The Crane Legacy: Chapter 4.15- Playing With Fire, Part Two

Welcome back dear readers! The blitz updates continue today.

When we last left off, Dorothy, Doris and Donato had decided to have a night out at the Crypt O’ Night Club to cheer themselves up. Once there, Dorothy met a mysterious, charming Vampire named Pelles. After he left, Dorothy excitedly recounted their chat with Doris, who went from skeptical to worried. Will Dorothy listen to her older sister? Or will she continue to flirt with danger?

The morning after their night Downtown, Donato was back to his old ways: he had met Bellatrix Ryenia at The Quad and had convinced her to come back to AOV with him for some “alone time”.



“Oh mah gosh! Is that for me?”

Donato just smiled. He had done this a million times, and it helped that Bellatrix wasn’t the smartest tool in the shed.

“Yes, it is. Do you like it?”

“Of course Ah do! It’s… It’s gorgeous Donato!”

Donato smiled again. “Now come here, I know just what you need to feel better.”




Donato nimbly moved into position, and began working his expert hands over Bellatrix’s tired shoulders.

“That’s the spot… How’d you know mah shoulders would be aching?”

Donato, never missing a beat, continued massaging Bellatrix.

“Why don’t we go upstairs? There’s a lot more space for me to massage you, and then maybe I can show you to my bedroom...”

Bellatrix giggled, sounding remarkably young for a Young Adult.

“Sure. Ah’d *love* to see your bedroom, Donato.”

The pair made their way upstairs, giggling like naughty schoolchildren.




Inside the kitchen, Dorothy was having trouble focusing on her assignment. She had been flustered by the mere thought of calling Pelles, and schoolwork and her inventions did nothing to ease her restlessness.




Getting frustrated with her work, Dorothy stood from the table. Why was this so hard for her? He had told her he wanted her to call, so why was she being so difficult about it?




Burying her face in her hands, Dorothy sighed. It wasn’t as easy for her as it was for Donato and Doris- they were outgoing and confident and while Dorothy did share the family traits to an extent, she was much more subtle about getting what she wanted. Could she really allow herself to lose her head over this guy?

Feeling familiar emotions rising, Dorothy decided that what she really needed was a shower- a nice, cold, long, shower. It would definitely help her think, and she would surely know what to do with a clear head, one rid of all foolish distractions like supernatural men.




However, Dorothy was wrong. Upon getting out of the shower, she found herself thinking about Pelles again.

“Screw it”, said Dorothy aloud. She was going to call him tonight, rules be damned. Dorothy may have usually been subtle, but when she wanted something, she was going after it, and after her… shower, she was very, very sure of what she wanted.




Upstairs, Donato’s massage had (predictably) turned into a steamy make out session between himself and the ‘Southern’ Cheerleader.

“When you said you wanted to see the bedroom, I had no idea you’d be this eager!” Donato was breathless, but he did enjoy a woman who took charge every now and then.

“Ah just know what I want, Donato. Is that your bed?”




By the time they made it to the bed (clothes still intact), Donato and Bellatrix were once again overcome with a fit of giggles.

“Ah can’t wait to see your (I)other(I) massage techniques!”

“Baby, you’re about to experience things you only dreamed of.”

Bellatrix giggled again as she and Donato plunged into their own little world beneath the sheets.





-------------------------------------------------------------------------------







As soon as Dorothy saw it was dark outside, she rushed out to call Pelles.

When he answered, Dorothy found herself smiling at the sound of his voice.

“I knew you’d call eventually, but I must admit- for someone with a lifespan as short as yours, I thought you would have called sooner.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I was just busy with school and working on a new project-”

Pelles interrupted her.

“Don’t worry about it- I know the lives of the living are filled with worries and obligations. How are you?”

“I’m-” Dorothy struggled to regain her nerve. Hearing his voice made her feel like a child, and that was not what she wanted. “I want to see you.”

The surprise was evident in Pelles’s voice.

“Really? I want to see you as well, but I was afraid it was too soon. Where?”

Dorothy blinked. In her haste to speak to him, she hadn’t even thought of a location for them to meet.

“Uh… Do you know the Maze?”

“Lost in Love Hedge Maze? I knew I was good, but I didn’t know you were Lost in Love after only a week, Dorothy.”

Dorothy laughed. It felt good to laugh again, she had felt like she was holding her breath for a week, and speaking to him was breathing in a gulp of fresh air: it was intoxicating, exciting and even a little dangerous.

“No, Pelles, you aren’t that good. Nobody’s that good. Well, maybe Donato, but he’s not relevant or pertinent to this conversation.”

“Hearing you ramble is wonderfully exciting, but I think you called me for a reason, Dorothy. Lost in Love it is. Meet you there at Midnight.”

With that, he hung up.

Dorothy smiled to herself again. They now had a date- their first real date. She was going on a date with a vampire.

Pausing, she thought of what her father would say. He’d be worried of course. Typical Family Sim reaction. But he would be ecstatic that she was happy. And she was.




Getting into the car, Dorothy smiled at the thought of her father. She had never admitted to her siblings how she missed them- Wright, how she missed them- even her mother, the woman who could be everyone’s best friend and mother, except for Dorothy’s.




Shrugging off the memories of her mother, Dorothy realized she had arrived at the maze, and that it had stopped raining. She was surprised to find she knew the way to the maze by heart.




Gripping the wheel tightly, she looked at her watch. It read 11:45. Plenty of time to kill before Pelles arrived. Part of her (the part that was similar to Doris) regretted not having combed her hair, or put on more make-up, but Dorothy knew that she was only thinking of excuses not to come. She and Pelles had chemistry, he excited her, and made her feel things she had never felt before- who cared he was a vampire? It was good doing something without Doris and Donato for once, and, this was something potentially dangerous- Dorothy had what every girl wanted in a relationship- excitement.

Dorothy sat in her car, happy with her thoughts and rationalizations, and waited for Pelles to arrive.






---------------------------------------------------------------------------






Back at the house, Donato had wasted no time in kicking Bellatrix out of bed (literally, she had refused to leave, insisting she needed “her beauty sleep”) and was “meeting” with a Casual Buddy of his, Medea, who had been “referred” to him by another buddy, Sugar.




“Wow, Donato. Sugar told me you were hot, but I had NO idea you were THIS hot! Nice face, a hot little body, money- you’re every girl’s dream! If I were a Family Sim, I’d be on you like butter on bread!”

“Who says you need to be a Family Sim to be on me?”




Medea laughed, and pulled Donato into another passionate make out.

“Have you got anyplace to-”

“My brother’s upstairs, but I have a photo booth.”

“Sweet!”




Within seconds, Medea and Donato were in the basement, and when they were satisfied, climbed out of the photo booth.

“That was AMAZING. Sugar wasn’t lying, you sure know your way around a photo booth- I wonder how good you are in a bed.” Medea was flirting suggestively, and Donato was smiling again.

“Baby, I know my way around every surface you can woohoo on- you‘d be surprised at the kinds of things I get into.”

“I bet.” Medea laughed. “But I have to get going. I’d love to see you again. Call me when you’re bored, I’m sure we’ll find ourselves in an interesting position or two.”

Donato smiled at her.

“Sure thing.”

Donato watched as Medea walked out, and pulled out his cell phone to make another call.





------------------------------------------------------------------------------






Downtown, Dorothy found herself taking yet another sharp turn.

“How hard can it be to find the CENTER of a maze? Harry did it easily, I should be able to.” Dorothy’s grumblings were just her standard way of masking her true feelings- she was nervous as heck.




As soon as she turned the corner, Dorothy gasped when she saw Pelles. He was standing at the edge of the lake, looking right at her.




“I thought you’d never make it.”

Dorothy snuck a glance at her watch: 12:29.

“I thought time was of no importance to you immortal types?”




Pelles delicately lifted her hand and planted a kiss upon it- a greeting that Dorothy could definitely get used to.

“It isn’t, but a guy has the right to get antsy, doesn‘t he?”

Dorothy laughed a bit.




“I guess you’re right. Next time I’ll be more considerate of your feelings.”

Pelles smiled widely.




“So there will be a next time? I’m not usually one to make long term plans with girls.”

“Oh? Why?”




“Well, most girls aren’t comfortable with the fact that I’m no longer alive, while others tended to die on me.”

Dorothy didn’t know if it was a joke or not, so she ignored it.




“But, enough about me. How’s your sister? She must have freaked out when you told her about me.”

“What? How’d you know I was at the club with my sister?”




“I watched you come in, Dorothy. You have a real presence about you, I couldn’t help but notice you. It’s why I talked to you.”

“You’re right. She didn’t believe me when I said I talked to a vampire, but her disbelief quickly switched to worry.”

“Like I said, some people tend not to be okay with the whole vampire thing.”

“I’m okay with it.”

“I would hope so- it’s not often I get a beautiful, strong girl like you meeting me in the middle of the night.”




Dorothy placed her hand on her chest. He had called her beautiful and strong. She always knew she had a certain strength about her, but she never expected Pelles to pick up on it so quickly.


“You must be tired after all that walking. Why don’t we have a seat?”






Pelles gestured towards the bench overlooking the lake.

“Sure.”

Pelles smiled and they began their walk.





-------------------------------------------------------------------------------






Back at AOV, Donato had just seen yet (I)another(I) one of his “friends” out, and was talking to one of his obnoxious frat buddies on the phone.

“Oh yeah, Medea was totally awesome. I was very pleasantly surprised, if you catch my drift.”

Doris glared at her twin. He could be such a jerk, and at times, she just wanted to slap him silly.

“Donato, we need to talk.”

“I’ll talk to you later dude, my sister is going crazy or something over here…Yeah, sisters, what can you do? Alright, see you.”




“So, what’s up? You wanted to talk, so I know you want something.”




“What? Can’t a twin sister want to talk to her twin brother about something incredibly important?”




“Well, I know you very well, considering we were BORN AT THE SAME TIME, so I think I’d know if you wanted to talk about something other than yourself or something you care about.”

Doris crossed her arms in irritation.

“Look, Donato, this is incredibly important. Can’t you quit talking about Sugar, or Medea, or Bella, or whoever your floozy of the week is for ONE second to hear me out?”




Donato smiled widely, a smile he reserved for when he wanted to scandalize his more conservative siblings with his exploits.

“Oh yeah, Medea was wonderful. She seemed pretty uptight, with her little suit, but I dove right in, if you know what I’m saying.”

Doris made a face which she reserved for Donato’s exploits.

“Please, Donato! Can you be a little less sleazy? Where is Dorothy? I saw her drive off after an eternity on the phone, and we have to find out where she went!”

Now it was Donato’s turn to make a face.




“What? Why? Why are you so eager to find Dorothy anyway? It’s not like you paid attention to her when she was upstairs playing with her workbench.”




Doris smiled.

“Donato it’s not about what I did before. It’s about what I do now! I’m concerned for her! Did you know she met a vampire at Crypt O’ Night Club? I didn’t believe her, but now I’m worried…”

Donato smiled too.

“Are you serious? Have you met our sister? Dorothy’s one of the strongest people I’ve met, she can take care of herself, D. Trust me. Don’t worry- she’ll be fine.”

Doris sighed.

“I hope so. The future of the family is in her hands.”




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------





At the Maze, Pelles and Dorothy were seated on the bench, talking about their lives, hopes, and in Pelles’s case, death.

“Are you sure it didn’t hurt? I mean, you did die after all.”




“It wasn’t that dramatic. Vampires have a special form of magic, and one of the times they use it is during transformations- they put the person in a sort of hypnotic trance, and then bite them. It’s not as gorey as the movies would have you believe.”




“But vampires can kill, right? I mean, what’s the point in being big and dangerous if you can’t manage to kill a Sim?”

“Make no mistake, we’re very capable of killing a Sim. Sometimes we bite without the trance- it’s next to impossible to survive a bite without it.”

“Wow. I never knew any of this. All the learning I did as a teenager was for practical things, like cooking and cleaning.”




“Didn’t your mother cook and clean? I didn’t think that taking care of oneself was a necessary requirement for being a teenager. Then again, times have changed since I was a teen…”

Dorothy thought for a minute. Could she tell him her entire life story on their first date? She was no expert, but she was pretty sure that first dates were mostly for small talk and talking about where one went to school, not talking about how your mother was too busy for you and played favorites.

“Well, my mom and Dad were very… traditional. I’m the youngest of 10 kids, so by the time I was a teen, my mom was an elder, she didn’t really make time for cooking and cleaning for me and my brother- she had done it so many times before, we could do it ourselves, right?”

Pelles looked at Dorothy closely and see that this was deep wound. Most girls had Daddy issues, but Dorothy appeared to have some troubles with her mother.




“Do you speak often?”

“It would be kind of hard, considering she’s been dead for a while now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, forget about it. I’m over it.”

Pelles could see she was lying, but decided not to press the issue- it was time for something a bit more romantic than death and maternal problems.




Instantly, he was standing over Dorothy with a smile on his face.

“You know, it really isn’t endearing when you do that super speed thing. I would prefer to have notice, or something.”

“My apologies. I was only standing so that I could ask you to dance with me.”




Dorothy raised her eyebrows and put on a tone of voice as if she was talking to a child:

“In case you didn’t notice, there’s no music. And, in case you couldn’t figure it out after talking to me for a couple of hours, I. Don’t. Dance. At all. Like, dancing and I DO NOT get along- I have NO rhythm, and it would just be seriously gruesome if you were to watch me try and do anything remotely like dancing.”

Pelles smiled.

“Well, it’s a good thing that only you and I are here then.”




Dorothy grumbled and stood up, allowing Pelles to guide her.

“What is it? Why do you have such a goofy expression on your face?”

“I’m just trying to figure out why such an intelligent, charming young woman like yourself is so angry all the time. Isn’t this nice? Dancing, with the cool night air surround you- it’s the most romantic thing in the world, Dorothy. Let yourself go, enjoy this.”




Pelles pulled their bodies closer, and Dorothy seemed to melt into him.

“I’m… I’m not angry. And I AM enjoying this. It’s just weird, you know? I’ve never done this before, and… ” In a small voice, she seemed to whisper: “I don’t know why you’d choose me, to be honest.”




When the dance ended, Pelles stood before Dorothy and looked her up and down.

“What is it this time?”

“Nothing. It’s just… You’re amazing, Dorothy.”




Dorothy made a face.

“What?!”

“You are. You’re smart, and gorgeous, and the heiress to a large house and you’re going to inherit an absurd amount of money, but you seem to have all this self doubt. I chose you because you’re you, Dorothy.”

Dorothy smiled and tentatively reached for his hands.




“Thanks Pelles.”

Pelles smiled, his fangs gleaming in the moonlight.

“I’m just telling the truth. I’m lucky you chose me.”




In that instant, all of Dorothy’s self imposed barriers seemed to melt away. She took a step closer to Pelles, and they kissed, allowing their attraction pull them closer together.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------






The next morning, Dorothy sat to eat a but of jello just as Donato was finish up.

Donato just looked at her, expecting for her to say something.




“Really, Dorothy? You’re going to give me the silent treatment?”

“What on Earth are you talking about, Donato?”

“Spill! Where were you last night? Why’d you get back so late? Or should I say early?”




“You know what I want to know?”

“What?”

“How it’s anything I do is any of your business.”




With that icy statement, Dorothy stood up, leaving her plate behind her and a stunned Donato.




“And make sure you clean up the table, you wouldn’t want us to get roaches.”

Dorothy continued walking, and was soon gone from the kitchen.

Donato just stared blankly ahead.

“Whoa. If she got some, it must have been the worst woohoo EVER.”

With that, he left the kitchen, grumbling about his sister's renewed attitude.




-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes:

And the blitz updates continue! This update didn't really follow up on what happened with Donato and his... elderly friend, but I feel that it did a good job of advancing the budding relationship between Dorothy and Pelles. Make no mistake, he is the Generation 4 spouse, no matter what her siblings say.

As with the previous update, this was shot in Pleasantview: I used MATY's Lot Debugger to make sure that they had the place to themselves. :P I removed the ugly pool (really, Maxis? I'm going to go into a maze, find my way to the center and take a swim?) and placed a lake and a bench. I also added a bunch of lights, but I still apologize if any of the pictures were a bit dark.

You can see that I made use of the corny puns offered to me by Maxis. "Lost in Love Hedge Maze" is a really nice place. I LIKE IT.

The 'Southern Cheerleader' thing was totally based off my obsession with True Blood. I just modeled her speech after Rogue's (from X-Men) and BAM! Instant Southernization. Or not, whatever.

I also dove a little bit into Dorothy and Charity's relationship, or Dorothy's side of it anyway. I really like exploring family relationships, especially viewing them from only one side: Dorothy feels like she never really connected with her mother (which is true) but we'll never find out Charity's side of it, will we? (Although, from 4.5 and 4.6, we can kind of see that Charity didn't like Dorothy very much, which is also interesting- parents are supposed to love their kids unconditionally, but they say mothers have "a sense" about things- did Charity know that Dorothy had serious problems with Dorian being heir? Once again, we'll never know. Well, I'll eventually post a meta about the heiresses, but it'll be a long way before I do that.)

The line where Dorothy says she doesn't dance is an actual quote by me. I said it at a friend's party when he asked me to dance. I DON'T WANT DANCE OK? I guess it's easy for me to relate to Dorothy. *shrug*

And, as a final note, this picture is one my favorites. Even though I fail at picture taking (you can see some of them are of center, and messy, I APOLOGIZE) this one is really nice. I wish I had zoomed in and gotten a closer shot. I don't even remember what animation I used for this!





Aren't they adorable? I SURE THINK SO. I love them together. ^_^

As always, Thanks for reading, and have a good night!