Chapter 92: Strange Energy Readings

Homework seems like nothing but oppression. Nero is glad he doesn't have to do it.

"I think you could play professionally," Yasu comments as she climbs into bed.

"I don't think I'm that good with crowds. This isn't a way of saying you'd like me out of the house more, is it?"

"No! Of course not. I hate going out, myself. The way people look at me? I'm such an Archer, you know? I own half the town, and my ancestors detonated and drilled public property?"

"You detonated my mother's living room," Kirk points out.

"I just want you to be happy. The piano seems to make you happy."

"You know what else makes me happy?"

"Oh," Yasu giggles, "Cliche."

Before they can make love, the couple are startled by strange noises.

It's Ashby, being a general annoyance. Kirk loses his temper and attempts to mind-control a being with no corporeal brain. ...Which appears to work, to an extent!

"Return to your grave," he commands irritably.

Ashby floats close to Kirk and gives him a long, cold stare.

After several uncomfortable moments she vanishes, leaving Kirk to wonder about the reason for her disapproval, or if he merely misread the intentions of the ghost.

Nero has his own ghost troubles.

When he tries to talk to Leona, she bursts into a cloud of yellow smoke and floats away.

Fischer has this strange feeling he's being watched by mummies.

But it's only Hawk.

"Dude! I love your paintings!"

Wren can't wait for McCoy to grow up and play big kid games with her.

Always starved for attention and insecure since his gnome brethren refuse to speak to him in this form, Nero lets Wren know that he's old enough for big kid games.

Kirk approaches his daughter about some strange energy readings he's been getting when she's in the room. He would like to run some tests on her brain.

 "Haha! The good Jedi always win, I toldja."

Nero hangs his head in shame. "What was that about your dad measuring your brainwaves?"

"I dunno." Wren shrugs. "He took me to the science research center and scanned me. He thought I was being influenced by some outside force and that's why I'm talking nonsense, whatever that means. But he said my brain looks normal."

Soon it becomes clear what her father means.

"I had at first thought you had an imaginary playmate. But your behavior doesn't quite match up with how most children treat imaginary friends."

"If I tell you what it is, do you promise it's okay if Nero stays?"

Kirk frowns. "Maybe."

"Nero was the gnome on Zephram Archer's grave. He was trapped. Like in a coma or something. He doesn't move around like the other gnomes. But thanks to Mom's advanced tech inside of my space robot doll, he was drawn into it, and has the power to make me see him as if he's kid-size."

"You've been reading your uncle Luke's books, haven't you?"

"Dad! He was right! Gnomes move! But they aren't evil."

Kirk sighs and shakes his head, dismissing the child's tale for now.

Meal times depress Kirk. He tends to dine alone, worried that the excitement of blood would cause him to lash out at family members.

The desire to be "normal" grows stronger every day. Unfortunately Kirk has no vampire lab rats to test these drug cocktails on. Unsurprisingly, the science center has had trouble finding vampires to participate in their studies as well.

Not grasping the seriousness of the situation, Wren loves watching her father at work.

A dash downstream will help clear Kirk's thoughts.

Or destroy him.

He stares up at the sun, baking and helpless until nightfall.

McCoy becomes a child. He's grumpy about it.

The back yard is full of ghosts. Luckily, Kirk made it home and is not among them.

A new version of the flower vortex.

McCoy finds an activity he can enjoy with his grandfather. None of Fischer's daughters were extremely artistic (as far as painting was concerned), so mentoring someone in this way is new to him.

Singing to Nero.

Nero is currently glitched in his doll form because he's expended too much energy today.

McCoy is annoyed by the singing.

More singing to annoy McCoy. Ping and His Checkers remains ever popular.

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Etc.: Nero was getting so annoying, interrupting everything Wren did because he wanted to play with her. I had a brilliant scheme... I would have Wren teach him Chinese songs, so he would autonomously sing instead of autonomously bug Wren.

You know what? That actually worked.

Anyway. I had the "ghost doesn't go away in the morning" glitch with Hawk, and was too lazy to fix it. That's why he's showing up in almost every update.

Slowly but surely, I am creeping towards the end of this legacy. I did roll for generation 11, but didn't mention it since it had no requirements that had to be fulfilled in the child stage (such as random traits). I'll save the revelation of my generation 11 roll for when I begin my next legacy. I've decided the heir is Wren. So she is both generation 11 here, and generation 1 for next time. As a recap, generation 10's roll was couple, 2 kids, inventor, freelance scientist, tattoo addict and awesome. I'm fulfilling the awesome requirement with a bunch of random things, most of which have yet to occur.