The Ratava Legacy [Requesting a Move to the Graveyard]

[imayu94]

Thanks for the comments, @arimau !

Aqua and Bri are raising their own kids, but it's always nice to help each other out every now and then. Since Catherine and Aqua did the Whiz Kid asp, (with Aqua unsuccessful due to my negligence) I think they'd do better together. I did look up the Catherine name before I chose it. The name was deliberately chosen for her. Does that mean something? Maybe. 

The dining room was something to my liking, inspired by a restaurant I loved years ago. Perfect for romantic, non-child getaways. The different rooms for that lot weren't all featured yet in the legacy, I look forward to using them in the future. 

[KTK10]

What great updates. I really like seeing the difference in all the kids and I love how Aqua and Bri have become so close due to motherhood. Well done!

[imayu94]

Chapter 25: That Thing Called Age

Mom was right. Teens are weird.

This was the first time we have a teen in the house since I was one. Ian’s being both a blessing, and a pain. Since he’s already capable of doing more things than a child, he finds himself constantly bored, and finding us as his targets if mischief.



He has a peculiar relationship with the bar too. Every time we see him he’s usually there, practicing his mixing. One time he made me a drink after a long night’s party. Called it the Boiler Room. For some reason it just made me all warm inside, and a little bit frustrated. It was good though, I could tell he was getting good.

“Thanks Auntie Bri,” he cleans up the bar and sighs. “The house may be nice, but there’s not much to do here that interests me.”

“Well, there’s a lot of things to keep you occupied. Reading, cooking, watching TV…”

“Sounds like a drag. I’m not going to gain much.”

I thought about it for a second. “Your mom and I never thought about doing it at your age, but you could always take a job. Maybe you can use these new mixing skills.”

As soon as I said that he zipped and asked his dad for permission. Yahir was very enthusiastic about the idea, rambling on about his son being ‘responsible’. Aqua wasn’t so sure, but after a few shifts and an increase in his grades, she decided not to comment anymore. But one night, she knocked on our bedroom door.



“Hey, can we talk?”

“Mhm…” I yawned. “Is it really so important to wake me in the middle of the night?”

“It is.”

At those words my sleepiness evaporated. “What’s up?”

Aqua touches the end of her braid, fixing an invisible fray. “Yahir’s having his elderly birthday in a few days.”

“Is he? I haven’t checked the calendars yet.” It seemed to be so soon. I was still thinking of my own birthday this weekend. “So, what about it?”

“Would it be okay to…” she smiles at me meekly. “Extend his life a bit?”

I stared at her blankly. “What?”

“Look, I know it’s too much to ask, and I know we’re not supposed to… I mean…” Aqua waves her hands around as she talks. I’ve never seen her so agitated when she’s not mad. In some way, she looked and acted like mom, changing her thoughts mid-sentence. “Yahir really wants to see Ian grow up. You understand—You two have insanely high standards about these things. What was I saying?”

“Extend his life…”

“Right. Uhmm… I’m afraid he won’t make it.” She focuses on her hair again. “If anyone out of the two of us goes grey first, it’s going to be me. I want my boys to be alright, and together.”



I smiled at her. It’s nice to have these kinds of secret get-togethers.

“Sis, I think I can grant your wish.” I said. “If this makes you happy, we can do it. But please do inform your husband. I don’t want to be the one bringing the news to him of what you’re asking.”

“You got it.” She stands up and hugs me. “Thanks, Bri. You’re the best.”

“You are too. And I’ll help you with this. Sister’s honor.”



As the morning usual, Yahir and Ian wakes up early in the morning. Only this time, it was just the dad, with the teen on his early morning shift. I sat across him in the dining area and slid across a substance I never bothered to taste myself.

He looked at me, and I just nudged him to it. Doubtful at first, he stirred the drink, but drank it anyway. Nothing changed, only his soon birthday postponed. He got back to his morning meal.



“I thought you’d be strict,” he said, after a long while. “I told Aqua that you have to approve first. I didn’t think you would. I was confident about it.”

“Everyone seems to assume that I’m strict,” I said to him. “But I don’t like seeing my sister depressed when you go first. I’ve seen my mother’s devastation. I don’t want her having it.”

“Then what about me? How about me seeing Aqua go?”

“You have Ian to raise. The two of you, together. That’s what she wants. She knows you’ll make it.”



Everyone leaves the house during the morning. Except Al, who was getting used to the morning housework. Only in the afternoon do the kids come back from school. And Catherine, who was standing on the edge of a B grade, took my old learner’s violin and started playing it.



It took forever, but as I was finishing off some work, I had to listen to the violin screech over and over. It was nerve-wracking, but I kept throwing encouragements to Catherine, saying things like, “You’re doing great, honey!” until she was satisfied that she learned enough.

She snickers every time she messes up and it’s a little funny. The girl never runs out of jokes she learns from her dad. Living with goofballs is never a dull one, but I have to make sure Al’s not teaching her some inappropriate jokes.

On the following weekend morning, I called my long-time friends over for a little gathering for my birthday. It’s not a big deal. Just me getting older.

Okay it is. I can’t believe I’m getting older.



My husband took over the scene as the emcee for my birthday. He made it a point to make everything he says about me, and it’s a little embarrassing sometimes. (“You’re still my wife and you’re still as hot as ever”).



Henri’s getting better at his creative skills, gliding his hands over the ivories like a pro. I wondered for a moment why mom didn’t choose it as a medium.



Aqua was the first to formally greet me my happy birthday, saying something about what to expect and asked me about my plans in the future. She also told me that Catherine’s doing well with her skills, which is a great thing since they’ve been at it for days.



And as always, Yahir does the cooking. Ever since our morning talk he’s been more amiable to me as a person, not just a co-snob. He made me a delicate white cake.



The place was packed with people, my long-time friends, and frequent party goers. These are people that came around to see me grow up, and most of them have been there on my coming-of-age birthday, long ago. And they’re still here, after all this time.



With candles blown, trumpets blasted, and songs sung, the party became livelier than ever. There we so many people that it was hard to keep track of everyone, and being the birthday girl, people came up to me instantly to congratulate me. But looking out at the back I saw most of my family there. Ian was also putting his skills to pretty good use.



I found my husband in the middle of a card game, enthusiastic as ever. I peered over and looked at his cards, watching him throw down the good ones.



“Al, you’re making the wrong moves.”

“Nahh, I’ll be fine.”

“Hey, just because I’m older doesn’t mean I’m not good enough to play games,” I said to him. I pulled out a card and dropped it down. My three guests looked at me with bewilderment. I smiled innocently. “So, Al wins?”

Al kissed me on the cheek as he won the game. “Happy birthday, dear.”

[Playalot]

So many updates! lol Not sure how I missed quite so many. Loving your story as ever and haven't the kids aged up well.

[KTK10]

Gosh your house is looking great! Bri and Aqua are just wonderful sisters, it's great to see. Am looking forward to watching all the kids grow up 

[imayu94]

@Playalot Thanks! I have to admit I wasn't prepared for having three kids running around the house. This was probably the first time I had a near full household in the Sims 4. Normally I just do a family of three.

@KTK10 Thanks for reading! I try my best with the house. I'm not a very good builder myself.

[imayu94]

Extra: Love Focused

Bri: Hello! Today we’re here to interview my sister and her loving husband!



Aqua: Bri, really? I’m kind of in the middle of a strategy here.

Bri: Yeah yeah, you can do that later. Sit down! You too Yahir!

Yahir: Is this necessary?

Bri: It’s a work project, get used to it because I’ll be doing it from time to time. But I want to do a big cover on you guys, because I love you. And please put down the frying pan.

Aqua: Because you can’t write for yourself?

Bri: Well, there’s that too. Let’s get started! Ahem… We are joined today with a glorious power couple—

Aqua: ‘Power couple’?

Yahir: I like the power couple thing. Keep it.

Aqua: You two are unbearable.

Yahir: But you love us anyways, so get used to it.

Bri: Okay, ahem… Aqua, whom I’ve known since I was a child, grew up to be a very intelligent woman, not that she already was. She currently works at the Astronaut profession, hoping to conquer the stars that she once long loved... oh stop blushing Aqua, I’m allowed to be dramatic! She spends plenty of time with their son, Ian and her husband, but never fails to find time for herself and her various projects. What’s occupying you at the moment, Aqua?

Aqua: Uhmm… okay… I’ll speak through here? Okay. Since I felt that I achieved much on an intellectual level, I moved to creating more paintings lately. When I was—well when we were—teens, mom bought me an easel which I never got around to using when I had a job. I plan to return to that creative side from time to time.



Yahir: I’ve seen them. They’re really good.

Aqua: Yeah right. As if houses that look like mushrooms are ‘really good’.

Yahir: Well, they are.

Bri: Oh, subtle sweetness. Along with her is her husband Mr. Mallory, who has been taking up programming as his profession. A loner-type, it is quite a wonder how he was able to charm Aqua, and get out of his lonely island comfort zone.

Aqua: Bri…

Bri: Just trying to spice things up. So Yahir, What have you been up to so far?



Yahir: Well, as you can tell I do a lot of cooking. I’m quite picky with what I eat, and well… Aqua isn’t much of a cook.

Aqua: At least I’ve never been burned.

Bri: …Why are you looking at me?

Yahir: Anyways, since I came to my senses because Aqua talked me into it, I’m still pursuing programming as a profession. Your dad, by the way, is very famous there.

Aqua: They talk to you about dad?

Yahir: Sometimes. They tell me he developed a mobile app that pretty much changed the way do games, but that’s not really my field now.

Aqua: Yahir chose a practical route of a digital entrepreneur, building mobile apps and plug-ins every now and then.

Bri: You two are very busy when I see you.

Aqua: Well, yeah. Both of us need to focus for our jobs if we want to be better at them, so we don’t normally like being disturbed. Sorry, Bri.

Bri: That’s alright, I don’t want to disturb you either. Now let’s see here… ah. How did you meet? Personally I don’t really know either. Care to share?

Yahir: I met her at the library.

Bri: …That’s it? Details!

Yahir: Ugh. Uhm… I met her at the library, late into the night after everyone was gone. She was concentrating on the chess board there.

Aqua: And he was looking over. A lot. It was annoying. I have quite a temper, so I snapped at him asking him what’s his problem—

Yahir: And I pointed out that she was missing a piece. She said thank you, guilty because she shouted at me.

Aqua: Hey.

Yahir: It’s true. And we ended up talking about strategy and things. I agreed to meet her here where we can have our own chess match that has a complete set. And so I got here. Met your mother and everything.

Aqua: Found out that you wanted to marry me?

Yahir: Haha. Yeah. That sums it up.

Bri: Sweet. I never knew how you started. I just saw you leaving and well… things exploded after that. So... you too are doing well in your separate career lives, but what about you as couple?

Yahir: Uh… what ‘us as a couple’?

Bri: What do you do, how do you keep yourself together, how do you manage fights, et cetera. You know, the usual things.

Aqua: Again, is this necessary? You know enough about us already!

Bri: It is! And it’s still different coming out of your own mouth of course!

Yahir: We’re doing okay, I guess. Living our life here and there. Asking Ian how he’s doing with homework—

Aqua: Helping him with homework too.

Yahir: Yeah, that. Let’s just say we’re a very quiet couple.

Aqua: We have harmony in silence.

Yahir: Yes. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Bri: … … …yeah okay.

Aqua: It’s not that we’re distant or anything, but there’s just something we like about just being together, but separate. He loves it. It’s something you can do while you’re busy doing work or repairing objects, or something you can do just to relax. And it’s nice to have that with someone.

Yahir: It’s nice to have that with you.

Bri: I sit in awkward silence as the couple holds hands and exchanges lovely stares—

Aqua: Bri!

Bri: What?

Aqua: That’s it, I’m done. I’m going back to upgrading the stove.

Yahir: Need my help with that?

Aqua: Yeah, I need you to tell me how you use it, so that I’ll know what improvements I’ll make.

Yahir: Okay.

Bri: I guess that ends it? Wait, can I ask a few more—

Aqua: Later, Bri!

Bri: Okay… Bri’s Log End.




Just added a bit-long extra here. I've been wanting to do a small profile on this couple (since they aren't the primary focus, there is not much chance of that) and now this popped out.

Thanks for reading!

[Playalot]

AW, that was great. Yahir's such a sweetie.

[KTK10]

That was really fun to read, very much enjoyed getting to know Aqua and Yahir.. and yep, he really is a cutey! 

[Shewolf13]

Got all caught up today! First, I have to tell you how much I about died at the part about playing Sims and what if they were Sims.  So glad I wasn't drinking anything at the time.  I loved Autumn and Travis.  And I really loved how you played out things with Al and Demarkus.  Great reading so far!  I'm following you on wordpress now as well ^^

[imayu94]

@KTK10 and @Playalot They don't get as much exposure as the heir branch so I thought to give them a little bio. I quite like their simplistic relationship. Yahir is really quite a sweetie. <3 Thanks for following this story! You guys rock. 

@Shewolf13 Thanks for reading! That's quite a lot you read, I hope you enjoyed it! I look forward to hearing more about Azura. 

[imayu94]

Chapter 26: Hopeful Romantics

Enjoy your kids while they’re young. Most of my friends kept telling me that when they come over here and they see Henri and Catherine.



I haven’t been spending much time with my little ones, but there were some times when they demand my attention, and I just can’t resist them. They asked me about school, told me about their grades, what they’ve been achieving. They also liked reading the children’s books I’ve been publishing. The house is filled with Henri complaining about Ian breaking the dollhouse, yet again, and Catherine retelling her dad’s jokes.





Even Henri’s request for more macaroni for his art, or Catherine asking me to be her audience as she mixed chemicals in her room is a frequent thing. Both of them were such dears, and I couldn’t be happier. But I worried about how their personalities change when they turn to teens. I became self-conscious of myself at that time, I remember it.

My nephew Ian was no different either. He may be a teen now, but his new hobby involved playing with dolls.



Al asked me about it sometime. He said he became more playful just watching Ian with the doll in hand.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” he said to me. “One second I’m all energized, then playful the next. It’s just weird.”

“Well, at least you’re getting better at making jokes while you’re at it.”

“That’s true,” he did this small body shake that creeped me out, then laughed to himself.  “I just thought of another routine. Hold on.”

He proceeded to writing more comedy routines and I just stared at his wide grin. I’m gonna have to ask Ian about that doll later.



The kids went home that afternoon with mixed emotions. Henri was on all high achieving his first ‘A’. He showed me the report and suggested to pin it on the refrigerator next to her sister’s report, which I did.



He completed his aspiration as well with flying colors (and days early), so I owe him the family kitchen as a price when he becomes older.



“Since your Auntie Aqua has been upgrading the kitchen, you’ll have it to yourself!” I said with much enthusiasm. “Well, you and Uncle Yahir, until you get to train yourself well.”

“I will get myself trained well! I’ll be the best chef, ever!”

Oh boy. He’s got his grandpa’s confidence streak. “Good. Make some good food and don’t forget to share with friends.”

Catherine, however, was still on the downside. She hasn’t yet completed much of her whiz kid wishes, and she was running out of time. I took my time in comforting her, but she’s determined. One time she even asked Ian for help.



“You want me to do what now?”

“I want you to get mad at me!”

“I won’t.”

“Yes, you would!”

Eventually she did get him **ed off and she got **ed off too. I don’t know what that was for but seconds later it was like they were friends again. I just saw five glasses of porous substance on Catherine’s desk and I didn’t ask anything more.



She also spent a lot of nights with Aqua on the chessboard. My sister told me that she’s doing well, but my daughter’s still anxious. They both took their time in studying each other’s moves and I got to watching them as well. Demarcus came over as a dummy player as Aqua coaches Catherine for the moves.



He made his move and after a few pauses, Catherine knocked down the queen and proceeded to a checkmate.

“Whoo! I win!” she pumped her fist in the air as Demarcus recalculates how he got beaten by a small kid. Catherine grins at me with much content, and turns to her Auntie Aqua. “Thank you!”



So late into the night, I led Catherine to her bedroom to get some well-deserved rest. Aqua was pretty beat too, but she made it a point to tell me that she’s proud of me for supporting my daughter.
I lead Demarcus out of the house, I could tell he was still confused.

“Get over it, Demarcus.”

“What?” He woke from his trance and looked at me. “Nah, I let her win!”

“No you didn’t.”

He grinned. “Yeah, I didn’t. I can’t believe I still lost though. Something to think about on the way home, of course. Bye Bri.”

And soon, the moment of joy is upon all of us, as my children age up to teens. Marci told me that Catherine looked almost exactly like me. Hm. Probably because of the hair. I do need to talk to her about wardrobe though.





The dads, Yahir and Al, were keen to see what will happen as Catherine ages up. Al shrugs it off as Yahir points out his dilemma.



“Good luck with having a daughter, Al.” Yahir said. “You’re going to have your hands full with the guys she meets.”

“She’s good enough to know what’s okay for her,” Al said. “As long as she takes the idea seriously enough. A lot of things are a joke, love’s not one of them.”

Aside from her birthday, we had Henri’s not long after a few days. He started fiddling around in the kitchen and I had the.best.omelet. in the entire world.



There they are, my children. They grow up so fast. Now they can accomplish more things. Henri took up a job in the small fast food chain nearby, and Catherine continued the home gardening that her dad started. Aside from that, I didn’t really realize that much change until I joined Catherine in the home gym to burn a few cake calories. Henri walked in and used the mirror since Ian was using the bathroom at that moment.



“Mom, do you think I should start dating?”

I stopped lifting weights because the question was heavy enough. “Depending on you, Cathy. If you think you’re ready.”

Henri snickered. “As if she’s ready.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry, sis.” He fixes his hair in the mirror, combing it over to change the style. For a second it looked like his grandpa’s. “I just don’t think we’re that old yet.”

“Dating should be fun.” Cathy retaliates. “Meeting new people, new romances along the way, dates every now and then… It’s exciting, Henri.”

“So, what, you’ll be dating five or more guys sometime in the future?”

“That sounds promising.”

“Hey, hey, hey.” I stood up from the machine and walked over to the both of them. “Now’s not really a time to talk about pending boyfriends. Or multiple boyfriends even, Cathy. You can date if you like, as long as you two keep your grades up.”

“Yes mom,” Henri wrapped his arm around mine and leaned on my shoulder. “I won’t be as flirty as this girl though.”

He stepped out of the room. Catherine bellowed over. “Die like an old maid, Henri!”

My son raised his eyebrows at his sister. “Hey. If I find her, she’s going to be one lucky girl to have me. Morning walks, breakfast in bed, homemade dinner and late movie nights. It’s going to be great.”

He closed the door behind us, singing one of the theme songs from the soap operas I watched. I turned back to Catherine. “Are you sure that’s what you want to accomplish?”

“There’s a lot of great guys out there, mom. They’re all just waiting to meet someone special.”

“Hm.” I wiped the sweat off my face and hung the towel on my shoulder. “When I tell him what you’re up to, your dad’s going to kill me.”

Sooo... both of them grew up to be romantics. I don't really know what to say. 

[KTK10]

Oh boy.. seems like you are going to have your hands full! Two romantic teenagers...    They do have a typical brother/sister relationship don't they!

[imayu94]

@KTK10 They're tight knit in a way because they are similar in character, unlike Aqua and Brianna who bond over differences. It's a nice change. The constantly flirty kids are a bit annoying though.

[Playalot]

Both romantic? Oh gosh! That's going to make things a little tricky! I did love this though :"I stopped lifting weights because the question was heavy enough." It gave a real weight to your character  but seriously, just fab writing as always.

The house looked wonderful too. Have you remodeled it all?