A/N: This happens simultaneously with the previous chapter (the Haven folks anyway), and it explains why Peter was suddenly startled and then vanished away from Corrine.
C/W: Attempted suicide.
Rohan
She didn’t come back.
My fists hurt. I lost count of the many times I lashed out at Orion. He had one job, and he failed. I’d actually counted on his obsession with my wife to ensure he’d bring her back, but he told me SHE WANTED to stay! Then he crushed me by saying she told him to tell me I’m free, meaning we’re done.
I have no further reason to live.
Why did I have to meet her in the first place? Why did there have to be people already on this island? Why did I have to pick the one fecking place in probably five hundred kilometers that had humans at it? I could be fully ensconced as a happy hermit, not knowing what I was missing, but no. I had to meet the most lovely woman in all creation and fall in love with her. I got about two years of happiness. Oh, it wasn’t perfect, but it was damn near close.
She’s tossing all that aside, tossing me aside. Now I know what I’m missing. I can’t bear it.
I make it to the cliff edge and stare down at the rocky surf. It’s even low tide, meaning I have a better chance of cracking my skull open on one of the boulders below.
I’m not even crying. It’s like I was always meant to do this. I’m numb, and I just want it to end.
I step out into nothingness and welcome the oncoming oblivion.
Then I’m flying. I’m not falling. I’m really flying. With wings. What the fuck? I look around. It’s disorienting, and I falter a bit but easily recover like I’ve been doing this my whole life. I can focus on things acres away. There’s a mouse. I see a squirrel with its tail twitching angrily–all the way across the bay near the abandoned village. Something is bothering it. Oh. It’s a housecat slowly stalking closer to its nest.
WHAT THE BLOODY FUCK?
I turn my head again and see a man with shocking red hair waving his arm back and forth to get my attention. I aim myself in his direction. He changes his motions to imply ‘come here.’ I fold my wings in and go into a dive, headed right for him. At almost the last moment, I swiftly pull them out, nearly halting my descent, and I land on a nearby branch.
“Took to flying rather well, I see. I’d worried I’d next have to turn you into a fish, perhaps something with a little more self-defense. A dolphin, shark, or whale. Something like that, but no. You make a good owl, Rohan.”
I have a name. Rohan. Something about that ruffles my feathers. It’s like a memory I don’t want to conjure up. I’d rather go hunt. I turn my head almost 180 degrees and see the mouse hasn’t moved too far from its position. It found some seeds.
Then the branch breaks, and I fall to the ground, arms and legs akimbo. I let out an ‘oof!’ as I land. It was only a couple of meters, but I’m dazed.
“Didn’t want you flying off after that mouse,” a man explains.
“What?” I slowly sit up, rubbing the back of my head. Wait. Was I a bird just now?
“Sorry. I couldn’t let you harm yourself. Looks like I intervened again.” He chuckles. “I’m out of control.”
I look at him. He has wild red hair and… orange eyes. Can a person have orange eyes?
“Hello,” he says. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Peter.” He holds out his hand, looking like he wants to help me stand.
“I’m afraid I don’t… understand.” I look out over the bay. I was searching for something a moment ago.
“Yes, you’re a bit disoriented. It happens.” He reaches down and helps me up. I wobble on my feet for a moment before I remember what I have to do to balance. “You need to keep living, Rohan. You’re not finished yet.”
“What?” I rub my head again. My name is Rohan, and I have to keep living. What is he talking about?
“Give it a few moments. Let’s go have a seat while you regain yourself.” He guides me to a nearby bench. I’m in the temple.
Why am I here? “I’m at the temple?” I ask.
He smiles while I hold my head. “Yeah. It’s my favorite hangout. Or… my favorite haunt.” He chuckles. Apparently, he thinks he’s funny.
“Wait. I was over,” I point to the cliff-side away from us, “there.” I tried to kill myself. I would’ve succeeded. “You turned me into an owl?”
“Ah, I see you’re coming around. Yes. I did. I’m watching you now, Rohan Gunn, so no more funny business.”
“Who are you again?”
He sighs. “I’m Peter, Yadira’s brother.”
At the mention of her name, my heart pangs dreadfully, and I clutch at my chest. “She dumped me.”
“One moment,” he suddenly tells me, and he vanishes.
I hardly notice his absence. All I feel is pain. Not only did Yadira not come back, but she told Orion to tell me ‘I’m free’ or some such nonsense. Would Orion lie about this? Yes, but the looks on everyone else’s faces told me it was no lie.
I’ve never attacked someone so fiercely in all my life as I did to Orion earlier. I’m not allowed to go; Orion is; he comes back without her. That wasn’t the series of events that, in my mind, should’ve happened. Why did they leave without her? I would’ve stayed until I had her back, consequences be damned.
“She had to stay,” this Peter person tells me as he materialises in front of me. “It’s her destiny to help the larger population over there.”
“That’s a load of shite if I ever heard one. Why not, then, have her grow up there? Why have her here and have everything happen the way it happened?”
He gives me a sobering expression. “Think on it, Rohan. Think of the state of things at eop where you were. Now imagine you’re a helpless two-year-old.”
“And that’s another thing: Why two? Why not have her grow up in ‘The Land of Weird’ and then go to Victoria?” Why did she have to be here so that when I got here I found her and fell in love with her?
“Empathy. I myself am trying to grasp it, but she, having been raised as a mortal, feels more human than not. She has empathy. It’s crucial for her ability.” He pauses. “Now imagine you’re a parent who has to give up her child. There were several options, actually, but Mother chose Sama and Asa. She knew Sama would bring them to this island, which, as you know, is safe.” He smiles. “And Yadira named it well. ‘Haven,’ because that’s what it is.”
“Okay, Mr. I Know Everything, why, then, did I have to fall in love with her? Why am I doomed for this heartache?” It’s probably a bad idea to punch a god. Probably wouldn’t work anyway.
He scowls. “Always with your fists, huh? It must’ve been hard being the youngest of your little group. You’re kind of scrappy.”
“Answer the question!” Great. So he can TELL I want to punch him.
“No. I can read your thoughts.” He ignores my open-mouthed expression. “As to the question, or questions. I can’t give you a full answer, Rohan.” He chuckles. “Right now, I can feel Mother pulling on me, trying to get me to leave you alone. But I WANT to intervene. It doesn’t really change things, but I think it’ll make things easier, so that’s why I show up.” He pauses as if thinking. Then he adds, “And Zuri’s hot.” He watches me scowl.
“Questions. Okay. Let me answer your ponderings this way: What if she weren’t here when you arrived? You would have either continued to sequester yourself with the other two nearby or would have found an entirely new location where you would’ve lived alone.”
“And been happier!”
“And been lonelier. Back in what is now Victoria, you were always pushing people away. She changed that, to a degree. This community still needs you. You still have a purpose in the world.”
I glare. “Sure, I just have to go around with a big, gaping hole in my chest.”
He gives me a kind of knowing look. “You’d be surprised what can FILL a big, gaping hole in your chest.”
Sama
After finally getting Zane to calm down and realize I’m not a stranger, I get to hug my son. I guess he’s got a kind of stranger anxiety. It’s probably my fault. It wasn’t right for me to leave him like I did, especially at this crucial age. Now, he’s giggling as I cover his cheeks in little kisses.
I still can’t get over how much he looks like Rohan, and I again wonder what, if any, personality traits he may have inherited from his biological father. He certainly SMILES more than his father.
But Rohan has every reason to refrain from smiling. His world has fallen apart. I can’t imagine the pain he’s going through.
I make my way up the path to the main settlement and see Zuri and Isolde hugging one another like old friends. I like Isolde, having gotten to know her a little on the voyage back. She’ll be a good addition, and Asa looks over the moon.
Then there’s Macie. The woman is apparently everything that annoys me, and she won’t leave me alone. I don’t want to be viciously mean to her, but I’m worried I’m going to snap. I had to frequently pretend to be tired during her waking hours so that her incessant chatter wouldn’t be directed at me.
She sees me approaching. “Sama!” She’d started calling me by my chosen name on the voyage. “Is this your boy? He’s beautiful! I love those curls!” Zane starts screaming when she reaches for him.
“Sorry, Macie. He’s apparently picked up a little stranger anxiety.” And as far as she’s concerned, smart boy.
“Oh. Well, hopefully it won’t last too long and he’ll get used to me.”
“Yes. Maybe.” I really need to find her something to do before she makes me climb the walls backwards. I look around, wondering where I’m going to house the newcomers. I quickly figured out that Rohan has been living in a tent near the beach. “Hm. I suppose for now,” I also get Isolde’s attention, “you two could reside in Rohan’s house.”
“Actually,” Isolde says, “Zuri has invited me to live in her place.”
“Who is Rohan again?” Macie asks. Of course, we’ve told her about everyone. She forgets.
“Okay, Isolde. If that’s what you want.” I turn to what has become my annoying little sister. “I guess you’ll be all right by yourself, Macie?”
“But if it’s this Rohan’s house, wouldn’t he be upset if someone were to live there without his permission?”
Zuri cuts in, probably seeing my explosive expression. “Rohan has not been living in his house. You might have seen the tent when you arrived. This is why Sama says to live in the empty house. If Rohan wants it back, he will tell us, and we will find you a different place.”
Macie ponders. “I think Orion said he had an unused room in his house.”
Zuri puts up her hands. “No no no. That won’t be necessary. Orion will… have his hands full.”
I look at the priestess in confusion. “Well, nonetheless, it IS an option if Rohan isn’t cool with the idea.” I wish I’d thought of that. Orion’s place is out of the way, meaning Macie won’t be RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO ME. “I’m… I’m going to go get Zane situated. I want to just sit and play with him for a while. Alone.”
I hear Zuri speaking to Macie, blessedly taking her off my hands. I watch out one of the upper windows as she starts showing Macie Rohan’s handiwork, and I breathe a sigh of temporary relief.
Walking over to Zane’s crib, I see a redheaded woman marching toward my house, followed by Orion. The woman looks familiar. Where did she come from? She’s holding her hand and doing everything she can to ignore Orion, and he looks to be holding in laughter.
ANOTHER new person. I’m regretting not holding it to a vote whether or not Macie could join us, not that we would’ve had anywhere else to send her.
As it is, I gather my son in my arms since it appears the pair are headed this way, and I go downstairs.
“Orion broke my hand,” the woman says, in a complete tiff over something. She acts like she already knows me. “It was his bloody stone skull.”
Recognition strikes me hard. “Corin?”
A/N: Ever have those moments when nothing seems to go right? That was the whole second half of this chapter for me. For one, I really wanted Zane to be an infant since that made more sense according to timeline. I was happy that now it wouldn’t look so weird for him to already be toddler sized. Well, for some odd reason, no one was able to pick him up and just carry him. I researched it, tried different things, and nothing. It’s a known bug, at least as of last April, and everything they mentioned to ‘fix’ it either wasn’t a thing for me or didn’t work. That, and none of the sims wanted to do what I wanted them to do or looked the way I wanted them to look. I’m so tired of micro-managing and making poses for everything just to get what I want. I thought I wouldn’t have to do that for the second half of this. Ugh.
Sorry. Just me venting. 🙂
After the End 