“This is a mess!” Dylan shouted.

“I told you not to go in the bathroom!” Victoria called back. “I’m fixing it, I swear!”

“And now Connery needs a bath too! I don’t even want to know what he’s rolling in.”

“Oh, Dylan, you’re being so… Dylan,” Andria said. “Give the kid a break.”

“My apologies,” Dylan said. “A big mess like this makes me a little unhinged.”

“You’re cute when you’re unhinged,” Andria said.

“Mom! Dad! Could you go somewhere else!” Victoria said. “I need to fix the bathtub.”

After she fixed the bathtub for the second time, Victoria return to work on the stereo, which was staunchly refusing to be repaired.

That went about as expected.

Dylan was still cleaning the floor in the bathroom,

so Victoria had to clean off upstairs.

She was really starting to hate that stereo.

The Samples extended clan decided to do something different for Snowflake Day this year — a family reunion at the festival park.

The day dawned bleakly overcast and snowing heavily, with the potential of a serious storm later. After a quick conference by telephone tree (because Dylan had never been comfortable with email), everyone decided to head to Little Cottage Park and hope for the best.

Victoria pulled Edmund onto the skating rink.

With mixed results.

For both of them.

Winston expressed his feelings about the weather in a more passive-aggressive way.

Gamora, on the other hand, wasn’t terribly interested in family reunions. She had different plans for Snowflake Day.

She’d found a chemical compound that she could use to treat raw eggs that made them bond with the surface they touched.

Her victim would have to have his door sanded and repainted to get them out.

Even better, her victim turned out to be home. She’d like to claim that the egg that hit him in the face was intentional, but he just managed to open the door at just the right time….

She did manage to throw a couple of eggs into his foyer. That was a bonus.

“What can I do to get you to leave me alone!!” Whitney shouted.

“Oh, you can’t do anything,” Gamora said. “I’ll stop when I’m done with you. Don’t hold your breath.”

Whitney called the cops, of course, but Gamora was safe at home by then.

When she returned home from her mischief, Sawyer was happy to see her. “I hope you’ve had a nice Snowflake Day,” he said. “Social custom dictates that we spend the day bonding.”

Sawyer would probably appreciate her project to punish sims who had hurt him, but Gamora deemed it prudent not to let him know when she broke the law. So she just smiled. “Sure, Dad. What did you have in mind?”

“Have you ever tried a mind meld?” Sawyer asked. “I haven’t tried one in years.”

“Never heard of it,” Gamora said, “but I’m willing to try.”

“I have been really lax with your television education,” Sawyer said. “Remind me to remedy that.”

“Huh,” Gamora said. “I don’t get it.”

“It used to work better than that,” Sawyer admitted with a scowl.

So they played chess instead. That was something they could both appreciate.

The Sample extended family arrived at Little Cottage, starting with Dylan’s cousin Gina Sample-Baerwyn.

She brought her little daughter Leona, who she was raising alone after her boyfriend’s sudden death. She wasn’t interested in talking about the tragedies of her life, but she was delighted with her daughter.

Uncle Stanley Marmalade, Aunt Abby’s half-brother, was also there. He technically didn’t share any blood with Dylan’s family due to Grandma Sky’s messed-up relationships, but nobody really cared.

Stanley was there alone. He was full of stories about his sons and bleary-eyed from new baby sleep. Andria found him sitting outside in the snow and had to pull him inside.

His partner Jody was home with their school-aged son Chauncey and new baby boy Sidney.

“I know what we all need!” Winston declared. “Hot cocoa! I brought my own cocoa beans. I want to try out a new recipe.”

While Winston was preparing his concoction and nobody was watching, Edmund made snow angles outside.

“Wow!” Victoria said. “I never knew hot cocoa could taste so good!”

“Thanks!” Winston said. “I think I’ll add more cinnamon next time.”

“This really is amazing,” Dylan said. “It’s good to get us all together. I wish Abby and Chaim could have made it”

“I married into an amazing family,” Andria said with a smile.

“Of course you did,” Dylan said with a twinkle in his eye. “You married me!”

———-

And the race is on to finish Gen 6 before the end of the year. One more post to go! Can I do it??

“And then she just walked away!” Edmund ranted at breakfast. “I just don’t understand women.”

“It’s probably not much comfort, son,” Dylan said, “but I’ve come to believe that if you’ve with a woman you don’t understand, you’re with the wrong woman.”

Edmund went on to take out his anxiety with a new spell.

That didn’t turn out well at all.

He set the magic aside after that and spent some time focusing on art with his father. That was still the language they could communicate in best.

He did produce a landscape he was particularly proud of.

Sawyer lined up some personal meetings with other neuroscience experts.

He had so much expertise to share with the smaller, less important researchers.

If only they would be a little more grateful.

Dylan and Andria had one more box to check off of their list of things to do on their second honeymoon.

Nectar tasting!

The nectarer had clearly sampled a bit too much of his own wares.

Andria made the first selection.

“Gak!”

“That tasted like a dead horse,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever really figured out this nectar stuff.”

“Let me pick one,” Dylan said soothingly.

“You go first,” Andria said.

“Mmmm,” Dylan said. “Fruity with a hint of floral.”

“All right,” Andria said. “If you think this one is good, I’ll give it a shot.”

“Hmmm,” she said, rolling the nectar over her tongue.

“No, I’m sorry, it’s still terrible.”

Dylan laughed and took her hands. “That’s what I love about you,” he said.

“That I can’t stand nectar?”

“Well, maybe in spite of that,” Dylan said.

“Ooop!” she squeaked as he knocked her off her feet.

“What are you doing?”

“Is it that hard to guess?”

“We need to go back to the tower,” Andria said huskily when she came up for breath.

“No,” Dylan said. “Absolutely not.”

“You know you want to try again,” she teased.

“I do not — all right, but whatever happens is your fault.”

“Last chance to chicken out,” Andria said.

“Nope,” Dylan retorted. “Too late.”

He took her by the hand, and they took the elevator to the top.

This time, they picked a better hiding place, and nobody found them.

“I guess I haven’t lost it after all!” Dylan chortled as they left.

“Remember,” Andria said. “I get full credit. You already said so. No takebacks!”

Before they left, Dylan found a perfect place to photograph a landscape to remember it by.

Back at the hotel, Edmund had started acting very strange.

“What in the simworld are you doing?” Dylan asked.

“It’s a spell I’ve been working on,” Edmund said. “It’s intended to coax a dragon hatching out of its shell.”

“Ah, right,” Dylan said. “I’ll just, ah, leave you to it.”

While Edmund made strange gestures and muttered to the egg, Dylan busied himself tidying up. They were headed home tonight, and it would be improper to leave the place a mess.

“Wait!” a guest cried. “What’s wrong with that rock?!”

The shards of the egg fell apart and dissolved into sparkling dust.

The creature inside immediately jumped off the ground and flew to Edmund’s outstretched arm.

“I’ll call you Kalai,” he said.

“Is that really a lizard on your shoulder?” another guest demanded. “Is that sanitary? Should that be in a bedroom?”

Edmund scowled. “Nobody here appreciates magic.”

The return flight left that evening. “There’s no time for me to cool a fancy dinner,” Andria said. “I think I’ll just grill something at the fire pit.”

“Yike!”

“OK, new plan. We’re going out to eat.”

Back home, Victoria and Winston set about erasing the traces of their party.

Victoria tried to repair the shorted out stereo.

Which required a bath.

Which required another repair.

Winston, meanwhile, kept his promise to Victoria about the den. After the party, you almost couldn’t tell that it had been cleaned beforehand.

Gamora had no more interest in the aftermath of the party than she did in the party itself. She ignored what her cousins did and focused on scheming.

First she perfected her formula.

Whitney Ursine-Sample had just been practice. Now she had her sights set on her mother, Manisha Kapoor-Yo.

Her chemical formula, when ignited, would make their house stink for days.

The best part was, while her father, aunt, and uncle were away, she was untouchable. A neighbor saw her lurking around the Kapoor-Yo residence and called the cops. They escorted her home, but there was no adult for them to report to.

Freedom, sweet freedom.

Eventually, though, it all had to come to an end.

Dylan, Andria, Sawyer, and Edmund returned to a home that was just as they left it… only more so.

“I can’t believe it!” Dylan declared. “This place is even cleaner than I remember! I never thought you children would be so responsible.”

“Just don’t go into the bathroom,” Victoria said weakly.

Then Vickie caught sight of the shape on her older brother’s shoulder.

“What is THAT!” she exclaimed.

Edmund puffed up his chest. He didn’t need more explanation of what Victoria meant.

“This is Kalai,” he said. “She’s a rare dragon hatchling, thoroughly enchanted.”

“If you’re interested, I could show you the spells I designed to help her hatch.”

“Uh, sure,” Victoria said. “Maybe some other time.”

“Come one come all!” Andria exclaimed. “It’s time for the main event!”

Surrounded by family, Andria was finally ready to step into her next stage of life.

“I am ready to rock this old lady gig!”

Even Gamora decided to have some cake, just for family solidarity.

“Family,” Andria said. “That’s what it’s about. Also cake.”

———-

Dang, I let this post get LONG. I just really wanted to get through the vacation and back on track for Vickie’s birthday. It was so much fun to PLAY, but sheesh — time for the next generation to take over!

As a tribute to Andria, I think this is the first time that everyone has sat at the table without route-failing out of one of the end seats. Woot. I may have moved the table somewhat to accomplish that.

I was really excited to find the accessory shoulder dragon I’m using with Edmund. The baby dragon will sit on your shoulder for a while, but as soon as the sim does any action other than walking, it disappears into inventory. I’d like to see Edmund walk around with that dragon on his shoulder most of the time. UNFORTUNATELY, it took quite a while for me to realize that the accessory dragon doesn’t actually look like the real dragon. I’d love to learn enough CC skills to create a proper accessory dragon. Eventually I’ll find a forum to ask about that.

I thought it would be fun to have Dylan and Andria try woohooing in the Eiffel Tower again. This time they didn’t get caught! But the object STILL didn’t show any hearts or woohoo animation, which was a bummer. I’m not sure what’s up with that.

While I’m free associating in the notes, I’m experimenting with posting this stuff to Tumblr. I really like the Sims community there, but the lack of comments makes it very non-interactive. I’m not sure I’ll stick with it.

I am posting hair conversions over there, though: http://echoweaver.tumblr.com/

“Hmmm,” Gamora said. “This is more dramatic than I was expecting on a first test.”

“I’m getting some kind of feedback,” Sawyer said. “We’re in some kind of tachyon loop.”

“I see something!” Gamora.

“Gamora!” Sawyer shouted. “Step away from the prototype!”

Gamora jumped back, just as something burst from the time field and dropped to the floor.

“Heeey….” the something said.

“Who are you?” Gamora demanded. “WHAT are you?”

“Me?” he asked. “I’m Emit Relevart, time traveler extraordinare!”

“How did you get into our time machine?” Gamora asked. “This was our first prototype test.”

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Emit said. “But don’t bother. Time traveling is like that. You’d think that time loops would create some kind of paradox, but they actually happen all the time. This thing is probably your time machine and mine.”

“If you’re new to temporal travel, you should read up on the rules,” Emit said. “We try to help the newbies to the hobby avoid the worst mistakes.”

“Huh,” Gamora said. “I don’t know what to say. This isn’t the way I expected to discover time travel. I expected it would be more… pioneering.”

“Everyone does, squirt,” Emit said. “Everyone does.”

“I’ll let you in on a secret,” he continued, beckoning Gamora to lean close. “Everyone who ‘invents’ time travel thinks they’re the first one. Welcome to the club.”

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head out to some place less crowded with other travelers.”

He pulled out a device and pressed a few buttons. The time travel prototype shuddered and spiked in response. Then he was gone.

Sawyer and Gamora were left alone in the lab.

“Well, that was unsettling,” Sawyer said.

“I wondered whether I wanted to go to future or the past when we got this thing working,” Gamora mused. “Now I know where I’m going.”

Inside, romance was in the air.

“Hey, Cortney?” Winston said. “Dance class is out this week, and I was wondering if you’d like to–”

“Oh, sorry. Maybe some other time.”

Winston put his phone back in his pocket and stared at the floor for a while. There had been a time when Cortney Pierce-Hodgins had wanted to spend all her time with him. Now… what?

At almost the same time, Victoria was also fielding a phone call.

“Kain McWilliams? Of course I remember you from prom! A date? Uh, OK. When?”

Kain insisted that she pick a location. That’s how they ended up at the beach in the snow.

“Vickie!” Kain exclaimed. “It’s so good to see you. I have to say I’m kind of surprised by the venue, though. It’s it a little bit cold for the water?”

“It’s actually not that bad!” Victoria said. “The jetstream brings up a lot of warmer water from tropical seas. It’s just fine with a wetsuit.” At his horrified expression, she amended lamely, “I didn’t really think we’d swim. The view from the clubhouse is gorgeous.”

“I’ve never been inside the clubhouse,” Kain said, looking around appraisingly. “This is really nice. Thank you for showing it to me.”

“This is my favorite place in Avalon,” Victoria admitted, “even when it’s cold. You can still hear the waves and feel the ocean breeze.”

“It’s also deserted this time of year,” Kain said, “which is great for us. What a find!”

Victoria blanched. “And it has a great karyoke machine,” she said quickly. “Why don’t we play for a while?”

“Uh sure, if that’s what you like,” Kain said. “How do you set this thing up?”

Victoria was an old hat at the Morgana Beach karaoke machine. She and Judith had logged hours on it all through high school.

Kain wasn’t a bad singer, which was impressive, since Victoria knew the set list by heart, and he didn’t.

But Victoria had to admit that he was just weird about the whole thing. And there was something about the way he looked at her that made her uncomfortable.

What was he even doing with his head there?

At least the sound attracted in some other folks, so they weren’t alone. That helped Victoria relax a little bit.

After a few songs, Kain put his microphone away. He was watching her with that intensity that made her want to cringe away.

“That was a lot of fun,”  he said. “What would you think about continuing our date someplace more private?”

“Uh….” Victoria said. “I think I really should go home now. My, uh, parents expect my home for dinner.”

Kain’s face fell. “I see. I guess if you want to go out again, you should give me a call.”

Victoria escaped as fast as she could, feeling horrible. She’d hurt his feelings, and she knew it. He’d been so nice to her at the prom. They’d danced and laughed together. But on their own, without the flashing lights and shouting over the music, all she felt around him was uncomfortable.

Would she ever learn to turn someone down gracefully?

———-

I’ve played ahead at least eight posts worth of material, but I’ve been wrestling with writer’s block. Hopefully getting this out will help me power through it. In my game, Victoria has taken over the legacy, and I’m on the hunt for a spouse for her. (She, honestly, couldn’t care less so long as she can swim, sail, and build things.) It’s hard to figure out how to help her choose from her collection of admirers — being Irresistible, she doesn’t lack for romantic interests. Kain, the RI she picked up from prom, was easy to eliminate though.

Vickie gets a lot of wishes about that karaoke machine. You’re going to see it again.

#sims3challenge #sims3legacy #sims3story #thesims3

(Author’s note: I posted yesterday too. If you think you might have missed one, take a look.)

Andria was baking again, and we all know what that means.

This time, the birthday part was for Winston.

Andria tried a new recipe this time — angel food cake. Light, fluffy, and burning with its own personal flame.

“Victoria! You did your hair!” Abby called as she arrived. “By the way, do you know your stereo is broken?”

“I am a lean, mean, dancing machine,” Winston crowed.

Winston was the most social of the Sample kids. The invitation list for his party was long and filled with sims of all ages. Dylan and Andria had never even seen some of the guests — they were pretty sure at least one was a stranger who wandered in off the street.

“Happy birthday to you…!” everyone sang.

“Let’s eat cake!” Winston ordered.

“Let me serve,” Andria said. “I don’t want anyone to get burned.”

Guests crowded to the table

And spilled out into the living room.

Winston ended up giving his seat to someone else and eating in the middle of the action.

“Hi, Edmund,” Judith said.

“Urk,” Edmund answered.

Joy, standing right behind Judith, shouted, “I think the cake is burning a hole in the table!”

Andria dashed in to put out the flames, and Edmund sneaked away in the distraction.

Everyone partied until Dylan kicked them out so that he could sleep, and everyone was talking about the party the next day at school.

Winston couldn’t have been happier.

Sawyer was less impressed. The party was far too loud and rowdy for him to handle. As soon as the birthday singing was done, he escaped to the tech den and closed the door. Instead, he challenged Emily to a game of online chess.

And he won.

Then he wrapped up his slice of cake and slipped out the door to return home,

Where he ate it on the back deck in the falling snow.

Some of the less appropriate ones, she changed back later,

But she left a few as they were. The golden fire hydrant was an answer to the dream Connery never knew he had.

One evening, Andria had plans for Edmund. “You’ve taken the most interest in advanced magic,” she told him. “I wanted to show you more of the fae world.”

“There’s more?” Edmund asked.

“So much more,” Andria told him.

“Where are we?”

“A haven for pureblood fae,” Andria said. “Those of us who never adapted to humans tend to live around here. It’s a powerful place.”

“There are other fae around here?” Edmund said. “I don’t see anyone.”

“The purebloods come out when they feel like it.”

She shifted to her natural form. “Here. I want to teach you something.”

“Wow! What are you doing?”

“Peeking into your future! Now hush.”

“Huh,” said Edmund. “I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Sometimes they’re more useful,” Andria admitted. “Now you try.”

“Me?”

“Sure. You’re more powerful than I am. I know you can do it.”

“OK. Here goes.”

“Whoa,” Andria said. “Set it down.”

“What did I do?” Edmund asked, panicked.

“I just saw something really embarrassing. Let’s try this another time.”

Connery still wandered back and forth across the street between his families.

I was a good life for an old dog.

Connery also loved music. He was delighted by the broken stereo. It was perfect to howl with.

This began a special bond with Winston, who thought Connery’s singing was fabulous.

Now that she was off the book, Victoria was a lot more relaxed.

She almost had her grades back to where they were before she skipped.

Winston was rocking his new high school style.

He was able to advance to private instruction in dance.

When he was home, it was hard to pull Winston out of the kitchen. Now he was tall enough to work with adult-sized appliances, and there was so much to explore.

Andria didn’t seem to mind sharing the kitchen spotlight. She had plenty of advanced baking to focus on.

This time it was for a landmark in Dylan’s life.

Dylan didn’t mind growing old. It had a certain dignity to it. But a family party just didn’t suit his mood. Instead he chose to ring in his Elderhood at a wine tasting at Avalon Nectary. Dylan’s friend Fawn Rockwell, the owner of the nectary, was only too happy to share the space with him. Andria’s friend Manu took time off from the Consignment Shop to join them.

Dylan had no regrets.

As he blew out the candles, he could feel only contentment and pride over the art he had created and the family he’d helped to build.

*

He was ready to step into the next stage of life.

Andria’s cake was a big hit with the wine and cheese crowd.

Conversation was warm and jolly.

“Don’t think I’m going to put up with excuses about how you’re too old and feeble to do the dishes,” Andria warned.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, my lady,” Dylan assured her.

Afterward, Andria had a nice conversation with Stanley Marmalade’s fiancé Jody, who was launching a new career as a magician.

Then came the moment Dylan had been waiting for.

“I call this Chatau Sample Mead,” Dylan said. “All indications are that it should be the best nectar I have ever produced.

“Here,” said the receptionist, “Let me get a picture before we taste it!”

“I just know it will be amazing!”

“I certainly hope so,” Andria said, trying to keep her voice positive.. Clearly this woman wasn’t familiar with Dylan’s previous nectar.

She took a deep breath and sipped.

At first, she couldn’t speak.

“Tell me what you think,” Dylan said anxiously. “Be honest. I mean really honest. I have to know so that I can improve the recipe.”

“This is amazing!” Andria exclaimed. “And I mean it!”

It was the first truly good bottle of nectar Dylan had never made. And it wasn’t just good, it was like liquid pleasure all the way down.

“You finally got it right,” Andria said.

Dylan smiled. “It’s about time.”

———-

It was a nice treat for Dylan to serve some of his nectar and it NOT cause nauseated moodlets! Woot!

I’m so in love with all of Gen 7! I have loved previous generations of kids, but this batch as a whole is the shining star of the legacy so far. They all look different and interesting, and they all have fascinating personalities. I’d be delighted with any of them as heir. What I’m distraught about is that I don’t have enough household space for everyone to stick around to pursue LTWs. Somebody is going to have to leave shortly after adulthood. This makes me want to cry.

Annnd, Winston’s fourth trait totally rocks my concept for where his character is going. He rolled Natural Born Performer. It meshes perfectly with his personality. But I had intended to let his Natural Cook trait guide his career path and have him open a restaurant. With both Athletic and Natural Born Performer, though, he almost has to be an acrobat.

Sadly, Andria didn’t actually bake the angel food cake. That requires maxxed cooking, and she’s at level 9. It takes a LOT of cooking to get from level 9 to level 10, and despite the screen time it gets in this legacy, it’s not a LTW-grade skill of hers. Edmund got a chance card at The Round Table while he was on his date with Judith. Somebody spilled wine on his shirt, and he got an entire cake as compensation from the embarrassed waitstaff. I decided to use that instead of a birthday cake because, quite frankly, I am sick to death of the same two birthday cakes. I am SO happy Sims 4 make all cakes usable as birthday cakes.

Wow, the pic of Judith talking to Edmund in the kitchen doorway is captivating. I’m not sure I realized until this moment what an attractive sim she is. She’s a service sim — former newspaper girl who I moved into town as the foster daughter of the schoolteacher. I have NRaas set to breed my service and role sims by combining the genes of two randomly-selected sims from either the town or my sim bin; that seemed like the only way to avoid drowning in Face One.  Her skintone and eyes tell me that one of her parents was a Marmalade from the Sweetest of Dreams Wishacy. Too bad that challenge seems to have died, and just when Hunter married the patroness and had two adorable toddlers. Ah well.

ONE MORE POST.

#sims3challenge #sims3legacy #sims3story #thesims3

“Mom, please talk to Dad!” Victoria begged. “I’m really sorry I skipped school, and I’ll never do it again, but he just won’t let me off the hook!”

“Victoria, your father and I agreed on this punishment together,” Andria said. “You destroyed our trust in you, and we need some sign that you learned something.”

“Edmund was ground for like a day, and you helped him convince Dad to let him off the hook,” Victoria said with a scowl. “Why are you treating me so different.”

“Edmund lost track of time at the library,” Andria pointed out. “You skipped school, sneaked away, and scared us all day.”

Just then Edmund walked by to grab a snack.

“You don’t have to rub it in,” Victoria said.

“I didn’t say anything!” Edmund protested.

Victoria stalked off to her bedroom to sulk some more.

“You and Dad really are being kind of rough on Vickie,” Edmund said. “She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.”

“You’re not an adult yet, kiddo,” Andria retorted. “Don’t push it.”

At the Sawyer Sample house, Sawyer appreciated his newfound silence. It was much easier to keep up with his medical journals.

Gamora had started some kind of correspondence course.

She told Sawyer that it was Advanced Quantum Physics, which she couldn’t get in Elementary School. But she seemed awfully eager to see the modules when they came in the mail. Even a bit…. sinister?

She went in and tucked the lesson module under her bed. The title read Making Mayhem, Advanced Course. Hmmmm.

When he wasn’t dancing, Winston spent a lot of time at Archimedes Books and Scrolls.

Meanwhile, Victoria became a model child.

She cleaned the dishes, even the really gross ones.

She took out the garbage.

She tidied up the yard.

“The house looks great,” Dylan said when he found her outside. “Thanks you for all the cleaning.”

“Don’t you think I’ve been responsible these last few days,” Victoria asked. “Maybe even trustworthy?“

Dylan thought about it. “I don’t think I’d go so far as trustworthy,” he said. “Keep trying.”

“This stinks,” Victoria said under her breath and stormed back into the house.

Brendan Mai followed Gamora home from school one day. She couldn’t stand the kids in her class. They were so, well childish. But she knew she had to at least pretend to be friendly.

She came up with a good use for him: combat practice!

Edmund barely noticed the antics. He was deep in contemplation of winter as a metaphor for the chill of the modern soul.

In addition to being grounded, Victoria’s school-skipping stunt had dumped her grades in the toilet. She’d missed a pop quiz and an in-class essay, and she’d been docked extra points as punishment for truancy. Now her solid B average had turned into a D.

Her life was now going to school, coming home, and homework. She did all the extra credit she could wheedle out of the teachers.

Even without the punishment from her parents, the consequences for skipping school were worse than she had imagined.

The first snow fell, covering yards and sidewalks in a white blanket.

On his way home from school, Edmund got a call he wasn’t expecting.

“Judy? I think you have the wrong number. This is Edmund. I’m not sure Vickie is allowed to take personal phone calls right now, though.”

“Actually,” Judith said awkwardly, “I was calling for you. Would you be interested in maybe going to dinner sometime?”

“Uh, sure! I’d love to!”

Judith suggested The Round Table. She apparently liked very nice restaurants. So did Edmund.

It turned out they had a lot more than that in common. It seemed like their conversation covered the world.

Judith went on a rant about how nasty Edmund’s schoolmates were being toward him.

“They’re just afraid of you!” Judith said. “You and your family have a kind of power that nobody’s seen here in generations. So what do they do? They shut it down! It makes me crazy.”

“Wow. I didn’t realize you felt so strongly,” Edmund said, flustered.

“Sorry,” Judith said, blushing. “I got a little carried away there.”

“Would you like to go to dinner now?”

“I’d be delighted!”

That evening, Edmund was still feeling anxious. How did he end up with two nice, attractive girls interested in him?

He found himself complaining about all sorts of things as he picked at his dinner. “The problem with people these days is that they don’t clean up after themselves! The world is like a garbage dump.”

“Tell us what you really feel,” Victoria said. “Is there a girl you want to date or something?”

Edmund opened his mouth, let it hang for a moment, and closed it. Victoria could see right through him. But Judith was Victoria’s best friend. The last thing he wanted to do was say anything to his sister.

“Nothing,” he said glumly.

“Get a good night’s rest, and we can clean the house from top to bottom tomorrow,” Dylan said. His eyes were twinkling with anticipation. Suddenly, Edmund didn’t care so much if things were dirty.

Victoria rose with a weary sigh. “Don’t worry. I’ll clean the table.”

Everyone headed upstairs, and she forced herself to fill the dishwasher. Her whole life was work, and it seemed like nothing would get better.

In the morning, while she was getting ready for school, Dylan knocked on her door. “Vickie? Do you have a moment?”

“Hi Dad,” Victoria said. “Come on in. Can I do something for you?” She forced a smile.

“I know you’ve been trying very hard to prove yourself,” Dylan said. “Your mother and I have pushed you further than we intended to.”

Victoria felt tears well up in her eyes. “I know I betrayed your trust!” she said. “I didn’t think anyone would notice if I skipped out just once. Now I don’t know how to make it better!”

“You made a bad decision,” Dylan said. “I hope you understand how bad it was. Missing a day of school doesn’t matter so much in the long run, but it sets a precedent that can reflect on your character for your entire life.”

“I understand, Dad,” Victoria said. “I really do.”

“I believe you,” Dylan said. “You’re off the hook. Your grounding is over.”

Victoria’s eyes widened. “Do you mean it?” she squealed.

“I do,” Dylan said.

“Thank you so much, Daddy!” Victoria cried and threw herself into his arms. “You won’t regret it!”

———-

Wow, the game was HARD on Victoria. Edmund got off the hook the first time he asked, and he didn’t do anything. I had Victoria do all kinds of chores, and still both her parents rejected her pleas to be let off the hook. I was about to give up and direct one of them to forgive her. Then Dylan got up in the morning and went and let her off the hook autonomously. It was so cute.

Judith called and asked Dylan out on a date! Now his romantic life gets complicated.

I have to say that Gamora’s Dislikes Children trait is kind of annoying at this stage. She gets a negative moodlet from being around children, but it doesn’t affect her behavior. She still talks and has fun with children autonomously. Not very well thought-out. I assume she’ll get more child-negative behavior once she stops BEING a child.

Two more posts!!