I'm in college and when I heard University was coming out I was like , "I play Sims to escape the fact I'm in college. I don't want my sims to suffer like I do."
I do wonder what the new life state/creature will be. There is a lot of speculation that PlantSims are returning from the threads I've read.
EXACTLY. That's why - besides the rainbowcy save and one other save - don't let the sims have children. 'Cause like. They have to go to school every day and then high school.
Why would you do that to someone.
PlantSims? Really? I freakin' loved the skin design on those guys. Like. If I could get a tattoo like that for my whole body I would, but...that would compromise job interviews. I'd maybe have one like going up my leg or something
And I'm gonna stop talking now 'cause I'm weird O_O
I only make my sims have kids when I'm bored. Plus there is no good CC for kids :evil:
Yeah, there's a controversy over a picture Clubers took during the live chat. It is of a green hairstyle in CAS. (I'd post the pic but all the links I click on take me to the forums). Then someone pointed out that in the trailer it says "Play with Herbs"
I love the tattoo too...unfortunately I'm pre-med sooo...no tattoos for me
I only make my sims have kids when I'm bored. Plus there is no good CC for kids :evil:
Yeah, there's a controversy over a picture Clubers took during the live chat. It is of a green hairstyle in CAS. (I'd post the pic but all the links I click on take me to the forums). Then someone pointed out that in the trailer it says "Play with Herbs"
I love the tattoo too...unfortunately I'm pre-med sooo...no tattoos for me
I'm weird too, It's okay :thumbup:
I KNOW RIGHT.
That's why I hate writing in the kid life stage. 'Cause like. There is nothing for kids. NOTHING I TELL YOU.
Really? That sounds like a weird subject to have controversy be over...but whatever. Oh my jeez. Yeah. Like. That is not obvious at all, EA, not obvious at all XD
Ahh I freakin' want it. Besides I'd never show off my legs...so I might be able to get away with it XD. Whut? Aww that sucks :c. You can get something on like...your back or something...maybe...I dunno... My future line of work doesn't really have limits...but I think they'd frown if I had a tattoo like that all over my body XD.
So, inspiration struck and I'm about halfway through chapter one and it's already 3 pages long in a word document. 3 pages. My usual chapters are 3 pages. O_O.
I have a feeling that all the chapters in this generation are going to be on the longer side...I really hope you guys don't mind :oops:
And...would anybody like a sneak peek while I'm writing/waiting for the computer to get fixed?
So, inspiration struck and I'm about halfway through chapter one and it's already 3 pages long in a word document. 3 pages. My usual chapters are 3 pages. O_O.
I have a feeling that all the chapters in this generation are going to be on the longer side...I really hope you guys don't mind :oops:
And...would anybody like a sneak peek while I'm writing/waiting for the computer to get fixed?
Long is good. I don't mind long.
A SNEAK PEEK WOULD BE AMAZING I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER!
So, as with my other stories, I just wanted to let you know, I'll be catching up on this very soon.
I'll probably leave comments every few chapters or so in bunches. :] Be prepared for old emotional attacks from my way.
It seriously is killing me right now. As if my computer being broken wasn't enough, this writer's block is killing me. I have all these things planned out and I can see them but the words won't flow. I dunno, it might just be the first part of this chapter, however. Writing Crimson is...harder than it looks. OH MY JEEZ YUS. My mind is excited for the huge parts of the gen, but these little parts my mind is like "meh..."
I freakin' love Demons. Like. That describes me. So well. I haven't heard Bleeding Out, but I have heard Radioactive. I think it's hilarious for some reason x]. I pretty much am addicted now.
I just. I don't really have any desire to get it. I mean. Sure, I COULD MAYBE use it for a generation or something like that, but in the long run I don't see myself using it.
Like for Indigo I had so many ideas for scenes, but none of them could be stretched out very well, and they're all really spread apart in time, so her gen skips like huge portions of time a lot more than I would have liked. And the scenes are all really short, like 5-6 pictures usually. >__<
Radioactive is getting on the overplayed side, too. But Bleeding Out is my favorite of their songs besides Demons.
The problem I have with baby chapters in writing is that I really like it when characters that I ship really hard in TV shows and stuff get together and have babies, because its adorable when dudes like babies. BUT I HATE babies, so then if I have them have babies too soon I'm like "WHY DID I DO THIS!" I hate writing kid chapters, especially because I hate little kids. ugh. So I'm always conflicted.
Yeah, I'd probably send one sim once and after a day of being there get tired of it. 'Cause that's how I was with Sims 2 Univeristy. I sent them for a semester then I got extremely bored with it.
Lol. i actually didn't buy expansions for the sims 2, mostly because it was really my sister's game. So it was strictly normal playing for me. Like I knew the basic cheats like motherlode and stuff, but that was about it. So sims 3 is the first time for me when it comes to the community and expansions.
I only make my sims have kids when I'm bored. Plus there is no good CC for kids :evil:
Yeah, there's a controversy over a picture Clubers took during the live chat. It is of a green hairstyle in CAS. (I'd post the pic but all the links I click on take me to the forums). Then someone pointed out that in the trailer it says "Play with Herbs"
I love the tattoo too...unfortunately I'm pre-med sooo...no tattoos for me
I'm weird too, It's okay :thumbup:
I KNOW RIGHT.
That's why I hate writing in the kid life stage. 'Cause like. There is nothing for kids. NOTHING I TELL YOU.
Really? That sounds like a weird subject to have controversy be over...but whatever. Oh my jeez. Yeah. Like. That is not obvious at all, EA, not obvious at all XD
Ahh I freakin' want it. Besides I'd never show off my legs...so I might be able to get away with it XD. Whut? Aww that sucks :c. You can get something on like...your back or something...maybe...I dunno... My future line of work doesn't really have limits...but I think they'd frown if I had a tattoo like that all over my body XD.
Yuss I'm no the only one
I managed to find some kid CC in the exchange but it is all for girls and I want/need guy clothing for all ages on my game. There is literally nothing good for guys either from what I've seen. Ugh. Frustrating.
It's sims, there are a lot of weird controversies on the forums in my opinion but I find it entertaining, especially when I'm on break from college :twisted:
EA either made it really obvious or very misleading. We will have to wait and see what they have up their sleeps.
A lot of employers seem to frown if tattoos aren't easy to hide, it's kind of sad because some (like the PlantSim design) are really pretty. I don't know, I tend to be an oddball lol.
A SNEAK PEEK WOULD BE AMAZING I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER!
I hope you mean that later on in the generation. 'Cause like. I don't know I really am getting into this generation and the plot has a lot of detail to it (I like complex plots apparently) and there are so many points I want to hit in the chapters, but I don't want to make you all read like 25-30 chapters of one generation so...I'll try to sum it up the est I can some how XD
Ahh alright, love. The way it's phrased might change though when I go back to edit it for the millionth time. :]
So, as with my other stories, I just wanted to let you know, I'll be catching up on this very soon.
I'll probably leave comments every few chapters or so in bunches. :] Be prepared for old emotional attacks from my way.
Ahh thank you Skippeh, it means the world to know that you're going to do that .
I shall be on the look out for emotional comments...'cause Firefly's gen really pulls at the heartstrings . I almost think this one is worse than Firefly's gen, intense wise and pulling-on-the-heartstrings wise.
Like for Indigo I had so many ideas for scenes, but none of them could be stretched out very well, and they're all really spread apart in time, so her gen skips like huge portions of time a lot more than I would have liked. And the scenes are all really short, like 5-6 pictures usually. >__<
Radioactive is getting on the overplayed side, too. But Bleeding Out is my favorite of their songs besides Demons.
The problem I have with baby chapters in writing is that I really like it when characters that I ship really hard in TV shows and stuff get together and have babies, because its adorable when dudes like babies. BUT I HATE babies, so then if I have them have babies too soon I'm like "WHY DID I DO THIS!" I hate writing kid chapters, especially because I hate little kids. ugh. So I'm always conflicted.
OH MY JEEZ TELL ME ABOUT IT. Or I stretch them out too well, and I start adding random unnecessary detail that nobody really cares about except me apparently. No matter what you do, I think Indigo's generation will be perfect and I'm excited for it despite the fact of huge time skips
Really? I've only heard it 15 times...when I was too busy breaking the replay option. OH MY GOD BLEEDING OUT. It describes two characters from my favorite game ever's situation/relationship perfectly. Like. And so does Demons. I demand that next season they put Imagine Dragons songs in there. Like. They just fit soo well.
I freakin' hate writing kids. Like, I'm allergic or something. They're cute on TV and all when a good ship has them, but writing about them it's like "I'll save that for last..." because like. I'm not a family-fam person and I can't write family chapters or chapters from children's perspective. Like. At all. I feel your pain, sho, I feel your pain.
Lol. i actually didn't buy expansions for the sims 2, mostly because it was really my sister's game. So it was strictly normal playing for me. Like I knew the basic cheats like motherlode and stuff, but that was about it. So sims 3 is the first time for me when it comes to the community and expansions.
Ooooh really? That's interesting. I got the base TS2 game for Christmas and I got hooked right away and then I think my parents regretted getting it for me . TS3 is the first time I've come to the forums and joined them and got involved, however.
I managed to find some kid CC in the exchange but it is all for girls and I want/need guy clothing for all ages on my game. There is literally nothing good for guys either from what I've seen. Ugh. Frustrating.
It's sims, there are a lot of weird controversies on the forums in my opinion but I find it entertaining, especially when I'm on break from college :twisted:
EA either made it really obvious or very misleading. We will have to wait and see what they have up their sleeps.
A lot of employers seem to frown if tattoos aren't easy to hide, it's kind of sad because some (like the PlantSim design) are really pretty. I don't know, I tend to be an oddball lol.
No, no you are not the only one
Edit: Sneak peeks are wonderful!
OH MY JEEZ I KNOW. Whenever my sims have boys I cringe because there is literally no good CC for males. And I just noticed today that the teal guy from the prologue has the same exact hairstyle as my history teacher. O_O Whenever I look at that picture in the prologue I'm gonna see my history teacher. O__O
Ahh my jeez I would find it entertaining, too. Like. People are getting so worked up over the 'play with herbs' thing that it's borderline ridiculous now. Like. Really. It doesn't really matter - just don't have your sim do that stuff and you're good XD
Ahh I know, or, they hate it when you have odd colored hair. I got lucky with my employer, who doesn't really care because I do a good job with the work. I wish to become a hairdresser, anyways, so the blue I have in my hair is actually smiled upon XD. Tattoos, too, I'm not sure about. If I always wear pants or something I'll be good XD. Like. I would totally get that design on my leg. I'm really odd, too XD
...His eyes piercing mine. Something appeared to have registered in his mind, and he slowly lowered his crossbow as he called, “Mera? Mera, is that you?”
I set my jaw, my top teeth grinding my bottom as I felt my eyebrows come together in anger. I kept my head down, avoiding eye contact as I came out of the shadows, pushing my braided hair to the other shoulder to expose the Restoration tattoo on my arm to the dim florescent light, so the vampberry could see it clearly. Slowly, I looked up, baring my fangs as I hissed, “Do I look like a Mera to you?”
Lol. i actually didn't buy expansions for the sims 2, mostly because it was really my sister's game. So it was strictly normal playing for me. Like I knew the basic cheats like motherlode and stuff, but that was about it. So sims 3 is the first time for me when it comes to the community and expansions.
Ooooh really? That's interesting. I got the base TS2 game for Christmas and I got hooked right away and then I think my parents regretted getting it for me . TS3 is the first time I've come to the forums and joined them and got involved, however.
I managed to find some kid CC in the exchange but it is all for girls and I want/need guy clothing for all ages on my game. There is literally nothing good for guys either from what I've seen. Ugh. Frustrating.
It's sims, there are a lot of weird controversies on the forums in my opinion but I find it entertaining, especially when I'm on break from college :twisted:
EA either made it really obvious or very misleading. We will have to wait and see what they have up their sleeps.
A lot of employers seem to frown if tattoos aren't easy to hide, it's kind of sad because some (like the PlantSim design) are really pretty. I don't know, I tend to be an oddball lol.
No, no you are not the only one
Edit: Sneak peeks are wonderful!
OH MY JEEZ I KNOW. Whenever my sims have boys I cringe because there is literally no good CC for males. And I just noticed today that the teal guy from the prologue has the same exact hairstyle as my history teacher. O_O Whenever I look at that picture in the prologue I'm gonna see my history teacher. O__O
Ahh my jeez I would find it entertaining, too. Like. People are getting so worked up over the 'play with herbs' thing that it's borderline ridiculous now. Like. Really. It doesn't really matter - just don't have your sim do that stuff and you're good XD
Ahh I know, or, they hate it when you have odd colored hair. I got lucky with my employer, who doesn't really care because I do a good job with the work. I wish to become a hairdresser, anyways, so the blue I have in my hair is actually smiled upon XD. Tattoos, too, I'm not sure about. If I always wear pants or something I'll be good XD. Like. I would totally get that design on my leg. I'm really odd, too XD
Ahh a sneak peek is coming right up, then! :]
Riiiight? I cringe too...plus I can never think of good names for guys....I just want to cry when my sims have boys...as pathetic as that may (and probably does) sound....
Isn't it entertaining? I freaking love it...mostly because I have too much time on my hands...
YOU HAVE BLUE IN YOUR HAIR!? SOOO JEALOUS!! I should have gone to clown college or something... :x
Riiiight? I cringe too...plus I can never think of good names for guys....I just want to cry when my sims have boys...as pathetic as that may (and probably does) sound....
Isn't it entertaining? I freaking love it...mostly because I have too much time on my hands...
YOU HAVE BLUE IN YOUR HAIR!? SOOO JEALOUS!! I should have gone to clown college or something... :x
Love the sneak peek!!!
YOU SOUND JUST LIKE ME. Oh my jeez I have all these girl names stockpiled in my head and when they have a boy I'm like "QUICK, NIGHTY, SHELL OUT A BOY NAME" and then I usually end up going with something really original like John. XD
Ahh yes, I know how that is like. I should really be doing my homework...but I never do XD
Ahh my jeez yes I do . It frames my face, and then I have a few streaks here and there throughout my hair. When I first dye it it's like this really dark midnight blue but as time goes on it fades to a really pretty shade . I'm surprised my school allows it, honestly XD
Ahh thank you so much . I'm currently editing the chapter, as I have completed it
OH MY JEEZ TELL ME ABOUT IT. Or I stretch them out too well, and I start adding random unnecessary detail that nobody really cares about except me apparently. No matter what you do, I think Indigo's generation will be perfect and I'm excited for it despite the fact of huge time skips
Really? I've only heard it 15 times...when I was too busy breaking the replay option. OH MY GOD BLEEDING OUT. It describes two characters from my favorite game ever's situation/relationship perfectly. Like. And so does Demons. I demand that next season they put Imagine Dragons songs in there. Like. They just fit soo well.
I freakin' hate writing kids. Like, I'm allergic or something. They're cute on TV and all when a good ship has them, but writing about them it's like "I'll save that for last..." because like. I'm not a family-fam person and I can't write family chapters or chapters from children's perspective. Like. At all. I feel your pain, sho, I feel your pain.
Same here! I, sometimes, try to add the most useless pieces of info. >__< well, I sure hope Indigo lives up to your expectations. You didn't set them high, or anything...
They've started playing it on the radio ALL THE TIME, like they used to with Its Time. I TOLD YOU! Demons and Bleeding Out are my favorite of their songs.
Exactly, its like I want the characters to have them because its fricking adorable for the adults, but then the kids come and... no. i hate writing family chapters in general, because I don't like hanging out with my family... at all... and I don't like writing for kids. ugh. Its so hard!
yay your computer is fixed! Woo! Looking forward to the update!
Riiiight? I cringe too...plus I can never think of good names for guys....I just want to cry when my sims have boys...as pathetic as that may (and probably does) sound....
Isn't it entertaining? I freaking love it...mostly because I have too much time on my hands...
YOU HAVE BLUE IN YOUR HAIR!? SOOO JEALOUS!! I should have gone to clown college or something... :x
Love the sneak peek!!!
YOU SOUND JUST LIKE ME. Oh my jeez I have all these girl names stockpiled in my head and when they have a boy I'm like "QUICK, NIGHTY, SHELL OUT A BOY NAME" and then I usually end up going with something really original like John. XD
Ahh yes, I know how that is like. I should really be doing my homework...but I never do XD
Ahh my jeez yes I do . It frames my face, and then I have a few streaks here and there throughout my hair. When I first dye it it's like this really dark midnight blue but as time goes on it fades to a really pretty shade . I'm surprised my school allows it, honestly XD
Ahh thank you so much . I'm currently editing the chapter, as I have completed it
Yaaaay originality! I think the most original name I had for a guy was Ari...most of the time I'm like "Bob!!!" :thumbup:
hey Nighty. i just figured I'd stop by and let you know I'm having a casting call for my story just in case you're interested. The link is in my siggy.
"Biya," Crimson whispered the ancient simlish soothingly in my ear, his hands running gently up and down my arms, giving them a tingly, numb feeling. I was often this way when he spoke ancient simlish, the words enticing my mind so I could think of nothing other than his hands gently making circles on my arms. I didn’t know much of the forgotten language, but I did understand what that particular word was. Biya was my name in the old language. I had learned some of the basics of the language from Crimson, and he promised me that after the Restoration was successful he would teach me the entire language himself.
Unable to stop myself from grinning like a fool, I begged, “Please...say it again?” He was so...calm when he spoke the language – his voice wasn’t full of power like it usually was. It was like seeing a well-known warrior playing a beautiful piano piece without ever messing up – it was an odd sight as well as it was rare...and special. Crimson had used ancient simlish before when he was angry, but he was only this way in my presence – this calm while speaking it, I mean. It was rare for him. “Say it again?”
He chuckled, the sound was like music to my ears as he gently took a lock of my hair tucked it behind my ear, leaning forward to whisper, “Biya,”
And it was at that exact moment that there was a quick, swift knock on the door.
I groaned as I realized that Crimson was no longer behind me, but instead in the other room putting his pants back on. Feeling annoyance rise within me quickly, I stand up and walk over to sit on the edge of the bed, not even bothering to use my vampberry speed to get over there. He might have been summoned, but that didn’t mean that I had to hurry as well. “Do not answer it,” I suggested as he re-adjusted his shirt. This always happened to us – always. Just as Crimson would show signs of relaxing, of showing the other side of his stone cold personality, something would happen within the Restoration and those few moments of gentleness and relaxation I would see in him would be shattered and in its place one would notice that, Crimson, leader of the Restoration, has returned in full force.
He chuckled, messing with his collar as he gazed at himself in the mirror. “Ahh, Bliss, you must realize by now that I will always answer my vampberries.”
I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest in an attempt to display that I was angry. But, somewhere deep inside me, I knew that he would always answer his people...that he wouldn’t leave them unattended when they needed him. I also knew that, until the old power was restored, that I will always come in second. I had known and accepted this fact long before we became involved, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t bother me occasionally.
He noticed my lack of a reply, and as soon as he was done fixing his collar he turned towards me, giving me a warm smile. “You know I care for you,” he said in all seriousness, but his voice gave traces of the man that was there mere seconds ago, the man who was in the bathtub with me whispering my name into my ear.
I rolled my eyes at him, snorting in the process. I made the scoot motion with my hand towards the door. “Go on, you do not wish to keep your people waiting, do you?” I questioned, another snort escaping me as I say the words. One year together, and he still wouldn’t say the words directly. I couldn’t necessarily blame him, however; it was how he was raised. He was taught to never use the word love, as it could be used against him.
He leaned down towards me, his index finger placed gently under my chin as he tilted my head up to look at him. “I mean it,” he continued, his eyes holding mine in a locked gaze that I couldn’t break, even if I tried, “I truly do,” he murmured as he placed his lips against my forehead. I knew that I would never get the words ‘I love you’ to come from his mouth, but he didn’t have to say them directly. I knew he did, love me, that is, it was in his voice as he told me he cared for me. Almost too quickly the moment passed, and Crimson’s lips were no longer pressed against my forehead as he walked towards the door and headed out without a second glance in my direction.
~*~*~*~*~
I stayed in the room for a short period after – being in that room without Crimson there just felt...off...wrong, I suppose, like I wasn’t supposed to be in there even though Crimson had made it plenty clear that I was allowed wherever I wanted to go. With no vampberries to track down and no other quests to fulfill, I was left wandering the Restoration corridors and spying on the other members, making sure they were doing as they were told. Thatch was out on a recruiting mission, Gravel was...who knows where, Newbie was probably off being an idiotic fool, as per usual, and Shale was informing some of the newer recruits that knew absolutely nothing about battle how to fight in one – because, whether they like it or not, there will be a battle. The other vampberries – The Rebels, as they like to call themselves – are not going to just simply allow us to restore the old power. No, there is going to be a battle, one that will determine the future of vampberries, other supernaturals, and mortals alike and there are going to be lives lost. But it’s all for a good cost – the greater good for the superior race. If we give them enough training now, by the time the real battle actually rolls around, there will be fewer casualties on our half. Besides, Shale knew what he was doing – he learned from the best.
I was walking in the corridor, going from the opposite end of the underground building to the training room to spy on Shale as he taught today’s lesson when I heard a small, almost silent disturbance come from behind a door – a sound. I stopped abruptly in my tracks, listening intently with my ears. Normally, I wouldn’t have stopped over a small sound – I hear noises all the time whether I wanted to or not, it was a perk of being a vampberry – but it was where the sound came from that made me stop. The disturbance in the air came from behind a door that only held extra supplies for us – blood bags, stakes, fire, anything we could use in case The Rebels attack our home base. Blood bags were not the preferred choice of the Restoration, as we believed mortals are the true food of vampberries, but if it were a situation that required it in order to keep you alive that very second, we would take it. Why would there be a noise in a room that held no life? It couldn’t be a rodent, I didn’t hear a heartbeat, but things just don’t suddenly fall when they have been securely tightened and packed into place. It couldn’t be a vampberry, either – vampberries have a particular odor, just as every other being in the world did, and there was no smell other than old blood coming from the particular room in question. It made no sense, and I ventured from my original path to stalk towards the door, slowly, making sure my light footsteps didn’t interrupt my concentration on that door and its contents...
“Planning on staking somebody?” Came a voice, startling me out of my concentration and making me lose my light footing as my heel slammed to the floor and I turned around slightly to address the voice behind me. When I see a flash of a familiar shade of purple, I sighed and turned around fully to see Gravel staring at me with his hands across his chest and his eyebrows raised in suspicion as he glanced from my face to the dark door behind me.
“I heard a sound back there,” I stated the fact bluntly, nodding my head towards the door even though I knew he instantly understood what I was saying. His face relaxed as he peered around me, at the door, and it was visible on his face that he was listening intently. After a few moments, he raised his eyebrow at me, yet again.
“I hear nothing, Bliss.” Ignoring his comment, I stopped my intake of breath for a moment, allowing my senses to absorb any and every little sounds I could hear. I heard sounds all right, sounds of fighting, whispers and laughter, but none of them from behind that door.“You know as well as I do that there is nothing behind that door other than supplies if this place becomes compromised. Come on, now. There are reports of a Rebel smuggling business right under our noses here in our own city. Crimson wants us to get right onto it.”
I looked from Gravel to the door, his words sinking in. He didn’t hear a sound – not a single sound from that room. I was absolutely positive a few moments that I heard something, but now? Maybe he was right – there is nothing behind those doors that would make a sound. Nothing abnormal there at all...maybe my senses were going. Maybe I just imagined the whole thing; maybe the sound wasn’t there after all. Maybe it came from a different room. Two mistakes right after one another, the first letting that teal witness live, and now I’m hearing things. Was I falling apart? But every single fiber of being was telling me that there was something behind those doors, something other than supplies. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was in the wrong. This would be the first time that my senses had failed me, leading me in the wrong direction...but we all make mistakes, right? My thoughts and doubts about what was behind that door was irrational, and in the middle of processing that, another realization hit me. Was...was I becoming a liability? Hearing things that clearly were not there and letting mortals live?
I shrugged it off, shaking off the doubts as I returned my full attention back to Gravel, giving him a sly grin. “I think they have two new customers,”
~*~*~*~*~
As it turned out, the local spice shop in Twizzlerbrook received not two butthree new customers that night. We appeared outside the pathetic little pink shop well after closing time, however the lights in the back room of the shop were on – light was shining on the floor. The only exit was locked, but that lock was nothing compared to my strength. I gave it a quick, sharp twist and the door flew open. Gravel, Shale and I strutted into the place like mortals do,except for the fact that our eyes glowed...an immediate give away that we were no mortals. But, this could also work to our advantage if we played it right. We had nothing on us except for the tattoo that exclaimed we were with the Restoration, but hiding that was all too easy.
Being alerted to the fact that he had customers, the back room door opens and out filters an elder mortal smell as an older man, a mortal, most likely in his late sixties, early seventies, walked into the room and stopped when he saw us. It’s disgusting, the fact that the Rebels are working with mortals. It makes me ashamed to call them vampberries. For a second the elder hesitates, looking between the three of us for a while until he finally asked, “Friend or foe?”
I smirked – the Rebels seriously needed to change their passcode to areas of high importance. They were making this way too easy for us...all it took was a few hours of torturing a Rebel to get it. Before Gravel or Shale could reply, I spoke up in a clear voice, “Neither friend nor foe, we are one of the Rebels.”
The man’s pink face immediately begins to relax as he smiled at us, relieved that we weren’t Restoration. That thought alone almost made me snort out loud, but I did not. I couldn’t until he confirmed the fact that he was working with the Rebels. Not that that would usually stop us from taking what is left of his pathetic life, anyways, but Crimson has ordered us to be more...discreet with our fadings as of lately, as they are being...noticed. “Excellent – you had me worried there for a moment, I will admit. You,” he said, gesturing to me, a laugh in his voice, “you remind me of those rumors about the vampberry from the Restoration, what was her name again...oh, yeah, the Fader. Well, anyways, we have the whole basement full of a new shipment of stakes, lighters, crossbows – you name it, we have it in stock. A few of your fellow vampberries and my grandsons are down there right now getting the shipment, as a matter of fact...”
The man continued to ramble on about the Rebels in the basement and what other special weapons they have down there, and I couldn’t help the evil grin from taking over my features. We had him, and from the look on Gravel’s and Shale’s face, it was apparent and we knew exactly what we needed to do. If the Rebels think they can come onto Restoration territory and create a weapon smuggling ring here without there being any consequences, they were wrong. We knew exactly how to make this place look like an accident. Without a word, Gravel pushed past around the mortal elder and headed towards the basement to pay our little friends a visit and Shale followed him, leaving me and the mortal man alone. I had to buy Gravel and Shale some time to get the jump on the vampberries and mortals in the basement, for when the vampberries heard one less heartbeat they would know that they had been made. They would only need a few seconds. The man looked at me, confusion written on his features.I waited a few more seconds for Gravel and Shale to get in position before I decided to speak.
I smiled, “The Fader, was it? From the Restoration?” I walked around him in a circle, the confusion still evident on his face and in his eyes. “That’s ironic...considering she and I are the same being,” his eyes went wide just as my fangs ripped into his throat.
It took no more than two minutes to drain the old man dry, and scuffling and shouting could clearly be heard from downstairs. Two more heartbeats disappeared, and I knew that the mortals in the building were done for. I dropped the faded man’s body and proceeded to the stairs, only to be pushed to the side by two Rebels who were trying to escape with their life but left their dignity behind. The number one rule in the Restoration is to never leave a battle, no matter how hopeless it may seem. We fight to the end, we don’t run and hide like cowards. Shale was already in hot pursuit, shooting out of the basement not even a second later, I turned to follow him but somebody put their hand on my shoulder and spun me around to face them. Gravel. “We will handle this – there is still one left in the basement. Take care of it,” he disappeared then, running after Gravel and the two Rebels. I usually wouldn’t take orders from Gravel, but right now the bigger threat was the one still left in the basement than the two who ran away like cowards.
I bounded down the stairs, appearing at the bottom of the basement stairs to be greeted with the sights of crates and boxes, some of them with the lids off but most of them with the lids still fully intact. The ones with the lids off possessed weapons needed to end a vampberry’s existence, along with other herbs and spices that could momentarily weaken a vampberry, giving its opponent the moment it needs to attack. I immediately spot the two mortal bodies, both scattered at opposite ends of the room. I also heard the bottom of a crate scratching the floor on the other side of the room, and I quickly slipped into the shadows, avoiding the shattered pieces of broken light bulbs in the process.
The opponent I was against was a vampberry and he already knew that I was here, but he didn’t know where exactly, so I still had the element of surprise. I snuck across the walls, still hidden in the shadows, until I saw the Rebel vampberry under the florescent light shifting through one of the crates only to bring out a crossbow armed with wood. I miscalculated my footing placement, and accidently stepped on a shard of glass, which made a sharp cracking sound as it broke into tiny pieces. The vampberry’s head snapped up with his crossbow ready to shoot, his eyes piercing mine. Something appeared to have registered in his mind, and he slowly lowered his crossbow as he called, “Mera? Mera, is that you?”
I set my jaw, my top teeth grinding into my bottom teeth as I felt my eyebrows come together in anger. I kept my head down, avoiding eye contact as I came out of the shadows, pushing my braided hair to the other shoulder toexpose the Restoration tattoo on my arm to the dim florescent light, so the vampberry could see it clearly. Slowly, I looked up, baring my fangs as I hissed, “Do I look like a Mera to you?”
At once the vampberry dropped the crossbow, his only weapon against me, and could only stare at me with horror written all over his face. But the horror wasn’t directed at the fact that I wasn’t my mother, that much was evident. “...Bliss?”
Hearing my name come from the lips of a Rebel startled me momentarily, until I realized that I had seen that shade of purple before, from my childhood, in my very own home. I had seen this vampberry more than once, for my parents allowed him into the house almost as freely as they allowed Thistle to leave as a teenager while Jupiter and I were cooped up indoors away from the windows. I regained my composure instantly, not wanting to alert him that I recognized him as well. “You must have me confused with some other vampberry,”
“No,” he shook his head, taking a step forwards, “no, I do not. You are the spitting image of your mother, and I would recognize her anywhere. You are Bliss Moon, daughter of Firefly Moon and Mera Amulet,”
“Don’t you ever call me that, ever again.”
“I had been invited over to your house when you were younger, I remember you clearly. But...you are with the Restoration...how could you do this to your mother? After all she has done to prevent this? Your mother would not wish you to be doing this...”
“Shut up,” I said, closing my eyes and giving my head a quick shake before reopening my eyes to glare at Mortar. Flashbacks and echoes consumed my mind, about him and about my mother and that pathetic place she called a home. The only bright thing in that disgrace of a house was my father, but despite how much I loved my father, it didn’t change the fact that he sided with her in every fight I’d get into with her or my ‘siblings’. There was a reason I didn’t think about my old ‘family’, why I didn’t willingly remember them. I wanted them all out, all of them. All of the memories. Those were memories from another life – from a life that no longer mattered. My fists clenched and began shaking as I attempted to control the anger and the memories I wanted to keep suppressed. “You don’t want me angry,”
Mortar ignored this, however, and continued forward. “You used to be so strong, Bliss, so...above this. Just like your mother. What happened to that little girl I used to know? What happened to the little girl, Bliss Amulet Moon, who was just like her mother – ”
In that moment, I lost complete and utter control of myself. I launched myself in the air, the beast within completely in control as I knocked Mortar flat on his back. In a flash, he was up again and whirled at me in surprised as I crouched low to the floor in front of him. I saw the horror in his eyes as he realized that bloodlust was in control, and this time it didn’t want to feed. It was going in for the fading. Before he could react I pounced at him, grabbing his head in my hands. Before I knew what was happened, Mortar fell to the floor and didn’t move again. I stood over him, peering down at him, breathing heavily. He wasn’t faded – there were very few ways of permanently fading a vampberry, and a neck snap was not on the list. It would keep him down and immobilized for a few minutes – fifteen at the most – but it would not fade him.
“I told you NEVER to address me by that name, EVER again. And don’t you ever, EVER compare me to my mother,” I yelled, despite knowing the fact that he couldn’t hear me. I had lost control. I couldn’t believe it. Only amateurs lose control, not experience vampberries like myself. It’s how we managed to have so many spies in the Rebel organization – the Rebels were misled to believe that vampberries that fed on mortals were cursed to possess bloodshot red eyes in account for the taking the life of the blood source, but that isn’t the case at all. It’s all a matter of controlling it, controlling the internal beast with red eyes, and for years I had been able to control the complete bloodlust...until now.
I stood over him for a few more seconds before I turned around, and stopped. Over by the stairs of the basement was Gravel, who was staring at me with a rather unsettling calm expression on his face.
“What do they call you?” the stranger asked me, snapping me out of my attempt at checking out the bar where my future prey lied, drinking, unaware of his fate. I returned my attention to the purple vampberry, wondering why he was pestering me when I made it clear that I had a meal in mind. But this vampberry was one of the only of my kind that I had encountered since leaving Moonbean Falls, and honestly, hunting alone in a group of teenage vampberries wasn’t my idea of fun.
“Bliss Amulet Moon,” I replied, tossing my hair behind my back as I smiled at him. It wasn’t every day that an older vampberry asked for my name.
His eyes went wide, the shock apparent in his eyes and I instantly began to question if I had said anything wrong. How could stating my name be wrong? “Parents?”
“Uhm...well, my dad is Firefly Moon – you probably haven’t heard of him. He’s just a mortal, nothing big. My mother, however, you probably have heard of. Emerald Mist Amulet...she was the old power’s head advisor, was she not?”
“How is that even...?” He breathed, bringing his hand up to his mouth as he contemplated the names I gave him. I frowned, confused at why he was reacting this way. I mean, they are just...a mortal and a vampberry. Okay...I see where he’s coming from now. That’s a really odd mix, but by his reaction, it appears that he knows my father as well. How could he possibly know my father? I don't remember him coming to the house when I was younger. My mother...that’s a little bit more obvious about how he knew of her, being a vampberry and all. Out of nowhere, he snapped out of whatever daze he was in and he put his hands on my shoulders, bringing me closer to him and he stared into my eyes as he began to shake me. “Do not ever use that name again.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, completely startled at his sudden outburst.
“Do not ever use that name ever again. If anybody asks you for a name, you tell them your name is Bliss. You no longer have a middle or a last name, do you hear me? That name is nothing but danger in this world. If anybody overhears you say that, you are as good as faded. Do you understand me? Faded. You no longer have parents, either – they are faded. They are both mortal and they are faded. If anyone asks about them, tell them you faded them yourself when you turned into a vampberry and you loved it. Do you hear me, Bliss? Do you understand?”
“Y-yes,”
“Are you done?” Gravel asked me, his voice as completely calm as he looked. I felt the anger slowly drain from my system, and I nodded at him. His expression changed, and I knew that the red eyes I possessed were gone now. His face was grim as he replied, “Excellent.”
~*~*~*~*~
“What do we do with the contraband? We simply cannot allow it all to stay here, and we cannot take it with us,” Shale stated as Gravel and I rejoined him at the front of the building. Shale tossed a body to the ground – signaling that he had just gotten back as well, so he did not hear anything that went on in the basement. He had a total of three faded bodies at his feet and blood smeared around his mouth, which he quickly wiped off onto his sleeve. Two faded Rebel vampberries, and one mortal – a witness, most likely. “And we have to do something about this...'evidence', as well.”
“We burn it.” Gravel said in a tone that screamed that his decision was nonnegotiable. I snapped my head up towards him, feeling my eyes going wide. This wasn’t the first time he suggested becoming repeated arsonists, but this was going to be the first time I had burned a vampberry alive...the first time I burned a vampberry who I had known before the Restoration.
“What?” I turned my body towards him, attempting to hide my shock. “Burn it? The whole building?”
“The whole building,” Gravel said as he helped Shale haul the three bodies over to the small spice shop, throwing them through the window to make the process faster. “The idea is to burn the evidence, which is indeed the whole building and everything inside. We simply cannot allow anything in there to get out.” Gravel’s eyes met mine, and I knew what he was referring to.
I quickly averted his gaze as Shale lit a lighter he had taken off of a body of one of the Rebels. He grinned at Gravel and I, holding the flame in his hand. “Hasta la vista,” he said, tossing the lighter inside.
Most of the spices and bottles on the shelves in the shop must have been highly flammable, and considering the amount of bottles we broke on the way in and out of the store, it wasn’t a surprise that the whole place lit up immediately. Even if Mortar was awake by the time the flames would get to him, there was no way he could escape that.
Comments
I only make my sims have kids when I'm bored. Plus there is no good CC for kids :evil:
Yeah, there's a controversy over a picture Clubers took during the live chat. It is of a green hairstyle in CAS. (I'd post the pic but all the links I click on take me to the forums). Then someone pointed out that in the trailer it says "Play with Herbs"
I love the tattoo too...unfortunately I'm pre-med sooo...no tattoos for me
I'm weird too, It's okay :thumbup:
That's why I hate writing in the kid life stage. 'Cause like. There is nothing for kids. NOTHING I TELL YOU.
Really? That sounds like a weird subject to have controversy be over...but whatever. Oh my jeez. Yeah. Like. That is not obvious at all, EA, not obvious at all XD
Ahh I freakin' want it. Besides I'd never show off my legs...so I might be able to get away with it XD. Whut? Aww that sucks :c. You can get something on like...your back or something...maybe...I dunno... My future line of work doesn't really have limits...but I think they'd frown if I had a tattoo like that all over my body XD.
Yuss I'm no the only one
I have a feeling that all the chapters in this generation are going to be on the longer side...I really hope you guys don't mind :oops:
And...would anybody like a sneak peek while I'm writing/waiting for the computer to get fixed?
A SNEAK PEEK WOULD BE AMAZING I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER!
I'll probably leave comments every few chapters or so in bunches. :] Be prepared for old emotional attacks from my way.
Like for Indigo I had so many ideas for scenes, but none of them could be stretched out very well, and they're all really spread apart in time, so her gen skips like huge portions of time a lot more than I would have liked. And the scenes are all really short, like 5-6 pictures usually. >__<
Radioactive is getting on the overplayed side, too. But Bleeding Out is my favorite of their songs besides Demons.
The problem I have with baby chapters in writing is that I really like it when characters that I ship really hard in TV shows and stuff get together and have babies, because its adorable when dudes like babies. BUT I HATE babies, so then if I have them have babies too soon I'm like "WHY DID I DO THIS!" I hate writing kid chapters, especially because I hate little kids. ugh. So I'm always conflicted.
I managed to find some kid CC in the exchange but it is all for girls and I want/need guy clothing for all ages on my game. There is literally nothing good for guys either from what I've seen. Ugh. Frustrating.
It's sims, there are a lot of weird controversies on the forums in my opinion but I find it entertaining, especially when I'm on break from college :twisted:
EA either made it really obvious or very misleading. We will have to wait and see what they have up their sleeps.
A lot of employers seem to frown if tattoos aren't easy to hide, it's kind of sad because some (like the PlantSim design) are really pretty. I don't know, I tend to be an oddball lol.
No, no you are not the only one
Edit: Sneak peeks are wonderful!
Ahh alright, love. The way it's phrased might change though when I go back to edit it for the millionth time. :]
Ahh thank you Skippeh, it means the world to know that you're going to do that
I shall be on the look out for emotional comments...'cause Firefly's gen really pulls at the heartstrings
Ahh it's lovely to have you back, too
OH MY JEEZ TELL ME ABOUT IT. Or I stretch them out too well, and I start adding random unnecessary detail that nobody really cares about except me apparently. No matter what you do, I think Indigo's generation will be perfect and I'm excited for it despite the fact of huge time skips
Really? I've only heard it 15 times...when I was too busy breaking the replay option. OH MY GOD BLEEDING OUT. It describes two characters from my favorite game ever's situation/relationship perfectly. Like. And so does Demons. I demand that next season they put Imagine Dragons songs in there. Like. They just fit soo well.
I freakin' hate writing kids. Like, I'm allergic or something. They're cute on TV and all when a good ship has them, but writing about them it's like "I'll save that for last..." because like. I'm not a family-fam person and I can't write family chapters or chapters from children's perspective. Like. At all. I feel your pain, sho, I feel your pain.
OH MY JEEZ I KNOW. Whenever my sims have boys I cringe because there is literally no good CC for males. And I just noticed today that the teal guy from the prologue has the same exact hairstyle as my history teacher. O_O Whenever I look at that picture in the prologue I'm gonna see my history teacher. O__O
Ahh my jeez I would find it entertaining, too. Like. People are getting so worked up over the 'play with herbs' thing that it's borderline ridiculous now. Like. Really. It doesn't really matter - just don't have your sim do that stuff and you're good XD
Ahh I know, or, they hate it when you have odd colored hair. I got lucky with my employer, who doesn't really care because I do a good job with the work. I wish to become a hairdresser, anyways, so the blue I have in my hair is actually smiled upon XD. Tattoos, too, I'm not sure about. If I always wear pants or something I'll be good XD. Like. I would totally get that design on my leg. I'm really odd, too XD
Ahh a sneak peek is coming right up, then! :]
...His eyes piercing mine. Something appeared to have registered in his mind, and he slowly lowered his crossbow as he called, “Mera? Mera, is that you?”
I set my jaw, my top teeth grinding my bottom as I felt my eyebrows come together in anger. I kept my head down, avoiding eye contact as I came out of the shadows, pushing my braided hair to the other shoulder to expose the Restoration tattoo on my arm to the dim florescent light, so the vampberry could see it clearly. Slowly, I looked up, baring my fangs as I hissed, “Do I look like a Mera to you?”
Riiiight? I cringe too...plus I can never think of good names for guys....I just want to cry when my sims have boys...as pathetic as that may (and probably does) sound....
Isn't it entertaining? I freaking love it...mostly because I have too much time on my hands...
YOU HAVE BLUE IN YOUR HAIR!? SOOO JEALOUS!! I should have gone to clown college or something... :x
Love the sneak peek!!!
Ahh yes, I know how that is like. I should really be doing my homework...but I never do XD
Ahh my jeez yes I do
Ahh thank you so much
Ahh thank you so much
And, that also means that there will be an update sometime this weekend.
I enjoyed the update, and I am anticipating the next chapter.
Same here! I, sometimes, try to add the most useless pieces of info. >__< well, I sure hope Indigo lives up to your expectations. You didn't set them high, or anything...
They've started playing it on the radio ALL THE TIME, like they used to with Its Time. I TOLD YOU! Demons and Bleeding Out are my favorite of their songs.
Exactly, its like I want the characters to have them because its fricking adorable for the adults, but then the kids come and... no. i hate writing family chapters in general, because I don't like hanging out with my family... at all... and I don't like writing for kids. ugh. Its so hard!
yay your computer is fixed! Woo! Looking forward to the update!
That was intense.
Yaaaay originality! I think the most original name I had for a guy was Ari...most of the time I'm like "Bob!!!" :thumbup:
Your hair sounds sooo freaking cool by the way!!!
You're welcome
Glad your computer is fixed!
"Biya," Crimson whispered the ancient simlish soothingly in my ear, his hands running gently up and down my arms, giving them a tingly, numb feeling. I was often this way when he spoke ancient simlish, the words enticing my mind so I could think of nothing other than his hands gently making circles on my arms. I didn’t know much of the forgotten language, but I did understand what that particular word was. Biya was my name in the old language. I had learned some of the basics of the language from Crimson, and he promised me that after the Restoration was successful he would teach me the entire language himself.
Unable to stop myself from grinning like a fool, I begged, “Please...say it again?” He was so...calm when he spoke the language – his voice wasn’t full of power like it usually was. It was like seeing a well-known warrior playing a beautiful piano piece without ever messing up – it was an odd sight as well as it was rare...and special. Crimson had used ancient simlish before when he was angry, but he was only this way in my presence – this calm while speaking it, I mean. It was rare for him. “Say it again?”
He chuckled, the sound was like music to my ears as he gently took a lock of my hair tucked it behind my ear, leaning forward to whisper, “Biya,”
And it was at that exact moment that there was a quick, swift knock on the door.
I groaned as I realized that Crimson was no longer behind me, but instead in the other room putting his pants back on. Feeling annoyance rise within me quickly, I stand up and walk over to sit on the edge of the bed, not even bothering to use my vampberry speed to get over there. He might have been summoned, but that didn’t mean that I had to hurry as well. “Do not answer it,” I suggested as he re-adjusted his shirt. This always happened to us – always. Just as Crimson would show signs of relaxing, of showing the other side of his stone cold personality, something would happen within the Restoration and those few moments of gentleness and relaxation I would see in him would be shattered and in its place one would notice that, Crimson, leader of the Restoration, has returned in full force.
He chuckled, messing with his collar as he gazed at himself in the mirror. “Ahh, Bliss, you must realize by now that I will always answer my vampberries.”
I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest in an attempt to display that I was angry. But, somewhere deep inside me, I knew that he would always answer his people...that he wouldn’t leave them unattended when they needed him. I also knew that, until the old power was restored, that I will always come in second. I had known and accepted this fact long before we became involved, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t bother me occasionally.
He noticed my lack of a reply, and as soon as he was done fixing his collar he turned towards me, giving me a warm smile. “You know I care for you,” he said in all seriousness, but his voice gave traces of the man that was there mere seconds ago, the man who was in the bathtub with me whispering my name into my ear.
I rolled my eyes at him, snorting in the process. I made the scoot motion with my hand towards the door. “Go on, you do not wish to keep your people waiting, do you?” I questioned, another snort escaping me as I say the words. One year together, and he still wouldn’t say the words directly. I couldn’t necessarily blame him, however; it was how he was raised. He was taught to never use the word love, as it could be used against him.
He leaned down towards me, his index finger placed gently under my chin as he tilted my head up to look at him. “I mean it,” he continued, his eyes holding mine in a locked gaze that I couldn’t break, even if I tried, “I truly do,” he murmured as he placed his lips against my forehead. I knew that I would never get the words ‘I love you’ to come from his mouth, but he didn’t have to say them directly. I knew he did, love me, that is, it was in his voice as he told me he cared for me. Almost too quickly the moment passed, and Crimson’s lips were no longer pressed against my forehead as he walked towards the door and headed out without a second glance in my direction.
~*~*~*~*~
I stayed in the room for a short period after – being in that room without Crimson there just felt...off...wrong, I suppose, like I wasn’t supposed to be in there even though Crimson had made it plenty clear that I was allowed wherever I wanted to go. With no vampberries to track down and no other quests to fulfill, I was left wandering the Restoration corridors and spying on the other members, making sure they were doing as they were told. Thatch was out on a recruiting mission, Gravel was...who knows where, Newbie was probably off being an idiotic fool, as per usual, and Shale was informing some of the newer recruits that knew absolutely nothing about battle how to fight in one – because, whether they like it or not, there will be a battle. The other vampberries – The Rebels, as they like to call themselves – are not going to just simply allow us to restore the old power. No, there is going to be a battle, one that will determine the future of vampberries, other supernaturals, and mortals alike and there are going to be lives lost. But it’s all for a good cost – the greater good for the superior race. If we give them enough training now, by the time the real battle actually rolls around, there will be fewer casualties on our half. Besides, Shale knew what he was doing – he learned from the best.
I was walking in the corridor, going from the opposite end of the underground building to the training room to spy on Shale as he taught today’s lesson when I heard a small, almost silent disturbance come from behind a door – a sound. I stopped abruptly in my tracks, listening intently with my ears. Normally, I wouldn’t have stopped over a small sound – I hear noises all the time whether I wanted to or not, it was a perk of being a vampberry – but it was where the sound came from that made me stop. The disturbance in the air came from behind a door that only held extra supplies for us – blood bags, stakes, fire, anything we could use in case The Rebels attack our home base. Blood bags were not the preferred choice of the Restoration, as we believed mortals are the true food of vampberries, but if it were a situation that required it in order to keep you alive that very second, we would take it. Why would there be a noise in a room that held no life? It couldn’t be a rodent, I didn’t hear a heartbeat, but things just don’t suddenly fall when they have been securely tightened and packed into place. It couldn’t be a vampberry, either – vampberries have a particular odor, just as every other being in the world did, and there was no smell other than old blood coming from the particular room in question. It made no sense, and I ventured from my original path to stalk towards the door, slowly, making sure my light footsteps didn’t interrupt my concentration on that door and its contents...
“Planning on staking somebody?” Came a voice, startling me out of my concentration and making me lose my light footing as my heel slammed to the floor and I turned around slightly to address the voice behind me. When I see a flash of a familiar shade of purple, I sighed and turned around fully to see Gravel staring at me with his hands across his chest and his eyebrows raised in suspicion as he glanced from my face to the dark door behind me.
“I heard a sound back there,” I stated the fact bluntly, nodding my head towards the door even though I knew he instantly understood what I was saying. His face relaxed as he peered around me, at the door, and it was visible on his face that he was listening intently. After a few moments, he raised his eyebrow at me, yet again.
“I hear nothing, Bliss.” Ignoring his comment, I stopped my intake of breath for a moment, allowing my senses to absorb any and every little sounds I could hear. I heard sounds all right, sounds of fighting, whispers and laughter, but none of them from behind that door.“You know as well as I do that there is nothing behind that door other than supplies if this place becomes compromised. Come on, now. There are reports of a Rebel smuggling business right under our noses here in our own city. Crimson wants us to get right onto it.”
I looked from Gravel to the door, his words sinking in. He didn’t hear a sound – not a single sound from that room. I was absolutely positive a few moments that I heard something, but now? Maybe he was right – there is nothing behind those doors that would make a sound. Nothing abnormal there at all...maybe my senses were going. Maybe I just imagined the whole thing; maybe the sound wasn’t there after all. Maybe it came from a different room. Two mistakes right after one another, the first letting that teal witness live, and now I’m hearing things. Was I falling apart? But every single fiber of being was telling me that there was something behind those doors, something other than supplies. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was in the wrong. This would be the first time that my senses had failed me, leading me in the wrong direction...but we all make mistakes, right? My thoughts and doubts about what was behind that door was irrational, and in the middle of processing that, another realization hit me. Was...was I becoming a liability? Hearing things that clearly were not there and letting mortals live?
I shrugged it off, shaking off the doubts as I returned my full attention back to Gravel, giving him a sly grin. “I think they have two new customers,”
~*~*~*~*~
As it turned out, the local spice shop in Twizzlerbrook received not two butthree new customers that night. We appeared outside the pathetic little pink shop well after closing time, however the lights in the back room of the shop were on – light was shining on the floor. The only exit was locked, but that lock was nothing compared to my strength. I gave it a quick, sharp twist and the door flew open. Gravel, Shale and I strutted into the place like mortals do,except for the fact that our eyes glowed...an immediate give away that we were no mortals. But, this could also work to our advantage if we played it right. We had nothing on us except for the tattoo that exclaimed we were with the Restoration, but hiding that was all too easy.
Being alerted to the fact that he had customers, the back room door opens and out filters an elder mortal smell as an older man, a mortal, most likely in his late sixties, early seventies, walked into the room and stopped when he saw us. It’s disgusting, the fact that the Rebels are working with mortals. It makes me ashamed to call them vampberries. For a second the elder hesitates, looking between the three of us for a while until he finally asked, “Friend or foe?”
I smirked – the Rebels seriously needed to change their passcode to areas of high importance. They were making this way too easy for us...all it took was a few hours of torturing a Rebel to get it. Before Gravel or Shale could reply, I spoke up in a clear voice, “Neither friend nor foe, we are one of the Rebels.”
The man’s pink face immediately begins to relax as he smiled at us, relieved that we weren’t Restoration. That thought alone almost made me snort out loud, but I did not. I couldn’t until he confirmed the fact that he was working with the Rebels. Not that that would usually stop us from taking what is left of his pathetic life, anyways, but Crimson has ordered us to be more...discreet with our fadings as of lately, as they are being...noticed. “Excellent – you had me worried there for a moment, I will admit. You,” he said, gesturing to me, a laugh in his voice, “you remind me of those rumors about the vampberry from the Restoration, what was her name again...oh, yeah, the Fader. Well, anyways, we have the whole basement full of a new shipment of stakes, lighters, crossbows – you name it, we have it in stock. A few of your fellow vampberries and my grandsons are down there right now getting the shipment, as a matter of fact...”
The man continued to ramble on about the Rebels in the basement and what other special weapons they have down there, and I couldn’t help the evil grin from taking over my features. We had him, and from the look on Gravel’s and Shale’s face, it was apparent and we knew exactly what we needed to do. If the Rebels think they can come onto Restoration territory and create a weapon smuggling ring here without there being any consequences, they were wrong. We knew exactly how to make this place look like an accident. Without a word, Gravel pushed past around the mortal elder and headed towards the basement to pay our little friends a visit and Shale followed him, leaving me and the mortal man alone. I had to buy Gravel and Shale some time to get the jump on the vampberries and mortals in the basement, for when the vampberries heard one less heartbeat they would know that they had been made. They would only need a few seconds. The man looked at me, confusion written on his features.I waited a few more seconds for Gravel and Shale to get in position before I decided to speak.
I smiled, “The Fader, was it? From the Restoration?” I walked around him in a circle, the confusion still evident on his face and in his eyes. “That’s ironic...considering she and I are the same being,” his eyes went wide just as my fangs ripped into his throat.
It took no more than two minutes to drain the old man dry, and scuffling and shouting could clearly be heard from downstairs. Two more heartbeats disappeared, and I knew that the mortals in the building were done for. I dropped the faded man’s body and proceeded to the stairs, only to be pushed to the side by two Rebels who were trying to escape with their life but left their dignity behind. The number one rule in the Restoration is to never leave a battle, no matter how hopeless it may seem. We fight to the end, we don’t run and hide like cowards. Shale was already in hot pursuit, shooting out of the basement not even a second later, I turned to follow him but somebody put their hand on my shoulder and spun me around to face them. Gravel. “We will handle this – there is still one left in the basement. Take care of it,” he disappeared then, running after Gravel and the two Rebels. I usually wouldn’t take orders from Gravel, but right now the bigger threat was the one still left in the basement than the two who ran away like cowards.
I bounded down the stairs, appearing at the bottom of the basement stairs to be greeted with the sights of crates and boxes, some of them with the lids off but most of them with the lids still fully intact. The ones with the lids off possessed weapons needed to end a vampberry’s existence, along with other herbs and spices that could momentarily weaken a vampberry, giving its opponent the moment it needs to attack. I immediately spot the two mortal bodies, both scattered at opposite ends of the room. I also heard the bottom of a crate scratching the floor on the other side of the room, and I quickly slipped into the shadows, avoiding the shattered pieces of broken light bulbs in the process.
The opponent I was against was a vampberry and he already knew that I was here, but he didn’t know where exactly, so I still had the element of surprise. I snuck across the walls, still hidden in the shadows, until I saw the Rebel vampberry under the florescent light shifting through one of the crates only to bring out a crossbow armed with wood. I miscalculated my footing placement, and accidently stepped on a shard of glass, which made a sharp cracking sound as it broke into tiny pieces. The vampberry’s head snapped up with his crossbow ready to shoot, his eyes piercing mine. Something appeared to have registered in his mind, and he slowly lowered his crossbow as he called, “Mera? Mera, is that you?”
I set my jaw, my top teeth grinding into my bottom teeth as I felt my eyebrows come together in anger. I kept my head down, avoiding eye contact as I came out of the shadows, pushing my braided hair to the other shoulder toexpose the Restoration tattoo on my arm to the dim florescent light, so the vampberry could see it clearly. Slowly, I looked up, baring my fangs as I hissed, “Do I look like a Mera to you?”
At once the vampberry dropped the crossbow, his only weapon against me, and could only stare at me with horror written all over his face. But the horror wasn’t directed at the fact that I wasn’t my mother, that much was evident. “...Bliss?”
Hearing my name come from the lips of a Rebel startled me momentarily, until I realized that I had seen that shade of purple before, from my childhood, in my very own home. I had seen this vampberry more than once, for my parents allowed him into the house almost as freely as they allowed Thistle to leave as a teenager while Jupiter and I were cooped up indoors away from the windows. I regained my composure instantly, not wanting to alert him that I recognized him as well. “You must have me confused with some other vampberry,”
“No,” he shook his head, taking a step forwards, “no, I do not. You are the spitting image of your mother, and I would recognize her anywhere. You are Bliss Moon, daughter of Firefly Moon and Mera Amulet,”
“Don’t you ever call me that, ever again.”
“I had been invited over to your house when you were younger, I remember you clearly. But...you are with the Restoration...how could you do this to your mother? After all she has done to prevent this? Your mother would not wish you to be doing this...”
“Shut up,” I said, closing my eyes and giving my head a quick shake before reopening my eyes to glare at Mortar. Flashbacks and echoes consumed my mind, about him and about my mother and that pathetic place she called a home. The only bright thing in that disgrace of a house was my father, but despite how much I loved my father, it didn’t change the fact that he sided with her in every fight I’d get into with her or my ‘siblings’. There was a reason I didn’t think about my old ‘family’, why I didn’t willingly remember them. I wanted them all out, all of them. All of the memories. Those were memories from another life – from a life that no longer mattered. My fists clenched and began shaking as I attempted to control the anger and the memories I wanted to keep suppressed. “You don’t want me angry,”
Mortar ignored this, however, and continued forward. “You used to be so strong, Bliss, so...above this. Just like your mother. What happened to that little girl I used to know? What happened to the little girl, Bliss Amulet Moon, who was just like her mother – ”
In that moment, I lost complete and utter control of myself. I launched myself in the air, the beast within completely in control as I knocked Mortar flat on his back. In a flash, he was up again and whirled at me in surprised as I crouched low to the floor in front of him. I saw the horror in his eyes as he realized that bloodlust was in control, and this time it didn’t want to feed. It was going in for the fading. Before he could react I pounced at him, grabbing his head in my hands. Before I knew what was happened, Mortar fell to the floor and didn’t move again. I stood over him, peering down at him, breathing heavily. He wasn’t faded – there were very few ways of permanently fading a vampberry, and a neck snap was not on the list. It would keep him down and immobilized for a few minutes – fifteen at the most – but it would not fade him.
“I told you NEVER to address me by that name, EVER again. And don’t you ever, EVER compare me to my mother,” I yelled, despite knowing the fact that he couldn’t hear me. I had lost control. I couldn’t believe it. Only amateurs lose control, not experience vampberries like myself. It’s how we managed to have so many spies in the Rebel organization – the Rebels were misled to believe that vampberries that fed on mortals were cursed to possess bloodshot red eyes in account for the taking the life of the blood source, but that isn’t the case at all. It’s all a matter of controlling it, controlling the internal beast with red eyes, and for years I had been able to control the complete bloodlust...until now.
I stood over him for a few more seconds before I turned around, and stopped. Over by the stairs of the basement was Gravel, who was staring at me with a rather unsettling calm expression on his face.
“What do they call you?” the stranger asked me, snapping me out of my attempt at checking out the bar where my future prey lied, drinking, unaware of his fate. I returned my attention to the purple vampberry, wondering why he was pestering me when I made it clear that I had a meal in mind. But this vampberry was one of the only of my kind that I had encountered since leaving Moonbean Falls, and honestly, hunting alone in a group of teenage vampberries wasn’t my idea of fun.
“Bliss Amulet Moon,” I replied, tossing my hair behind my back as I smiled at him. It wasn’t every day that an older vampberry asked for my name.
His eyes went wide, the shock apparent in his eyes and I instantly began to question if I had said anything wrong. How could stating my name be wrong? “Parents?”
“Uhm...well, my dad is Firefly Moon – you probably haven’t heard of him. He’s just a mortal, nothing big. My mother, however, you probably have heard of. Emerald Mist Amulet...she was the old power’s head advisor, was she not?”
“How is that even...?” He breathed, bringing his hand up to his mouth as he contemplated the names I gave him. I frowned, confused at why he was reacting this way. I mean, they are just...a mortal and a vampberry. Okay...I see where he’s coming from now. That’s a really odd mix, but by his reaction, it appears that he knows my father as well. How could he possibly know my father? I don't remember him coming to the house when I was younger. My mother...that’s a little bit more obvious about how he knew of her, being a vampberry and all. Out of nowhere, he snapped out of whatever daze he was in and he put his hands on my shoulders, bringing me closer to him and he stared into my eyes as he began to shake me. “Do not ever use that name again.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, completely startled at his sudden outburst.
“Do not ever use that name ever again. If anybody asks you for a name, you tell them your name is Bliss. You no longer have a middle or a last name, do you hear me? That name is nothing but danger in this world. If anybody overhears you say that, you are as good as faded. Do you understand me? Faded. You no longer have parents, either – they are faded. They are both mortal and they are faded. If anyone asks about them, tell them you faded them yourself when you turned into a vampberry and you loved it. Do you hear me, Bliss? Do you understand?”
“Y-yes,”
“Are you done?” Gravel asked me, his voice as completely calm as he looked. I felt the anger slowly drain from my system, and I nodded at him. His expression changed, and I knew that the red eyes I possessed were gone now. His face was grim as he replied, “Excellent.”
~*~*~*~*~
“What do we do with the contraband? We simply cannot allow it all to stay here, and we cannot take it with us,” Shale stated as Gravel and I rejoined him at the front of the building. Shale tossed a body to the ground – signaling that he had just gotten back as well, so he did not hear anything that went on in the basement. He had a total of three faded bodies at his feet and blood smeared around his mouth, which he quickly wiped off onto his sleeve. Two faded Rebel vampberries, and one mortal – a witness, most likely. “And we have to do something about this...'evidence', as well.”
“We burn it.” Gravel said in a tone that screamed that his decision was nonnegotiable. I snapped my head up towards him, feeling my eyes going wide. This wasn’t the first time he suggested becoming repeated arsonists, but this was going to be the first time I had burned a vampberry alive...the first time I burned a vampberry who I had known before the Restoration.
“What?” I turned my body towards him, attempting to hide my shock. “Burn it? The whole building?”
“The whole building,” Gravel said as he helped Shale haul the three bodies over to the small spice shop, throwing them through the window to make the process faster. “The idea is to burn the evidence, which is indeed the whole building and everything inside. We simply cannot allow anything in there to get out.” Gravel’s eyes met mine, and I knew what he was referring to.
I quickly averted his gaze as Shale lit a lighter he had taken off of a body of one of the Rebels. He grinned at Gravel and I, holding the flame in his hand. “Hasta la vista,” he said, tossing the lighter inside.
Most of the spices and bottles on the shelves in the shop must have been highly flammable, and considering the amount of bottles we broke on the way in and out of the store, it wasn’t a surprise that the whole place lit up immediately. Even if Mortar was awake by the time the flames would get to him, there was no way he could escape that.
I had burned a vampberry alive.
And with him, my secret burned as well.
keep your hands off my woman.
But eee, amazing chapter! I adore Gravel. Like. Yes.
she killed an old man.
an old man.
a cute old man.