Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Chapter 42: How To Live Without You


Cole asked Delaney to meet him at a sushi place near the beach in Newport, saying she'd never be able to find his house. That seemed a little odd, and she wondered if his house hidden far off in the outskirts of the city, or if he just had that little faith in her map skills. Either way, after the long drive out from Drake's Hollow, she's hungry, and a sushi place seems like the perfect place to meet.

She joins him at his table, maintaining a cool smile and a casual air, hiding her nervousness. He's the boss, and he called her here, alone. She can't think of any work related reason he'd want to meet her without Jack and Ian, and if it's not the job that brings her her, well, she can only think of one other thing he might want from her, and Delaney just isn't sure she wants that kind of relationship with him. She'd already made that mistake with Ian, and keeping him in line has been more trouble than it was worth. An affair with Cole would not be so easily managed, and though it would get her far ahed of the game very fast, she can't see how she'd be able to keep Jack. And she wants to keep Jack, she's very clear on that, at least. But if Cole asks, and she refuses...? Would he just drop her?


"I want to talk about your technique," Cole starts, and Delaney is reassured by his businesslike attitude, and by the reminder that she does have something Cole can't get from just anyone. Her uncle's potions, which she's managed to use without revealing the secret to Jack or Ian, give her an edge over every potential thief out there. And Cole has to be smart enough to recognize that her skills as a thief would outweigh any sexual desire he might express, if he should go that route. "You have an extraordinary ability to simply disappear while on the job. Security cameras can't catch you, you bypass alarms without triggering them. You're in and out like, well, a ghost," he finishes. 

"I'm very good at what I do," she says confidently.

"Yes, but so was Wicked John, and yet you've completely replaced him as the leader of your team. You're so invisible and so quick, he's become more of hindrance than help to you, hasn't he?"

Delaney perks up at this, seeing a way to permanently rid herself of that problem. "Ian isn't totally useless," she says with a laugh, not wanting to appear too eager to throw her teammate under the bus.




"Look, Ghost, I'm going to be very direct here," Cole says, "You dodged me before when I asked what you know about your town's history. But it's obvious you're using magic. And I can sense you're...my kind. The fairies are naturally suspicious of me, so I can't get anything out of them. So, I'm asking you, where did you learn your skills? Who is mentoring you? And why are you all in hiding?"

"I...I have no idea what you're talking about," Delaney admits, "I don't use magic. My uncle, he's a chemist, or whatever, and he makes these potions...that's what I'm using." She feels suddenly deflated and even replaceable, now, her own skills no better than Ian's without the aid of Farrell's potions.

Cole frowns, not sure if this is the truth at last or another dodge. People like himself will usually come up with anything rather than admit to using magic.


"And I suppose you don't know why a MorcuCorp operative is tailing you?" Cole asks, recognizing the woman leaning casually against a nearby partition.

"What's MorcuCorp?" Delaney asks.

"My guess is they're what you're hiding from," Cole surmises. Either she's sticking very hard to her cover, or she really is as innocent as she pretends.

"Hiding?" Delaney asks, "From that guy? The redhead?"


"No, he's some schmuck she's lured in as cover. The blonde is the MorcuCorp operative," Cole says, "Well, it's time we shake her off us."


"You see this?" Cole asks as he stands and suddenly starts to glow, "This is magic. Now, stay close. We're going to my place."


And just like that, they're standing in his living room. As far as Delaney could tell, there were no potions involved.


"How did you do that?"  Delaney asks.

"You really don't know," Cole finally accepts her unfeigned ignorance, "Potions can be useful, but they can also be an encumbrance. There are not many people in this world with the ability to call on this kind of magic, but you are one of those few, Delaney. I sensed it as soon as met you, and I thought you'd already been awakened to that."

"I don't have any magic," Delaney bites her lip, wondering how much she should says, even after witnessing his own display, "My cousin Shadow casts spells. He runs a magic shop in town, but I don't know anything about that. He gets it from his mother."

"Right, the witch Tansy mentioned. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm no witch, Delaney, and neither are you. We share a very different heritage. We're dragons."

"You've lost me," Delaney says.


"I know that feeling," Cole admits, "And I know what it's like to be you, driven by an inner fire you can't explain, making bad decisions that destroy your relationships. Let me tell you a story, about this snake here," Cole gestures toward the gold cobra statuette on display in front of them, "My father was a thief once, albeit not a very good one. He was very in love with my mother, and decided he would woo her with a very special gift for her birthday. She was very fond of snakes. We had them all over the house growing up. So, my father got the idea that he'd steal this beauty from a museum for her."

"Wow," Delaney says, "That's love."

Cole laughs, "My father was crazy about my mother. But, as I said, not a very good thief. He had the job planned out, but he ran into my mother a few hours before he was to carry it out. So, on a romantic whim, he invited her to do the job with him. And her presence distracted him, he tripped an alarm and they got caught, and thrown in jail. After my mother beat up the arresting officer."

"Seriously?" Delaney laughs, "But, if they got caught, how did you get this snake?"

"My father paid a better thief to acquire it for him.  He gave up the criminal life before I was born."

"So, the point of this story is that to be a great thief, you have to give up on love and lead a solitary life? That's why you're alone?"

"Not at all," Cole answers, "My father was never going to be a great thief, it just wasn't in him. My mother was very lucky to have my father. She was a dragon, you see, and had all the personality issues that come with the territory. My father put himself in the line of her fire, and was devoted enough to her to take it stride. That's a rare thing to find, and I haven't yet been so lucky; I've burned through every relationship I've been in. But that's not the point of the story, either. It's about knowing who you are. My father became a thief because that's what his father did. But it wasn't what he was, and he realized it early enough to get out before it ruined everything he had. I grew up not knowing my mother was a dragon, we all just thought she was incredibly hot-tempered and ornery. I grew up not knowing who I was, not understanding the fire that drove me, and it made me miserable. It wasn't until I discovered who I was and learned how to control, and use, the gifts that come with being a dragon, that I was able to get some handle on myself. And even now, after all these, it's still a struggle. I see you going through the same thing, Delaney, and I want to help you awaken your inner dragon."

"That's an interesting story," Delaney says, "But, I'm not a dragon. I'm not even sure what you mean by that."

"You are a dragon, even if you don't realize or understand it. And it has control of you, it drives you. If you let it run free, it could destroy you, but if you master it, master yourself, there's nothing you can't do. Take some time to think about that, about your life as you've lived it, and we'll talk more tomorrow."


He shows to her to a guest room, one of many in his mansion by the beach.


Her life as she's lived it...Delaney thinks she knows what Cole was getting at, her urge to rebel, to do what was forbidden. And her own inability to stop herself when her urges would take her too far, she realizes in a flash of understanding. Cole spoke of burning through his relationships...she's been lucky, so far, that Jack hasn't learned what she did with Ian, that he's stuck with her, put himself, as Cole had described his father's relationship with his mother, in the line of her fire. This whole dragon thing is a bit over her head, but maybe Cole does have something to teach her.


"So, when you say you're a dragon, that I'm a dragon...that's just a metaphor, right?" Delaney asks when they sit on the patio for breakfast.

"No, I mean that quite literally. Though, the art of transformation is something I still have yet to learn. The old dragon, my grandfather, can be a little stingy with his lessons. I only got what I did from him because he needed a favor from me. So, we're stuck in these human forms. But we are dragons."


"How am I a dragon? And doesn't that make my sister a dragon, too? She's nothing like me. She's, you know, a good girl. Smart, obeys the rules, happily married..."

"Your ancestry goes very far back, I'd imagine. There aren't that many dragons who have mated with humans. There aren't that many dragons left at all. And the dragon doesn't manifest in everyone born of dragon ancestry. It can lie dormant in a line for generations. When it does show itself, it normally manifests in a somewhat troubled personality. But there's great power that comes with being a dragon, even without being able to transform. The magic you saw me perform at the restaurant...no one there saw that, no one will even remember we were there at all, not even the MorcuCorp operative who was spying on you."

"You can teach me to do that?" Delaney asks, very interested.

"You'll teach yourself," Cole says, "It comes with fully awakening the dragon that lies dormant inside you. That's what I'll be teaching you. The rest is up to you."


For the human's living in Drake's Hollow, the arboretum houses rare species of small trees requiring a specialized environment. 


For a fairy like Tansy Sunbright, it's a portal to another world, a place that exists only in the mind of her father, Auberon Nightshroud, a land he calls the Fae, open to any of his kind.


Most fairies dwell in the Fae exclusively, avoiding the human dominated mortal realm that they once called home. There, Tansy seeks and finds her half-sister, Evenfall.

"He paid us a visit," Tansy says, sitting on the grass beside Evie.

"It's funny how of all the many thousands of 'hes' that you might be referring to, fae, human or...otherwise...I know exactly who you are referring to. Even stranger that you bear him more animosity than I."

"He broke your heart, Evie!" Tansy says sharply, "How could I forgive him?"

"My heart..." Evenfall says, dropping off as she stares off into some distant past, much as their father does whenever she tries to talk to him. Tansy gives her an exasperated nudge to bring her attention back to the present. "My heart," Evie continues, "is perfectly fine. Unbroken."

Tansy rolls her eyes, "I wasn't being literal."

"I know," Evie says, "I had a human mother, after all. But you, Tansy, you think and speak so much like them! How old are you, now?"


Tansy frowns, hating when the elders bring up her age. And they're all elders compared to her, only her own two sons being remotely close to her in age. "Just over a century, now," she reminds her sister.

"What did Rory want of you?" Evenfall asks, bringing the subject back around.

"His business. He wants to use the wards we've laid to protect his criminal concerns."

"That seems harmless enough," Evie says.

"I don't understand how you can be so..." Tansy fumbles for a word.

"I've lived with dragons," Evenfall reminds her sister, "If you'd ever loved a dragon, you'd understand. If I can forgive him, so should you, sister. At the very least, leave him be. His business is no concern of yours, nor will it interfere with your task."



"You don't remember anything after you sent me that text from the restaurant?" Geoffrey asks.

"I don't even remember sending you the text," Peridot says, frowning. This kind of failure is unacceptable, and she knows it.


"The text came from you. Only you have that number to contact me. And it was written in your code," Geoffrey says, "You don't remember following the Brannon girl to the restaurant?"

"I...no," Peridot admits, "I remember being on a job, but it's...blurry. Like a dream. I was in the sushi place, talking to some guy. I saw...something...I knew it was important, I had to tell you. But...no, it's gone."


"The text you sent said she was with Bowman," Geoffrey muses, "That's not a good sign."


"I failed you," Peridot says,  standing up to pace nervously around his office, "I lost the girl."


Normally, Geoffrey comes down hard on those who have failed him. But Peridot is his best agent, unfaltering in her loyalty. "This is my failure," he admits, taking blame as easily as he takes credit, "I didn't know I was sending you in against a dragon, and didn't prepare you against the wards he can throw."


"Dragon wards," Geoffrey continues, walking over to the ancient dragon tooth trophy taken by one of his illustrious Landgraab ancestors, "I should have picked up on this much sooner. That kind of magic would explain why we haven't been able to find Brannon since he destroyed the Meadow Glen facility. They must be hiding out in a protected area, one not too far from here, apparently. To get to them, we'll need to get to someone who knows the place well enough to get past the wards."


"Bowman?" Peridot suggests.

"No, he'd recognize you. Well, your face, anyway," Peridot is a clone, and had never been in personal contact with Bowman, but her predecessors had. And that is of course how he knew to cast the wards to get him and the Brannon girl away from his agent. "But he has extensive connections throughout the area, and if he's dealing with the Branon girl, he must have business in their town. Sooner or later one of his underlings will have to travel in and out of the area. Find one of them, and subordinate him, and we're in."

"I won't fail you," Peridot promises, with a tone that says she has something to prove. Well, of course she does, Geoffrey thinks, remembering the history of failure presented by her predecessors. They were made to be the perfect operatives, but each had in her own way fallen on the job. Peridot knows that, and it's a legacy she's striven to overcome.

"I trust you," Geoffrey says, smiling just slightly. Being a clone himself, he knows only too well the burden the carry, to be better than their genetic material, to be different than the model they were copied from. Pearl, the first of her kind, was the reason they lost the Brannon genes in the first place. Her emotional attachment to her child was her downfall. With her successor, Teal, they tried stronger conditioning. She was loyal to the end, but lacked the capacity for independent thinking that Pearl had. With Peridot, Geoffrey changed their indoctrination tactics entirely, and saw he raised and indoctrinated  the same way he had been. And so far, it seems to have worked. Raised like a Landgraab, she strives to be a Landgraab, using Geoffrey himself as her model in everything she does, even down to the way she dresses. "You are my right hand, Peridot. You are my eyes and ears." It's a bit of an exaggeration, but he can see by her smile of pride that it's what she needs. 



Jack shows up at the Brannon house early on Saturday morning.

"Dad!" Jace greets him with a big hug. "Mom came home this morning. She upstairs, waiting for you. You're still going to take me fishing, right?"

"You know it," Jack promises,  his smile hiding his surprise and dismay at the news, "Let me go see your Mom for a few minutes, then we'll go."


She's in the shower when he gets up to her room, so Jack waits, steeling himself to say what he has to say.

"There you are," she says with a smile, coming out of the bathroom, "Cole wants---"

"Did you sleep with him?" Jack asks, cutting her off.

"What?" Delaney asks, surprised by his interruption, and his tone.

"I asked if you slept with Cole," he says, obviously meaning business.


Well, Delaney knows where the suspicion came from, she'd had her doubts about Cole's intentions, too.  "No I didn't sleep with Cole," she says confidently, glad she doesn't have to lie about it. "He told me--" she carries on, trying to move the conversation along.

But Jack isn't finished, "But you did sleep with Ian," he accuses.

"Jack," Delaney sighs, "Whatever Ian told you..."

"Stop bullshitting me, Laney! I know when Ian's lying, and I know this is the truth. You slept with him. While I was sitting in jail, you fucked my partner."


"It was just the once," Delaney says feebly, knowing how shitty and lame an excuse that is.

"Once is enough, Laney!" Jack shouts, then pulls his voice back down so the whole house doesn't hear their argument, "Why? Why would you cheat on me?"


"Jack, it was a mistake," she pleads, "A really stupid mistake. It didn't mean anything, You're the one I love."

"How am I supposed to believe anything you say?" Jack asks, pulling her hand away as she tries to caress him.


Delaney moves in more forcefully this time, pressing her lips against his. "Jack," she whispers, "Don't do this. Don't destroy us over this." He's never been able to resist her, she can fix this, she knows it. For a moment, as he holds her in his arms, responds to her kiss, it seems to be working.


"You're the one that destroyed us," Jack growls, pulling away from her.

"Jack, please, let me explain," Delaney pleads, hoping for one last chance.


"You don't need to explain," Jack says, walking away, "I know who you are. And I just need some time away from this, from you. To figure out why I love you, and how to live without you."

__________________________________

So, those who have read my Roman legacy might recognize the story Cole/Rory Bowman tells Delaney. If you haven't read it, here's some history that might put stuff in context: Rory Bowman was a spare in the fifth generation of the Roman legacy, the grandson of Aymeri, a dragon who had married the third generation heir. (The family changed their name to Bowman after the incident Cole tells Delaney, as his parents were on the run from the law). SP put Rory into the criminal career as soon as he moved out, It also put him through two bad marriages that ended in divorce. In the 6th generation, my heir rolled the Adventurer career and came up against MorcuCorp, who had targeted her for her dragon ancestry. They kidnapped her to do genetic experiments on her, and her great-grandfather Aymeri reappeared at this point to help her husband, himself a Landgraab clone who'd escaped MorcuCorp's clutches, rescue her. Rory became involved in this and one other mission Aymeri was involved in during this generation. And while I was focused on my heir, naturally, I did kind of imagine that Rory's new found connection to his grandfather would lead to some important self-discoveries on his part. Which are now finding their way into this legacy.
And, just to clear up how Rory is still alive and young...that's one of the perks of awakening your inner dragon.

And I guess I should explain some history on the Landgraab clones while I'm at it. In the third generation of my Roman legacy, Harris Landgraab, a born in game Sim, is the political rival of my heir.  Obsessed with himself and his own perfection and making himself immortal, he has himself cloned. And from then on, MorcuCorp, which is run by Landgraabs, makes new Harris Landgraab clones to run the company. Geoffrey is one of these clones. (He's not the SV Geoffrey Landgraab, to be clear).
From histhoughts about the three Pearl clones he's experienced in his lifetime, Geoffrey is pretty clearly a long-lived individual. Could he be the same Geoffrey Landgraab from my Roman legacy? Maybe. They were obsessed with immortality, after all.

30 comments:

  1. I squeed when Cole started telling that story! I love the way you keep bringing people from your Roman legacy back in :)

    Delaney being a dragon explains so much about her character, I hope she can learn how to deal with her heritage now she knows about it

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    1. Thanks, Ali!
      Delaney being dragon wasn't something I had planned from the star, but since I did have the dragon heritage built in from Farrell's discoveries bout his family heritage,it did finally occur to me that that would work in very well with Delaney's personality issues.
      Rory telling his parents' story made me so nostalgic for Tearney and Aiden, I really loved them.

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  2. Okay--so I've gone from suspicious about Cole (Rory) to--hey---I like him! Aymeri's grandson! :D I am so glad he didn't invite Laney just so he could start an affair with her. What a great explanation too for why Laney is so attracted to self-destructive decisions, lol :P

    Landgraabs on her trail though, that can't be good. Darn clones, they just keep cloning themselves, and/or living too long!

    And Jack---poor Jack. It doesn't look very good for Delaney/Jack, but I still hold out hope, that maybe they'll be able to reconcile.

    Excellent chapter--I loved it! :D (I loved all the different connections to the Roman Legacy.) I can't wait for the next one!

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    1. Thanks, Nirar. Cole was set up to look suspicious, but I also wonered if anyone would recognize him. Even behind the sunglasses, he has the classic Aymeri face. But then almost all of Aymeri's sons and grandsons favor him strongly. Not that I'm complaining about that, lol.

      Landgraabs are now on her trail, and through her, back on Farrell's trail. And that definitely can't be good.

      There is always the chance for Jack and Delaney to reconcile, depending on how they both handle things in the future. Jack will still be round for his son, so it's not like they won't be in contact.

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  3. As soon as Cole starting talking about his parents story I had a bit of a fan-gasm. Rory was one of my absolute favourite heirs from your legacies! <3

    I am so freaking happy right now you have no idea.

    Is this the same Geoffrey who almost married Cecilia (another fav villain)? Has he found the truth behind immortality? Who cares! RORY IS BACK!

    I'm sorry. That was rude. I do care. I'm just kinda on cloud nine.

    Oh hey there was plot in this. Poor Jack. : (

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    1. LOL, the continuity porn achieved a fangasm. Excellent!
      I'm personally just as excited about the return of the Landgraab clones, but bringing Rory back was also fun. I did get a little more mileage out of him as a spare than I get from most of them, but I really never felt like I'd gotten everything I wanted out of him. So now's that chance again.
      I'm actually undecided whether this is the same Geoffrey who almost married Cecilia. There are good reasons for both a yes and no on that...what is true is that he's (or MorcuCorp has) discovered a means of lengthening life at the very least, as he's been and adult long enough to oversee the creation and indoctrination of 3 Pearl clones. And since the first Pearl was Farrell's Mom, he'd be dead by now if he'd lived a natural life span.

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  4. I actually clapped when I recognized the story of Rory. So cool, loved it! And seeing the Landgraab clones was just as wonderfully nostalgic.
    And what curve thrown in as an explanation for Delaney's behavior! I really didn't see that one coming so it was a real revelation, and a refreshing one at that.
    Poor Jack. I wonder if even if he did accept Delaney's explanation if he would be able to forgive her.

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    1. It's been a big nostalgia day for me. I had to go back and read significant chapters in the roman legacy to make sure I didn't mess up important details. And I miss Tearney and Aiden now.

      It's true, I'd been so much more focused on Farrell as the carrier of the Brannon legacy, because he's Pearl's son and therefore MorcuCorp's most wanted. but Elliot carries the same genes they got from Heath even without being related to Pearl, and those genes have dragon ancestry.
      I think Jack could come around to forgiving Delaney, but I'm not sure he's ready to trust her again any time soon.

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  5. Well, I saw that coming. I understand why Jack needs to break up with Delaney, but I still feel badly for them. They could have been a really sweet couple, but everything just got in their way. I hope that they do both find happiness, though. Perhaps there can be a future for them once Delaney has matured. Who knows?

    And I'm very interested in the dragon storyline. I haven't read your other legacy but now I definitely want to. I just need to find the time :P

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    1. I feel badly for Jack and Delaney too. They did fit really well together, and there is still a chance for them, when they've sorted stuff out for themselves.

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  6. Eeeeee! I have no idea what to think now!!

    Delaney still wronged Jack, whether she 'meant to' or not. I realise she doesn't have control over her dragon, but surely she has some level of control? I also think if she'd told Jack immediately, he would have forgiven her at the drop of a hat. The fact he found out from Ian makes everything worse.

    If I was Jack, I wouldn't give her time to explain. I understand she has to, (if she even understands herself) and I'm fairly certain he'll listen. He loves her, and although he's hurt badly by this I don't think he'll break up with her.

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    1. I totally agree with you gemly. Delaney has poor impulse control, but that doesn't give her a free pass to not try to get hold of herself. Even before she knew what she was, she still had the ability to stop herself if she really tried. At the very least, like you said, she could have confessed to Jack herself and things might have gone better for them.
      And you are very right on about Jack, there is room for him to forgive her, but it's going to take some work on her part to get his trust back.

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  7. Hmm. So as Cole told her, Laney needs to understand, awaken, and control her inner dragon. Jack leaving makes me sad, but it's understandable. *sigh*

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    1. Jack did have to leave at this point, yeah, sad as it is.

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  8. Hmm. Thought I commented! Maybe it's in your spam section.

    Anyway it was something about Geoffrey and something about Rory and something about feeling bad for Jack but Delaney deserving the wake-up call.

    I'm always excited to see more about the Landgraab clones. I remember the one who deposed Cecelia was resentful of all the magic crap, so I wouldn't at first think it was the same guy as this one, but hey... I'd change my views right quick if I could get immortality. Maybe.

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    1. Nope, not in spam. I guess it got eaten.
      Delaney did deserve the wake up call. Hopefully it will wake hr up and she'll act on it.

      The problem I have with deciding if this Geoffrey is really that Geoffrey or another clone is that, as you said, that Geoffrey expressed some serious disdain for magic junk and expressed his intention to move MorcuCorp back in the direction of Serious Business that didn't involve fairy dust and spirit jar collections. He also declared his intention of being the las clone ever, so whether this Geoffrey is that Geoffrey or another clone does require some retconning on my part either way. But, you know I'm pretty willing to retcon whenever I find it convenient, lol. I don't think any plot points will hinge on the identity of this Geoffrey beyond the fact that he's the current head or MorcuCorp and scion of the Landgraab family. But you never know with me.

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  9. Yay for more people from the Roman Legacy popping up. Cole's story went in a different direction than I expected but it was a turn for the better! At least he is not an undercover MorcuCorp agent! I didn't recognize him but I have a much better brain for stories than pictures.

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    1. I did kind set up some skeezy expectations for Cole, and then ran the other way with it.

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  10. Oh my goodness, I thought Cole looked familiar! I kept wondering if he was Aymeri, but then I knew that didn't fit. I'm so excited to see Rory again! He was always a favorite of mine. (And I still to this day have a copy of him in my bin, cause, damn, that's one good looking Sim!) I have a lot to say, so I'm just going to bullet point. =)

    -Like everybody else, I feel bad for Jack, and I definitely think that he deserves to be treated better than how he has been by Delaney. Although, I'm still holding out hope for her, as I know she has a good heart, and if she can just learn some impulse control then there might be a future for them yet.

    -Shadow makes me melt. Like, I love him and his bookish tendencies, and he and Iola are just the sweetest couple. <3

    -This is from a long time ago, but Pearl is fabulous! I love it when she kicked some serious MorcuCorp butt even at her old age, and I can't believe she was an EA Sim! She and Teal and Peridot are GORGEOUS!

    -Your writing skills make me envious. I read this whole blog in, like, less than a week. (Which is really, really fast for me because I'm a super slow reader.)

    Thanks for doing another legacy, Melissa. I'm thoroughly enjoying it, and I can't wait for more! =D

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    1. Thanks, Colleen! I'm glad you made it through.
      Rory is a favorite of mine as well, and his story really fit in well with Delaney's, so I was happy to be able to bring him back.

      There is still hope for Delaney and Jack, though it will depend a lot on her to make things right again.

      I adore Shadow as well. He's a sweetheart, and he and Iola are a lovely couple.

      I did a little tweaking to the original Pearl Yang, but not much. She is I think the prettiest Sim EA ever created...usually when they are going for 'pretty' they end up with 'vanilla'. In Pearl's case, she's got distinctive features, which is most important to me. When I was plotting the whole MorcuCorp infiltration scene, I expected her to be an adult, but she aged to elder right on the day I started setting that in motion. So, I rolled with it, and let elder Pearl do what I planned for adult Pearl. It was cool to see her kicking ass, lol.

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  11. Well...that was interesting. I'm glad there is now an explanation for Delaney's behavior...other than her just being immature. I hope Jack (eventually) forgives her. I can't wait to see how it all pans out.

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    1. I'm not entirely letting Delaey off the hook for her behavior, but she does have something to struggle against. Maybe someday Jack will forgive her.

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  12. I got really excited when Cole started telling his story about his parents and I remembered Tearney and her husband! A great tie-in to your previous legacy! Hooray for dragons!

    As sad as I am for Delaney in a sense, I think it's a good wake-up call for her that Jack is leaving for awhile. I just hope it doesn't affect his relationship with Jace at all.

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    1. I loved doing that tie in with the Roman legacy.
      Jack very much wants to stay in his son's life, he won't let this break up with Delaney change that.

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  13. Jack is a good guy...

    I almost don't want him to get back with Delaney because I know she's going to hurt him again...
    Sigh, don't know how I became more attached to a kind-of side character. :P

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    1. I got really attached to Jack, too. I didn't intend for him to have such a large role in this legacy, but he reallt grew on me. And it is really awful how much Delaney has hurt him. =(

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  14. OK...so now I HAVE to read your Roman legacy, too. LOL! Good thing your stories are so enjoyable!!! ;-) Is there actually some order that it would be best to read them in? I'm guessing Roman legacy comes before this one--in the chronological history of your "world".

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    1. Well, thank you, I am so happy you like my stories enough to want read the old ones as well. The Roman legacy was the first one in this 'series' if you can call it that. Characters like Aymeri and Ico and Tania and Auberon from Summerdream were originally introduced in that legacy, and it is also the origin of my Landgraab/MorcuCorp storyline.
      Summerdream was sort of a spin off of that. I wanted to tell the story of Aymeri and Ico that I only touched on it Romans. And it became something much bigger, as you've seen. I started the Brannon legacy after Summerdream was already well into it. I hadn't meant to tie the stories together, but it happened pretty quickly.
      While I did drag some of the Roman legacy stuff into this story, there are things in Romans that get completely written out. For instance, in my Roman legacy, I populated the town it started in with Sims 3 versions of some Sims2 families, including the Tricous. So there's a Kvornan in that story who is absolutely not the Kvornan in this one. Though, and this gets weird, but the story I'm going to do around Kvornan in Summerdream eventually comes from one line a son pf Knornan and Jennail says in the Roman legacy, that his father was an ancient shaman resurrected by his mother.
      My mind is a twisted and gnarled root, so this stuff makes sense to me. I imagine it gets really confusing for everyone else.
      The Roman legacy is not 'canon', and it can very much be skipped over, but in your case as a Tricou fan, you might like it. The Tricou presence in that game is a big part of how I got into this whole mess.

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