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“They might not like me bringing a random friend home, Rue. Especially not for… who knows how long.” Zelmira’s voice was a low murmur, but I heard every syllable. My new, enhanced hearing was a curse and a blessing. Right now, it was mostly a curse.

I could already smell them. Their parents. Two distinct scents, a mix of cooked food, fabric softener, and something else… something warm and living. A wave of nausea hit me, a primal hunger I was still learning to control. My stomach churned. Maybe leaving Vlad’s mansion was a mistake. At least there, the only things I smelled were ancient dust and the occasional plasma pack. Here, the world assaulted my senses, ten-fold.

Before I could spiral further, Zelmira gasped, her hand flying to their mouth. “Oh, shoot!”

I followed their gaze. Their parents, Radwan and Tziporah, were on the front porch. Zelmira waved frantically, already apologizing for coming back so late. As we walked towards them, dreading the inevitable confrontation, Radwan’s eyes widened. He gasped, a short, sharp sound. “Rue?”

His recognition hit me like a physical blow. Six months. Was that all it had been? It felt like an eternity since I’d last been anywhere, let alone seen anyone from my old life. Tziporah, too, identified me, but her face softened with relief rather than shock.

Zelmira bounded towards the steps, pointing dramatically behind them towards me. “Hey, Mom! Dad! Look who I found! Can I keep her?!” They exclaimed with a silly grin.

Radwan looked between us, his brow furrowed. “Rue? You’ve been missing! Your parents must be so worried. You need to call them.”

“It’s impossible, Dad, just… trust me,” Zelmira insisted, dropping the playful tone. “She needs to stay with us. Please?”

The fervent plea, combined with my silent, desperate stare, seemed to sway them. “Alright, alright,” Tziporah sighed, a strange, dark aura emanating from me, a feeling they couldn’t quite place, but they trusted their kid. “But she has to stay in your room, Zelmira, for now.”

I managed a weak, “Thank you. Both of you.” It still felt like a secret, this new me. I hadn’t told Zelmira, and they hadn't insisted, but I knew they sensed something was profoundly wrong. With a weary nod, we all headed inside to bed.

My strange coffin-bed, a peculiarity of Zelmira’s taste, was surprisingly comfortable. I drifted off, plunging into a dream.

Years ago. The familiar facade of my parents' house. Zelmira, Cassandra, and Luz were outside, chattering.

“Can you believe Rue joined us? Midnight Echos is finally complete!” Zelmira bubbled, practically vibrating with excitement. Luz merely shrugged, ever the calm one. Cassandra, my neighbor from across the street, scowled. “I still think we should have practiced at my place. It’s literally right there.”

“Relax, Cass,” Zelmira chided. “We were invited. Try to enjoy it!”

Soon, we were in the opulent ballroom in the basement of our newly inherited Victorian manor. I strummed my electric guitar, my voice soaring, perfectly harmonizing with Cassandra’s second guitar, Zelmira’s keyboard melodies, and Luz’s pounding drums. We were electric, a perfect storm of sound.

I finished my solo, bowing dramatically to an imaginary crowd, but the others kept playing. “Hey! Stop!” I yelled, faking anger. They just laughed, continuing the riff. Then, the dream started to glitch, pixels scattering like dust before I awoke.

I blinked. The room was dark, but a faint glow from Zelmira’s window told me it was night. Prom night. I was a vampire sleeping in a coffin, and it was prom night.

Zelmira, already dressed, looked at me. “I was just going to meet everyone there, but… wanna come? See Cass and Luz again?”

My first instinct was no. I was still in the plain white dress I’d been wearing when I found them. And the questions… I couldn’t answer the questions. But then, Zelmira pulled a gorgeous black dress from their mom’s closet. “Here, try this.”

I couldn't say no.

When we arrived, the school auditorium pulsed with light and music. “You look amazing!” Zelmira gushed, giving me a quick hug. “And don’t worry, no one’s going to bother you about… anything. If they do, I’ll personally deal with it.”

They pulled out their phone for a selfie. A sudden surge of angry frustration boiled up inside me. “Bloody hell!” I blurted, a curse I rarely used.

Zelmira paused, lowering their phone. “Rue? What’s wrong?”

I laughed, a sharp, sarcastic sound. “Oh, nothing. Just peachy, you know? Like a… like a walking sun allergy, basically.” I clutched the umbrella I’d brought, even though the sun had mostly set.

Zelmira just stared for a moment, then sighed softly. “Okay. Just… calm down. I’m going inside.” They walked ahead. I hesitated, took a deep breath, and followed.

Inside, the first face I saw was Cassandra Goth. We practically collided, embracing tightly. “Rue! Oh my Watcher, I missed you so much!”

Then Luz Lopez was there, wrapping me in a bone-crushing hug, practically glowing with delight. As I hugged them back, I spotted him. Wolfgang Munch. Across the room, laughing with a friend. My heart did a weird flutter. He was real.

Zelmira and Cass had already retreated to a nearby table, their voices clear as a bell to my vampire ears, even from across the room. “So, she just showed up in Forgotten Hollow?” Cass whispered. “And she’s staying with you?” Zelmira quickly gave her the rundown while Luz, still clinging to me, talked about school. I heard both conversations.

I watched Luz join Zelmira and Cassandra at their table, my enhanced hearing still picking up their every word. I voted for prom royalty and then, a bold urge, something primal and new, surged through me. I walked straight to Wolfgang.

He saw me, his eyes widening. His friends, too, recognized me, their chatter dying down. “Rue! Hey, you’re back! How are you?” Wolfgang asked, a genuine smile on his face.

“Better than ever,” I said, and surprisingly, it felt true. I extended a hand. “Wanna dance?”

We moved to the dance floor. No one else was dancing, but we didn’t care. We moved slowly, enjoying the music. Then, a sudden thump. The music cut out. Someone had tripped on a power cord.

“Are you kidding me?!” Wolfgang yelled.

“Bloody hell!” I echoed, and we separated, a shared surge of anger momentarily connecting us.

That was our cue. Our group, and a few others, who frankly sucked anyway, decided to ditch prom for the Plumbite Pier. Wolfgang and I headed for the romantic ride, ironically, of course. Zelmira and Cassandra settled for a game of chess. Luz found a microphone on a small stage, and started singing their heart out.

On the ride, Wolfgang and I made fun of the cheesy decorations, bonding over our shared sarcastic humor. When it ended, I practically sprinted to Luz, grabbing an abandoned acoustic guitar from the stage. We started playing. Wolfgang threw a few coins onto the stage, a clear sign of appreciation. We played for a few more minutes, a raw, joyous sound filling the night, before everyone dispersed, and headed home.

Zelmira practically collapsed into bed on the living room couch. But I couldn't. I stayed outside, feeling the cool night air on my skin. The moon still looked almost full. I let out an ironic, theatrical Dracula hiss towards it, a salute to my new patron.

I saw a blanket, forgotten on the grass. I lay down, spreading it out, and closed my eyes. Moonbathing. The symphony of crickets, the rustle of leaves, the subtle hum of the night. My enhanced senses absorbed every detail. This feral side, this connection to the night, felt more natural than anything before. I wished that night never had to end. - Rue

1 - Expectation Headpiece by Ersch

2 - Alissa Bow by Simandy

3 - Head Bow by Zy (TSR)

4 - Betty Hair Accessory by Joliebean

5 - Giant Bow by Bellassims

6 - Girly Things Head Bow by Camuflaje

7 - Wang Bow 2 by SSiat

8 - Minako Bow Accessory by Moon Craters

9 - Sana Headband by Ersch

10 - Cheer Bow by Candy Sims

11 - Ditto Hanbok Head Ribbon by Simna Sims World

12 - Bowknot No1 by S-Club (TSR)

OTHER CC USED

Hair | Dress

Well, ma laddies, femmes & gents, it happened. The latest patch has struck, and my game is now officially back to its vanilla roots. Talk about hitting the reset button! While the dust settles, and before the next expansion pack fully drops, I'm taking this forced reset as an opportunity.

Instead of battling broken mods, I'm diving headfirst into another new (or rather, a revamped) journey: my Decades Challenge rehash! Think historical progression, but with a twist.

And to kick things off, let's meet the pioneers of this new, (currently) mod-free adventure!

First up, my long-time muse and original darling, Lucier Sael. Joining him is the incredible Tayassa "Taya" Draven, a character dreamt up by one of my amazing IRL besties, [@sulfurandsugar]! (Hon, I really hope this version of Taya is good! <3)

I've spent the last two days purely on their faces. Pixel by pixel, trying to capture that just right vibe. Still not 100% satisfied, but hey, it's a start, right?

I've had this build made for a minute, I originally made it for my crossed wires short story, and then I realized I wanted to make it cc-free for download. Honestly that ended up being WAY more of an effort than I anticipated because the open roof is such an important part of this build, and we don't have a non-cc way to change the undersides of roofs (EA please I'm begging). Did I end up TOOLing a random fence debug asset up there? Yes. Yes I did. So be careful with the roof friends its a little sensitive. Move objects on is a necessity.

Yes, this is based on Red Dead Redemption 2, let's be real many of my builds are. Even has the gaming table at the end, but at least you don't have to work on the gambler challenge there, that's a real blessing.

I hope all you guys enjoy this and get some fun play out of it. Honestly it also works great as an open-air museum for a modern save, when I was taking photos I had it on triple speed to get the lighting right and watched a ton of sims just like wander around and I felt like I was absolutely watching them visit a little museum. So this one REALLY pulls double duty.

As always please tag me if you use it, seeing my builds in action is one of my favorite ways to get serotonin these days.

Fully playtested, but this is probably more of a screenshot lot than not, there's not a ton to do. I do not think the easel is functional, I think I may have sacrificed that for aesthetics. If you delete the box/crate under it will work fine.

Gallery ID: antiqueplumbobs

SFS | Google Drive