Ooh, well timed speech bubbles at the end there. After typing that I suddenly realized how strange it sounds... don’t mind me.
I spent about three Sim days trying to get the screenshots of Minnie and Opal talking, although they all came from the last session, as it turned out - and the divorce/wedding conversation was entirely spontaneous. That wasn't even in my vague plan for the story.
Highways and BywaysNow that she had no-one left to train, Lotus turned her attention back to exploring. She'd read about a mysterious chateau that sounded well worth her attention. As soon as she'd unpacked after arriving in Champs les Sims, she drove out to have a look at it.
Oh yes! This was certainly intriguing.
Finding her way through the booby traps and exploring all of the hidden rooms could keep her happily occupied for weeks
.
Of course, Chateau Landgraab wasn't the only attraction...
She might well be looking at a very long stay in France
.
(It even looks as though she's contemplating a small half-sibling for RR.)
Romeo had also been researching destinations. A town where half the inhabitants were descended from pirates and some dressed to suit sounded like the sort of place where his fashion sense would blend in perfectly.
He flew out to Barnacle Bay, rented a small house and went out to meet the neighbours.
Well, only one neighbour, as it turned out. He and Juliet Verona were so strongly attracted that he didn't get any further.
Instead, they chatted for a while and then he invited her out on a date. He'd been longing to see the famous diner anyway.
After a seafood lunch, he presented her with a bouquet of red roses and took her to see a foreign film at the cinema. Then they simply sat on a nearby bench, talking, unwilling for the evening to end.
"It's strange. We've only just met but I have the strongest feeling that we belong together."
"Me too. I – I feel as if I'm in a book. Or maybe a play."
Then she gave him flowers (or were they the same ones he'd given her? Yes, I'm a cynic
.) And they sat on the cold, hard paving, stargazing, well past midnight.
As soon as he was awake the following morning, Romeo rushed back over to Juliet's house. This time she invited him in – and he saw her wallpaper. They really were made for each other! He asked her to go steady…
…and followed up almost immediately with a proposal.
After a brief flurry of preparation, they drove out to Pirate's Hideaway for the wedding of their dreams…
…before returning to the bride's house (and her wonderfully tasteful bedroom) for the wedding night.
With more spaces opening up in the household, Minnie returned to the science lab to revive the remaining helpers.
It was hungry work
.
(After the last lot, I was glad that these three got on perfectly amicably – although the distractions of Abrielle's laptop and Darren's book undoubtedly helped
.)
By the end of the day they were all fully human and young again.
Darren settled back into this unexpected second life by going back to his roots and painting desert landscapes all day, helped by having lost his hatred of the outdoors.
Lennon fulfilled a long-held dream by setting off on a prolonged world tour, studying other cultures and cuisines (or having a nice long holiday with plenty of good food and drink, depending on your point of view. He'd earned it, either way.)
Abrielle spent her first few days making the most of all the entertaining new objects that the family had acquired since her day.
"You know, Minnie, I think I concentrated too hard on work and skills the first time around."
"Well, I'm certainly grateful that you did. We couldn't have succeeded without you."
"Yes, and I was well aware of that, of course. But now I've got another chance, I think I should be having more fun – and maybe seeing what else life has to offer. I was such a hopeless romantic as a teenager but that somehow got lost along the way."
"You were quite keen on Ethan Tanner, I seem to remember."
"I was – and I think it was mutual, although we never got as far as going out. We're still no more than friends, despite all the times we met up and chatted as ghosts."
"So would you like to give romance another try? I can ask the scientists to revive him, you know."
"Ye-es, I think so. I'd certainly like his company, whatever happens."
"Come on then."
And so they stopped off at the family graveyard to collect Ethan's tombstone, before Minnie made yet another visit to the lab.
The next morning, Abrielle and Ethan met up for a late breakfast. As they were loading their plates into the dishwasher, he stopped her.
"Abrielle, what are your plans? I've always wanted to see more of the world. I'd like to live somewhere greener."
"Me too. I've been thinking I want to do things differently this time."
"So would you like to come with me – as my girlfriend?"
"Of course I would!" And she kissed him, while the rest of the household tactfully pretended to be too busy making lunch to notice.
They moved to Riverview and started new jobs. Abrielle became a scientist: after all, she already had most of the skills she needed. She could take it easy at work and still be successful. Ethan went into politics, hoping to achieve his lifetime wish someday.
But they made sure to leave time for hobbies and relaxation – and for each other.
Credit: Romeo's wedding hat by EsmeraldaF
