Chapter 1: It’s Alive
It was a rather quiet day in the kingdom of KnightSyme. The separate islands were tending to their business, contacting each other through magic scrolls and carrier pigeons for anything they needed. The Wandolier had made life easier, but the residents continued to work for themselves instead of relying solely on others help. Everything was peaceful.
The Royal Wandolier was busy at work in the island of Spookane, mending what he had forgotten or messed up. The workload was fairly easy as long as he had enough mana, and building things was incredibly fun. It was a job where his creative juices could flow freely without restriction. The Wandolier built whatever came to mind, when it came to mind, and he loved it.
A few Sims chattered nearby, making small talk about things like the weather and work. On an island like Spookane, it as a bit hard to speak to anyone unless you had something to speak about. The residents here prefered to stay to themselves, going about their daily business without interruption. Spookies tended to be independent Sims, so it was nothing the Wandolier really worried about. If they spoke, they spoke, and if not, oh well.
He hummed quietly as he worked, placing bits of rock and wood in specific places with a flick of his hand. He wasn’t sure what he was building, but it was going to be much better than the hunk of wood and metal that once covered the area. A lack of effort on his part from an earlier day that he planned to fix.
After a good long while of humming and flicking, the Wandolier stepped back to admire his work; a brand new windmill, complete with a hot tub on the side. He figured the Spooks would appreciate a place to relax after a long day.
“It looks great.” a voice announced from behind. “Gut gemacht.”
The Wandolier jumped and whirled around on his heels, nearly falling as he did so. The sudden speech startled him, seeing as he hadn’t been spoken to since he’d arrived here. He relaxed when he realized who it was, and welcomed the Spooky with a warm smile. “Thanks. I was hoping you’d like it.”
A small chuckle came from the red clad Sim’s throat as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Trying to impress me again, are we, Marcus?” He leaned forward, tapping the redhead on the nose with his left index finger. “How cute.”
The smiled faded from Marcus’ lips as he attempted to nip at the finger, making the Spooky quickly draw his hand back. He huffed, then turned back to his windmill. The wand in his hand was raised, the tip lighting up a bright blue as the magic from it’s owner flowed through it. Then, it flashed through a number of colors before settling on a hot pink. Marcus nodded and watched as a bolt of light careened from the wand to the windmill, changing the object’s color from a dull grey to the shade of hot pink. He grinned mischievously, then turned back to his Spooky friend. “How’s that for cute?” he teased, gripping the wand tightly as he bounced on his heels.
The red clad Sim’s expression shifted from amused to annoyed. “Change it back. Now.” He stepped closer to the windmill, placing his hand on the object’s rough edges. “I don’t appreciate having such an eyesore on my domain.” A quiet hum escaped his lips as his hand moved across the craggy surface. The windmill shook gently, then burst into its original color, the pink nowhere to be found. The Sim smiled slyly. “Much bette-” His statement was cut short when he was tackled to the ground.
Marcus pinned the Spook down by sitting on him. “It was prettier being pink.” he chirped, tilting his head back slightly. A cocky smile spread across the Cute Sim’s lips. “And as Royal Wandolier, I command you to leave my work alone.” He giggled, then yelped as he was thrown off.
“And as a retired Wandolier and someone who’s older than you, I order you to leave my courtyard as is.” The Sim stood, dusting the dirt off his outfit. There was a slight tone of annoyance in his voice, but he was amused,nonetheless. It wasn’t often he had someone to talk with, let alone someone who’d enjoy his company. He laughed slightly at a snide remark from the Cutie. “Replaced or not, I’m sti-”
His attention snapped back to the windmill, quickly returning his hand to the stony side. There was something off about the object, something that wasn’t present a few moments ago. As the Sim drummed his fingertips slowly across the surface, the windmill seemed to react to his touch, pulsing and throbbing as each finger made contact.
“Morcus?” Marcus asked, slowly standing up . “What’s the matter?” He glanced at his creation, catching the odd fascination his friend had suddenly made with it. “Did I mess something up again? I can fi-”
He hushed the Cutie by holding up his free hand, then focused back on the windmill. Whatever energy was inside was gone now, the pulsing coming to a stop. He sighed, slipping his hand off the rocks. “It’s nothing, Marcus.” He cleared his throat, then turned to the Cutie. “Don’t worry about it.” The Spook took the Cutie’s hand in his, doing his absolute best to fake a smile. “Anyhow, you sent me a scroll saying you wanted to show me something?”
The Cutie’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yeah!” He began tugging on the red clad Sim’s coat hand, pulling him towards the docked boat. “It’s out in Cutopia!”
An aggravated growl escaped Morcubus’ mouth. “That candy coated hell? Marcus, of all the islands you drag me to...” Despite his complaining, he allowed himself to be pulled along by the Sim, giving off a slight huff as Marcus pushed him into the boat. “If you tip the boat again...” he mumbled as he took his seat.
Marcus quickly took the boat’s wheel. “I told you, buddy, that wasn’t my fault. Those were the tides!” He laughed, using his magic to push off into the ocean. “Now shut up and enjoy the boat ride.”
Another aggravated growl, but the Spook obeyed, crossing his arms. As much as he tried, though, Morcubus couldn’t take his mind off the recently built windmill. That feeling… for a short moment, that thing was alive, breathing under his fingertips. Morcubus curled his hand into a tight ball, a bit unnerved by the sensation. This had to be a one time occurrence. It had to be.
… right?
