Tag Archive | leah

5.8 Please Hold Me

Forest woke late the next morning.

His mouth was dry. His head was pounding. He could only dimly recall waking up on the front lawn at dawn and dragging himself up to his bedroom.

What Flynn had done to him was only too obvious. It was clear that Flynn had some kind of supernatural powers — he was too young, too strong, too cold to the touch. Now Forest knew what kind of supernatural first hand.

As the fog cleared from his head, another frightening possibility occurred to him. He pulled on clothes and dashed to the bathroom to peer at himself in the mirror.

Not a mark or a blemish. No visual evidence at all that a creature of the night had taken a nightcap from his jugular vein. Though the skin around the puncture was tender when he touched it. He couldn’t even try to convince himself it was a dream.

As to whether Flynn had done more than just drink, there was nothing in his reflection to tell him. What else could Flynn have done? Turned him into another vampire, certainly, though Forest would like to think he would feel something if that had happened.

Flynn had played his hand. Not Forest at least knew what he was. What he didn’t know was whether last night’s display of power had been a hazing ritual for a new recruit or some kind of declaration of hostilities. What could Forest expect from now on?

One thing he did know — he was going to have to protect himself. Forest knew precious little about vampires, and he was going to have to start learning fast.

After drinking all the orange juice in the refrigerator, Forest felt a little better. But instead of heading to the Arcane Institute to look for references on vampirism, he instead grabbed his phone to call Ali.

They met at Enchanted Mirror Art Gallery in a downpour that kept most sane people at home.

“Are you all right?” Ali asked. “You sounded terrible on the phone!”

Forest beckoned her inside to mostly-vacant building to get them out of the rain. He opened his mouth to tell her everything — his plans and frustrations, his terror at coming face to face with his first dangerous supernatural creature, the nagging loneliness that followed him everywhere but when he was with her.

What would she think if she knew what kind of life he really led? Instead, his sense of self-protection won over. “I just had a bad day yesterday,” he said. “I was hoping we could hang out and you could help me relax.”

“Oh,” Ali said, her eyes searching his face for more information. “I had a really bad day too.” And she started to tell him about some sort of high-stress presentation she had to give at work.

“Never mind about that,” Forest said, reaching for her. “Let’s get to the relaxing part.”

“Hey!” Ali snapped, stepping out of reach of his arms. “I’m really not in the mood. Have you been listening to how much stress I’m under?”

Even Ali had it in for him. “You’re supposed to be the one who’s there for me!” he cried. “I called you up looking for support, and this is how you treat me!”

“How can I be a supportive girlfriend if you won’t even tell me what you’re upset about?” Ali demanded. “You don’t tell me anything about yourself. And I don’t know about you, but I expect a boyfriend to be for me too! I’m starting to wonder what I get out of this relationship.”

Forest just stared at her. “I’m sorry,” he said in a tired voice. “Tell me about your presentation.”

Ali shook her head. “I have a headache, and I’m going to be up all night writing this thing. I’m going to head home. I hope you feel better, Forest.”

Forest watched her go, and suddenly loneliness seemed as frightening as vampires.

If Sky pretended the drink had alcohol in it, it was almost as relaxing as a real cocktail.

She’d taken the test four times, and the result was the same every time. She was pregnant. That shouldn’t be possible.

At last, she nerved herself up and brought the test to her mother. She couldn’t come up with anything to say, so she just handed the pee-stick to Veronica without commentary.

Veronica started at it, her eyes widening. “Well,” she said. “Congratulations? It looks like I’m going to be a grandmother.”

“I can’t be pregnant!” Sky burst out. “I’m a virgin!”

Veronica raised her eyebrows and gave Sky That Look. “I love you, my dear,” she said. “But I’m not that gullible.”

Sky flushed. “I’m a virgin in the way that counts for babies,” she said. “I’ve never been with a guy.” She knew that she and Leah could have children someday — if they wanted them — via a medical fertilization procedure, but that wasn’t something that happened unexpectedly.

Veronica sighed. “Oh dear,” she said. “I hypothesized that this might be possible, but it just seemed too crazy.”

“What might be possible?” Sky demanded.

“Sit down,” Veronica said. “I’ll make us some coffee.”

Sky waited nervously while Veronica outlined some of her research in the spirit world. “I don’t think it’s the same for you and Charles,” she said. “I think the part of your soul connected to the Netherworld just reaches out and binds on to life wherever it finds it. I don’t know how you feel about this, but I only wanted to have one child. After Charles demonstrated his, um, alarming fertility, I had myself sterilized to prevent any more unplanned children. Not that I’d unmake any of you,” she added hastily.

Sky nodded slowly. “So I could, like, get pregnant from a really good kiss or something?”

Veronica shrugged. “I hope not. Your guess is probably better than mine because it’s your body. It’s not like we have a lot of test subject for people with partial ghost genetics.”

“It would be good to know this before,” Sky said plaintively.

Veronica gave her a hug. “We’re here for you, and I’m happy for a grandchild however I get one.”

Sky wasn’t so sure about the part where she was having the child, but it seemed she was stuck with it. The question was how to bring it up with Leah.

She, Leah, and Adam Bookabet had started jamming in clubs on off hours. The clubs got a bit of extra live entertainment, and they got a chance to play on some nice instruments. The group had decided to call themselves Ghostwriter, which fit since Sky wrote most of their songs. Folks seemed to like what they heard, or at least the ones who stuck around did.

Sky found she already had to wear loose-fitting clothes, so if she didn’t say something soon, the problem was going to start to get obvious.

“Hey,” said said to Leah as they were packing up after a nice session. “I was wondering if I could have a word with you.”

“That’s an odd way to say it,” Leah said. She saw the terrified look on Sky’s face and grew visibly alarmed. “Something’s wrong. Tell me.”

Sky opened her mouth, but her mind went blank. “I’m pregnant,” she blurted out. “I’m having your baby.”

Leah stared at her blankly. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“I’d never kid about that,” Sky said. “I’m really pregnant. And I know this is hard to believe, but it’s really your baby. Mom can explain what happened. I couldn’t follow all of it.”

Leah froze, her jaw hanging open.

Then she struggled to pull herself together. “That’s insane,” she said. “I don’t care what your mom says. Getting pregnant doesn’t work that way.”

Sky reached out to hold her girlfriend. “I love you, Leah,” she said earnestly. “You have to believe me.”

“Don’t touch me!” Leah cried.

Then, “Look, I’m sorry. You’re just not making sense. Why don’t you have a good night’s sleep. Maybe things will look different in the morning.”

Sky looked at her miserably. “It won’t be any different in the morning.”

Leah backed away from Sky, said her goodbyes, and vanished into the darkness. Sky was left to wonder if she’d just ruined the best thing that had ever happened to her.

———-

What really happened with Forest is that he asked Ali out on a date to the art museum, which was set to No Visitors for some bizarre reason (I fixed it after that scene). Ali was running pretty low on motives, and then while I was off dealing with something else, Forest autonomously used the voodoo doll to make her pee herself. GOOD GOING, Forest! Can you help me out a little here? After that, Ali was having nothing to do with affection.

It seemed like a good hint that even a love spell can wear thin after a while.

Leah was also running low on motives after the jam session. Sky tried to help by zapping her, but it failed out and took her clothes off for a few seconds. I couldn’t figure out anything to do with that in the story, so it’ll have to stay between us.

Note Nemo Hodgins and Alberto Sample-Royale in the audience. Adam Bookabet is there the whole time but manages to stand behind Sky or Leah in every shot.

5.4 Open Doors

Apr16

Things only seemed to get more intense for Sky and Leah.

They liked to keep things adventurous, and they were always sneaking away to woohoo in strange and exciting locations.

When Leah wasn’t around, Sky was usually thinking about her.

Hunter was also in a pretty good mood, though he didn’t talk much about details.

Forecasts warned that this would be a record-breaking winter in Avalon. Hunter stored most of his seeds and moved a few important plants into a makeshift greenhouse to last out the cold.

But the thing that his family noticed most was that he was suddenly spending a lot of time sending email on the computer. Sky thought she heard him say something about Eliana Baerwyn. She still had another term left in high school, so email seemed like a good place to talk.

Meanwhile, time passed for the Samples. Veronica and Forest bonded over chess — it was a good thing to fall back on when they couldn’t find much to talk about.

Charles took care of Ghost.

And one day Veronica’s phone rang. When she answered, it was the Mayor of Avalon on the line. They wanted to give her the key to the city as a tribute to all her work with the supernatural.

It took a lot to floor Veronica Krane Sample, but this definitely was it.

On the day of the ceremony, the old Motive Mobile pulled up at the gates of Camelot.

Sky took the chance to entertain the crowd before the ceremony began. If nothing else, it was a good way to increase her visibility.

Shanni made it to the ceremony. “I’m getting too old for this sort of thing,” she admitted. “But then again, I’m getting too old for a lot of things these days.” It was hard to take her seriously when she said that while she was holding her toddler daughter Holly.

Jeannette was there, along with Shanni’s elder daughter with Jeanna, Renee.

Jeanna and Shanni had shared a long and loving marriage after all, which was more than Shanni thought she was offering when they got married. They took every day as a gift.

It was a gift that couldn’t keep giving forever, unfortunately. This was the last time Shanni spent time with her extended family. She died quietly in her sleep not long after. Since she and Jeanna were married, she’d been saying, “If I die in bed with a hot younger woman, I’ll consider myself lucky.” And that’s exactly how it worked out.

As the clock struck 4pm, Veronica stepped into the Great Hall and accepted the award from the major, who she’d never met before. He shook her hand warmly and thanked her for everything she’d done for supernatural understanding within Avalon and throughout the simworld.

Veronica, who had been thinking for a long time about how she would respond, grinned and said, “Yes. About that.”

She walked out of the hall onto the lawn, held up a flask filled with colored liquid. “This is my latest invention, and I think it might help with supernatural understanding.” Then she threw it at her feet. The crowd gasped as Veronica was enveloped in glowing smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Veronica was a ghost.

“I wanted to know what it’s like,” she declared in a voice that echoed like Charles’s. Then she floated over to her bemused husband.

He seemed awfully human and solid by comparison. But neither of them was really paying attention any longer.

“You always surprise me,” Charles said breathlessly when they returned home.

Veronica chuckled. “Well, I try.”

Then she was suddenly solid again. “Oh, that’s not fair!” Veronica exclaimed. “I was hoping it would at least last long enough for me to take you to bed. Now I’ll have to make another one!”

But in the meantime, they headed to bed anyway.

[I had a picture of the key, but I can’t seem to find it. I’ll put it in a post at some point.]

———-

This was a really cute end-of-career award opportunity that got totally borked in some later expansion. I ran it about five times, and the Mayor disappeared every time without giving Veronica the key. I assumed this had something to do with the Jynx rabbithole rug I was using for City Hall, but no — when I looked it up online, this opportunity has been borked for ages. So I built a story out of it and gave Veronica the key using buydebug. 🙂

And, once again, how the heck did Hunter get to be so hot??

This is where I finally had to kill Shanni manually. She was caught in some kind of in-between glitch where half the system thought she was dead and the other half did not. I felt bed doing it; she’s a favorite of mine. But she’d already lived an unnaturally long life, so it was way past time. I didn’t even know that Renee existed until this sequence. I was only aware of Holly, who was an adoptee I replaced with a genetic child by both of them — I couldn’t figure out why Jeanna was adopting, and when I went into MasterController to fix it, I discovered Shanni listed under dead sims. Renee certainly looks like she’s a genetic child of Shanni’s though.

5.2 Work Your Way Up

Apr8

The Charles Sample Martial Arts Academy barely needed Charles’s time anymore. Sometimes he felt like his biggest contribution these days was to hang his name on the door.

Charles was now a Grand Master, and he had blessed several Masters in the Sample Spirit branch of Sim Fu. They were doing most of the teaching now.

That was really how it should be. He didn’t want to be indispensable. He wanted to build something that would live on after he was gone. It looked like that was already happening. It made him feel good, though sometimes just a little bit lonely.

Of course, if he needed a bit of an ego boost, there were always students who desperately wanted to take lessons from him and him alone. Ariel Hodgins was that kind of student.

“Do you mind if I take a picture?” Ariel asked one day after their lesson. “I’ve always wanted a record of my hero doing, you know, every day stuff.”

“Uh, sure,” Charles said. “I was just going to send some email.”

“Thank you!” Ariel cried! “I’ll keep this on my phone forever!”

Her enthusiasm was good and cute until she started calling him up at home, hoping to get him to go out on a date.

Boundaries. Charles needed to set clearer ones, obviously.

Hunter was now pretty sure what he wanted to do when he grew up. Using his classes in sustainable food production from the Round Table Academy, he’d taken over the garden started by his great-grandmother Layla and made it thrive.

And it didn’t hurt that he knew exactly what to do with the food he produced. The Sample family was eating in style these days.

But it did take something of a sales pitch. “I was thinking I could turn this isn’t a business,” he told his parents. “Locally grown, sustainable food, and maybe some guidelines on how to prepare it. It’s just that, um, I can’t really afford the kind of land it would take to do this on my own yet. If I could continue to live with you guys while I get on my feet, I’m sure I could make it worth your while.”

“Just keep cooking!” Veronica declared between mouthfuls.

Charles watched Hunter with his gentle smile, but his eyes were alight with pride. “You didn’t fall far from the tree, did you?” he said quietly. “I think your mother agrees with me that you can stay as long as you like. It’s not like we’re so eager to kick you out.

Hunter beamed. “Thanks Dad, Mom! You won’t regret it, I swear.”

“We couldn’t possibly regret helping you follow your dreams,” Charles said.

So with some advice from his father on self-employment, Hunter headed down to Avalon’s Great Hall to fill out a lot of very tedious paperwork.

He was now a certified organic farmer! Well, he would be once the inspections and certification process were done.

After that, it was just a matter of finding customers! No big deal, right? Well, seeing as he hated talking to people he didn’t know, that would be the hardest part. But he was going to give it his best try.

Sky and Leah were seeing a lot of each other, and that meant really a lot.

“The thing is,” Sky said, “If we practice really hard, I think we could make a living with our music. You’re a great jazz pianist. I think we have a shot at this.”

Leah was more skeptical. “Most garage bands never make it out of the garage,” she said. “I don’t think I’m ready to give up a day job.”

Leah was in training to be a police officer, and her work hours were only going to get longer once she got out of the police academy. Sky figured that she had until Leah graduated to persuade her to quit.

So they spent most of their time practicing. And practicing. And practicing.

Enigma appreciated the music the most. Sometimes she came down to join in.

“She isn’t half bad,” Leah pointed out. “I’m not sure if that says good things about our music, though.”

Actually, they were starting to sound pretty good. Charles sometimes came down to the basement just to groove.

“You really shouldn’t ever dance where I can see you, Dad,” Sky pointed out.

Charles rolled his eyes. “You think you can make me self-conscious just because you’re my daughter? In my day, I creeped out more hipsters than you before breakfast. Just shut up and play.”

“I think we can do this!” Sky said as they were wrapping up one evening.

“I think you’re right!” Leah squealed. They threw themselves into each other’s arms.

“Do you think you’d consider it?” Sky said for the dozenth time. “Just consider making a living as a musician? With me?”

Leah took a deep breath. “I’m thinking about it. It’s just such a big leap of faith. I’m not sure I’m ready.” Then she looked deep into Sky’s eyes. “But I think I know one thing I AM ready for.”

Sky gulped. “Really? With me?” She was exhilarated and terrified all at the same time.

Leah giggled. “Who else do you think I’d want to do it with? I only have eyes for you.”

“You’re amazing,” Sky breathed. “And beautiful. And sexy. And a whole bunch of adjectives I can’t think of right now.” And she lost herself in Leah’s kisses.

Then, abruptly, she pulled back, looking embarrassed. “Um,” she said. “There’s this problem of where. My bedroom is so tiny.”

Leah pulled her close. “Then let’s get creative.”

And they did.

“Oh, hey,” Charles said when he came downstairs the next morning. “I thought you’d gone home.”

“Ah,” Leah said, casting about for where Sky had gone. “No, I, um, didn’t”

Charles raised his eyebrows. “Ah, I see. Well, I hope you and Sky had a very nice time.”

Well THAT was awkward.

———-

Sky and Leah really are very cute together :).

5.1 The First (and Last) Day of the Rest of Your Life

Apr4

The day dawned cold and rainy, but that couldn’t keep anyone’s spirits down.

It was Graduation Day!

The crowd at the Great Hall for the ceremony was boggling.

All the people was just exhausting for Hunter. He had to back away and close his eyes for a bit.

Great Aunt Toya Ursine-Sample was there with her half-sister and foster-daughter Valerie Ursine Mentary. Valerie was sporting a great big ring and an an even bigger smile.

Her new husband was the renowned Mad Scientist Doctor U. Mentary.

Sure, he was a bit old for her, but her father Harvey Ursine had been a bit old for her mother Zelda Mae too. What did age matter when love was on the line?

Leah joined them at the ceremony, along with their mutual friend Adam Bookabet. Sky thought Leah looked amazing in graduation gowns.

Then again, Leah looked amazing in anything… or nothing a all.

The ceremony ran on forever, and Forest’s speech as Valedictorian made it even worse. Forest just couldn’t stop talking himself up. But at last, after dark, they escaped with their diplomas.

Then all hell broke loose.

And that wasn’t the worst of it.

The shock of seeing U. go was apparently too much for Toya. There were rumors about her and U, though Valerie always denied them.

Toya hadn’t built a corrupt political empire nearly as large as she’d planned when she was young. She kept getting distracted by being a mother. You could argue that she was better at the motherhood part.

Poor Valerie. She lost the two people closest to her in the same day.

Days after, she would learn she was pregnant. Fortunately, she still had Adjo and Toya’s children, who she had been raised with as siblings, to take care of her while she got back on her feet. Taking care of people was something that the Ursine-Samples did very well.

———-

Well, that was a bit of a downer of a graduation. And sorry for all the noxious green clouds. Mandatory graduation actions hit without warning at a very inopportune time.

So here’s the end of U’s story. He lived much longer, but had almost as problematic a life in my game as his own story. After dithering between Toya and Valerie for quite a while, he settled down with Valerie, but they didn’t get long together.

This stuff actually happened a couple of days after the events of the next couple of posts because graduation lags so far behind age-up. So I placed in the story where it would make more sense.

I have played quite a bit ahead now, and I think I’m going to head over and play the Wonderlands for a while. I have a lot of material for posts before I catch up :).