Chapter Six
Cylc0n3 was right on time picking Blair up from the station, which came as somewhat of a surprise. Although she wouldn’t say he was unreliable, he had always been forgetful. More than once she’d had to remind him about important things that he would have completely forgotten otherwise. Assignments, appointments, due dates, and back when they had been dating, he even forgot on Love Day what day it was, and that he was supposed to take her out to dinner at the Bistro. Luckily for Cycl0n3, Blair was both forgiving and patient. Others they knew, Blair’s mother included, considered Cycl0n3 fortunate that he still had a girlfriend after that goof.
When Blair climbed into the car with Cycl0n3, she noticed his clean cut business casual attire. “Don’t you look all nicely pressed and corporate?” she teased. “Well, except for the hair and the stubble.”
“Funny, Pigtails,” Cycl0n3 retorted, before remembering that the nickname he’d called Blair back in high school no longer seemed to apply to her. “Or, rather, Officer Formerly-Known-As-Pigtails.” He flashed her a cheeky look. “I admit, I miss being able to call you that.”
“You do remember that drove me nuts, right?”
“Why do you think I miss being able to do it?”
“Hmph. How would you like it if I started calling you ‘Corporate Cl0n3’ instead of Cycl0n3?”
He made a face. “Oh! That’s just mean. You wound me, Officer Blondie.”
“Ugh! And that’s even worse than ‘Pigtails!’” She shook a finger at him in playful warning as they pulled into the garage. “Don’t ever let Hank or Justine hear you call me that. They’d never let me live it down, and even worse, they might pick it up!”
Cycl0n3’s grin widened. “Ah, do I sense blackmail material?”
“I’m serious! Call me that in front of them, and I’ll haul you in and throw you in lockup.”
He snickered as they got out of the car and headed into the building. “Gonna rough me up and put me in handcuffs, too? I might like that.”
“Oh, shut up,” Blair said, suddenly embarrassed by his borderline inappropriate joking as she realized there was someone coming down the stairs.
Cycl0n3, on the other hand, was unfazed. “Hey, Tam,” he greeted her as she joined them.
“I heard the car pull in, so I thought I’d come down and meet you.” She smiled at Blair. “Hi. I’m Tamara. You must be Blair. Cycl0n3’s told us about you.”
“Good things, I hope?” She cast a sideways glance at him.
“Yup. Nothing you need to get on his case for,” Tamara said with a knowing look. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too.”
“I’m sorry Emma couldn’t be here. She was supposed to have the evening off, but her boss called in because her kid’s sick, so the restaurant wanted her to come in for some last minute overtime to help them through the dinner rush.”
Blair nodded. “I understand. It’s fine.”
“But hey, on the bright side, we might get some free food tonight.” Cycl0n3 looked at Blair. “One of the perks of Emma’s job is she gets to bring leftovers home sometimes. In this Kyle-inspired financial crunch, it’s saved our bacon… sometimes with actual bacon. And you know everything’s better with bacon.”
“Ooh, stop. You’re making me hungry. Speaking of which, I guess the kitchen’s as good a place as any to start the tour. Come on upstairs.” Tamara gestured for Blair to go up.
“And since you’ve got this, Tam, I’m going to change and meet back up with you guys. That cool?”
“Sure,” Tamara answered.
“Fine by me.”
“Great.” Cycl0n3 raced up the stairs while Tamara and Blair followed.
It didn’t take Cycl0n3 very long to change back into his normal clothes, and Blair and Tamara were still chatting near the kitchen when he returned. Tamara was very talkative, Blair noticed, but not in an off-putting way. She was outgoing and charming, and Blair felt at ease around her despite her normal introversion. She found out that Tamara worked at City Hall, and was older than she would have guessed. Blair had assumed that Cycl0n3’s roommates were around his age, give or take a couple of years, but Tamara was in her late twenties. Not that it mattered, other than it made Blair feel a bit out of her element as someone just going out on her own for the first time.
They joined Cycl0n3 by some couches near a television. “So, we’ve got our TV here, and of course, the video games.” He grinned. “Quality entertainment is one of the first things I made sure this place was up to speed on back when I moved in. That’s the new system I got last semester, and all the games are under there. I could probably get your system set up in here, too, but mine’s the newer version of it. Or if you want to bring a TV, we could hook one up in your room. There should be enough space.”
Blair shrugged. “I don’t have enough time to play much anymore, really. My games are in the living room at home now. When my parents got a new TV a couple months ago, I had Dad put my console out there. I think he plays it more than I do now.”
Bored by the video game talk, Tamara got the tour back on track. “Down there are the guys’ rooms. There’s a shared bathroom between them, but it’s fine to use it when you’re down here. We tend to go through that room,” she gestured to the closer door, “because it’s empty until Stiles moves in, but you can get in on Cycl0n3’s side, too. If you want to brave the nerd lair, as Emma calls it.”
“That’s not going to bother Blair. She’s been in my bedroom plenty of times.”
Tamara raised an eyebrow, and Blair felt her face turn red when she realized how Tamara took Cycl0n3’s remark. “We’ve known each other a long time,” she explained. “I met him my freshman year of high school. We used to hang out at our houses a lot.”
“Ah. Cool.” Tamara could tell Blair was embarrassed, so she moved on with the tour. “So, that’s the downstairs other than the balconies. One of them gives a view of the complex’s pool, but depending on who’s there and what they’re wearing, you might either love or hate the view,” she said with a grin. “Living here gives you automatic membership, but lots of others in town have memberships, too, so it’s not just the residents you’ll see there. With how hot it’s been, the pool’s been pretty inviting lately, I’ve got to say.”
They went upstairs, which had a similar layout, although the common area there had an easel, chess board, and a desk with a computer on it. “The other three bedrooms are up here. That’s Emma’s easel, and that’s the door to her room right by it. My room’s the one down there, above Cycl0n3’s. It’s the same set up with a bathroom in there, but guests usually only use the one downstairs anyway. The room you’d be taking is the one over the kitchen. It’s got the perk of having its own bathroom.”
“It’s got the downside of being Pepto-Bismol pink, but I think you like that color, so I guess you won’t mind,” Cycl0n3 added as they went in.
Blair took a look around the room, and immediately liked it. Sure, the décor wasn’t exactly what she would have picked, but it had a small balcony that overlooked downtown Sunset Valley, and the private bathroom was a huge plus. Having a near-stranger roommate walk in on her in the shower was one of those things Blair did not want to have to worry about. The room was also situated away from the other bedrooms, which made her feel better about being able to have enough space to herself.
“You like it?” Cycl0n3 asked hopefully.
“Yeah.” Blair nodded. “How come I’m getting a room with its own bathroom, though? I’d have thought one of you would take it.”
“Extra flights of stairs aren’t my thing,” Cycl0n3 said lazily. “Plus Kyle was in here when I moved in. I don’t care enough to move.”
“I like my room how it is, and I don’t want a balcony that gives me a great view of where I work. I’d rather share a bathroom,” Tamara admitted. “Emma tried this room, but she didn’t like the noise in the kitchen downstairs in the mornings, because she works later shifts and sleeps in.”
“That wouldn’t bother me. I get up early anyway,” Blair said. She took another look around, and realized how much she liked it. After a quick look at the bathroom, which was spacious but, as Cycl0n3 said, very pink, her mind was made up. It wasn’t like she was going to end up anywhere that much better if she didn’t take the offer. Tamara was nice, so that was at least two of the roommates she would go in knowing and feeling comfortable around. “I like it. I’ll take the room.”
“Awesome! I knew you’d love it here.”
“Great! When can you move in?” asked Tamara.
Blair felt a little overwhelmed by their enthusiasm, but in a good way. “Um, pretty soon, I guess. This weekend is probably the soonest, if I can get a van for my stuff on such short notice.”
“That’d be perfect,” Tamara said. “I can help you unload and unpack if you need it. I’ll be here all weekend.”
“Same here,” said Cycl0n3. “Let me go grab a copy of the rental papers and lease and all that junk for you.” He started for the door, but then paused. “Uh, where is that again, Tam? I forget where we keep that stuff.”
“In a folder in the kitchen drawer where we keep the take-out menus and appliance manuals.” Tamara’s impatient tone implied it was not the first time she had told him that.
“Okay. Be right back.”
When Cycl0n3 left, Tamara took the opportunity to talk to Blair for a moment. “I’m glad you decided to move in with us. I like you. At first, I didn’t know what to expect from one of Cycl0n3’s friends, especially an ex-girlfriend, but I’m glad he suggested you.”
“Thanks,” Blair said with a smile. “I like you, too.”
“I have to ask, though,” Tamara said, glancing at the door for a moment. “How did you ever date Cycl0n3 and not end up killing him? Don’t get me wrong, I like him and all, but sometimes…”
Blair laughed. “I know what you mean. He’s got a knack for putting his foot in his mouth. I guess I just learned to take it in stride after being around him so long. I know him well enough to know when he’s just joking around and doesn’t mean to be a jerk, and when he actually is being a jerk,” she said, thinking about how Cycl0n3 had acted when he met Hank.
“Fair enough. I admit sometimes I can’t tell, and some of the stuff he says makes me want to throw him into that pool over there… from the roof. But despite that, he does grow on you after a while.” Tamara and Blair went back out into the hallway just in time to meet Cycl0n3 coming up the stairs with the papers.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks. I’ll look these over tonight and let you know if I can move this weekend,” Blair said to Tamara before turning to Cycl0n3. “You ready to head over to my house now?”
“Sure.”
Blair and Cycl0n3 said goodbye to Tamara and went to her parents’ house. On the way there, they chatted about the move, and the logistics of doing it over the weekend. When they got there, Boyd and Susan were on the couch watching TV.
“Hi,” Blair greeted her parents as she and Cycl0n3 came in. “I hope you don’t mind that I invited Cycl0n3 over. I’m glad you’re both here. I need to talk to you.”
Blair’s parents exchanged a look, and then Boyd went up and shook Cycl0n3’s hand while Blair sat on the couch next to her mother. “Hi,” Boyd said to him. “So I hear you changed your name to your screen name, huh?”
“Yeah. I’m online so much that everyone knows me as that anyway, so I figured why not just get rid of the obsolete version?”
Boyd had to admit there was a certain logic to it, although he couldn’t fathom ever doing such a thing himself. “Heh. I bet it made some Sims U administrators do a double-take.”
Susan rose and greeted Cycl0n3 as well. “How’s University going for you?”
Blair noticed an odd look flash across Cycl0n3’s face for a moment, but it went as quickly as it came, and Susan never noticed. “It’s going all right. Made the Dean's List both semesters. I’m glad for a break, though.”
Boyd sat down on the couch with Blair. “So, you said you wanted to talk to us about something?”
“Yeah.” Blair looked over at Cycl0n3 and gathered her thoughts for a moment before answering. “There’s an open room at Cycl0n3’s place downtown. Their roommate moved out without notice, and they need someone to fill it as soon as possible. He asked me if I’d like to take it.” Blair saw her parents look at one another, and she felt a flutter of anxiousness as she continued. “I’ve thought about it, and I decided I’m going to take him up on the offer.”
“You’re moving out.” Susan was not surprised, but only because Boyd had been forewarned by what he read in TarzWar guild chat. Boyd stood up, remaining silent with his expression neutral, while Blair responded to her mother.
“I’m ready to. I’ve got my job on the force, and I have enough simoleons saved to do it. Plus, I’ll be downtown right by work. Most of the time when I’m called in, it’s for something downtown anyway. I’ll be closer to work and the gym, and spend less on gas.”
“All sensible reasons to consider moving,” Boyd said, glancing at Cycl0n3. “I take it that’s why you’re here tonight?”
“I know you and Mom worry about me, and I figured you’d have questions about the place,” Blair told her father. “He’s lived there a while, so he can answer them better than I can.”
“Okay. First question. How many roommates will you have in this place? Do you know any of them other than him?” He turned to Cycl0n3. “How well do you know them?”
“Just two right now,” said Blair. “I met Tamara tonight, and she seemed really nice.”
“Emma’s cool. She and Blair won’t have any trouble getting along,” Cycl0n3 volunteered.
Susan raised an eyebrow at Cycl0n3. “So it’s you and two other girls? Blair being a third?”
Cycl0n3 could not help but laugh. “Oh, it’s not like that. We’re all just roommates, just friends. The one Blair’s replacing was a guy who decided he liked living at Sims U better than Sunset Valley, and we’ve got a new guy coming in a couple weeks, too. He’s just stuck in a lease until the end of the month.”
“And you know him?” Susan asked.
“No. I never met him.”
“You never met him, but you’re going to live with him?” Boyd asked incredulously. “And you want my daughter to come live with you and this guy you don’t even know? How do you know he’s not some serial killer?”
Blair sighed. “Oh, my Watcher. He’s not a serial killer, Dad.”
“How could you possibly know that? You haven’t met him. For all you know, this guy could be one of those psychos that seems like the nice boy next door, until they find body parts in his freezer.”
“His name is Stiles McGraw. He works at the theater,” Cycl0n3 told him. “I didn’t meet him, but Tamara and Emma did, and they said he seemed pretty normal and not skeevy or weird like the others who called.”
“Oh. Knowing that he was the least objectionable makes me feel a
lot better.”
“Dad, I’d have lived with strangers if I went to University, anyway, so how is this any different? Besides, I’m a cop. I’m better trained to handle someone like that than any of them, if you think about it.”
Susan could tell how agitated Boyd was getting, and realized he was well on his way to convincing himself that their daughter was moving in with the next Charles Mansim. “Cycl0n3, obviously you trust your roommates’ judgment on this, but I’m sure you can also understand our concerns here.” She came to Boyd’s side, and looked at Blair. “You have access to background checks at work, right? How hard would it be to get one on this new guy?”
“Not hard at all. I could do that, if it’d make you feel better,” she volunteered.
“It would. A police record would show any red flags.”
“Assuming he’s been arrested before,” Boyd muttered, although he didn’t argue farther, much to Susan’s relief.
She gestured toward the kitchen. “We have enough dinner for a guest, if you’d like to stay, Cycl0n3. How about we continue this discussion while we eat?”
Over dinner, Boyd and Susan continued to grill Cycl0n3 about the specifics on where Blair was moving, and the roommates she would be living with, to the point that Blair thought that if they ever wanted to quit being scientists, they wouldn’t be half bad interrogators. Cycl0n3 handled it well, though, and to Blair’s surprise, he avoided any significant foot-in-mouth incidents throughout the entire meal. It helped when he brought up how he had optimized the lofts’ internet service. While Blair found the topic rather dry, it seemed to impress both of her parents, and lightened the overall mood.
After dinner, Susan took Blair aside for a talk while Cycl0n3 looked through her console games for any he wanted her to bring when she moved.
“I can tell you really want to do this, but I can’t help but question how wise it is for you to move in with Cycl0n3.”
Blair seemed surprised. “Why? Don’t tell me you don’t trust him? I figured you’d be glad I was living with someone I knew, rather than strangers.”
“It’s not that,” Susan said, trying to think of the best way to put it. “It’s how you know him. I know you’re still friendly with him, but he’s also your ex-boyfriend. You hadn’t seen him in a long time, and now, right after he’s back in town, you’re planning to move in with him.” She gave her a concerned look. “I’m not judging or trying to pry, but if you’re involved with him again, or thinking about it, moving in with him right now is not a good idea.”
“Mom, we’re just friends. That’s all we’ve been since he left for University last year,” Blair said with a frustrated sigh. Hadn’t she had this same conversation with Hank yesterday?
“You were heartbroken when he left,” Susan reminded her gently. “I recall you saying—”
“I remember the kind of stuff I said, Mom. I was really depressed at the time. It hit me harder than I thought when he left, but it was a long time ago now. I’m over it.”
Susan glanced at Cycl0n3, who was talking to Boyd by the TV. “Are you sure? You haven’t had the chance to spend that much time with him yet, and you haven’t seen anyone else since then, have you?”
“We talked on SimBook a lot. And no, I haven’t, but he has. Last semester he had a girlfriend at University for a while. It was no big deal to me.” In truth, when Blair first read that status, it had stung a little, but it was not like she lost sleep over it. She had been sincere when she wished Cycl0n3 well at the time, even though said relationship ended up not working out and barely lasted a month.
“Talking on the internet isn’t necessarily like being with someone in the same physical space.”
“Online or in person, we’re still just friends,” Blair said, her tone getting a little short in its frustration. “I appreciate the concern, Mom, but there’s nothing to worry about. Everything else is in the past and completely over, and it’s going to stay that way. Really.”
Susan could tell there would be no point in pressing the conversation further, so she let it go. “All right.” She offered her a smile. “I guess we’ll have to find you some boxes for packing, then.”
While Susan talked with Blair, Boyd took the opportunity to speak to Cycl0n3 one on one. “Cycl0n3, I’d like a word with you, if you don’t mind.”
Cycl0n3 had a sudden flashback to the time he was seventeen, and Boyd asked him to step out on the patio to talk to him. It had been on a night when Boyd and Susan returned from dinner out only to find Cycl0n3 and Blair lip-locked on the living room couch. Apparently, Blair had not yet gotten around to informing her parents that they were dating, so it caught them by surprise. He was relieved when Boyd had not been loud, or even unreasonable, when he spoke to him. He gave Cycl0n3 a standard parent-to-boyfriend warning that he expected him to treat his daughter well and with respect, which Cycl0n3 assured him that he would. Then, right before they went back inside, Boyd informed him in that same calm and reasonable manner that he would feed him to a cow plant if he ever found out that he had mistreated Blair.
He straightened and tried not to think of cow plants as he responded. “Okay.”
“Blair’s moving in with you because she trusts you not to let her down, or have her move somewhere she won’t be happy,” Boyd said, his tone quiet but serious. “You’re looking for a roommate because you need to fill a room. I don’t doubt you asked Blair because you’ve known her for a long time and like her. I assume that also means you care about her.”
Cycl0n3 felt uncomfortable under Boyd’s piercing stare. “Well, yeah. She’s a good friend.”
Boyd nodded. “So you realize that a good part of why she’s doing this is because she wants to help you out, right? Yes, she’d move out on her own sooner or later regardless, but the reason she’s moving now, into your place, is because you asked her to. We both know that otherwise, her first choice would not be living with others she doesn’t know, regardless of who else was there.”
“Probably not,” Cycl0n3 agreed.
“I think it speaks volumes as to how much she cares about you, Cycl0n3. Please keep that in mind and look out for her. We both know how trusting she is, and how easily she can be hurt. I’m sure neither of us want to see that happen.”
“No, of course not. I wouldn’t let anyone mess with Blair,” Cycl0n3 said.
“Good. I’m glad to hear it.” Although Boyd still had misgivings about the whole situation, Cycl0n3 seemed sincere enough that he believed that he wasn’t intentionally leading Blair on or trying to use her, at least. It didn’t mean that her moving in with him wouldn’t be a complete disaster, but he supposed it made it bode a little less ominously.
Blair and Susan’s conversation seemed to be over, and they joined Boyd and Cycl0n3 a moment later. “So, I just finished telling Mom that I want to move this weekend if I can,” Blair told her father.
“That soon? Wow.” Boyd glanced at Susan, who gave him a wistful smile in return. “Okay, if you think you can get what you need to done by then.”
“I should. As long as I can get a moving van on such short notice.”
“I can take a look online for you if you want.”
Blair smiled. “Thanks. Mom offered to help find me some luggage and boxes, too. I guess I need to start packing stuff up.” She looked at Cycl0n3. “Thanks for coming by tonight.”
“No problem. Happy to help, Officer Bl—uh, Officer,” he amended, catching Blair’s “don’t you dare” look. “I’ll message you later.” He nodded to Boyd and Susan. “Good night. Thanks for dinner.”
“You’re welcome, Cycl0n3,” Susan said, still feeling a bit silly calling him by that name.
“Good night,” Boyd said.
After Cycl0n3 left, Susan turned to Blair. ‘Well, that was quite a surprise tonight.”
“Sorry. I know it was kind of sudden. I wasn’t really thinking of moving yet, but I’m sure it’ll be good. You’ll like the place. I think I actually got the best room there.”
“We look forward to seeing it,” Boyd said. “Just don’t forget to stop by and see us once in a while.”
Susan nodded in agreement. “Or call. We’ll miss you.”
“I know.” Blair gave her mom a hug. “I’m going to get started on the packing project, so if I don’t see you again before bed, good night.”
Boyd and Susan told her good night in return, and once she was gone, looked at each other.
“I guess that settles any doubt as to whether TarzWar Cycl0n3 is Blair’s Cycl0n3,” Susan remarked.
“Yeah.” Boyd sighed. “At least we got some warning.”
“Do you think she’ll be all right there?”
“Physically? Yes,” Boyd replied. “As far as living with Cycl0n3 and not having it affect her? Not likely.”
“She didn’t want to hear a word of what I had to say about that, you know. How can she think it’s a good idea?”
“Probably because he also seems to think it’s a good idea.”
Susan gave him a curious look. “How did that go, by the way?”
“Better than I thought it would when I first read that chat log,” Boyd said. “At first I thought he was after some kind of summer rehash of their old relationship, and Blair would end up devastated once he left again.”
“I thought that, too,” Susan said. “And frankly, if that happens, I’ll feed him to Audrey IV myself. There’s no way he could not realize how much that would hurt her.”
“But after seeing them tonight, and talking to them, I didn’t get the impression that’s what’s going on. At least not consciously. Cycl0n3’s not a bad kid. I think he thinks, just like she does, that they’re just a couple of friends who get along deciding to move in together. He’s not manipulating her. I can tell he cares about her.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Susan said in a knowing tone. “Quite a bit, from what I saw. Did you see how he was looking at her? Or how she still looks at him?”
Boyd nodded. “I noticed. I also felt someone hit my foot trying to play footsie under the table at dinner, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t you.” He gave her a half-smile. “You never do that unless you have your shoes off.”
“Or when we have company,” Susan replied. “So what do you think? A week? Two? A month, tops?”
Boyd raised an eyebrow. “Before they’re back together? Probably something like that.” He shook his head. “I just hope the next bombshell I see in guild chat isn’t Cycl0n3 announcing that he just got back from Lucky Palms after eloping with his ex-girlfriend roommate.”
“Well, you could always ‘fess up that you know who he is.”
“Hmm… no. I’ll manage.”
Susan smirked. “I figured. Besides, much as I hate to admit it, the insider knowledge is handy. Imagine if we hadn’t had advance warning about this?”
“I’d rather not. Give me a hug for that.” He pulled her close, enjoying the moment before speaking again. “See, I told you it’s not ‘trolling.’”
“Yes it is. It’s trolling with a purpose and useful results, but it’s still trolling.”
“Which you’re above, right?” he teased.
She grinned back at him. “Of course. I’ve got you to do the trolling for both of us. Keep up the good work, honey.”
