Sim State University Versus Ripp Grunt
Chapter Thirty-five
Graduates: Circe! Part 2
"Well, as if that whole situation wasn't weird enough, Circe wanted a kid. And instead of having a kid with her husband like a normal person, she wanted to have it with her secret lover," Pascal states, continuing to narrate the story. "I still remember the day she arrived at our doorstep…"
…
Pascal swings open the front door, dressed as a flamenco dancer. "Ándale Vidcund-!" Pascal begins, stopping his rather large open armed entrance when he finds Circe on the doorstep giving him a rather impatient, but tolerant glare. "Oh sorry. I thought you were someone else," he apologizes.
"That's alright. I know Vidcund's working right now, but I want you to take a message for me," Circe requests.
Pascal nods, taking out a pad of paper from his lab coat pocket, which is sticking out underneath his puffy white flamenco shirt. "Okay. Lay it on me!"
"Alright," Circe says, placing a hand on her hip and swaying her body seductively. "Tell your brother, that I'm pregnant with my husband's baby," Circe completes, giving a long wink.
"'Tell brother pregnant with husband's baby,'" Pascal repeats, scribbling the message down on the notepad. He looks up from the paper and over to Circe, bringing the pencil up towards his chin, "Uh-huh. So do you want me to include the wink, or is that part optional?"
Circe sighs and rolls her eyes, before turning around and walking off the lot. Pascal shrugs and slams the door shut. He walks by Vidcund's bedroom, which is open just a crack. "Vid, Circe is pregnant!"
Hearing this, Vidcund stops writing at his desk and pumps his fist up in the air.
Seven Months and Thirteen Days Later
Circe is lying down in a hospital bed at Strangetown General, carrying a small pinkish baby in her arms. A knock is heard at the door as Lazlo and Pascal slide into the room. They stand near the bed, on the opposite side of Loki.
"What are you guys doing here?" Loki growls.
"Vidcund's the mayor, he always welcomes new residents!" Lazlo explains.
Vidcund steps in through the doorway, Loki glares at him when he stops in front of him; the pair crossing paths. Vidcund swiftly moves past Loki and walks over to Circe and the baby.
"Well, here she is!" Circe announces, gazing down at the baby that is in her arms. The baby has dark smooth skin and red hair like her mother, but suspiciously normal eyebrows, blue eyes, and a prominent jawline.
Seeing her, Pascal trails back a bit, "Whoa! There is no way that baby is a Beaker-" Pascal's eyes wander to Loki, who is glaring at him skeptically. "I-I mean, she looks just like you!" Pascal quickly corrects, sporting a fake grin at Loki. He turns to Lazlo, nudging him in the side, "Not even close," he whispers, shaking his head; Lazlo nods.
Vidcund slowly approaches the hospital bed and looks at the baby in Circe's arms. He looks up at Circe, "Can I hold her?" he asks.
"Of course," Circe answers, gently handing Vidcund the baby.
He smiles, gazing down at the little bundle that is in his arms. He is smitten.
The three Curious brothers exit Circe's hospital room and walk down the blue and white checked hallway. Pascal turns to Vidcund, Lazlo standing on his other side, Pascal's arms crossed. "Vidcund, is there anything that you would like to tell us?" he asks, eyeing his little brother dubiously.
Vidcund shakes his head, his facial expression still filled with awe. "No, I'm good."
"That baby looks just like you, Vid!" Pascal whisper exclaims, trying to keep up with him as he trots forward, "Coincidence? I think not!" he proclaims.
"Really? I hadn't noticed," Vidcund answers, as he walks away beaming. Behind him, Pascal and Lazlo stop to exchange bewildered looks.
…
"Wait a minute, I didn't know you had a daughter," Isabella says, gazing at Vidcund who is sitting next to her on her right.
Vidcund nods, "Yeah, here's a picture of her," he states, digging into his pocket and pulling out a golden pocket watch. He opens it up, revealing the photo.
"Aww, she's adorable!" Isabella cooes, looking down at the photograph of the smiling newborn.
"Thanks. Her name is Vanissa, she's one and a half. I don't see her a lot, so I'm not quite sure what she looks like now."
Isabella nods, passing the photograph to Kea. She examines it closely. "Man, that kid really does look like you. How does Loki not know that the kid is yours?"
"Eh, he'll figure it out someday," Pascal answers for him, "And considering he tried to kill us before he knew this whole thing happened, I'm not looking forward to the consequences of this scandalous action," Pascal states, getting a full body shiver just thinking about it. "Either way, I highly doubt the situation's going to change. Vidcund will still go after Circe – for he's just standing there," Pascal stands up, putting his hand on his chest dramatically, "Holding out, waiting for the day when Circe knocks on our door and passionately declares, 'Vidcund, you big hunk of man, how could I have been so blind? You're the one that I've wanted all along. I just left my husband,'" he shouts, throwing his hands up melodramatically to the ceiling, "'Let's make babies!'"
Pascal and Lazlo burst out laughing, rolling around on the floor in a roar. Pascal sits up, wiping some tears away from his eyes. "No, but seriously Vid, you'd have better luck teaching a raccoon how to kick-box," he claims, noting the unamused look that is on Vidcund's face.
"You guys can laugh all you want, but Circe loves me – and that's a fact," Vidcund recalls, crossing his arms. He turns away.
Pascal sits moves next to Vidcund, placing a hand on his knee. "Look, I'm sorry if we made you upset, but you have to listen to me – you guys will never be together."
"And why's that?" Vidcund asks, completely unaware of the awkward uncomfortable looks that are on Kea and Isabella's faces.
"Because," Pascal begins, "You're too different! You guys are on opposite sides! She's basically the enemy! The only way that kind of thing could work out is if one of you completely switched affiliations – and you know that's not going to happen," Pascal informs him. "Plus, she's married! And there's obviously a reason that she picked Beaker – your mortal enemy – over you. Face it Vid, she's playing you," Pascal continues, giving his brother a pat, "She's just in it for the thrill – or er, the potential power."
"Yeah," Lazlo adds in agreement, "And I don't think it's a coincidence that Circe suddenly started dating you again after you went into office."
Vidcund quickly stands up, his face fuming and his fists clenched. "Oh what do you guys know? You don't know anything about love at all!" he belts, "You wouldn't know love if it bit you in the ass!"
"Ooh kinky," Kea whispers to Isabella.
Pascal stands up, handing Amelia to Lazlo before lining up face to face with his seething brother. "I may not know a lot about love, but it doesn't take a genius to see that your relationship with Circe is toxic at best!"
"You're just upset that she picked me over you!" Vidcund counters, moving closer to him. The pair trying to out-intimidate each other.
"After seeing what she did to you, I'm glad she picked you over me!" Pascal yells back, "At that same rate, I would've been dead in the first five weeks!" Pascal roars, stopping when he hears Amelia start to cry, the loudness of the argument scaring her. He turns back to Vidcund, his face softening. "Look Vid, I love you, okay? But you gotta stop doing this to yourself," Pascal speaks, sincerity filling his voice, "Because I don't think I can go through another year of her dragging you down."
Vidcund watches as Pascal walks over to Lazlo and takes Amelia in his arms, attempting to calm her as he exits into Isabella's room. Vidcund's anger diminishes as he looks down at Lazlo, Isabella, and Kea, whose faces are all filled with utmost concern.
Meanwhile: At the Sim State University Student Union
"Thanks," Tank says, taking his latte from the barista. He turns around and takes a sip, spotting Ripp against the wall, checking his mail. "Hey Ripp," Tank greets, pacing over to him, "I haven't seen you in a while. What have you been up to?"
"-Threats," Ripp completes, spinning to face him. His hands are filling with postcards, "-That's what I've been up to."
Tank cocks his head, clearly puzzled, "What do you mean?"
"I mean ever since my junior year, I've been getting postcards from Loki threatening me to stay out of Strangetown," he explains, pulling one of the postcards out from his hands and showing it to Tank, "Check out the one he sent me for Christmas!"
Tank grabs the postcard from Ripp, which as a picture of Loki dressed as an evil Santa Claus on the cover. "'Ho, ho, ho, get the hell out?'" Tank reads, "-Well that's not very festive," he comments, handing the card back to him. "But honestly, what do you expect? The guy's a lunatic!"
Ripp throws down the postcards in his arms, letting them splatter onto the floor as he groans, placing his head on the wooden mail-sorting desk. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."
"Cheer up Ripp, Loki can't get you here," Tank explains, placing a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder.
"I know," Ripp answers, turning his head so that he can engage with him, "But the problem is, I'm not going to be here much longer," Ripp laments, "It's only a matter of time before he catches me and destroys everything I care about," Ripp states, giving a heavy sigh, "That's why I decided that I'm breaking up with Isabella."
Tank steps back, not sure if he has heard his brother correctly. "You're breaking up with Izzy? What are you, crazy?!"
Ripp sighs once more, "No," he answers, "Think about it Tank, if Loki is out to hurt me, then guess who he's going to go after first?" he states, looking straight at his brother; sorrow in his eyes, "And I just can't bear to see her go through that. I don't want her to have to experience that. She shouldn't have to, just because she's dating me," Ripp explains, the words hitting him hard, "And what kind of sim would I be if I put her through that pain?" he asks his brother.
Tank shakes his head as he moves forward, still finding himself in utter disbelief. "Ripp, she's going to have a target on her back anyway, I mean she saved his greatest enemies! Just associating herself with Vidcund will get her in trouble!" Tank warns.
"I know, but that's on her, not me," Ripp explains; "And I'm sorry Tank, but I'm not changing my mind. She can hate me for the rest of her life, but at least I'll know I did everything I could to keep her safe."
Tank watches as Ripp picks up his mail and stuffs it back into his box. He slams the door and heads towards the exit, Tank following close to his heels. "Ripp, this is a terrible idea. What if you live through this and decide you want to be with her in the long run? She's not going to want to get back together with you."
"Isabella will understand the situation once I tell her why I'm doing it," Ripp explains, "She won't be mad once she realizes that it was for her own good."
Tank grabs Ripp by the shoulder and turns him around, the pair meeting face to face, "You honestly don't know anything about women, do you?" Ripp rolls his eyes, "Come on Ripp, I'm just trying to help you see all the potential outcomes of your action. I mean, let's say you do go through with it and break up with her, giving her the same reasons that you gave me-"
Ripp crosses his arms, reluctantly allowing his brother to continue, "Yeah…?" he states.
"-Well, what if she's so heartbroken by it that she rebounds and starts dating someone else?" Tank wonders.
"You think Izzy is going to start dating someone else?" Ripp asks him; Tank shrugs. "Look Tank, either way I have to do what's best for Izzy. And if that means breaking up with her and taking the risk of her possibly dating someone else, then that's just a risk that I'll have to take," he informs him, stepping around his brother and heading out towards the street.
"But what if it's not what's best for her-?" Tank begins, circling around to face him.
Ripp is gone.
Meanwhile: At the Singles Residence
"We can't let him get away with this!" Crystal storms, pacing in front of the black leather couch located in the center of the Singles' living room. She turns to Chloe, Lola, and Kristen who are all seated on the tri-cushioned couch. "He thinks he can just go around and kill people without even giving it a second thought!" she exclaims, throwing her hands up in the air. "Well he's got another thing coming if he thinks he can get away with it while I'm in the neighborhood!"
"Crystal please," Lola speaks up, watching as the young townie continues pacing around the room, "You've been at this for months. Why don't you just give it a rest and spend your time on more obtainable things?"
"Yeah," Chloe agrees, examining at her fingernails, "At least then you wouldn't be wasting your time, and you would've actually accomplished something."
Crystal turns around, clearly taken off by Lola's and Chloe's comments. "Really?" she proclaims, almost in disbelief, "Really?" she repeats once more, "How many people have to die before you guys start caring about the city?!" she blares, "You know what? None of this would've happened if Vidcund was here!"
"Yeah," Kristen stands up, eyeing Crystal at eye-level, "He stood up to Beaker and look where that got him – six feet under the ground with his brothers," she states, "Face it Crystal – we're stuck, and we better stop this whole 'secret meeting' nonsense before we die, too!" she warns her, "The city's doomed, we've been doomed for years – we're so doomed that all the other cities won't even bother to help us!" she shouts, "And you're the only one – the only one left in the entire city - that won't accept that," Kristen finishes, letting out a rather large sigh.
"Well," Crystal begins, watching as Kristen attempts to regain her composure, "Then at least there's someone," she confirms. Crystal walks over to the front door, turning her head back over her shoulder in the doorway before leaving. "I'm sorry I wasted your time."
She exits through the door, leaving the Singles to mull in silence.
Later That Afternoon – At Cassandra's Dormitory
Isabella is stepping out of her bedroom, the hallway quite silent after Vidcund and Pascal's confrontation. She sighs as she walks towards the kitchen, preparing to eat lunch alone. All of a sudden someone grabs her from behind, pulling her beside the staircase. "Kea!" Isabella squeaks, coming eye-to-eye with her best friend, "What did you do that for?" she asks.
"Izzy, you'll never guess what happened," Kea says, lowering her voice to a thrilled whisper, "It's the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me!"
Isabella scrunches her forehead, intrigued. She then steps back. "Kea, this isn't about your bacon bits collection again, is it?" she questions, "Because I keep telling you that it's not that shocking-"
"No, no, it's not that," Kea states smiling, waving her hands in front of her body. "It's-well…um…I'm pregnant!" Kea blurts out, finding the right words to say.
"WHAT?" Isabella exclaims.
"I...am...pregnant...Isabella!" Kea carefully annunciates.
Isabella shakes her head, still unable to believe what she is hearing. "I heard what you said, Kea. It's just – wow. That wasn't what I was expecting."
"Oh, I get it, you said expecting cause I'm expecting. Good one, Izzy," Kea giggles.
"So uh, I know this might be rather obvious but, who's the father?" Isabella asks.
"-Ripp."
"WHAT?!"
Kea doubles over, laughing once more. "I'm just kidding, Izzy. Geez, I can't believe you actually fell for that one!" Kea exclaims, before breaking into yet another round of chuckles.
Isabella groans, walks into her bedroom, and slams her door shut. Kea perks up at the sound of the door slamming. "Izzy!" she whines, "The door blew shut!"
Inside of her bedroom, Isabella leans up against the door – her head spinning from all of the new information that she had been receiving. "Man, this day has been wild from start to finish," Isabella comments.
That Night – At the Beaker Estate
Loki Beaker is once again sitting on the atrociously evil throne, but this time, instead of invoking torture on everyone around him, he is flipping through the channels on his TV set. "Nope, nope, nope, nope," he says loudly between channel changes, "Man, you'd think after paying five hundred dollars for exclusive cable you'd get better programming."
"Sir!" One of the alien guards speaks, three others following close behind. They all approach Loki and salute, before the first alien continues, "We have just received urgent news from our Ole Town basecamp."
Loki groans, shutting off the television and turning to them. "This better be good."
"-It's not," the second alien butts in, stepping forward. He kneels before Loki and holds out a security tape. Loki reaches out and grabs it cautiously, pushing it into the replay contraption on the side of the wall. The tape starts playing onscreen, showing a familiar scene of a young red-haired college student rescuing the Curious brothers.
Loki's face falls as he watches all four of them escape from the warehouse unharmed. He growls, punching the stop button on his remote, his eyes locked on the guards.
"Who is she?" he mutters.
One of the alien guards steps forward, hard of hearing, "What?" he asks.
"WHO IS SHE?!" Loki yells; his voice echoing throughout the castle walls. The alien guards step back terrified. "Well?" he asks once more, traces of rage in his voice.
"-Her name is Isabella eXtreme," one of the alien guards speaks up, handing Loki some informational papers on the subject, "She's a college student that goes to Sim State University. She used to live here in the city before then, her family moved in five years ago," he finishes, watching as Loki continues to thoroughly scan through the papers. As soon as he looks up, the alien guard moves forward. "What do you want us to do, master?" he asks.
Loki cocks his forehead, vengeance in his eyes. "Get the girl, and bring her to me."
Meanwhile: At Cassandra's Dorm
It is one in the morning and Isabella is finally fast asleep for the first time in what seemed like months. Behind her, Vidcund lies awake looking up at the patterns that are carved in the ceiling. He sighs and sits up, shaking Isabella by the shoulder; his mind unable to rest. "Izzy! Izzy wake up!" Vidcund whispers.
Isabella groans, "Kea please," she states, half-awake, "I really can't handle any more surprises right now."
"No, not Kea. It's me, Vid," Vidcund tells her, his hand still placed on her shoulder, "I need to talk to you."
Isabella sits up a little, seeing Vidcund's face in the dimly lit bedroom. "Oh," she says, her full sight returning, "About what?"
Five Minutes Later – In the Upstairs Lounge
Vidcund and Isabella are sitting on the brown leather couch in the upstairs study room, the light from the moon and the stars are the only things lighting up the room around them. "Look, about that story that my brothers told you earlier," Vidcund begins, turning to Isabella, "There's something that they didn't mention. There's something that they don't know about."
"What's that?" Isabella asks.
Vidcund sighs, gazing out the window in front of them. "I proposed to Circe."
"You did?" Isabella states, somewhat shocked by this news.
Vidcund nods, "It was a few weeks before we were captured and taken out of the city," he informs her, "But it still feels like it was yesterday," he begins, locking his hand around his wrist and looking out at the scenery in front of him. "I was on the roof of my house…"
…
Vidcund is standing on the roof of the Curious estate, leaning up against the balcony, looking out at the stars. Circe is nearby, situated next to one of their many telescopes.
"It's really nice out tonight," Circe states, turning away from the scientific object and leaning up next to him, "But honestly what was I expecting? We live in a freakin' desert!" Circe says, delicately wrapping her hands around the railings. She turns to Vidcund, who is still gazing out into the distance. "Uh, are you okay?" she asks.
"How long are we going to do this?" Vidcund asks, barely moving a muscle.
Circe scrunches her forehead, "Do what?"
"This!" Vidcund exclaims, circling his hands in front of him, "This whole secret relationship! I am in love with you Circe!"
"I know," Circe speaks, staying surprisingly calm in her stature.
Vidcund exhales before turning back to her, "This isn't enough for me anymore. I want more than that," he confesses, "I want you."
Circe stands in silence, the intensity of the situation was almost too much for her to bear. She watches as Vidcund kneels before her, tensing up a bit as he grabs her hand. "What are you doing?" she manages to muffle out, the air seemingly growing thin.
He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a black velvet ring case. He opens it up revealing a beautiful engagement ring.
"Marry me Circe," Vidcund states, holding the ring out to her.
"What?" she squeaks.
"You heard me," Vidcund speaks once more, "I want to marry you."
Circe steps back, slightly confused. "-But I'm already married."
"Circe, I'm serious. I'm in love with you," Vidcund confesses, pouring his heart out, "You can't honestly tell me that you love him more than me."
"Vidcund," Circe begins, putting her hands over his own and leading him up off the ground. "It's not about that. It just wouldn't work. You're asking me to sacrifice too much – my house, my career, my bloodline, not to mention my reputation – for something that would be considered a scandal at best!" Circe exclaims, "-And I just can't do that."
Vidcund steps forward, tears in his eyes as he locks gazes with her, "But you don't love him."
Circe eyes trail to the ground as she stretches out one of her hands in thought.
"-I know."
Vidcund steps forward, grabbing the sides of her face softly with his hands so that she is looking right at him. "Circe, it's been six years of us messing around in secret. Are we really going to do this forever?" he asks, noticing the innocence that is in her face, "You know that you and I belong together."
Circe looks to Vidcund, placing her hand delicately on top of his, as she moves his hands away from her face. She gazes deeply into his eyes. For the first time in her life, Circe actually looks sad.
"I'm sorry."
Circe turns and races down the steps as rain starts to pour from the sky. Vidcund watches as she walks down the hill and out of his life.
…
"I guess when you spend so much time working on a relationship, it's hard to let it go," Vidcund explains, his eyes fixated on the patterns on the couch cushion. Next him, Isabella is listening intently to every word. "Almost dying really put everything in perspective for me, you know, love is tough," he sighs, looking back out the window, "I really thought we were going to be together forever. - Guess I was wrong."
Isabella sits in silence for a moment, before wrapping her arms around Vidcund, giving him a hug. Vidcund exhales softly, wrapping his arm around her, holding her close in the warm embrace. "Never fall in love," he speaks suddenly.
Isabella nods. A sinking feeling is lying in the pit of her stomach, as a look of distress forms on her face; the young girl seemingly conflicted. She leans forward a bit, so that she is lined up with his face, her voice lowered to a whisper, "Too late."
Two Hours Later – Outside of the Beaker Estate
Crystal is standing on the outline of the infamous Strangetown crater, looking across at the Beaker estate. She is wearing steel armor that is spray painted pink from her torso down and is carrying a somewhat matching helmet at her side, which is a bright magenta color. "You think I'm useless, huh?" Crystal replies, narrowing her eyes at the top of the castle. She places the helmet on her head and takes a step forward, "I'll show you what a useless nobody can do!"