Chapter 52: Arr

Childhood is fleeting.

Most of it is spent entertaining dreams. Dreams of expression, of moving others to act and feel.

Or dreams of great accomplishment. Of becoming chemists, inventors and doctors.

Randy's workbench has not been touched since his death. Paz and her brother are drawn to the awkward designs scribbled on paper, and the copious piles of scrap stored here.

Zephram challenges Ducksworth to a breath-holding contest, which very nearly results in drowning.

He is a worrisome child, plagued by thoughts he realizes are irrational, and also terrified of things that simply are not there. He's learned to communicate less and less. If he doesn't talk about what he experiences, no one can be upset by them. Perhaps it's lucky he can recognize his family, and recognize when they're upset. So many insane people can't even do that.

Landgraab Industries sends Paprika a mysterious spirit locating device in the mail. The attached note reads, curtly and ominously:

You've reached the level of experts. Take this, and do your job.

The device is amazing. Paprika has already figured out and published information that could lead to such an invention, but for a machine this perfect to exist... someone else must have already known, years ago.

It reassures her to know someone out there agrees with her. Someone knows she isn't a nutcase. Someone besides Paprika is standing up against the status quo, against the superstitious conservative folk who don't want to know anything about the working nature of the universe and would rather hold to their superstitions. Aside from the steady pay for silencing spooky noises in town, and cheers when minor spirits are chased from a scared person's house, Paprika has received little but nasty emails as thanks for her research into the workings of sim ghosts. Suddenly, she feels she's been given some approval.

The spirit positioning device leads her to a garden park down the street. Disturbingly enough, the park is filled with vampires. They greet her almost as one of their own.

"I got a promotion," Paprika explains.

Meanwhile, Sifton has her eye on Roxie Lin's son over there, but all he has going for him is (a) rich and (b) vampire. Because he's also (c) ugly and (d) a brick in terms of personality.

The vampires watch calmly as Paprika scans for and reveals spirits, then captures them.

There are spirits in the west field, and spirits in the north field. There are spirits in this empty lot.

"You can't get away from me. Do you see this MEDAL?"

Playing house. Today it's fake. Someday it will be real.

Paprika gets home late, and isn't pleased to see them still awake on a school night.

"Go to bed!"

Paz isn't tired. Convincing her to go to bed is more of a challenge.

Hugs. They have their differences, but Paz wants to be a mad scientist someday, so that's a sure sign she admires her mother. Paprika must be doing something right.

Martin spends more time painting. It makes him happy.

Paz is aware of her grandparents' age.

"You don't have to clean. I'll do it."

"That's... erm, sweet, Paz. But you should do your homework first."

Zephram's next birthday approaches. Paprika plots a party, and cleans up the house a bit.

There were toys all over the living room and kitchen. Bunnies, boats, rocket ships, cars, teddies, creepy little metal dogs and cows.

"Mom, does Dad stalk you?"

"Is that what you want to talk about today?" If it's not a day of silence, it's a day of fixation on one subject.

"He says he wants us to be together and be a family, but you're independent."

"That's probably not something he should be chatting with you about."

"Sorry. But is Dad a stalker?"

"No, honey. Society is a stalker." She shouldn't be feeding the boy's insanity this way, but she can't help herself. "They don't want you to be happy unless you're like everybody else. So they tell lies, and people listen to those lies, and they get married out of desperation, even when the conditions aren't right or the relationship isn't good. It's silly."

Martin prepares food in his formal wear, hair slicked back. He's just returned from a party that had no food, and he'll be damned if his grandson's teen birthday party repeats that mistake. Melody tests the party drinks.

"So we're the party house," Martin observes.

"And our daughter is town bicycle."

 "Melody!"

"Sorry." She resumes sipping her drink."It's just... she does an awful lot of late night spirit banishing house calls to the houses of single men."

A decent number of kids and teens attend the party. Paprika is forced to explain her career to Paz and Zephram's schoolmates.

It may be a party to celebrate teen-hood, but for the moment Zephram is still a small child, and attacks his extended family with questions about the sun, their lifespan, and the taste of blood. Does it taste like pennies?

"Why isn't Grandma Sacha here? Why is she a chef when you guys eat blood?"

"Because she's nuts, and she grew up eating food. She can tolerate it in minimal amounts."

"Where are your fangs? Why does Sifton have fangs and you don't?"

Pavel stares off into space for a moment.

"Because some of us are over half human," he says finally. "Now look. I wanted to talk to you about something. Your sister can't turn into a vampire and kill your entire family."

"Oh." Zephram frowns. "I'm over that one. Sorry. I'm sorry. I always say the wrong thing." And with that the boy darts off to hide, only to be physically dragged front and center when it's time for the cake.

Melody tries to be a good host, helping her daughter to entertain guests. She performs an impression of a starving celebrity, which Cruz finds hilarious. Melody's jokes almost never fail.

"Arthur... I know you're reading minds when you do that. Stop it."

A party crasher?! It's Jason, one of Dax's brothers!      ....!!!...!!!

Paprika beelines over to him. "If you're here to-"

Jason cuts Paprika off, "I'm here because my son was invited to the party. If you're about to say something about my brother, don't. I don't want to hear about him."

Jason is not the only parent here. Cheryl Newbie attended with her daughters Alison and Aubrey. Satisfied with Jason's lack of evil intent, Paprika flirts with him while Cruz's back is turned.

Yeah! Cake! Cake for everyone!

Now a teenager, Zephram decides to dress like a pirate.

Cruz takes his son aside for a little talk, to make absolutely sure that this pirate look isn't a warning sign of future criminal behavior.

At first Zephram is quiet, perhaps finding the notion a bit silly. But, pushed to say something, Zephram responds by speaking madness. For the first time, Cruz loses his patience and scolds him.

Faced with his father's anger, Zephram freaks out, starts to cry and begs for forgiveness.

After cake and forgiveness, there is dancing. Because why not?

A schoolmate, Dalma Rinsler-Tenderlove, dances with the birthday guy. He's the son of the ghost hunter hero and grandson of a fashion phenomena, so he can't possibly be all bad. In fact, it seems he's a good dancer.

Question is, are they dancing to Arthur's piano, Melody's guitar, or the stereo?

Sifton may not be able to find a vampire boyfriend, but fun with cute humans is allowed.

"Come on," she says, and smiles, and takes Jason's hand so gently. "I know you only fear vampires because your mother did, but she was insane and evil and dressed in pointy witch shoes."

"You're a good psychic," Jason grumbles.

"Not really." She laughs. "This town is tiny, there are no secrets."

They'd all like to believe that.

Pavel smirks at Martin's ultra stylin' jacket, as if seeing it for the first time. "Bro, I'd like to take the opportunity to remind you that you're a dork."

"Party," Zephram says. "Thanks." He smiles and makes some dramatic hand gestures, but it's impossible to get thank you for coming from them. "Dancing!"

 

Dalma tilts her head. "I think I know why you don't say much in school."

When most of the guests are gone, Paz has her own questions.

"Could I get turned into a vampire? I wanna stay young forever."

Sifton smiles awkwardly. It's a conversation she and Paprika had as teenagers. And it hurts - best friends forever, with forever being much longer for one? - but by this point, she's almost used to the honesty. "In a few generations the Vampirism-B-Gone will have been bred out of you guys. But the vampire community is still looking for an anti-cure, to counteract the strength of the medication your grandfather took. In case... well... never mind."

"In case humans turn on you," Paz reasons.

"Well, you make it sound very dramatic, little one!"

Paprika will be Paprika, because curiosity hasn't killed her yet.

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Etc.: I downloaded a mod to unlock vampire fangs in CAS for Sifton. As discussed on the forums, some glitch is giving vampire kids in my game NO FANGS. Then I noticed that some of them randomly lack the V on their neck... including Pavel, who had the V for a long time. You can see it clearly in most of his kid through teen pics. Why would it suddenly vanish? I HAVE NO IDEA.

Zephram is neurotic and insane, so I've described him with a mix of psychotic disorder symptoms (seeing things that aren't there; really believing that they're there) and obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms (not a psychotic disorder, because the subject realizes what they're doing is irrational, and is usually upset by it). Can this sort of mixture happen in the real world? Maybe. I wouldn't want to see it because that person would be really miserable, but maybe. Since Z also has the "good" trait, I didn't want to go the route of psychopath who doesn't care about other people. Blah blah. I am not an expert, don't listen to me. I just play computer games.

Zephram's teen trait is childish.