#nsbsims4

MT: “hahaha, as poetic as that sounds, well, writing that would technically be lying, and that is a nono in this line of work, so I can’t really write that word by word. So I said I will try to make it look like it was years ago, without actually saying it. Hopefully they’ll buy it and you won’t have to worry about a thing. It did sound pretty literary tho. Have you ever considered becoming a writer or journalist yourself? Your blog posts were beautifully written. If you’re looking for any extracurriculars or job experience outside of the academy you might consider doing an internship with us. We could definitely benefit from 1. Having an insider to keep us updated on this case 2. Having an art critic correspondent who is currently within the hub of what is considered valid and trendy. It would be very valuable if you wanted to go into art critique later.”

A few days later, the trap had been set. Cerise had gone out for posh tea time with Grandma Silvia and craftily asked if she could maybe talk to her connections in the academy. Of course, she had humbly begged Grams not to mention that Cerise was really her granddaughter, just the daughter of a dear friend that Silvia felt was overlooked in the first round of interviews. The old lady was so excited at the prospect she quickly and easily pulled strings during her weekly brunch with the charity circle the next day, and promptly called Cerise to excitedly inform her she’d gotten her a second interview with one of the SMH Academy board members, Mdm Bechard. And there she was, waiting outside Mdm Bechard’s office, panic setting in.

C: “Hey Rowan, can you remind me why I’m doing this?”

R [over the phone] : “Because you’re there to gain back your honor and crush the bastards, like the super star you are. Now, I wanna hear you say it. Who are you?!”

C: “ Do I really have to...? Fine… I'm CherryPopz…*sigh* …conceptual artist extraordinaire…”

R: “Great! And how are you gonna go in there?!”

C: *sigh* “…back straight, shoulders back, confident smile… I own the place, this audition is just a formality, I’m already in…but Rowan, what if they see though my pl…? ”    -    R: “uh-uh SHUSH! keep.going!”   -    C: “UGH FINE! …Imma go in there, accept questions gracefully and thoughtfully, respond in an eloquent, yet nonchalant manner, throw some trivia in to show I know my stuff and compliment the bitch even if she doesn’t deserve it. I have the skills, I have the knowledge. I got this. Bitches are going down.”

A: “...WHAT?! Who is he? How long has this been going on? And why did YOU get find out first?! Aren’t girls supposed to talk to their mums about this?!”

C: “...Well, I think it has to do with exactly this kind of reaction, my love. She says she won’t reveal any names yet because she knows you will stalk and hunt him down and she wants to see where it goes.”

A: “...me?? Stalk him?”  *Callum gives her a look* “..ugh. Fine. I hope she knows what she’s doing. And I hope HE knows what he’s gotten himself into...” 

C: “...let’s hope so. Apparently he’s a junior activist just like her, knows lots about the city, and he’s quite passionate about his work. Grew up in Windenburg too! It’s so nice to see that she’s found her vocation. We already knew that her forte was in the social, but to see her put those debate skills and that hotheadedness of hers to good use is quite reassuring…”

A: “I really hope she can make an impact in that scene. The political and financial underworlds of that city are complicated...  . She’s tough as nails, for sure, but it will take a lot of work and a lot of grit to make herself a path there. I hope she’s up for the challenge.”

C: “...you sound like you don’t have a lot of faith in her…

C: “...and talking about the ways of science… I’m a little afraid to ask at this point….”

A: “...The project is underway. I got the approval I needed to open a new division. My budget and personnel are still limited, but I’m pretty sure I’m up for a promotion in the foreseeable future, so I’ll get an upgrade on everything soon enough. So right now I just need to set up the bases…”

C: “...and you told them…?”

A: “... I haven’t told anyone anything too specific. It’s a project with a very wide scope, but they just think I’m being ambitious, like always. We’re mainly looking into trying to lure the bastards back here, but we’re also looking into being able to defend ourselves when they come, or at least being able to protect ourselves if those bastards try any abductions again… so both the weaponry AND communication divisions are interested, not to mention the bio-lab, in case we manage to capture one of them. They think all of this is for hypothetical situations, of course. We’re basing ourselves on past accounts and memoirs of people who claim they’ve had contact. No one is aware I have actually been abducted myself... Oh, when I finally have my hands on them… I swear...” *mumbles intelligibly*

N: “Don’t worry, I kinda figured out it was bound to happen. And the dark side? Seriously?”

R: “Hey, when your first interaction involves trying to recruit you to run a business empire and they offer to pay to make me YOUR boss overnight, it’s definitely the dark side!

N: “Fair enough...and classic Amos”

C:  * clears throat while inching forwards*

R: “Oh, hey, brought someone for you to meet...this is...”

N: “AHA! You must be the famous and mysterious twin sister! I’ve heard so much about you!”

C: *feeling flattered* “Awww... I hope it’s only the goo.... wait, Nigel? *is suddenly terrified* ...N-N-Nigel F-Fowler?” 

N: *uncomfortable laugh* “Yeah, that me! I hope my reputation doesn’t precede me in this case...”

C: “N-N-Nigel... who liked to paint trees?”

N: “Huh... almost no one know that about me! I’m always doodling trees on the margins of my... HOLY SHIT! *sudden realisation* IT’S YOU!! ....Cerise?!”

Meanwhile, miles away back in Windenburg...

As Autumn arrives, with its cloudy skies and red leaves, Aminta’s determination to get fitter and stronger grows. She’s left yoga behind, but she’s stepped up her morning jogs. No, she can’t get pregnant again. But there is still plenty of Alien butts to kick. She might look like your average friendly jogger blasting “Eye of the tiger” from her earbuds... but she’s using this time to plot her revenge...

Later that night...

C: “OMM, Ro! I can’t believe it! Our grandparents! Here in the city! I don’t know who I’m more terrified of: Grandma with her scheming, Grandpa with his turn-anything-into-business mind or Mum, who will surely skin us and use us as specimens in her lab when she finds out we just had dinner and basically signed our death sentence into being mentored by her estranged parents. Dude, we are so dead. We are so dead! But it’s so exiting at the same time! We are so lucky, and so dead, and so lucky and SO DEAD!”

R: “Rise! Chill the f down! We are not gonna be skinned and used as specimens because we are NOT gonna tell Mum about this.”

C: “...are you crazy? She’s gonna find out and we’ll be in double the trouble!”

R: “WELL LET HER FIND OUT! And face the consequences of her burnt bridges! Just imagine it! We could have come here every summer, Rise! Not stuck in the middle of bloody nowhere! UGH! I’m so mad at mum, but at the same time I understand why she did it. These people are dangerous Rise. We need to be careful and not be blinded by this shiny new world they are offering. Which is why I was trying to take it slow with Nigel… and now I fucked up and got myself a boyfriend. Speaking of which, I need pop in and say goodbye.”

*rings bell and gets buzzed in*

C: “Oh yeah! I was going to ask about this Nigel fellow… I thought you had thing going on with this Merlin guy...?”