#evren thorne

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

Too launched herself at the dust bunnies lurking behind the stairs. With Theo being away from his familiar, the cat had very little to do every day, aside from watching Roman bake. Roman was currently baking elaborate twin birthday cakes in the kitchen and Too had been repeatedly removed from the area. She would come back later when he was distracted. She and Theo had spent countless hours rehearsing the perfect cupcake heist, so she was confident that she could steal something small without Theo's help.

Only a fraction of the food would remain at the Bellamy estate. After a quick meal and some cake, the thirteenth birthday party was transferring to the Helios estate with the extended Helios family, leaving Too plenty of time to hunt leftovers.

Luciana wasn't paying attention to the scheming cat by her feet. Her friends were texting her about their lives away from Pleasantview and how miserable they were. With Princess Zarah's closed due to the threat of the plague, Luciana had been trapped in Twikkii Island half of the time, and trapped in Arkhelios the other half. In Twikkii Island, neither her father or stepfather were really avaliable to their kids. Evren was frequently gone, putting out fires for the Pleasantview coven, and briefing Queen Claudia on the progress being made against Xexys.

Adrian practically lived in the palace with Queen Maura, only coming home at night to care for his family. It worried Luciana how afraid both of her Twikkii Island parents were. Neither would willingly be this far from home if the world wasn't in danger and both Evren and Adrian were on the front lines of the threat from Jubilant Accosts.

It made Luciana's stomach churn just walking by the memorial to Prince Ewan Goldman whenever she visited the palace. He had once held her father's job leading the military during a war with Pleasantview, and he'd died horribly as a result. Several of his siblings had died and even one of his kids.

Queen Maura had lost her mother and two of her children to the same assassin that threatened Pleasantview now. There was a reason Luciana was barely passing Twikkii Island history in school: in her textbooks, most of her family had died gruesomely and it was extremely difficult to write essays about it. Her father had already been declared dead once, the day she and Rien were born, so it was extremely easy to picture her life with her father and stepfather buried together in a royal vault described by a history textbook. There was a very real chance that at least one of them would die in this conflict and the only way Luciana knew how to manage this anxiety was to lose herself in a sport or to spend time with her friends. All of her friends were stuck at home, just like she was, and most sports were cancelled, so Luciana kept herself sane swimming in the ocean and texting everyone she knew. One day, she would take her father's position and become a duchess, making her a target whose grusome death might one day also be in a history textbook for her child to read about.

It was harder to deal with her anxiety when she spent time with her Arkhelios parents. The ocean there was too dangerous to swim in, and cell service wasn't always great. Theo's absence was driving her father crazy, though he had gotten much better at hiding it. Luciana desperately missed Theo too and feared his own messy death, despite the immense power he had. What would happen if her brother didn't come home from Jubilant Accosts? The thought was unbearable.

It was her thirteenth birthday, as well as Rien's and Noelle's, and there wasn't a Winterfest decoration in sight. Noelle had been born during a Winterfest party at the Bellamy house, but there wasn't any festivities or decoration outside of the cakes Roman was making. It wasn't Winterfest when a member of their family was missing, according to Roman, and the family had supported this ruling. It helped that Queen Maura was equally distressed at the thought of celebrating a happy holiday while under the threat of a demonic sleeping plague caused in part by her father. It was too risky to hold the annual ball and invite potential enemies into the heart of the palace and Maura had already lost too much to chance her remaining children's lives.

The Bellamy-Siew blended family would still exchange gifts this year, but everything else special about the holiday would be celebrated next year, provided that everyone survived that long and Theo returned home alive and well. It wasn't the thirteenth birthday or Winterfest that Luciana had pictured, but at least most of her family would all be in the same house together. Unless a queen needed help with an emergency, Luciana and Rien had their Twikkii Island parents' promise to stay with the family for the entire day.

"Boys! Watch those wands! If you're not careful, you could snap it in half, and then we'll all have to spend your sisters' birthday in the medical center. You promised that you would be careful if I let you use real wands and if you break these, you won't be getting them back."

Evren watched his sons attempt to mimic the proper form for holding a wand, and sighed with relief. He didn't have time to mediate sibling squabbles when he could barely keep his promise to the girls that he could stay to celebrate their birthday.

There had been a Coby Wall sighting in Pleasantview-at least what someone swore was a sighting, and it had taken all of the early morning to deal with. It was a false lead, but the news of Coby being anywhere near Pleasantview had sparked concern in Twikkii Island. Evren had endured a conference call with Queen Maura and Queen Claudia at three in the morning where absolutely nothing at all had been accomplished.

"Hey, Renarde. Don't mind me, I'm just looking for Roman. I assume he's in the usual place?"

The dog seemed satisfied that the warlock wasn't a threat to the household and wandered past Evren to find one of the many toys Abe Jr hid underneath the couch. Evren wasn't a threat to his family.

"It sounds like Evren's here," Adrian announced, looking warily at his ex-husband. "You promised that you'd behave for the twins' birthday, remember? It's not Evren's fault that Theo is gone. He can't change anything with the coven in a situation this dangerous. You said that you understood all that, Roman. Can I trust you not to pick a fight with Evren? Seriously. You promised."

Adrian and the kids had come over early, partly to help Roman prepare for cake and gifts and also to prevent sparks flying between Roman and Evren. The two men had been in the same room since Theo's departure only a few times, and you could practically physically feel the tension when they were together. Roman's resentment and Evren's guilt hung over every family occasion, and frankly, Adrian was getting sick of it.

"I remember my promise," Roman replied, his voice irritated and cold. Adrian swore that he could hear Roman's teeth grinding from across the room. "It's not his fault that Theo was sent into a war zone. It's not his fault that we aren't even celebrating Winterfest this year. Wanda was so disappointed when I told her, but she understood. A coven that we are all going bankrupt to made this decision. Evren is just a part of it."

Adrian smiled weakly. At least some of the phrases he'd practiced with Roman were sticking. Evren was slowly fading from being the object of Roman's resentment to only being a part of the group Roman hated. It was progress at least.

Abe had been doing his own part in trying to manipulate Roman's mood for the sake of family unity. He and Adrian texted often and were starting to see some improvement.

"Saturnia, honey, have you put your cupcakes in the oven yet? I have the frosting here when they're done cooking."

No rant about warlocks followed, which Adrian took as a good sign. This was going surprisingly well. Roman could put the happiness of their daughters before his anger; this celebration might actually go well.

"Do you think Theo would be mad to know that you're playing his guitar? He doesn't like when I touch his stuff."

Rien struggled to hold her half-brother's guitar in her arms, but she knew that Fiolett's question didn't matter.

"I'm not you, and it's my birthday," Rien pointed out, sticking her tongue out at her half-sister. "You're too young to play guitar and I'm not. It's not like he plays it that often anyway when he's away at school. I'm doing him a favour by making sure it still works and hasn't broken a string or anything. You just stick to your violin."

"Fine. I'm better at it than you ever were anyway."

Fiolett confidently began the piece she was working on for her music exam, drowning out her sibling's efforts with the guitar. Rien and Luci were home more now that their fancy school was closed and tensions were flaring between the siblings. Fiolett didn't attend Princess Zarah's because both of her parents had had miserable experiences with boarding school when they were children. The twins had been enrolled as toddlers in the proper preschool and had attended Princess Zarah's when they were old enough because that was what was expected of future ladies of Queen Maura’s court. Luciana would be a duchess one day, and before becoming a princess, Rien had attended as the spare. Fiolett and her brothers weren't likely going to inherit their father's title, so Evren had insisted that they attend a private school in Twikkii Island where they would return home everyday. Roman and Abe couldn't afford to send any of their other children to boarding school, and they had the same protests as Adrian and Evren. So the eldest three children got to live in Pleasantview and do homework with future monarchs and magical prodigies, while all the other children lived an average life. It hadn't been their parents' intention to create resentment between the siblings, and they did their best to treat every child equally, but it was impossible to keep some resentment from creeping in.

"Evren! You made it! I'm glad you were able to get the time off to visit."

Abe intercepted Evren on his way to the kitchen, drawing the warlock into a fierce hug. It truly was good to see Evren and the presence of a powerful warlock usually made the kids behave better when he was around. Abe understood the pressure the warlock must be under. Sometimes the Pleasantview coven sounded just as expectant as his mother or Wanda could be, but with the magical power to make Evren comply with their demands.

"I told Alicia that I would challenge her leadership if she didn't let me have the day off," Evren laughed. "I don't think she believed me, but she didn't want to chance it. I gave her my endorsement when Master Ewan Maricourt fell, and I can always revoke it if I want. But seriously, things aren't getting worse. They're not exactly going well, but we aren't about to fall to this plague any time soon. Everyone has been working hard. Now that Edana has been expelled from the coven, there's even less bickering between members about what to do with her. We have a singular goal to focus on: defeating this dream illness by any means necessary."

"I hope you guys can fulfill that goal soon," Abe replied. "Has the illness begun to spread outside of Pleasantview yet? Adrian told me that it's progressing slower than everyone expected, so-"

"Evren, my love! You made it! How was the queen? Was Claudia in a festive mood?"

Evren smiled at the sight of his partner.

"She didn't attend today's meeting. One of the royal twins has caught a cold, so she stayed at the castle with the children. There's nothing really to report anyway. The dream illness isn't progressing quickly, but we've made no progress in curing it or making our captive dream demon give up its secrets. We're stumped. I wish I had better news."

"I know that you'll solve it," Adrian assured him, pulling Evren into a gentle kiss. "Maura and I have every faith in your abilities. The coven too, but mostly you."

"Well, as I was just telling Abe, we seem to be holding the line. We're no closer to defeating Xexys, but we're not scared or weak like he wants us to be. No one has even credibly reported seeing Coby Wall. We have some time to catch our breath."

"Do you think that Theo's safer than we expected then?" Abe asked, lowering his voice so that Roman couldn't hear him discussing their son's role in this international nightmare. "If Coby is struggling to spread this plague as quickly as he wants, then maybe it's the same in Jubilant Accosts."

Evren smiled tightly, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"That sounds logical," he lied. Everyone knew that the disease was more potent in Jubilant Accosts and that the country had been ravaged by it. The teenage refugees hadn't painted a hopeful picture of their homeland when questioned.

"Cakes are done! Everyone to the kitchen! Be sure to grab the birthday girls if they're too busy on their phones to hear me."

"Hi, Roman." Evren waved slightly at Roman, trailed by Abe and Adrian. Roman nodded in reply, but didn't glare as obviously as he usually did. It was a Winterfest miracle.

"Luci! Rien! It's time for cake, not Simstagram!"

The girls stood beside their own cakes. Some twins might have to share one cake, but not Roman's girls. He'd been baking all day just to make them feel special on the day they became teens. They were his babies and they deserved whatever they wanted.

Luciana had chosen a castle cake, fitting for a duchess, while Rien had chosen an ocean themed cake, just because. She didn't elaborate besides "wanting to visualize the enemy" which hadn't made any sense to Roman. He'd placed little plastic crabs around the base just in case she was talking about frightening things on the beach. As a toddler, Rien had once gotten her finger pinched by a little crab on the beach of her father's estate, and she hadn't liked crabs since.

"Happy birthday, honey," Adrian said warmly, hugging his daughter before Roman could light the candles on the cakes. "I'm so lucky to be your dad, and you're growing into such a beautiful young woman. I'm so proud of you."

"You too, Luciana. You're going to be a brilliant duchess one day, I just know it. You're so talented with your sports and dancing. You're so special to me and your fathers, both of you."

"Dad!" Luciana whined, pulling away from her father, looking embarrassed. "Don't be so embarrassing! People might see!"

"Through the windows? Who could possibly care if I'm hugging my children? Honestly, you sound like your brother."

"No, Theo's still the most embarrassed child on the planet because of us," Roman laughed, pushing Adrian out of the way to hug their daughters as well. It stung to think of his son and the mortified looks he gave them when he was around his friends. Roman missed that kid beyond what he could put into words. "I love you girls so much, even if I am embarrassing. Everyone here loves you so much. I can't wait to see the young women you become."

"Things will get better, Daddy," Rien promised her father, hoping to be released from his crushing hug. "The voices don't need to tell me that; I know things will get better."

"Rien, it's your birthday, so don't worry about anything other than having a good time," Roman ordered, finally releasing her. "We're all going to eat some cake and have some fun to prepare ourselves for the really dangerous mission we have tonight: dinner at Grandma Elaine's house."

[arkhelios-gameplay]

"It is my fault!" Maura protested, unable to stop herself. "I didn't even bother to tell you she had been over! I didn't even bother to check if she possibly could've been telling the truth about any part of it! I slammed the door in their faces!" It was as if something broke within her, and finally, the desire to scream in grief came to her. "It wasn't just that I didn't believe her and Roman, it was that I didn't care if they were telling the truth!"

"Maura..."

"You need to know the truth, Evren," Maura sobbed. "A-And the truth is that you've married me. I'm vile. I'm spiteful. And with my actions, I've showed that I was fine with my sister dying as long as it meant that I could have you for myself!"

Evren's voice softened. "Maura," he repeated. "You're not vile or spiteful. If Cemile had shown up claiming to be hunted by demons I..." He paused. "I might find that more believable than some of her other stories, come to think of it," he mumbled. Then he shook his head. "If you knew Rachel and Kerstin would die, you wouldn't have closed the door on them."

"How d-do you know?" Maura asked, her voice shaking as she sobbed.

"Because you're crying on the floor, not popping a bottle of champagne."

"I'm only crying because you're crying!" Maura said, as if it was Evren's tears that were streaming like a waterfall from her eyes.

There was a loud scream from the other room. Draco, it seemed, had tired of playing with crayons.

[nappe-plays-the-sims]

[potential-fate]

I was gonna keep him a secret but.... nah. I may or may not be simping for my own sim at this point it's a problem.

anyways He'll show up in the Arkhelios timeline.... sometime in the future. cause timeline wise he's still a teenager so.... yup.

[arkhelios-gameplay]

Maura sat on the bedroom floor, still wearing her work clothes despite the fact that she had called in to tell them she needed to stay home. There was simply no good moment to undress while her husband was sitting on the bed, crying for the friend whose death she had inadvertently caused.

No, Maura corrected herself. I didn't cause her death. Though I could perhaps have prevented it, if I had not been blinded by rage against my sister.

Thinking of Rachel also made her feel as if she had been punched in the stomach. Her eyes kept filling with tears, but she couldn't properly cry, or shake with sobs the way Evren was. It wasn't that her grief was absent. She did grieve her sister, even if they had problems. Though there was also a sense of relief clouding it. Which made her feel guilty. Inadequate, even. As if she didn't have the right to try to comfort Evren, because she was some sort of psychopath who wasn't sad about her own sister's death and possibly could have prevented the death of his best friend if she hadn't ignored her sister's plea for help...

"Do you hate me?" Maura heard herself ask out loud. Her voice sounded almost childish in its question.

"I don't hate you," Evren replied, sniffling loudly at the end of the sentence.

I would hate me, Maura thought.

[arkhelios-gameplay]

Maura Thorne had opened the door in full emergency medical technician worker's clothes, looking confused. Then her husband Evren had shown up just as Melvin was about to ask if they could talk. Evren, with vomit on his sweater from a red-headed giggling toddler he held up in his arms, greeted him with a failed attempt at a smile that Melvin knew was that of a man who had bad experience with law enforcement in the past.

When Evren went to change his shirt and Maura started making a cup of tea, Melvin hadn't known one of the victims had visited Maura the same night.

He also hadn't known that one of the victims was also Evren's best friend.

To say that it created awkward tension at the table would be a severe understatement.

[arkhelios-gameplay]

"But..."

Maura's heart dropped.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset with you," Evren said, looking over at Maura, his expression unreadable.

Maura swallowed. "Fair enough," she mumbled.

Evren wiped some tears from his face sloppily, then ran the same hand through his hair. "You couldn't have known it was real," he said. "I didn't tell you that I suspected they had trouble with demons. That I went over to their apartment once without telling you. It's my fault, largely."

Maura blinked. "Your fault?" she echoed. "Evren! I should've told you they were here! That's not on you! Even if you didn't mention you suspected something... I wouldn't have listened anyway, I don't keep track of magic things."

Evren didn't seem to hear her despite his eyes being on her. "I wish you had told me. I do." He swallowed. "Part of me is angry at you. I didn't think I could get angry anymore. I didn't even think I had it in me to..." He clenched his fist, his body shaking, then leaned his chin against his knuckles. "...I wasn't even angry when you cheated on me. I was angry that you treated me with contempt. And now..." He took a deep breath.

Even though Maura didn't want to know, she couldn't help asking him. "...you feel that level of contempt for me?"

Evren let out a sob. "It's not your fault," he said, as if to reassure himself more than her. "It's not."

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

After devouring most of her cake, and being scolded for ruining her supper, Luciana turned on the stereo in the living room and started dancing. Usually Theo would have insisted on being her dance partner, but in his absence, Rien joined her twin on the dance floor.

After two songs with a heavy dance beat, an idea struck Luciana.

"Hey, want to have some fun? I have an idea."

Rien looked nervously at her sister. Some kind of scheme was developing, and the spirits seemed just as baffled as she was.

"What kind of an idea?"

Luciana ignored her twin and pressed a button on the stereo controller.

"For our birthday, we should have a formal ball," she announced. "Everyone pair up and use all those lessons Dad pays for. Parents too!"

Rien looked mortified at the idea practicing her formal dancing in the living room, but even more mortified of watching their parents try it. Evren usually hung around any magic user he could find at a ball and avoided the dance floor as often as he could while Adrian danced with his daughters. Roman could easily match Adrian's skill on the dance floor as he had spent his teen years training to fit in with the upper class, and had spent hours helping the twins rehearse for every ball they'd gone to since they could walk. Abe tried his best to join in when the girls practiced, but he'd been stepping on Roman's toes since they were teens and hadn't really improved.

It was highly likely that their biological parents were about to slow dance due to their usual partner's lack of interest or skill and that was what Luciana was hoping for.

"Luci! What are you doing?" Rien hissed. "You know Dad and Daddy are going to dance eventually! Do you really want them to act all weird with each other like when they cook together? It could cause another affair! Is that what you want?"

Luciana just shrugged and grabbed her sister's arm.

"You worry too much. They'll be fine. Sometimes other people see what the spirits can't. C'mon, be my partner and let our parents be the adults they are. It's not an affair if you used to be married."

"What?!"

Rien tried to ignore the cheering of the spirits when they pictured her biological parents together. Just as they wanted Theo to marry any of his Darktide ex-boyfriends, the spirits enjoyed the idea of one of the Bellamys sitting in Maura’s court as the rightful spouse of Duke Siew. Rien told them how much Maura despised her father, and that Evren and her dad were happy together, but they seemed fixated on Roman being in a better marriage than he had.

"Luci, I'm going to kill you if this breaks up our family," Rien continued to angrily hiss, while assuming a proper dancing posture.

"Just trust me, this will help," Luci replied, mischief dancing in her eyes. "Sometimes people just need a little push. Aunt Lucy told me that."

"Can I have this dance, Mister Bellamy?"

To Rien's horror, her dad had extended a hand and with it, an invitation to dance, to his ex-husband. Her worry only deepened when Roman accepted the offer.

"Of course, Lord Siew."

The two men began to dance, relearning old rhythms in an instant as they whirled around the living room.

"I guess that leaves us as partners," Abe said to Evren, catching the warlock off guard. Abe didn't look angry at Roman dancing flawlessly with his ex to Evren's surprise. Demonic marriage seemed to have cured the Bellamys' jealous bickering, on the surface at least.

"You're going to have to lead then," Evren warned. "I'm useless at leading. Give me an ancient spell to work with, and I'm great. Dancing...now that's hard."

"You might be better at this than either of our girls," Adrian laughed, leaning his head against Roman's shoulder. "No wonder they've improved so much since that fiasco at the last ball. You're a good teacher."

Roman leaned his own head on Adrian's, smelling the familiar scent of his shampoo or cologne or any of the millions of products Adrian had filled their bathroom with when they were married. It was a comforting, familiar scent that Roman would never forget.

"Can you believe that it's been thirteen years since the girls were born?" Roman asked softly. "Thirteen years since we were married?" Horror spread across his face as Roman realized what he'd said. "Sorry, that was a stupid thing to say. I always tie those two things together in my head since, you know, we were waiting for their birth to divorce. I didn't mean to-"

"Don't apologize, I do it too," Adrian laughed. "We did put a lot of emphasis on their birth being the end between us. We were so young and stupid, sometimes I can't even believe the way I acted. We spent all the time we were supposed to be anticipating our girls yelling about tarot cards and what I was sure they were telling me."

"To be fair, there was definitely a third baby in the cards, it was just Lucy's. God, if things hadn't gone so horribly wrong that day, I would have savored Lucy giving birth to a kid no one knew about during Wanda's party. That's the kind of thing you tease someone relentlessly about for the rest of their life."

Adrian's smile wavered briefly, as he remembered the day their twins had been born, and he had been cast into the Void, presumed dead. It wasn't something that he tried to remember.

"As far as births go, our girls' was pretty epic. You and Abe did an amazing job with them and Theo while I was gone. It couldn't have been easy."

"It wasn't," Roman admitted. "I couldn't live with the guilt. If Rien hadn't have found you in the Void, I don't know what I'd be like today. It was my fault. It was my mother who-"

"Stop worrying about her. She can't hurt you again, remember? She can't be summoned or released. You tried to call to her and nothing happened. It's just you and me and the messy family we've built. Things now are even better than I could have imagined on our wedding day."

Roman closed his eyes and tried to remember their wedding day. The sun was bright, making him sweat in his expensive suit. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore. A bird calling out as a camera clicked. The feel of Adrian's hand in his, grounding him during the chaos of a royal wedding. Adrian's parents hugging him and welcoming him into their family. The feel of Adrian's hands after the reception was over and they finally had a moment to themselves. That same, familiar scent of Adrian as their skin-

"I need to find the card Elaine needs to sign for the girls!" Roman practically shouted, pushing himself away from Adrian in an instant. "I'm sorry, but it's very important! I'll be right back!"

Roman tried his best not to run to his bedroom and slam the door behind him, leaving Adrian baffled behind him. Rien smacked her twin on the arm angrily.

"See? I told you it was a bad idea!"

"For once, Rien, you don't know what you're talking about. You'll see."

"Can I cut in? I promise I won't step on your toes if you go slow."

Evren looked both relieved to be free of dancing and intrigued by what was happening in front of him. As long as Abe wasn't about to shout at his partner for spooking Roman, Evren was content just to see where this was going.

"Of course, Mr. Helios-Bellamy," Adrian said smoothly, extending his hand. "I apologize for whatever I said to Roman. I didn't think that I said anything offensive. We were just reminiscing about the girls."

"It's not your fault," Abe said. "You know how overwhelmed Roman can get when he thinks about the past, even when the memory is a good one. I think he just needs some space."

Rien watched her father dance with Abe, chatting pleasantly together. Luci's plan had backfired as expected and now their father was upset. Were there feelings between her parents that had driven Roman to his room? Rien couldn't be sure. He could have left the room because he was missing Theo during this family event. Ever since Theo had left, all of her father's anxiety attacks focused on him. Maybe Adrian had mentioned Theo while they were dancing and that's what set him off. She wished that there was something she could do to ease her father's worries, but there wasn't a way of sneaking into Jubilant Accosts that even the spirits could tell her.

Unless....

Why hadn't she thought of it before? She could just tell Theo to...no. No, it wouldn't work without help, if it would even work at all. Plus, sharing this thought meant confessing to her father what she'd done while he wasn't paying attention.

No, she had to tell him. Maybe he could find a way to make it work. She owed it to him to at least try.

"Daddy? Can I talk to you about something?"

Rien poked her head in her father's room, and after confirming that he was alone, she closed the door behind her.

Roman was sitting at his vanity, possibly crying, Rien couldn't be sure. Whatever he was doing, he clearly had left the party to have some time by himself, which made Rien feel bad about interrupting the time he clearly needed. She tried to listen to the direction of the voices, but they'd apparently decided to be silent at the moment. Traitors.

"Of course, Rien! Anything you need." Roman wrapped his daughter in a fierce hug like she was two again and coming to her father because she was afraid of the dark. "Is everything okay? Are you not feeling well?"

"I feel fine, Daddy. I just came to find you to talk about something. Something important."

"Did you not like your cake?" Roman teased, tickling his daughter like he always did when she was upset. "Don't ruin the surprise for your sister, but Saturnia and I made cupcakes to take to Grandma Elaine's. If the cake wasn't enough for you, they should make a good treat for later."

"Dad, stop treating me like I'm five. I'm a teenager now, and a princess. I know that I'm still young, but I know things. Maybe important things if you'd just listen to me. There's so much that you don't understand."

Roman could hear the frustration in Rien's voice. It was the same frustration that he'd felt as a young teen, yelling at his own family to take him seriously for once. It was the same frustration Theo had just a few years ago when he turned thirteen, though Theo had quickly revealed that he wasn't as mature as he insisted he was. Theo had spent the last two years chasing after magic and boys, and had nearly killed Adam in the process. If it was Theo cornering him with something to discuss, Roman would likely panic that his son was pregnant or dying or had somehow burned down Jubilant Accosts by accident. Rien, on the other hand, didn't seem interested in romance and blood magic. None of her parents had ever seen her blush near a boy or girl or write out wedding invitations while practicing writing their married name like her brother had. Roman didn't have to worry about Rien being pregnant. Her sister, maybe. Luciana and Theo had the same rebellious streak in them that would keep their parents up all night with worry. Rien...well, Roman wasn't sure what he should be worried about with Rien. She was similar to his grandmother in so many ways, and it wasn't like Malika had ever let him know the details of her life.

"Is...is this about the spirits?" Roman guessed hesitantly. "Do they have a warning for me? You know, I finally heard from them recently. I guess there's a first time for everything."

"I know. They told me. I don't think they want to talk to you again any time soon, so don't worry about that."

Roman frowned.

"What did they say about me?"

"Nothing really," Rien lied. She doubted that her father was interested in the gossiping of the supernatural entities who watched over the Bellamy family, especially when they focused on how inadequate they found his husband. "This isn't about the spirits, Daddy. This is about Theo."

Roman's heart stopped in his chest at the mention of his son.

"Is he...has someone told you how he is?"

Roman took a shaky breath to calm himself. If his supernaturally gifted daughter somehow had terrible news about Theo, this was the last moment in his life where he could still hope that his son was alive.

"About that. I don't know how Theo is, but I've been thinking of any way of reaching him that I can. I think I have a idea, but I need some help, and I need you to promise not to get mad. I may have done something that I didn't tell you about."

Roman froze. He'd been expecting news of his son's tragic death from supernatural sources and now had to pivot to his daughter confessing to something Roman was almost entirely sure he'd never understand. When Theo confessed to a mistake, Roman prepared himself for hormonal hijinks or impossibly dangerous magical accidents. With Rien? He didn't even know what he should be afraid of.

"You can tell me anything, princess," Roman said firmly, using her new title as a nickname. Their worlds were very different, but she'd always be his daughter. "You know that you can trust me and your other fathers no matter what's happened. You, uh, may have to describe this thing you've done a few times though or draw a diagram. I'm not confident that I understand everything in your world, but I will absolutely try my best. Nothing can ever change how I feel about you."

Rien smiled in response, suddenly understanding how Theo felt when trying to explain magic to their parents. She knew that none of her parents truly understood her or the life she lived, but their support meant everything to her.

"I helped Theo and Adam talk while Theo was in Shadowvale by summoning the Life deity and manipulating the Void. The method of communicating is still in the Void, all I need to do is tell Theo to check it. I don't know how to get the initial message to him though, and Life is in Jubilant Accosts too, so I can't tell them either, and everything would be better if we could get him to write us to tell us he's okay and-"

"Wait, you're telling me that you helped a god connect your brother with Adam across the boundaries of Jubilant Accosts?"

"Yes, Lukas helped me help them. They're curious about Theo and his magic. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before, Daddy. I knew that you'd be mad."

Whatever Roman had been expecting Rien's confession to be, it certainly wasn't that. He didn't even know why he thought that he understood the world he lived in anymore. His children lived in a world where magic reigned and deities helped starcrossed teens. When he was their age, he and Abe had thought that texting each other was the most scandalous way to protect their forbidden relationship. Clearly, they'd been wrong. Roman grudgingly had to respect the ferocity of Adam's feelings for his son if Adam thought tearing into the Void with a god was the worth just talking to Theo. Roman had once snuck socks into Abe's locker for Winterfest and felt like a rebel.

"I'm not mad, Rien. I wish that you'd have told me about this though. It sounds dangerous. I appreciate that you tried to help your brother. Theo was very upset to be away from us...and Adam while he was at Shadowvale and you tried to make that time better for him. You're a good sister."

Abe wasn't controlling his emotions from the other room; Roman was taking deep breaths, and was managing not to melt down about his children scheming with gods (and Darktides) behind his back. This was clearly how his life was going to be, and he should follow in his grandmother's example and roll with the punches. If he didn't, Malika would surely visit him again to scream at him for disrespecting her heir.

"I don't know to tell Theo to check the message box in the Void," Rien continued miserably. "Adam and Theo used their crystal rings to communicate and Lukas won't be able to come back from Jubilant Accosts just to help us. I don't know what to do. I just want you to be happy and for Theo to tell us he's okay."

"Adrienne, listen to me. You can't control everything in this life. If you can't contact your brother because everyone who knew about this way of communicating is in Jubilant Accosts, then it wasn't meant to be. I would love to communicate with Theo, but you aren't responsible for making that happen. I'm not thrilled that you're having secret meetings with gods, but I suppose that you're entitled to, uh, religious expression. Just tell me next time. From what little I understand, not all deities are safe to interact with."

Rien nodded solemnly in agreement.

"The Ocean has his plans, and it's best to avoid them if at all possible."

Roman tried to smile reassuringly, even if his daughter's words were gibberish to him. He'd just pretend to understand what she was talking about, and hope that Evren or Lucy could explain it to him later. However, there was one gesture he could make that even he could understand.

"Rien, I love you so much, even if, like your brother, I don't always understand the world you thrive in." He held up his hand, pointing to the pink and gold ring he wore every day. "This was your grandmother's ring, given to her by the man she loved. He may have been the only man she ever loved, and even then, only with the skewed form of love she had. She didn't want me to have this, but it means the world to me. It reminds me that my mother was capable of love. Demons like her can be redeemed or change if they really want to-and only if they want to. This ring reminds me that there is always good in this world, that even the worst people can bend and change. Someone as awful as my mother could be loved. My grandmother cherished her friendship with my mother for most of her life. There are complexities in this world that I know you understand better than I do. Life isn't black and white and there's only so much you can control. This ring brings me comfort, but one day, when I'm gone, I want you to have it. Maybe it will comfort you the way it comforts me. A reminder that the Bellamy family may be unusual, but we are all worthy and capable of love. You're so much like my grandmother was and I know that she'd want her heir to have that reminder too."

Rien smiled. It wasn't often that her father opened up about his family. Theo desperately wanted to know more about their grandparents and here Rien was, being promised a piece of their father's past.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me. I promise that I'll take good care of it someday, but Daddy, you should probably go back to your therapist if you can never talk about your past with us unless there's a special occasion. I know that Theo is especially curious because of how hard your family worked to keep him from being born. He has questions, and so do Luci and I. I think Saturnia isn't at an age where it matters to her, but I'm sure that she'll have the same questions that I do, someday."

"Questions like what?" Roman managed to choke out the question despite not wanting to know the answer. "We're going to Grandma Elaine's soon, and you've heard her talk about the past before."

"About what your grandparents were like, or what living with Grandma Elaine was like. Why do you have so many scars and where did you get them? How did you and Dad meet in college? What were our grandparents on his side like? Dad doesn't say a ton about them; he just gets sad when we ask. I've asked the spirits, but they don't tell me much about what our family used to be, just that they hate demons and I'm better off with Kamalani gone."

"They're not wrong," Roman grumbled. "As much as I hate to admit it, the world is better off without my mother. She was never going to change, but something inside me still holds out hope that things could be different. That she could be different. The Bellamys still used her and Dorhack to gain power, so they have no excuse for their relationship with them despite supposedly hating demons."

"Daddy, that's not really what I was talking about, and I think you know that. You need to talk to someone about the feelings you get when talking about your mom instead of holding on to them. Your kids deserve an honest answer about our family, not misguided hopes that your mom loved you."

"What? How did this turn into an investigation into my past?" Roman asked. "It's your birthday, not a time to bring up painful memories. You should be happy on your birthday."

"Then answer a question and I'll be happy. Anything. Tell me how you and Dad met. That should be happy, shouldn't it?"

Roman looked at his daughter's hopeful face and groaned. She really wanted this. So had Theo when he asked his father about how his love for Abe differed from his love for Adrian. Roman tried not to flush at the reminder of how close he'd been dancing in Adrian's arms earlier and the longing he still felt for his ex. The kids were getting older now and trying to model their own romantic feelings based on the example their parents showed them. The relationship between Roman and Duke Siew was confusing to the new teenagers. The problem was, it was just as confusing to Roman.

"I met your dad on the first day of university," Roman started. "Theo was just a baby then, terrorizing the campus while I tried to get settled in my dorm. Your brother was ferocious. He'd steal things from people's bags and purses, and bite anyone he didn't like. I honestly wasn't looking for a new boyfriend, but your father made me reconsider the second I laid eyes on him. He was playing pool and fawning over Theo during breaks. Your father was gorgeous and one of the few people Theo seemed to connect with. I fell in love in the span of an afternoon, if I'm being honest with myself. Adrian was rich, handsome, and willing to help raise a demonic toddler."

Rien scrunched her nose at the idea that her father was attractive in any gross sexual way, but this information was what she asked for.

"What about Grandma and Grandpa Siew?" she asked. "What were they like? Dad says they were respectful of the monarchy and devoted to being as educated as they could be, so we should follow their example."

"I didn't get the chance to really get to know your grandparents before they died. They were nice people from what I remember. Very serious, but also kind. Your Grandpa Luke was the future queen's brother and loved her immensely. He and Cherry were very close, similar to how close Dad is with Queen Maura. They were so excited when we told them that we were expecting you and your sister. I wish that they had been able to hold you before they passed. They would have been great grandparents."

"They died thirteen years ago today. I saw their ghosts once or twice, but there wasn't really much left of them to talk to. Their souls had moved on, but some part of them still lingered. I wish that they were capable of talking to me, but the spirits said that I was lucky to even see a ghost in my lifetime. If it wasn't for all the chaos of another realm trying to conquer ours, and the instability of the deities, I doubt that I would have seen them at all."

Roman hoped that his face had remained neutral with this revelation. His daughter was hatching schemes with gods and interacting with the spirits of her dead grandparents without his knowledge. This girl was truly Malika’s heir. Had Adrian or Evren known about Adrienne's adventures with the supernatural? Probably not, or Roman would have heard about it already in their group texts.

"Issues?"

"You should tell your father if you see his parents again," Roman stated, as if that sentence made any sense. "I think that he'd appreciate that. He had some issues with them and never got a chance to say goodbye. Maybe seeing their ghosts would bring him some closure."

"You'd have to talk to your father about that," Roman replied. "Like I said, I only knew them for a short time. They expected a lot from your father, and told him what his future career would be as a high ranking member of the Siew family. Dad went to military school and learned how to one day serve his country by leading the armies of Twikkii Island. He didn't really get a choice in careers, which I think makes him so happy to help out with the restaurant. It's a job that he gets to choose, even if his main duties keep him busy."

"Is that going to be Luci's job one day?" Rien looked horrified at the thought of her twin sister having to charge into danger like their father did every day. She couldn't imagine losing her twin in battle or to an assassin like Coby Wall.

"No, she's too far down the list of succession," Roman assured his daughter. "Twikkii Island prefers to keep control of the military close to the crown. When Adrion is on the throne, the military will probably be the responsibility of one of his siblings or cousins. There was a brief time where Luci might have inherited the throne before Adrion and his siblings were born, but that's out of the question now. She'll just be a regular duchess with regular duties, just as you are a low ranking princess without any special duties."

"I heard my name, are we giving out secret presents in here? I want mine now in that case."

Luciana burst through the door, scanning the room for birthday presents. When she didn't see any, she stared at her father and sister with disappointment.

"Your present was the envelope of money you received with your cake," Roman groaned. "Grandma Elaine said that she got you something too, but don't be greedy. There's not a lot of shopping people can safely do these days and personal birthday cakes are expensive."

Roman did feel bad about not getting the twins anything but cake and money, but between the four parents, none of them could make the time to go shopping in a potentially plague filled mall that was empty anyway. Theo had received his guitar for his thirteenth birthday, and the twins had each received the same amount of money as the guitar was worth. It wasn't a small gift in any way.

"Then what you doing in here?" Luci asked, looking smug. "Dad said that he was worried about you. Is everything okay?"

Roman's cheeks burned at the reminder of dancing with Adrian. Now Adrian was worried about him and voicing that concern to the family. It might be less embarrassing if the floor swallowed him whole at this point. He still felt a connection with Adrian, and an attraction to Evren, but Roman couldn't do that to Abe, especially if Abe could feel those feelings swirling around his mind. He made a promise to never cheat again and removing himself from temptation was the easiest way to keep that promise. He couldn't break up Evren and Adrian, nor did he want either man to be his husband. Abe was his husband and always would be under demonic law.

"I'm fine, honey. I was just having a quick chat with your sister about family history. Did you want to join us?"

"Hmm, maybe later," Luciana replied, looking at her phone. "Dad said that he and Evren were leaving, so you guys need to come say goodbye."

"They're leaving? They can't! They promised!"

Roman felt guilt creep into his chest. Maybe his slip up with Adrian had caused this. Maybe Adrian was taking Evren home to tell him about the look they'd shared together. About how Roman's breath hitched in his throat holding Adrian's muscular frame against his.

Roman breathed a huge sigh of relief, even if he wasn't thrilled with Luciana's takeaway from this crisis. He wasn't the reason Adrian was leaving after all. This supposed Coby Wall sighting may be just as fake as the last one, so he tried not to worry too much about Adrian and Evren's safety.

"They promised, but they're needed too badly. The coven is squabbling again and there's been another Coby Wall sighting. They don't have a choice, even if they promised. Dad said he'd get us something nice to make up for breaking his promise. If he's only going to see Queen Maura, then he'll have to bring something from the castle! Maybe an old ring or something. Queen Spencer was our great-grandmother too, even if not all of us are princesses."

"Well, let's go say our goodbyes then," Roman announced, shooing the twins toward the door. "They can't keep the coven and the queens waiting. After they leave, we'll head to Grandma Elaine's. She wanted me to make dinner, so we might as well get there early."