Balthier has an awkward morning after with his cousin Persephone after a night together. Later, he finds out from his cousin Sterling that Persephone is also his distant cousin, making things even more uncomfortable. Balthier's siblings Arabella and Kennit discuss him going off to college.

3. Balthier Buccaneer woke up with a gasp. What? I haven’t had one of those dreams in two
years. I thought I was over them…
“Balthier? What’s wrong?”

4. Persephone Biggs sat up beside Balthier and looked at him with a concerned expression
on her face.
“What?” Balthier blinked. “Persephone… what are you doing here?”
“Need I remind you, Legacy Boy? First there was the music, and then there was the
pineapple keg, and then you made a suggestion and I followed that up with another
suggestion and then…”

5. “Yeah, yeah, I remember all that,” Balthier said, waving irritably. “I just wondered why
you were still here.”
“Wow, jerkface alert!” Persephone said snippily. She reached down toward the pocket of
her jacket, still crumpled in a heap on the floor.

6. “Um, that came out wrong,” Balthier said.

7. “I’ll say,” Persephone agreed. She swung herself out of bed and began getting dressed.

8. “I have totally screwed my chances of ever sleeping with you again, haven’t I,” Balthier
muttered, struggling into a pair of boxers and hopping awkwardly around the bed.
“Not entirely,” Persephone said. “But grovelling may be involved in the future.”
“I hardly think I need to grovel to get laid,” Balthier said. “I’ll have you know I’m just
about as popular on this campus as you are, for all you’ve been here a year longer than I
have.”
“I’ll have you know that I know you’re lying, Balthier Buccaneer,” Persephone chuckled.
“Girls talk, you know, and nobody’s said anything. Let’s face it, Legacy Boy. I’m your
first and only.”

9. Balthier stared at Persephone in disbelief for a moment. “You have got one hell of a
mouth, Persephone.”
“That’s what you said last night, too,” Persephone said approvingly. “Put your shirt on,
Legacy Boy. People might think you’re trying to impress me.”
***

10. “And that was how I, seventh generation presumptive heir of A Piratical Legacy, spent
my second morning on campus at Academie Le Tour in gay Paris,” Balthier finished with
a grimace.

11. “You do realize, dear cousin, that Persephone’s dad and your mom are first cousins,
right?” His slightly older and rather wiser cousin, Sterling Buccaneer, pointed out.

12. “I really, really wish you hadn’t said that,” Balthier complained, staring everywhere but
at his cousin’s face. “That is so mortifying. This can never be shared with any of the
other cousins. Ever.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” Sterling said. “But just so you know, Persephone tells
tales, and she’s first cousins with Minerva and Zeus.”

13. “They aren’t close, though,” Balthier said. “Minerva and Zeus are always complaining
about how Persephone is their grandmother’s favourite. I think they kind of resent her a
little.”
“Well, maybe your secret is safe,” Sterling said dubiously.

14. Just then Orlando Pseudo and his fiancée, Swan Toyonaga, walked past the two of them.
“Way to go, Balthier,” Orlando said approvingly, flashing his high school buddy a big
thumbs-up. “I hear Persephone Biggs was seen leaving your dorm room at walk-of-
shame o’clock this morning. Not even on campus two days and already losing the big
‘V’. Your mother would be so proud.”
“Crap.”
***

15. “How do you think Balthier is liking university so far?” Arabella Buccaneer asked her
older brother Kennit excitedly. “Do you think he’s having fun and partying up a storm?
Do you think he misses us?”
“Are you sure you’re not a knowledge sim, Arabella?”

16. “Perfectly certain,” Arabella said haughtily. “It’s completely a Family sim trait to be
worried and wondering about one’s older brother when he’s just left for college. You
know Balthier’s been all mopey the past few seasons since that lovely disaster of a
relationship he had with Brittany Parker.”
“He got better,” Kennit said defensively. “Besides, breaking up is hard to do.”
“You’re just sad because Georgia and you called it quits before she went to university,”
Arabella pointed out. “Therefore, you’re biased.”

17. “So? Nothing wrong with being biased,” Kennit said defensively. “I just happen to have
had my girlfriend and my older brother, who is in fact my best friend, move away in the
same season. Not that you’re not cool, Arabella, but you’re a chick. I can’t talk about guy
stuff with you.”
“That’s what Troy is for,” Arabella shrugged. “From what I’ve seen, he likes talking
about guy stuff.”
“No, he likes talking about girls,” Kennit said. “There’s a difference. I’m half-convinced
he’s going to switch to Romance in his Junior year.”

18. “If he does, I get to bring popcorn.”

19. “What are you guys talking about?” Troy Buccaneer asked, poking his head through the
doorway.
Arabella jumped about six feet straight up. “Troy, you nearly gave me a heart attack. I
didn’t hear the door!”
“Your mom was working on something in the garage and it kind of exploded so she had
the door open,” Troy shrugged. “I let myself in.”

20. “Next time stomp really loudly down the hall,” Arabella suggested.
“But if I do that, I won’t get to overhear you gossiping about me.”
“We were not gossiping,” Kennit said indignantly. “We were just…”
“Bonding,” Arabella said quickly. “And speaking of bonding, if you’re here does that
mean Karat, Zeus and Minerva are in the car already?”
“Yes, and it will be just tragical if we’re all late for the movie because the two of you
were too busy bonding to have fun,” Troy said.
“We’re coming, we’re coming,” Arabella informed him. “I just have to grab my jacket.”
***

21. A couple of hours later, the group of teens sat clustered around a very small table in a
divey looking café across the street from Pirate Island’s only movie theatre.
“So I vote that was the lamest movie ever,” Karat said with a disgruntled sigh. “It did not
do justice to the cartoon in the slightest.”
“I agree,” Arabella said emphatically. “They didn’t even have the Kyoshi Warriors!
Who’s Sokka going to lock lips with in the third movie, can anybody tell me that?”
“Maybe they’ll reincarnate Princess Yue,” Kennit opined.
“That would ruin it!” Karat shrieked. “Cannot deviate from canon. Canon is perfect for
the series. That’s why the movie was so terrible.”

22. “I am in complete agreement,” Arabella nodded. “Though that little boy was kind of
adorable.”

23. “I will agree that it was a complete waste of money,” Minerva said. “D’you think if we
all went and complained they’d give us free vouchers for another show?”
“It can’t hurt,” her younger brother Zeus said.

24. “Why don’t you Fortuney people go take care of that,” Karat said, waving vaguely in the
direction of the theatre. “Arabella and Kennit and I are going to go scope out an alternate
source of fun. Meet us at the Mauve Flamingo when you’re done.”

25. “The Flamingo?” Kennit blinked. “Isn’t that place kind of skeezy? I don’t think we’re old
enough to go in there.”
“I have it on good authority that they never card anyone,” Karat shrugged.
“Um, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” Arabella said.
“What? All I want to do is shoot some pool and you know the Youth Centre will be so
busy we won’t get the table tonight. You guys can head over there if you like, but I’m
going to the Flamingo.”

26. Kennit and Arabella exchanged glances. “Go on and get the movie passes if you can,”
Arabella said to Minerva. “We’ll make sure Karat doesn’t get into any trouble. Meet us
outside the Flamingo.”
***

27. “See? What’d I tell ya?” Karat grinned triumphantly as she pointed to the back of the bar.
“Pool table’s free.”
“That’s ‘cause I don’t think anyone else is here to play pool,” Kennit said, looking
around nervously. “I really think we ought to leave. The bouncer is glaring at us.”

28. “That’s because we haven’t bought anything to drink,” Karat said. “They don’t like
cheapskates in bars like this.” She sashayed over to the bar. “Scotch on the rocks,
Kennedy, and make it a double.”
The bartender grunted and busied himself with bottles and nozzles and things.

29. “You aren’t going to actually… drink… that, are you?” Kennit asked, his complexion
noticeably paler than usual.
“Why not?” Karat asked. “I’m practically legal.”

30. The bartender slammed a glass filled with amber liquid on the table. “ID.”
“Oh, right,” Karat nodded. She rummaged around in her purse. “Here you go.”
The bartender gave it a cursory glance, then slid the drink across the bar to her. He stared
at Kennit and Arabella. “If you’re here, you’re drinking something. If not, hit the road.”

31. “I think we’ll definitely be hitting the road then,” Kennit said decisively. He grabbed
Karat by the wrist and started leading her towards the exit.
“But I haven’t finished my drink and we didn’t get to play any pool,” Karat whined.
“Just be glad I’m not going to tell your parents about this little… excursion,” Kennit
growled. “That was not cool, Karat.”

32. “You guys are no fun,” the tiger-girl complained. “No fun at all.”
***

33. “So how’s this going to work?” Claire Mellon asked, curling up on the couch across from
Sterling.

34. “What do you mean?”
“Well, this is the family Greek house, Arravast, and as official eldest of generation seven
you’re here to take over the reins,” Claire said, smiling. “Does that mean I get kicked out
of the house, being only a lowly placeholder? Do you need the room?”

35. “Does it look like we need the room?” Sterling asked, gesturing expansively. “This place
is huge, and there are only nine of us legacy kids this generation, and we’re hugely
spaced in age. There will definitely always be room for you.”

36. “Okay, cool,” Claire said. Her voice sounded relieved. “It’s just, I hate packing and stuff,
and from my perspective I only just moved in a few weeks ago. Most of my stuff is still
in boxes, to be honest.”
“What, you really think my cousins or I would turf you?” Sterling stared at her
incredulously. “I don’t know where you get your information, Claire, but we’re not that
kind of bunch. Not as far back as I’m aware, anyway. We had relatives placeholding for a
while, and they would usually just finish up as quick as possible so they could move
home and marry, but we’ve had dormies placehold as well and they’ve always been
allowed to stay.”
“I guess. Not every legacy family is so kind, though. I mean, I’ve only heard good things
about you guys but, like I said, a girl hears stories.”

37. “If that’s the kind of person you think I am then we really got off on the wrong foot,”
Sterling said.
“No, I always thought you were nice,” Claire said, blushing. “You were pretty cool
during pledge week. Your one friend, Persephone, was a bit odd.”
“That’s Persephone for you,” Sterling said, thinking back to Balthier’s discussion of a
few weeks ago and shaking her head. “She’s very weird. I like her, though.”
“Me too,” Claire said, sounding a bit surprised at the fact. “And she’s great when it
comes to throwing toga parties. She’s a natural party planner. We always get way better
turnout when she’s involved.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Hey, do you think we ought to throw a party one of these
days? It’s kind of traditional for Arravast to start off the semester with a giant bash.”
“Yeah, that sounds like fun,” Claire said. “Let me grab a couple of beers from the fridge
and we can start planning this thing.”
***

38. Before long, the ladies were surrounded by piles of paper filled with lists of all kinds,
along with several empty bottles.
“Hey, where did my beer go?”
“I swagged it, mate.”
“The bear stole it! That little dipper!”
“Better let him have it then. Otherwise he might start singing.” Sterling peered at one of
the sheets of paper. “Your writing was lots neater before that last bottle,” she said,
blinking a few times. “Does that say ‘Lert’?”
“That’s what his sister calls him,” Claire said defensively, reaching over for the paper.
She overbalanced and topped over into Sterling’s lap.
“Oops.”
***

39. The next morning…
“Balthier is never going to let me live this down,” Sterling murmured, wrapping her arms
tighter around Claire’s sleeping form. “Not ever.”
****

40. “So tell me, why are we all sitting around on the cold kitchen floor instead of on, say,
chairs?” Karat asked grumpily, scowling at her father.
“Is can be bonding tiemz,” Shere Khan insisted. “Irreplaceable Zing has to werk. So we
has family time.”
“Time!” Drachma, the youngest Buccaneer tiger cried gleefully as she bashed away at her
xylophone. “Time time time time time!”

41. “Is this one of those stubborn dad things?” Karat asked with a ghost of a smile.
“Truth.”
“Fine, but can I have some Bailey’s in my hot chocolate in that case? This floor is very
cold and I could use the sweet, sweet extra warmth of the alcohol.”
“Kittehs don’t gets boozes without caek tiems,” Shere Khan said sternly.
“Yeah, way to be weird, sis,” Troy chimed in. “Bad enough that thing happened with the
bar and you and Kennit. Do you really have to bring your weirdness home where
Drachma can hear you?”

42. “Booze!” the tiger kitten cried gleefully. “Karat likes booze! She drinks it all up! An’ den
she frows up all over the bathroom!”

43. “See, even the toddler thinks you’re going overboard,” Troy smirked.
“Oh great, just what I always wanted,” Karat said, rolling her eyes. “An intervention.”
“Not yet,” Troy said. “But if you keep up the risky behaviour it might turn into one.
Just… tone things down a bit, at least until you’re a bit older okay? We all get that you
like to have fun. You don’t have to prove anything to anybody.”
“What he said,” Shere Khan nodded and sipped his cocoa. “Is can be pye now?”
“Yeah, there can be pie.”
“Fine,” Karat muttered. She still looked a bit rebellious, though, and neither Troy nor
Shere Khan were really convinced the rebellious teenager had gotten the message. They
decided not to press matters. For now.

44. Once her drink was finished, Karat stomped into the sitting room.
“Mister, the world is out to get me,” she sighed. “First Kennit and Bella won’t let me
have any fun, and now they’ve got the dads and my twin on my case. What is up with
that?”
Mister, in his infinite wisdom, chose not to answer but simply stared outside
superciliously.
“Ignore ‘em, huh? But what if they have a point?”
The cat sneezed.

45. “Yeah, okay,” Karat chuckled. “I can play with you for a bit.” She reached into her
inventory and pulled out a feathered cat teaser. Mister pounced it instantly.
“Good kitty,” Karat said.

46. After a few more minutes of play, though, Mister tired of the sport and stalked off in
search of either food dish or litter box.
“Everyone abandons me,” Karat complained angstily. She laid down on the couch and
soon drifted off into a restless and troubled sleep.
***

47. “You guys really don’t have any good channels on this island, do you?” Loki Thayer
complained loudly. “Everything is way better in Paris, where I live.”
“If you like Paris so much how come you’re here right now?” Kennit asked, yawning.
“Visiting Great-Grandma Meadow and Great-Grandpa Jack, as you know,” Loki
shrugged. “They like it when the family stops by for the holidays, and Talk Like A Pirate
Day is an important holiday to you backwards country folk.”

48. “You know, if you’re going to insult us you could go home,” Arabella called from the
other side of the room, where she was racking up a game of pool.
“Nah, I’ll be good,” Loki said hastily. “But seriously, you’d think there would be
something interesting on the TV. All you have showing are old Errol Flynn movies.”

49. “Well, duh,” Kennit said, shaking his head. “It’s Talk Like A Pirate Weekend.” What
else do you expect? We revel in our history, dude. It’s your history too, if you’re related
to Great-Uncle Jack.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Loki shrugged. “Hey, is this one any good? Corsairs of the Lost Ship?”
“It’s okay, but I’ve seen it before,” Kennit said. “The plot is nothing more than a
mishmash of other peoples’ work, but it’s funny.”
“Come over and play with me, Kennit,” Arabella wheedled. “You need the practice for
your scholarship anyway.”

50. “Yeah, okay,” Kennit shrugged. “You don’t mind, do you Loki?”
“What?” the distracted teenager looked over and blinked. “Oh, no. Go ahead. If the
movie’s boring I’ll challenge both of you.”

51. “You’re getting pretty good,” Kennit said appreciatively, shouting to be heard over the
sounds of swords clashing and Wilhelm screams.
“I figure with you heading to university in the summer, I’d better be ready to defend the
family title at school,” Arabella shrugged. “I’m going for the scholarship too. What do
you think? Do I have a chance?”
“More than a chance,” Kennit said admiringly. “I think you’re already better than I am.”

52. “Not bad,” Loki agreed, wandering over. “Say, has anyone ever told you how cute you
look when you’re lining up a shot like that?”
“Dude, that is so lame,” Kennit said, glaring from his sister to his friend. “You do not
come over to your dude’s house and hit on his kid sister.”
“I’m not a kid,” Arabella protested, smiling sweetly. “Although this is something of a
change considering you were insulting me a few minutes ago.”

53. “I have gained a new appreciation for the people of Pirate Island.”
“You are such a dork.”

54. “But I’m a cute dork with naturally curly hair,” Loki said, preening. “And you’re a hottie,
Arabella.”
“Yeah, but I’m also meaner than stink,” Arabella smirked.

55. “My little sister’s all grown up,” Kennit sniffled, wiping away fake tears. “I’m so proud!”
***

56. “You know, you could wear a coat. It’s freezing out here. You’re going to wind up
catching your Doom of a cold,” Hades Deity said to his brother-in-law, Borusa
Buccaneer.
“Manly men like me don’t need coats,” Borusa grunted, pounding his chest.
“Oh, are we playing the testosterone game?” Hades grinned.

57. “Me manly man! Don’t need coat! And you can’t tell when I turn blue anyway because I
am already! Ooga booga!”
“…don’t ever do that again.”

58. The next morning, Hades’ husband Spandrell and his two children, Zeus and Minerva,
were lamenting the tinyness of their apartment.
“I want my own room,” Zeus said skulking about the bedroom he shared with his fathers.
“I want a room that isn’t a closet,” Minerva added from the tiny ensuite bathroom.
“I can’t blame the two of you for that,” Spandrell said. “Maybe we should see if we can
rent the unit above us too. We could kick Borusa out…”
“I wouldn’t complain,” Zeus said. “It’s kind of gross when he brings his dates home,
seeing as how his ‘bedroom’ is only partitioned off from the rest of the apartment with a
curtain. Now, will the two of you get out so I can get changed in peace?”

59. With a laugh, Spandrell went to make breakfast. Minerva dallied a little longer.
“You know, Uncle Borusa doesn’t bring girlfriends over that often. I don’t want him to
move out.”
“Me neither, but I’m getting really sick of this apartment. No offense, sis, but I’m almost
looking forward to you leaving for university at the end of the season.”
“Me too,” Minerva said. She blinked. “Um, why is crazy upstairs Trekkie neighbour in
the building?”
“Another reason to move,” Zeus said. “I really do want to get dressed. Can you and crazy
Trekkie neighbour vamoose? Just for a minute or two?”
Minerva chuckled and complied, though it did take the threat of hacking the official Star
Trek website to get the creepy Trekkie neighbour to leave.

60. Suitably attired, Zeus made his way to the kitchen a few minutes later only to find his
sister on the phone and organizing a party.
Yes, because cramming thirty hormonal teenagers into this place is the best way to spend
the weekend, he thought to himself.

61. Still, he was all smiles when the first of the guests showed up a short while later.
“I can’t believe you guys are throwing a party in that tiny apartment,” Spike Thayer said
enthusiastically. Spike tended to be enthusiastic about just about everything, whether the
situation called for it or not.

62. “Don’t be ridiculous,” Kennit said. “They aren’t having the party in the apartment.
Everyone’s going to hang out in the common room and stuff. That’s how we always do it
over here.”
“Yeah, that’s it exactly,” Zeus said quickly. “It’s this way,” he added, pointing and
leading Spike and Kennit in the general direction of the common room.

63. As the other guests arrived, Karat sat herself down on one of the plush sofas in the
entrance hall and started feeling sorry for herself. Her cousins had generally been
avoiding her since the bar debacle, and whenever her parents or her twin talked to her
about anything they generally tried to throw in a moral about the evils of drinking.
“It’s not that I want to go and get drunk every night,” she sighed to herself. “I’m just tired
of feeling lonely all the time and it’s a lot easier to go up to people and get friendly if I’ve
had a drink or two.”

64. It didn’t take long before Karat’s absence from the festivities was noted however, and
two of her cousins soon joined her sulk.
“Nice of you guys to notice me,” she managed.
“Now you sound like Balthier back when he was being all broody,” Kennit said, plonking
himself down on the couch next to her.
“Yeah, and that was pretty annoying when he did it the first time,” Minerva added,
gesticulating wildly. “Nobody likes a sulky teenager.”

65. “Besides,” she added, “you’re way more interesting than Balthier. He’s always all broody
about being the heir and all that but he’s really just doing it for the attention he gets from
the girls. Are you doing all this to get attention from girls?”

66. “That’s a fair question,” Karat shrugged. “Mostly I just feel bored all the time, though. Or
lonely. I like having people around me, especially you guys, but you won’t always be
able to hang out with me at the drop of a hat. What I really need is a boyfriend to attend
to my every whim.”

67. “I feel the same way about you dating as I do about Arabella dating,” Kennit said sternly.
“In other words, it makes me want to punch your dates.”
“And why is that?” Karat asked sweetly.
“Because, dear cousin, I am a male of the species. A teenaged male, specifically. I know
exactly what your boyfriends are thinking because I’m generally guilty of the same when
I’m out with someone I really like. Or even someone I don’t really like. Actually, as long
as we don’t have negative chemistry, my mind is there. In the gutter. I think I’m going to
go now.”

68. “Don’t worry,” Minerva said, patting Karat’s shoulder consolingly. “Not all boys are as
icky as Kennit. I’m sure they’re not all disgusting pervy teenagers…” She fell silent. “On
second thought, maybe you ought to wait til university before dating.”
“I can’t believe my younger cousin is lecturing me about dating,” Karat said through
gritted teeth, shrugging away from Minerva’s hand. “Last I’d heard you hadn’t even
kissed a boy. I’ve kissed plenty.”
“I know, but it sounds like you want an actual relationship,” Minerva said.
“I do!”
“And that you’re drowning yourself in alcohol and other things until you find one.”
“Sort of true.”
“You could get a different hobby, like Parcheesi.”

69. “Well, I guess I’ll think about it and stop moping, at least,” Karat shrugged. “To be
honest, I was starting to get kind of bored with moping. You know me—Pleasure sim
disguised as Family. Let’s go see what the boys are up to. I think you guys invited a few
from out of town and I can’t wait to get to know them.”

70. “Heh, nobody but Loki Thayer,” Minerva chuckled, leading her cousin to the common
room. “And Arabella says she calls dibs.”
“I thought she hated him.”
“Of course. That’s because she wants him.”
“Ohhh… right. I forgot.”
***

71. Though Sterling was basking in the glow of her newfound relationship with Claire, she
didn’t let that deter her from throwing the party the two of them had been planning. It
wasn’t long until the word was out.

72. And of course, as hostess, it fell upon Sterling to wear the suitable attire—something
most of the guests didn’t quite seem to get, for the most part. Still, it was a toga party.
Togas had to be worn.

73. It was Balthier’s first real party on campus and, as a pledge of Arravast, it fell on him to
entertain the members in good standing.

74. “You know, I appreciate the free show and all but I don’t really think Orlando or Ianto
are quite as appreciative,” Swan Toyonaga said, taking in Balthier’s nicely muscled form.
“What? Oh, the swimsuit thing? Nah, I just find the chafe,” Balthier said. “I just dropped
in because I miss you guys. I’ve hardly seen any of you thanks to my classes being a
bitch. Between homework and dodging Persephone, I’ve been busy.”

75. “Is the Almighty Blue One hoping for an encore performance?” Swan giggled. “Last I
heard she was the one who shot you down the morning after.”

76. “It’s more that she enjoys telling the tale of my woe,” Balthier said. “And she finds it that
much more entertaining if she can make me blush while she does it. Not to mention,
when she’s around I find myself acting… oddly. Plus, ever since then, every time I play
with the womrat while she’s around I feel a sudden inexplicable urge to go to the
bathroom.”

77. “Yeah, but that’s pretty normal with Persephone,” Ianto said. “My fiancée, Tammy,
really doesn’t like me hanging out with Persy. Now, I’ve never found myself doing
anything dumb around her. But Tammy’s heard tales.”
“I wish I’d heard the tales before my first day on campus,” Balthier said, shaking his head
and flushing bright crimson. “And there I go. She’s embarrassed me again. I think that’s
my cue to head back into the house, guys. Have fun out here. Hope I fulfilled my
entertainment quota for the evening.”
***

78. “Fine, I’ll play you again,” Claire said angrily. “But only if you promise not to cheat this
time, Sterling.”
Their togas long since shed for more comfortable clothing, the two hostesses were
engaged in a Mortal Kombat death match in the games room downstairs.

79. “I will have you know that I do not cheat,” Sterling said, toggling the controls
emphatically. “I’m just really, really good at button-mashing.”
“Same thing,” Claire grumbled.
“Not really,” Sterling said, landing a particularly difficult combination. “Somebody who
actually knows how to play the game should be able to beat me, though I might give them
a bit of trouble until they figure out that my play style is nothing more than random
flailing about with the controller.”

80. “Ah, so that’s your secret,” Claire grinned. “Well then, Miss Sterling, you’re going down.
And that’s if you win.”
She tossed a wink at her girlfriend, who was so kerflummoxed by the unexpected
comment that she ran her character right off the edge of the map.

81. “This really isn’t working out quite the way I’d planned,” Balthier said, taking aim. “I
was trying to avoid you tonight, you know.”

82. “Oh, I know,” Persephone said, rounding the corner of the pool table. “But I figured you
could use the moral support.”
“Moral support? From you? All you’ve done since… that night… is humiliate me.”
“Yes, but that’s because it’s fun,” Persephone insisted. “Not because you’re bad in bed or
anything. Actually, I wouldn’t mind… but now’s not the time. Right now, I’m just here
to boost your ego a bit.”
“My ego? Why would you want to…”

83. “Oh.”

84. Dropping his pool cue on the table, Balthier wandered over to where his cousin and her
girlfriend were still arguing about the outcome of the game.
“What the hell is she doing here?” he hissed.
“Who?” Sterling asked, looking around.
“BRITTANY!”

85. “Well, she’s a member,” Claire shrugged as Sterling stepped away to answer her phone.
“We can’t exactly ban her from the house.”
“A member. You let the girl who broke my heart join the house I’m going to be living in
for three years?” Balthier was incredulous.
“Campus policy,” Claire said. “We have to allow everyone to pledge.”
“I can’t believe this,” Balthier muttered. “And how did Persephone know… oh,
nevermind. Listen, I’m having the time of my life, okay? Haven’t even noticed Brittany
in the room.”

86. “Got it, stud,” Claire said. “But you know… you could always try talking to her. It’s been
a long time since the two of you broke up. Maybe she’s changed.”
“About the only thing that’s changed is she’s gotten taller.”
“So have you. You’ve also gotten angstier, although Sterling tells me you were doing a
good job of getting over it. Try to avoid a relapse.”

87. “I’ll do my best,” Balthier said, shaking his head and walking across the room
nonchalantly. “Hey, Perse. Looking good… what do you say you and me head upstairs in
a bit and find one of the empty bedrooms, hmm?”
“Not now, Legacy boy,” Persephone muttered. “The stupid cow is beating me. ME!”
She muttered something under her breath, but all Balthier could make out were the words
‘death creator.’
“So it’s a date.”
“Yeah, whatever.”

88. Then Persephone seemed to realize what Balthier had said. She preened. “I mean, of
course I would love to retire upstairs with you and have amazing sex, Balthier
Buccaneer,” she said loudly.
“That’s more like it,” Balthier said, casually crossing the room and sitting down at the
opposite end of the couch from Brittany.

89. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again as Brittany very carefully
avoided his gaze and stood up.

90. “Okay, now I just look incredibly desperate and stupid,” Balthier chastised himself as
Brittany apparently had a very engaging conversation with a llama mascot. “I wonder
what she’s saying to him? He better not be asking her out, because that would just be
wrong. She’d probably just cheat on him with Chandler anyway.”

91. “No, you are not acting like a jealous lover, Balthier. You are so over her it’s not even
funny. You and Brittany are like three years ago old news and you’ve even lost your
virginity since then. Pining over her is pathetic. So is being weird around her, because
there’s nothing to be weird about. You aren’t friends anymore. You aren’t anything.”

92. “Okay, calm down Buccaneer. Just walk over and say hi to her and then keep going. You
can do it.”

93. But before he could get a word out, Brittany said goodbye to the llama and head upstairs
and presumably out.
“So, legacy boy,” Persephone grinned, as her billiards opponent inexplicably passed out.
“Upstairs?”

94. Balthier found the entire encounter with Brittany a little unsettling, and he threw himself
into his social life and his schoolwork to take his mind off of things. Despite
Persephone’s rumours, he was quite popular on campus and he rarely spent any time
alone to brood about Brittany and Chandler. He found the strategy worked fairly well.

95. There was always a party somewhere on campus, and Balthier took these opportunities to
reconnect with old friends from high school and meet new ones, those who had grown up
in Paris but often had ties back to Pirate Island from generations past.

96. While he wasn’t yet living in Arravast, he found himself in demand to help vet new
pledges.
“After all,” Claire pointed out as Sterling quizzed hopeful Dandelion Thayer, “you’ll be
living in the house next year anyway. Might as well get used to it.”

97. It was on these trips that Balthier first encountered the weirdness that was the ALT secret
society. They hadn’t been very active in recent years, from what he’d heard, but he knew
Sterling was a member. So many students on campus were being recruited that it was
possible he had also been scouted.
“Do they always do the arresting chicken act?” he asked Sterling as Bennett West was
cuffed and led out of the building in shame.
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” Sterling said. “But, um… make sure you’re decent
around eleven for the next few nights, okay Balthier? Just trust me on that.”

98. Balthier finished up the concluding essay of his paragraph and hit ‘save’. “There, that
should guarantee me a solid B,” he said to himself. “Time to hit the showers and get to
bed.”

99. “Let’s go, Buccaneer.”
“I really should have listened to Sterling.”
“Probably,” Officer Centowski agreed. “Time’s a-wasting, though. Let’s head out.”

100. “Can’t I put on pants?”

101. “No. You’re coming with me, now.”

102. “Whoa! Dude! I see why Persphone’s been singing your praises all over campus!” Singh
Ramaswami hollered as Balthier was led in the walk of shame through the halls of the
dorm towards the waiting limousine.
“She should have been handing out warning fliers instead,” Bennett added. “I’ll tell the
ladies to stock up on magnifying glasses, okay?”
“It’s not my fault the shower was cold,” Balthier said through gritted teeth.

103. “It sucks to be me…”
To be continued…
***

104. I would like to apologize for the exceptionally long hiatus the Buccaneer family has
taken. I got really busy with a promotion and such at work just as my neighbourhood
decided to do some really odd things that were potentially asplodey, so I spent a lot of
time I should have been simming working on New Pirate Island. And then my job got
crazy again just as I finished. I’ve been sitting on a whole ton of pictures since roughly
April, but since today is still technically Talk Like A Pirate Day where I live, I figured I
owed an update to all of you. It’s a bit short, but this seemed a decent stopping place. I’m
going to be attempting to update a bit more frequently than once a year. Specifically, I’m
aiming for one to two times a month, although the updates themselves may be a bit on the
shorter side.
Here’s to another year of Buccaneers! And have a Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day, ye
scurvy dogs!