2.40 Ruin the Friendship

“Doesn't the music just make you want to move?”

Casimir eyes the puddle that's been on the floor since the last update. “You seem more relaxed lately.” He observes. Normally Jiraya would be all over cleaning that up.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Did something good happen?”

Jiraya doesn't feel like explaining how his dad hugged him while he cried. “Maybe I'm just looking forward to things.” He continues. “I'm not the only moody teenager in the house any longer, so if I set the occasional prank, it's not going to be entirely my fault.”

“Nice.”

“Okay this song's not bad though.”

“Right?”

Jiraya just wanted to tease him, so it must be that he's finally feeling a bit more like he belongs. Caz never really had any siblings, so maybe this is what it's like to have one...? A bit more fun than annoying. They're weird but you don't have to understand perfectly. It's not so bad, actually.

“I thought you were working, so I was going to see you, but you really did quit, huh?”

“Yeah I wanted something that pays a little better. Living in this town is not cheap. So I've been helping out with school crossings and driving kids to and from special events.”

“You've been driving a school bus?”

“Well... I still have my CDL from the Firehouse and the bus drivers get hazard pay during rush hour or in the evenings.”

“You could just... live with me.” She tries, knowing his answer will not be what she wants to hear. What she hears is his heavy sigh from the other side of the phone. “Still not ready, huh?”

“I ...can't. Not yet. I know it may just sound like an excuse to you, and I'm sor-”

“Malcolm, if you have another relationship, you can tell me, I would understand.”

There is a long pause. “Could you please not... think that way about me?”

“I wish I could even get mad about it anymore. You forgave me, so I can do that too... but you won't tell me anything.”

“...”

“I'm going to be aging up soon, do you think you could come to my party?”

“Of course I'll come. We share the same day, don't we?”

She brightens up a bit. “Oh! That's right, we do. Do you want to make it some kind of joint thing?”

“I don't really like that kind of attention. Thanks, though.”

“Okay...”

The bar nook with Dustin's new version of this picture. Nevermind the actual real day of my life I spent looking for the first panel of this wave wallpaper in the catelogue. Does it even exist?

Meanwhile, this place really is haunted, but the cause is totally known and Jiraya can explain it, so why's it still so icky sometimes? Pondering this (and how many times he'll have to wash his hand if he pets the dog) he misses her toy totally clonking herself in the spiritual eyeball while she rolls around and tosses it.

“You went on that field trip right, was it fun?”

“Um, it was okay I guess?” Caz isn't used to pointed questions about his day from his mom. It's more of a grandpa thing.

“I only made it to half of those when I was your age. I had lots of extracurriculars and overslept sometimes.”
“Grandpa told me you used to be out half the night, jogging or at the gym.”

She bites her lip. “Uh, maybe. I did that more when there was a weekend coming up, because I did take my studies seriously...”

He gives her a look.

“But I was not home after curfew unless my parents were with me!”

“Okay...” Casimir has no idea why his mom is talking so much about 'back in her day'.

“So... who was your bus driver? Same guy at usual during the day?”
He shrugs. “I don't remember.”

She deflates. “Okay, well let me know when you find out, I've got to make sure you and my brother have good people around you.”

He nods slowly. “Thanks mom.”

“Sure.”

“Well anyways. Come here.”

Caz gets caught up in the moment.

“I'm gonna make this my profile picture for the PTA app, that's okay right?”

He nods without thinking. Besides, it's not like she's planning to show it to his classmates. Then she pulls out the app and starts showing him pictures of the other moms and their kids looking silly. “Maybe we can take a better one?” He backpedals.
She laughs. “This one is perfect. We look like two ducks in a pond.”

She puts the phone away and his embarrassment settles in. Still, it was a bit fun...

He listens to her talk about work with all the energy of a sullen teenager.

...who pays just enough attention to keep up with it.

...until the topic switches to outdoorsy things. There he can't pretend to understand.

“So you take a slimy, wriggling live animal and use it to catch and even slimier, more wriggly animal that possibly has sharp teeth, and you stand outside in the hot sun or cold rain all day to do it. Then you cook it up and serve it to your kid.”

“Do I have that right?”

Jyoti laughs for a while at this actually. “Well, not quite, I give the animal I caught to your Grandpa and he serves it to you. I guess you don't want to be a fisherman when you get older. Hmm... You like knowing how things work, or what the purpose of things are, why they are made...”

“You aren't going to try telling me that I can make things out of fish, are you?”

“Uhm, no I'm not. Did you know your dad is an inventor? He makes all those little metal toys you can find at the consignment shop.”Caz tries to remember if he's ever gone there. They don't have snacks, games, or his friends. “No idea what those are.”

She smiles through her teeth, trying not to show the irritation. Loki could've given him some idea of where he comes from, or even one measly toy, but if she wants Casimir to have one she'd have to buy it at a markup. Insane. “That's okay, nevermind. Just build on things you already love.”

“I'm sure when your dad started out, he wasn't planning on the things he made right away either. Just start with one idea, then see if it grows into something else. Your grandpa Dustin is like that, too. He made many of his own props and redesigned things to suit his particular style of act. He didn't succeed because he wanted to be like other magicians, and your dad Loki didn't succeed because he wanted to reinvent old things, he liked toys and wanted kids to have more things that they could interact with.”

“I get it mom, thanks.” Caz is actually wondering if he's allowed to point out that she finally admitted that blond guy 'from work' was his dad all along. He had known because his grandparents told him a very long time ago in confidence.

Any break in the conversation begins her nagging him to work out though. “...that's why we got a house with a pool. And you don't ever have to go to the gym if you don't want to be outside for very long...”

All he has to do is nod docilely and she will eventually go away, thinking they've had a great conversation.

But she really wants to connect with him this time. “Cazzie? What's wrong?”

Aside from how you've never really called me that and now that I'm older you need a pet name for me? Whatever, may as well share my honest opinion for once...

“I'm going to play video games all day and eat your cookies when I grow older, that's my plan.”

She stops. “Your actual... plan? How do you plan to stay healthy when you don't have exercise from gym class or whatever?”

“You could put something healthy in the cookies, it's not like I'll notice the difference right?”

She slaps him on the arm sharply, thinking it's gentle. “You're playing around with me! I really believed it for a second there, you had me going!”

He lets her laugh it off while his arm stings, but he's totally serious. She worked out like a crazy person and it became a job, right? So if he plays well enough, and always tries the newest games, he sure to make money off of it somehow.

He laughs along with her for now, “Grandpa's always saying that I should do something I love.”

She grins. “Yeah, he's pretty great, huh?”

“The best.”

...What is this house going to be like without Dustin one day? T_T

Then this nonsense immediately happens.

Quit taking our sims... you've gone and made the nicest kid ever sad.

I just realized that Jiraya and Meghan have a very similar hairstyle haha.

Caz however, pilfers a drink while the adults are focused on other things. It's not bad at first, but the more he has of it, the worse he feels. His mom drinks these things like a hobby...

I guess... all I like is television and games after all...

Whatever, I'll just own to it and enjoy what I like. My family is just weird.

Jiraya politely tries to keep his nose out of his sister's conversation with her husband, but he hasn't seen Malcolm in years so he's eager for news. She also talks as if there is nobody else around her. He really doesn't want to be distracted and burn more food today.

“Well, what if we both took time off and went somewhere for the weekend? Not that either, huh... No, yeah, I get it. I think...”

“But how can I be sure that there's nothing else going on?” Jyoti has been talking to herself more and more lately. She can't shake the feeling that he's minding somebody else's schedule, that it's not only all the work. He can't go on a day trip with her, even if they take time off, he won't visit... the only thing he seems willing to do is go out publicly with her. Which makes zero sense, given his shy personality.

“If he's too busy for me, then he's too busy to have someone else either. I'm just thinking too much.” She still feels guilty about her relationship with Kevin, because she didn't believe Jiraya then. It's slowly dawning on her that Jiraya is probably right about more than just Malcolm, and she isn't liking the feeling. He wouldn't have a reason to hide it from her... She tosses the phone out of her sight for the afternoon. I need a break from overthinking this...

Meghan spends an evening or two painting her husband in a pretty nice light.

Nobody is minding Caz this evening because it's a usual evening. He can always be found upstairs with his game system, so they wouldn't expect him to be living like his mom did as a teenager for one night.

There's no sunshine in his eyes, but it's not like he knows how to enjoy being in nature alone, in the dark.

He manages to find a game, of course. It's still in operation even though the fair is closed for the night. “Never thought I'd be the one out after curfew...” He muses to himself. Feels pretty nice.

...you aren't marrying a mummy, either. Maybe see if any of the friendships you make in town spark something, instead?

By morning time, everyone in the house is too busy still being upset about Gabby's passing to notice that he went out after curfew.

Looking across town (probably to see what Malcolm or Emir were up to but not finding them), I see this scene.

Place your bets on who's going to win. I'll tell you at the end of the post.

Meghan takes care of little things so Jyoti doesn't have to worry. She doesn't mind the sun as much these days as she used to. “You and me dog, living on borrowed time.” She says happily to Leila. Death flowers and science are the best.

Malcolm has finished basic training but is not going to renew his military contract when it comes time. It's not so bad as it was in the beginning, but being a peacemaker in a place full of orderly violence doesn't seem to be a great use of his efforts. He ultimately doesn't find it to be satisfying.

Pondering this, he doesn't notice Jyo actually managed to leave the base at the same time as he did for once, and they could've left together...
Instead she lets him go, not wanting to bother him,

...and goes to run off the loss of another beloved pet.

Casimir is doing as well as can be expected, considering his age. He's joined the drama and the debate club, and hangs out with his friends after school a fair bit. He is neither friendly nor standoffish, so as far as his agemates are concerned he's approachable but somewhat serious.

See?! He does get some development in this story.

Jiraya, on the other hand, just does a lot of people watching.

Caroline has aged up, and she still comes over to do homework with him.

She likes that he's a pretty good listener.

Seeing him smile confidently like this is rare, so she feels a bit unsure of herself for once. Before she's aware of it, she begins to see him as more than a friend. It's just a little bit, but he treats her the same as ever, so she keeps it to herself.

Wouldn't want to ruin the friendship.

A couple of days later though, and there's another party at the Sparrow residence, for some reason in formal wear. Probably because nobody ever swims even when it's a pool party, so this night will be all about music, games, and classy drinks (virgin for the kids).

Caroline has trouble looking Caz in the face right away. “You look nice... in your jacket.” She hesitates.

“Thanks,” He responds as she expects him to, taking the compliment at face value. He's kind of a straightforward sim, after all.

Then his mom runs by. “Hi Caroline, glad you could make it, you look great Cazzie, told you that was your color!”

He takes that compliment at face value too. “Thanks, mom...”

His friend quickly learns that everyone in the house is still depressed over the dog passing away and tries to comfort him. “My cat is seriously on her last life too, I get so worried I'm going to lose her, is there anything you need?”

“I've never seen you look this down about anything...”

“Yeah...”

“What would really be a help though, is if you didn't talk about yourself so much. Your cat's not dead, so it's a dumb look that you're pretending to understand how it feels.”

“That's- really harsh.” She reels, trying to figure out what she did wrong.

Guess the big reason for the party was Jyoti becoming a full fledged adult. Maybe this means she'll want to cook something on occasion from now on.

She announces that she's ready to cut the cake so Caz rushes over enthusiastically. Not to get away from his friends overt attentions or anything.

“Aww, Cazzie.”

“Humple Borpnah!”

...he gets the highest grades in simlish. What a language.

Jiraya is thrilled that 2/3 of the last birthday cakes he's seen haven't caught on fire. A thirty percent chance is one he's willing to live with. He can congratulate his sister with confidence.

Also he's elated to see that Malcolm's come over. He says he did whatever he had to do so he wouldn't miss her birthday. He arrives right after she ages up and stands by her side to greet everyone.

“Thanks for being here,” She tells him while people still cheer. “I know you hate getting a lot of attention.”

“Nobody's looking at me my love, they're looking at you today.”

Jiraya was looking at him, but he doesn't want to make Malcolm feel self-conscious.

Jiraya resists the urge to jump on him and hug him. There's not a lot of room here, either. They'll get to talk later on at the party.

Malcolm can roughly identify Dustin Sparrow from across the patio even in whatever performance art piece he is wearing, although it took him a moment. But, where's her mom? Jyoti mentioned how there was an incident before, and she feels like her parents are living on borrowed time, he wants to talk to them today.

In front of him is Amelie, who's name has a special character in it that I'm not sure how to find, in the green shirt with the black miniskirt. She's a friend from class to someone or other here, but actually she's scoping out the place for Emir, who wasn't in the emotional state to attend with his dad. He was feeling guilty and unsure, as if visiting now would take away from his mother being the center of attention. She would've wanted him here, but Malcolm wasn't going to make him visit when there were going to be so many other people here too. He gets it, crowds are not fun.

“I'll try to get him to come with me next time.” The young girl says conspiratorially to Malcolm.

He chuckles. “It's fine, you don't have to do that.”

“But he was so close to saying yes!” She whispers.

Malcolm nods mildly. The boy has had enough people force him to do the things they wanted him to do, so now it's beyond him to ever dictate things to his son. Other than attend school and music club, which Emir loves, there is virtually nothing Malcolm will force upon him. He makes suggestions, mostly. Even what to eat, when to come home and when to go to bed, Emir knows his father's preference, but that's as far as it gets, unless it effects his school performance. Teachers have told him that his son is social and gets along well with others, but frustrated, and needs more direction or he will get bored and disrupt the class. Malcolm can't bring himself to be strict with him in any way.

After the cake cutting Malcom decides to go pay his respects to his in laws, who haven't really seen him yet.

“Ev, you made it! How's it been living in the arid desert?”

(wow what a great callback to his Wishacy)

“A bit busier than I planned. Starting over is a lot more work that I thought it would be. But nevermind that. I thought you'd like to know... what's been going on here.”

Dustin comes by with a drink. “For the birthday girl.” He says, handing it to her. It looked like she could use something to keep her mind off of whatever Everet was telling her.

“He'll share it with me when he's ready, right?” Of course it's about Malcolm.

Dustin pats her on the shoulder. “Try to be patient with him, he's really been through a lot.” She sips the drink slowly when she wants to gulp it. “I know, and at least he's here for once... if I ask again I might just scare him off...”

“I'll go talk to him.”
“Dad? Talk about what?” Jyoti panics a little but her dad's out of hearing range.

Eventually the drink calms her down. Maybe her dad can convince him this time?

Maclom sat down and is actually getting to talk to a different in-law. Andrea is much more forceful and less tactful than Meghan, not that he knows he's not talking to Meghan. “Our dog is dead.” She tells him pointedly.

“...bu-t I heard you have one that was resurrected, or something? Was that difficult to achieve?”

“Not as difficult as getting you to come and visit. Where's my grandson?”

Malcolm freezes and even this kid notices the tension. “ooOOO.” She sing-songs from the side.

“Don't tell me you're going to pretend he didn't make it. Everet said he's in public school and everything.”

Malcolm takes a steady breath in to hear her out. It's not supposed to be common knowledge about Emir's attendance, but it would probably come out eventually. He ultimately knew he would face this kind of scrutiny here.

Just because we have an urn for him, well that doesn't mean much, does it? And she's never going to ask you, so I am.”

“Did anyone else... come back to life with you there? Or did you perhaps think Jiraya wouldn't talk about him, and you wouldn't have to own up to it?”

Malcolm can't hide his feelings well for once. Seeing her parents alive and well and being able to be there for Jyo's birthday has put him in a very good mood. “Someone did make it out.” He says confidently.

“So, when are you bringing him over?”

Malcolm laughs awkwardly.

“I hope he's not scared to meet us. I will help you to protect him, tell him with Grandma around, there is nothing to fear!” She says enthusiastically.

He laughed, but the truth is that Andrea caught him completely off guard by being so upfront. This is not how he remembered Jyoti's mom acting like. “I'll do my best to convince him, but he's a bit of a sensitive child. I haven't wanted to tell Jyo, and have her be disappointed that he doesn't want to visit.” He keeps the other things he'd like to avoid to himself, or rather, who it is he'd like to avoid.

“Also, can I be direct with you, as well? I can, right?” She nods, leaning in for some juicy gossip. Andrea loves gossip. “I'm not sure I want him around anyone that we don't know very well. So this is hard for me, too.”

She rolls her eyes. “Well you're never going to leave the house with an attitude like that. You have to step out to get to know people well, I hope you know. What are you teaching him if he doesn't want to meet his own family?”

“I just-”
A dramatic sigh. “Meg's gonna be so disappointed.”

“Ah. Well you don't have to tell her about this conversation, then.”

“Maybe I won't!” She huffs.

Malcolm had forgotten, something about Jyo's mom having a mental condition. She was always sharp before, but now she was talking about herself in the third person and was a bit more erratic. It reminds him of someone he'd rather forget, who was always flipping into other personas. Would Emir be safe, coming here? She has a point though, what place is perfectly safe in the first place? Maybe he should give his blessing for Emir to visit on his own time. There seems to be no sign of Loki coming here, not even for Jyoti's birthday... He sits for awhile with his fists on his lap, weighing the risks.

...Thanks for ruining my shot here, unnamed cat. Maybe it's you who is in the way.

Jiraya dressed up nicely and greets Malcolm. To say it's a relief to see him is a massive understatement. He's not at all surprised that Emir didn't want to jump in with both feet to be at this party.

Meghan returns shortly after and is delighted to see Malcolm again. She's quick to share pictures of Jiraya, Casimir, and Jet and Christian's two boys Jarvis and Mal. She tells him how the family went on vacation as soon as they were reunited and thanks him for everything he did for them all. He can see that behind her eyes there are many burning questions brimming right beneath the surface that she doesn't voice immediately.

So this must be more like... her core personality, then? He smiles warmly at her. “It's great to see you again, Meghan.”

“You too, we're so happy you're healthy and safe.”

She switches to talking about Jyoti's accomplishments, and how the family expects her to be in the final selection for the actual space program as an astronaut. She has one of the best flight records in the service, and has developed her mechanical engineering expertise well enough that she could be an asset to the program in more ways than one.

“So if she's ever on fire in space, I hope your offer is still good to go up there and put her out.”

He snickers. That joke was from a very, very long time ago.

Post 2.01, to be exact.

Jyoti is surprised to see him joking and laughing with her mom so easily. He was always tense with her parents when they were younger.

Maybe Marlin is giving her birthday congratulations, but she's distracted by the ease in his voice. It sounds so nice.

Before she knows it she's interrupting his conversation, feeling conscious of all the pressure she's been putting on him to return home with her. “Malcolm. I hope we can start over again.”

He tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear and grins at her. “We don't have to start over. We can just pick up from where we left off at.”

“We left off... such a long time ago.”

“So let's not waste it, then.”

Then it's her dad's turn. Dustin asks about his job, again...

“I joined the ROTC to work with Jyoti., but it's not like she needs me to look after her there, and she's not anywhere new where I work so I'm not sure if I'll continue it.”

“Congratulations on the promotion either way, then.”
“Thanks.”

“Have you ever thought about a career in magic?”

“The primary requirement for success is that you have to defy death, and well- you've done that.”
“Doesn't it help if you like people, though...?”

Dustin shrugs. “There are plenty of magical acts where the stage performer pretends to be afraid of his props and all that.”

“I'm not afraid of inanimate objects... plus it sounds a bit campy.”

“It is. Well, think about it. You'd be able to handle the technical aspects very well.”

“How about you stick with magic and I'll just be the guy that occasionally shows up where he's least expected.”

“Huh. We're going to expect you all the time now though. Did Meg talk to you?”

Malcolm straightens up. “A little...”

Dustin waves at him. “It's fine. I'm not going to press you about that. I understand that you have to do what you feel is best, as a father. It's not easy, raising sons.”

“Uhh... I don't know how to explain it...”

His father-in-law shrugs again. “Then it sounds like you're just not ready yet.”

Malcolm leaves the conversation feeling lighter than ever. If they were willing to accept him as broken as he was, then there was hope for family to be made right one day, too.

He observes Meghan having a brief mental crisis in the hallway.

Then Dustin comes her way, having been bored half to death by some tone-deaf townie.

And she rounds on him, aggressively. “Where'd you take her?! I want Gabby back right this instant! You made a deal with death, bring that dog back, she loves me, I am her favorite!”

Welp, that's your department, Dustin. Get to work.

Caroline finds Casimir alone in the kitchen and tries listening to him well this time. He drones on and on about the upcoming play and his voice is cracking a bit as he tells the story the drama club has put together, but she's a teenaged girl who likes his smile and wants him to like her a bit too. He's gotten cooler since he aged up, after all.

 “About your dog, I really am so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you!”

Caz smiles a bit. “We have two more.” He says without really thinking about how bad that sounds. It's so nice when someone is concerned for him. Especially if that someone is pretty.

Malcolm hesitates when he knows the party is dying down. He's sure that Jyoti is going to ask him to stay. It's true, the place is spacious outside, but the rooms are a bit cramped and if he were to bring Emir... he sighs. Would Emir want to come here? The place is well known and there are so many people from Starlight with an open invitation because Dustin has made so many friends. Is that kind of attention going to be safe, for them? He could come clean and change their lives immediately, talking about Emir, but that would feel like taking the choice away from him, too. He resolves to leave for now and think about it later. Before the temptation intensifies.

Jyo is on to him though, and quickly catches him before he is halfway off the property. “Don't run off just yet. I didn't tell you my birthday wish.”
Malcolm has to get to work just as early as she does, but her energy levels just do not slow down because the clock does.

 “Your house is lovely, but there's a lot of people in there, so it's kind of...”

“Then take me somewhere that you like.” She says a bit too quickly.

“Are you trying to get me alone?” He tries to tease her, but his voice is too low for it to be a joke.

“Fine, yes- let's be bad kids and stay out after curfew.”

He takes her by the hand and leads her off to the car. “This is the part where I say your dad's gonna kill me when he finds out that I went somewhere alone with you.”

“Not unless you knock me up again.”

His hand on hers tightens just a little. He's got to tell her, this is getting out of hand so fast...

After directing Jyoti to a little car lot off the main roads he surprises her by having the keys to the door of a small commercial garage on the property in his pocket. “My buddy runs this auto-body shop, I come and check on it for him whenever he's out of town visiting relatives. Which is now.”

She looks around, liking that it feels private and busy at the same time. “Cozy.” She comments.

“I come here to hit things with a hammer whenever I need to think for awhile.”

She slides her arms around him before he can show her anything else. “You're talking too much already.”

“That's not very nice, I've finally figured out what it is I need to say to you.”

Well, whatever...

The air smells like oil and rust, both stale and fresh at the same time. She gets a bit of a rush from the feeling of this tender moment in the atmosphere of such a rough place.

He folds almost immediately because he missed her too, and her comments about him not having time to be with her still sting.

There is too much sorrow in the kiss for either of them to say anything right away afterwards.

She looks at his eyes, and sees regrets and hopes there, and grabs onto his jacket like he's going to run away. When he pulls back she can't help it, the words come out. “I don't care what you're lying about, don't run away again.”

He gently removes her hand from his sleeve and walks over to toss a token into the jukebox in the corner.

When he returns he is smiling, and begins leading her in a slow and circling dance where the world melts away along with the passing of time.

Finally, there seems to be a perfect moment, and he decides to risk everything. “Emir is alive, he made it out safely- he didn't die that day.”

When her feet falter it's his turn to keep them moving, to hold on to her when she nearly falls. When she tenses up to hit him he pulls her in as close as possible and whispers in her ear in desperation that she hears his words. “Jyo- you said you would understand.”

After she trembles and grits her teeth, and her precious hands ball up into tiny dangerous fists and she tries to push him off, finally she is exhausted, and they spin in a quiet embrace.

“I want to pretend that you have a good reason to lie to me about this-” Her voice wavers between anger and disbelief.

“I had good reason.”

She sighs and he lets her go. She sees she's not the only one whose eyes are wet.

“Jyo... as soon as he's ready, I'll come over with him. I promise.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Caz eventually did join in to dance, by the way.

Yep, elderly Circe just beat her Vampire ex-husbands pixellated rear end all over the Roaring Heights city square. Loki's in game wife has passed away by this point, but he's not dating Circe, I think they may be in the same household. It was super funny to find them from across town doing that for no reason at all. I should've just had Malcolm fight him, but he doesn't fit into our household... anyways...

The nerd interactions are the bane of my watcher-existence. Caz keeps berating everyone and it obfuscates what could be an otherwise useful personality for the story. I love that he gets along with people well, despite looking so miserable all the time.