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Forum Resident
#151 Old 16th Jan 2018 at 3:06 AM Last edited by kanzen : 17th Jan 2018 at 2:52 AM.
to be fair, if everyone died, there would be no story to tell!
EDIT:
I'm now decorating a house that I've been working on for months and let me tell you than no matter how much I want to put the adorable cow sculpture in the kid's room - I FORBID IT. It just makes me feel like my sims could get visited by Mr Abaddon and a random innocent woman in my hood would die!
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Original Poster
#152 Old 17th Jan 2018 at 8:11 PM Last edited by grumpy_otter : 1st Jan 2021 at 12:37 AM.
Default A Pleasant Story - Chapter Twenty One - Don's Termination





A Pleasant Story

Chapter Twenty-One

Don's Termination




When Nina and Dina came home from Brandi's memorial, Nina looked worriedly toward Don’s house, which was dark.

“I’d better go check on him,” she said. “He was supposed to go to the memorial with me.”

Dina asked, “Are you sure he’s not just being a rat, as usual?”






Nina shook her head. “I don’t think so—he really seemed sad and like he wanted to come when we talked about it. I'm really worried--he's not answering his phone. I'm going over there to make sure he's okay."





Dina watched as Nina left for Don’s, then went upstairs to collapse in her bed.






The house was dark as Nina approached. She knocked on the door and waited. Nothing.







She moved around to the kitchen window and peered in, then screamed “Don!” as she saw his still form on the floor, illuminated by the dim light coming from his computer.







Nina ran back to the front door and bashed against it until it sprang open. She yelled for him as she ran in.







"Don? Don! Are you okay?" she cried.

Don groaned and began to climb to his feet. "Oh, hey Nina. Is it time to go to the memorial?"

Nina grabbed him and hugged him. "No!" she said, "You missed it! What happened?"


"Gosh," he said, "I'm not sure. I was working out really hard and I was really tired. I got up to take a shower and I guess I just passed out. Were you worried?" he asked, winking at her.

"Of course I was worried, you dimwit! I just got back from Brandi's memorial! She was murdered, in case you forgot!" Nina spoke more angrily than she really felt; truly she was very relieved he was fine. And she was still very fond of him.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I'm all right. Just almost had a heart attack, that's all," she said. She hugged him again. "You big doofus. Don't scare me like that again!"

Don returned her hug, thinking of how much he loved Nina. She was so like him!








Nina looked around at the mess in the apartment and said, “What is going on here? I thought you got a maid.”

Don replied, “I did, but I decided I don’t like male maids. I’ll call them tomorrow to send over a girl.”

Nina snorted. “Or maybe you could act like a grownup and clean up your own messes, eh? You’re unemployed, you know. Might save you a bit of money.”





Don smiled at her, “Okay MA, I’ll clean up after myself. Do you want to come upstairs with me?" He asked. "It's been a while."


Nina smiled back, then stepped close to him, took a sniff, and stepped away. “Maybe you get that shower first, though. I’ll wait for you upstairs.”







Nina and Don snuggled comfortably together and Nina told him about Brandi’s memorial.

“It was really sad,” she said. “Dustin especially seemed to be taking it really hard. He’s seen himself as the man of the house since Skip died, and now he feels it even more. If you felt like being a decent guy, you could maybe hang out with him a little. Oh, and Beau! He turned into a teenager during it!”

Don was quiet for a moment then said, “Yeah, maybe. I remember what it was like to be a teenager. But how about we think about other things now?”

He pulled her closer.






They had a great woohoo session, then snuggled together to sleep, both of them feeling warm and comfortable.






The next morning, Nina asked Don if he wanted to come to the mall with her. "I have to look for a dress for Dina's wedding, and then we could go have lunch."







Don said, "I'd really like to, but I've got other plans this morning. How about tomorrow?”

Nina said, “I’ll let you know. I think I have to work. And I don’t want to wear you out too much!”

Don looked at her, sweet and caring about him—she had been his first kiss--and he said, "Nina, do you want to marry me?"

Nina laughed and hugged him. "Of course not, you doofus! And you don't want to marry me, either! We're all about the romance, Don--it would be a disaster! How about we just be nice to each other?"






“But what are these other plans? Job interview?” she asked.


“I’ve got a delivery to make, and I need to drop it off this morning," he said.


Nina asked, "What kind of delivery?"

Don explained about Samael Abbadon giving him a package to deliver as Nina got dressed. Then she turned to him and exclaimed, "I got one too! I delivered it the other day! But listen Don, I think these people are criminals. I heard Dustin was doing deliveries, too, and now his mom is dead. I'm not going to work for them anymore, and I don't think you should either!"






Don replied, "You're probably right, but I can't just keep the package. I'll only deliver this one, then get paid and never do another one."

"Okay," Nina said. "Just be careful!"

She nudged him playfully and said, “Now go clean up your house! And don't hit on my friends in front of me!"






After Nina left, Don went downstairs to clean up. It wasn;t too hard, he thought. He could probably keep up with it.




He jumped as he felt something scurry over his foot and turned around in horror to find roaches crawling all over the floor.

“Argh!” he yelled, and ran to the phone to call the exterminator.






He got dressed and headed for the address where he was supposed to deliver the package. It was on the outskirts of town, but he didn't mind the long walk. It gave him time to think about his muscles.

When he approached the house, he paused and looked at it.

"Kind of creepy," he said to himself.






As he walked toward the front door, he saw the gate was being watched by two large dogs.

He said nervously, "Nice doggies. Good doggies. I'm just going to the door, now."

The dogs watched him closely, but let him pass.








Don climbed to the front door and knocked, and waited. No one answered. He knocked and waited again. He hadn't been instructed on what to do if no one was home, so he waited a while more, but all was quiet.








Don wasn't sure if he should just leave the package on the porch unattended, but he wanted to get rid of it, so he knocked one last time, then left the package in front of the door.

As he turned to leave, he found he wasn't alone.







"Oh, hi good doggies," he said. "I'm just going to leave now. Will you just let me leave now?"

They wouldn't.






The dogs snarled and punched him repeatedly.






Don gathered his strength to punch the dogs back, and that seemed to work.






One more punch and the dogs flipped backwards away from him.






He tried to run away toward the gate, but his way was blocked.








Don turned and ran quickly around to the back side of the house, hoping the dogs wouldn't follow him. He thought he'd seen another set of stairs in the back, so maybe he could get out that way.

As he ran, he noticed many graves in the backyard.

"I've got to get out of here!" He panted.

He ran as fast as he could, but noticed that the dirt around the graves seemed to be . . . fresh.







He reached the walkway on the other side of the house and stopped suddenly. His way out was completely blocked!







He leapt over the iron fence into the driveway and sprinted past the front gate. He suddenly felt cold, and stopped and looked up at the house.

There was a woman watching him from a second-floor window. She was pale like a ghost.






He shivered as he looked at her, then ran home as rain began to fall.





As he entered his house, the phone was ringing. When he picked it up, a woman's voice said, "Don Lothario. You did not complete your delivery. You hurt my babies."






"Babies?" Don exclaimed, "What babies? I got attacked by your dogs!"

"They hurt their teeth on your thick skull," she said. "So this is it, Don. You won't work for us anymore, and you won't get paid." She paused for a moment. "Consider yourself lucky."

Click.







Don hung up the phone and shook his head. He DID feel lucky. He was glad Nina wasn't mixed up with them anymore, too.

"Well," he sighed. "Guess I need to get a real job. Maybe I could work in the slacker career with Nina. That might be fun."


Lab Assistant
#153 Old 17th Jan 2018 at 11:46 PM
Glad it was not 'termination' as in 'The Terminator'! Ha, ha! I think you have Don & Nina's relationship just right. He's a mess, but still a lot of fun to play.
Forum Resident
#154 Old 18th Jan 2018 at 1:34 AM
yes Don, you're super lucky cos in my game you got devoured by flies from a dozen old pizza boxes.

also...what if...THE COW IS GRUMPY OTTER?
Instructor
#155 Old 18th Jan 2018 at 4:38 AM
Grumpy Otter I am loving "A Pleasant Story" - great job writing your story and keeping us guessing with the mystery and our favourite sim characters! Although like several other simmers already commented, I was choked up about Brandi's death - she is my favourite premade and I end up putting her in all my custom hoods and stories. Keep on writing - I can't wait to read more!
Cheers, Vllygrl

Find all of my Challenges in MTS Sims 2 Challenges "Ye Olde" Section:
Vllygrl's By George! Regency Play Style/Challenge; Regency/Victorian ROS;
The Medieval Charter Challenge & ROS for MCC;
The Crown of Laurels Challenge; & Besieged! New Medieval Challenge & Medieval ROS.
Instructor
Original Poster
#156 Old 18th Jan 2018 at 1:17 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Mom50409
Glad it was not 'termination' as in 'The Terminator'! Ha, ha! I think you have Don & Nina's relationship just right. He's a mess, but still a lot of fun to play.


I am very fond of both of them! They've always been two of my favorites. As much of a hound as Don is, I think he has a good heart.

I did name that chapter very carefully--and for one moment I thought of ending it with him on the floor, but I thought that would be too cruel, lol

Quote: Originally posted by kanzen
yes Don, you're super lucky cos in my game you got devoured by flies from a dozen old pizza boxes.

also...what if...THE COW IS GRUMPY OTTER?


Hey! You keep giving me good ideas! lol And i just saw the part about how you can't decorate with cows anymore--that cracks me up!


Quote: Originally posted by vllygrl
Grumpy Otter I am loving "A Pleasant Story" - great job writing your story and keeping us guessing with the mystery and our favourite sim characters! Although like several other simmers already commented, I was choked up about Brandi's death - she is my favourite premade and I end up putting her in all my custom hoods and stories. Keep on writing - I can't wait to read more!
Cheers, Vllygrl


Thanks so much for the kind comments! I too was so sad at Brandi's death--it took me a long time to write that part as I kept tearing up. I'm so glad you are enjoying it!
Forum Resident
#157 Old 18th Jan 2018 at 2:13 PM
my hood is far too plentiful of innocent women. I'm not taking any chances!
Instructor
Original Poster
#158 Old 20th Jan 2018 at 4:04 PM Last edited by grumpy_otter : 2nd Jan 2021 at 2:11 PM.
Default A Pleasant Story - Chapter Twenty Two - Pleasant Milestones



A Pleasant Story

Chapter Twenty-Two

Pleasant Milestones



It was a sad group who returned to the Pleasant home following the memorial. Each was lost in her own thoughts and walked quietly. Angela trailed behind, fighting her conflicting emotions about Dustin.





As they approached the house, Lilith speeded up and said, “I’ll check Mitch!” Mary-Sue dismissed the nanny while Lilith ran upstairs. She found him sleeping soundly, but he began to wake as she watched him.







He'd been installed at the end of her room with his crib and a bed for Kaylynn. It was a little crowded, but she didn't mind. She loved her little brother and thought he was the cutest thing ever!

He seemed happy and clean, so she just picked him up for a little cuddle time. His tummy felt a bit flat though, so she thought he might want a bottle.





Lilith looked down at him lovingly as he ate. She wished he could have come into their lives sooner!





She had just finished feeding him when Kaylynn came in.


"Hey," Kaylynn said, "Did you talk to Dustin at the memorial? I've been thinking about those poor kids a lot."

Lilith told her, "Dustin's taking it pretty hard, but he's got a lot of support, so I think he'll do okay. I love that Beau turned into a teenager while we were there! That was a surprise."

Kaylynn nodded, then said, "Mitch is ready to become a toddler--I thought we could have just a little family thing tomorrow. Sound good?"











The next day, Lilith held her brother in front of the cake as Mary-Sue, Kaylynn, and Angela gathered around to witness his transformation into a little boy.


She noticed that Angela seemed pretty bored, but at least she was there!


Lilith swayed back and forth with the baby as everyone blew their "growing up" horns.

She tossed him into the air and cheered as he became a toddler.






She caught him -- suddenly he was an adorable little boy wearing a . . . WHAT was he wearing?

Mary-Sue laughed at his outfit. "I couldn't find any boy clothes for him with the girls' old things, and they were all pretty worn out, so I thought he could wear this until we get a chance to shop for some toddler boy outfits."

"But what IS it?" Lilith asked. "I've never seen an outfit like this for a baby."

"I'm not really sure," Mary-Sue said. "I guess someone at the clothing store has a sense of humor!"






Mary-Sue continued, "But now that he's a toddler we can see if he's a music lover!" She set the little xylophone down on the floor and they all watched expectantly as Mitch tried it out. But . . . no siren sound.

"Oh, well," Kaylynn said. "But just because he doesn't have a passion for music doesn't mean he can't enjoy it. He seems to like playing with the toy, anyway."






Kaylynn took a moment to give Mitch his first lesson in potty training. It went well, but it sure was boring!








Angela then turned to her Mom and said, "If we're done with this, I'd like to leave for college today. There's really no reason to wait because I've got enough scholarships."

Mary-Sue said delightedly, "That's great! I think you are going to love it!”






She continued, “And I can’t wait to meet you at Academie Le Tour when you arrive so I can watch you turn into your college self!"

Angela hesitated a bit, then said, "I'd really rather go alone, Mom. They'll send the van for me, and I know it's not a fancy train, but it will be fine. And when I get there . . . I kind of would rather not have my Mom there. I need to show I'm grown up. You know."

Mary-Sue said, a bit sadly, "Well sure, honey. I don't have to come. I get it."







Kaylynn thought to herself that Angela should be glad she had a Mom who wanted to share her experiences and support her, but she didn't say anything about that.

What she said out loud was, "I have to leave for work now--is it okay to leave Mitch without a Nanny?"

Mary-Sue nodded as Lilith said, "Of course!"






Angela just said, "I need to go finish my packing and make sure I don't leave anything."


A few hours later, Angela came downstairs and announced, "I'm ready to leave now." She moved toward the phone to make the call that would call the college van to pick her up. She’d already put on her coat as though she was anxious to be gone.





Mary-Sue objected, "Kaylynn will be home soon. You need to wait for her, please. I know she'll want to say goodbye."

Angela thought to herself that she didn't really think Kaylynn would care, but she said out loud, "Okay. I'll wait."

Lilith added, "And you might say goodbye to our brother, too."








Angela replied, "Um, he's sleeping. But I said goodbye to him in his crib."

Kaylynn arrived home then, and they gathered to watch Angela make her phone call. While she dialed, Kaylynn told Lilith she'd been promoted to hostess.


"Wow," Lilith said. "At this rate you'll be a celebrity chef by next week!"





Angela finished her call and said, "Well, bye everybody."

Mary-Sue gave her a brief hug, which Angela tolerated.

Kaylynn said, "Have fun at Academie Le Tour!"





"Right," Angela thought as she climbed into the van. "I'll have fun, all right. But not there."

To the driver she said, “La Fiesta Tech. And step on it.”







The house seemed more peaceful after Angela had left.

Lilith turned to her Mom and said, "So I want to go too, but I work tomorrow, and if I get a promotion I'll be at the top of the career track and can get the Young Entrepreneurs scholarship. With my athletic scholarship, that should be enough to cover my expenses pretty well."

Mary-Sue hugged her. "I can't believe both my girls are growing up so fast!"





Lilith told Kaylynn, “I want to go to the mall. Are you okay watching Mitch?”

Kaylynn laughed, “I think so! I can’t tell you how great you have been helping me with him. He’s got the best big sister ever!”







When Lilith returned, she found Kaylynn reading to Mitch in the living room.

"I got Mitch some new outfits!" she said, “And a logic toy!”






"Oh that's so nice, Lilith!" Kaylynn exclaimed. "Let's see them!"

Lilith took Mitch upstairs to dress him, and brought him back in a cute pair of overalls.

"So sweet!" Kaylynn squealed. "He's my little farmer! Thank you so much! That was really nice of you."





"Are you hungry Lilith?” Kaylynn asked, “Let's eat something."

As they ate the spaghetti Kaylynn whipped up, she asked Lilith about her career plans.

"Do you know what you want to do?" she asked.






Lilith shook her head. "Not exactly. I know I want something active, but I'm not sure if the athletic career is right for me. I don't really love sports, and you really have to love sports in that track."

"I'll bet college will give you some time to figure it out," said Kaylynn. “I wish I'd been able to stay in school but, you know, simoleon problems. But it won't matter if I can have my own restaurant!"







They suddenly heard a siren sound from the hallway where Mitch was playing with his toys. Lilith went and sat in front of him while he played with the matching blocks box Lilith had brought him.

"Hey Kaylynn," she yelled. "I think Mitch loves science!"

Kaylynn clapped. "Oh, that's wonderful!"





Once Mitch was settled for the night, Kaylynn and Lilith sat on the floor to hang out a bit. “I am really going to miss you when you go,” Kaylynn said.

Lilith nodded, “Me too! But I plan to come back and visit a lot. I can’t wait to see how Mitch grows up!”

Kaylynn handed her the album she’d used to come up with Mitch’s name.

"Take this with you. I'm sure someone will have a turntable there, and you can learn all the songs for us to sing at Christmas."





The next day, Mary-Sue watched Mitch while Kaylynn and Lilith were at work. As she gave him his bath, she thought how fun it was to have a little one in the house again. Maybe she might have another one herself? It wouldn’t be a problem now that she could be young any time she wanted!

She laughed. "Better find a boyfriend, first! I don't think I'd want to do it all on my own!"







When Lilith returned home from work, she jumped from the car and celebrated. She'd been promoted to the top of the career! She could go off to college TONIGHT!







She ran into the house to tell her Mom the good news and found her in her bedroom. Mary-Sue congratulated her.

"So, what was the promotion to?" she asked.

"Uh," Lilith said, "It's um . . . " her voice dropped to a whisper, "team mascot."

"What?" Mary-Sue asked her to repeat it.

"Team Mascot," Lilith sighed.







Mary-Sue laughed. "Okay, you know what that means! Let's see it!"

"Mom, it's really lame! And I'm never going to wear it to work because I'm going to college!"



Mary-Sue mock-scolded her. "Now now, young lady, you know I will never let you leave this house until I get to see it!"






Lilith sighed and put on her work uniform.

"OKAY THEN! SATISFIED?" She laughed in half-anger as stood in her llama costume.






Mary-Sue applauded. "I love it! It's so YOU! But you know who will love it?" She pointed upstairs. "He's ready to wake up."

Lilith climbed the stairs and got Mitch up from his nap. As his Mom had predicted, he seemed delighted with his sister's funny animal costume, and squealed happily as she tickled him.






Lilith carried him downstairs so he could play with his toys, but hugged him reluctantly before she set him down. "I'm going to miss you, little bro, but I'll come back and visit you when I can, and I will definitely be here for your childhood birthday!"






Lilith changed back into her clothes, then greeted Kaylynn when she returned from work.

She told her the news about her job, which meant she'd be leaving that night.

Kaylynn said, "I'm really happy for you, but I'm sad, too. You've been such a help with Mitch!"


Lilith thanked her, then said, "There's one last thing I want to do before I leave."







She leaned down and pulled Mitch to his feet and said, "Okay buddy, your big sister is going to teach you how to walk! This is the one thing I cooperated with learning when I was a kid, because anything that made me go faster was a good thing!"

When Mitch had learned the skill, Lilith tossed him in the air to celebrate.







He was ready for bed then, so Lilith carried him upstairs and got him into his pajamas and kissed him as she put him in the crib.

"I'll miss you," she said. "Be a good boy!"







She gathered the rest of her things then went downstairs and told her Mom and Kaylynn that she was ready to go. She hugged her Mom and said, “And you'll meet me there at school when I arrive?" Mary-Sue nodded. “I wouldn’t miss it!”





Then she hugged Kaylynn and called the van to take her to college.






To her surprise, she got THREE scholarships. She had completely forgotten that she'd get the Extraterrestrial Reparation Grant from the time she got abducted by aliens on her teen birthday.

"Well," she said happily. "I guess getting probed paid off after all!"






When the van arrived, Mary-Sue followed her down the walk to wave goodbye, then shivered and said, “The first snow! It came to wish you good luck!”





Mary-Sue went back inside as Lilith climbed into the van. Lilith got into the front seat and introduced herself to the driver. “I’m Lilith and I’d like to go to La Fiesta Tech, please.” The driver smiled and nodded.




Suddenly, Lilith jumped out of the van and looked back at her house. As much as she was ready to leave and grow up, she’d also come to appreciate all she had here.





Then she wiped her face and got back in the van.

As it drove off, Mary-Sue watched sadly until it disappeared in the distance.




.
Forum Resident
#159 Old 20th Jan 2018 at 5:30 PM
I can smell Angela's evil plots from a mile away
Instructor
Original Poster
#160 Old 20th Jan 2018 at 6:05 PM
Quote: Originally posted by kanzen
I can smell Angela's evil plots from a mile away


I'll give you a hint; she's Lilith's twin.
Lab Assistant
#161 Old 20th Jan 2018 at 10:07 PM
I absolutely LOVE Lilith with her baby brother! She is so sweet. I hope she gets all A's in college and Angela does so poorly that she has to drop out. (Evil laugh!!)
Instructor
Original Poster
#162 Old 21st Jan 2018 at 12:32 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Mom50409
I absolutely LOVE Lilith with her baby brother! She is so sweet. I hope she gets all A's in college and Angela does so poorly that she has to drop out. (Evil laugh!!)


Wow--that's really funny that you say that . . .
Instructor
Original Poster
#163 Old 22nd Jan 2018 at 1:47 PM Last edited by grumpy_otter : 3rd Jan 2021 at 9:43 PM.
Default A Pleasant Story - Chapter Twenty Three - Daniel's Decline






A Pleasant Story

Chapter Twenty-Three

Daniel's Decline



Daniel sat in his cell, staring at the wall. He'd stolen from the Abbadons, he'd lost his family, he had no simoleons, no hope, and nothing to live for. He stared at the wall. The only good thing was that he was safe from the wrath of the Abbadons as long as he was locked up. He hoped so, anyway.







He heard footsteps coming down the hall but didn't bother getting up to look. It was probably just Carl. And he didn't really care, anyway.


He was surprised when Peter Ottomas greeted him cheerily, saying, "Hey Daniel! Sorry you're here. We all missed you at the party the other night. Then I found out you were here. Anyway, I'm sorry. And I thought you shouldn't be alone on your birthday. I tried to bring in a cake for you, but they wouldn't let me."









"My birthday?" Daniel said uncertainly, "Is it my birthday?"








"Sure is!" Peter said. "In fact, it's almost six o'clock now! We were sorry you missed the twins’ birthday; it was really fun. But we hope you’ll be out of here for their childhood birthday. And you can see our new house, too.”

That’s nice,” Daniel said without enthusiasm.







Peter cried, “Hey, whoops, there you go!"





Peter clapped as Daniel twirled around while grabbing his back, beginning his transformation to elder.






Confetti went flying as Daniel stood up as an elder.




"Looking good!" Peter said. "The white hair suits you!"





Daniel nodded and said, "Thanks for coming." Then he sat down on his chair again.

Peter said, "The landlord at the trailer park told me about your situation and he let me clear out your place. I wasn't sure if you wanted to go back there, but he agreed to hold your belongings for thirty days."





Peter tried to get him talking again, but Daniel just continued to stare blankly.

"I'm going to go now, Daniel," Peter said, "I hope you'll come by the new house when you get out." Peter told him the address, then waved his farewell. "And we should go back to the Men's Club sometime!"







Daniel just sat. Later, he heard footsteps again. It was Carl, who stood in front of the cell while fishing for his keys. "You're out, Pleasant," Carl said.

"But," Daniel objected, "What about the Abbadons? They'll nab me the minute I leave."





"Nah," Carl said. "I spoke to the boss. They know you're old now and don't have any simoleons left. They're willing to work out a payment plan. Dead men can't pay, after all." Carl chuckled.


Daniel ached as he stood slowly.





Daniel exited the cell. His bones hurt, something that hadn't happened before this birthday. Carl handed him a package of street clothes, and Daniel tucked them in his inventory. "Expect an email with the details from her," Carl said.

Daniel nodded as he shuffled down the hallway.





As he left the police station, he stopped to take a deep breath of the fresh night air. He had no idea where to go.







He changed into the street clothes and began walking with no destination in mind. He couldn’t seem to make his mind work clearly, to formulate some kind of plan for his life. He just walked.








He walked all night until the sun rose, and decided he might as well go back to the trailer park. Maybe the landlord would let him move back in. He found him doing yard work and said, “Hey Grant. I was wondering if I could get my old place back?”






Grant Young was happy to see him and offered him a new lease on his old place. "Happy to have you!" He said. "You always paid the rent on time! And I can deliver your stuff when I finish the maintenance chores."







Daniels shook his head. "I don't really want it. Maybe just a couple of things. But I know I don't want that bed. You can sell it."

Grant said, "Okay, that's fine. I'll apply what I get for selling it toward your rent. But I'll wait a few days to see if you change your mind. Oh, and I painted after you moved out, so it’s fresh and new!”


“That’s fine,” Daniel said.







Daniel walked toward his old place slowly and sadly, looking back at the place where he'd buried his loot so long ago. Or, it seemed so long ago. He felt like a different person from the man who'd buried treasure in his yard.







He walked in and headed straight for the bathroom. Being an elder sure made those bathroom needs happen fast!








Grant came by a few minutes later and Daniel chose the things he wanted to keep. Just the desk and computer.

He felt a wave of frustration. "Why was I such an idiot?" He asked of no one.






Daniel made some cereal but lost interest in eating after the first bite, so just set it on the floor.





He stared at the wall.







He tried to eat some sandwiches, but lost interest in them, too.

He stared at the wall.







He stared at the wall.






And he stared.







And stared.






And stared.






If he’d turned on the computer he would have seen an email from Peter inviting him to the twins’ childhood birthday, but he just stared.







He kept staring.







His neighbors took turns barging in to complain about the smell coming from his trailer, but Daniel ignored them and kept staring.






His neighbor left and Daniel looked up as the door slammed. Then just kept on staring.







One day there was an insistent knock at the door and a voice called, "Hello there! I have some good news!"






Daniel just sat, but the knocking persisted.


Finally he got up and went to tell whoever it was to go away.

A woman he didn't recognize was leaving as he came out, but turned as he exited.






She seemed startled when she saw him.

"Oh dear me!" She said. "I didn't realize anyone was home! I have some good news I'd like to share with you!"






Daniel turned and began to go back into the trailer, but she chased after him and began chatting. "I'm Maisie Jane! I go from door to door in Pleasantview sharing the good news! What's your name?"

"Daniel," he said blandly.





"Well isn't that a fine name!" Maisie Jane declared. "Could I come in and tell you about the good news?"

Daniel shrugged and walked inside. Maisie Jane followed, chattering brightly.







"Oh my goodness!" She said. "You sure need some maid service here! How about I call the cleaning service to send someone over?"

"NO!" Daniel shouted, "NO MAIDS. NO MAIDS! NO NO NO NO NO!"

"Well okay, honey." Maisie Jane soothed, "You don't need a maid. I can tidy this up for you right quick!"






"Tell you what, sweetie," she said, pulling a wrapped box from her inventory, "How about you read this wonderful account of the good news while I start in on cleaning?"







Daniel opened the box to find a book. "The Simly Plumble," he read from the cover. "What is this?"

"It's good news for Sims!" Maisie Jane replied. "Now you just sit right down and start in, and I'll get to cleaning!"





Daniel complied as Maisie Jane started in on the dishes.


He began on the first page and read:

"In the loading screen, Plumbob created the floating pig balloon and the water tower. And the neighborhood was without houses, and empty; and darkness was upon the face of the code. And the cursor of Plumbob moved over the face of the main menu. And Plumbob said, 'Let there be Sims' and there were Sims. And Plumbob saw the Sims, and saw that the Sims were good."








Daniel looked up from the text, amazed. "This is something," he muttered to himself. "Something to live for."

Daniel continued reading and learned that Plumbob had created all of the Sims and all of Pleasantview.

He was startled when Maisie Jane came up behind him and said, "Well! You seem to find it right compelling! I need to go now, but I've got you all cleaned up now. Take care!"

Daniel tried to hand the book back to her but she said, "Oh no, honey, that's yours to keep! I'll be seeing you!" She left with a wave and a smile.







Daniel walked into the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. Would Plumbob approve of his hopelessness? He made a decision right then and there to change himself, to live for Plumbob, and to take better care of his hair.




Forum Resident
#164 Old 22nd Jan 2018 at 4:10 PM
sure hope Plumbob doesn't have a nunnery or Daniel's back in business hahaha
e3 d3 Ne2 Nd2 Nb3 Ng3
retired moderator
#165 Old 22nd Jan 2018 at 4:41 PM
Scholar
#166 Old 22nd Jan 2018 at 9:27 PM
I'm wondering how long Daniel actually sat there for... it looked like years!!

Quote: Originally posted by simsample
You need this for Daniel:
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=530517

You are SO right about that - it would make a wonderful "idol"

No need to use my full name, "Selly" will do just fine.
Forum Resident
#167 Old 23rd Jan 2018 at 4:27 AM
I didn't even know that thing existed!
Instructor
Original Poster
#168 Old 24th Jan 2018 at 8:09 PM Last edited by grumpy_otter : 20th Jan 2024 at 12:57 PM.
Default A Pleasant Story - Chapter Twenty Four - Dustin's Folly




A Pleasant Story

Chapter Twenty-Four

Dustin's Folly



The Spitzig and Broke families came home from the memorial. Dustin put his Mom's flowers near his bed so he could look at them often. Carla and Kaylie got the kids to sleep and fell exhausted into their own bed.






In the night, Carla awoke to a strange compulsion. She had to hold Tom!






Then she felt she needed to help Tom with his birthday. She lifted him and tossed him into the air, where he turned into a handsome toddler.

"Happy Birthday little man!" she said to him.







Carla turned to the changing table to dress Tom in some regular clothes, and noticed that Kaylie was gone from the bed.







She moved quietly into the kitchen, stepping lightly past Dustin's bed so as not to wake him.








She found Kaylie in the kitchen fiddling with the cow. An assortment of mechanical tools was on the table next to her.






"Hey," Carla said softly, "Look what I've got."

Kaylie set the cow down and admired Tom as a toddler.






Carla continued, "What were you doing with that?" and gestured toward the cow.

Kaylie shook her head and put her finger to her lips. She gestured for Carla to put Tom down and then said in a very deliberate voice, “I. Am. Having. Trouble. Sleeping. Would. You. Like. To. Go. Outside. And. Look. At. The. Stars?”






Carla said, “Sure?” and found a quiet logic toy that wouldn't wake Dustin and set it down for Tom to play with, then followed Kaylie to the front walk.






"What's going on?" Carla asked.

Kaylie leaned in close to Carla's ear and began whispering an explanation. "I took the cow apart and found what I think might be a microphone and a transmitter. It looks like it could be a bug. If it is, it can transmit any sound to the source receiver. Somebody might be listening to houses all over Pleasantview."










Carla turned to her in surprise. "Are you kidding? Do you think it can hear us out here?"

Kaylie shrugged. "I'm not sure. And listen, at first I was going to destroy it, but then I thought we might be able to use it to figure out who is using it. We might be able to trace the signal to the source, but I have no idea how we’d even start to do something like that."

Carla agreed, "That's a good idea. I can alert the rest of the police to be on the lookout."

Kaylie said hesitantly, "You might want to be careful who you tell. Even Carl might not be safe." Kaylie told her what she had observed of Carl's odd behavior and that she'd taken a cow from the jail.







Carla asked, "Do you think the cow could be some kind of mind-control device? It would explain why Carl has been acting strange. I've noticed it too--it's almost like he's playing the role of a cop in a movie. A BAD movie."

Kaylie shook her head. "I don’t know. I don’t know enough about it. But maybe he was drugged or something. Do you think we can get him to give a blood sample?"

"Maybe," Carla replied. "But in the meantime, we need to figure out what this thing is exactly. I actually have a friend I went to the police academy with. He knew everything about electronics. He lives in Desiderate Valley, so I’ll call him tomorrow. And we need to watch what we say around that thing."

Kaylie nodded.






With that they went back into the house, to find Dustin playing with Tom.

"He's really smart!" Dustin said. "He figured out how to match the shapes right away!"

"Maybe he'll be an oceanographer, like his big brother," Kaylie said as she smiled at him. "Your first day is tomorrow, right?"

Dustin confirmed this. He felt kind of bad about being happy about something so soon after his Mom's death, but he really was looking forward to learning about the sea and maybe working with animals. His first day was just going to be chumming fish, but he hoped he'd be able to work hard and get a promotion soon.







The next morning, Carla went out into the yard to phone her friend where the cow couldn’t hear.

When he answered she said, “John? This is Carla Copper, from the Academy.”



John Mole replied, “Carla! It’s great to hear from you! It’s been so long! How are you?”






“I’m great, but things are a bit complicated. You know I got married, right?”


John replied, “Yeah, I got the invitation. I really wanted to come but then the neighborhood got invaded by paintings of grilled cheese popping up everywhere and they hired me to investigate. Turns out it was just this one obsessed artist, but it was hectic for a while. How’s Kaylie?”

Carla explained, “She’s good too, and we adopted a son, but our neighbor was murdered and we ended up adopting her three sons as well.”






“Wow,” John said, “That’s a full house!”


“We’re moving tomorrow to a bigger one, and I hope you’ll come visit sometimes,” Carla said, “But I actually called about something for you to check out.”


Carla explained to John about the cows, the strange fake gardener, Brandi’s murder and the missing necklace, and everything else that had been going on.

John listened attentively, then said, “So, you think the cow might be some sort of electronic device?”






Carla affirmed this, and John replied, “Okay, here’s what I want you to do. Go inside and say to Kaylie, next to the cow, that you are excited about moving and mention the address where you are going. Then say something about packing everything up. Then wrap up the cow and overnight it to me so I can figure out what it is.”

Carla thanked him for his help and told him she’d get right on it.





“Hey, it was great to hear from you, Carla, even under these circumstances. I hope we’ll be able to see each other soon and I’ll look forward to meeting all your family. I’ll call you as soon as I know what’s up with the cow.”








Carla went inside to make breakfast for the boys and Kaylie came up to watch. Carla gave her a wink, then finished assembling the cereal.





“So, Kaylie, I am really excited about moving tomorrow,” she said. “It will really be great to move to 170 Sim Lane, right across from the Goth home. And we should pack everything up now. I want to wrap anything breakable carefully.”




Kaylie raised her eyebrow at Carla’s dramatic manner, but nodded and replied, “Oh yes, I will help you pack.”

Carla said, “I am going to start in the kitchen,” and gestured toward the cow, and Kaylie nodded. “Will you give the boys their breakfast?”










Beau was pleased that evening to receive an invitation to Tina Traveler's birthday party. Nathan Gavigan let him in and he met the rest of the Gavigan family, who shared the house with the Travelers. They had a son named Isaiah.






Isaiah invited Beau to HIS birthday party the following day. "It will be fun to have some already teenage friends at my party," Isaiah said.





He was especially pleased to find his Auntie Dina there, who was also a friend of the Traveler family. She asked about his brothers and Carla and Kaylie, and he told her they’d be moving across the street from Mortimer’s.






Mary Gavigan told Beau how happy she was to meet him and that she hoped he’d come by anytime.







Tina hollered to gather everyone around the cake, “Hey! It’s time! Circle up!”






The guests blew their noisemakers and cheered.






Tina twirled into her teenaged self and announced, "I'm all about popularity and I love sports, and someday I'm going to be a Hall of Famer!"

Beau responded delightedly, "I'm all about popularity too! But I want to be a rock star!"







Sanjay Ramaswami, who also lived there, pulled Beau aside and said, "I'm working toward being a rock star, too! If you need any advice, let me know!"

Beau thanked him, and Sanjay recommended he get a job in the music career as soon as possible. "It's never too early to start," he advised Beau.





Everyone sat down to have cake and Beau sat next to Tina. Beau was having a really good time at the party. Although he really missed his Mom, it was kind of a relief to not focus on missing her for a little while.








Beau spoke a bit more with the rest of the guests and then he noticed Tina. He NOTICED her.

"Wow," he whispered to himself. "She sure makes me see lightning bolts!"







When it was time to go, Beau gave Tina a hug of congratulations and she said, “I hope to see you again soon.” He smiled and said, “Yeah, tomorrow, for Isaiah’s party!”








The next day, the Spitzig and Broke families stood together in front of their new house and admired how welcoming it seemed. Even Dustin had to admit that it looked like a happy place to live.






Dustin helped set up their furniture and insisted on having Tom's crib with him in his room. He held him and said, “This is our Mom. I’m sorry you didn’t get to know her, but I will tell you all about her.”





Anthony said shyly to Beau, “So now that you are big I guess you don’t want to have a space room anymore.”

Beau laughed, “Are you kidding buddy? You are never too old for a SPACE room!” and they ran inside to set up their things.




After the older boys went off to school, Carla and Kaylie settled Tom for a nap and wandered around to look at the rest of the house and make plans. In the bedroom, Carla noticed that Kaylie had already hung up some portraits and laughed as she hugged her.

“This is going to be okay, isn’t it?” Carla said.

Kaylie nodded and said, “even if we don’t have a lot of extra money for good furniture and stuff. The boys really seem to like it, and we’re both due for promotions soon, so it should be just fine.”





Carla went to look at the bathroom saying, “And it’s awesome to have three bathrooms even if we can’t afford fixtures for . . .” She stopped suddenly, then continued haltingly, “for this bathroom yet. We can afford them pretty soon, I guess.”





Carla gestured frantically for Kaylie to come into the bathroom and pointed toward the cow. The new cow. The cow that hadn’t been there when they’d first toured the house.

Kaylie chattered about getting unpacked and they giggled nervously, trying to keep talking while saying nothing that might tip off the cow.






They went onto the back porch and Carla said, “I think this is why John wanted us to say the address we were moving to out loud—to see if they’d stash a cow here!”


Their conversation was interrupted by the doorbell and Kaylie welcomed their first guest, Tom's father.






She showed him around and then invited him to sit down.

"We don’t have much furniture yet and we want you to know that we didn't use any of the simoleons you gave to Brandi to purchase the house, Jace," Carla told him. "We know that was meant for Tom."

Jace said, "I don't mind. You want to use it to make a nice place for all the boys, that's okay. It makes me so mad somebody would kill their Mom. That was mean. You use the simoleons however you want. You could buy hats if you want. I like hats."






Kaylie thanked him, then said, "Tom has had a birthday. Would you like to see him?"

Jace said "Sure!" and Carla went to get him up from his nap.

Kaylie pointed to show Jace where Tom was toddling over. Dustin had spent time teaching him to walk the day before.





"Aww, he's cute!" Jace exclaimed, and kneeled down to make faces at him.




Kaylie said, "He's probably hungry--you can give him his bottle if you want."


"Oh boy!" Jace said. Tom seemed eager to accept the bottle Jace held out to him.





Jace then pulled a big play table from his inventory. "I brought this for him. And it's cool because he can use it when he's a child, too."






Kaylie said, "It was so nice of you to bring that! And it is such a relief that you don’t mind about the Simoleons. I'm glad we'll be able to use them for Beau and Dustin, too."

Carla agreed. "And we could get some nice furniture for the living room--sturdy stuff the boys can jump on."

Jace agreed and gave Tom a goodbye hug and left.






After school, instead of going home right away, Dustin headed for the strange house on the edge of town. He hadn't told anyone that he still had a delivery he needed to take to the Abbadons. The police hadn't found the package when he'd been arrested. He wanted to drop it off and never have to deal with them again, and was afraid to just keep it, and he was afraid to admit it to the police. It was a long walk to the edge of town where the house was, and the sun was setting as he approached the creepy place.






Just as Don had experienced, Dustin received no answer to his knock on the door, so he walked around toward the back of the house to see if there was another door. When he'd been here before, Samael Abbadon had answered right away and then paid him for the package. He didn't know why there was no answer this time.




He went to make his way to the back of the house to try another door and was stopped in his tracks by a lightning bolt setting some of the shrubbery on fire!





When the fire went out he approached the back of the house and noticed a cow on the porch, just like the one his Mom had had.

"Why would these rich people have a cheap cow like this?" he wondered.




When no one answered the back door either, Dustin walked into the back yard to look at the strange statue in the center of the pond.





"That's really funky," he thought. "Weird taste these people have."






As Dustin continued around the house, he was met with a surprise.





He backed up to try and move away from them but they followed, and seemed unhappy he was there.





Dustin finally broke away from the dogs and ran as fast as he could from the house, taking the package with him.





They gave up the chase as he crossed the property boundary.






As he was running, his cell phone rang and he answered. A woman said, "We want the package." Dustin tried to explain what had happened, but she cut him off. "No excuses," she said. "Meet me behind the mall at 9 tonight."






Dustin went behind the mall at the appointed time, and was surprised when he was suddenly face to face with a very pale woman with icy eyes and dark lips. He hadn't heard her walking up.






"My package?" she said to him in a thin, dull voice.

"Oh yeah," he said. "Here it is." As he handed her the package, his hand touched hers and a shiver went up his spine. Her skin was very cold.








"I'm glad you brought this willingly," she said. "We don't like having to come find our things."

Dustin just nodded. He was very glad he wasn't going to work for them anymore! She was so creepy!






"If we'd had to come find you, there might have been another accident," she went on.

Dustin looked at her in shock. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? Did the Abbadons kill his Mom?

He was about to say something, but she was gone, as silently as she'd come.






When Dustin got home, he looked at the paintings of his Mom.

"I'm so sorry, Mom. But I'm going to find out who did this to you and make them pay! And I know just where to start!"





The next morning, Dustin told Kaylie and Carla he was going to walk to school, but instead he bought some exploring clothes and headed for the beach with the old pirate ship where he'd picked up his first package to deliver. He thought he might find some clues about what was going on with the Abbadons.





He noticed figures moving around on the beach, so he lurked behind the trees and watched. People in diving suits would go in and out of the water, bringing things with them, but then burying them or putting them in their inventories. He couldn't see where they were getting the things, and decided to try and climb up on the ship and observe from there.




He waited until the figures were all in the water, then ran up the ship's stairway and began to look around. He noticed a cabin on the deck and explored it, but an angry ghost chased him out.





He thought the crow's nest might be a good place to observe the activity, so he started to climb.






Once at the top, he looked over the edge to watch the people. They seemed to have finished with their loot and were simply standing and talking.






When he peered out toward the sea, he got a shock. From his high vantage point, he could look deep into the water and see a submarine submerged just offshore. That must be how they were transporting the loot!







"I want to know where that submarine is going!" he said to himself.

Dustin then made the most reckless decision of his life. He climbed off the crow's nest and eased out onto the gangplank, above the submarine. He'd seen Kentucky Smith do this in a movie. He held his breath and jumped.







Carla and Kaylie were out of their minds with worry. Dustin hadn't come home from school and when they checked, they discovered he hadn't gone to school at all.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

Carla snatched it up and said anxiously, "Hello? Dustin?"

His voice sounded tinny and far away as he said "I'm okay, don't worry. I'm on an island. I'm going to find out who killed my . . . "

The line suddenly went dead.


Field Researcher
#169 Old 25th Jan 2018 at 2:13 AM
(First-time commenter, been reading since the beginning.)

Oh dear.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Well, hopefully our mystery folks have learned their lesson from Brandi's death: corpses may not tell tales, but they certainly make a lot of noise.

WARNING: Professional Lurker Alert!
Quote:
"Ew, trees [WooHoo-ing]."

-- "Oral Pollination", Not Always Right
Instructor
Original Poster
#170 Old 25th Jan 2018 at 1:03 PM
Quote: Originally posted by G-Mon
(First-time commenter, been reading since the beginning.)

Oh dear.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Well, hopefully our mystery folks have learned their lesson from Brandi's death: corpses may not tell tales, but they certainly make a lot of noise.


So glad to hear from you! I'd like to reassure you that they have learned, but people who think they are above the law may take a long time . . .
Forum Resident
#171 Old 25th Jan 2018 at 3:31 PM
i have never been so invested in Dustin's safety since I started playinh this game 12 years ago
DUSTIN PLS BE SAFE
Instructor
Original Poster
#172 Old 26th Jan 2018 at 8:31 PM
Quote: Originally posted by grammapat
After 4 YEARS? I wouldn't think so. That's the worst - a story that just stops. I did one (once!), got bored with it, and ended it with a sudden death.


@grammapat

Did you see? She added an epilogue to the story! Can you believe we were talking about it so recently and then it happened? lol
Instructor
Original Poster
#173 Old 29th Jan 2018 at 3:52 PM Last edited by grumpy_otter : 18th Feb 2022 at 5:09 PM.
Default A Pleasant Story - Chapter Twenty Five - Intrigue in College



A Pleasant Story

Chapter Twenty-Five

Intrigue in College

The college van dropped Angela off in front of the dorm she'd chosen to be her residence. She felt a shimmering as her young adult form came upon her, and stood proud and tall in her new body.





As she had requested, her mother had not arrived to experience the transformation with her; she hadn't wanted her mother to find out that she would be attending La Fiesta Tech instead of Academie Le Tour! She looked up at the rather plain dormitory exterior. It was a stark concrete block in the midst of a desolate desert landscape, but she didn't really care about the surroundings. This would be her place to get back at Lilith.





Angela was about to enter the building when she was startled by a streaker jumping up the steps ahead of her. “Well,” she thought, “That’s what happens at this lame party school!”





After the streaker had entered, a motley assortment of students began exiting the dorm and coming towards her. The first one in line was a sloppy, lazy-looking fellow--about what she'd expected from a hick place like La Fiesta Tech.





The students surrounded her and all began talking at once. The scruffy one began, saying, “I’m Mickey!”

"Hi, I'm DJ!"

"I'm Blossom! Welcome!"

"I'm Aldric! Howdy there!"

A hippie-looking boy jumped in front of her and began doing a spastic cheer to the glories of Tech; Angela backed up in confusion. What had she fallen into?







Aldric walked up to her and began chattering, "Hey, what's your major? Where are you from? Do you want to go with us to the coffee shop? We can also go over to Sim State and climb their tower."

Angela said, "I'd really just like to get settled in my room."







A girl named Ellen came up and said to the rest of the group, "Back off guys! Give her a chance. Not everyone wants to be overwhelmed like that!"






Ellen said, "Follow me and I'll show you to your room. You're on the first floor because we were assigned in alphabetical order. Get yourself settled and then come out and I'll show you around." Ellen led her inside to a dorm room.







Angela had had enough. She turned to Ellen angrily and said, "Look, I don't want to be shown around, I don't want to make friends, and I don't want to become part of this pal gang you guys have going."

Ellen stepped back in confusion.






"In fact," Angela continued, "I don't think I want to live here at all. This is a nightmare! I just got away from a house full of nosy people!"

With that, she turned from Ellen and headed into the common room where she'd seen a computer and began a search to find her own place to live. She ignored the friendly looks of the other students.






She found a house for rent on the outskirts of the campus that she could afford and signed up for it. Despite her rudeness, the dorm residents all gathered around to wish her well at her new place.





Mickey said, "Sorry you didn't like it here, but maybe I'll come by your new place later and you can come with us to a keg party."

Angela didn't answer. If that slobby pig thought she'd EVER go anywhere with him, he had another thing coming!





She went outside to wait for the van to pick her up to take her away from this place. It would be MUCH better to live on her own. By herself. With no chatty, friendly people around. The streaker followed her out and ran away as she waited.







Her new house was, if that's possible, even more desolate than the dorm she'd left. It seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, and it almost was. Located far on the edge of campus, Angela felt she could live here and not be bothered by annoying neighbors.







The interior was shabby and broken-down, and needed lots of work, but Angela wasn't worried.







Unbeknownst to anyone but herself, Angela had a resource she could sell to get some money to fix up the house and furnish it to her liking. She pulled something from her inventory and placed it on the counter.







What no one had noticed when the family was looking at all the loot Kaylynn had brought from Daniel's place was that Angela had slipped one of the vases into her inventory while their attention was distracted. She sold it for 4000 simoleons—PLENTY to fix this place up to her standards.

The first thing she bought was a garden plot. Aside from her desire for revenge against Lilith, gardening was her favorite activity, and here at her own place she could pursue it all she wanted.







She then unpacked the things she'd brought from home and sat down at the computer to choose her major.

"Drama seems appropriate," she said as she made her selection.







She then phoned her mother to let her know she'd arrived safely. She was afraid her Mom might show up if she didn’t hear from her. "Oh yeah, Mom, everything's fine here at Academie Le Tour. But no, I don't think you should visit for a while. I am going to be really busy studying and doing homework and writing my term paper."

Angela listened impatiently as her mother gave her advice she would never follow and finally got her to stop talking and hang up.





That evening Angela made her first meal alone in her new place and sat down alone to eat. By herself. She found herself a little disappointed that Mickey hadn't shown up to take her to a party. That might have been fun.


“Never mind,” she thought. “Lilith should be arriving tomorrow and I can get started on getting even. I’ll look up that crazy band house tomorrow.”









When Lilith arrived at college, at the house she was to share with five other students, she turned into her young adult self and looked down in dismay at her new look.

"Oh no," she said, "Blech."






Mary-Sue said, "It's not so bad! You look all mature and grown up!'

"But Mom, ick! This hair and these clothes! I need to change this right away!"

Mary-Sue reassured her, "It's really not that bad. I'm sure the Swirling Parakeets won't mind."

Lilith laughed. "Shifting Paradymes, Mom! They're a band! And I don't want them to see me like this!"






"Well sure, that's fine, honey. You should look the way you think you should look."

Mary-Sue leaned in to give her a hug then turned suddenly and laughed as a cheerleader went running by, shrieking about llamas.

"Well then!" she chuckled, "Welcome to college!"

Mary-Sue hugged Lilith again and said her goodbyes. "I'll leave you to get settled in. Call soon! And we'll see you for Mitch's birthday!"






When her Mom left, Lilith decided she didn't want to meet her new roommates looking so square, so instead of knocking on the door she turned and headed to the local shopping center. She didn’t notice her twin was hiding behind the compost bin.






As she entered the store she noticed a nice-looking group of students studying together. "I'd like to meet some new people," Lilith said to herself, "But I'll wait until I look right!" She went to the upstairs clothing area where she hoped she could shop in privacy.






She wanted to be careful with her money and stay on a budget, but there were so many new choices for her new life stage that she found it hard to hold back. She finally chose one new everyday outfit, a new nightie--in BLACK!--and a new swimsuit.





Someone was watching as she carried her choices to the cashier.







She noticed a jewelry display next to the register. Now that she was a young adult, she could wear some face jewelry!






Upstairs again, she fixed her appearance, tried on her outfits, and stuck some jewelry on her face. Awesome!







She decided to keep her hair the way she had as a teenager and left feeling like herself again!





Angela snuck out from behind the clothing rack and watched Lilith go down the stairs.


She then had a wickedly wonderful idea.





She got an identical outfit to Lilith, then adjusted her appearance. She took great care with the details, but decided she would not go so far as to pierce her face.

"Close enough!" she crowed, as she preened in the mirror. Even if she didn’t like Lilith’s taste!


She laughed evilly to herself as she left the store. Now to start tracking Lilith's movements so she could mess with her!





When Lilith got back to Shifting Paradymes, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She was about to start her new college life! As she waited, she heard a loud banging sound coming from the roof. What was that?






Her musing was interrupted when a striking girl with a rad hairstyle came out and said, "Hey, are you Lilith? We were expecting you today! I'm Zoe."





They exchanged greetings, then Zoe yelled toward the roof, "Gunnar, come down! Lilith's here!"


Zoe explained that one of their roommates was up on the roof practicing on his drums.





Gunnar was practicing with a friend.





Zoe said, "Come on in and I'll give you the tour and introduce you. Mitch and Stella are at class, but the rest of us are here."

She led Lilith into the first room near the door and gestured toward the boring little kitchen.


"I know it's dull, but Stella said she wants to redo it. Stella's going to share your room. Jasmine and I have the other one upstairs, and the boys are down here. Don't go in their room without a gas mask!"





Zoe said, "Have you ever met an alien? Stella's one. She's a little odd, but really nice. And generous. I think you'll like her. Most of the alien students live at Cygnus House, but Stella wanted to live with humans. She tries to copy our clothes and makeup sometimes, but doesn't always get it right."

Lilith said, "Really? That's so cool! Where exactly is she from?"

Zoe shrugged, "She told us, but none of us can pronounce the name of her planet. You can try and see if you do better."





Lilith then met Jasmine, whose tattoos made her want to see if she could get some too. Jasmine told her, "Zoe and Gunnar and I are the band, but if you like music you're welcome to sit in. It used to be just the three of us, but we had some space in the house so we decided to get some roommates to cut down on the costs."

Lilith told her, "I don't play, but I love listening!"





Their talk was interrupted by the arrival of Gunnar, who immediately leaned back and whistled at Lilith. "Well hey there, baby," he began, but was interrupted by Zoe.

"Back off, Gunnar, give her a break! She just got here!" To Lilith she said, "He's harmless--you just have to keep him slapped down."





Jasmine opened the door off the dining area and gestured for Lilith to take a look. “This is where Mitch and Gunnar live. We call it ‘The Sty.’”

Lilith looked in and said, “I can see why!”






Jasmine and Zoe continued Lilith's tour and showed her the first balcony with the staircase leading up to the roof.

"This is amazing," Lilith said. "I am so glad you all were looking for another roommate!"





Zoe excused herself to go to class while Jasmine took over. “This is Zoe’s and mine. A lot neater than the boys! So have you decided what you want to major in? I’m in history.”

Lilith told her she hadn’t decided yet, but wanted something active.







Jasmine led her to the bedroom at the front of the house and said, "Here's your room. Stella really likes the space theme, as you can see. I'm sure she'd tone it down if you don't like it, though."

"Oh no," Lilith said, "I like it."








"I'll let you get unpacked," Jasmine said. "Come downstairs when you feel like something to eat. I’m making spaghetti for everybody."

Lilith looked around happily at the little room that was to be her new home. It seemed Stella had divided the room exactly in half and kept the space theme on her side, aside from the carpet.





"I wonder when Stella will get here?" she said to herself as she measured the space with her hands.

"She is arrival time," said a voice from behind her.






Lilith jumped and said, "Oh! You startled me! Sorry."

Stella said, "Fault is here. Exit will I and reappear." She turned as though to leave.

Lilith cried out, "Oh no, it's okay, please stay. I'm Lilith."





"Appreciative for encountering you," Stella said amiably. Lilith noticed that she phrased things a bit oddly--not unusual for an alien, she supposed--but was perfectly understandable.

"Arrangement of your possessions forthcoming?" Stella asked.

"Yeah," Lilith said. "Did you have any ideas?'

"Ancillary dwelling section in possession of you," Stella said, and Lilith took that to mean that the far side of the room was hers to do with as she liked.

She lined up her bed and tried to fit her large wardrobe next to it, but no matter how she turned it, she couldn’t get into the bed with the wardrobe in the space.







“Offer of alternative spacing arrangement would be welcome or intrusive?” Stella asked from her vantage point on her bed.

“Oh, yeah, it would be welcome!” Lilith said, “Did you have an idea?”


Stella pointed toward the hallway and said, “Large clothing storage device would fit in common expanse of space outside.”

With that accomplished, Lilith got the rest of her things arranged and thanked Stella for her help.

The room was small, and full with all the furniture, but seemed pleasant and cozy.

"So," she asked Stella, "What planet are you from?"

Stella began to make odd chirping and whistling sounds, almost like a bird song.

"Oh!" Lilith said, "Uh, that sounds nice. I don't think I could say it, though."

"Humans encounter barriers to repetition," Stella agreed.

“DINNER!” they heard Jasmine yell from the kitchen.





"We depart this space now. Commencement of nutritional ingestion must pursue," Stella said, and left the room.

Lilith followed her downstairs and sat at the dining table with the other girls. “Jasmine,” she said, “this spaghetti is great! Will the boys be back from class soon?”







In response, Jasmine gestured toward the door, where a young man was waving shyly at the group.





Lilith had finished, so she stood to greet him.

"Hi," she said, standing. "You must be Mitch. That's my brother's name, too, so it will be easy to remember."

Mitch said softly, "Well, that's great, I guess. It's a good name. I like it anyway. And you're Lilith. What's your major? Did you meet Stella?"

Lilith thought he seemed a bit nervous, but nice. Was it possible SHE was making him nervous? That might be cool.





As they spoke, Stella approached them and said, “Celestial orb has departed luminescence. Time commences for rhythmic sounds and motion.”

Lilith looked curiously at Mitch, who perked up and said, "Dance time! Let's go!" He turned and ran up the stairs, hollering, “Come on everyone!”




Gunnar returned from class as Zoe was explaining to Lilith, “We have band practice on the roof every night. Stella started the dancing tradition. She likes to dress up for it. Mitch and anybody who wants to join will come up and dance too.”

Lilith followed them to the roof where the Shifting Paradymes were playing their instruments and making, if not exactly music, sounds.

Mitch and Stella were waving sparklers, so Lilith grabbed one from the box on the edge of the roof and waved with them.

Stella, who had changed into a ballerina costume, explained, “Gesture with flame sticks is appreciation for rhythm noise.”





When the sparklers went out the other three danced and laughed. Lilith hadn’t had so much fun in ages! She especially enjoyed Stella’s demonstration of her special alien moves.




When the band was tired out, the six of them sat down on the rooftop to hang out for a while.


Stella said to Lilith, "It is pleasing you accompany us in our revels. Many salutations for your presence."

Lilith smiled at her as she replied, "Well thanks, Stella. I like you too."







They were enjoying themselves so much that no one noticed a sim watching them from the sidewalk below.


Mad Poster
#174 Old 30th Jan 2018 at 1:29 AM
dum dum DUM!

Stand up, speak out. Just not to me..
Forum Resident
#175 Old 30th Jan 2018 at 10:19 AM
DRAMA, drama seems appropriate, she says.
oh Angela.
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