Prosperity Challenge - 11.8 (Days/Years 31-33 - Band House)
Ok, so I started a new sims challenge (which I am NOT blogging), and I got attached, and my poor Winterfell has been neglected. They are my true love though, so we're back with another update of the slowest moving prosperity challenge in the history of the world.
Eli looked into the eyes of little Abe (or was it Eleanore? They were so hard to tell apart, at least with their diapers on) and thought about how his life had changed. Not so long ago, he'd stayed up late every night, practicing the drums and snuggling with his wife. Now he and Shena barely had time to say hello to one another as they slogged from one poopy diaper to the next until collapsing into bed when the babies finally slept.
Even in his exhausted haze, though, he felt deep down that it was worth it. They wouldn't be babies forever, and they were awfully cute. Seeing Shena as a mother had made him love her in an entirely new way, as well. Eli hoped his kids turned out half as great as she had.
After those first, hectic days had passed, Eli reluctantly returned to work. He'd been working as an Adventurer for some time, all the while hoping to catch his big break with the band. His diving outfit was just humiliating, and he'd never understand why his boss insisted he wear it into the office.
Nevada and Sam, the two members of the household not completely engulfed in baby rearing, had started to grow on one another. Sam had become a large, loyal dog.
Nevada was feeling a little left out of the whole cozy little family dynamic going on next door, so she was happy to pay Sam some attention. Attention that he was sorely lacking from anyone else, she'd noticed.
The dog needed to be trained, no doubt about it.
Nevada allowed herself to be sucked into childcare occasionally. She always felt funny while doing it, as if she were missing something.
She had assumed that by this point in her life, she'd be married and maybe have kids of her own. But with no real prospects, she found that she was suprisingly at peace. The babies were lovely, warm, and usually smelled great, but she felt no pull to have her own.
The day finally came for the twins' birthday. Eli held Abe, while Shena cradled Eleanore. This was a pretty momentous occasion - what would the twins be like, as people? Would Shena and Eli be good parents to toddlers, with all they needed to be taught? (Author - Will the kids be cute?? Why is Mr. Townie-pants so pissed?)
Eleanore! Gemini 4/10/9/4/1 - a mean little cuss.
Abe! Leo 4/10/4/4/3 - hopefully not lazy enough to develop "the slouch".
Shena worked hard, and got back to her pre-pregnancy fighting weight.
She needed all the strength she could get to get through that most trying of toddler times - potty training. Potty training twins was possibly four times as hard as doing it for one, or so Shena imagined.
It got a little easier every day, and Shena even began to consider that Eli might not be crazy for wanting another one of the little monsters...someday.
Not someday soon.
There was at least one thing Shena was determined to do first. Xi Centauri had never played a real, live, not-for-their-friends-and-family show. She suspected that Nevada and Eli were just humoring her about this band thing lately, and she intended to make it a reality. So, she called in a few favors, and got them booked at Winterfell Nights - one night only.
The night started off well enough. They'd been rehearsing, and were actually sounding really good. Shena wished they had a real singer so that she wouldn't have to bark out the lyrics, but everyone seemed to be appreciating their cover of Blitzkreig Bop.
Shena got into it enough to try a little showmanship, playing her guitar behind her back. She'd been working on that move since college, and was thrilled to get to do it in front of an actual audience.
The audience, however, seemed to be getting smaller. They were only halfway into their set when the holes in the crowd grew gapingly obvious.
To make matters worse, the few people left quickly became entangled in a brawl. Shena hadn't realized Winterfell Nights was such a dive.
Some drunk girl got on stage and tried to dance in front of Shena. This was becoming a disaster.
The band played irrelevantly on, though, to the bitter end.
After it was all mercifully over, Shena tried to put a good spin on it.
"Hey, at least we got out of the house, met some new people, right?"
"Sure. That drunk girl seemed pretty cool...and that guy beating up that other girl, we should totally hang out with him sometime."
"Shut up, you. Let me have my delusion that that wasn't a completely embarrassing waste of time."
"Aw, honey, it wasn't like that at all. I, for one, had a great time."
"Really?"
"Really. I liked playing for people, even people who didn't like hearing it. I think we should try again."
"Ok. We should probably wait until the instruments thaw out, though."
"Pff. I thought you were supposed to be so hardcore. What's a little frostbite on the road to glory?"