Mesa Vista - My BaCC for fun: Week 4, Part 10 - University (continued)
Nicole and Mina Outside at University (continued):
Back at the Venture House...
"Don't sweat it, silly, I'm nothing but a lowly pledge..."
"You're not lowly! It just isn't in my nature to take advantage of people, and especially you, Andi."
Mina rolled her eyes but said encouragingly, "It's okay, sis, it's just part of the game."
"There, listen to Mina, she gets it. Come on, you can practice on me."
"Umm..."
"Don't be shy, tell me what needs to be done!"
"... The books? Please put away the books."
"Where'd she go?" Andi asked, tucking the last book into the bookcase.
"She's probably upstairs painting our portraits."
"Who's gonna paint hers?"
"Probably me after I've had more practice."
"I can paint portraits."
"Are you any good?"
"Yes."
"Isn't it funny? My mom wore the same top as you when she was at La Fiesta Tech in the Apocalypse."
"Heh, really?"
Andi would have to something about that. The last thing she wanted was for Nicole to be reminded of her mother when she saw her, Andi.
"Who wants pizza?"
"We do!"
Once such formalities as makeovers and the unveiling of the pizza were dispensed with, Andi finally got started on Nicole's portrait.
And it turned out exactly how Andi always thought of Nicole... the light of every room.
"And I can only hope some day the light of my room..."
(Oh Gawd. Andi is Romance with the dundundun of 20 Simultaneous Loves and has two bolts for Nicole, but after playing her, I feel she is a fellow Pleasure Sim through and through, and she is so switching when the opportunity comes up.)
"Looking good, Mina."
"Thanks, I'm trying."
*gulp slurp sip* "Aaahh. Milk is so much better straight out of the carton."
"I think so too."
"Check this out, Nicole! How many girls can get ripped just by stuffing their face at the fridge?"
Andi continued to amuse the Outside sisters, especially Nicole (and me), with her antics. I can only describe her as having somewhat of a charmed life.
While Nicole was on the brink of discovering something that hadn't quite been defined as of yet, Mina had discovered a passion of her own: every free minute found her practicing at the Basic Barré she had bought after her visit to My Muse. If for nothing else, she was glad her mixed experience there had revealed that.
She didn't know where it came from, but perhaps it could best be described as a wisp of a memory from the Untold years, a childhood dream of becoming a World Class Dancer. Whatever the explanation, the Mina here and now could be transported to a place where she was that World Class Dancer, complete with pretty classical piano and rousing applause...
"I feel a gap in the fourth wall, I think I'll call Laura Langerak."
"And yet you're thinking about Andi."
"Duh."
Nicole called Laura a couple of times just to chat before inviting her over to their Greek House, and she seemed so genuine and nice, Laura only had to briefly weigh the pros and cons before she followed Diane's lead and took a chance...
"Are you sure you don't want to come in?"
"No thanks, I can't stay long, I have a lot of studying to do."
"Er... okay."
(Despite Laura's 7 Nice points (the same as Mina and Andi) she was a very tough nut to crack... way tougher than easy-breezy Andi, obviously!)
On the third invitation to Venture House, Laura thought she might want to pledge some time in the future. (Mina also took part in the recruiting, though sadly I didn't take a single picture of it...)
"Just some day?"
"Yeah, maybe some day!"
"Er... okay. Voo, Laura?"
Okay. While my attention was on watching and not taking pictures of Mina playing catch with Laura outside, Nicole and Andi took their friendship to the next level.
*Zooms back inside* What did I miss?! I can't stand it, what happened?
"A kiss, obviously."
But what... who... which... how?
"Andi and I are very private people. Suffice it to say..."
"Yes, we're in love!"
ARRRRGHHHH!!! *throws childish tantrum* *headdesk headdesk headdesk*
"I knew it all along."
So did I, but I wanted to see it. I want pictures, dammit!
Okay, enough moaning and groaning...
Andi was a decent student, leaning more toward the creative than academics, and she wasn't averse to studying basic skills to improve her grades.
"Laura's coming over again, I hope she finally decides to pledge!"
"Good luck! Hoo, that studying's made me awfully tired, I think I'll take a nap."
Did I mention Andi is lazy, too? Like 2 Active points lazy?
"This is why we don't share everything with you - you blab too much!"
Finally, finally the hard work and determination paid off.
"Welcome, Laura!"
"Thanks!"
"Would you... um, would you mind helping me with my term paper?"
Now, Nicole still didn't like the idea of influencing others to do her work for her, but in this case, she felt like she had sort of earned it with Laura being so difficult. Plus, the timing was bad because all she wanted to do was anything with Andi.
"We'll tell each other our surprises next week, then!"
...
"Tell Dad not to worry, it's a good surprise! Whoops, gotta go, we're trying to make dinner arrangements. Bye, love you!"
Andi's "charmed" streak was broken when I had her influence the PE coach to cook them a meal, only the fridge was empty (*grrr* probably from Andi stuffing her fricking face!), sending 5000 of her influence points straight down the tubes.
"I had her in the palm of my hand, Nicole!"
"It was a funny thought, though, that's what counts."
"Yeah, que será, será."
"Did you have a nice nap?"
"Yup, all rested up. Let's plan a party for next week!"
"Great idea!"
"Nicole, come here and tell me what you think so far."
...
"Nicole?"
...
"Nico-ole..."
Laura looked around, but there was no sign of Nicole. Maybe she was in the bathroom, or taking a shower. She was starting to get tired, but she forged ahead, doing what she could without Nicole's input...
Hours later, Laura backed unsteadily out of the chair, unable to take any more.
"Augh, what's wrong with my eyes!" she gasped.
Of course, it had to be eyestrain from staring at the computer screen too long.
"It's what I get for refusing to read the writing on the wall," Laura sniffed.
And strangely enough, she was relieved when tears filled her eyes at Nicole's betrayal, because that also explained the strange feeling in them...
"Nicole, come say goodbye, Laura's leaving!" Andi shouted from her post at the most coveted spot to do assignments - the teeny-tiny space right behind the front door.
"No, not yet, wait!"
"Screw this."
"Laura, I didn't know you were... I-I didn't know..."
"Take some lessons on how to treat your guests, Nicole."
"I'm sorry, please come back inside."
"No thank you, I'm done being used."
"But Laura..!"
Back at the Oasis Dorm, Laura prepared for an academically rewarding if rather routine and, dare she say, boring remainder of her time at University. As for her eyes, they were feeling completely normal again.
"I'm tellin' ya, she's a strange one... doesn't interact with anybody. I should know... I've tried."
"Well, there's your answer, Shea."
"Very funny."
"I thought so."
Laura's prodigious appetite for Moar Skill Points landed her more than one invitation to a hobby lot.
"Thanks, I might take you up on that."
Or maybe she wouldn't...
The main concern playing Laura Sim-Centrically was she always put skilling ahead of everything else, only making her way to the cafeteria under imminent threat of starvation.
Or perhaps she was avoiding it because the dorm's cook couldn't be arsed to clean up, even once in a while.
"I was gonna get that."
"No you weren't, you stood in this puddle for hours."
"You're right, I wasn't."
"Sheesh, I don't know about this place..."
"Hello."
"Hello."
"You've been kind of a ghost around here lately."
"Ghost?"
"Yeah. Like, we see signs you've been here, paintings on the walls mostly, but we hardly ever... see you."
The phone began to ring and Laura jumped up to answer it.
"Oasis Dormitory, Laura speaking."
"Hi, Laura? It's Nicole don't hang up!"
"... I'm here."
"Can we tempt you to come over again? Just to hang out and have some pizza, I promise!"
"It's late, I have studying to do."
"Laura, I'm really sorry about the term paper thing, I swear that won't happen again."
"..."
"We really want you to come back."
Laura kept Nicole hanging a bit longer, but beneath the surface of her Wants panel, she wanted to give Nicole a second chance. She was dying to escape the humdrum of the dorm, even if only for a little while to hang out with some people she was starting to care about. She just couldn't figure out how to do it Sim-Centrically, but lucky for her, the girls at Venture House offered a way.
"Mmmm, okay..."
"Yay! See you in a few!"
"I'm making sandwiches if anybody wants one!"
"There's leftover pizza in the fridge!"
"Come on, ladies, we can't eat only pizza for the rest of our lives!"
"Why not?" was followed by two sets of giggles. Mina rolled her eyes, and then the doorbell rang.
"Can you get that?"
"My hands are messy."
"Please, Mina?"
"Ohhh-kay."
"Hey, Laura," Mina said, her tone contrite in the role of her sister's surrogate.
"Where's Nicole?"
"I think she's embarrassed," Mina confided.
"Well, that's something."
"Your hands are like ice! Come inside where it's warm."
"Hey, Laura," Nicole said sheepishly as she sat gingerly upon the couch.
"... Hey."
"Er... I'm really trying to do better academically."
"Mmhmm."
"I know it's a sore subject and rightfully so, but I do want to hand in a term paper this semester, so if you don't mind, I'm going to start working on it."
"Go right ahead," Laura said stiffly, keeping her eyes focused intently on her book.
"OhOHoh. I'm looking at what you wrote, and after a whole semester, I finally understand how PEMDAS works!"
"Oh yes, PEMDAS is very useful for some equations."
"Could you... would you mind taking a look at what I've got so far? So I know I'm on the right track?"
In fact, Laura had always been more than happy to help Nicole with her term paper - the operative word being "help."
"What was your last paper on?" Nicole asked.
"Academic Argument Beyond 'Did Not, Did Too'. Is it any wonder I declared a major afterwards?"
"Which one?"
"Physics."
"Whoa, you're brave."
"I needs me some Logic, who wants to play chess?" Andi called from across the room.
"Do you like playing chess, Laura?"
"I love chess."
"Laura does!" Nicole answered then said, "Go ahead, I'm just about finished. You'll like Andi, she's great."
"I'm glad you can help Nicole with her paper, cuz I sure can't, it's way over my head."
"One of my dorm mates referred to me as The Ghost," Laura blurted out.
"Don't listen to them. Or maybe you should. Maybe it's time to make a change."
"What kind of change?"
"A change of residence? I mean, we all like you, maybe you can move in."
"I... didn't think about that."
"Think about it."
With Laura's help, Nicole's GPA at the end of her sophomore year climbed back up to a respectable 3.7.
Later that night, Laura ate with an Oasis dorm mate for the first time.
"This is my last night here, I'm going to move into the Venture House sorority."
"The new one? I didn't figure you the Greek House type."
"Neither did I, to be honest."
"Well, good luck. I'm Virginia, in case you didn't know."
"I'm Laura. Good luck to you, too."
"I'm so glad you've decided to move in, it isn't the same here anymore without you."
"Really? You're not just saying that?"
"Of course n..."
"Laura!" Nicole gasped. "Y-your eyes!"
"My..?" Suddenly Laura's vision cut out, and she must have gone into shock because her smile remained serene and she said calmly and truthfully (though she herself didn't believe it for one second...), "Oh wait, my Physics professor said the lasers could mess with our eyes." *
"Lasers?! You look possessed!"
"I-I know I'm different, but I can assure you I'm not possessed!"
"Does it hurt?"
"No, but I can't see. Can you take me to a mirror? Maybe that'll help."
"I think we're beyond a mirror. I know! Mina used to be a Paramedic, maybe she..."
"NO! Please, I don't want anyone else to know about this."
"But..."
Laura gave a resigned sigh. "I think I should just go back to the dorm, nobody there sees me anyway..."
"You can't do that, you belong here with us! We'll figure something out, like um... I know, the Bat Box!"
"Wait, you're starting to come into focus again... I think they're fixing themselves..."
*(No, seriously, Laura ain't lying! Check out the list of Physics classes if you don't believe her...)
After several verrry lonnnng Sim minutes, Laura's eyes did eventually go back to normal on their own.
"Hey Nicole?" Laura whispered. "Don't forget, this our secret, okay? I don't quite know how yet, but I'm going to try my best to figure out the cause of this glitch in my eyes. I mean, between that and this outerwear, no wonder people think I'm..."
"I promise to keep your secret, now, can you help me yank my glitchy arm out of this door frame?" Nicole whispered back.
For the first time she could remember, perhaps the first time ever, Laura laughed. "Of course!"
"HEY, LADIES! Break out the pizza, guess who's home!"
That concludes the first two years of Mesa Vista's first University chapter! Nicole and Mina's Junior and Senior years will be played in Week 5.
(And just to show what a poop Laura really was during the pledge process...)
Thanks for reading and Happy Simming!
BaCC quick stats:
Sim count + graves: 41 (+ 2 on the way *eeeeeeee!*)
Sim multiplier: 20
Population: 820
Back at the Venture House...
"Don't sweat it, silly, I'm nothing but a lowly pledge..."
"You're not lowly! It just isn't in my nature to take advantage of people, and especially you, Andi."
Mina rolled her eyes but said encouragingly, "It's okay, sis, it's just part of the game."
"There, listen to Mina, she gets it. Come on, you can practice on me."
"Umm..."
"Don't be shy, tell me what needs to be done!"
"... The books? Please put away the books."
"Where'd she go?" Andi asked, tucking the last book into the bookcase.
"She's probably upstairs painting our portraits."
"Who's gonna paint hers?"
"Probably me after I've had more practice."
"I can paint portraits."
"Are you any good?"
"Yes."
"Isn't it funny? My mom wore the same top as you when she was at La Fiesta Tech in the Apocalypse."
"Heh, really?"
Andi would have to something about that. The last thing she wanted was for Nicole to be reminded of her mother when she saw her, Andi.
"Who wants pizza?"
"We do!"
Once such formalities as makeovers and the unveiling of the pizza were dispensed with, Andi finally got started on Nicole's portrait.
And it turned out exactly how Andi always thought of Nicole... the light of every room.
"And I can only hope some day the light of my room..."
(Oh Gawd. Andi is Romance with the dundundun of 20 Simultaneous Loves and has two bolts for Nicole, but after playing her, I feel she is a fellow Pleasure Sim through and through, and she is so switching when the opportunity comes up.)
"Looking good, Mina."
"Thanks, I'm trying."
*gulp slurp sip* "Aaahh. Milk is so much better straight out of the carton."
"I think so too."
"Check this out, Nicole! How many girls can get ripped just by stuffing their face at the fridge?"
Andi continued to amuse the Outside sisters, especially Nicole (and me), with her antics. I can only describe her as having somewhat of a charmed life.
While Nicole was on the brink of discovering something that hadn't quite been defined as of yet, Mina had discovered a passion of her own: every free minute found her practicing at the Basic Barré she had bought after her visit to My Muse. If for nothing else, she was glad her mixed experience there had revealed that.
She didn't know where it came from, but perhaps it could best be described as a wisp of a memory from the Untold years, a childhood dream of becoming a World Class Dancer. Whatever the explanation, the Mina here and now could be transported to a place where she was that World Class Dancer, complete with pretty classical piano and rousing applause...
"I feel a gap in the fourth wall, I think I'll call Laura Langerak."
"And yet you're thinking about Andi."
"Duh."
Nicole called Laura a couple of times just to chat before inviting her over to their Greek House, and she seemed so genuine and nice, Laura only had to briefly weigh the pros and cons before she followed Diane's lead and took a chance...
"Are you sure you don't want to come in?"
"No thanks, I can't stay long, I have a lot of studying to do."
"Er... okay."
(Despite Laura's 7 Nice points (the same as Mina and Andi) she was a very tough nut to crack... way tougher than easy-breezy Andi, obviously!)
On the third invitation to Venture House, Laura thought she might want to pledge some time in the future. (Mina also took part in the recruiting, though sadly I didn't take a single picture of it...)
"Just some day?"
"Yeah, maybe some day!"
"Er... okay. Voo, Laura?"
Okay. While my attention was on watching and not taking pictures of Mina playing catch with Laura outside, Nicole and Andi took their friendship to the next level.
*Zooms back inside* What did I miss?! I can't stand it, what happened?
"A kiss, obviously."
But what... who... which... how?
"Andi and I are very private people. Suffice it to say..."
"Yes, we're in love!"
ARRRRGHHHH!!! *throws childish tantrum* *headdesk headdesk headdesk*
"I knew it all along."
So did I, but I wanted to see it. I want pictures, dammit!
Okay, enough moaning and groaning...
Andi was a decent student, leaning more toward the creative than academics, and she wasn't averse to studying basic skills to improve her grades.
"Laura's coming over again, I hope she finally decides to pledge!"
"Good luck! Hoo, that studying's made me awfully tired, I think I'll take a nap."
Did I mention Andi is lazy, too? Like 2 Active points lazy?
"This is why we don't share everything with you - you blab too much!"
Finally, finally the hard work and determination paid off.
"Welcome, Laura!"
"Thanks!"
"Would you... um, would you mind helping me with my term paper?"
Now, Nicole still didn't like the idea of influencing others to do her work for her, but in this case, she felt like she had sort of earned it with Laura being so difficult. Plus, the timing was bad because all she wanted to do was anything with Andi.
"We'll tell each other our surprises next week, then!"
...
"Tell Dad not to worry, it's a good surprise! Whoops, gotta go, we're trying to make dinner arrangements. Bye, love you!"
Andi's "charmed" streak was broken when I had her influence the PE coach to cook them a meal, only the fridge was empty (*grrr* probably from Andi stuffing her fricking face!), sending 5000 of her influence points straight down the tubes.
"I had her in the palm of my hand, Nicole!"
"It was a funny thought, though, that's what counts."
"Yeah, que será, será."
"Did you have a nice nap?"
"Yup, all rested up. Let's plan a party for next week!"
"Great idea!"
"Nicole, come here and tell me what you think so far."
...
"Nicole?"
...
"Nico-ole..."
Laura looked around, but there was no sign of Nicole. Maybe she was in the bathroom, or taking a shower. She was starting to get tired, but she forged ahead, doing what she could without Nicole's input...
Hours later, Laura backed unsteadily out of the chair, unable to take any more.
"Augh, what's wrong with my eyes!" she gasped.
Of course, it had to be eyestrain from staring at the computer screen too long.
"It's what I get for refusing to read the writing on the wall," Laura sniffed.
And strangely enough, she was relieved when tears filled her eyes at Nicole's betrayal, because that also explained the strange feeling in them...
"Nicole, come say goodbye, Laura's leaving!" Andi shouted from her post at the most coveted spot to do assignments - the teeny-tiny space right behind the front door.
"No, not yet, wait!"
"Screw this."
"Laura, I didn't know you were... I-I didn't know..."
"Take some lessons on how to treat your guests, Nicole."
"I'm sorry, please come back inside."
"No thank you, I'm done being used."
"But Laura..!"
Back at the Oasis Dorm, Laura prepared for an academically rewarding if rather routine and, dare she say, boring remainder of her time at University. As for her eyes, they were feeling completely normal again.
"I'm tellin' ya, she's a strange one... doesn't interact with anybody. I should know... I've tried."
"Well, there's your answer, Shea."
"Very funny."
"I thought so."
Laura's prodigious appetite for Moar Skill Points landed her more than one invitation to a hobby lot.
"Thanks, I might take you up on that."
Or maybe she wouldn't...
The main concern playing Laura Sim-Centrically was she always put skilling ahead of everything else, only making her way to the cafeteria under imminent threat of starvation.
Or perhaps she was avoiding it because the dorm's cook couldn't be arsed to clean up, even once in a while.
"I was gonna get that."
"No you weren't, you stood in this puddle for hours."
"You're right, I wasn't."
"Sheesh, I don't know about this place..."
"Hello."
"Hello."
"You've been kind of a ghost around here lately."
"Ghost?"
"Yeah. Like, we see signs you've been here, paintings on the walls mostly, but we hardly ever... see you."
The phone began to ring and Laura jumped up to answer it.
"Oasis Dormitory, Laura speaking."
"Hi, Laura? It's Nicole don't hang up!"
"... I'm here."
"Can we tempt you to come over again? Just to hang out and have some pizza, I promise!"
"It's late, I have studying to do."
"Laura, I'm really sorry about the term paper thing, I swear that won't happen again."
"..."
"We really want you to come back."
Laura kept Nicole hanging a bit longer, but beneath the surface of her Wants panel, she wanted to give Nicole a second chance. She was dying to escape the humdrum of the dorm, even if only for a little while to hang out with some people she was starting to care about. She just couldn't figure out how to do it Sim-Centrically, but lucky for her, the girls at Venture House offered a way.
"Mmmm, okay..."
"Yay! See you in a few!"
"I'm making sandwiches if anybody wants one!"
"There's leftover pizza in the fridge!"
"Come on, ladies, we can't eat only pizza for the rest of our lives!"
"Why not?" was followed by two sets of giggles. Mina rolled her eyes, and then the doorbell rang.
"Can you get that?"
"My hands are messy."
"Please, Mina?"
"Ohhh-kay."
"Hey, Laura," Mina said, her tone contrite in the role of her sister's surrogate.
"Where's Nicole?"
"I think she's embarrassed," Mina confided.
"Well, that's something."
"Your hands are like ice! Come inside where it's warm."
"Hey, Laura," Nicole said sheepishly as she sat gingerly upon the couch.
"... Hey."
"Er... I'm really trying to do better academically."
"Mmhmm."
"I know it's a sore subject and rightfully so, but I do want to hand in a term paper this semester, so if you don't mind, I'm going to start working on it."
"Go right ahead," Laura said stiffly, keeping her eyes focused intently on her book.
"OhOHoh. I'm looking at what you wrote, and after a whole semester, I finally understand how PEMDAS works!"
"Oh yes, PEMDAS is very useful for some equations."
"Could you... would you mind taking a look at what I've got so far? So I know I'm on the right track?"
In fact, Laura had always been more than happy to help Nicole with her term paper - the operative word being "help."
"What was your last paper on?" Nicole asked.
"Academic Argument Beyond 'Did Not, Did Too'. Is it any wonder I declared a major afterwards?"
"Which one?"
"Physics."
"Whoa, you're brave."
"I needs me some Logic, who wants to play chess?" Andi called from across the room.
"Do you like playing chess, Laura?"
"I love chess."
"Laura does!" Nicole answered then said, "Go ahead, I'm just about finished. You'll like Andi, she's great."
"I'm glad you can help Nicole with her paper, cuz I sure can't, it's way over my head."
"One of my dorm mates referred to me as The Ghost," Laura blurted out.
"Don't listen to them. Or maybe you should. Maybe it's time to make a change."
"What kind of change?"
"A change of residence? I mean, we all like you, maybe you can move in."
"I... didn't think about that."
"Think about it."
With Laura's help, Nicole's GPA at the end of her sophomore year climbed back up to a respectable 3.7.
Later that night, Laura ate with an Oasis dorm mate for the first time.
"This is my last night here, I'm going to move into the Venture House sorority."
"The new one? I didn't figure you the Greek House type."
"Neither did I, to be honest."
"Well, good luck. I'm Virginia, in case you didn't know."
"I'm Laura. Good luck to you, too."
"I'm so glad you've decided to move in, it isn't the same here anymore without you."
"Really? You're not just saying that?"
"Of course n..."
"Laura!" Nicole gasped. "Y-your eyes!"
"My..?" Suddenly Laura's vision cut out, and she must have gone into shock because her smile remained serene and she said calmly and truthfully (though she herself didn't believe it for one second...), "Oh wait, my Physics professor said the lasers could mess with our eyes." *
"Lasers?! You look possessed!"
"I-I know I'm different, but I can assure you I'm not possessed!"
"Does it hurt?"
"No, but I can't see. Can you take me to a mirror? Maybe that'll help."
"I think we're beyond a mirror. I know! Mina used to be a Paramedic, maybe she..."
"NO! Please, I don't want anyone else to know about this."
"But..."
Laura gave a resigned sigh. "I think I should just go back to the dorm, nobody there sees me anyway..."
"You can't do that, you belong here with us! We'll figure something out, like um... I know, the Bat Box!"
"Wait, you're starting to come into focus again... I think they're fixing themselves..."
*(No, seriously, Laura ain't lying! Check out the list of Physics classes if you don't believe her...)
After several verrry lonnnng Sim minutes, Laura's eyes did eventually go back to normal on their own.
"Hey Nicole?" Laura whispered. "Don't forget, this our secret, okay? I don't quite know how yet, but I'm going to try my best to figure out the cause of this glitch in my eyes. I mean, between that and this outerwear, no wonder people think I'm..."
"I promise to keep your secret, now, can you help me yank my glitchy arm out of this door frame?" Nicole whispered back.
For the first time she could remember, perhaps the first time ever, Laura laughed. "Of course!"
"HEY, LADIES! Break out the pizza, guess who's home!"
That concludes the first two years of Mesa Vista's first University chapter! Nicole and Mina's Junior and Senior years will be played in Week 5.
(And just to show what a poop Laura really was during the pledge process...)
Thanks for reading and Happy Simming!
BaCC quick stats:
Sim count + graves: 41 (+ 2 on the way *eeeeeeee!*)
Sim multiplier: 20
Population: 820