Nocheat: CCON graduates come home, new batch leaves (part 1)
Brace yourself, we're going to jump around a bit in this update. We'll see the last batch of CCON students arriving back in the neighborhood and the new batch heading out.
Willhelm heard his younger brother and sister before he actually saw them. He had the feeling being home wasn't going to be much different from being in the dorm what with the phone ringing and people running around.
"You did? That's great. Hurry home, son."
The family had been waiting for this call. Paperwork snaffu's had them wondering if Giorgio would be joining his brother at CCON.
"We have to get up early to catch that bus."
It had taken a little bit of convincing, but Maurice had finally relented and given the boys money for the bus being chartered for the next class heading off to CCON. Arturo had wanted to cut the check immediately, horrified at the thought of a long car ride with all of them crammed together.
Tito talked animatedly about leaving while he waited for his brother to get home so they could argue over who's clothes were who's.
Willhelm was right, it wasn't much different than the dorms.
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Artemis's return home was in stark contrast to Willhelm's rowdy homelife.
While they both had two fathers, Artemis was the youngest in her family. Her fathers' having long had the home to themselves, had become set in their routines. Both were driven my their pursuit of knowledge and having political discussions with their bird, Greybeard.
Not that they didn't entertain guests. She hadn't seen her older brother in forever. He looked happy, if not a bit less than fashionable.
But she couldn't say much.
Her own outfit left a lot to be desired. And the family bureau didn't offer any hope.
Benjamin, never one to deny any of his children what they wanted, sent Artemis on her way with his credit card while Guiseppe entertained Onus.
"What is this all over your shirt? Hair?"
"Oh, it's just cat hair. Will you STOP. I came by to congratulate you."
"For?"
"You're a great grandfather again. . ."
With a better wardrobe, Artemis returned home to find dinner on the table.
"Benny! Call Greybeard. He's in the kitchen again. You know how I feel about bird crap on the counters."
Benjamin whistles for the bird.
"Artemis, call him to you, please. If I have to hear another "crap on the counter" lecture I'll pull out all my hair."
Artemis holds out her arm and Greybeard lands and gives a wolf whistle.
"You're a dirty bird," Artemis teases, lifting him into his cage.
"You got that right," Guiseppe adds.
"Cracka, please." Greybeard always gets the last word.
Artemis enjoys her slow incorporation into her fathers' routines. Including long discussions at every meal, mostly about her work.
"I read your piece in the Review. Top of the class for a reason. Very impressive."
"It's kind of a hot topic right now. They wanted me to work on the collaboration they had going on, but I was busy with my own work. It wasn't detailed in the Review but I found a very interesting compound while working on a separate project. It has some pleasant side effects."
Artemis and her fathers discuss her discovery of Bubble.
"So who's this fella that's been calling?" Benjamin was never one to beat around the bush.
Artemis wasn't sure what to tell him.
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Technically, Off wasn't homeless. If he had asked, Rocco would have taken him back into his household. But the idea of being around the woman who had been responsible for his father's death (leaving Off an orphan) wasn't enticing. So when Levator Miguel had approached him about rooming together, he took him up on the offer.
Levator was obsessed with networking. He was particularly interested in eccentric millionaire Truth Laide.
Or, rather, Truth's near obsession with alien abduction.
It wasn't that surprising, to be honest. Levator had always been interested in all things scientific, including the more "out there" things like alien abduction and resurrection. While Levator was finding his niche in the scientific community, Off was having trouble finding any work that really interested him.
Left alone all day, he sought companionship in a puppy he named Daphne.
And a girl he met in college.
Daphne grew quickly and kept Off on his toes.
No doubt about it, she was cute.
And spoiled rotten.
Just as Daphne had grown, so had Off's relationship with Artemis. When she called and asked if he wanted to join her on an outing he jumped at the chance.
He hadn't expected her to arrive with an entourage.
Which he soon found out consisted of not just her older brother but both of her fathers.
After his initial shock wore away, Off found himself quite at ease with Artemis's family.
And managed to get some time alone with her.
While Daphne gave sloppy dog kisses, nothing could compare to Artemis in the kissing department (and Off had the feeling he wouldn't have to follow Artemis around with a sponge mop).
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Around the neighorhood, other teens were getting ready to board the bus to CCON.
"Remember, you have to keep your grades up for that scholarship."
Peppermint didn't mind her sister's near constant mothering.
"I can't wait to move. It's going to be so weird, living with new sims and all that. I have a surprise for you, too."
"What?"
"It's not ready yet, I'll call you when it is." Peppermint abandoned her dirty dishes to race outside.
It wasn't a very big garden plot but she hoped it would help out with the grocery bill.
What with Cinnamon and Odalisque adopting a daughter, Flageolet.
And Passado was growing so fast, eating them out of house and home.
Peppermint called to her sister. "Ode, come and look!"
"Oh my. . .Flageolet, look what Pepper did for us!" Flageolet was more interested in the butterflies than the plants.
"It's not very big, but you should be able to grow a lot. I have a book for you, too. And see, the ladybugs will make it so you don't get bugs. Totally organic."
Odalisque smiled, shaking her head in disbelief.
"What? You took care of me and now I'm paying you back."
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Peppermint wasn't the only one doing a little paying back before leaving for school.
"I'm gonna tell him, Dora. I don't want him starting some wacky cult like that Saturn's Nine shit."
Dora laughed. "I don't think he's bright enough for that. So how you going to let him down?"
"Oh, I have a plan."
Patchioulianna had set up a Bubble blower in one of the numerous spare bedrooms. It had been for her own personal use but she decided since she was leaving, Blaire might just enjoy a little pick me up.
He'd stopped going off about aliens and how they were the root of all evils after he'd read the fake scriptures she and Dora Mae had planted. But then he'd started to go off the deep end, talking about spreading the good word and getting together a congregation.
She'd kept him on the line long enough. It was time to reel him in.
She waited until they were both feeling the effects of the Bubble.
"Blaire, you know those scriptures. . ."
He was so high he just laughed and laughed.
And so did Dora Mae when Patchioulianna told her about it later, when they snuck off to begin their lives as college students.
(background: Guiseppe and Benjamin are the fathers of Artemis, Onus and Periwinkle. Odalisque, Peppermint and Patchioulianna are Onus's daughters--Pepper and Patch are twins. Onus used to live with Saphron Woodstock--Pepper and Patch's mother--until he was caught cheating on Saphron with Jupiter. After Onus moved out, Saphron moved Blaire into the household--Blaire is Cinnamon's father. Blaire was a "racist" spouting anti-alien drivel. This drivel affected Saphron, who became violent toward Odalisque and encouraged Patch to be violent toward Pepper--since Pepper was kind to Odalisque. Cinnamon, Odalisque and Pepper ran away from the household, leaving Patch. Once alone, Patch had to deal with Blaire's racism when she fell for an alien girl, Dora Mae McCrackin--a member of the Soulja Girls. Dora Mae and Patch made a fake religious book full of "love thy alien brother" scripture to get even with Blaire. Cinnamon and Odalisque were still teens when they ran off with child Pepper. Cinnamon and Odalisque were helped out by Olive Row--Soulja Girl--and flourished in their new environment. When they became adults, Cinnamon and Odalisque married and with the financial help of Onus and Jupiter, adopted their first child, Passado.
Off White is the son of deceased mother Lilly White--who died when Off was a child-- and deceased father Gabe Jones. Off lived in a household with Rocco and Carmella DeTreville. Carmella had been having an affair with Gabe which was moving toward marriage. Except Gabe kept getting infected with vampirism--since he kept having daliances with the local vampires. Carmella tried--through her sister Sophia--to cure Gabe but it didn't take. When Gabe admitted he liked being a vampire, Carmella locked him out on the veranda and he burned to death. Off has a good relationship with Rocco--Carmella's older brother--but doesn't want anything to do with Carmella--though it was never proven that Carmella deliberately killed Gabe.