Chapter 15 – At World’s End

Hello all and welcome back to A Piratical Legacy! This Legacy follows the ups and downs and sideways journeys of the Buccaneer family on Pirate Island. Where is Pirate Island? That's for me to know and you to find out... maybe. Anyway, no recap because too much has happened in the four generations that have graced the pages of my simpage already. You may want to keep my legacy family tree (purplebunny.tribalpages.com) handy, however. So who is gracing the cover of this chapter? Why, Demeter Deity, of course, plantsim spawned offspring of my simself. Before we get going with the Legacy proper, let's take a peek at Demeter's life after she left The Creator's Dwelling, shall we?

Of course, Chris and I stopped by the garden that Demeter moved into just to make sure she was settling in okay. We didn't stay long, though we did talk to Igor about a contract extension. Yes, my simself is pregnant in this picture. No, you won't see the baby in this chapter.

Anyway, Demeter seemed to be settling in fine. She's already planted a plot of ... umm ... cucumbers? I think that's what she was growing. She had to use store-bought fertilizer, of course, because I didn't think to let her take one of the full composters at the Dwelling before she moved out, because I am not a thoughtful simmer.

Demeter is a Family sim, so she immediately started greeting all walk-bys. No, Demeter, you can't have that one.

I don't think you want that one either.

You could have Drusus Nero (Ten Caesars Legacy, written by Blite27, and he didn't get a happy ending) if you could stop arguing with him. But I don't think the two of you ever got a positive long-term relationship even after three or four visits.

Still, Drusus did get along very well with Demeter's little spawn-baby, Pan.

Very well, really. I think Drusus was eager to be Pan's father, but instead he found himself thrust into the role of babysitter as Demeter entertained other gentlemen with the hopes of finding a husband.

One fine autumn day, Pascal Curious happened by. He'd just finished a gig filming the latest Sim Spade episode and thus had a lot of time on his hands. The two of them hit it off right away.

Pascal even stuck around in the rain for Pan's birthday. It's not like there was much of an indoors, after all. Just a greenhouse with a bathtub and an easel.

Pan grew up well, but as a Pleasure sim he didn't really want to stay a plantsim. The first thing he did the day after he grew up was cure himself.

And, by the way, he turned out very hot for a guy with goat legs!

Demeter, meanwhile, had decided that Pascal was the one for her. Before he would commit, though, he had to show her something.

So he invited Demeter over to the mad scientist lab he shared with his two brothers. "This is my daughter, Luna," he said. Demeter smiled at the baby and then Pascal carried her over to the waiting birthday cake.

"Happy birthday, green dudette!" Lazlo crowed. He hadn't bothered to dress up for the event. Pascal laughed at his brother and snuggled Luna closer.

A few days later, he was back at Demeter's house. He'd been relieved to find that Demeter didn't mind that he had such a weird-looking baby. "Um, remember who my son is," Demeter pointed out. "Not to mention the fact that I'm greener than Luna." "I don't think Pan's weird-looking," Aaroc (Elfin Legacy, Aaroc's Space Oddity) said, despite the fact that he and Pan didn't seem to be getting along very well.

Demeter and Pascal were giggling and chasing each other around the lot like newlyweds, and they weren't even engaged yet! That's what lots of bolts will do for you, I suppose.

Erm, 'yet' being the operative word. A few minutes later, Demeter popped the question and Pascal accepted.

They got married on their lawn in a small, casual garden wedding. Pan, Chris, and I were in attendance along with a walkby who stopped to watch the show. I think Artemis was there too but she never did wander into camera range.

Demeter wasn't the only one finding love. Pan wasn't very old yet but he already had quite the fancy for Goopy. All on his own initiative, he called Goopy up and invited him over.

They didn't spend much time on small talk.

As for Demeter, her wedding night had been pretty fruitful, which had her delighted. No, Kyle (PikaKyle, Should I Even Ask? Legacy), she doesn't find you disgusting. She's just pregnant! We'll return to Demeter again in another chapter or two and see how her little family is progressing. In the meantime, let's return to the actual Legacy proper.

It was time for Bart's university class to graduate, so I decided to assemble all of his classmates. I assembled Roche's classmates too, since I wanted them all to get the message I had to convey to them. "I've managed to play all twenty-something of you through university, and I didn't even use hacks on a lot of the households. It was difficult at times and frustrating too, but ultimately fun. Still, there's one thing I need to make very, very, very clear," I said. I raised my finger and pointed at the lot of them. "Boy, you guys cheated a lot! And that is absolutely NOT acceptable!" ZOTZ!

With a flick of my finger, I Zotz!ed all of the ones who had cheated. "Ah, I feel much better," I said. "Now, don't do it anymore." "Yes ma'am."

As the graduates left, a new, much smaller class headed to Paris for university from Pirate Island. This would be affectionately referred to as the "Placeholder" class, and they wouldn't be graduating until generation five headed to university. Here we have the Placeholders for Lam Plaza Dormitory (L-R): Septimus Toyonaga and his twin sister, Octavia Toyonaga. Older brother Cestus is also in the picture but he's part of Roche's class and will graduate when Roche does.

In Casteroff Dormitory, the placeholders (L-R) are Ash and Aster Thayer, the Pleasure twins. Older brother Aspen is also in this picture.

Aspen is still dating Denise, aka avidreader2466 (Puritanical Green Thumb legacy). I'm keeping them puritanical in spite of ACR because I like to torment my simmies like that. And Denise, you'll be relieved to know that ACR is not making him follow around dormies like a puppydog or anything like that. He's got the highest sense of fidelity of all the sims at university since Bart has now graduated.

And finally we come to Mille House. Starting from the left, we have Scipio Toyonaga and Alder Thayer, who are part of Roche's class. Our placeholders are sitting on the pink Bruty couch: Artemis Deity (daughter of simMe and simHubby) and Simba Buccaneer.

Simba and Artemis have been dating since high school and I would show the pictures if I had the space. Unfortunately, I don't, so you'll have to voyeuristically view this pre-woohoo picture of the two of them. They're an interesting-looking couple, that's for certain.

At last we move to the Greek House. After Bart's class moved out, Roche moved his Greek cousins in with him and then they bulldozed the glitchy Greek lot and built a new one, which they named Arravast House. No sooner had they moved in when Roche called a House meeting.

"What's up?" April Thayer, Roche's cousin, asked. "This is the Greek House, isn't it? We don't actually have rules or anything, do we?"

"Nope," Roche said. "That's not why I wanted to sit down and chat. It's because I've found out how to break the curse on our family. I told Nala about it when we were getting ready to move here but this is the first time I've had a chance to sit down with the rest of you." "So, spill it!" Benjamin Toyonaga said. He was Roche's mother Ivy's cousin's son. That would make him a ... second cousin? First cousin twice removed? Eh. "I delved into the Necronomicon," Roche said. "And I found a mention about curses like ours. Basically, curses placed by a dead or dying spirit can only be broken by giving the spirit that which it most desires." "Grandpa Jack has said repeatedly that it's Anthony Greaves' ghost that is causing this," Nala said. "So we just have to get in touch with Anthony and find out what he wants the most, and then find out how to give it to him."

"That makes sense," Benjamin said. He was remarkably focused for a Pleasure sim, probably because Arravast House didn't have a bubble blower or a bar yet. "So how do we contact him?"

"I think a GrimPhone would be our best bet," Roche said. "We can call up Grimmy and ask if we can speak to Anthony. I've heard Grimmy is a reasonable embodiment of Death and can be reasoned with." "But how do we get our hands on a GrimPhone?" April asked. "As far as I know, the only one is back on Pirate Island." "I have reason to believe there may be another right here in Paris," Roche said. "Rumor has it the Secret Society has one, so I'm going to infiltrate them and steal it." "Sounds like a piece of cake," Nala purred. "Any help you need, just ask and we'll be there!"

And so life in Arravast House settled into a routine. All four students spent a lot of time on their schoolwork. Roche spent his spare time chatting up people looking for Secret Society members. As for the other three? They constantly wandered campus looking for furniture to 'borrow' ... and pizza. Lots of pizza.

April and Nala also decided to adopt a womrat. April wanted the companionship. Nala wanted the option of a nice light snack if she woke up at midnight and was feeling peckish. In any case, they let Benjamin name the critter when they couldn't decide between "Lunch" and "Sweetums". Benjamin named him "Fuzzbutt."

"And you're just the cutest little Fuzzbutt in the world!" April could often be found crooning over the tiny rodent. For that matter, so could Nala, despite her threats of eating it.

But Roche didn't get to spend much time with Arravast House's mascot. His hours were tied up on the phone with the Secret Society. It was already halfway through his Junior year and he still hadn't gotten a membership.

One night, though, he could sense that something was different and, sure enough, a sleek black limousine pulled up outside Arravast House.

The society member approached Roche and chicken-danced at him timidly. "What the heck are you doing?" Roche asked, annoyed.

"Fine, you want to make this hard we can make it hard," the society goon muttered. He motioned for Roche to turn around and as soon as the piratical heir had done so, cuffed him.

Still, the ride was as quick as it was uncomfortable and Roche soon found himself at Paris' only secret society. He thanked his friends for voting him in and then gave himself a tour of the place.

It wasn't long until he found what he was looking for: a GrimPhone. It was the only one in Europe and the only chance he had of contacting Anthony Greaves before he graduated.

He also found one or two other interesting little items that he thought would 'improve' Arravast House, so he stuffed those into his pack as well. Then he called the limo and was gone before anyone even noticed the theft of the items.

"I take it your mission was successful?" Nala asked. For some reason she hadn't bothered changing out of her 'costume' from the previous evening's Toga Party. "Yep," Roche crowed.

"That's great," Nala said. "But, um, do you think you could find somewhere better to put that GrimPhone? It kind of creeps me out, just sitting there like that." "Where else am I supposed to put it?" Roche asked. "I'm certainly not keeping it in my room." "Fine, it can stay there," Nala grumbled. "But once we get a new pool table it has to go. So when do you think you're going to use it?" "After finals," Roche said. "You know, just in case." "Gotcha," Nala said. "By the way, have you seen Benjamin?"

Outside, Benjamin was engaged in an awkward conversation. "Pathetic human, I only wanted to woohoo you once," Uranium Apocalypso (created by Ephemeral Toast, Apocalypso-A-Go-Go and the Ugothlacy) said. "I do not want to be tied down to only one inferior being."

"Fair enough," Benjamin shrugged. "So, uh, no last woohoo then? For kicks?" "You make a tempting offer," Uranium said, "but I have a date with Queen Ivy on Pirate Island and I'm going to be late if I don't leave now." "Oh, okay," Benjamin shrugged. He didn't sound very broken-hearted.

Ah, that's why. Seems Benjamin and Nala had been developing a crush on each other for some time, but Benjamin was worried that Uranium would off both him and Nala if he acted on it and she found out about it.

Now that Uranium was out of the picture of her own choosing, they were free to pursue their relationship.

As for April, she was still dating her bodyguard, Ben (aka Blite27, Ten Caesars Legacy). But neither of them had told her father, Jack Thayer, about their arrangement yet. So when Jack showed up in Paris to see how his favorite daughter was doing (and to check on the status of a pending Egyptian Cotton shipment - he was finally getting rid of the blasted stuff!), April told Ben he had to break the news.

"Uh, Boss?" "Yes, my most trusted associate?" "I've been watching April like you asked me to." "Ah, that is a relief to my mind, Mr. B. A father cannot help but worry when his favorite offspring is unleashed upon the wilds of a great metropolitan city such as Paris. She is not dallying with too many men or anything of the sort, is she? I must say, her older sister

Autumn has been a bit of a disappointment to her mother and I with her philandering ways." "Daddy! I am right here," April said, blushing. "Uh, not exactly." "Whatever do you mean?" "What he means, daddy, is that he and I are dating," April said.

"Well, it is about time that the two of you saw the light," Jack grinned. Ben and April looked at each other in stunned silence. "Why do you think I assigned you to watch over my exceedingly beautiful middle daughter?"

"You mean, you don't... mind, boss?" said Ben nervously. "Assuredly not," said Jack. "Indeed, I only embarked upon this stratagem because of your apparent inability to take a hint. Carry on." Well, all right.

In fact, while Jack was still over April decided to make it official and propose to Ben.

He gladly accepted. "It gives me great pleasure to think that one of my most trusted associates is now a member of the family," Jack said gleefully.

However, he left soon afterwards, muttering something about imported Lego eating into his profits. April and Ben ... were a little glad he was leaving, truthfully.

As for Roche, as the semester end neared and he got closer to his fated phone call, he spent more and more time with his fiancée, Marie Mazza.

They had a lot of lovely dates, and thanks to my computer lagging because I didn't realize the antivirus was scanning, I was able to get this shot of them dancing.

But one can only put off the inevitable for so long. Exams were over and Roche forced himself to double-check the Necronomicon once more. "That's me boy! Take one for the clan! Take the plunge into the dark realms of mortality, over the edge of the world, to the depths of Davy Jones' locker! Arr! Avast!" "You're not making this any easier, Grandpa Jack." "T'ain't my job. I'm here to add to the drama and suspense, savvy?"

"Right," Roche said, dropping the accursed book on the floor behind the GrimPhone. "Anthony's number - check. GrimPhone - check." He picked up the handset and started to dial.

The phone rang and rang, and eventually a voice picked up. "HELLO?" "Could I please speak to Anthony Greaves?" "HMM. LET ME CHECK AND SEE IF HE IS IN." A few tense moments waiting. "This is Anthony. Who am I speaking to?" "This is Roche Buccaneer," Roche said slowly. "You cursed my

family, and I'm determined to end that curse." "Ahahaha!!!!!" the voice giggled insanely. "You'll never break that curse! Never!" "I have to give you what you most desire," Roche said patiently. "According to statute nine-eight-seven-oh-three, paragraph two, section A, you are bound to tell me." "Oh, I'll tell you," the voice giggled, "but it won't do you any good. What I want most is to live again, and Death will never release me! Face it, Roche, you're doomed! Doomed! DOOMED!!!!!"

Roche waited impatiently for the giggling to die down before he spoke again. "And why won't Grimmy release you?" he asked. "I don't know," Anthony said in a sour voice. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" "Fine," Roche said. "Put him on the line, will you?" A few seconds later, and the grim one's voice was back on the line. Roche spoke to him for a few minutes, and then hung up.

The phone steamed and boiled angrily, but Roche wouldn't be dissuaded. He grabbed the Necronomicon from the random llama mascot, muttered the required words, and flipped until he found the appropriate page.

Then he walked over to where Benjamin was standing. "Benjamin, buddy," he said, "I'm going to have to go speak to Death in person, it seems." "Dude, why?" Benjamin asked. "Well, apparently raising Anthony to life - which is what he wants most, and so it's what needs to be done to break the curse - is... complicated," Roche explained. "Grimmy refused, actually. So I'm going to go visit him and convince him."

"Okay," Benjamin said. "How are you going to do that?" In response, Roche started chanting the words he'd memorized from the Necronomicon. Captain Jack, in his teddy bear form, screeched a warning, and April hurriedly picked him up and carried him over to where Roche was meddling with the forces of darkness and death.

"Arr, ye sure that's safe, mate?" the Captain asked. "Nope," Roche gasped. "Anyway, I thought you were big on this kind of thing." "Aye, that's why I be warning ye off," said the bear. "Suspense and all that." "You're a very annoying ancestor at times," choked Roche.

And with a sigh, he passed out on the floor. April and Benjamin hovered over him, worried. "Is he breathing?" Benjamin asked. "Just--just barely," April replied after checking on him. "What's he doing, Benjamin?" Benjamin quickly explained, and the Captain threw in a few comments as well. April nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "Well, we can't just leave him here," she decided. "Help me carry him into his bedroom, and then we can get Nala and decide what to do next."

After a few days, Roche still hadn't woken, so the members of Arravast decided that they needed to do something. Roche's absence from his classes hadn't caused any concern yet but if it went on much longer, somebody might realize something was amiss -- and Nala hada plan to ensure that wouldn't happen. She invited over her younger brother Simba. "What's up, sis?" Simba asked as he greeted his sister. "I wore Roche's old suit like you suggested."

"Excellent," Nala said. "Listen, we need a favor. How would you like to be Roche for a while?" "Be Roche?" Simba asked. "What do you mean, Nala? I can't be the Legacy heir, you know that." "I do," Nala said impatiently. She dragged Simba into her room. "Just sit down at the makeover table and I'll explain. Roche is off on a quest to save the family from the curse and, well, it's been a few days and he's not back yet. We need a double to pretend to be him for a while, and you're already a member of Arravast house. You can move in, and do his classes and work along with your own!" "Gee, that sounds great," Simba said with a sigh. "It's going to be a fun year, I can tell."

"Wow, the resemblance is uncanny," Nala crowed as she finished her work. "Little bro, you really could pass for Roche to most people." "We look nothing alike!" Simba protested. "That's true, but most people only really notice the accessories, the clothes, and the hair," Nala grinned. "Most people will think you're Roche, and nobody will be the wiser."

And so Simba settled into life at Arravast house. "Here, you'll need Grandpa Jack," Nala said, handing him the bear. "He's been helping Roche pass his classes since first year." "Well, that will make life easier," Simba said.

He ventured into Roche's room and, sure enough, Roche was passed out on the floor, breathing shallowly. "Geez, that's freaky," Simba muttered. "How's he staying alive? I mean, he has no food or water or anything." "Oh, we hold him up and dump protein shakes down his throat," Nala explained. "It's worked so far. Obviously if he gets worse we'll call in the medics, but for now..."

"I don't have to sleep in here, do I?" Simba was obviously creeped out by the idea. "No, you can have my room," Nala said. "I'll bunk in with Benjamin." "Too much info," Simba said. "Anyway, I'll do what I can to help, Nala." "Thanks, bro," Nala said.

Not all of Simba's duties were terribly difficult to his way of thinking, although he never actually cheated on Artemis. He just went on the odd date with Marie, but kept things from getting out of hand (much to Marie's annoyance - she was a Romance sim, after all!). Besides, Artemis knew about the plan, since she was omniscient. She didn't exactly approve, but she liked how Simba was willing to help his family out.

Probably the toughest test of Simba's disguise came a few weeks later, when Arravast House threw a Toga party. Eddie and Tosha just happened to be in Paris that weekend (Mad Scientist convention) and Simba spent a frantic few hours mostly avoiding them. Fortunately, they didn't catch on - or if they did catch on, they didn't let on that they had.

They did catch on to their daughter's romance with Benjamin and gave their blessing, however. Nala was a bit insulted that they felt they had to do so, but touched as well. And Benjamin spent most of the party hanging out with Eddie and bonding, so that was cool. After the guests had left and Nala and Benjamin snuggled down for the night, Nala murmured that she hoped Roche was okay. Benjamin squeezed her reassuringly, and they both drifted off to sleep.

Roche looked around nervously as he slowly got up. How long he'd been unconscious, he didn't know. But wherever he was, it was a very strange place. Everything was in shades of black, white, and grey, and the sky above was filled with millions of pinpricks of light.

As he got to his feet he noticed a house. It was old-fashioned, to his eyes, and not particularly welcoming. Even the plants in the garden were black. Cautiously, he strode towards it. He knocked at the front door. "COME IN."

Roche found himself in a small study. "I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU, ROCHE BUCCANEER. PLEASE, SIT DOWN."

Roche took a seat and immediately launched into his spiel. "Look, the family needs to resurrect Anthony in order to survive and continue on," he said. "THAT IS TRUE." "So why do you keep refusing? We'll pay anything! We're not exactly poor, you know." "AGAIN, THAT IS TRUE. BUT IT IS NOT THAT SIMPLE. ANTHONY HAS BEEN DEAD FOR A LONG TIME, AND THE PRICE TO RAISE HIM IS VERY HIGH. I WILL NOT DO IT UNLESS YOU KNOW THE TRUE COST."

"Fine," Roche said, trying to to be unnerved by the blue light emanating from beneath the hood. "Tell me the price." Death told him.

"WHAT?!?" screeched Roche, leaping from his chair in anger. "That's - that's obscene!" "NEVERTHELESS, IT IS THE ONLY WAY," Grimmy intoned. "But why?" Roche asked, still waving his hands angrily. "SIT DOWN AND I WILL EXPLAIN," Death answered.

Roche sulkily complied. "IT IS THE WAY IN WHICH HE DIED," Grimmy said slowly. "IN PAIN, NEGLECTED, AND ANGRY. HIS SPIRIT IS STILL VERY POWERFUL AND WILL RESIST BEING REUNITED WITH HIS BODY, EVEN THOUGH HE WANTS NOTHING MORE. FOR ME TO RAISE HIM IS BREAKING THE RULES, AND I CANNOT DO THAT LIGHTLY. IT DEMANDS BALANCE. IF YOU DO NOT PAY THE PRICE, I CANNOT FREE HIM." Roche sat in silence for several moments. Looking down at his hands, he said in a very small voice, "I agree."

In another dimension and halfway across a planet, a Grimphone trembled. More than a mere phone, they are in fact portals to the world of the dead. A green mist enveloped this one, and when it had cleared, Anthony Greaves stood before it.

"I'm - I'm alive!" he crowed joyously. "Alive!" His skin was still pale with the coldness of death, but he knew that wouldn't last long. He rubbed his hands together briskly. "Alive... and now I can truly have my revenge on Ivy and her family!" he cackled.

Downstairs, goings-on of another sort were happening. "Did you hear something?" Pao asked Ivy as they cuddled on top of their blankets. "Nope!" Ivy giggled. "We heard not a thing, Pao!" And the two of them dove beneath the blankets.

Ok, not exactly the mode of transport you'd normally associate with a newly resurrected villain.

The next morning, Ivy and Pao carried on much as they had since Roche moved to university. They lounged around in their underwear drinking margaritas.

Meanwhile, Pearl looked on with a combination of affection and disgust. She liked her humans, though she couldn't wait for Roche to get home from college. She was his dog, through and through.

Later that day, a parade of individuals headed into Legacy manor. It was Pao's birthday, and all of his favorite business associates and friends were invited, as well as Bart.

It ended up being quite the party celebration, as stores on Pirate Island had just begun carrying a new Celebration-themed line of party items.

"I wish... that Roche could have made it home for the party," Pao said. "But I also wish... that I won't end up in dorky elder clothes!"

"Uhh... sorry dad, you didn't get your wish," Bart chuckled as he watched from the sidelines. "Oh, we think he is very handsome," Ivy said, and grabbed Pao for a steamy kiss. With that settled, the party continued into the night.

Bart, though, couldn't help but worry. He'd heard from April what had happened to Roche and, well, it had been months now. Roche's graduation was fast approaching and he still hadn't woken up. Bart debated telling his parents about what had happened, but decided against it. There was no sense in making them worry as well.

One other resident of the household knew what was going on. Whatcha doin', Alan? "Oh, just haunting, goddess," Alan said. "We ghosts know that Anthony's been revived and all - thanks for that, by the way, he was getting awfully tiresome - but we're all worried about Roche. He's been asleep for months... and he hasn't woken up yet." I know, Alan. I know.

Back at Arravast, the Greek members were worried as well. "Y'know," Simba said, taking a sip of his drink, "if Roche doesn't wake up soon he's going to miss his senior finals. Nala! I'm talking to you!" "Oops," Nala giggled, and turned away from where she'd been flirting with her boyfriend. Her face fell once what Simba had been saying sunk in. "I guess that's true."

"Maybe the smell of pizza will revive him," Benjamin said a few days later as he brought in a fresh, steaming deep-dish pie. "If that was going to work," April muttered, "it would have already." You're telling me. Can't you guys eat one pizza at a time? "No!"

As senior year drew to a close, Simba even found himself writing Roche's senior thesis. "Roche is going to owe me big time for this," he muttered as he typed it out. "Ye sure ye don't want me help?" came a voice from under the desk. "What do you know about art history?" said Simba irritably. "Well, I know what I likes."

It was the day before finals, and Simba spent most of it hovering in Roche's bedroom. "Dude, it would be really cool if you would just wake up," he said anxiously. "I can't write two finals at once and ours are at the same time!"

And then... he heard a noise. A groan, or a sigh. As Simba watched, Roche's eyes fluttered open and he pushed himself up off of the floor.

"Simba?" Roche asked incredulously, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "What are you doing here? And... why do you look like me?" "Roche, dude, you've been asleep for eight months," Simba said. "I've been going to your classes and writing your tests for you since you passed out." "Eight months?!?" Roche spluttered angrily. "Frammit, that Necronomicon has some explaining to do!" "Look at it this way," Simba shrugged, "I got you some good marks and you missed out on an entire term of school. Oh, except for the

final. That's tomorrow." "Tomorrow?!?" "Yep!" "Frammit! How am I supposed to absorb a year's worth of knowledge overnight?" Roche asked. "Especially since all I want to do is blow bubbles, eat pizza, drink juice, and woohoo Marie til I pass out!" "Just use the bear," Simba shrugged.

Roche decided that Simba's advice was very good advice. He started with the pizza and juice ...

... moved on to the bubbles ...

... and then invited Marie over.

"Wow, Roche, you've been so distant the past few months I thought you didn't love me anymore," Marie said giddily after the first of several dream dates. "But you do! You really do!" "Of course I do," Roche said fiercely, and kissed her again. "Three bolts don't lie, darling."

April walked past Roche's room sometime later to find out if he was okay and full recovered. "Yeah, I'm fine," Roche said aggrievedly. He waved his cousin away. "I can see that," April said, screwing her eyes shut. She left in a hurry.

Simba, for one, was all to glad to be back in his old clothes and normal hair. "Artemis can be the weird-looking one in our family, goddess." My daughter isn't weird-looking. "She has pink hair and blue skin. And a nose." ... touché.

But after Marie had gone, and while everyone else was at class, Roche couldn't help but sob over the price he'd paid to lift the family curse. Everyone else was celebrating... and his heart was breaking. He wished he could tell someone, anyone - but he couldn't do it. He just couldn't.

Somehow, he got through his final exams, and he did manage to put on a happy face for his graduation party. He couldn't wait to be out of Arravast house - every time he walked past the GrimPhone he was reminded of what price he'd paid.

Ivy and Pao were among the guests at Roche's graduation party. They were excited to see the new Greek house, although they were also a bit disappointed. "We miss the old place," Ivy sniffled. "We had many successful auditions there." "Too much info, mom," Roche said. "Hey, I'd like you to meet my fiancée, Marie." "So you're the one who will be marrying our son, are you?" Ivy snorted, looking Marie up and down. "Yes," Marie said politely. "It's so nice to meet you, Mrs. Buccaneer!" Roche cringed.

"Our correct form of address is QUEEN IVY," Ivy screeched. "Not 'Mrs. Buccaneer'! That makes us sound as if we are old and grey, and not young and hot as we know we are. Such disrespect!" "Uhh... sorry," Marie began. "We do not wish to hear your pathetic excuses," Ivy said. "You have royally offended us, Marie Mazza." "C'mon," Roche said. He shot his mom a glare as he dragged Marie over to where the music was playing. "She'll come around... I think. Anyway, she's got a really short attention span."

"Eh, the important thing is that we're going to be married," Marie giggled. "I mean, marriage is a big commitment and I'm a bit freaked out at the thought of settling down but hey, I love you Roche." "I love you too, Marie," Roche said, as the two of them danced.

The party lasted all afternoon, but finally it was time. Before he knew it, Roche felt the sparklies envelop him. And we'll leave Roche here, on the cusp of moving back to Pirate Island, with many unanswered questions. What was the price he paid? What revenge does Anthony have in store now that the curse has been lifted? Will Uranium still kill Benjamin and Nala? Speaking of Benjamin and Nala, will they ever get engaged? Will April and Blite make cute babies? Will my neighborhood explode from the sheer number of characters? And finally, will Marie ever get along with her mother-in-law? All that and less... coming soon! Special thanks to all the CC-creators, simselves, and legacy character creators!