Side Quest: When one door shuts...
The decision was hard, but Takama had to do it. It's not that he didn't genuinely care for or even love Erick, but there were things he could not compromise on.
Death had always been a part of his life. For him it was something to be honored and celebrated; it was a significant part of the culture of Ravenwood which he was proud of. So finding out that there were members of Erick's family who not only artificially prolonged their life via magical means but also avoided death entirely through the same potions was some what of a shock. He held no ill will towards the family, but Takama worried that he would be expected to partake in the same magic were he to stay with Erick.
And so he hadn't spoken to him in a few weeks while he ruminated on this problem.
He ended up turning to his neighbor and longtime friend, Zelmira Gomes for advice and support. They felt the same way about death as Takama and understood why he felt uneasy about the relationship proceeding. In those weeks things changed between the two.
As he got closer to Zelmira, he knew he had to talk to Erick soon. The boy deserved to not be kept in the dark so they could both move on.
The Romance Festival isn't where he wanted to say goodbye, but when Erick invited him out in an attempt to reconnect he figured he had to do it no matter how much it hurt.
Seeing Erick crying in the rain made him wonder if he made the right decision, but deep inside his heart he knew that it was for the best.
A few days later in Newcrest, Ronnie Pancakes was scrolling through Simstagram whenever he saw a post with Zelmira and Takama announcing they were together. Shocked, he fired off a text to Erick to check in on him and invited him over.
The two hugged and Ronnie asked him what happened and if he was okay.
Erick explained that the breakup didn't come as a surprise as the two had been distant for a bit after having the discussion about Takama's feelings about death and using magic to avoid it. Still, it stung, especially whenever he found out about Zelmira.
Whenever it came time for his birthday, he realized that maybe Takama was right that the differences were too much to overcome in a life long romantic relationship with how uncomfortable he felt about the subject.
Erick paused, took a deep breath, and then stated, "I guess I might as well come clean. I'm sad, not because of losing Takama, but because I started seeing him because I was scared to mess things up with you."
Ronnie was shocked. "What do you mean mess things up with me?"
Erick nervously continued, "I like you Ronnie. Maybe more than like. I was scared to admit it because I didn't want to risk our friendship. Now Takama's gone and it's too late."
Ronnie stared for a moment before carefully speaking, "And to think that I never admitted to how I felt because I was also scared that you'd not feel the same way. By the time I worked up the nerve to say something, you were with Takama and I didn't want to interfere."
Erick was stunned, "You mean you felt the same way?"
Ronnie taking Erick's hands, "Not just felt, but still feel. Let's sit down and talk."
The two had been best friends ever since their first day of high school, but today they were blushing and giggling as old crushes were renewed and their fears melted away.
The Pancakes were friends with Erick's grandfather, Darrel Charm, so while they may not have fully understood the magic they supported it. Ronnie suspected that the man played some role in Little B's sudden appearance too, so he was eager to learn more about the power that that the Charm and Ember families had.
But learning about all of that could wait for now.
Because both Ronnie and Erick had learned the most important thing of all for them - that it was not too late after all. 💖















