Chapter 8 - Knees On The Ground
Leif and Cara’s shared adult birthday arrived. Astrid, beneath her shock over her baby boy being middle-aged already, was desperate to throw a party. The first party ever thrown at the Staraby house, as a matter of fact.
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She compiled a list of invitees and sent out the summons, and by late afternoon, all of Leif and Cara’s friends were pouring in through the gates in various states of dress. A singed Roland Sackholme, one of Bradan’s children, led the way (Astrid had a theory that he burned himself making that plate of ratatouille, but she was afraid to ask), followed by Leticia O’Reilly and all of Cara’s siblings.
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Cara hadn’t seen any of her siblings in a while. She eagerly danced with every single one of them.
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It was a boisterous and colorful party. The turquoise man of the hour blew out his candles on a new era in his life.
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…And he lost a lot of hair. Astrid, behind him, instantly locked herself into denial mode, as she was known to do.
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Cara aged up a short while later, after most of the cake was gone. This might have bothered some more self-centered Sims, but not Cara.
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With his hair restored (and added to, in the form of a mustache and goatee), Leif dove back into his requirements. He completed his painting skill challenges and maxed his career just a day or two after his birthday.
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That was another household member’s birthday - our second ever human elder.
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Leif had decided, after reading Sunny’s letter and talking to his family, to enter the journalism career in order to try and spawn more opportunities. As soon as he sold enough paintings at the consignment store to nudge him into level 10, he called City Hall to quit, then applied at the journalism office as a Paper Boy. Bright and early the next morning, he was off to work. (He’d hoped to catch a ride with Star News Anchor Quinn, but of course Star News Anchor Quinn had to carpool in a super fast car. Poor Leif had to trundle behind in a Sloppy Jalopy.)
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Quinn was kind enough to show his friend around the place, though. And after his workday ended at noon, he felt a rush of accomplishment and satisfaction. He’d worked hard all his life to reach the top of the journalism world, and now that he’d made it, he was ready for something new. So he called back into the office he’d just left…
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…and informed them that he was retiring.
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Little Petunia celebrated her birthday that evening and finally became old enough to hunt.
Once Leif was established in the journalism career and started to learn the writing skill, the opportunities started pouring in. His very first day, his boss gave him a book to read during his off hours. The next morning, his friend Alfonzo Mithrilen called, requesting a biography written by the very skilled Leif Staraby. (Leif was too desperate for opportunities to tell his client that he was only at level 1 of writing.) And a couple days after that, he was asked to help out with some copy editing at work. With his opportunities suddenly complete, Leif asked his mother for a few of her friendship elixirs. He’d spend the next day or so collecting two best friends from outside the family’s acquaintances.
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But first, he took his girlfriend on a date, their first in quite a while.
“Wow, Leif, you’ve taken me to Cladach Beach at sundown just before you’re finished with your requirements? Whatever can this mean?!”
Leif smiled, appreciating how much she understood the dynasty inside and out - and wondering if there was any way he could have made this a surprise.
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He had an over-emotional speech prepared for the moment his knee hit the ground, but Cara was so excited that the word “Yes!” was exploding out of her before Leif even got the ring box open.
The wedding was scheduled for the following evening. Two parties in one week? Things were suddenly feeling a little less frantic in this dynasty. In the early days, there was never time for parties.
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“Congratulations, son. Sorry you don’t get to wear cool armor on your wedding day like me.”
“It’s all right, Father. I’m not as much of a jock as you are.”
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There was no sunlight remaining by the time Leif and Cara made it to the new wedding arch that had been set up outside. Sometimes Dragon Valley, in all its medieval mysteriousness, had some rather short days. But they didn’t need any sunlight. They had the light of each other’s love to see by. And also two tiki torches stuck in the ground nearby.
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Almost no one bothered to sit in the chairs that Astrid and Nuala had meticulously set up for the event, but even Astrid found herself not caring very much. Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Staraby!
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More tiki torches led the way to the cake. And Leif and Cara went to bed as happy husband and wife.
The family was in high spirits after the wedding, and the bride and groom enjoyed a nice long lay-in.
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No one was prepared to hear the sound of the Grim Reaper arriving on the lot. No one had even realized that Petal was old enough to die.
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Nuala looked across at Dinny. “All I can say is, I’m glad Astrid is at the library today,” she said.
“Agreed,” Dinny said.
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Sweet Petal was the very first hunting dog of the Staraby 4x4 Dynasty, and therefore she would always be the best. Rest in peace, little friend, and we’re all sorry we didn’t see this coming.
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Astrid missed the actual death, but her Dog Person spidey-sense still told her something was wrong. She raced home from the library and saw Dinny standing beside a new gravestone that had just appeared in the grass.
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She sobbed into her husband’s shoulder. “I’m never adopting a dog ever again,” she cried, while simultaneously rolling the wish to do exactly that.
Leif and Cara were of course heartbroken over the loss of the family dog - but not so heartbroken as to lose enthusiasm for what came next.
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“Well, Leif, you’ve been out in town all day,” Cara said. “Because you’re back, may I correctly assume that your requirements are now complete?”
“You know too much,” Leif said.
“I know what we should do now that you’re finished.”
“Talk about this in another room where my father isn’t sitting right behind you? Yes, good idea.”
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Off they went to the bedroom. Generation Two was nigh!
Heir #1 - Leif StarabyTraits: Artistic, Heavy Sleeper, Ambitious, Perfectionist, Over-Emotional
Favorites: Geek Rock, Vegetarian Chili, Lilac
1 Unique Maxed Career: Self-Employed Painter
2 Unique Best Friends: Derek Jameson, Rian Lim
3 Unique Skill Challenges: Brush Master, Proficient Painter, Master Painter
4 Unique Opportunities: A Large Painting, Why Did The Journalist Cross The Road?, A History of One, Check This
Author’s Notes:- I forgot to mention, back when Cara moved in, that she is no longer connected to any of her adopted siblings in her family tree. I don’t know if that was always the case, or if it happened when her mother died (which happened shortly after Cara joined the household). I hadn’t looked at her family tree until the death of Sophie. Cara was all alone in the family tree void until she married Leif.
She was still good friends with all of her siblings, though, and those relationships soon developed into old friends. She never failed to dance with them when they visited for parties.
