Strangetown: Chapter Nineteen - part one

[strangetomato]

 

Warnings: language, drug use (the aftereffects thereof)


Chapter Nineteen

Part One



Ripp Grunt was up with the birds. It was quite a rare occurrence, but he had his reasons.




He was cooking omelettes for breakfast, as a peace offering for his best friend, Johnny Smith.






Or, more accurately, he was trying to make omelettes.

He had never even attempted to make them before, and he really didn't know the first thing about cooking. He wasn't even aware of half the things that he was doing wrong. He had eggs, some vegetables to put in it, and a frying pan, so he figured that was about all there was to it.




It was just cooking, he figured. How hard could it possibly be? Ripp was sure that he could do it, if he gave it his best effort.




The results were, alas, very predictable.




"Oh shit - oh fuck..."




"Fuuuuhhhhkkkk..."




He fanned the smoke in a desperate attempt to keep the smoke alarm from going off. He didn't want to wake the whole house up. If Johnny woke up to that, it wouldn't be pleasant at all.




Ripp sighed. Johnny was right about him. He was completely hopeless. He'd never be able to survive on his own.

"What is that terrible smell?"

Johnny's acute sense of smell had alerted him to the smoke in the kitchen from upstairs, and he had come down from Ophelia's room to make sure the kitchen wasn't on fire.




Once he saw that it was Ripp, Johnny said nothing more. He'd been giving Ripp the silent treatment ever since the dinner at his parent's house, much to Ripp's dismay. Ripp looked at him, sheepishly. Johnny just glared back at him, and Ripp's heart sank.

There was nothing more unnatural and upsetting to Ripp than a silent Johnny Smith.




Finally, after surveying the damage, Johnny couldn't help but open his mouth. "What the hell are you doing in here?"

"I... made you breakfast."

"This is supposed to be edible?" He looked at the tragic mess in disgust.

"It's an omelette. It's supposed to be an omelette."




"Ripp, I don't even like eggs. You're always confusing me with yourself! How many times do I have to tell you? I can't eat them! I hate them - really, really hate them - and my body can't even digest them!" Johnny didn't expect Ripp to pick up on, or even care about, the finer details of vegetarian cooking, but he might have noticed that much by now. Was he really that stupid?

Ripp took the fact that he had spoken at all as a good sign, and pressed forward. "Johnny, about the other night..."

Johnny said nothing, and just walked away.




"Johnny..."




"Johnny, I'm sorry! Please speak to me."

Johnny went into his room and slammed the door.

Crestfallen, Ripp figured that he may as well attempt to eat the massacred omelettes.




They were completely disgusting, and somehow simultaneously raw and burnt. If that was even possible.




"Is someone burning garbage in here?" Ophelia asked, as she entered the room. Ripp watched her nimbly descend the staircase. Her footsteps didn't even make a sound as she moved. So different from him and Johnny. When she noticed him sitting there, she gave him a pitying smile.

"Oh, Ripp. You probably shouldn't eat that."




"Is Johnny ever going to forgive me, Phi?" he asked, with a sigh.

"You know he will, Ripp. He just needs some time."

Ripp knew that, but time was his enemy. It was at a standstill. The thought of having to endure Johnny's silent treatment much longer was unbearable.




"And you have to admit that it was a pretty bad idea, Ripp." Ophelia said.

"A bad idea?!" He cried. "It wasn't a fucking IDEA, Phi! I didn't plan it out like that. I didn't go in there planning to fucking maul Jill Smith on the balcony!"

He really hadn't planned it. That didn't mean that he hadn't jumped at the chance. How could he help himself?




Jill was a beautiful girl, and a really clever and feisty girl too, and she had obviously wanted him to kiss her. She wanted him. She adored him. How could he say no to that?




And she had all but melted right there in his arms.

Ripp knew that he wasn't going to save himself with any of that logic. He had to plead guilty and hope that Johnny would pardon him. But was he really sorry, or just sorry that he had been caught?




Maybe it was for the best that Johnny had put an end to it when he did. What Jill had said about always wanting him, and waiting for that day to come, had frightened him. He didn't want that. He couldn't give her that. It's not like he wanted to break her heart, as he surely would eventually. Jill didn't understand that.

How could she understand?




"God, I'm such a fucking idiot!" He moaned. "I'm the biggest fucking moron on the face of the planet."




"Well, what's done is done, Ripp." She shrugged. "It was a pretty shitty thing to do, but I'm sure Johnny will get over it eventually."

"Eventually?! I can't wait for eventually!" He cried. "It's only been one day and I'm already a fucking wreck. I can't live like this!"

Ophelia sighed.




Ripp wandered over to his guitar and picked it up.

"Ripp, do you really think it's a good idea to play that right now?" Ophelia asked.




"I have to get some practice in, Phi! What the fuck am I supposed to do?! If I don't figure out a solo for this new song, Jaxy is going to have my nuts cooked up in a fucking casserole!"




Ophelia sighed. Did Ripp ever think about anything besides his nuts? And would she ever have a conversation with him that didn't involve them in some way?

"Well, you know how much Johnny loves listening to the same sequence of chords over and over again, Ripp. Especially when you use the distortion pedal..."




"Yeah, I know. And this one is really fucking bad too. Well, good, I mean, really, but not for Johnny... Fuck!"

Ripp contemplated which of his enraged friends would be easier to deal with. Obviously, Jaxy would kick his ass, but she was generally over it after a minute or two. Johnny could stew in his own anger for days. He had to be on his best behaviour, so no guitar.

"Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck-fuck..."




"Maybe try swearing a bit more too, Ripp..." Phi laughed.

"Am I swearing? I didn't fucking notice."




Ophelia gave him a look that just said everything. That he'd better behave himself, that he knew exactly what he should and shouldn't do around Johnny, that he was an idiot, but she loved him anyway. For some incomprehensible reason.




"I need to go, then, I guess." He said, though he made no move to go get dressed. "I really am seriously fucked if I'm not ready for that gig on the weekend."

"Is that the one over at the sorority house?" She asked. Ripp had mentioned it before.




"Yeah..." He said. "We're playing at the bar before then too, but Jax doesn't give a shit about that, just the party. And Jaxy wants to really fucking rock their socks off, and maybe a few other articles of clothing too. She will murder me if we don't totally fucking impress those 'dumb sorority sluts'." He was quick to add, "Her words, not mine."




Ophelia would have assumed that anyway. Ripp didn't exactly view the general sluttiness of the girls in the sorority as a bad thing.

"Jax is making it sound like some kind of fucking mission to bring cool to the clueless masses, but really it's because her ex-girlfriend is in the sorority."

"I thought she hadn't really dated anyone seriously before Zoe."

"No... aparently you're not a real lesbian unless you have at least one ex-girlfriend to haunt you for the rest of your fucking life." He sighed and shrugged dramatically for added effect. "Girls, right? Jaxy says she doesn't care, but I can see through it." He plopped himself down next to Ophelia.




"So who's the lucky girl?" She asked, with a chuckle. "Not that I'd know her, but well, I know some of the sorority girls to see them, anyway."

"D.J. Verse." He said. "You'd know her, right? She spins records in clubs all over the city." He said it as if Ophelia actually spent some time at nightclubs.

"Oooh. Another musician, too?"

"Well, Jaxy doesn't consider that real music. Dance music doesn't even fucking exist in her universe. God, I hope I don't have to try to break up a cat fight at this gig." Ripp was talking out of his ass, since he would be afraid that he'd get beaten up if he did that.

"I shouldn't even say cat fight, because that totally fucking downplays how much of a bloodbath it would be. Jaxy doesn't do the typical girl fighting where they just pull each other's hair and rip each other's shirts off. That's more like her idea of foreplay. I'd hate to see her in a real fight." Ripp chuckled a little bit.




"And that's not even factoring in all the other sorority girls. Between all four of us, I think that we've probably fucking messed around with every single one of them, one way or another. Well, except that nice little home-schooled girl who's been engaged to the same guy since she hit puberty. Nobody sleeps with her."

Ophelia looked at Ripp. She was willing to bet that he had at least tried.

"So, why even play the sorority, then? Besides the ex-girlfriend thing?"

"Well, mostly it's for exposure. It's going to be a huge party. They always do a big one every year. Also, it directs Gunnar's attention towards dragging someone off and away from drinking... he's less likely to get so fucked up that he gets sloppy... though somehow that man can still rock a kit better than most, even when he's completely hammered. If he wasn't such an excellent drummer, I'm sure that Jax would have given him the fucking boot ages ago. And Jax wanted to play the sorority because Zoe's been on a bit of an open relationship kick lately... and she's way more into the idea of bringing a guy into the mix, so Jaxy's obviously trying to avoid that."




"Does she really think that that's a good idea?"

"Well, Jax thinks it's a fucking terrible idea. She's a lot more monogamous than Zoe is, and she thinks that they have a pretty fucking good thing going, but Zoe isn't ready to be settled down that much yet... understandably. She does prefer Jaxy, I think, but she still wants to see other people. That would be enough of an issue, but Jaxy is really fucking unimpressed that most of these other people tend to be men."

"That just sounds like trouble waiting to happen." Ripp looked at Ophelia with wonder. How was it that she could be so calm and always right?

"You're probably right. This is why I have absolutely no fucking interest in dating anyone. It seems like just one awful mess after another."




"It's not so bad." Ophelia said. "You always have someone there for you when you need them."

"I already have that." He said. "They're called friends."

"Yes, that's true." She smiled. "You do always have us. But it's nice when you have someone that can be both, like Johnny is for me." Ripp seemed to be thinking that concept over, and Ophelia continued.

"Now be quiet for a minute, so I can hear the weather report, okay?" She smiled. As interesting as all the outrageous band gossip was, she was hoping to find out if they would be getting that torrential downpour that had been predicted all week, but had yet to arrive.

"I won't say another word, Phi."




They heard Johnny's bedroom door open and he wandered into the room. "Talking about me?" He asked.

"Only good things, Johnny." Ophelia smiled. "Don't worry."

He smiled back at her, ignoring the fact that Ripp was staring at him like an obsequent puppy. "Did you still want to go to the library with me later today, Phi?"




"Yeah, I think so, Johnny. After I get ready and do a few things around here first."

"Okay, good. I did have some work to do before I'll be ready to leave too." Johnny didn't look over, but he could tell that Ripp was still staring at him, hopefully. He sighed. Had he tortured him enough yet?

"And Ripp.." He added, after a pause. "We have a scene study to prepare for Monday, remember? Are you free to work on it later today?"

Ripp nearly jumped out of his skin and onto Johnny.




"You're talking to me! You forgive me?!"




"I wouldn't go that far, Ripp. I'm still pretty mad at you."

"But you forgive me..."




Johnny sighed. "I don't know."

"I said I was sorry, John." Ripp pleaded. "Look, you know I'm an idiot..."




"I know it was a stupid thing to do, and I'm really sorry. I just wasn't thinking clearly, John. I wasn't thinking at all. I know I shouldn't have."




"Yeah..."

If Johnny didn't know what Ripp was like, he probably didn't know anyone all that well.

"Yeah... see? It was just me being a dumb fuck up! I didn't mean for anything bad to happen - you know that - and I'm sorry."




"You can forgive me, right, Johnny? I know you can."

"Well, Ripp..."

"What do you want me to do? I can make it up to you..."




"Come on, Johnny."




"See? You're not mad at me anymore, are you?"




"Okay, yes, I forgive you. Of course I do. I just wanted you to realize how serious this was."

"I learned my lesson, Johnny. And really, if there is anything I can do -"




"Just clean the kitchen, please!" He roared. "It looks like you went out of your way to rub food all over every surface in there. We'll probably all be at risk of dying from salmonella poisoning if we touch anything. Did you even wash your hands?! I'll bet you didn't... just clean up that disaster, okay, Ripp? Then we'll be even."




"Consider it done, Mr. Smith." Ripp punched Johnny playfully in the arm.

"Yeah... done in two hours time, and only half done at that. Half done, and done badly." He punched him back.




"Hey! I can clean it as well as you can." Ripp protested.

"Like hell you can." Johnny laughed. "Your idea of cleaning dishes is just running them under hot water and leaving them to dry on an old damp dish towel. I've told you a million times - use dish detergent! And a dish cloth! Rub the dirt off - with your actual hand, Ripp! And use the drying rack! How hard can it be?!"

"I do that! I fucking do that all the time!"

"Yeah, right!" Johnny nailed Ripp in the arm with all of his strength.




"Owww, Johnny! Fuck! Not so hard!"

"Oh, you can dish it out, but you can't take it."

"I was just fucking around. You're actually hitting me!"

"Big macho Grunt man, my ass. When you fell out of the pansy tree, you hit every branch on the way down, Ripp."

"Guys!" Ophelia scolded. "Listen! I'm trying to hear the news." She was happy to see that they were speaking to each other again, but the silence had been a welcome novelty in many ways.




"Oh my god..."

Ophelia's attention was suddenly grabbed by a news report about Strangetown.

"The tragedy occurred at 1 Tesla Court, at around 10:00 pm..."




"What is it?" Johnny asked.

"There was a fire at the Beaker mansion last night." Ophelia exclaimed.

"That's just up the road from my house." Ripp said. He wondered if maybe him and his brothers had decided to torch their home the other night, afterall. Would the fire have burned that long?




"The fire took the life of local scientist, Loki Beaker."

"Loki Beaker is dead?!" Johnny asked in disbelief. "Wow. That's crazy!"

"Well, it's not like it's such a big loss, is it? The Beakers were a bunch of fucking creeps."

"Well, yeah, Ripp. They were nasty - I'm pretty sure that Loki wanted my uncle Pascal dead, but still... that's so random."




"It's a pretty simple case of a kitchen fire." Said the police officer on the screen. "Your viewers at home should take this as a lesson."

"Well, clearly, I've been fucking told." Ripp said. "I was obviously putting our lives at risk over a bunch of fucking useless omelettes."

Ophelia felt a familiar creeping sensation pass over her body, as she recognized something familiar in one of the shots. That material. On the ground. She had been having a bad feeling, but that solidified it. Whatever had happened at the Beaker mansion had involved her Aunt Olive.






"Oh dear god..." Lola said. "That can't be real."

The program that they had been watched had been interrupted by a special news report.




"Fire consumed a Strangetown home last night, located at 1 Tesla Court."




"What the -"

"I can't believe it."




"That place..." Kristen said. "It's that place where I was attacked."

"Yes, Kristen. It is."

"I hope that nobody else was hurt."




"Looks like the Beakers got what was coming to them, afterall." Chloe said. "After all the trouble they've caused -"

"What's all the commotion? I'm trying to take a nap in here!" Erin stormed into the room.




"Erin..." Chloe began.

"Erin! It's nothing - just go back to your nap!" Lola tried to direct her attention away from the screen, but it was too late.




"What's THAT?!"

"It's nothing - nothing!"




"That's my home!"

"The fire took the life of Strangetown scientist, Loki Beaker, and..."




Erin didn't hear the rest.

"The lone survivor is Circe Beaker, beloved wife of the late scientist...'




Lola finally clued into a missing piece of the puzzle.

There was no mention of Nervous Subject at all in this news report. Not one trace.

"They didn't mention the boy."




"No, they didn't. What does that mean?"

"Well, what if -"




"Oh my god, Chloe!" Lola cried.

"Pascal!"




"Uncle Vidcund!" Mint yelled. "What's wrong with DADDY?!"

Vidcund had rushed into the room to see what the commotion was all about and found Pascal breaking down in front of the television.

"There's something WRONG with him!" She wailed. "Why is he crying?! Daddies don't CRY! Do something, Uncle Viddy!" Mint broke into tears herself. The realization that her father could cry was too much for her. If he could cry, then how could he keep her from crying?




Vidcund rushed to her side. In the background he could hear the details of the news report, and quickly realized what had happened.

"They... they didn't say..." Pascal stuttered through tears.

"It's okay, Mint. It's okay." Vidcund comforted the crying child.

"They didn't even mention his NAME! It's like he never even existed!" He wailed. "He's gone! He's... he's dead!"






Pascal choked and sobbed and was unable to say anything more.

Vidcund knew that his brother could only be talking about Nervous Subject. There was no doubt about that.

"Dead?!" Mint cried. "Who's dead? How can anyone be DEAD?"




"Mint, it's okay. Nobody is dead." Nobody that she would know, anyway, he thought, and that was the same thing to a child.

"But Daddy said..."

"It's okay. He's just upset. He didn't mean it."

"Is he going to stop being upset?"




"Yes, he'll stop. He's okay. He'll stop crying when he feels better, just like you will..."

"I want him to stop NOW!"

"Mint, It's okay." Vidcund continued. "Daddy will be okay -" Vidcund had noticed that his brother had, in fact, stopped crying. Very suddenly.




"Oh dear god."




"DADDY!" Mint wailed.

"It's okay - it's okay! He's okay, Mint! He's okay!" Vidcund pulled Pascal out from under the desk where he had collapsed.




He'd be okay. Vidcund thought it over. Yes, Pascal would be okay. Eventually. But for now...

This was bad. Vidcund knew how much Pascal had invested into his mission to rescue Nervous Subject, only to have this happen. Pascal never lost it like this. He was a calm and rational man. Vidcund could count the number of times that he had seen his brother cry on one hand, and they were all when he was still a child. He had been trying to convince Mint that everything was okay, when really, he didn't believe that at all. This was bad. Very, very bad.

Also, he was almost embarrassed to even think it, but he was extremely relieved to hear that Circe had survived the fire. What a pathetic thing to feel. As if the woman that had survived the fire and the girl that he had once known were even the same person anymore. But he had loved that girl, and he mourned her loss to that very day.

But the Circe that he had known had already gone up in flames years ago.




Circe stood in her empty parlour, rubbing her aching back.

"Well, that takes care of that." General Leong said, as he entered Circe's hallway. "They've bought the story, and have agreed to let us do any further investigation into the matter. There were some suspicions, but we were able to convince them that it is a matter for us to deal with.




"Once we pointed out the wreck in the crater over there, it was easy."

"Yes, it has been useful in a number of ways, hasn't it?"




"By the way, congratulations on your recent promotion, General Leong." Circe purred.

"Thank you, Ms. Beaker. We've been progressing very well with our project, in no small part to your help."




"That's good to hear." She knew that Loki would have been happy to hear that, and this brought her some comfort.

"And we're going to make sure that this is all covered up nicely. We've already found a suitable place for your relocation. You will be moving, I assume."




"Yes, I'm going to let someone else inherit this place." And everything in it, she thought.

"We will speak again, Ms. Beaker, once we have completed the prototype of our new weapon. You'll be useful for testing it... with your connections."

"Yes. And that won't be a problem at all. I'll take great pleasure in doing my part to help you."




After he left, Circe began to contemplate her next move. There was the physical move to consider before anything else. She couldn't stay there. Not now. Every inch of every surface reminded her of Loki, and she wouldn't be able to bear it.

There were also those creatures to consider. She couldn't look at them for another minute. They unnerved her. They frightened her.




They were too much like him. Too much like Nervous. That awful, terrifying boy.

The military had lined up a new home for her, and she was eager to move on, but there was still the matter of finding a new caretaker for the mansion. And the current residents of the mansion too. Circe needed someone guilible enough to sign themselves over to secrecy. Someone willing to inherit the mansion and all the trouble that came with it.

She had just the person.




Erin Beaker's lifelong wish to inherit the Beaker fortune was about to come true.




In the house that they shared, Tank Grunt was working on an assignment, while Frances J. Worthington III was playing piano in the background.




It was a soothing sound, and Tank quite liked it, even though he had no idea what Frances was playing. It was familiar to him now through the repetition of it. He briefly considered that he should ask Frances what it was called, but then decided against it.




Frances didn't even seem to be thinking about the piano as he played. He often closed his eyes anyway, and let his fingers dance across the keys on their own. Tank couldn't imagine having the kind of fine motor skills required to do that, though he supposed he did use his own hands to do military operations that required detail, but that was hardly the same.

His hands could never be that nimble or graceful.




The assignment was going nowhere. Tank had no motivation to finish it. It was how he felt about everything those days, and he couldn't shake it. What could he do?




He thought he might just toss it aside again and then maybe head over to the campus gym and beat a punching bag for a while. He could pretend that it was Johnny Smith. That might help. Punching that stupid green asshole in the face a few times would solve all of his problems, or at least allow him to forget them for a minute.




Tank stood up from the table.




"I'm sorry, Tank. Am I bothering you?" Frances also rose from the piano.

"No, it's okay, Worthington. I just can't get into it. It's not your fault."




"Tough assignment?"

"Well... no. Not really."

Frances looked at Tank, but ventured no further. He just looked at him with that face. That expression. Waiting. He was always just waiting.

Tank took a deep breath.




"It's just..." Frances looked on, expectantly, but didn't dare to breathe.

"It's just that none of this seems to matter anymore."

There it was. Tank had admitted something to Frances. He had opened up, even if just a tiny bit.

"Do you still want to do that program? I've been considering a change of major, myself..."

"No, it's not that."




"I just... I used to have a reason to do this. Or, at least, something more concrete than I do now. I was doing it for someone else, you know."

"Yes, I understand."

"With Dad... gone... I'm just doing it for myself." He paused. "I don't feel comfortable about that." Frances said nothing, and eventually Tank continued.

"It's just that... with all of Dad's expectations, I had a definite goal in life, and someone to let me know that I was succeeding at it. Without Dad there to see it, what purpose is there to doing any of this?"




"Is it really what you want to do, Tank?"

Frances looked directly into his eyes. He had the palest, saddest eyes that Tank had ever seen. They made him seem like he was about to cry, even when he was smiling. They were the same grey colour that his father's eyes had been. You didn't see it very often.

He considered Frances' question. He'd asked himself that very thing numerous times since his father had disappeared. Did he really want to do this anymore? It was hard. He couldn't help but be painfully reminded of his father every step of the way, but in many ways, it helped him feel close to him, even now.

"Yes, I think so. I've never had to really think about it before, but I do. I'm good at it, you know? It's what I was born to do, I suppose..." He sighed. "I just feel strange having to do it only for myself now."






Frances reached over and placed his hand on Tank's arm. Tank flinched momentarily at this unexpected touch.

"It's okay, Tank. There's nothing wrong with living for yourself."




"You don't have to feel guilty about it." He said.

"Plenty of people live their lives with nothing but their own interests in mind, and I'm sure that you're much better than that. You think about your family, and you think about the right thing to do. It's not selfish at all. Sometimes we have no choice but to live life for ourselves... if we don't have anyone else to support our decisions."

He said the last part as much to himself as to Tank. Did he have the nerve to take his own advice? He really wasn't sure. If he did live life for himself, really truly for himself, he would be doing so without any support at all. Especially not financial support.




"Thank you, Frances." Tank said. "That makes me feel a bit better."

"You shouldn't worry so much, Tank. The world won't end if that assignment doesn't get passed in." Again, Frances gave advice that he'd have trouble taking himself, but it seemed to help. Then he left the room and went upstairs, leaving Tank standing there to consider the situation.

He had been right. Tank hadn't wanted to believe it, but Frances had been right all along. It had helped Tank to talk about how he felt with him.




That didn't begin to solve his problem with motivation, but he didn't feel quite as frustrated anymore. The rage had died down too, and he no longer even thought about Johnny and how much he wanted kick the crap out of him. It's not like he could, anyway, now that he had started building bridges with Ripp. It would be so easy to fuck that up again. Tank needed to shift the focus away from a "Tank vs. us" mindset.




Would it be so impossible for them to be his friends? Why did he always manage to do the wrong thing? Johnny and Ophelia had good reason to hate him for what he did to Ripp. Anyone who cared about someone at all would go on the attack over something like that. And they obviously cared about Ripp much more than was even typical of most friends. Tank couldn't understand it. What was Ripp's secret? What did Ripp have to offer in return for such loyalty, anyway?

Tank had always thought that he should be the one with friends, being the one who had his shit together. Ripp just stumbled his way through life with no direction. Johnny and Ophelia probably had to do nearly everything for him. What did they get out of it, exactly? Well, Tank was tired of wondering about it. He would have to go out of his way to find out, or else stop trying to figure it out altogether. Maybe he had never made a real effort to understand Ripp. Or even Buck, for that matter. He just wrote them off as lost causes, just like his father had.

He wasn't going to do that anymore.






"Now I'm older, I'm getting so much bolder, with my head up high..."

"Ripp, can I have a hand with this?" Ophelia was trying to make her bed. "Seeing as how you're here anyway..."

He danced his way over to her, singing as he went.

"You know, they says the answer was to become a dancer. Hold your head high, boy."




"How's this?" He danced up to her until she was all but forced to join in. She laughed, which only encouraged him more. "It's helping, I can tell..." He grinned. "It's totally fucking helping."

"No, really, Ripp... help me make this bed, please."




"Ugh. Really?" He whined. "Okay... I guess..." He thought it was bad enough that he had to make his own bed on occasion. Very infrequent occasions.




"It's a lot easier with two people, Ripp. Now grab the sheets on that side." He dragged his feet to the other side of the bed.






"See, it wasn't that hard, was it?"

"No, I guess not..." He looked up and noticed an odd look on her face. Odd, yet familiar. It was a look that he would have liked to be able to erase from her facial vocabulary altogether.

"What's wrong, Phi?" He asked.




"It's that news report about the fire..." She said, quietly.

"Yeah, what about it?"




"I think this might have had something to do with Olive, Ripp."

"Really?"

"Yes, I think so. I have a really bad feeling about it."

"A bad feeling about what?" Johnny had entered the room.




"I think that Olive might have had something to do with the fire at the Beaker place, Johnny."

"Really?!" He sounded doubtful, but he quickly accepted her word. "Do you think that she was somehow responsible for it?"

"Well, maybe. I'm not sure, but she has to be connected to it somehow. I recognized something in one of the shots on the news."




"It was a material. Some type of plant matter. Wood chips or petals or something..." She looked over at Ripp. "Ripp knows. He saw that stuff at our place too. Didn't you, Ripp?"

"Yeah. There were a lot of really fucking weird things around that place. I'm sure you remember it too, Johnny."

"Yeah. I do remember. But what, then?" Johnny asked. "What's the point in worrying about it now?"

"I want to go over there to check things out."

"What?!" Johnny and Ripp said it at almost the same time. This was the woman that Ophelia had suspected of trying to kill her, as she had told them both. Neither of them was eager for Ophelia to be back in that environment. Or in any sort of danger. "That's way too dangerous, Phi." Johnny said.

"I know it will be dangerous." She said. "But I have to go. Something tells me that it's important."




"Well, you won't be alone." Johnny said.

"You want to come with me?" She asked. "You don't have to -"

"It's not a question." Johnny exclaimed. "We're not about to let you go there alone, Phi!"

"Fuckin' right, we're not!" Ripp was quick to add.




Ophelia smiled and looked at them both.

Her boys. How wonderful they were. They would sign up to go into the depths of hell with her, if she had some reason to be going there. It didn't even have to be a very good reason, she was sure. She knew that she would never find two people that could care for her more than they did, not even if she searched for ten lifetimes.

"Thank you." She said, softly. Johnny's lips were stretched thin in a tight green smile.

"I'll call a cab." Ripp said. "Johnny, you go get your ass-kicking shoes on."




Nervous Subject was lying on the ground outside of the Specter estate.




He had slept for a good portion of the day, and had then woken to find himself shaking and sweating.




His attempts to remedy the situation had failed him, and he now found himself lying on the ground, having numerous visions.

They were the same visions that he always had at night, except now they were all replaying, and interacting with each other, in broad daylight.










They were walking among him.








(Continue to Chapter 19 (part 2)...)

---

Notes: Again, this had to be broken into two parts, due to length. Since it all takes place in one day, and does tie together, I kept it as one chapter. I really wanted to post this yesterday, but it wasn't ready. Sometimes you just need a little time to let it sit before you can send it out into the world.

Since it isn't mentioned anywhere, the song that Ripp is dancing to is another Velvet Underground song, Head Held High. Great song. I'm on a bit of a Velvet Underground and Lou Reed kick here, I know, but I can't help it. You'll notice they usually come in a certain context. Perhaps Ophelia has a lot of their albums, or something.




 

Comments

Awesome

[abbycat900.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I loved it ; ) I can't wait for the next part!

Re: Awesome

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thanks! You're new, right? I don't believe I've seen your name before. Thanks for reading! I hope to get the next part up in the next couple of days, if all goes well.

[madame-ugly.livejournal.com]

I see you got the snapdragons, huh? Pretty sweet item, too. Did you get any to backfire? (I'm working on that myself, for Peculiar--CRAP, Pascal just went perma-plat and he's the only one really making flowers--guess I'll have to cheat a badge onto someone else).

But anyway. . .

What are you doing to me, huh? Making my sweet Pascal CRY! Come here, Pascal. *pats Pascal's shoulder* Tell Madame all about it. I got verklempt seeing my dear boy so upset.

*clears throat* RUN, Vidcund, RUN!

And the child consolable cry is so effing cute. I've yet to be able to use it, but look forward to it.

I love the government conspiracy undertone with Circe. Will that be developed further (I'm a huge conspiracy nut--as will be evidenced in upcoming Peculiar offerings)?

I've been waiting for this all day. Yes, I was very non-productive at work. I also want to compliment your pictures. The one with the snapdragon "floaters" was especially lovely. Do you use a cheat/hack to get the conversation bubbles out (I think you can make that happen, along with the +/-'s)? (oh and "is someone burning garbage?" made me snort)

Ooh, don't let my sweet Pascal hanging any longer, you cruel cruel creatrix. *sits Pascal on knee and offers him candy* I'll be ok, baby.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

The snapdragons are sweet. I'm not sure exactly what they will be in the story, besides their obvious symbolic uses. They may just be what they are, I suppose... a healing plant. I tried to make an evil one, but it didn't work. Ophelia is just too nice to make one. Even with a low aspiration. I'll keep trying.

Pascal is so sad looking when he cries. His big, thick eyelashes all aflutter. You knew he'd have to react like that, didn't you? The poor thing really cares about Nervous, and he's sure to be feel guilty now too. He's in a bad way. But maybe, just maybe... he might learn of his survival somehow? (Hint: play six degrees of separation... you don't even need six degrees. Only four.)

Ahhh, but can Vidcund hear you out here? We'll see how wise he really is.

My favourite part about the child consolable cry is how they shush them and make the hand motion for it. It seems like there are slightly different animations for the different age groups.

It does seem as if the Beakers did something to serve the military in some way, doesn't it? But what was it... Hmmm. There is definitely some significance to that, and it will come up again later on, but probably not for a while. The cloning and Nervous Subject were hardly the only questionable activities of the Beakers. Makes you wonder a little about the General too, doesn't it? Conspiracies are fun! And it's Strangetown, so y'know there are bound to be some.

I'm glad to hear that you were looking forward to it. I had a pretty dull work day too, and I was wishing that I had been able to post this yesterday, so I could occupy myself with checking the comments here and there, but no - I had to wait all day too.

I liked that pic with the "floaters". It was totally random, but it really couldn't have happened at a better time. Everyone is all abloom.

I don't have a hack to get rid of the bubbles and stuff, but there is definitely a cheat for that, right? I should look into it. I often use other interactions for some of the talking, and just wait for the +/- to disappear, or just angle the camera to avoid it. I don't totally mind if a little bit of it gets in the shot anyway. Sometimes it's nice to be reminded of the game details like that, and I refer to some aspects of it at times. It's nice to pick and choose, though.

Burning garbage. *snicker* Really nice. Way to cook, Ripp!

Oh, you know that I'm not going to do that! *grin* I won't leave him hanging too long. Don't you think that Nervous is going to need some help, and soon?

[80sfiend.livejournal.com]

Awesome as usual. :D I always stop everything to read your updates. :D

Loved Ripp dealing with his feelings about Jill. I knew he was freaked out over her intense feelings for him. I'm still hoping his attraction to her makes it impossible to stay away from her though. :D You're doing such a great job with them and I can't squee enough. ;) They just have so much potential for angst/drama and it's awesome that you're so great at it. :) I still have to make that Jill/Ripp icon. :D

Loved the upcoming sorority party thing, that's going to be interesting!! I love how you set up those events for us to look forward to reading, it's really great. I think some interesting stuff will go down there... :D

I'm glad Johnny has forgiven Ripp, the trio is always more fun when they're all together.:D I'm looking forward to the trip to the mansion!

Speaking of the mansion, poor Nervous...he's really not doing so great...I hope Pascal will try to find him or he'll find Pascal...? :)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thank you. So nice to hear that. ^_^ Hopefully, it was worth it.

You know that Ripp would be put off by Jill seeming to lay some type of claim on him, and by the intensity of her feelings. He's definitely attracted to her on some level, but he also has Johnny to consider, who does not exactly approve of the idea. Will that be enough to deter Ripp? We'll have to wait and see...

Yes, I have some plans for that sorority party, for sure. That whole conversation wasn't just to illustrate how Ripp likes running his mouth off with gossip (and how Phi likes to listen). I'll probably devote an entire chapter to just that the college kids at that party. It's always fun to hint at upcoming events, since I get the speculation and feedback from everyone reading this, which helps me to develop the final touches on my plans for it. (You didn't know that you might be helping me to decide where I go with this, did you?)

Johnny can't help but forgive Ripp, especially since his efforts to win him over are so annoying. *snicker* I agree. They are at their best when together as a trio. They'll give the Specter place a good examining. It will be pretty dark and haunted by the time they get there, though.

Nervous needs help, and fast. But help may soon arrive...

[squirrel-tamer.livejournal.com]

Johnny’s “You're always confusing me with yourself!” made me giggle, because it’s kind of true.

Ripp: ‘Hmmm…I have to make Johnny happy with me. I should do something to make him happy. What makes Johnny happy? Well, omelettes make me happy! And Johnny cooks me omelettes. I bet if I made Johnny an omelette he’d be happy like me! :D:D:D:D:D:D!!!’

Ophelia’s face in response to Ripp’s nut talk made me laugh. She looks so exasperated. And I liked the casual conversation between the two of them. Also, I love the running theme in flowers being incorporated into most of Ripp and Ophelia’s conversations.

I felt really bad for Erin and Pascal. And poor Mint and Vidcund getting upset for Pascal. I hope that Pas manages to find Nervous soon so that he can stop being so sad.

I’m really intrigued by the military vs. the aliens plot.

It’s good to see Tank finally opening up. And I like the whole revelation about Johnny and Ophelia caring for Ripp more than in a normal kind of friendship.

It looks like the Terrible Trio is on the case. Will they find the truth or just a bunch of loose ends?

God, Nervous is free, but still a slave to the dead. It’ll be interesting should he ever meet up with the leading trio or the other Grunts. Especially Ophelia - the last bit of family he has.

I have one more picture, probably the last one for a bit. It's of Ripp and Jill.

http://users.livejournal.com/beyondheroism__/37453.html#cutid1

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Ripp doesn't always seem to understand that Johnny is actually a separate person from him. That's exactly how his mind works. "Well, I would like that, so obviously..." *snicker* He can be a bit dense, but at least his heart was in the right place.

That is a good expression, isn't it? That is actually the "sigh" reaction from the black box machinima tool. It's so perfect for that conversation. She's all like, "God, not the nuts again..." It could be worse, Phi. Trust me. At least he leaves them in his pants. But, anyway... (Why, yes, I do actually know people that would take them out - why do you ask? *snort* I live a normal life, I swear...)

Ripp and Ophelia do have a real ease about how they relate to each other, don't they? I suppose it comes from the close bond that was formed in their sharing of their fears with each other. The flowers are an important part of Ophelia's character.

There were a lot of people who were adversely effected by that fire. Erin's part in it will bring her into her own storyline in this tale, and we know where it's all heading for Pascal. At least, we can assume...

There's more to the military/alien thing that will be revealed as we go. Both sides have things that we don't really know anything about yet. And the military is highly suspicious of the aliens. They have plenty of reasons to believe that they shouldn't be trusted.

Tank talked about his feelings and didn't spontaneously combust. There might be some hope for him yet. Yeah, Tank isn't sure what is up with those three. Is there something about it all that isn't quite normal? Tank definitely envies their closeness, and the fact that Ripp is closer to them than he is to his own family.

You know that the trio will put a good effort in, especially with Ophelia leading the way. She gets things done. As for Nervous, the three friends will be in the same location as he is, won't they? So maybe...

Oh, how cool! That a great picture. You did a really great job on it. I like your speculations on Ripp too. Hmmm. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...

[music-simbol.livejournal.com]

First off, this pic of Ripp, had me swooning! Just wanted to throw that out there!

It was only a matter of time before Johnny would forgive Ripp. I don't think there's anything Ripp could do short of murder, that would make Johnny give up their friendship. I just hope Ripp learned his lesson, and rethinks before he acts.

It was cool hearing a bit more about Jaxy and Zoe. Even though it was only briefly touched upon, I still liked getting any type of back story on characters few dote upon.

The fire at the Beakers has repercussions that I'm sure will take a long time to realize. I had no idea Circe was involved with the military, so I wonder what that's all about. And will Erin really take over the house? What the hell is she going to do with those four clones?! And what about Nervous? Lord knows his mental state is far from anything resembling stable. I hope that by the end of the day, Pascal knows he's okay, so that he can regain his composure.

Tank's finally opening up! Woot! I do want both Tank and Frances to be happy, truly happy, not that fake happy, where they pretend they're happy just to please others. Frances can be Tank's support, and then perhaps, Tank will be there when Frances needs help (which you know he will, coming from the fam he does).

Post the 2nd part soon! PLEASE?!?!?!?! I'm dying here!!!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he's pretty yummy there. I have to agree with you. I'll have to remember to use that particular expression on Ripp again, since it goes over so well. *grin*

You're right. And it might actually be that there is nothing that he could do short of murdering Johnny himself, but you never know. Ripp does have a tendency to push his limits. What are Johnny's limits, I wonder? I'm sure that Ripp won't forget the lesson, but he can so easily get caught up in things. He'll try his best, I'm sure.

Circe's dealing with the military had something to do with that wrecked spaceship, and that's about all I will give you for now. What could they be working on? Circe does plan to pass the house on to Erin. We'll have to see how that works out for her. And the clones... yes, what will anyone do with those?

Nervous is in a state of both physical and mental agony right now, beyond what he normally experiences, since he's usually pretty heavily medicated. He's feeling the fallout from that right now, and he really does need help. Pascal would be all to happy to help, if he only knew.

You're so right about Tank and Frances. They both try to hold up an appearance that everything is okay, when often it is not. They really could be a good support for each other. Let's hope that they can be.

It may be a little while on the second half, since I have a weird schedule for the next few days (I have a second, part-time job in the evening in addition to the daily grind, so sometimes it gets fairly busy). I'd love to have it up by Thursday or Friday evening, so I'll make an effort to do so.

[imsothenetgirl.livejournal.com]

Well. I am very intrigued with the whole Nervous sees dead people thing. Or at least, that's what it looks like to me. Or is it more "Nervous sees events from the past"? I'm hoping it's closer to that, because the little girl is Ophelia, isn't it? Please tell me that's not foreshadowing!

I also wanted to say that I recently started a merged hood, with all the Maxis characters and Ripp and Ophelia have 3 bolts with each other, besides Family/Romance being an awful match, generally. It made me think of your story immediately, because last time I played Strangetown, they had nothing to do with one another.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

It's more of a "sees events from the past" thing with Nervous. His dreams predict the deaths of people, and he sees into their experiences during that time pretty deeply (even to the point of knowing what they were thinking, in some cases), and he is generally tuned in to the realm of death. Living next to the cemetery is not good for him, especially since he "knows" so many of the residents there.

That was Ophelia, but it was her as Nervous saw her witnessing the death of her parents. He may also remember her again from her own brush with death. He'd definitely recognize her if he met her, even though he doesn't really know who she is.

Wow. Three bolts? I wonder why it's higher for you than it is for me? Ripp and Ophelia have 2 bolts in my game (the same as Johnny/Ophelia, and, apparently, also Johnny/Ripp - though neither of them has currently interacted with males, so they don't express it). It is rather impressive that Ripp and Ophelia have chemistry at all with that romance/family dynamic. They really are drawn to each other. If you change them to more compatible aspirations, it's really impressive. Annoyingly so, even. *snicker*

I'm not sure if you've commented before... I don't think so, am I right? Nice to meet you. Thanks for reading!

[aledstrange.livejournal.com]

Awesome .. like always :D Can't wait for the next part!
I almost cry with Pascal, btw. Loved that scene! Wonderful!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :) Poor Pascal. He's thinks that Nervous was killed in the fire, and that Circe just covered it up, so he would clearly be devastated by that. He really did care about Nervous, and had taken on the quest to save him. Luckily, it isn't true, and there is still hope that Pascal will be able to help him.

[jessicus.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping for a Frances/Tank pairing more than ever now. Frances is just cute as a button -fangirly squeal- . Still loving how you have Ripp written down so well and it's nice to the gang getting over the jill-smooching incident.

dang, I have to fire up a new strangetown and meddle in their affairs.

[jessicus.livejournal.com]

*nice to see* is what I meant. English is my first language, honestly XD

[pixelcurious.livejournal.com]

I didn't see this earlier because it scrolled off my friends page. Now it's 2:00am and I'm too tired to comment coherently, except to say this is just great. Really funny in parts, and touching in others, and deep. More comments later.

Except I do have to say two things -- Velvet Underground! w00t! I love them.

and Zoe's more into bringing a guy into their mix? Jaxy's the one who was crotch-watching Ripp at the Christmas party! :D

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thanks for commenting, even though you're up so late! I'd love to hear more details later (since you're so good at finding little things), if you do drop back, but I certainly appreciate these comments.

The Velvet Underground clearly rock hard enough to warrant a number of mentions in this tale. I love Lou Reed's voice, and Nico's too. Say what you will about Andy Warhol, but he really did good when he made that happen. I love Andy too. Who doesn't like Pop Art? I was so pleased with that fake Warhol of Bella that they included in Glamour Life Stuff. All of the other art homages were great too (especially the giant Lichtenstein). That's a great SP for me.

You'll never let poor Jaxy get over that one, will you? *snicker* So she checked out a package! There's nothing wrong with looking, and I'm sure that even those with the most polarized sexualities have had a little peek here and there. We've all gone window shopping at the strip mall in Bi-Town, right? Many of us have gone inside to try on the clothes, even. The girl was just curious, ya know? ;)

Wait... there's nothing "poor" about Jaxy. I don't need to defend her actions, when she could clearly just kick your ass herself for questioning her dedication to her lesbian ways. Whether Jaxy might dabble in some entry-level experimentation is one thing (she might, as many do, but she definitely prefers the ladies). Zoe is more of a middle of the road kind of girl. She likes it all.

I clearly have a lot of fun with the Shifting Paradymes, don't I? They're so extreme, and really open about a lot of things. And they are a nice little representative sampling of all the different sexualities out there (hardly exhaustive, but they cover many of the bases).

I also really, really like writing Jaxy's dialogue. :P

[indigoleo.livejournal.com]

Ophelia sighed. Did Ripp ever think about anything besides his nuts? And would she ever have a conversation with him that didn't involve them in some way?
You just don't know how hard I had to stifle a laugh (since I was reading at work again) when I read that. The look on her face is just perfect, too.
Poor Ripp having to deal with Johnny's silent treatment. I'm sure he'd rather have Johnny yelling at him. Although Ripp is at least partially to blame for what happened at the dinner he is right, Jill did throw herself at him. She sure wasn't fighting him off! Johnny needs to understand that, too. Ripp should have known better (but Ripp's thinking was impaired)that's true, but it wasn't all him.

You know, I almost forgot about Erin being Loki's sister! Boy, what a way to find out you lost a family member. Great use of that particular bit of "news" on the tv. I loved that!

Aw, poor Pascal! I'm with madame_ugly. I just want him to be happy again. I hate to see my favorite sims unhappy. Some sims really get broken up over a death, too, I've noticed. I've had at least one sim once who must have morned off and on the better part of a day after a family member died. He was making me sad! :( I feel bad for Mint, too. It can't be easy to see her father break down like that.

Tank needed to shift the focus away from a "Tank vs. us" mindset. Yes! See that, Tank! 'Cause that is how he views the world, isn't it? Interesting that he's lost his focus because of his father's death but, on the other hand, it could be a good thing because he does need to start living for himself and not just living for the benefit of others. Tank's comment about not feeling comfortable doing things for himself makes me realize just how much he was his father's puppet. He can't figure out what to do without someone telling him. It will be interesting to see what he does with his new found freedom. In one respect, General Buzzes death may have been the best thing to happen to Tank.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the Nervous clones since the last chapter and wondering how much they "know" of each other. If Nervous can hear their voices, can they hear his and are they aware of each other in that respect? I'm not expecting you to tell me, of course, but it is an interesting thought. How much does Nervous hear? Bits and pieces or larger amounts. I will enjoy seeing how that whole bit plays out.
Nervous is walking among his "hallucinations" now I see. Or maybe it's just the effects of going off his drugs suddenly. I caught the shot of a young Ophelia there. Hang in there, Nervous! Somebody's on their way. Eventually.
Heh, heh...is Tank getting distracted by Frances?

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Ophelia should be used to it by now, don't you think? And really, she only has herself to blame. She was the one who chose to live with two guys (though Johnny doesn't chat about his nether regions as much as Ripp does... not that she isn't familiar with them, I'm sure). I find it funny that Ophelia is this seemingly sweet quiet girl, when underneath it, she's also just "one of the guys" too. They're pretty casual around her. Ripp doesn't even bother to wear anything more than his underwear around the apartment most of the time (well, he does sleep in them), and she hardly seems to notice.

Johnny and his cruel silent treatment. *snicker* It just seemed like such a Johnny thing to do. Ripp can't handle the silence. He'd much rather be yelled at, and he's a lot more used to it too. The whole situation with Jill did have a lot of factors that Ripp could use as potential excuses (his father's recent disappearance is another big one, contributing to his fragile emotional state), but he knows that Johnny doesn't want excuses. He wants to hear Ripp owning up to it.

Erin and Loki didn't spend a lot of time together, at least not as adults. Circe probably had something to do with that. I can't imagine that she likes Erin all that much. And Loki didn't want anyone at there place, with all the secret dealings. That was pretty hard on Erin. I like snatching little details from the TV like that. You can really make something out of nothing.

It's hard to see Pascal so sad. He has such a soft heart. And it is really traumatic for a child to realize that her father is also capable of crying, isn't it?

That's true about Tank, but he also doesn't feel like he should be so "selfish" about his life. He's been brought up to serve others, and a greater cause... he has almost the opposite problem that Ripp does, which shouldn't be a surprise. Tank will definitely have to work out his own feelings about the military thing, and he doesn't know everything about it, like his father did. Does Tank know anything about their real plans? Probably not.

Yeah, I won't say too much about it yet, but it should be interesting to see how much Nervous can hear. He doesn't really know what he's hearing. That much is clear. You're exactly right about his hallucinations being brought on by the withdrawal from the drugs he was on. That's what is causing the visions he's seeing.

Well, Tank is distracted by Frances' piano playing, anyway...

Just Found You

[clementine28.livejournal.com]

I just found this blog of yours and I absolutely love it!!! I found it through Mandie's blog, Fortune Shores. I am adding you to my list of blogs at my own personal Sims 2 blog(s).

http://affluencevalley.blogspot.com/
http://harrypottersimlegacy.blogspot.com/


I can't wait for more updates! Keep up the good work!

Re: Just Found You

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far. And thank you for linking to me. I really appreciate that.

[dothesmustle.livejournal.com]

Gosh, I love Ripp. He reminds of a little puppy, and when Johnny wouldn't forgive him, I just wanted to give him a big hug! xD

Pascal :( Poor thing. I felt so awful when Mint started crying, you wrote that perfectly. If I were at her age and saw my father cry(I've actually never seen my father cry to this day) I would have reacted the same way. Poor Mint!

Vidcund! Stay away from Circe! She is of the evil!

Loki is terrible, but it was sad to see how Erin reacted. I mean, he really was the family she had left. I never really saw Loki to be as terrible as Circe, though. Damn it! Why couldn't Loki be the pregnant one, it's frightening to see Circe single again!

It's really interesting to see how some of the families reacted to the fire.

I have a question about Nervous: Everytime I've tried to get Nervous to move in with Olive, the check is never clickable, I assume it's because he was taken away from her. Is it possible for him to move in with Olive?

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Isn't he cute, though? He's hard not to love, really, even when he's being an idiot. He often brings it on himself, but he really can't bear any sort of conflict between him and his friends.

I remember realizing that same thing, just like Mint did. It's a terrible moment, when you realize that your parents are human. And poor Pascal is so devastated...

Circe... evil? *snicker* Yeah, maybe. That might be good advice.

Erin really did care for her brother, so it was a big shock for her. And I do agree with you that Circe is probably the most dangerous Beaker, and it's much worse for her to still be around than Loki would have been.

I also enjoy the opportunity to look at Strangetown as an actual small town where everyone knows each other, at least to see them, and they all gossip about each other. It's fun.

Well, I didn't try move him in via Olive, so I can't help you there. I had him move out and then combined the households. I think you can do that if you have University (and maybe any EP after that too).

[sofieamalien.livejournal.com]

Another great Chapter! Thanks!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Glad you liked it.

[cindyanne1.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this update! I especially liked how you peeked in to all the houses and their reactions to the fire... really tied it all together. And I have a new favorite quote...

"Big macho Grunt man, my ass. When you fell out of the pansy tree, you hit every branch on the way down, Ripp."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ooooh, that made my day. And I really needed the laugh, lol!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thank you. It was interesting to think about how the news would effect the town like that. It's always appealing to me to bring the different groups together, or show how they react to each other.

I think that Johnny might have really dialed Ripp's number on that one! He's all talk. I always did like that particular insult. *snicker* It's fun to write the taunts between Johnny and Ripp.

I'm happy to be able to bring a smile to your face. :D

[kin-thalas.livejournal.com]

This "visions" are creepy. I wonder if poor Nervous will overcome his past for a normal life. But I fear her never will.
And poor Pascal. Hope he´ll try to find out what happened to Nervous. I love Vidcund comforting Mint. The old grouch can be so nice :)

I´m always glad to see that Phi, Ripp and Johnny are such good friends and Johnny is able to forgive Ripp. You can call yourself lucky, Ripp.
Good the boys are at Phi's side.

[missgan.livejournal.com]

LOL at Ripp's attempt to make peace with Johnny! As badly done as it was, it was kinda touching. Maybe I'm just a little surprised to see Ripp trying to cook! Pity he forgot about the eggs, but I noticed that he did remember to leave out the bacon. :)
I really hope he keeps his hands off Jill from now on, though!

Hmm, so Ophelia hasn't received word that Olive has died? She's really in for a surprise, then! I hope that now Olive's gone, Ophelia will have a chance to look forward to her future and whatever lies in store for her, rather than obsessing about her safety.

Poor Pascal! I felt really bad for him. Someone really needs to get the news that Nervous is still around to him, ASAP. I'm thinking it'll be Johnny, since he'll be going over to the Specter place soon? Hmm, I'll see.

Oh yeah, I'm glad to see that Kristen's condition is improving! She actually remembers that she'd been attacked at the Beaker mansion! :D

I fear for Erin. She seems harmless, and it's never good to have Circe include you in any plan of hers. :S

I don't understand what's up with Nervous! Can he see the ghosts in real living colour, interacting with each other? Or is he witnessing past events?

Fantastic update, I'm looking forward to the next one already!

[pnkpnthr334.livejournal.com]

What is this military thing going on?!?!? I must know!!! *keeps reading*

[simstate.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

Wow, I love how all these things are happening all at the same time! Gosh darn, I wish I had your story telling talent!