Chronicles of the Secret Fire: Bedtime Story (55)

[RaiaDraconis]

Argh! Thor and Loki can't remain dead! There must be a way out of it!

Heh, poor Grim. It can't be easy doing his job.

[Blayzen]

I'm pretty sure that I would trust Loki even less than I would trust....well, anybody. Assuming these brothers follow traditional mythology. Either way, there must be a way out for The God of Lightning! LOL - See? I can do snark too! On the edge of my Kindle, waiting for more! Great update, as always! 

[Dextra2]

Loki and Thor on a quest to save their save file as they know it.
....
....
*falls over laughing* Only in Sims.

[RainBeau]

I knew it! I knew someone had a brother that died in a fire! didn't know it would be Thor's brother Loki though...that makes sense.

[Audren]

Argh! Thor and Loki can't remain dead! There must be a way out of it!

Heh, poor Grim. It can't be easy doing his job.

I'm sure he got a good deal at first, back when Ambrosia was pretty much the only way to bring somebody back, but now look! There's so many ways of cheating death that Grim must be pretty bitter by now.

Loki and Thor on a quest to save their save file as they know it.
....
....
*falls over laughing* Only in Sims.

Yeah, they do have a pretty weird save file right now, and it's only going to get stranger.

I knew it! I knew someone had a brother that died in a fire! didn't know it would be Thor's brother Loki though...that makes sense.

The tricky thing about fire is that it doesn't pick and choose who it's going to take. I wouldn't count that theory as solved quite yet. And that's all I have to say about that. 

[Audren]

Preparations

Ronin had just gotten back from the park when she heard what happened in France. The news... didn't amuse her, to say the least. Ronin would be the first to admit that she hadn't known Thor very well, certainly not even as well as A, and she knew that Thor didn't know A as well as he thought he did. Still, he had come all the way to Bridgeport just to find her, even if he didn't know it. That had to count for something, didn't it?



Besides, you had to feel at least a little hurt when somebody that you knew died, even if you didn't particularly like them. As many times as Arthur swore up and down that the director ought to drop dead, even Arthur would be that stone-hearted. When A had asked her to fly to Moonlight Falls, Ronin agreed.



The funeral went about as well as she would've expected. The ceremony was quite informal, which was just as well. The only ones in attendance had only known Thor since he began on his alien expedition, though one or two may have known a bit about him before. Nobody spoke. They just stood and honored his memory.



Some of them did better than others, of course. Gillian was devastated, and in her grief she even seemed a bit more sane, if you looked at the big picture. Ronin had spoken to her for a bit before the ceremony. She was... actually, Ronin wasn't sure if anybody could use a adjective to describe her accurately, except maybe Shakespeare. Or Gaiman.



Gillian: So you must be Ronin.
Ronin: Yes.
Gillian: Well? Where's the fire? All that pyromania business? Come on, please!
Ronin: No.
Gillian: How about a hug?
Ronin: No.



Even Ronin shed a tear or two, despite her best intentions. Her eyes hadn't misted like this since she found out Bridgeport wouldn't let you build Simbots, and the last time she had ever cried was- well, a long time ago.



Even A. couldn't bring her spirits down, so to speak. As far as Ronin was concerned, he wasn't there. He was the one who set him out on this quest, anyway. Thor's death was as much his fault as the electricity trap's. Still, Ronin tried her best not to dwell on that. She wasn't here to get mad at A.



Ronin was one of the last to leave, but even as she and Arthur were leaving, she could see one person still at Thor's grave. DeeDee, if she remembered correctly. Ronin didn't know how close they were, but she wasn't sure if it even mattered. Thor was dead, and everybody mourned.



And here she was now, searching the Internet. Something Thor had told her bothered her. He had advised her to leave the city. Ordinarily, she would've dismissed this as empty warnings to scare her into believing in aliens. Now that Thor was dead, though, that's a different story.



She had mentioned something to Arthur about leaving, of course. Thanks to that uptight director, Arthur couldn't leave for a few more weeks, but had given Ronin his full support. They had agreed that Arthur would meet her at the rental house once he finished this film. "Just one more reason to hate the director," as Arthur had put it, and for once Ronin agreed.



Ronin took in one last gaze of the city before she left the apartment. Crazy weather, Bridgeport. One minute the skies were clear, then bam! Snow everywhere as far as the eye could see. She couldn't wait for spring.



After a final good-bye kiss from Arthur, (his fourth or fifth, actually) Ronin left her penthouse for the last time and grabbed a taxi. By the end of the day, she'd be in Starlight Shores.



Little did she know that she wouldn't be alone, nor quite how insane her new companion would be.

[Dextra2]

So... How is our dear little wereboo? Because I'm surpised that Fenris wasn't at the funreal.

[RainBeau]

Maybe he was, and we just didn't see him.

Haha methinks Gillian is coming to stay with Ronin! Hilarity will doubtless ensue.

[Louise56]

Thor is dead? That can't be! I hope he'll be back again. Awesome updates!

[Audren]

So... How is our dear little wereboo? Because I'm surpised that Fenris wasn't at the funreal.

Gillian is holding him in the group shot. He's a little hard to see.

[Audren]

The Ageless Fire

DeeDee was never very good at running, but pursuing a taxi in the middle of winter that you must follow unless you want your bosses to slam down on you really does a number on your cardio.



Of course, keeping pace with a taxi is difficult at the best of times, and with Subject 11 in the backseat, these were not the best of times. Even as a passenger, he was manic. DeeDee had been forced to tail him once while he was actually driving, and it was not a pretty sight.



Her investigations on Subject 11 had been ramped up ever since she had received her new assignment. After the incident in France, DeeDee had been "gifted" with the riddle that Thor had left behind. She was as perplexed by the riddle as Thor was, but she hoped that at least part of it might have something to do with Subject 11, and so she continued her watching with increased vigour.



In this case, she was also watching his computer screen. She could see from the table nearby that he was searching various databases on the local plants in Moonlight Falls. At first the plants were relatively tame, like onion and mushrooms, but soon ingredients of a most unusual variety began popping up, including one that was most curious to DeeDee. Life Fruit.



When Subject 11 left the library, DeeDee followed. After another harrowing taxi ride, he had arrived at the nearest gypsy caravan and began to harvest the plants that grew under the trees. DeeDee hadn't been sure exactly what type of mushrooms he was researching online, but now she could smell them, and that both worried and excited her.



Most of the puzzle remained a mystery, but at last part of it was slowly becoming clear.



One the most difficult parts of DeeDee's job was figuring out where Subject 11 was hiding out at any given moment, for of course he had never settled down anywhere in Moonlight Falls. She could still remember with agony the night where she walked down practically half the town to find his latest residence. In the middle of a snowstorm. (That had not been one of DeeDee's best days)



This time, of course, she could follow Subject 11 home, and tonight home was the Goth house. As she came closer to the premises, DeeDee was struck with a familiar whiff; the same smell of the mushrooms Subject 11 had just harvested. This smell seemed to radiate from the house itself, though. DeeDee's prediction seemed to be more and more true the longer she investigated.



There was one last step that DeeDee had to go through before she felt that her theory was confirmed, and that was to find the ingredients. Her first (and best) instinct was to search the trash can. Ordinarily, one wouldn't dive through the trash in order to find anything, but DeeDee knew better. Ghosts don't need trash cans, so she could safely assume that whatever was in here was the property of the only human resident: Subject 11.



Not long into her search, she found everything she needed. Chemicals, plants, ingredients of all types. She was tempted to peek into the house itself to try to find the chemical table, but her better judgement overruled her. Besides, she didn't need any further confirmation. Most of the riddle was still as obstruse as it had ever been, but one line was now clear.

[Blayzen]

Amazing update, as always. Poor Fenris, he has lost his beloved Thor! Now what will become of him? As for Ronin, she's in for quite an adventure if Gillian is the one who will be joining her! Muahaha, can't wait to see how that plays out... 

[RainBeau]

So mysterious! What are the mushrooms with the distinctive smell?

[Audren]

Conversations with Dead People

A blazing inferno swept as far as Thor could see. Everything around him was burning. Thor could not recognize the house he was in, though to be fair Thor didn't think anyone could recognize it, in the state it was in. The room he was watching seemed to be some sort of entrance hall, but nobody would be entering this house anytime soon.



Now he was in the living room, which seemed to be the eye of the firestorm. Thor did not seem to move at all, and he got the distinct feeling that he was not truly here. Fortunately, in this case, for Thor found it unlikely that anyone could have survived.



And yet, even as Thor watched the inferno in horror, he could just barely make out a face, surrounded by the fire that was engulfing her home. Who is this, he wondered, and did she make it out? Thor's heart hoped that she somehow escaped, but his gut felt otherwise.



And now he was awake, lying on a beach. For a desparate moment he thought he was back in Moonlight Falls, but a quick look around told him otherwise. For one, Moonlight Falls did not have cliffs like that. And Loki was still with him. Thor was forced to conclude that he was still, in fact, quite dead, although the scenery was certainly a nice change from the Void he had been living.



Slowly, Thor rose to his feet, and found himself standing side by side with his fallen brother. They both looked flesh-like and not at all transparent, which eased Thir's mind considerably. Being a ghost did not do wonders for one's mental state.



Loki: Welcome to the Afterlife, brother! Quite a beauty, isn't it?
Thor: Forgive me for not cheering, Loki. A beautiful afterlife is still an afterlife.
Loki: Touche. At least the people here are nicer. Not so hairy. Except for Barbra.
Thor: I'm not going to ask.
Loki: I wish I were so lucky. Hey, I'll take you on a tour of the town. Let's go!



Loki was quick to head out, bu Thor lingered for a moment. He couldn't get those images out of his head. He knew he hadn't really been there, of course, but the sheer intensity of the visions were unshakable. Thor couldn't help but consider the possibility that the fire was related to his adventures in the mortal world. But I'm not going to have much of a say in that anymore, am I? he thought somberly, and he followed his brother into town, where they met a most unusual person.



Thor: Who's that?
Loki: Oh, him? That's just Mark. He's been a bit crabby even since he died.
Thor: How'd he die?
Loki: Ranting about Death. He didn't even have University yet!
Thor: Ouch.



Mark: I can hear you talking about me! How was I supposed to know ranting was fatal now? Nobody ever told me that!
Loki: Am I the only one who thinks it's ironic that you're still ranting after you were killed by ranting?
Mark: Don't mock me, Loki! You haven't been having these dreams like I have! You don't know what it's like to see someone else's life in your own head!
Thor: Wait, dreams?



Mark: And what do you want? Come to mock me like your brother?
Thor: No, not at all Mark! I've had dreams like that, too.
Mark: Of course you have! Every newly deceased Sim has dreams like that. Your brother's been dead so long he's forgotten the plights of us younger souls!
Thor: Well, is there a way to deal with it? Someone to talk to?
Mark: Well, there is the Admiral. But he doesn't take kindly to outsiders, especially not one like you.
Thor: Can you take me to him? Please?
Mark: *sigh* All right, but leave Loki behind.



Mark led Thor to an old cottage. While most of the houses weren't exactly modern, this one seemed to be ancient. Thor marveled at how well-maintained the cottage was even after all these years. This must've been where the Admiral lived, and Thor had a feeling he knew this particular admiral's name.



Arabella: Don't even knock, will you? The Admiral doesn't have time for all you recently deceased!
Mark: No, it's not like-
Arabella: And he's already spoken to you, Mark! Twice in this past week. You got killed by yelling at people, get over it!



The Admiral: Now now, that's enough Arabella. I've been waiting to speak to this particular soul. Please, have a seat Thor.



Thor: Admiral Langraab, I presume?
Admiral Langraab: Oh, good. I hoped my portraits would help you recognize me. I thought they were terrible.
Thor: No, the portraits are hideous. You're just the only admiral I know. You have a lovely house, I must say. Truly electrifying.
Admiral Landgraab: Well, as my mother says, "You can never be too careful." Sorry those traps got you killed. I'd have liked them to be disabled by now, but I was overruled.
Thor: So, why were you so interested in talking to me?



Admiral Langraab: I always make it a point of befriending those poor souls who die by my influence, especially one who was actively combating those aliens.
Thor: Not a big fan, I take it?
Admiral Langraab: Do they have any fans? Besides that foolish Sergeant Curious. What an idiot, he was. Besides, I heard Arabella mention that you've had visions? 'Tis not uncommon for newly departed to have such dreams.
Thor: I saw a great fire, larger and wilder than any I had ever seen. The house was burning everywhere I turned. I can't think of a way anyone inside could've survived.
Admiral Langraab: What a vivid image! Is there anything else you saw.
Thor: Yes, I did. Right before I woke up, I saw a face in the fire. A woman, I think.



As Thor described the woman he saw in the blaze, Admiral Langraab's mind began to race. Oftentimes, he couldn't offer these souls any answers to their visions, or indeed much of anything besides comfort. This vision, though, The Admiral did have an answer for, but not one he could give. As Thor continued to discuss his dream, Admiral Langraab hoped that he would not ask the one question he could not answer. A faint hope, and not one that would be served.



Thor: Have you seen a woman like this here? Is she still alive?
Admiral Langraab: I'm afraid I don't recognize her. She must've managed to escape.
Thor: I hope so. Thank you for your time, Admiral.
Admiral Langraab: My pleasure, Thor. Please come back any time you need to talk.



Loki: So how did your meeting with Admiral Pompous go?
Thor: He said he didn't recognize the woman, but I can't shake the feeling that he wasn't telling me everything.
Loki: Yeah, we dead folk have a knack for crypticism.
Thor: Don't have to tell me twice. I just wish there was a way for me to talk to someone who's still alive. Not much chance of that happening, I guess.



Loki: Who says you can't?


(This update owes its setting to the marvelous world of Green Dolphin Island, created by DeLouche. Any readers of her Immortal Dynasty may recognize some of the locations. Big thanks to DeLouche for allowing me to use your world!)

(PS: If you know the reference in the title, I will love you forever  )

[DeLouche]

Oh wow! Awesome chapter! Have you read American Gods (love that book!), by any chance? I can see some parallels in this chapter.

Also, Green Dolphin Island cameo! *does happy dance*