I tried to do a picture story this time. This is how events played out in my game. I´m going to write a story based on the events shown here next week and you´ll notice that it´ll read a little different from what actually happened.

So, short reminder: Freshmen Abhijeet and Margaret Turner live in the Dormitory for Young Gentlemen in the Juniata Shallows Academy. The are the scions of a minor noble family. He is studying the custom major "Self Sufficient Living", she wanted to study Mathemathics and I allowed it. Maggie wants to become a teacher, Abe is only interested in women.

When I noticed that widower Trent Traveller had three attraction bolts with Margaret, I decided to pair them. Margaret stands almost frozen when her new friend lands, accompanied by a flutter of butterflys. It´s sooo romantic (though I´d wager the poor girl is not getting the broom´s symbolism...)!

Margaret hastily clambers the stairs and changes into something more formal. She´s seeing the principal of her school, after all! And her heart is racing now. What will the people they? The magazines?! Of course there are political issues with them coming from formerly warring nations, but that´s not the true problem. She´s so much younger and he´s her teacher, in the watcher´s name! What will they think... what will they... Margaret´s legs fail her. She has to take a seat. Looking up longingly - will Trent sit with her?

Not on his own, but gladly once she´s asked him to. What a gentleman!

The two of them are alone. Abe knows his sister has a date today and keeps the other students occupied downstairs. It´s snuggle time!
"I did not realize how lonely I was", Trent sighs. "With my daughter, son-in-law and their roommate around me, grandkid underway... But this is what I´ve been missing."
Margaret caresses her lover´s skin. It´s wrinkled in some places, but it doesn not appall her. How could anything about this man not be perfect? She´s breathing more steadily now, slowly, taking in his... smell? There is a whiff of sulphur in the air and it makes the young woman curious. There´s still so much they do not know about each other! So much to explore...

Margaret: "Mhm..." But suddenly she notices her love is holding back. "What is ist? Am I... do you not...?"
"No, it´s not about you." Trent doesn´t break the embrace. "I just remembered the last time like this... with Trisha..."
"Oh... oh!" Margaret straightens.
"Bad manners, ey?" Trent smiles, but it is a sad smile. "Thinking of another woman on our first date!"
"No! Don´t blame yourself! I understand! It´s okay!"
Would it be silly of her telling him now how much she missed her mother? Was it any difference, loosing a mom or a lifemate?
"Your life hasn´t been any easier than mine, has it?" Trent ventures.
"Right. But I´m here now. It´s where I want t be and whenever I feel sad I conjure this simple feeling: Here. Now. I mean, yes, I have dreams of my future like any student, but often the now is enough. Being able to do what I always wanted, learning, not as a means to reach an end, but for it´s own sake."

Picture: Two knowledge sims having a great time together (it was the only want I could fulfill at that time, so they spent a chunk of their date going over Mag's homework)

After the date Abhijeet congratulates his sister. "Dating the principal was a great move! It´ll help help your grades along and the family has gained a powerful new contact!"

Mag: "Er, thank you, bother, but this is not why I did it. I love Trent!"

Abe: "Say again...?!"
"I truly, truly love him!" his sister cheers as she´s dancing away, towards her room.

Abe: "Ugh! But he´s, like, ANCIENT!"

A little while later Abhijeet walks down the hall absent minded. He stumbles into another student. She raises he head and spontanously hugs the freshman. (A quick glance into the relationship panel reveals another three-bolt-candidate, which was probably what triggered the embrace in the first place.)
The female student giggles. "You seemed so far away I feared your soul would loose control of your body - and I was so glad we had the zombies out of the dorm finally! So I had to bring you back."
Abhijeet likes her attitude. She has spark, that one! He tests the waters, carefully. The last thing he wants is someone who might grow too attached to him. His life experience has made him independant, not a loner, but too much of a free spirit to even follow a traditional career, let alone a lifelong partnership. He´s at ease with boy and girl, but prefers what the women have. Every woman. But it would take a direct order from his head of clan to make him commit himself to anything serious and long lasting.
"Sooo, what´s in your mind, right now?" he asks.
"Why, you of course! Since you were so obviously out ouf yours, you had to be somewhere else!"

"And you think you captured me?" Abe´s flirting experience doesn´t measure up to much, but it does not matter. The truly important stuff happens in some unseen ether. He could recite last year´s business reports and the girl would still not be able to stopp looking into his eyes. As he into hers. He doesn´t even notice what color they are.

The two of them set down for a quick meal. It turns out the girl´s name is Natasha Meurer and that she is into dancing.

"Isn´t it hot in here?" Before he knows what´s going on Tasha and Abe have slipped into date-mode.
But suddenly she jumps, turns on the spot and makes haste for class

Abhijeet is furious! How can she? How can any woman, any human being? Playing with his feelings like this! "That hurt, you b... female dog!"

When Natasha returns, there´s one last chance to salvage the date. It ends not in complete desaster, but could have gone better.
"I wasn´t 'playing', I really find you attractive..."

"So YOU say! But you played me for a fool right in front of the whole dorm!!!"

"Oh, come on, calm down. If it means that much to you, I´ll do better next time. There will be a next time, won´t there?"
"That... depends."

Abhijeet points toward the shrubs. They are in dire need of trimming.

Tasha: "Huh? What´s that supposed to mean, now?"
Abe: "Well, yeah, I´m sorry. Classes are important, too. Let´s finish this together."
Tasha: "We could do a lot of things together..."

Epilogue: Natasha will be Abhijeet´s college sweetheart (or he hers, I suppose), so I wish to customize her a bit. And what better way to prove to your man that you really trust him, then having him perform his first haircut on you? In this game it can end... ugly.


Still a bit desorientated after all the scissor swirling Natasha blinks.

"I like my new look. You seem to know me a lot already. But now you must go downstairs. I may have a surprise for you, too!"

Natasha´s new outfit as a mix of her taste, mine and Abe´s.
The poor guy doesn´t get much sleep this night (all innocent, though) and this is how he walks to class the next day:

Needless to say, the day´s lesson is "How to sew your own clothing in case you should ever wander outside in your pajamas"...