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The Alfredos
GITTE2001
Posts: 2,638 Member
The Alfredos - some may have already saw sims of this family pass by in the general sims3 forums.
It started out in Flemish-Dutch, my mother tongue, on my weebly. I really liked writing it there, but the fact the Dutch and Belgian sims 3 community is dying let me start it on my simblr a while ago.
Now: a simblr, it's easy for little simply legacy-gameplay stuff, with no text or just a small caption. No complicated writing. The problem is that the Alfredos actually have complicated writing: every generation has it's own story. Generation 1's story being way too short and full of unused opportunities, generation 2 being amazing, generation 3, 4 and 5 being 'nahh' and now I just started with generation 6 and I want to place it here. Because, what's a better place for writing complicated stories with separate chapters than a forum? I still put it on my simblr, where I also separate in chapters in a way and when a whole chapter's done there, I copypaste it here.
Now, some practical stuff.
The family tree:
Which is currently a mess because paint and paint.net both hate me.
Genetics and heirs
Chapters
Generation 6:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
It started out in Flemish-Dutch, my mother tongue, on my weebly. I really liked writing it there, but the fact the Dutch and Belgian sims 3 community is dying let me start it on my simblr a while ago.
Now: a simblr, it's easy for little simply legacy-gameplay stuff, with no text or just a small caption. No complicated writing. The problem is that the Alfredos actually have complicated writing: every generation has it's own story. Generation 1's story being way too short and full of unused opportunities, generation 2 being amazing, generation 3, 4 and 5 being 'nahh' and now I just started with generation 6 and I want to place it here. Because, what's a better place for writing complicated stories with separate chapters than a forum? I still put it on my simblr, where I also separate in chapters in a way and when a whole chapter's done there, I copypaste it here.
Now, some practical stuff.
The family tree:
Which is currently a mess because paint and paint.net both hate me.
Genetics and heirs
Chapters
Generation 6:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Post edited by GITTE2001 on
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Comments
It's no secret I'm slightly obsessed with genetics: Every generation, it's a challenge to let my heir and their spouse(s) produce an interesting, unique and good-looking heir. I must admit, the only generation I managed having an amazingly hot sim that didn't look like one of the parents a lot, but still like both, and made me drool was generation 2: Aoife. My favourite sim ever until now. Though Rowin may get that place soon.
See here under the spoilers an overview of my heir's genetics and personalities.
Generation 6
Rowin Alfredo…An interesting boy, with traits such as loner, disciplined, loves the outdoors, supernatural fan, insane and natural born performer. Even his looks are interesting - being a mix of his father, mother, and even some of his grandmother. Honestly, he looks like neither of his parents, but at the same time he looks like both of them. Like, you wouldn’t inmediately think he’s their son, but you wouldn’t be surprised either once you know.
The Caelin-parts of his looks are his face shape, mouth and eye shape, though softer looking with different eyebrows and a different eyebrow intensity.
His nose is from mother scarlett, just like his eyecolour. His skintone is too, but I made it paler to look like an unfreckled version of his dad’s skin and to fit the lightred hair better. Talking about that, it’s from his grandmother Dinthe, Scarlett’s mother.
He also is a genie just like (a part of) his mother (who is a hybrid) and his grandmother.
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Very picture heavy, see under spoiler.
They hadn’t had time to organize Rowin’s birthday party. Scarlett was too busy calling her parents, brothers and sisters telling them all how Fionan almost died and found ‘the amazing Luca’ in Sunlit Tides. A tropical island south of Hawaï, she explained. It's not that they had the space for a proper party.
So a few weeks after their arrival back home, it was Rowin’s eighteenth birthday. Everyone - Caelin, Scarlett, Fionan, Luca - was cheering as Rowin blew out the candles on his chocolate birthday cake.
After eating some cake - Rowin cleaned up - they were all chatting at the table, asking Rowin annoying questions (”What are you going to do now?” he didn’t know) and hesitating wether they would or wouldn’t take another piece of the leftover cake. The amount of silences was becoming more and more, and just when Scarlett wanted to say she’d go outside to see how Mauve was doing with her new foal, Luca and Fionan demanded the attention. They had something to tell.
They looked at each other for a moment, then nodding and deciding how they would tell it. “I…We…” Luca started, but Fionan took the lead inmediately. “Luca asked me to marry”, it sounded. “We not know each other long yet, but… And…Fionan said yes.”
“I don’t care you just know each other for a month! You two are made for each other, and I can’t wait! I’m going to buy a pretty dress and go to the hairdresser and invite the whole family...” Scarlett started jabbering, already imagining herself in the prettiest my-son-is-marrying dress one could imagine.
“We are going to marry in Sunlit Tides and live there”, Luca continued.
The whole atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. “Sunlit Tides? Fionan, you almost died there. And Maella is there…”
“Safely guarded in an institution. From the moment we left we already decided we would go back. By the way, Luca’s parents are going to come, too. So you can meet them finally.”
“Okay”, Scarlett sighed. “I’m going to look where Mauve is.”
It was already late, Rowin should go to sleep. But he just kept thinking about something from that night. Not his brother’s marriage: he looked forward to being longer on Sunlit Tides than a day and was happy for him.
It was something that was asked to him; what was he going to do now?
He wasn’t extraordinary good at anything - he was just at the mid range and sometimes he got compliments from other people, but those people were just extremely untalented in certain areas and gave compliments to anyone better than them, in this case also Rowin. In school, he was always a quiet one. A few people he got along with a bit, but real ‘friends’ he never had. Particularly because of the fact most of his classmates were inmediately annoyed by his way of speaking for some reason. (”Stop using difficult words”)
He decided to try the test from the university that had arrived. He knew some questions, but he already knew his score wasn’t going to be anything special. He was just about to give up when Fionan came outside, standing next to him with a curious smile on his face. “Done?”
“No.”
“You like Sunlit Tides too, isn’t it?”
“The day I was there…Yes? A bit hot and bright, but…”
“What would you think about living with me and Luca for a while after our marriage? We’re going to live there, you know.”
Rowin dropped the test and stared at his brother.
“A-are you serious?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t I? It would surprise me if you wouldn’t want to discover the world, and Sunlit Tides is a nice place to start…Better than this island at least.”
“I like it here…But, I have to admit I would really like to travel a bit. How do you know?”
“I heard you talking with mom about it. And you can take Bricius with you. The house I and Luca are thinking about is big enough for a stable.”
Bricius. It was the oldest foal and not really a foal anymore of his mother’s horses, Mauve and the unicorn Arthob. Overall, he didn’t care about animals that much. Less then his mother, father and brother at least. But Bricius helt a special place in his heart. He mostly just cared for it - the times he rode him because Scarlett wanted him to, he was mostly shivering and wanted to get off as soon as possible.
That’s how he filled his time the months after his birthday and before Fionan and Luca’s marriage: wandering around, caring for Bricius and trying to not fall of the unicorn once in a while, next to finishing his last year at school of course.
The summer has come (still rainy, mostly) and it was his graduation. He ended with average points, very good overall but nothing groundbreaking. And he was voted to be ‘most likely to never leave the house’ little did his classmates know, while they were going to study to go home again afterwards, get a job and desperately save money for a house, he was going to be living with his brother on a tropical island in the pacific ocean in a few weeks. Most likely to do leave the house, actually.
Though Rowin was always scared stiff from the moment he sat on Bricius and the horse started galloping, he kept doing it. He enjoyed the extra time outdoors and the view he had over the landscape as he rode on the island’s paths.
Scarlett finally even persuaded him into partiticipating in a competition once.
“Wouldn’t you like to do it? It’s your last chance. I would be surprised if they have a manege on Sunlit Tides.”
“I don’t know…I guess…I mean, winning something is always nice. But seeing that I’m not good yet at all…”
“Bricius is the fastest horse I’ve ever seen. He has the speed his parents don’t even have together. And your relationship is great, what can go wrong?”
“A lot.”
“You can win lots of money, which you can save for buying your own house in Sunlit Tides.”
He won, first place.
Then it was time for the marriage of Fionan and Luca. Scarlett’s whole family was invited, with the exception of Flanna - who finally went studying just now - and her grandparents, Learco and Acropora. They had been travelling the world on Learco’s houseboat since her father was around fiteen years old and they only came home a few times. She had seen him once, when she was a toddler.
But, her twinsister Rachel was there. Despite her forty-two years of being on the planet she didn't have children yet herself. She was a workaholic, constantly working and travelling for it. They hadn’t seen each other for years.
Luca didn’t have a thousand uncles and aunts like Fionan had. He only had his parents that could come. And his (married) father had a peculiar amount of interest in Scarlett’s twenty-something sister Eolande.
Everyone was cheering when Luca and Fionan gave each other their word. Scarlett was extremely proud that her son was marrying, and Luca’s mother Francesca was in tears of happiness.
Megen was there too. He couldn’t be missing. He had been absent a lot, but he was still Fionan’s father.
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Beautiful wedding! And this pic is amazing:
Thank you! Yes, and I have some pics of the same kind made in Sunlit Tides during sunset. A beautiful unicorn leaving a rainbow-shine-thing everywhere + Rowin + Sunset in Sunlit Tides = prepare for drooling
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Concluding it was better if he avoided his family the rest of the night. He was leaning against the fence, laughing at the stupid jokes his cousins (Megen’s children) were making about ‘stupid adults’ and basically just wandering around the whole time, not thinking about a lot.
Until a bunch of black glitter suddenly got his attention. He saw how the curvy, golden-coloured body of a girl was attached to it. He didn't recognize her and walked towards her, asking: "Who are you?"
Her wavy, blueblack hair slapped in his face as she - clearly surprised - turned around.
“My name’s leave me alone.”
“That’s a…Special name. But euhm, would you like to go? This is a private party, only for invited people.”
“Who says I’m not invited? Just go away”, she snarled. Rowin was startled by her rude, demanding tone. And he was sure she wan’t invited.
“That’s a mistake then. This is only for family. Which includes people who have the name Alfredo or O’Brien. I’ve never seen you before and therefore you’re not family and invited, would you like to/”
“I know I’m not white or some weird magical creature, but again, who says I shouldn’t be here?”
Now he officially didn’t know what to say. Not only did she really say it, her whole existence gave an aura it would be better if he just ignored her and let her do whatever she was doing here.
But, he was curious and bored, so he didn't go away. They looked at each other for a few seconds - he curious, she annoyed - when she finally said what she was doing there. She thought. “I made the food, and because they liked it your parents invited me.”
“Funny…I helped them organizing everything. And I made the food.”
“You? I can barely imagine you in a kitchen.”
“I’m a genie. “A weird magical creature” and I can make food out of air. So…Kitchen? Never been in one. We never even had one at home. So…Your lie doesn’t work. Who are you?”
“All right”, she finally admitted. “I work for a local restaurant. They wanted me to inspect and try the meals served at parties. To know what people who visit the island like to eat, you know.”
“So…You’re basically spying here? Well…I’d still like you to go away. Though you’re constributing to a pleasant view.”
“Ugh, shut up! I’ll go away, all right? Inspecting the food here doesn’t make sense anyway. Made of air? Good? Sure!”
“Ho-not so fast! It’s still a party, and you’re looking gorgeous. You’re here anyway and don’t seem dangerous so…You may stay, if you want. I don’t have a lot to say about it, anyway. I’m just ‘the little halfbrother’ of one of the grooms.”
“Funny how you suddenly change your mind…But thank you. I guess. I’ll stay for a bit. I didn't buy this dress to be only seen by a stupid genie or whatever you are anyway", she snarled again, and did an attempt to go.
He took her arm just in time, loosed it inmediately and started talking. "No, I meant, stay here", he demanded and inmediately cursed himself for how incredibly not-smooth that has been. But she didn't dislike it. Instead, she offered a smile
They kept talking for a while. Nothing special, just about favourite colours and music - turned out they both have something for everything dark.
His family was going home, drunk, extremely tired or both. When finally his mother stepped into the car next to his dad, mumbling she was going to clean up tomorrow, he did something he didn’t think he would dare: he asked her to dance, something that somehow came up in his mind all of a sudden.
She smiled again. In the middle of the night there started a dark couple dancing between all the overshadowed pastel of the wedding location.
Soon the talking and simple dancing changed into flirting and quickly picking a bouquet of flowers from a nearby table and giving it to her. Rowin was constantly hating himself for what he was doing - he didn’t even know her name. Well, he actually didn’t know anything about her. But she was beautiful, they were alone, it was a romantic full moon and wedding parties mostly had a high rate of alcoholic drinks.
Meaning he wouldn’t go home inmediately. Or at least not alone.
It was 3 AM when the two of them stopped a taxi that would bring them to Fionan and Luca’s new bought house. His parents were staying in a hotel fortunately.
It was big enough to let all the guests sleep in it though. And that let ‘Leave me Alone’ ask questions. “So, you only live here, in a giant house with four bedrooms, with your brother, brother-in-law and your…Horse? You’re eighteen, shouldn’t you go the college or something like that? Instead of taking advantage your family’s wealth and doing nothing really useful?”
“I swear, if I would know what else to do, I wouldn’t even have been at this party. How old are you, by the way?”
“Twenty", and that was all the important information about herself she would say that night.
Rowin took a bottle of champagne, took it with him to his room where she was undressing herself showing golden tiger-printed underwear. She was looking beautiful. It obviously didn't take long before they were in his bed.
He didn’t realize the island was already waking up, with pink clouds floating through the sky. All she could see was her and her beautiful face and body.
It was around 8 AM when they fell asleep. Or: Rowin fell asleep. The girl stood up again, putting on her underwear and not much later her dress and shoes. Then she walked of the stairs and left the house.
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It was 8:30 AM and a rainy, grey mourning in Sunlit Tides.
Rowin woke up. He moved his left arm around in his bed, hoping to find her soft, sleeping body next to him- but all he found was the mattress. No girl. “Should she be already up?” he thought, and did the same. He peeked into the different rooms, but he heard no sign of a living person, except Fionan who was sleeping.
Maybe she was downstairs. But there he only found Luca, who was making waffles. “Searching for that girl you’ve been flirting with the whole evening?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll have to disappoint you. She left half an hour ago, I heard heels walking of the stairs when I was using the bathroom and no one else in this house could have been walking of the stairs in the morning wearing high heels.”
Rowin took a deep breath and sat down. “That’s how it goes with onenightstands, I guess?”
“Indeed. She was pretty though. Who was she?”
“The only moment she said her name she wanted me to go and said she was called ‘Leave me Alone’. Something tells me that isn’t her real name.”
Luca nodded an took the waffles out of the oven. “Want some?”
“Nope. I’ll make some cereal myself.”
After sitting down for only a few seconds he stood up again and, sighing and sad, he made a small gesture with his arm and a plate of cereal appeared.
He had literally nothing to do. After eating, he went to the garden where he searched for Bricius. The weather was bad and both riding on it and actually getting to sit on the unicorn weren’t his biggest qualities yet, but he just wanted to get away. Secretly he hoped he would see her somewhere during his ride.
He didn’t. But the weather became better and he kept riding through the streets until the late evening, which gave him a great view over the beautiful sunset and the endless ocean.
Rowin's brother and brother-in-law had been spending their time on other things that day.
They had just been hanging around in their house the whole day, and that didn't change for a while. For a few months they did less than Rowin - whose schedule mostly existed of riding with Bricius and hanging aroudn in parks - and mostly in places where lots of clothing wasn't incredibly required, like in the pool. Which gave Rowin an unpleasant surprise when he came home one evening and saw them splashing water on each other, mostly naked.
Fionan quickly changed into his mersim's tail and Luca swam to the border of the pool, when Fionan had something to say. "Well...We've been married for a few weeks now. You are going to start working in the hospital tomorrow and I at the animalcare center. Our lifes are starting. And I read something on our newspaper's site this morning that may make it even better."
Fionan explained to Luca what he read, and te end Luca gasped, swam to and hugged his husband.
"Of course I want to do that! We must keep an eye on it. But...Rowin."
"I know. It was my plan to only let him stay for a few weeks, I thought he would have already figured out what he wants to do with his life. At a certain point, I thought that would be horseriding. But he doesn't take that as serious as mom did when she was younger. He only rides to...Ride. I'll have a conversation with him right away."
But Rowin had been listening to Luca and Fionan and from the moment they started talking about him, he went back to Bricius and rode away to a nearby beach. "I fear they're serious, Bricius. They do want to have a baby. I read that article too. "University of Bridgeport searchs same-sex couples to test a project that will let them be able to have babies that are biologically from both", something about melting sells with the egg of a female donor. They want to do that, will have a baby soon and I will be the useless uncly still wandering around in their house."
Bricius neighed.
"What did you say? You think I'll be worse than a useless uncle, eh? Well, maybe I can be their private babysitter? They both work and caring for a baby shouldn't be that difficult."
Bricius neighed again.
"And I'm talking to my horse... Let's go home", he hugged the animal, mounted it and rode home.
There he saw Fionan taking a late night snack existing of cereal. "Sit down", he said and Rowin did.
"I euhm...I have something to tell you. It's not sure yet, the project I've read about just started and we aren't even sure we'll be chosen. But I and Luca want to sign up for a project that will let us be able to have a baby. Like, really, our baby."
"I heard you two talking. And go, I know you want children. I can deal with it, and can be your private babysitter if you want to."
"That's...Fine. But, it will take at least nine months until that baby actually is here. Don't you think you'll have a job and your own house by then?"
Rowin didn't say anything. "I and Luca are worried. You just hang around all day doing nothing. Allright, our family has enough money to all do nothing anymore. But don't you get bored? There are so many things you can do. Look at me, I'm twenty and am already married, work with animals which I've always dreamt off. Why don't you travel? Search a job? A girlfriend? Do something. I don't want you to vanish in your own boredom. Rowin, I want you to leave. For your own well. I called mom and she agrees."
And Rowin himself did too. But he didn't want to leave. He still thought he would see her again - the girl from Fionan's wedding. He still didn't simply ride around on Bricius all day just to enjoy the fresh air - he hoped he'll see hom somewhere at the side of the road, heading to work or just walking a bit. It was stupid, but he just couldn't forget her and her mysterious atmosphere. Yes, she wasn't the nicest that evening. But she had something about her that made him the naïve boy he was and had been everytime he talked about her.
If he left, he would even have less chance of seeing her again.
After a full hour of non-stop thinking about what he should do, he finally decided and went to bed.
There were enough fish in the sea and yes, he was bored. The next morning he grabbed the newspaper inmediately out of the newspaperboy's hand as he brought it and started reading it. Politics. Sports, particularly football. Music. Economy. Something about a stupid president's from the earth's mightiest country.
Then he found it: advertisements from travel agencies. He saw one about a promotion to travel to an old, Chinese village just a few days ago. He let it pass back then but was actually quite interested in it. And yes, it still was there. He called the included phone number and started organizing his trip.
It was quickly done: there was only one, cheap hotel in the village and he'll get there by train, after going by plane from Hawaii to Beijing.
Right before he left, he hugged Bricius once more. Then he took his luggage and left.
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Mistake. Whatever. Just ignore this, next part is coming.
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Of course, it was quite obvious he wasn't from there. Particularly with a backpack in a place with only one, cheap hotel and few tourists. He inmediately left his hotel, as there was a horde of villagers begging him to check out their cellar our find something for them and some even put some letters on some board. He would like to help those people, but he couldn't stay for a long time and wanted to focus more on Sim Fu.
But first, looking around in the village.
It was already in the afternoon when he finally reached the Sim Fu academy. He started kicking and punching a dummie, looking like a complete idiot between all the skilled Sim Fu fighters.
It took another belt until he decided it had been enough. He was exhausted and would inmediately return to the center of the village, where he would for the first time in his life not eat a selfmade dish, but a Chinese speciality.
Or, that was his plan before he bumped into the same bunch of wavy, long, bluish-raven hair than a few months before. It was her...Again. "Finally I found her, at the moest unexpected place", he thought and coughed quietly to get her attention. She stopped trying to break the styrofoam and, with a slightly annoyed and kind of cold voice, said: "Hello Rowin."
"That's me."
Now, she turned around. Again slapping her hair in his face, and looking at him with the grumpiest expression he'd ever seen.
"I know."
"Long time ago I saw you. So, did you like it? Excuse me if it was so bad you just had to run away without even letting me know your name and making me try to find you for months."
"Well, excuse me - I couldn't know that the naïve boy you are really took anything what's said and done that night, influenced by way too much alcohol, serious. Now, get away. I have to continue practising."
"Excuse me too, but I can't let that happen since you still didn't asnwer my question."
Rowin actually liked this game - or whatever he had to call it. But her next reaction, he didn't expect. She didn't answer with another 'excuse me but', instead, she seemed to explode and the next he heard were simply a lot of insults and screams. "And I won't answer you! If you ever dare to talk to me again, you wouldn't be able to do it anymore so just get away!"
She changed her clothes, did something about the smell around her body as a result of practising Sim Fu for some hours and went to the market. There, she commanded a plate of egg rolls and, of course, eating it.
Of course, on a night in a Chinese restaurant - didn't care how small it actually was - couldn't end without a fortune cookie. So she made one.
She heard Rowin coming in, who also commanded something. Then she took the fortune cookie and broke it. Displeased reading the message: "You have to accept your true love when they still would accept you."
She threw it in the litterbin right away.
She ran to the nearby book shop avoiding that annoying Rowin, who started eating some Chinese soup.
And, as the djinn he is, also cleaned it up.
Not much later Rowin floated to the hotel.
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He wasn't the only one who heard that. Not far after him, he heard some tapping and when he looked he saw her again, who he avoided the past days.
"Just ignore her", he whispered to himself, but that didn't work as she began speaking to him. "You here?" she asked with her usual grumpy, annoyed expression.
"Yes, me here. Shouldn't you put clothes on? It's a lot colder here than on Sunlit Tides. Particularly in the morning."
"Oh...I'm not cold. If you want to take the martial arts one, you can."
"You're...Being friendly?"
"Yes."
"What's your name? I still don't know."
"Lani", she told. "Have fun today..."
That was weird. She was friendly. She didn't say he had to disappear, no, she even said him to have fun, though it sounded like she barely meant it.
He tried to focus on the quest he chose: sparring twice with Sima Zhi, a respected Sim-Fu fighter. The adress was included.
He had to admit: Sima wasn't what he expected from a 'respected Sim Fu fighter', but she was definitely good. Rowin did his best to win, always defending himself just in time. But she managed to win both times without difficulty.
He knew why. There had been a pale-skinned girl in a midnight blue dress cheering and shouting the whole time, distracting him.
When the match was done (he got a new belt) he walked over to her. "Why did you do that? It was pretty distracting. Not that it cares, but..."
"Was it? I wanted to support you."
"I know, never mind. What's your name?"
"Sun. Sun Young Kim."
"So...Sun. Did I pronounce it right? I'll put my normal clothes on again and if I'm back, would you like to tell some more about yourself?"
She was his age, friendly, pretty, single, and he couldn't wait for Lani's reaction - so there was no reason to not go on a date with her.
They went to the market together. Rowin made a plate of egg rolls out of the air, mumbling "it's cheapier."
Sun looked at it with horror. "What are you?"
"A genie. But come on, let's enjoy this date."
"It tastes amazing!" Sun said a while later. "Are you sure it's just food?"
"What? Well...I've never thought about that. But I survive on it."
"Are there...Many like you?"
"In my family, eight people. We never met other genies."
"Fortunately, there aren't a lot like us. It would completely ruin the economy, everyone just making perfect food out of air. And there are some people who simply don't like us", he continued, thinking of Lani.
"It's late. It was nice to meet you, but I have to go back to the hotel."
When he was in the hotel he saw Lani play some late-night game of chess, walked a big cirlce around her, went to the kitchen to drink a glass of water when he heard her talking to him again. "I heard you had a date with Sun Young Kim? I saw here brother, that's how I know."
"Well...A 'date' is too much to say, but yes."
"I don't want you to hang out with her anymore."
"Why should I listen? If I remember correctly, you said me to leave you alone and forget what happened between us. And now you're talking to me and forbidding me to have a not-existing relationship."
"You should listen because you already have a girlfriend. You just don't know yet."
"What?-" but he didn't get an answer. He felt Lani's arms holding him so hard he could barely catch some air and her lips touching his, tasting that sweet taste again he recognized from that night, under the stars, during Fionan's wedding. He liked this, he really liked this - but all his logic and the hate he was developing towards her, said no.
"What is wrong with you? A few days ago you were wishing me dead and now you're kissing me."
Rowin didn't need any explanation. This was enough, tomorrow he would go home and never see her again.
He went to sleep straight away and woke up early next morning, the book his flight and avoid Lani. The plane left in the evening so he had enough time to pass by the market and buy some chinese vases and martial arts equipments.
And to write a letter to Sun, who he really liked honestly, where in he asked if she could visit Sunlit Tides once.
The late leaving also had its disadvantages. He wanted to visit the Sim Fu academy one more time. Now, Lani was there too. Fortunately she didn't say anything this time.
...She just really wanted to get his attention, quietly screaming things like "My wrist! I think I hurt it while punching", every ten minutes.
In general, it had been a good idea to travel to China. But where Lani was just a mysterious something before, he now didn't know how to think about her.
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edit: I just discovered that twice, I used a double image, though I checked it 2656526 times
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He quickly found one. He begged for some money by his parents and another two weeks later, he was ready to move in.
The problem with buying an almost- automatically furnished house was that it went with a kitchen. "Maybe I can make another living room of this", he thought, smiling when seeing it even had a dishwasher. Then he turned aroudn and started inspecting the other rooms.
So the days went on. There wasn't much difference between now and before he moved: he still didn't do anything. He spent his days at home practising Sim Fu, playing chess or dominoes in the garden or he rode somewhere, mostly a nearby park where there was currently the festival.
His brother knew about that and his parents too, based on the sudden phone call from the other end of the world he got one day. "Hi dad. Yes, I'm still alive."
"You know I and your mother wanted to give you the money for your house when you'd do something..."
"Yes. What was it again?"
"Rowin, Fionan told us you still don't have a job?"
"I participate in a horseriding competition sometimes. What's the matter?"
"I and Scarlett would like to pay for anything, even for the most expensive and exclusive university. We would buy you two cars. A house with 5 bedrooms. Anything. If you do something with it. We can't keep giving you money. You'll have to do something for living. Come on, you ahve so many talents. You may even make horseriding your fulltime job, like your mother did. Or you can start working in my company if you want."
"Yes, dad, yes. I'll search a job today, all right?"
He cleaned himself and starting riding to his usual park. Maybe he would pick up something there, hear people calling about a wonder called a non-boring job.
Nothing. It was still early and there wasn't anybody but the people in the food stands.
He wanted to go back home just when he saw someone. "Euhm, hi. My name is Rowin Alfredo and..."
"I know who you are. The little brother of the guy who set up a giant marriage a while ago. The annoying guests from some Irelandish island ruined my brother's hotel. He was only able to built it up again now, after your family made free food out of air which meant no income for him or preferred raw fish. At least those what-are-it-again are betters than magician, those 🐸🐸🐸🐸 guys who thinks they now some magic. Theirs is real at least."
"That's my family indeed. I have to go now."
"Weirdo" the man snarled. Rowin took his phone and called Caelin. "Dad, I've got a job!"
"You mean you have an idea?"
"Yes," he admitted, "I want to be a magician."
"You're a genie. You can already do magic tricks. And there barely are magicians who can live from that."
"I really like magic and always did. Can you remember that I kept staring at the alchemy cauldron from that mean elf in Ulokea? It really interests me, the supernatural world. I can't make myself a genie-wizard hybrid but I can become a magician and also give people from over the whole world joy and amazement. I really think this is it."
"You will have something to do...And you're an adult. I trust you. Warn us if you give a show on Farraige Ghleann."
Sure, he had some advantages as a genie. But it still was extremely difficult. The 'tricks for beginners' in The giant book of small tricks were still way more complicated. He started doing small shows in parks, performing for tips. Knowing he wouldn't get anything but weird stares and people wouldn't take him seriously in his usual clothes, he even put some show clothes on.
Unfortunately, it was still a very, very, very slow start with more failure than succes.
And air didn't give him any money.
"Time to use another strategy", he realized, floated down to the skating rink and stopped an old, purple woman. "Hello lady. What's that after your ear? Is it a coin?"
There was a coinnearby , it just was secretly in his hand already and he let it drop.
"Never mind. I just started doing this", he excused ans sighed.
The old lady only giggled a little. "Don't worry boy. What's your name? I recognize your from somewhere."
"Euhm...I prefer to keep my actual name private during work hours, but my stage name is The Almighty Alfredo."
"See, I know you! I saw a picture with a boy that looks just like you eight years ago. After you and your parents came back from some journey, sent to me by my son!"
"Why would your son send you a picture from my family?"
"Because that son is also family. It's your grandfather, Aneirin."
Then he realized it. "You're Acropora? My great-grandmother? Everyone always tells about you but I never saw you, not even during my brother's marriage. You must be old."
"I'm only 85...My offspring just tend to get children early. Yes, it's complicated...Long story short: I lived in the sea half my life and your great-grandfather loves the sea. We kind of abandoned our children once our oldest was old enough to care for your grandfather and his brother. I still feel bad about that, but I just really wanted to travel the world back then...Fortunately, even Megen found his way. But now I and Learco heard some of our grandchildren and our great-grand children live here and we were close so we though it would be nice to go here...Here I am."
He'd seen one of his great-grandparents on grandpa's side, even his mother only did when she was only a few years old. His day was officially amazing, and nothing could ruin it now. In his good mood he continued performing for tips in Varg's Tavern until the middle of the night. He didn't earn money but he didn't care.
Maybe there was something which could ruin his mood. A familiar face popped up in the (rather small) crowd.
"You're not allowed to do that here."
Her usual annoyed expression appeared. "And the tent's gonna close soon."
"I didn't know...Doesn't that mean you should get away?"
"No. Talking to you is nicer. Nice suit, by the way", she joked.
"You're not wearing your best clothes either. It's midnight and you're dressed like you've just been jogging. Which isn't possible because you should be sweaty and stinky in that case."
"Sweaty after jogging, not sweaty...Seriously, since when does my body interest you so much? Mind your own business."
"Said the girl who should go home herself after telling me that I should go. But I will. My mood is ruined after you reminded me of your existence."
They stared at each other for a few more seconds and then went their own way.
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A week later, they telephoned. She'd arrive in two days.
He tried to skill his Sim Fu a bit, because Sun really liked doing Sim Fu of course, and maybe they could spar one time.
She also liked birds she told, so he tamed a wild cockatoo and kept is as a pet.
Anyway, he wanted to impress her.
So, the days passed, Rowin waiting excitedly for Sun's arrival. He got level 4 martial arts, and the rest of the time he worked a bit more.
He really wanted to get a bigger audience...
...Which he got, eventually. Though the coin trick still failed.
He was practising Sim Fu again one of those days when he heard a sweet voice with a Chinese accent not so far from him.
"You beg me to come over and are more interested in breaking planks?"
"Sun! Wait a minute please, I thought your plane only came in an hour."
So his Chinese love interest stayed at the front of thosue for a minute. Then Rowin came.
"I'm so happy you're here! How was your flight?" Rowin stammered. Sun observed him for a few seconds, clearly seeing Rowin was as nervous as he actually was.
"Good. Rowin, what's wrong? You seem a bit confused. Don't tell me you forgot I'd come."
"No, no. It's just hot and I've been practising Sim Fu. I'm a bit tired. Would you like to come inside and eat something? Or do you first want to rest a bit?" he asked. He was actually the person who wanted to rest. She nodded.
Rowin and Sun both rested a bit (he from practising Sim Fu in the boiling sun, she from her jetlag) and when they woke up somewhere in the afternoon, they ate freshly made-out-of-air salad.
Rowin suddenly took a coin out of the blue, attempting to do his coin trick again.
It turned out to be another fail.
Which Sun fortunately found more cute and funny than stupid.
He really, really liked her - and she seemed to think the same about him. Unfortunately, Rowin and girls didn't go too easy. He seemed to have forgotten she was a traditional girl from a village that still lived in the middle ages and wasn't so fond of him kissing her suddenly. All that caused wasn't a brand new girlfriend, but the sudden departure of an angry and shocked Sun. *
She didn't even ask him to go with her to the airport. That same evening Rowin was alone and felt miserable after being such an 🐸🐸🐸🐸.
He crept on Bricius and rode to Varg's Tavern.
He was the only guest so far. He sat down at the bar and a well-developed mixologist more less twice his age asked what he wanted. "Something that makes me forget a terrible date and the sight of a sad girl", he answered, not meaning to start the conversation that followed.
"Which girl was the lucky one? Or unlucky one, I should say?"
"Oh, you don't know her. She isn't from here."
But the woman seemed determined to get an answer. "Is it that girl you were discussing with a while ago just when I wanted to close the place?"
"Lani? No, no. I would never go on a date with her - and I already said the one I'm talking about isn't from here. She's from China, I met her when I travelled there. She came all teh way here from China and the last thing she said to me was 'unmannered jerk'."
"That's...Sad. But Maybe that Lani is a good match for you? That night you two were talking a big week ago...After you walked away, she looked at you like I look at brownies. That says a lot."
"Lani? No. No, not at all. I'd rather woohoo with you than having to see her one more time."
"I guess I'll take that as a compliment. She's a bit difficult but a sweetheart in general."
"No, it isn't. She's the ultimate definition of terrible."
Rowin sighed, stood up and walked towards the woman. "What's your name?"
"Aletha, Aletha Smythe."
"Well, Aletha, sorry for what I just said. I'm just tired. You're actually really pretty and..."
"And You're the only one here and it's almost going to close so maybe you should leave before anything oncomfortable happens", she accompied her words with a clear wink.
"Right."
Rowin quickly drank the rest of his drink and waited for Aletha to put off the lights, then they both went outside and she closed the door. A few seconds later she was riding home.
Rowin still stood there, at the door of a closed Varg's Tavern and could bang his head against it a thousand times. All he wanted right now was having an amazing night and if he couldn't do it with Sun, then with Aletha - who, he had to admit, actually seriously kind of liked.
But it was too late already. He floated a bit after her car, but nope. She disappeared after the corner and was gone.
Then he got an idea. It was a stupid, terrific, sickening idea. But Rowin with his drunk head and confusion didn't think twice.
He spoke out words he wasn't allowed to say at all, words the good part of his kind feared and hated.
Two purple clouds of lightning appeared in his hands and he bewitched her.
He hadn't thought twice. He hadn't even thought once since Sun ran away that evening.
* I never invited guests from other countries in the game, I thought they'd be added to the household temporary or come right there as visitors: she was already a few days in Sunlit Tides when I realized her portrait in relationships showed she wasn't in China anymore and let Rowin invite her then. All this caused her to leave all of a sudden the same day they'd met.
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