1. A Touch of Randomness Chapter 22.3 The Gathering Clouds

2.

• Hello and welcome to chapter 22.3 of ATOR. This chapter marks the beginning of a new era for the legacy, not only because the resolution of an important story arc starts here, but also because this is the first chapter not to be uploaded on the Exchange. I hope the transition is not too bad, despite my poor PowerPoint skills (please try to keep in mind that I have an old version of it), and that you enjoy this new chapter.

• Also, for the first time, the chapter has an actual title. I will probably start doing this with all future chapters, though earlier chapters might remain titleless (after all, finding good titles for over 60 of them would not be an easy feat).

3.

• In Randomville, the hot summer drew on, and with it the childhood of the youngest generation M children, the twins Moville and Muriel. Often forgotten by most of the family during the day (they were not as prone to being the centre of attention as their older siblings) they would spend whole afternoons taking refuge in the shadow of the mausoleum, next to their garden gnomes.

4.

• I think we should get out of Randomville, Muriel said, one of those afternoons, interrupting Movilles thoughts as usual. Only when we are older, I mean, she then clarified, seeing her twin brothers confused expression. You know, none of us is going to be the heir, so why not enjoy the life of spares as much as we can? I heard Twikki Islands lovely. Always wanted to go there. Oh, were going to have so much fun, we could go to the beach, and build sand castles, and learn the fire dance, and-

5.

• I dont know Moville started, rocking back and forth as he frequently did when unsure of something. I mean, its so far away! What if something goes wrong? There would be no one to help us if needed, plus, Miguel once told me there are weird cults there in Twikki. Sometimes, turists disappear and theyre never seen again. He looked quite scared. I dont want that to happen to us

6.

• Dont be such a coward, Mo. Twikkis perfectly safe, and not that far from Randomville, if thats what youre worried about. Why do you even listen to the stories Miguel tells you? You know he loves to scare you, and you always end up believing everything he says! I bet hes having a good laugh at your expense right now because of that idiotic Twikki horror story. We are going to Twikki after we move out, and we will both love it. I wont let Miguel ruin my plans for the future. You shouldnt either.

7.

• Well, if youre really sure it will be OK

• It will. Just dont think about what Miguel told you anymore. And next time he tries to tell you a scary story, just ignore him. You cant change him, but you can change the way the things he says affect you, Mo.

8.

• Now, where was I? Oh, yes, I also heard some good things about Takemizu. Marta knew a girl whose brother went there once with his friends, and they actually found a ninja, who taught some of them to teleport. Gee, I really hope we can find one when we actually go there, teleporting would be so awesome

9.

• As his siblings went on and on about holiday destinations, Matas spent most of that summer with his three loversthe three youngest daughters of Amlcar and Error Rodiek.

• Sure, everyone thought he was in a sort of relationship with the youngest of the three sisters, Francine, but he had never said anything about it being serious. He had no plans of marrying Fran or anything of the sort, even though he was fond of her. He was glad to be able to take a break from that relationship and spend some quality time with Fay or Filipa as well every once in a while.

10.

• Morgause, Finbar and Anna Bettencourts adopted daughter, had recently started to feel the need to learn more about her biological relatives. Her friend Lucy, Miguel Randoms girlfriend, supported her completely on that, even if Morgause herself was not exactly sure of what to do yet.

• For the last time, Morgause, everyone knows youre very happy with Finn and Anna and see them as your actual parents! No one is going to think badly of you for being curious about your biological family! I would do the exact same thing if I was in your place!

11.

• I know, Lucybut that wont stop me from feeling a bit scared. I dont even know where to start looking for them! My brother Liam told me that the only thing that they do know is that my mother got a phone call one day, saying that there was a baby at the adoption agency, to be adopted by her and my father and them alone. They always found that strange, and tried to find out more about who gave me up for adoption over the yearsbut they were never able to find out anything. What makes you think that I will succeed?

12.

• Oh, I have complete faith in you. You are these peoples biological daughtereven though they gave you up for adoption, there is always a connection. Thats why you will have better luck finding them. After so many years, they might be curious about you as well. And Ill be always here for you.

13.

• You know, I always thought my hair colour could be a clue, since there are so few redheads here in Randomville. I only found dead ends so far, though. Johanna Random was a redhead, but she was the heiress, so everything about all of her descendants is very well documented. Her sister went missing so long ago she couldnt be related to me. The other sister, Jemima, had no children. And Joeywell, he is married to my Aunt Fermina. I always saw him as my uncle. He would never cheat on her. Ever. So I cant be descended from him either.

• Johanna and Joey arent the only redheads in Randomville, though.

14.

• What?

• Yes, dont you know? Marta and Miguels father, Landon, used to date a redheaded girl back when he was a teenager. Miguel told me about that. Then they broke up when he became the heir, and she started dating his brother, Lawrence. I havent heard anything about her since, though maybe she broke up with Lawrence as well? Anyway, Miguel also said that he thought she had lived and probably still does - downtown.

• Oh, I didnt know about that But it is definitely a good lead. Thank you, Lucy! I will have to find out more about that downtown girl.

15.

• Im glad I could help, Morgause! Lucy started, but Morgause was already quickly walking away with a smile on her face. Lucy sat down on the pavement, watching her friend leave until she disappeared from her sight.

• Who would have thought it? I was actually able to be useful Ill have to tell Miguel about this, I just hope Morgause doesnt forget to tell us about what she finds in her excitement. she thought to herself, then getting up to go call her boyfriend.

16.

• Meanwhile, life at the Rodiek house was almost boring when compared to the other households of Randomville. There were no major life-changing events for any of the family members that summer. There was only the birth of a litter of kittens.

17.

• To Error, that was a very valid motive for celebration, though. There had been no births of new cats in the house for generations, and since eight of her ten children were now adults with lives of their own, she could dedicate herself to breeding cats once more. Even her husband approved of the idea, saying that raising a bunch of kittens would definitely be a bliss compared to raising ten children, including three sets of twins.

18.

• Anna Bettencourt was aware of her daughters newfound interest on learning more about her biological relatives, and though she approved of it, she didnt pay as much attention to it as she would have in different circumstances. Being a grandmother to Liams infant son Milo was the focus of her life at the moment, and she was loving every second.

19.

• One of those days, Miguel, who had been told every single detail of Morgauses search by Lucy, decided to drop by the Bettencourt house to see how things were going with the redheaded girl.

• Miguel, what a lovely surprise! I hadnt heard anything from you or Lucy in quite a while. What brings you here?

20. Oh, I just wanted to know how are things with your search for your biological parents. Lucy told me about the tip she gave you the other day about my fathers ex. I thought I could have useful information, so I decided to pay you a little visit. Thanks Lucy did give me a very good lead that day, but that woman her name was Helled, right? That was what I could find about her name. Shamefully, nothing about her last name... After finding some things about her relative to her teenage years, the trail went cold. Apparently, nothing is known about Helled since around the time Marta and Matas were born.

21.

• Yes, her name really was Helled Hell, they called her and Im quite convinced that she will end up being your biological mother. The timing fits. That is too bad about her seemingly disappearing, thoughmaybe I should talk to my uncle Lawrence. He was her boyfriend, at least until around that time. I wonder what happened to herI Maybe she Wait. Morgause, do you think my uncle could be your biological father?

22.

• What? No, it cant be

• Oh, you nave girl! Miguel laughed, obviously very happy with his newfound theory. Of course he can! If they were in a relationship right until the time Marta and Matas were born and with you being around the same age as them dont you think there would have been plenty of opportunities for them to conceive you?

• Morgauses face turned scarlet.

23.

• That would make me your cousin. she finally said, very quietly.

• And is that really such a terrible thing? Miguel asked, still smiling. I think I will end up being right. Why not? It all makes sense, and you might not want to admit it, but you know it does. I think you really should try to find out more about the circumstances which caused my uncle to break up or whatever happened with Helled. If you want me to talk to him, just give me a call. You know me and Lucy will help you with this whenever you want, Morgause.

24.

• Well, yes, I will probably talk to your uncleeventuallybut not right now, Miguel! I still need to think about this a little longeruntil everything can make sense in my head. I mean, you cant just tell me I might be closely related to the main branch of the legacy family and expect me to take it calmly. This is overwhelming, and you know that

• Yes, yes, of course. Take the time you need. Me and Lucy will be around, waiting for you to come back to us. Have a good daycousin. Miguel replied, walking away with a smirk on his face.

25.

• Morgause didnt even have time to tell her parents and Liam about her conversation with Miguel, because later that night, Liam found out he was pregnant for the second time, temporarily removing all thoughts about Lawrence Random and the mysterious Helled from Morgauses mind.

26.

• The addition of a new baby to their household meant Morgause would gain more responsibilities, though she did not mind that one bit. She loved her little nephew Milo, and looked forward to having another nephew or niece to dote on soon.

27.

• That didnt mean her search for her biological parents was completely forgotten, though. Every now and then, she would have some free time at night, during which she would try to find out more about Helled. It would be a long while until her search finally proved fruitful, though.

28.

• Still during Liams pregnancy, Milo had his toddler birthday, and Morgause cheerfully took it upon herself to look after the boy whenever she was home, since that was now getting difficult for her older brother to do.

29.

• Liams second pregnancy did not go as smoothly as the first one, though the issues he experienced were far from being serious. That didnt stop a very anxious Anna to follow her son around all day, always wanting to make sure nothing would happen to him or to her unborn grandchild.

30.

• Finally, towards the end of the long summer in Randomville, Liam went into labour, and every single member of the household gathered around him to welcome the newest addition to the large extended Random-Bettencourt-Rodiek family.

31.

• Liam gave birth to a second boy, who had the same colouring as his older brother, save for the blonde hair.

• The baby was named Myrddin, though he was soon nicknamed Myr by his aunt Morgause.

32.

• Leander Rodiek (the son of Annas brother Joker and Finbars sister Frida) became a child at the very end of that summer. Lee, as he was called by his parents, was a quiet boy. Unlike his cousins Liam and Morgause, he was not very close to the children of the main legacy line (in great part, due to being much younger than most children of generation M).

33.

• The birthday of Leanders sisters, twins Marguerida and Megan (usually called Maggie and Meg), fell right after their brothers, in the beginning of autumn. Maggie was very much like Leander in both looks and behaviour; Meg looked more like her father, and her shyness was even greater than her siblings.

34.

• A very different set of twins also had a birthday that autumn. At the main house, both Moville and Muriel entered their teen years, and both ended up deciding on the Pleasure aspiration.

• Their plans of dream holidays and neverending adventures were now much closer to coming true, since no one seemed to actually consider either of them as suitable candidates for the heirship.

35.

• Seeing as all the six children of the main house were now teenagers, the decision about the heirship took place very soon after Moville and Muriels birthday.

• I think it should be Marta. Landon said as soon as he sat down, looking at his father for support. She is the most responsible out of all of them, no doubt. Much more than I was at her age, thats for sure. She would be able to handle all responsibilities that come with being heir.

36.

• I dont know if I agree with Landon Shannon started, also turning to Kennard. Why not Miguel? Hes the most capable one, hell go to lengths Marta would never go to do his job as heir. Hes got that mean streak that you all despise for some reason, but I can assure you that could end up being quite helpful for the boy.

37.

• I had thought of Matas-

• Lala, please. Your favourite child is a hardcore romancer, anyone knows that. Do you want to make your sons life miserable? Thats not like you.

• Thats why I said I had thought of Matas before you interrupted me, Shannon. Like you, I realized he would never want to be the heir, not at all, sowell, I agree with Landon. I think Marta should be the heiress.

38.

• What about you, Kenny? Dont you agree with me about Miguel?

• Let him think , Shannon! Geez, he has the right to his own opinion!

• Mom, Lala, shut up! Let Dad speak.

• WellShannon, I think I will have to go with Landon and Lala on this one. Kennard said carefully. Miguel is a good boy, true, but I dont think he has the type of personality a good heir should have. He is too impatient, Id even say a little too self-absorbed to be able to make decisions that would benefit everyone , not just himself.

39.

• Oh, so you decided it just like that? Huh. If I had known youd all be in agreement like the well-behaved children you are, I wouldnt even have bothered to come here.

• Shannon

• No, no, now youll all listen to me. You refused to have Miguel as heir, and also Matas - him for obvious reasons. What about Melena, then? Why not her?

40.

• Landon sighed. Kennard then turned to face his wife.

• Shannon, I know for a fact that Melena will not want to be heiress if Miguel is not the heir. They wanted a joint heirship, which means none of them is an option if the other isnt.

• But thats not allowed in this legacy...

• Uhhwell, it has never happened before. I am sure not everyone would take that well. In this case, though, that doesnt matter. Miguel will not be the heir, so Melena will not be the heiress either.

41.

• Wait, wait, wait. Dont get up just yet. What about Moville, then? What about Muriel?

• Shannon, please, if three out of the four of us were in agreement, cant we just let it be? Make this decision easier for once Why are you so against Marta being the heiress?

• I want to hear your reasons for refusing all the others, since you all agree it should be her. Come on. Why not Moville or Muriel?

42.

• None of the poor kids would not appreciate you trying to give them the heirship either, Shannon.

• Lala is right. Moville and Muriel love the idea of being immortal spares, allowed to do anything they want. They have planned their life after they move out to the tiniest detail. They will travel, they will go to Twikki and Takemizu, they will meet all sorts of people and have adventures, etc.

• Dont take their dreams away from them, Shannon.

43.

• Fine, then, I guess. Just make sure you will not regret your decision in any way You know, choosing the heir so quickly might make your other kids jealous, havent you thought of that?

44.

• Shannon, enough, please. This is settled now. Marta will be the heiress, and there will be no issues because of that. Im sure Miguel will take it well he will have to and thats the end of it. I dont want you to go and tell him how quickly we chose his sister over him to tick him off, or some nonsense of the sort. Understood?

45.

• AlrightI promise I wont do anything. Really.

• Then I think you should go and let Marta know about our decision, Landon. Youre, after all, the previous heir, so she should learn it from you. And Lala, please tell your other children about Marta getting the heirshipand make sure Shannon doesnt tell Miguel anything that will make him mad.

46.

• I cant believe they chose Marta instead of us. This legacy isnt ready for a double heirship yet, Grandpa said, and none of us would want to be heir alone so they chose her . Ugh, it makes me so madI bet one of them, probably Dad, wanted Marta to be the heiress and decided to refuse our idea of the joint heirship because of that. Well, good riddance to Marta, she wont do a good job as heiress anyway, at least not in my opinion.

47.

• Oh, just let it go, Miguel! Marta is the heiress, and that is their final decision! There is nothing we can do. Let her be. We can be spares, whats so terrible about that?

• Melena, we had this whole plan and they destroyed it completely. When Lucy knows about this, she-

48.

• So thats why youre so angry? Not because of the heirship itself, but because of Lucy? Dont tell me, youre afraid shell break up with you because you will be useless to her as a spare?

• Its not that, Melena, and Im not afraid of-

• Yes, you are. I know you well. Dont pretend. Silly kids, you and Lucy... You both think youre nothing without your evil aura and bad reputation. Miguel, you dont need that to be together! Lucy will not care one bit that youre not the heir!

49.

• Ino, I really dontyou think?

• Yes. Go to her house, talk to her. Im sure everything will turn out well. Come on, just go.

• Already close to the door, Miguel made a strange face and looked at his twin sister as if he wanted to thank her. But he ended up not saying a word and walking away. Melena just shook her head, and whispered youre welcome with a small smile.

50.

• In the end, Marta Random getting the heirship ended up affecting her the worst. As the official heiress, she would have to marry a simself, and she knew her relationship with Flexo Rodiek had to come to an end, whether she wanted it or not. She couldnt bring herself to marry some simself and have an affair with Flexo behind his back that would not be fair to anyone involved.

• I have to talk to you. My parents and grandparents decided which one of us would get the heirship today And its me.

51.

• What? But weMarta, we have been dating pretty much since we became teenagers! Youplease dont do that.

• Flexoif I am the heiress, we cannot stay together. I have to marry a simself. Im not the sort of person that would take a lover behind her husbands back! I justits the only thing I can do. We have to break up, todayif we dont, this whole thing will end up destroying our lives later. Itsits for the best. I am so sorry

52.

• So you care more about being heiress than being with me?

• Flexo, I never said that-

• I dont care you implied it anyway. You know what, Marta? I love you. Ive never loved anyone else. Ive been with you since the start. I have always been faithful to you, and I wanted to marry you one day. I really did. I guess you just didnt love me as much as I loved you. Just think about it one more time wouldnt you rather give up the heirship and stay with me? Wed be so happy togetherlet one of your siblings be the heir instead.

• I cant.

53.

• Oh, so thats what you want. Fine. I get it. Were done. I never thought youd choose all of this over mesadly, I was wrong. Never thought you could be so selfish, Marta. Dont worry. This will be the last you will see of me. I wont bother you anymoreor your future simself husband, that stranger that you already chose over me.

54.

• You idiot ! You think this was an easy thing for me to do? I love you so much as well! I had no other options! None of my siblings would be fit for heirship, and my parents and grandfather knew thatthey were counting on me. I cant let them down. I just cant. It was the only thing I could do, I-

• Marta, please shut up.

55.

• I dont want to hear anything more you have to say.

56.

• After Marta Random became heiress and broke up with her boyfriend Flexo, things were quiet in Randomville for a while. Marta never did talk with anyone in her family about Flexo, always keeping everything about the events of that day to herself, while preparing to take over as heiress.

• Meanwhile, around the neighbourhood, Maggie and Meg Rodiek celebrated yet another birthday.

57.

• Frida also found out she was pregnant with her and Jokers fourth child, which made her quite happy, but her fianc had to try very hard to hide his disappointment. Joker Random had never pictured himself as a family man, and for him only one child would have been enough. The birth of the twins, and now the news of this fourth baby made him start spending less and less time with Frida and their children, and stay working until quite late at night every chance he got.

58.

• Eventually, Frida gave birth to a baby girl, who had her fathers pale skin, and violet eyes no one else in the family seemed to have. Joker was suspicious for a while, but as the girl looked so much like him, she had to be his child, and he just figured the eye colour came from his unknown father.

• Their new daughter was named Mary-Sue Rodiek.

59.

• Soon after Mary-Sue Rodieks birth, Lawrence Random visited Helled for the first time since he had learned about her one-night stand with Landon.

• He told Helled he had thought for a very long time about what Gina had said to him the last time he had been there, and that he was now willing to give their relationship a second chance. It would be for the best if they took things slowly this time, though, and just enjoy being friends for now before moving further once more.

60.

• Helled, was, of course, thrilled with this news, and was quick to accept Lawrences offer.

• The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon just sitting there and watching televison, as Gina decided not to go downstairs and stay in the second floor, wanting to give them some time alone.

61.

• Flexo Rodiek was not having such a good time, now that his relationship with Marta had come to an end. He and his twin Francine celebrated their adult birthday shortly after the breakup, so he was in no mood for any kind of party.

• Francine wisely decided it would be best for them to move out immediately. Maybe the change would be good for Flexo and help him come to terms with his breakup in the near future.

62.

• As for Morgause, there had been no new developments in her search for Helled, but the girl was sure her luck would change soon.

• So she remained quite optimistic, and found herself worrying less than she had in a very long time.

63.

• Of course that was also due to the influence of her young nephews, who kept her busy and left no time for possibly unhappy thoughts.

64.

• As Milo and Myrddin got older, though, some responsibilities were lifted from Morgauses shoulders, and with Milo being at school for a great part of the afternoon, she now had many more free hours that she could dedicate to her search for her biological mother.

65.

• And since that Myrddin was now a toddler, Liam himself decided he and his parents should be the ones to teach the boy his toddler skills Morgause should be left to her search like she had before the youngest boys birth. Liam just hoped his sister would have better luck soon and finally find Helleds whereabouts.

66.

• As luck would have it, one of those nights, Morgause finally came across some useful information. She found out Helled had once lived in the House of Fallen Trees downtown and since many people believed that Felicia Random, who had been living there as well, was now dead, there should be no danger in going to that house For the first time in her life, Morgause decided to give in to her impulses and go downtown as soon as possible. Excited and terrified at the same time, she picked up little Myrddin and kissed him on his forehead, whispering Ill be back soon.

67.

• Then she put on her coat, quietly closed the front door, and headed to the House of Fallen Trees.

68.

• And that is the end of chapter 22.3 Ill leave you with this minor cliffhanger, but I promise Ill try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible.

• Next chapter (22.4), there will be the conclusion to the current story arc. I consider it a chapter which will have a great impact in much of the future legacy events (mainly in the several parts of chapter 23).

• Until then, though, goodbye and happy simming to every one of you. (And heres to hoping everyone has a great summer, too.)