Sunday morning, messages were popping up on Mara's phone right and left.
First, there was a congratulatory text from Kaori
You're welcome, Kaori, Mara thought. Rohan can be all yours now. Probably better that way.
Next, Yuki's big sister Candy Behr placed an order to buy Mara's prom outfit. Her attached note said, "Can't believe my sister's friend designs for Hilary Laurent! I'm thrilled to have something by you too! Can't wait to see what you come up with next. A fan, Candy Behr"
Huh. Hilary Laurent?
Next, there were about 50 messages in her Copperdale graduating class's group chat. Check out Simstagram, Hilary Laurent is wearing Mara Zeezoob now!
Sunglasses at breakfast forever!!!!!
Hilary Laurent the heiress or whatever?
Yeah Mara! I always knew you were so talented! Yay bestie!
Mara grumbled and texted Molly privately: Molly, you poser, we were never besties. Hope your 5th year of high school is going great.
On the group chat, she wrote, Sunglasses at breakfast for the win! Laurent knows good taste it appears! I'm so humbled. Thank you everyone. There are always new outfits up on my Trendi account. Coming up this week: New Lawyer fits, inspired by my new job, wish me luck!
And now it was time to see what all the fuss was about.
I spotted Hilary as a random walkby in the sunglasses and romper outfit that Mara had sold, and it was too good an opportunity to pass up, so I played her for a few minutes to get the picture.
Whoa. Sunglasses at breakfast indeed. At the Thebe Estate's table in Tartosa.
Now Mara actually did feel humbled.
Her very own outfit, across the world on an heiress's back. What would it be like to live there? All that sun and gorgeous ocean right outside your door?
Mara gazed out at the Copperdale skyline. She'd grown fond of it, but by comparison, it was fairly shabby
Still, she'd had a lot of fun here
And now there was a real career in the works for her. She got her assignment from her new boss. Looks like she's starting at level 3 in her career. Not bad for someone just out of high school.
Mara and Oliver talked over their situation while Oliver made dinner.
"So, we're partway to the 7500 simoleons we have to earn, in order to pay that lady off and find out more about our dads. I'm selling outfits and I should get paid every day from my new job, but we still have a ways to go."
"Maybe when I'm in college I'll work as a freelance programmer. I hear they make good money, and programming is easy for me. Making that reticulating splines plugin was pretty fun."
"What did they pay you, 14 simoleons?"
"It's a start."
"I could always employ you in my fashion empire," said Mara.
"I cannot imagine a worse fate," said Oliver. "Please keep me and your weird Mediterranean celebrities far, far apart."
Mara went up to bed.
Her head filled with visions of the Tartosa coast. The pearly sand, the blue water, the golden light--
Hey, wait a minute.
She sat up in bed.
I've seen that place before.
It had to be.
Could it be a clue?
All this time, she'd thought her dads had disappeared into space. Could it be they were in Tartosa all this time? Stuck without a way to communicate? Or held against their will? And Dad Sovey had sent the painting as a clue? Or did someone in Tartosa know something about where they were?
And why had the lady from the alley wanted the painting so badly?
Mara ran downstairs and searched all the Tartosa information she could find
Until the computer broke
"Oliver, you have to fix the computer right now."
"It will have to wait a hot minute, I'm fixing the sink."
"But I have to look it up! Our dads could be in the painting?"
"Mara, are you sure you shouldn't go back to bed?"
@mightysprite I'm caught up. I loved the line, 'I have no idea anymore what goes on in the land of Oliver'.🤣 Mara and Cassandra make a lovely couple.
I love the Tartosa plot twist. I never thought about the similarities between that picture and the bay in Tartosa. I can relate to your discovery of Hilary. Izabella happened the same way for me.
'Please keep me and your weird Mediterranean celebrities far, far apart.' I laughed so hard at this. Can't imagine a worse fate for Oliver than wrapped up in celebrity ego and drama. Ohhh so that painting might be a clue! But are they in Tartosa, or is it that someone there knows more...
On Monday, Oliver's school had a fire drill. In the rain.
Apparently the school recruits students' parents to serve as volunteer firefighters. Today, Faye Harris and Mortimer Goth braved the rain, the grumpy teenagers, and the total absence of any fire.
Oliver and Mara had just heard that their old babysitter died. Even though she only babysat him once, Oliver was feeling pretty down about it. And none of his old friends were at school this week. He unburdened himself to Mr. Morlind.
Mr. Morlind said, "You know, as much as I enjoy seeing you around here, Oliver, if your grades are good you may have the opportunity to graduate early."
"I'm getting all A's, but no one has ever called me to suggest early graduation."
"Give me a few minutes to speak to the principal and then maybe you can drop by her office before lunch is over and find out for yourself."
Principal Prescott was receptive to the idea of graduating early!
(Turns out, you don't need to wait for a phone call, you can just click on the principal and ask to graduate early.)
Oliver was still feeling down, but happy to put today behind him, and move on into the rest of his life.
And when he got home, his scholarship letters were waiting in the mail! He got Copperdale Resident, Food and Drink, and Building the Future. That was enough for a free ride at his dream school--a distinguished degree at Foxbury--and even some left over to cover part of room and board if he wanted to live on campus.
Oliver worked on his college applications. And thought about how to break the news to Mara that he wanted to move out. He loved his sister and was committed to helping find their dads, but... he needed to spread his wings. Even if he was just going to be coding at a computer all day, he didn't want to spend the next four years doing that at the computer in his front hallway, he'd rather do it in a dorm with some new friends. Not to mention, Elsa wanted to go to Foxbury too...
Oliver looked into becoming a freelance programmer. No one was willing to take a teenager seriously enough to consider him for that job. Too bad. But he'd apply himself in his studies, and hopefully be able to work during his second year or so. The scholarships had given him some room to postpone working.
Meanwhile, Mara had a rough first day of work. Her boss, the same boss who had looked at her grades and business experience and given her a pretty sweet starting position, just didn't like her very much as soon as they started working together in person. It seemed that nothing she did was good enough.
"The document wasn't late," Mara insisted. "It was on time."
"Early is on time! And on time is late!" snapped her boss. "You'd better get the next one in sooner!"
Mara left the office glowering.
Mara texted with Gemma about her day. Gemma texted back, Hey, I'm in Windenburg with Sofia and Yuki, let's meet up at the bar. You need a drink or two with your girls.
Mara felt very grown-up having an after-work drink with her girls.
"I just thought I'd rock this job," Mara complained, "and instead everything I do is wrong."
"Maybe it's hazing," Gemma said.
"Maybe it's a harder job than you realized," Sofia said. "You're smart though, you'll pick up fast."
"I could cast Minionize on your boss anytime you want," offered Gemma. "Then she'll have to cook and clean for you while you do whatever you feel like. I've been getting good at that spell. It doesn't fail... as often as it used to."
"Uh, thanks anyway, but I'll pass."
But that made Mara feel better.
"Everyone has scattered so quickly," Mara said thoughtfully. "Everyone from high school is either off at college or getting apartments in the city or something. It seems like it's just me and Oliver here in Copperdale anymore. And he just texted to say he's graduating high school early. So I guess he doesn't have to stay if he doesn't want to."
"Hey, wasn't Yuki here?" asked Sofia.
"She's hiding in the corner as per usual," Mara said. "I have no idea how someone with such blue hair can fade into the woodwork like that, but she always does."
"Some things don't change," said Gemma. "Psst! Don't explode now, but Brytani Cho is sitting behind you!"
"Gemma, you can't make me look. You've pulled that one on me so many times."
But Sofia looked so breathless that Mara turned around anyway. And exploded.
"Ms. Cho! Hiiieeee!! I'm Mara Zeezoob! I designed that High School Class outfit that you looked so great in! It was like half a year ago? I'm so glad you like my designs!"
"I don't recognize the name," said Brytani Cho.
"Eeerhh," said Mara.
"Why do they let aliens in this bar," sniffed a man in a dark suit. "So unpredictable. So... green."
"Hi, Representative Feng, nice to see you," Brytani said and got up to talk to him.
Ash Harjo had just come in, so Mara slinked off to play foosball with them.
"What are you doing these days?" Mara asked.
"I'm staying on as a simfluencer with the same company," Ash said. "I just got promoted. It's a really fun job. And I could do it from anywhere I want. I love it here, but I kind of want to get out of Copperdale and see the world."
"You too, huh," Mara said.
Mara was exhausted when she got home, but not too exhausted to dream over pictures of Tartosa before going to bed. Maybe one day she would live there. And wear fabulous clothes, and hobnob with Thebes all day.
Go Oliver! He's become a character you love to cheer for. Poor Mara is just getting it from all directions today. We've all had a boss like that at least once in our lives and we can feel for her. I love that she didn't back down and stuck up for herself. You go Mara! I hope her dream comes true. Tartosa is such a lovely place to call home.
Oliver's first morning after high school dawned bright and cheery. Well, it was bright and cheery at 11am when this night owl finally awoke.
It was a Tuesday morning.
He luxuriated in playing a video game at 11am on a Tuesday morning.
Then it was done.
What now?
This was a new and unfamiliar problem.
He texted Elsa. Hey Elsa, whatcha doing? hey jolly green giant. i skipped school to go to geekcon. what are you doing? because whatever it is, it probably is way less fun than i'm having here. Elsa, you're a genius yes, i literally am See you soon!
So they went and sampled the fine Geekcon cuisine
Made awkward, somewhat crude, flirtatious remarks in front of the very large rocket
Oliver decided to enter the Hackathon.
"Right behind you, Space Cowboy," said Elsa.
"What, you code?" asked Oliver.
"Never tried it before, but how hard can it be?" Elsa asked.
"Haha, I think I have the advantage in this game," said Oliver.
"We'll see about that," said Elsa.
"Elsa! You can't google things during the hackathon! That's not fair!"
"Is it actually against the rules?"
"Uh--"
"You could go find out, but then you'll waste time and I'll catch up while you're gone."
"Gah!" said Oliver.
Oliver peeked at Elsa's screen.
"What the heck? You aren't even in the hackathon! You're watching a livestream!"
"Yeah, okay, I am. I just figured if you thought you were competing against me, you'd try harder and be more likely to win."
"Elsa, you are a remarkable woman," said Oliver.
"I know," said Elsa.
And then they announced the results.
"I wasn't done!" Oliver complained. There were still several hours left in Geekcon.
"Gotta go," said Elsa. "Dad thinks I'm coming home on the school bus about now."
What now?
Oliver looked again at the big rocket. The Geekcon attendees had finished building it and were at work on a second one, but no one had been brave enough to take a test flight, apparently.
He'd flown in spacecrafts with his dads plenty of times when he was a little kid. They'd even let him steer, once they were out of the atmosphere and cruising. Of course, this was a lot more clunky than theirs, and the controls were all in the completely illogical Simlish numbering system. But he'd done well in Earth math in school, and he was good with machines.
Oliver looked up at the sky. What if I could just find them today?
He pulled a flight suit out of the back compartment of the rocket.
Seatbelts: easy enough.
Radar: laughably crude, but easy to read.
That looked like the launch sequence there.
Either the g-forces were playing havoc on his sinuses, or else he was weeping a little, for being up here again.
He knew how the stars looked from Earth, but he still had to mentally rotate everything back to the way they looked from Sixam, to understand what was where. And of course, the crucial element of his journey was all guesswork Dads, where did you go? It was supposed to be a quick errand to meet someone from work, all that time ago... It can't be far...
He took some guesses.
Someone objected to one of the guesses.
Who is that? Oliver wondered. He had so many questions. Unfortunately, there was no time to investigate.
No one had thought to install weapons on this rocket. Oliver swung around and blasted away as fast as he could go.
He landed safely.
And resolved that that wouldn't be his last time in the sky.
When he arrived home, bursting to tell Mara of his adventures, she was in the bathroom, having a long conversation with the mirror. She sounded sad. He left her alone.
Why was Mara in this state? Well, it happened again
With the same results
Mara listed all the reasons why she was already a credit to the law firm
And all the ways her boss was actually the lazy one
"After all, how many of your trial lawyers can instantly read the minds of everyone in the room?"
"You're lucky to have me!"
Mara looked herself in the eye and resolved to stay at that job just long enough to get promoted ahead of her boss, and give the orders for a change.
You better believe girl! They don't know how lucky they are. I love how Elsa motivated Oliver. Too bad it didn't result in the win. Oliverrrrr in ssssspace!
I'm wondering who that alien was that threw asteroids at Oliver's ship! Someone trying to stop him from finding his dads? Or just some young punk who enjoys chucking space rocks at the "tourists"?
@luciusstorm@DaniRose2143 Oh yeah. He got bit by the space bug, bad. @GlacierSnow Good question... There are some battles going on up there, for sure.
Act Two, Day 4
Mara psyched herself up for work with the assistance of a POWER-SIP MIDNIGHT.
"I can do this. I will prove myself today."
Oliver called up Kevin, his high school buddy and sort-of-lingering-slight-crush, to see if he wanted to go to the gym.
"Do I want to go to the what now? Why would I want to do that to myself? Why does anyone do that to themselves?"
"C'mon, Kevin, a little exercise is good for you, and it'll put a spring in your step."
"I'm okay with my step being un-springy."
Oliver sighed. "Okay, the truth is, I'm sitting at home all twitchy because I haven't gotten my college letters back yet, Mara's at work, I need to get out of the house and most people I know are in school."
"Ah. So you need your pal who quietly aged up and finished school from home to come and make you feel less awkward."
"Basically."
"And I am essentially your only choice of company on this day."
"Uh, I didn't mean it like that--"
"It's okay if you did. To be honest, I'm kind of bored too."
So they went.
Neither of them was very experienced with the equipment, but there was a helpful, if somewhat intimidatingly built, trainer.
On one of the treadmills there was someone else who looked a little intimidating. But no one seemed to notice except Oliver.
"Is that a werewolf?" whispered Oliver to Kevin.
"No, it was just me growling. Yaaargh! Why does anyone need their leg muscles to do this?"
But then the werewolf got off of the treadmill. And then everyone noticed.
Oliver was curious, but more scared than curious, and everyone else was running. Also, it appeared that the gym would be closing for an emergency break. And Kevin was nowhere to be found.
So he went home and wrote code.
And then some good news came!
Mara came home from work. "You wouldn't believe the day I had!"
"Did it happen again?"
"Yes! Every single day she comes at me with this!"
"What happened, did you defend yourself?"
"I absolutely did. I gave the speech I'd practiced. And you know what, as soon as I asked how many trial lawyers could read the minds of anyone in the room, her eyes lit up. She pretended like she wasn't impressed. But you know what? She apologized for being rude to me. Actually apologized."
"Maybe she isn't mean, she just wanted to see what you were made of."
"Oh, she's mean all right, but maybe it's the kind of mean that a lawyer has to be sometimes. Anyway, I still kind of hate her."
"What do you want to do now?"
"Well, this is the worst part-- I called Cassandra to ask her for a date tonight, but as soon as I asked she hung up on me, and she won't answer my texts."
"That's weird."
"I have no idea what happened, but I know I can't just go over there."
"Hey Mara? Let's you and me go out. Take your mind off everything. How about the pier?"
"Actually, that sounds pretty awesome."
Mara hadn't actually spent much time at the pier as a teen, but it made her feel nostalgic anyway. This moodlet is so cute
"So, I was planning on doing Computer Science at Foxbury if I got in, and I did, but I found out they have a Physics program also that prepares you to be an astronaut. I think that looks more interesting."
"You want to learn to fly around in lousy Earth rustbuckets from those ignorant Earth hacks?"
"Look, if I could go to university back on Sixam and learn to fly a proper craft, I would," said Oliver. "But last I checked, we live here, and we have no way to get back there. And you know how it is, Sixa technology is so complex that lots of Sixam pilots don't even know how anything on their ship works anymore. They need a crew of engineers and computer experts in case one little thing goes wrong. Earth ships might be more primitive, but the pilots really know what's going on inside the engine."
"How rustic."
"Yeah, but it appeals to me. And then, you know, if we find dads-- I mean, when we find dads-- I'll have a bunch of different options after college."
They rode on the haunted house ride. It wasn't as fun as Mara remembered.
But while they were on the ride, a phone call came.
That would be more than she needed to pay off the lady and find out more about her dads! But... "Now what am I going to do?" moaned Mara. "There is only one person in the world I want to marry, and she won't even talk to me on the phone."
"If it doesn't pan out, you're no worse off than you are now," reasoned Oliver.
"That's not helpful!"
"Really though. Sometimes you just have to wait for stuff. Whatever's going on with Cassandra, pestering her tonight won't fix anything. And you'll earn enough money on your own in time."
"I only have a few days. I can't wait long."
"Sometimes biding your time for a few moves is all you need."
"Oliver? You know you'll be miserable if you never come home to visit me from college. You'll miss me terribly."
"It's only a train ride away. We can do this anytime."
It's kind of crazy but Oliver and I were thinking the same thing about Mara's boss, she's testing her. It's mean, it's cruel, and totally unnecessary, but I kind of understand the logic behind it. Mara still has a bit to learn about earth romance. I feel like Cassie is wanting to see her love in person not by text or over the phone. If you love someone you'll find the energy to at least stop by and talk. Mara's smart and she'll figure it out. Congratulations to Oliver and getting accepted and for figuring out what his heart was saying about his path.
Even if it was just a test, I wouldn't want to work for a boss like that. Guess that's why I'm not a lawyer. But good for Mara!
I loved the werewolf scene! Especially Oliver's reaction of "Okay, that was scary. Guess I'll go write some code." And... when werewolves are working out (even while "raging") no one notices them...? Awesome.
@GlacierSnow I know! It's like, everyone understands werewolf behavior when it's exercise-related raging, but only then.
Act Two, Day 5
Mara called Cassandra the next morning to see if she was interested in brunch.
Cassandra seemed a lot happier today and agreed to meet.
The Sunny Side Up Diner was a pleasant place to be.
For Mara, anyway.
"Do I detect the hiss of something broken in the kitchen?" Cassandra wondered. "The poor employees keep trying to fix that fridge and failing. I wonder if it's going to have consequences for the quality of our food."
"There's also a lot of stuff on this menu that isn't very good," Cassandra observed. "A healthy diet of quality food is important for a healthy body and mind, don't you think? I hate putting cheap burgers and stuff like that in my body."
"But you just ordered the veggie burger."
"It was the only thing that even had vegetables in the name."
"Wow, I never knew you had such strong opinions."
"Just learning more these days, I guess. We all ate worse as teens than we really should."
Here's the trait Cassandra gained upon aging up to Young Adult, it seems
But they did have a good conversation
There was a lot of flirting, if not a lot of eating on Cassandra's part (she never touched that veggie burger)
Mara thought about asking what had happened yesterday, when she tried to invite Cassandra out, and Cassandra hung up on her.
She didn't ask.
Mara thought about that other phone call, where she was promised a life-changing amount of money if she got married in a week. Correction, if she got married in six days now.
She was sitting with the only person in the world she wanted to marry.
She didn't bring it up.
But one smaller thing, she could manage. "I have to apologize," Mara said. "I just picked the restaurant. I didn't even ask you what you felt like eating. I'm sorry."
"Thanks."
"Want to get out of here?"
"Absolutely."
Mara walked Cassandra home. Cassandra went up to change into something more comfortable for the hot day. Mara was half hoping to be invited upstairs to be included in this process, but wasn't surprised when Cassandra asked her to wait on a bench outside.
It was a beautiful afternoon, and the creek was very peaceful. They sat close, and talked.
The subject turned to marriage. Only in general terms.
"Do you think you want a family one day?" asked Cassandra.
"I'm pretty sure I do," said Mara. "I need someone around to teach all my awesome skills to, after all."
Cassandra giggled. She seemed happy.
"And I've been all alone except for Oliver for a long time. Not having my dads has made me realize how much I want family around me."
"He's leaving for college today, isn't he?"
"In just a couple hours. I should go home soon."
They watched the birds and the dragonflies on the water for a little while.
"It's too bad you and I couldn't have a baby, if we stay together," Cassandra said.
"What do you mean? Of course we could have a baby," Mara said.
Cassandra stared. "Can you do that?"
"What, right now? No, I'd have to go back to Sixam for a few weeks of hormonal treatments first."
"But you could, you know, get me pregnant? That's amazing."
"I guess people on Sixam thought hormonal treatments were weird at first, but now it's become pretty normal for women who are together to have babies that way," Mara said. "Men have it easy, they could always get each other pregnant."
"What?!"
"Of course! Don't Earth men do that when they want to have children together?"
"Maybe some men wish they could."
"That's too bad. I mean, it wouldn't happen by accident, it takes some effort to relax the, you know, necessary passages. My dads went away on a vacation to the hot springs for a week of meditation and massage, and when they came home, Dad Sovey was pregnant with Oliver."
"I had no idea."
"Hey, I had to suffer through four years of Earth biology and health class. They covered no Sixa biology or health at all. It's not your fault you don't know."
"Mara, someday, I would love to have a baby with you."
Mara held Cassandra and whispered in her ear, "Someday, I hope we will."
Mara thought about the phone call. Should she mention it?
She didn't.
That afternoon, Oliver packed up and went off to Foxbury. Mara sat in the empty house for approximately ten minutes before deciding she needed to change into a different fabulous thrifted outfit and have evening drinks at the Stargazer Lounge, to talk fashion business with a couple of people who knew.
Candy and Ash had good advice to give. And they both seemed to be fans of Mara's style.
I had Mara "order favorite drink" and it turned out to be this. Perfect, Mara.
Suddenly Mara remembered she was supposed to be working from home, developing relationships with prospective clients. She turned the conversation to intellectual property law.
"Yeah, I have no idea what I'd do if someone stole my designs," Ash laughed. "Just trusting to fate, I guess."
"Oh no, fate will not protect you. You could benefit from the services of a good lawyer."
"You know what, you're probably right! And I can afford one now."
Yes!
Yes?
"I need to think it over first. Let me go do that over here."
Ash proceeded to lie down on a booth for a nap.
Huh. It appears, everyone thinks things over in their own way.
An uptight lady in a gray suit and pearls approached Mara. "Hello, young lady," she said. "You seem to know a thing or two about law."
"Why, yes! Are you in need of a lawyer, ma'am?"
"It just so happens that I might be. I was protecting the moral quality of the neighborhood and someone charged me with, what do you call it, battery."
Mara gave her the agency's card. "Ask for me! By the way, I love your suit! That's a really classic style, and great choice in color."
Sorry, folks... Postimages seems to be displaying my older images fine, but "too busy" for the ones in this latest post. If the message persists after a few hours, I might try reposting another way.
...and I think we're back. Let me know if anyone has issues seeing the images. cheers, mightysprite
@mightysprite When I got home a few minutes ago the first two pictures weren't showing, but they are now.🙂
I guess I was wrong about why Cassandra didn't answer Mara's call. There's something else other than Mara that's weighing on Cassandra's mind. Mara not asking where she wanted to eat doesn't feel like the whole truth of why Cassandra wasn't acting like herself. That may be part of it, but not all.
Comments
Oliver is growing into an interesting character too.
Looking forward to Act 2.
Sunday morning, messages were popping up on Mara's phone right and left.
First, there was a congratulatory text from Kaori
You're welcome, Kaori, Mara thought. Rohan can be all yours now. Probably better that way.
Next, Yuki's big sister Candy Behr placed an order to buy Mara's prom outfit. Her attached note said, "Can't believe my sister's friend designs for Hilary Laurent! I'm thrilled to have something by you too! Can't wait to see what you come up with next. A fan, Candy Behr"
Huh. Hilary Laurent?
Next, there were about 50 messages in her Copperdale graduating class's group chat.
Check out Simstagram, Hilary Laurent is wearing Mara Zeezoob now!
Sunglasses at breakfast forever!!!!!
Hilary Laurent the heiress or whatever?
Yeah Mara! I always knew you were so talented! Yay bestie!
Mara grumbled and texted Molly privately: Molly, you poser, we were never besties. Hope your 5th year of high school is going great.
On the group chat, she wrote, Sunglasses at breakfast for the win! Laurent knows good taste it appears! I'm so humbled. Thank you everyone. There are always new outfits up on my Trendi account. Coming up this week: New Lawyer fits, inspired by my new job, wish me luck!
And now it was time to see what all the fuss was about.
Whoa. Sunglasses at breakfast indeed. At the Thebe Estate's table in Tartosa.
Now Mara actually did feel humbled.
Her very own outfit, across the world on an heiress's back. What would it be like to live there? All that sun and gorgeous ocean right outside your door?
Mara gazed out at the Copperdale skyline. She'd grown fond of it, but by comparison, it was fairly shabby
Still, she'd had a lot of fun here
And now there was a real career in the works for her. She got her assignment from her new boss. Looks like she's starting at level 3 in her career. Not bad for someone just out of high school.
Mara and Oliver talked over their situation while Oliver made dinner.
"So, we're partway to the 7500 simoleons we have to earn, in order to pay that lady off and find out more about our dads. I'm selling outfits and I should get paid every day from my new job, but we still have a ways to go."
"Maybe when I'm in college I'll work as a freelance programmer. I hear they make good money, and programming is easy for me. Making that reticulating splines plugin was pretty fun."
"What did they pay you, 14 simoleons?"
"It's a start."
"I could always employ you in my fashion empire," said Mara.
"I cannot imagine a worse fate," said Oliver. "Please keep me and your weird Mediterranean celebrities far, far apart."
Mara went up to bed.
Her head filled with visions of the Tartosa coast. The pearly sand, the blue water, the golden light--
Hey, wait a minute.
She sat up in bed.
I've seen that place before.
It had to be.
Could it be a clue?
All this time, she'd thought her dads had disappeared into space. Could it be they were in Tartosa all this time? Stuck without a way to communicate? Or held against their will? And Dad Sovey had sent the painting as a clue? Or did someone in Tartosa know something about where they were?
And why had the lady from the alley wanted the painting so badly?
Mara ran downstairs and searched all the Tartosa information she could find
Until the computer broke
"Oliver, you have to fix the computer right now."
"It will have to wait a hot minute, I'm fixing the sink."
"But I have to look it up! Our dads could be in the painting?"
"Mara, are you sure you shouldn't go back to bed?"
What, oh what are you doing there, Mara's Dads?
Congrats to Mara,though, on getting some well deserved attention for her outfit designs, and for the new job.
The computer breaking during a key moment made me roar with laughter. So very "Sims".
Act 2, Day 2
On Monday, Oliver's school had a fire drill. In the rain.
Apparently the school recruits students' parents to serve as volunteer firefighters. Today, Faye Harris and Mortimer Goth braved the rain, the grumpy teenagers, and the total absence of any fire.
Oliver and Mara had just heard that their old babysitter died. Even though she only babysat him once, Oliver was feeling pretty down about it. And none of his old friends were at school this week. He unburdened himself to Mr. Morlind.
Mr. Morlind said, "You know, as much as I enjoy seeing you around here, Oliver, if your grades are good you may have the opportunity to graduate early."
"I'm getting all A's, but no one has ever called me to suggest early graduation."
"Give me a few minutes to speak to the principal and then maybe you can drop by her office before lunch is over and find out for yourself."
Principal Prescott was receptive to the idea of graduating early!
(Turns out, you don't need to wait for a phone call, you can just click on the principal and ask to graduate early.)
Oliver was still feeling down, but happy to put today behind him, and move on into the rest of his life.
And when he got home, his scholarship letters were waiting in the mail! He got Copperdale Resident, Food and Drink, and Building the Future. That was enough for a free ride at his dream school--a distinguished degree at Foxbury--and even some left over to cover part of room and board if he wanted to live on campus.
Oliver worked on his college applications. And thought about how to break the news to Mara that he wanted to move out. He loved his sister and was committed to helping find their dads, but... he needed to spread his wings. Even if he was just going to be coding at a computer all day, he didn't want to spend the next four years doing that at the computer in his front hallway, he'd rather do it in a dorm with some new friends. Not to mention, Elsa wanted to go to Foxbury too...
Oliver looked into becoming a freelance programmer. No one was willing to take a teenager seriously enough to consider him for that job. Too bad. But he'd apply himself in his studies, and hopefully be able to work during his second year or so. The scholarships had given him some room to postpone working.
Meanwhile, Mara had a rough first day of work. Her boss, the same boss who had looked at her grades and business experience and given her a pretty sweet starting position, just didn't like her very much as soon as they started working together in person. It seemed that nothing she did was good enough.
"The document wasn't late," Mara insisted. "It was on time."
"Early is on time! And on time is late!" snapped her boss. "You'd better get the next one in sooner!"
Mara left the office glowering.
Mara texted with Gemma about her day. Gemma texted back, Hey, I'm in Windenburg with Sofia and Yuki, let's meet up at the bar. You need a drink or two with your girls.
Mara felt very grown-up having an after-work drink with her girls.
"I just thought I'd rock this job," Mara complained, "and instead everything I do is wrong."
"Maybe it's hazing," Gemma said.
"Maybe it's a harder job than you realized," Sofia said. "You're smart though, you'll pick up fast."
"I could cast Minionize on your boss anytime you want," offered Gemma. "Then she'll have to cook and clean for you while you do whatever you feel like. I've been getting good at that spell. It doesn't fail... as often as it used to."
"Uh, thanks anyway, but I'll pass."
But that made Mara feel better.
"Everyone has scattered so quickly," Mara said thoughtfully. "Everyone from high school is either off at college or getting apartments in the city or something. It seems like it's just me and Oliver here in Copperdale anymore. And he just texted to say he's graduating high school early. So I guess he doesn't have to stay if he doesn't want to."
"Hey, wasn't Yuki here?" asked Sofia.
"She's hiding in the corner as per usual," Mara said. "I have no idea how someone with such blue hair can fade into the woodwork like that, but she always does."
"Some things don't change," said Gemma. "Psst! Don't explode now, but Brytani Cho is sitting behind you!"
"Gemma, you can't make me look. You've pulled that one on me so many times."
But Sofia looked so breathless that Mara turned around anyway. And exploded.
"Ms. Cho! Hiiieeee!! I'm Mara Zeezoob! I designed that High School Class outfit that you looked so great in! It was like half a year ago? I'm so glad you like my designs!"
"I don't recognize the name," said Brytani Cho.
"Eeerhh," said Mara.
"Why do they let aliens in this bar," sniffed a man in a dark suit. "So unpredictable. So... green."
"Hi, Representative Feng, nice to see you," Brytani said and got up to talk to him.
Ash Harjo had just come in, so Mara slinked off to play foosball with them.
"What are you doing these days?" Mara asked.
"I'm staying on as a simfluencer with the same company," Ash said. "I just got promoted. It's a really fun job. And I could do it from anywhere I want. I love it here, but I kind of want to get out of Copperdale and see the world."
"You too, huh," Mara said.
Mara was exhausted when she got home, but not too exhausted to dream over pictures of Tartosa before going to bed. Maybe one day she would live there. And wear fabulous clothes, and hobnob with Thebes all day.
It was nice to dream.
Wow. The elite snobs are out in force at that bar tonight.
Oliver is doing so well! Will be interesting to see how college works out for him.
Oliver's first morning after high school dawned bright and cheery. Well, it was bright and cheery at 11am when this night owl finally awoke.
It was a Tuesday morning.
He luxuriated in playing a video game at 11am on a Tuesday morning.
Then it was done.
What now?
This was a new and unfamiliar problem.
He texted Elsa.
Hey Elsa, whatcha doing?
hey jolly green giant. i skipped school to go to geekcon. what are you doing? because whatever it is, it probably is way less fun than i'm having here.
Elsa, you're a genius
yes, i literally am
See you soon!
So they went and sampled the fine Geekcon cuisine
Made awkward, somewhat crude, flirtatious remarks in front of the very large rocket
Oliver decided to enter the Hackathon.
"Right behind you, Space Cowboy," said Elsa.
"What, you code?" asked Oliver.
"Never tried it before, but how hard can it be?" Elsa asked.
"Haha, I think I have the advantage in this game," said Oliver.
"We'll see about that," said Elsa.
"Elsa! You can't google things during the hackathon! That's not fair!"
"Is it actually against the rules?"
"Uh--"
"You could go find out, but then you'll waste time and I'll catch up while you're gone."
"Gah!" said Oliver.
Oliver peeked at Elsa's screen.
"What the heck? You aren't even in the hackathon! You're watching a livestream!"
"Yeah, okay, I am. I just figured if you thought you were competing against me, you'd try harder and be more likely to win."
"Elsa, you are a remarkable woman," said Oliver.
"I know," said Elsa.
And then they announced the results.
"I wasn't done!" Oliver complained. There were still several hours left in Geekcon.
"Gotta go," said Elsa. "Dad thinks I'm coming home on the school bus about now."
What now?
Oliver looked again at the big rocket. The Geekcon attendees had finished building it and were at work on a second one, but no one had been brave enough to take a test flight, apparently.
He'd flown in spacecrafts with his dads plenty of times when he was a little kid. They'd even let him steer, once they were out of the atmosphere and cruising. Of course, this was a lot more clunky than theirs, and the controls were all in the completely illogical Simlish numbering system. But he'd done well in Earth math in school, and he was good with machines.
Oliver looked up at the sky.
What if I could just find them today?
He pulled a flight suit out of the back compartment of the rocket.
Seatbelts: easy enough.
Radar: laughably crude, but easy to read.
That looked like the launch sequence there.
Either the g-forces were playing havoc on his sinuses, or else he was weeping a little, for being up here again.
He knew how the stars looked from Earth, but he still had to mentally rotate everything back to the way they looked from Sixam, to understand what was where. And of course, the crucial element of his journey was all guesswork
Dads, where did you go? It was supposed to be a quick errand to meet someone from work, all that time ago... It can't be far...
He took some guesses.
Someone objected to one of the guesses.
Who is that? Oliver wondered. He had so many questions. Unfortunately, there was no time to investigate.
No one had thought to install weapons on this rocket. Oliver swung around and blasted away as fast as he could go.
He landed safely.
And resolved that that wouldn't be his last time in the sky.
When he arrived home, bursting to tell Mara of his adventures, she was in the bathroom, having a long conversation with the mirror. She sounded sad. He left her alone.
Why was Mara in this state? Well, it happened again
With the same results
Mara listed all the reasons why she was already a credit to the law firm
And all the ways her boss was actually the lazy one
"After all, how many of your trial lawyers can instantly read the minds of everyone in the room?"
"You're lucky to have me!"
Mara looked herself in the eye and resolved to stay at that job just long enough to get promoted ahead of her boss, and give the orders for a change.
Or if not, there's always the fashion empire.
I'm wondering who that alien was that threw asteroids at Oliver's ship! Someone trying to stop him from finding his dads? Or just some young punk who enjoys chucking space rocks at the "tourists"?
Poor Mara. That boss sounds awful!
@GlacierSnow Good question... There are some battles going on up there, for sure.
Act Two, Day 4
Mara psyched herself up for work with the assistance of a POWER-SIP MIDNIGHT.
"I can do this. I will prove myself today."
Oliver called up Kevin, his high school buddy and sort-of-lingering-slight-crush, to see if he wanted to go to the gym.
"C'mon, Kevin, a little exercise is good for you, and it'll put a spring in your step."
"I'm okay with my step being un-springy."
Oliver sighed. "Okay, the truth is, I'm sitting at home all twitchy because I haven't gotten my college letters back yet, Mara's at work, I need to get out of the house and most people I know are in school."
"Ah. So you need your pal who quietly aged up and finished school from home to come and make you feel less awkward."
"Basically."
"And I am essentially your only choice of company on this day."
"Uh, I didn't mean it like that--"
"It's okay if you did. To be honest, I'm kind of bored too."
So they went.
Neither of them was very experienced with the equipment, but there was a helpful, if somewhat intimidatingly built, trainer.
On one of the treadmills there was someone else who looked a little intimidating. But no one seemed to notice except Oliver.
"Is that a werewolf?" whispered Oliver to Kevin.
"No, it was just me growling. Yaaargh! Why does anyone need their leg muscles to do this?"
But then the werewolf got off of the treadmill. And then everyone noticed.
Oliver was curious, but more scared than curious, and everyone else was running. Also, it appeared that the gym would be closing for an emergency break. And Kevin was nowhere to be found.
So he went home and wrote code.
And then some good news came!
Mara came home from work. "You wouldn't believe the day I had!"
"Did it happen again?"
"Yes! Every single day she comes at me with this!"
"What happened, did you defend yourself?"
"I absolutely did. I gave the speech I'd practiced. And you know what, as soon as I asked how many trial lawyers could read the minds of anyone in the room, her eyes lit up. She pretended like she wasn't impressed. But you know what? She apologized for being rude to me. Actually apologized."
"Maybe she isn't mean, she just wanted to see what you were made of."
"Oh, she's mean all right, but maybe it's the kind of mean that a lawyer has to be sometimes. Anyway, I still kind of hate her."
"What do you want to do now?"
"Well, this is the worst part-- I called Cassandra to ask her for a date tonight, but as soon as I asked she hung up on me, and she won't answer my texts."
"That's weird."
"I have no idea what happened, but I know I can't just go over there."
"Hey Mara? Let's you and me go out. Take your mind off everything. How about the pier?"
"Actually, that sounds pretty awesome."
Mara hadn't actually spent much time at the pier as a teen, but it made her feel nostalgic anyway. This moodlet is so cute
"So, I was planning on doing Computer Science at Foxbury if I got in, and I did, but I found out they have a Physics program also that prepares you to be an astronaut. I think that looks more interesting."
"You want to learn to fly around in lousy Earth rustbuckets from those ignorant Earth hacks?"
"Look, if I could go to university back on Sixam and learn to fly a proper craft, I would," said Oliver. "But last I checked, we live here, and we have no way to get back there. And you know how it is, Sixa technology is so complex that lots of Sixam pilots don't even know how anything on their ship works anymore. They need a crew of engineers and computer experts in case one little thing goes wrong. Earth ships might be more primitive, but the pilots really know what's going on inside the engine."
"How rustic."
"Yeah, but it appeals to me. And then, you know, if we find dads-- I mean, when we find dads-- I'll have a bunch of different options after college."
They rode on the haunted house ride. It wasn't as fun as Mara remembered.
But while they were on the ride, a phone call came.
That would be more than she needed to pay off the lady and find out more about her dads! But... "Now what am I going to do?" moaned Mara. "There is only one person in the world I want to marry, and she won't even talk to me on the phone."
"If it doesn't pan out, you're no worse off than you are now," reasoned Oliver.
"That's not helpful!"
"Really though. Sometimes you just have to wait for stuff. Whatever's going on with Cassandra, pestering her tonight won't fix anything. And you'll earn enough money on your own in time."
"I only have a few days. I can't wait long."
"Sometimes biding your time for a few moves is all you need."
"Oliver? You know you'll be miserable if you never come home to visit me from college. You'll miss me terribly."
"It's only a train ride away. We can do this anytime."
Even if it was just a test, I wouldn't want to work for a boss like that. Guess that's why I'm not a lawyer. But good for Mara!
I loved the werewolf scene!
I wonder what's going on with Cassandra.
Act Two, Day 5
Mara called Cassandra the next morning to see if she was interested in brunch.
Cassandra seemed a lot happier today and agreed to meet.
The Sunny Side Up Diner was a pleasant place to be.
For Mara, anyway.
"There's also a lot of stuff on this menu that isn't very good," Cassandra observed. "A healthy diet of quality food is important for a healthy body and mind, don't you think? I hate putting cheap burgers and stuff like that in my body."
"But you just ordered the veggie burger."
"It was the only thing that even had vegetables in the name."
"Wow, I never knew you had such strong opinions."
"Just learning more these days, I guess. We all ate worse as teens than we really should."
Here's the trait Cassandra gained upon aging up to Young Adult, it seems
But they did have a good conversation
There was a lot of flirting, if not a lot of eating on Cassandra's part (she never touched that veggie burger)
Mara thought about asking what had happened yesterday, when she tried to invite Cassandra out, and Cassandra hung up on her.
She didn't ask.
Mara thought about that other phone call, where she was promised a life-changing amount of money if she got married in a week. Correction, if she got married in six days now.
She was sitting with the only person in the world she wanted to marry.
She didn't bring it up.
But one smaller thing, she could manage. "I have to apologize," Mara said. "I just picked the restaurant. I didn't even ask you what you felt like eating. I'm sorry."
"Thanks."
"Want to get out of here?"
"Absolutely."
Mara walked Cassandra home. Cassandra went up to change into something more comfortable for the hot day. Mara was half hoping to be invited upstairs to be included in this process, but wasn't surprised when Cassandra asked her to wait on a bench outside.
It was a beautiful afternoon, and the creek was very peaceful. They sat close, and talked.
The subject turned to marriage. Only in general terms.
"Do you think you want a family one day?" asked Cassandra.
"I'm pretty sure I do," said Mara. "I need someone around to teach all my awesome skills to, after all."
Cassandra giggled. She seemed happy.
"And I've been all alone except for Oliver for a long time. Not having my dads has made me realize how much I want family around me."
"He's leaving for college today, isn't he?"
"In just a couple hours. I should go home soon."
They watched the birds and the dragonflies on the water for a little while.
"It's too bad you and I couldn't have a baby, if we stay together," Cassandra said.
"What do you mean? Of course we could have a baby," Mara said.
Cassandra stared. "Can you do that?"
"What, right now? No, I'd have to go back to Sixam for a few weeks of hormonal treatments first."
"But you could, you know, get me pregnant? That's amazing."
"I guess people on Sixam thought hormonal treatments were weird at first, but now it's become pretty normal for women who are together to have babies that way," Mara said. "Men have it easy, they could always get each other pregnant."
"What?!"
"Of course! Don't Earth men do that when they want to have children together?"
"Maybe some men wish they could."
"That's too bad. I mean, it wouldn't happen by accident, it takes some effort to relax the, you know, necessary passages. My dads went away on a vacation to the hot springs for a week of meditation and massage, and when they came home, Dad Sovey was pregnant with Oliver."
"I had no idea."
"Hey, I had to suffer through four years of Earth biology and health class. They covered no Sixa biology or health at all. It's not your fault you don't know."
"Mara, someday, I would love to have a baby with you."
Mara held Cassandra and whispered in her ear, "Someday, I hope we will."
Mara thought about the phone call. Should she mention it?
She didn't.
That afternoon, Oliver packed up and went off to Foxbury. Mara sat in the empty house for approximately ten minutes before deciding she needed to change into a different fabulous thrifted outfit and have evening drinks at the Stargazer Lounge, to talk fashion business with a couple of people who knew.
Candy and Ash had good advice to give. And they both seemed to be fans of Mara's style.
I had Mara "order favorite drink" and it turned out to be this. Perfect, Mara.
Suddenly Mara remembered she was supposed to be working from home, developing relationships with prospective clients. She turned the conversation to intellectual property law.
"Yeah, I have no idea what I'd do if someone stole my designs," Ash laughed. "Just trusting to fate, I guess."
"Oh no, fate will not protect you. You could benefit from the services of a good lawyer."
"You know what, you're probably right! And I can afford one now."
Yes!
Yes?
"I need to think it over first. Let me go do that over here."
Ash proceeded to lie down on a booth for a nap.
Huh. It appears, everyone thinks things over in their own way.
An uptight lady in a gray suit and pearls approached Mara. "Hello, young lady," she said. "You seem to know a thing or two about law."
"Why, yes! Are you in need of a lawyer, ma'am?"
"It just so happens that I might be. I was protecting the moral quality of the neighborhood and someone charged me with, what do you call it, battery."
Mara gave her the agency's card. "Ask for me! By the way, I love your suit! That's a really classic style, and great choice in color."
It had been a good night for gray.
...and I think we're back. Let me know if anyone has issues seeing the images. cheers, mightysprite
Good luck Oliver!