The rest of the vacation flew by with everyone separating and drawing back together in a comfortable rhythm.

Charles continued to explore, sometimes with Veronica and sometimes on his own.

He was glad nobody was there to see it when he tripped over the lightning trap.

He had a chance to clean up by the time he stumbled back to camp and passed the bruises off as an epic battle with the ghost of Queen Hatshepsut. Nobody believed him. Charles is a really terrible liar.

Ada and her muse reconciled, and she spent several days with her mind so filled with art that she barely slept.

Rutabagas of War, the sequel to Kiwis of Peace, was a 900-page epic written entirely in the snack shop at the Al Simhara Bazar.

“Wow, I’m hungry,” Ada mused during a rare break.

“We have all sorts of food here!” the shop girl crooned.

“Gee thanks!” Ada said. “Oh, don’t get up. I’ll help myself.”

Left to his own devices, Alberto spent his time offending other adventurers.

“You don’t find the hip thrust romantic? I swear it gets me the highest tips. Maybe it’s the thong that does it.”

Charles even got a little time to fish.

The mini crocodiles were in particular demand. He brought back a dozen for the local pet shop and paid for the entire vacation from just a few hours of fishing.

(Dude, do you have any idea how large crocodiles actually ARE?)

Back at camp, Ada and Veronica got into a freak out competition.

Veronica won.

She picked some kind of crushed bug up from the ground and ate it. Ada’s muse could never produce anything that upsetting.

And Alberto offended more travelers.

“You don’t think I’m sexy? Really? Could you explain why? In the interest of professional development, of course.”

The steady stream of rejection finally got to Alberto. Even without his promise to Ada, the writing was on the wall that he needed to find a new career. He found himself wandering and thinking, and he eventually found himself in a garden around a secluded oasis.

The plants made him feel something he’d never felt before. This was what he was meant to do.

“Ada!” he cried when he found her that evening. “Do you know how many different kinds of booze you can make with fruits? I can make my own! Why didn’t I think of this before?”

Veronica spent entirely too much time with the local fire pit.

Alberto spent a bit too much time adventuring in the local catacombs.

The end was the same.

Actually, in the end, neither Veronica turned out to be the freakiest vacationer in Al Simhara.

Both paled in comparison to one other.

Alberto might have lost his edge as an exotic dancer, but he was still quite the showman. He told the gang a ghost story one evening that even gave Charles nightmares.

As the vacation rolled to a close, Veronica and Alberto made a decision.

“We’re headed home early,” they told Ada and Charles at breakfast one morning. “This trip is really about you two, and we’re just tagging along.”

Charles was a aghast. “You’re never just a tagalong,” he told Veronica.

“I don’t mean it like that,” Veronica said. “Besides, when you get home, I’ll let you make it up to me.”

So they parted with an unexpectedly close new friendship to show for it.

Ada and Charles found themselves alone for their last night in Al Simhara.

“This is it, isn’t it?” Charles said as he watched his sister over the fire. “You’re going to get married and move out. This is the last time we’re going to take a trip like this together.”

Ada sighed. “Yeah,” she said. “I don’t think it can ever be the same. I’ll miss it. I’m looking forward to showing Alberto France, though. Their art museum is has the greatest hospitality.”

Charles opened his mouth to ask what she meant. Then he decided he he was just as happy not knowing.

They sat back and and drank in the stars on their last night alone on vacation together.

———-

This post doesn’t even have much content, but it took forever to write because life kept happening. October 12 was my 10th wedding anniversary, and the hubbie and I spent four days at a lake retreat with two other close couples and our daughter, and we renewed our vows. Then we had toxic lead paint removed from our house, which required us to crash at our friends’ place with a toddler for two days. Then we went to a wedding at Virginia Beach. I’m exhausted. But we are nailing our feet to the floor now. No more travel until after the new year AT LEAST.

Most of this is cute stuff the sims did autonomously. It was a very entertaining vacation.

I swear, every time I left Alberto to his own devices, he tried to flirt was a stranger, and it never worked out well. He also flirted autonomously with Veronica, who loved it, and neither Charles nor Ada gave a whit while they were on the lot. Sims are forever mysterious.

Alberto’s LTW is actually Bottomless Nectar Cellar, thus the booze remark :).

Since Wishacies taught me that I could get my sims to figure out how to fulfill their needs by clicking on the moodlet (I honestly did not know this), many more entertaining things happen for the most mundane of reasons. Which leads me to ask — should the snack shop REALLY have a working fridge? Isn’t that bad for business?

Apparently Daredevils are immune to fire naturally, and they have a Play with Fire interaction that entertains them and gives them the Adrenaline Rush moodlet. I need to do more with that. Daredevils appear to be the actual perfect firefighters, which I’ll keep in mind for any future child who rolls it. Oh, and Daredevils also have the Watch This interaction, which leads them to eat dirt and gross out another sim. That also gives them an Adrenaline Rush :).

Now that the kids were settled in school, Charles and Veronica found that they suddenly had time for their hobbies again. It was hard to remember when Charles had been able to find enough time to go fishing. Now that they lived on a lake, he could just roll out of bed early, grab his fishing rod, and float out in his pajamas.

But as time passed, he got more and more restless. Something was missing. What could it possibly be?

Travel!

He called and made reservations for a flight to Egypt as a surprise.

“You know,” he said as he brandished a printout of the tickets, “We had kids so fast, we never had a chance to go traveling together. Mom and Fabian can look after the triplets. I think it’s time for a second honeymoon.”

“I knew there was a reason I married you!” Veronica threw herself into her arms, laughing.

“I hope you don’t mind that Ada’s coming too,” Charles said. “We’ve been traveling together since we were kids. She loves to paint in exotic locations, but she’s not going to horn in on our time together.”

Veronica gave him a mock pout. “I suppose I can share all of Al Simhara with your sister.”

When Charles brought out his traveling knapsack to wait for the taxi to the airport, someone unexpected ran up to meet him.

“I’m not late am I?” Alberto asked.

“Um, late for what?” Charles asked, staring at him blankly.

“Ada told me to meet her here,” Alberto said. “She said she was going to take me traveling! I’ve been saving up to take a trip out of Sunset Valley forever!”

“She invited you?” Charles said, raising his eyebrows. “She didn’t tell me.”

“Yeah. I hope we’ll all get along great. Your wife should remember me. I stripped for her at her bachelorette party.”

Charles looked Alberto up and down. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Then he sneezed. “Aaaahtchoo!”

“Bless you,” Charles said.

“Thanks,” Alberto said, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. “Hey, there’s not much dust or mold in Egypt is there? I’m allergic.”

Charles sighed. “You’d better take that up with Ada,” he said.

Alberto couldn’t stop talking all the way to Egypt. Eventually, Charles and Veronica slipped to some empty seats in the back to leave him and Ada alone.

“This is amazing!” Alberto exclaimed when they made it to base camp. “This place just cries out for adventure!”

“And so much to paint!” Ada agreed.

Charles left them to make eyes at each other and slipped away to move their stuff into the tent. When he emerged, he was dressed to get grubby. “Ada, I was thinking you’d like to show Alberto around the area,” he said. “I have a tip for some an unexplored tomb in the area. Veronica and I could check it out.”

Veronica’s eyes glittered. “I’ve never been tomb raiding,” she said eagerly. “I bet there’s a lot of danger.”

“Can’t I come too?” Alberto pleaded. “You can’t imagine how long I’ve been dreaming of this kind of adventure. And you’re an oldtimer who can show me how it’s done!”

“Oldtimer, right,” Charles said levelly. “Well, Veronica and I are here on our first big getaway since we got married. You and Ada should go make your own romance.”

“Oh, it’s fine!” Ada said brightly. “I brought my easel to paint the pyramid. I’m sure Alberto will have a better time with you two.”

“Please?” Alberto said.

Veronica started laughing. “It’s ok,” she said. “Come along. Charles can make it up to me later.”

“This is so incredible,” Alberto gaped as Charles escorted his guests into the ruin. “Everything’s so old!”

“You have to know where to look for hidden switches,” Charles said, beginning to warm up to having an audience. Long ago, Grandad Lancelot had taught him the same things. “See these scrapes on the floor?” He took Veronica’s hand. “I’m going to bet that if we stand here –“

A rattling scraping sound echoed through the room. Charles gestured to the newly opened doorway. “You’ll find the way to the catacombs.”

“Me next!” Alberto chortled. Then he glanced to his side, “Wow, I guess that guy didn’t know about the scrapes on the floor, huh?”

“Treasure!” he dashed through the chamber door to open the chest within.

“Good for you!” Charles said. “We don’t have to look for any more hidden passages here. Job well done! Now, you can get back to Ada, Alberto.” Veronica snorted and put her hand over her mouth, eyes dancing. Charles winked at her as he floated by.

They emerged into the Egyptian sun. The next step was to find an antiquities dealer for the artifacts they’d uncovered. Alberto wasn’t nearly as excited about that prospect, so Charles and Veronica were able to disentangle and wander down to the bazaar together.

The dealer, however, treated Charles in the way to which he had long become accustomed.

He kept his meeting with her as short as possible and finished their dealing with a weary smile. The thing about people finding you repulsive was that you got a little extra bargaining power.

Veronica, however, stared silent daggers as they haggled. When Charles turned back to base camp, she took matters into her own hands.

“If my husband weren’t one of the most gracious men alive,” she hissed. “He would have ripped you a new one you rude little wench. Let me do it for him.”

The result was probably not an advance in ghost-human relations, but it at least made Veronica feel better.

Meanwhile, Ada didn’t set her easel up after all when the trio disappeared to treasure hunt. Instead, she had a long argument with her muse.

“What do you know about love?” she demanded. “The trouble with you is that you think you’re real.”

“I will not be talked to like that by a figment of my own imagination!”

“The trick,” she confided to the leprechaun looking over her shoulder, “is that you have let an uppity muse know who’s boss.”

Once Alberto was safely reunited with his girlfriend at base camp, Charles and Veronica slipped off to the tombs to do some more exploration of their own.

“Now THIS is more like it,” Charles said.

“Come on now,” Veronica said. “It’s time for you to make it up to me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

And the tomb of Queen Hatshepsut saw a lot more action that night than she had seen in a very, very long time.

Ada and Alberto watched the sun go down together.

“I didn’t know they lit up the Pyramid,” Alberto said. “Ingenious.”

“You’re lit up like the Pyramid in my eyes,” Ada said. “Wait, my muse told me to say that. She’s really pretty stupid about love.”

Alberto chuckled. “I think I know what you mean. Thank you.”

“This part I thought about all on my own!” she said and got down on one knee.

“You’re kidding!” Alberto gasped. “You got me a ring! Hee! Hee! So romantic.”

Then he sobered. “Wait. You mean this is THE ring, don’t you? Are you asking me to marry you?”

“Please promise be my husband and from this day forward, promise to only take your clothes off for me.”

“Ada my love, this seems so totally backward and yet so wonderful. Nothing would make me happier than to take my clothes off just for you.”

Alberto pulled Ada into his arms.

And very quickly made good on his promise.

———-

Whee! Thought I’d never post again, didn’t you? I was starting to wonder myself.

Charles is back to adventuring. And wow, the animations that go with the “Talk to Self” insane interaction are just gold.

I finally came across a good shot of Veronica in her midlife crisis makeover. However, here it seemed more logical for her to change back to her simpler torn jeans look. So instead I put the shot back on the midlife crisis post: Here. Eventually we’ll see Veronica in her Eccentric scientist look in the plot, but it seems to be taking a silly amount of time with all the other plots going on.

Charles came strolling into the house with a string of fresh caught fish to fry and was stunned at what he saw.

“Hello!” Ada called as she walked down the stairs. “I want to talk to you!”

Charles grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the office and out of sight. “Ada!” he hissed. “There’s a guy cooking in our kitchen!”

“I know, silly,” Ada said. “That’s Kirby Hawkins. He’s our butler.”

Charles blinked. “We have a butler?”

Ada beamed. “We do now! I called up the service and hired him yesterday.”

“Why on earth did you think we needed a butler?”

Ada shrugged. “They wear monocles, and monocles are really neat.”

So the Samples had a butler. It took some getting used to, but after a while even Charles had to admit that there were some advantages to having live-in help. Kirby eagerly learned recipes for Charles’s fish, and the house was always filled with the delicious scents of fresh gourmet food. The family had never eaten so well.

Fabian was a little put out, though. He loved to cook, and now there was no reason to.

After a while, though, the leftovers were piling up in the fridge. Kirby began stacking plates on top of plates. Food began to go bad.

“I think we really have enough to eat,” Charles said pointedly when he found Kirby in the kitchen making yet another delicious batch of poached salmon. “There’s water pooling up on the back deck. Would you, um, mind cleaning it up?”

“I’ll do that immediately, sir!” Kirby said, and he meant it. It dropped the platter of salmon on the counter and dashed out the door.

And he scrubbed. And scrubbed. And scrubbed.

The back deck was certainly a lot to clean, and it seemed like no sooner had Kirby made it spotless before the garden sprinklers came on and showered more water on it to mop up.

Kirby took to roaming around the back yard at all hours, muttering about cleaning supplies.

He stopped bothering to put on his suit and monocle, which disappointed Ada to no end.

One morning, Charles woke up to Veronica shaking him. Her face managed to look both delighted and terrified all at once.

“I couldn’t wait to tell you,” she said breathlessly. “I took the test, and it’s positive. We’re going to be parents!”

“Oh, wow,” Charles gasped. “I don’t know what to say. I think I need a drink. Would you like, um, a glass of water.”

Then he froze. “What is HE doing here?”

“Who?” Veronica said.

Charles stared across their bed at Kirby Hawkins.

He looked like he’d been sleeping in the back yard again, and Charles could smell him from across the room.

“What the heck were you doing?” Charles demanded. “Watching us sleep?”

Kirby gave him a twisted smile. “There’s water on the back deck again,” he said. “I have to mop it up.”

“You are one heck of a creepy bastard,” Charles said. “You’re fired! Get off my property or I’ll get you off!”

And that was the end of the Samples’ experiment with live-in help.

———-

Ada got a high-value wish to hire a butler, so I gave one a try. OK, I don’t see the point. He cooked about 4x the food the household actually needed and did very little cleaning, which we really did need. And there’s an interaction to ask the butler to cook, which I never needed to prompt him to do, but not one to ask him to clean!

Once he did do some cleaning, it’s like he never even tried to go back to his bedroom to sleep.

I wish I’d taken more pictures of him cooking, so there would be more photo continuity for the first part. But I had no idea how messed up he was going to get. I did include the closeup, though, because I thought his eyes were awesome.

At least ours didn’t set the house on fire like DragonWife’s. Charles tried to fire him, and it failed, just like it did for her. I had to use the Dismiss option, which worked.