my siblings all make fun of me? Elowen would never let me live it down and Theo? He'd be insufferable."

"Maybe work less hard at keeping your grades low," Devard teased. "You're overachieving at being a failure."

"Yeah, yeah. I can't suddenly miraculously get better to pass just this exam without giving the game away. It's a balance of lies that sells it."

Evren stood at the door of the magical academy, trying to settle on an approach to take with his stepson. Parenting was a hard job, and parenting a young demon hybrid who was studying blood magic seemed to be nearly impossible. The problem with raising Theo with three non-magical parents was being the only parent who could understand his use of spells. There was one spell Theo had used recently that Evren didn't know how to react to.

For months now, Evren had been charming Theo's day planner and workbook with the basic spell for birth control. On top of that spell, he had placed a ward that would send him a signal when it had been cast. Well, the day had finally come and the ward had been triggered, warning him that his young stepson was sexually active.

Telling Theo's biological parents was out of the question. Roman might just die of fear and never leave his bed, while Abe might backslide in his parenting and scream at his son for making poor decisions.

Adrian usually sided with Roman, but was fiercely protective of Theo. If Evren knew his partner, Adrian would launch himself at the Darktides, using his own political power to undermine Edana's duke husband, while Edana presumably got Theo expelled from school. There wasn't a single scenario where Theo's parents reacted in a sane, rational or mature way.

Which meant that it was entirely up to Evren to be the mature, responsible parent. It also meant that Evren had to be the mature magic user where Theo's parents couldn't. He hadn't placed a ward on the spell for curiosity or to punish Theo. Theo would probably see it that way if he found out, but Evren had other motivations.

He told Theo every time they crossed paths at the school to be careful with his magic. The hybrid had already attached himself to a powerful family while also casting blood magic, unaware that that same attachment needed to be compensated for. Every teacher had been instructed by Evren to remind Theo of this fact, and to limit any blood magic homework that Theo would be tempted to finish with his boyfriend. As hard as Evren tried to show Theo where the acceptable limits for blood magic were, the more Theo seemed to ignore him. The boy was cocky and seemed to think he knew everything, just like any other teenager.

Blood magic was primal. It didn't limit itself to spells and wards. It was a consuming power that invaded the entirety of a warlock or demon's life. Ritual feasts, the act of killing or dying, and sex and childbirth all took a toll on the caster, feeding and growing their power without conscious thought. Evren was pretty sure Theo wasn't about to go on a murder spree or hold ritualized feasts, but sex was an entirely plausible thing to worry about and Evren knew better than to assume that Theo had taken this under consideration before jumping into bed with someone he was dangerously bonded to.

As soon as the ward had triggered, Evren had spent every moment he could get thinking about this problem and how to keep Theo safe without Roman either hospitalized or demanding Evren's head on a platter for keeping this fact to himself. His only help had been Adam's father, who had grasped the problem immediately and without causing a scene. Both men decided to test the connection between the two boys discreetly before moving forward. There was at least a chance that their sons were using magic responsibly and a test would prove it. Edana was also conveniently at a royal event in Twikkii Island with her husband, so if nothing happened, she would never know that a test had taken place. Ewan made sure that he would be close by in case something happened. His visit with his son had been strategically planned so he could keep a discreet eye on the demon hybrid.

"Evren! You're visiting today! Did you come with an assignment for me?"

Despina ran to Evren and engulfed him in a hug. Evren hugged her back, happy to see at least one teenager he didn't have to worry about.

"No assignments," Evren laughed. "Trust me, you'll get more than enough here without me adding more. It's great to see that you have a passion for magic; never lose that sense of wonderment and your homework will be the most interesting part of your life here."

"Can you point me in the direction of Theo?" he asked.

Despina pointed down the hall where the sound of Theo's laughter echoed off the walls. Evren sighed. Whatever he was doing, it certainly didn't sound like schoolwork. Maybe Evren didn't have to rush to assess the condition of Theo and Adam's connection if they were both goofing off instead of studying.

When Evren made it down the hall, he could see Adam hunched over a large crystal, furiously muttering commands that clearly weren't working. Theo had one hand holding his notebook, and the other watching something on his phone.

"Hi, Evren!"

Theo looked up from his "spellwork" to see his step-father watching him intently. In an instant, the phone vanished into Theo's pocket.

"Theo, Adam. How are you two?" Evren asked cautiously. He didn't want to interrupt them if they were in the middle of a spell. Considering that he was there to judge their bond in the first place, interrupting them might lead to an incident, and Evren very much wanted to avoid an incident if he could.

"Fine," Theo answered. "A bit cold, but I guess someone opened the main hall window or something. Why are you here? Is something happening?"

It was somewhat common to see Evren come and go at the school while he completed official coven business, but judging from the stern look on his face, he was here for another reason.

"I'm fine too," Adam added, jumping in before Evren could speak. "We were assigned this crystal as a class project, not that Theo's been much help. I've gotten it to glow, but it's supposed to release a special kind if energy under the right circumstance."

"Of course I've been helping," Theo snapped irritably. "It's just a dumb rock. It's never going to do anything other than glow."

Evren froze, looking at the large crystal that Adam was working with. The boy had an affinity for crystals and could likely extract the correct energy in an hour or two given the chance. He was truly talented.

But that was what was dangerous. Whoever had assigned Theo and Adam this project was either not paying attention or was purposely trying to trigger something dangerous. Once Adam extracted the energy from the stone, Theo's natural pull towards that energy could land them in serious trouble. It was a good thing that Evren had arrived when he did. It looked like the faculty at this school listened to Evren's warnings in the exact same way that Theo did.

"Hmm, what about a new approach?" Evren suggested, trying to suppress his worry, but seeing an opportunity. "Theo, why don't you summon some small amount of energy and then get Adam to amplify it with his own. Sometimes, adding existing energy to crystals can awaken the energy inside."

And it will be the perfect test to see how the two of you function together within the bond you share.

Nothing about this test was dangerous. It was a simple task that even child witches could perform. Master Ewan had given his consent for this test along with several others and would be able to back up Evren should anything go wrong.

"Alright, that makes sense."

Theo extended his arm, calling a small ball of energy into existence. Beside him, Adam left the crystal and cupped Theo's hand with his own.

Within seconds, the ball had doubled in size and intensity. Evren felt his body relax despite his worries. The two of them were perfectly balanced, each of them maintaining a harmonious pull on the energy at all times. There was very little left distinguishing Adam's energy from Theo's. The two were wrapped around the other's magic so completely, it was hard to imagine them eventually separating into two different people. They had been friends since the age of six, recent lovers and partners in their magical studies. They were inseparable, both physically and magically.

"Theo, it's starting to hurt," Adam muttered softly, hoping that Evren wouldn't hear. "Theo, let go."

Adam tried jerking his hand away from Theo's, but it wouldn't move. The light was intensifying, growing more and more powerful with every second. Theo didn't respond to him. He kept their hands locked together, unable to move.

"Theo, stop! You're hurting my hands!"

Adam shouted at his boyfriend, despite wanting to keep his failure to maintain the spell a secret. His hand was burning now, and pain inflamed the nerves that ran down his arm. He was on fire, burning from the inside out.

Beside him, Theo was pulled into his dark form, only adding to the power in the room.

Brilliant light engulfed the school, suffocating the land with an unnatural brightness that was only getting stronger.

Evren stared at the sparkling light filling the room with curiosity. He had read Theo's school file a long time ago, when he had started dating Adrian. Theo had been just as much Adrian's child as his own biological girls, and Adrian had made sure that Evren understood this fact before dating him. In order to understand how to guide Theo in his magical journey, Evren had memorized everything in that file. He understood the basics of Theo's abilities and tried his best to explain them to Roman, Abe and Adrian. He was often Theo's advocate when his parents didn't understand how the magical world functioned.

This light show had been one of the first expressions of Theo's abilities. Abe had described the magic to him exactly like this. This blinding light, the eerie glow that hung in the air was demonic magic in its purest form. He had read papers that suggested that this magic often appeared in infant demons because they were newly born and still had some magic of the Life deity left in them from birth. After they experienced the cold of the Void and fed on energy for the first time, they lost the ability to access this type of magic.

How the hell was Theo still accessing Life’s magic? Demons first began as fallen servants of Life, but most of them never retained any of its power, except maybe the smallest spell of an infant. Whatever this was, Evren had not expected anything like it. At most, he had figured that maybe he'd have to sit the two teens down and shout at them to be more careful with their magic now that sex was a factor changing their connection. This? Ewan was not going to be happy about this. Evren shuddered just thinking about trying to break this news to Roman.

Sorry, Roman. Your son is sleeping with his boyfriend and that's making his magic so unstable that he's apparently doing impossible magic. I'm the one who decided to test him without asking you first because I knew that you'd blow up or self-destruct if I did.

"Theo, stop! It's hurting me!" Adam shouted again, trying to pull his arms away from his boyfriend but failing.

"I don't know how to stop," Theo whimpered. "I can't move. I'm trying to let go, it's just-"

Adam screamed as bright lines ravaged his body, taking over the visible skin and raising long welts across his face. Theo could feel the pain Adam felt just as strongly as he knew that this was all his fault. He'd messed up again and now Adam was in danger, all because he had trusted Theo.

"Adam! I'm sorry, i don't know how to stop this," Theo sobbed. "Tell me how to stop this! Evren, help!"

The familiar crackle of the Void rang through the air, illuminating whatever it touched in violent pink light. An unbearable coldness whipped around the school windows, trying as hard as it could to unite with Theo and the energy he was unleashing.

Theo's eyes were wide and terrified as he watched Adam fall to his feet, still unable to separate his and Theo's hands, screaming in agony.

"Adam, I can't let go! Please help me," Theo pleaded desperately. Adam's eyes rolled back into his head as he lost consciousness, still clinging to Theo against his will.

Evren already had his wand out at the ready. There were spells to disarm situations like this, but with a bonded pair and demonic Life magic in the mix, it was imperative that he chose the right spell. The wrong spell might only make the situation worse.

"Evren!" Ewan was already drawing power to himself, his own wand glowing dangerously. "Demonic exorcism level one. Start it now! I'll protect my son while you disarm Theo."

Evren frowned, but raised his wand as instructed. Exorcism was reserved for full demons usually, but the power radiating from Theo certaintly felt like it was comparable to a full demon. Exorcism usually returned a demon to the Void without the energy to return though. The last thing Evren wanted to do was banish his stepson to a realm he wasn't fully able to function in. He could see Ewan's plan, though. A level one exorcism started with draining demonic energy to weaken the demon enough to banish it to the Void. Draining just enough demonic magic might weaken Theo's grip on Adam enough to separate them. It would also seal the creeping expansion of the Void. Exorcism wasn't the first choice Evren would have gone with, but it was a solid plan.

"Theo, close your eyes!"

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #adam darktide #evren thorne #remy maricourt #ewan g maricourt #despina darktide #ewan macleod

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

“How much longer do you think this will take? Does it take longer if you're pregnant?”

Theo stared at the pregnancy test on his lap expectantly, fearing the worst.

What had he done? He'd done everything his parents had told him not to. He'd slept with Adam and now he was going to be pregnant or die or lose Adam or any of the other horrible things his fathers had shouted at him. It hadn't felt wrong when they'd started, but now, surely the consequences would start rolling in. 

Adam for once in his life, looked calm and collected. Usually he'd be right there beside Theo having a breakdown, but today was different. Something had changed in him, like for once in his life, he was confident about his choices.

“It's going to be negative,” Adam predicted. “We used three types of birth control, Theo. I can do the birth control spell that your dad couldn't figure out. Hell, you can do it too! Everything's going to be okay. Do you regret it? Should we have waited?”

Theo frowned, but shook his head.

“No, I don't regret it. For the first time in my life, something makes sense. It-it's just my parents. What if they're right about sex? What if I've ruined my life like they said I would? What if- oh, it's ready.”

Theo took a deep breath and held it, hoping and praying that it would be negative.

“Congratulations, you're not pregnant,” Adam stated, like it was incredibly obvious that this would be the outcome all along. “Just like I told you it would be. Your parents aren't always right, you know. Even without the other birth control, you can cast spells like no one else, and I've already summoned the Maricourt wand because of you. We've got this. Trust me.”

Theo could hardly understand his boyfriend, as the floor was falling out from under him in a way he hadn't expected. He wasn't pregnant. Adam wasn't pregnant. He had had sex and he wasn't dying as a direct result. He didn't have to drop out of school like his father had. He had done the scariest thing he could think of, and he was absolutely fine.

“My parents were wrong,” he whispered with awe. “They're wrong. Oh my god, Adam, what else are they wrong about? We…we can do whatever we want and not worry about their predictions of death and destruction. We had sex and we're fine!”

“Well, maybe we shouldn't do everything they say not to,” Adam conceded, seeing the feral look of excitement on Theo's face. “But see? We're fine and you don't regret it, so everything is perfect.”

“You know, we could skip first period and do it again,” Theo said, wrapping his arms around Adam with a wicked grin. “I'd really like to do it again, how about you?”

Adam beamed with excitement and nodded.

“First period is boring anyway. There's nothing I want more than to lock the door and spend the morning with you.”

“Done.”

“Adam! Theo! You can't skip class to make out. You'd better be dying or Dad's going to be pissed.”

Remy snapped her fingers and the doorknob in front of her unlocked. It was such a rookie spell that it was hardly worth the effort it must have taken to cast it.

“Adam, I-oh!”

Remy stopped in her tracks once she'd seen what she'd walked in on. Adam really had skipped class to make out; she was impressed.

“Remy, get out! Theo and I are busy!”

"Yeah, we're not feeling well, so we decided to skip class to rest. Is that such a problem?"

Remy's eyes fell to the condoms and pack of birth control pills wedged on the floor under her brothers bed and nearly burst out laughing.

“Oh my god, my baby brother punched his v-card, I can't believe it! And with Theo, knowing how strict his parents are? This is amazing, Malika will never believe me.”

“Ew, if you could never say any of that again, that'd be great,” Adam replied, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “You're only older than me by two minutes anyway, and I know that you and Malika are sleeping together too. So I'd you tell our parents about us, I'll tell them about you.”

“Please, like they'd care,” Remy said, rolling her eyes. “You're so dramatic, Adam. First of all, Dad is in the middle of planning a royal wedding and Mom’s gone off the deep end and has been living in libraries for some reason. Ewan had to make dinner last week because she couldn't put some dusty old book down, so, no I don't think they care about what Malika and I get up to.”

She looked at the contented look on her brother's face, despite his aggression and had to smile despite herself. For the first time in their lives, Adam looked sure of himself about something. He really was serious about the little demon hybrid that caused so much drama in their lives. Theo was equally certain about this step in their relationship, nuzzling against her brother's neck in a way that made Remy want to be sick. God, those two were insufferable with how adorably they were staring at each other. It must have been some morning.

“You owe me one,” she decided. “I won't tell the Bellamys, but you owe me. You can tell Dad why you missed class yourself though. If you think with the head on your shoulders, you'd know that you screwed up. Amateurs. Better think something good up, he seemed pretty pissed.”

#sims 2 #arkhelios #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #adam darktide #arkhelios adventures #remy maricourt

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Edana, you've been through that book five times. It's not going to be any different the sixth time."

Ewan Maricourt watched his ex-wife speed through the ancient tome she'd discovered in the school library, like it held the answer to life in it. She was clearly desperate to learn something, but enough was enough. She had to at least move on to another book.

"Eden, stop."

Edana did stop at her brother's nickname for her, just as Ewan knew she would. It was the nuclear option and he was likely going to pay for it, but at least she'd stopped.

"Don't call me that," she snapped, returning to her book. "You're not allowed to call me that."

"There are other books in the library," Ewan said gently. "There are other books in the archives. I'll help you research, just tell me where to start. You know that I can help and I want to be there for you. Researching archaic papers was basically my last few years in school; I can do it in my sleep."

"Where do I find information about reapers?" Edana sighed. "There's only two books on the subject and neither of them are any use."

"You know where to find more, that should be obvious," Ewan pointed out, noticing how his ex avoided his gaze. "Hon, the Strangetown archives will-"

"I'm not your 'hon' anymore, Ewan!" Edana snapped. "Stop trying to get in my head. I'm not going into the archives. There's no way."

"All of Master Casper Maricourt's writings on reapers are in the restricted section of the Strangetown archives. I know you have access to them, I helped restrict them myself for the king. The king who adores you and would help you in an instant. I'll go with you if you want."

Edana froze, unable to think of an excuse that her ex-husband would believe. There wasn't any. He knew her too well.

"Charlotte's office burned to the ground, Edana. There's nothing left to walk by, no ghosts to stumble across. I can go with you."

"Remy, I-"

Adam froze at the door, mortified by what he was seeing. He'd only gone looking for his sister to ask for her copy of the notes from class this morning, but he could unsee what he'd seen.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't think you two would be making out in the common area," Adam said, averting his eyes as much as he could.

"God, Adam. Don't be such a prude. I'll sleep with who I want, where I want to. My friend is using the spare bed in my dorm room to sleep with her boyfriend now, so where else are we supposed to go?"

"Wait, you two are sleeping together?" Adam asked, trying to hide his shock as best as he could. "Are Theo and I the only people not having sex in this building?"

Remy shrugged, then resumed kissing Malika as if her brother wasn't there.

"Probably. Now if you don't mind leaving, things will be really weird if you stay."

Adam didn't have to be told twice. He immediately turned around in search of his boyfriend.

"So, you're saying that everyone is having sex here," Theo repeated, his eyes wide with surprise. "Everyone?"

"Apparently," Adam confirmed. "I was told 'it's boarding school, what else are we supposed to do?'"

This matched the many things Roman had said about boarding school over the years and why he had been hesitant to send his children away. Theo had thought it was just a rumour, but apparently he'd been wrong.

"Wow, that's...interesting," Theo said. What did this information mean? Was Adam just telling him this as some gossip, or did he have something else in mind?

The two teens stared at each other awkwardly, unsure of to say. Was this a turning point in their relationship or something that would be forgotten about tomorrow?

"S-should we have a discussion about what that means for us?" Theo said at last, hoping not to screw this up. "If everyone is doing it, then maybe...."

"Maybe we could do it too." Adam finished nervously. He played with the seam of his shirt nervously, hesitant to see Theo's response to the idea. "I mean, we don't have to, but it is an option. Did you think you want to? You don't have to want it of course."

"I...I think I would like to try it," Theo confessed. "I'm okay if you don't want to try it though."

"Yeah, same. I mean, I'd like to try it too. Do-do we have everything we need to do it though? Protection, I mean. They don't exactly hand out condoms here at school."

"Look under my mattress," Theo laughed. "I could probably open my own store with how many contraceptives I've been given. My parents leave a bag 'discreetly' on my dresser whenever they come, and Aunt Lucy's been sending me free samples of pills that I think she steals from the hospital when she has to visit a client? I don't know, I'm kinda afraid to ask her about that, but the point is, I think we're good. Plus, the spell for birth control keeps showing up at random on my day planner, so Evren must be trying to help. No one else can charm my schedule when I'm at home."

"So, I guess we should try it then," Adam said nervously. "Do...do we just go right now? That'd be weird, right? Do we just wait for the right moment to strike? I mean, Hayden has been gone for a while now, we might have our room empty if he doesn't come back tonight."

"So, you're thinking about tonight?" Theo gulped, trying to look sauve and not terrified. This was everything he wanted, but they'd been warned and shouted at for even thinking about it. This felt like they were stealing a car or something bad. Surely, if they tried, alarms or lights would go off, alerting the adults to their crime.

But Remy was getting away with it. Lots of people were getting away with it. If everyone else was getting away with it, then Theo wanted to too.

"I love when you spend the night," Remy sighed, holding Malika’s hand tightly. After nearly getting caught downstairs, the two had moved back upstairs and booted Remy's friend and her guest from the room. It had been worth all the trouble in the end.

"Have you, uh, been seeing many people?" Remy asked nervously. "I've seen a few, but none of them compares to you."

Malika smiled shyly.

"I bet you say that to all the girls," she laughed. "Like you, I've seen a couple of people. I've missed you the most though."

A knot twisted in Remy's stomach without her consent. She wanted to be cool and collected, impervious to emotions that couldn't help her, but she was only human. The thought of Malika adding her to a list of lovers and ranking them made her want to throw something, even if she was doing the same thing without trouble.

"Good," Remy decided. "At the end of the day, you're still my girlfriend, so I should rank highest."

"It's cute when you're jealous," Malika laughed, still holding Remy's hand.

Ewan cringed as the clear sight of his son being sexuallly inappropriate appeared through the window. Edana was fuming and refusing to face reality, while their son was outside, sticking his tongue down a demon's throat. He didn't have the time or energy to deal with his son, and it would be more trouble than it was worth to try to talk to the demon's parents about the issue.

Still, this behaviour could not be tolerated, especially from his son. With a quick wave of his hand, Ewan redirected the flow of the nearby fountain towards the boys, soaking them completely. An improvised cold shower would cool them off while Ewan took care of his ex-wife's anxieties.

The water had shocked the boys enough to scurry away from the sight of the head of the coven, but had also given them a reason to return to their room to change from their wet clothes into dry ones.

The two of them climbed onto Theo's bed, pushing aside his defensive magic homework as they did. The two wet teens held each other in silence for what felt like an eternity. Neither one of them knew exactly what to say to the other, afraid of saying the wrong thing and breaking the delicate spell they were unconsciously weaving together.

"So, I think I'm going to put my shirt in the laundry," Theo stammered, pulling away from his boyfriend to lift his wet shirt above his head.

"Y-Yeah, me too," Adam replied, copying Theo's movements. "My pants probably too. I'm pretty much soaked. It's pretty cold in here, I'm just going to get out of these wet clothes and climb under the blankets. No sense putting on pajamas, really. I mean, you can if you want, but...I don't want to pressure you or anything."

"No pressuring needed," Theo replied with a devious grin. "Skin to skin contact is the fastest way to heat up. It's scientific or something, so we'd just be following the recommended guidelines."

Theo discarded the rest of his clothes on the floor and climbed into Adam's bed. It was a little tight with the two of them, but neither boy seemed to mind.

"Are you sure?" Adam asked one last time, trying to ignore the sensation of Theo's skin pressed against his own. "We don't have to do anything tonight."

Thoughts of his parents flashed in Theo's head as he thought about how to answer his boyfriend. His parents had hit the roof when he snuck off with Medora, but they had also been supplying him with condoms like they were expecting him to use them. If they thought he was doing it anyway, what was the harm?

Theo thought about Adam and the way he made him feel. About how the world seemed brighter and safer with him around. About how quickly Adam ran to protect him, even if Theo could more than handle the situation. About how Adam was the one thing he could rely on to be in his future, no matter what. With Adam, Theo had changed his own true, magical name and whisked him unknowingly into a strange dreamscape. They'd done magic together that would be impossible alone and every time Theo closed his eyes, he could almost feel Adam's warming presence beside him. Adam was never truly far away from him. Joining him in bed would just be the natural progression of the story they were creating together. Theo's parents were frightening, but the warm feeling that spread through his chest when Adam looked at him couldn't be denied.

"I'm very sure," Theo decided. "More sure than I've ever been."

#sims 2 #arkhelios #sims spice #teen spice #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #adam maricourt #remy maricourt #malika vybirlbh #sim: malika vybirlbh #sim: edana darktide #edana darktide #ewan g maricourt #sims 2 pictures #arkhelios adventures